Looks like we have a hero here

WARNING: animal cruelty

It was a busy morning in December and the ground was dusted in a faint layer of the first snow. People rushed off to work and to do whatever they had to do, wrapped up in heavy coats and hats.

One of the businessmen stepped out of the subway, buttoned his woolen jacket to his chin, and threw away the daily paper he had been reading.

A pair of worn-out mittens with bare fingertips snatched the stack of daily news from the trash. The figure adjusted his hood before blending into the swarming mass of early-morning commuters and disappearing into the shadows.

He continued to walk until he found a place that was quiet and away from the crowd - once there, he pulled the tattered scarf away from his face, revealing his weary expression.

His blue eyes darted from the articles, quickly scanning for information as he flipped the pages with shuddering hands, not seeing any reports of missing persons or interviews with concerned parents.

Natsuo understood that his adoptive parents had no parental obligations anymore since he was considered an adult after turning eighteen at the end of October, but he was still a minor when he ran away and vanished without a trace. The young man had been missing for months, but no one had searched for him.

He could imagine the disappointment on the chief of surgery's face when he heard the news of his son's disappearance. The man would probably wait patiently until the fugitive showed up again with his tail between his legs, begging for forgiveness and ready to accept the punishment for his mistakes.

But the runaway had made up his mind that he would never return to a family that didn't care enough to look for him. He was determined to make his own way in the world and not rely on his fake family for anything, but he still couldn't ignore the sting of rejection every time he thought of them.

Natsuo decided to make his way back to his camp and rest a little bit before going to get some food for himself and his feline friend who had just given birth to two newborn kittens. Now that they were his only family, he vowed to provide for them as best he could.

(A while later)

Despite wearing badly torn sneakers, Natsuo ran down the street, holding a bag of items he had obtained from a local animal shelter.

A pleasant surprise had greeted him when he saw the donated supplies free to take and he filled a bag without hesitation. He was especially happy to find a couple of blankets that would be useful for the little furballs and food to make sure the mother cat would get enough nutrition while nursing her babies. There was even a bag of cat treats and a fluffy toy for them to play with.

Maybe their luck had finally changed for the better. He could just imagine how happy the mama looked as she munched on delicious cat food while her furbabies had fun with their toy.

"That piece of shit put up a fight, no doubt about it," grunted an unfamiliar male voice inside the place he had used as a hide-out.

Natsuo halted at the corner, suddenly feeling sick as he heard a couple of men laughing inside - as well as the kittens' frantic meows. His blood boiled, making his heart race and his hands tremble with anger.

"Just kill them and get it over with."

After hearing that, the young man's rage flared up and he burst into the building, kicking the broken door to pieces. The three men trespassing were startled by the sudden intrusion and turned to look at him with scruffy faces.

The world stopped for a moment as Natsuo's gaze fell upon the mother cat's lifeless body. She had a trickle of blood running down her head, where she appeared to have been hit.

The men's lips were lined with grins. One of them stepped forward with a malicious glint in his eye as he saw the brunet's angry expression.

The trespassers were dressed in ragged clothing and appeared to have an air of low-class about them with their greasy hair and unshaven faces - they seemed to almost revel in their unkempt appearances as if their wildness was a badge of pride.

"Well, well... looks like we have a hero here," one of them said with a sneer, glancing at his features before turning to his fellows. The trio of males were in their late twenties or early thirties, each towering over the young man's thin frame.

"I think we have found the right - "

His sentence was cut short by a loud grunt as Natsuo kicked his knee into the man's crotch, nearly knocking him down.

A loud curse escaped his mouth. His two other friends hurried to help as the eighteen-year-old grabbed the bag he had been carrying and launched it onto the face of the nearest thug - the pouch split open upon impact, spilling out the cans of pet food on their feet.

Despite his tireless efforts fueled by the burning rage, the younger man was quickly overpowered by the three opponents who were larger and more experienced fighters. He was thrown to the ground and held down, struggling against them as they laughed at his failed attempt to defend himself.

"How about we snap their necks, huh?" the man pinning him to the stone surface asked as he smirked amusedly at his agitated expression.

Natsuo stopped fighting instantly and his face turned pale as he watched one of the men clutch the other kitten, which wailed and squirmed. He covered the heart-shaped white spot on her forehead with his dirty finger and squeezed as if to pop her skull like a grape.

"Wait... wait, what do you want?" Natsuo asked, desperation taking over his voice as he tried to appeal to the foreign men. He had a feeling that the muggers were not just passing by or killing stray animals without a reason.

The man clutching the baby cat smirked cruelly, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Oh, so you want to bargain."

The trapped young man's scowl deepened as he looked at them. It had been long since he had felt that kind of ferocious hatred - a feeling he thought he had left behind. His fists clenched in response to the disgust and resentment that raced through him.

"Just knock him out and let the oyabun deal with it as we agreed," the man said as he dropped the kitten, letting its tiny body fall onto her mother with a soft thud.

The third man stepped forward, holding a cloth saturated with a foul smell. He grinned, revealing a set of crooked yellow teeth as he waved it in front of the victim's face.

The thug pressed the rag against Natsuo's face, causing him to cough as the odor of an unknown substance seeped into his lungs.

He tried to hold his breath and muster the strength to push the man away, but it was too late - the drug had already started to take effect and he began to feel numb. It didn't take long until he passed out and slipped into a deep sleep, oblivious to everything around him.