PART FOUR

Pit's sharp eyes lingered on the soldiers as they moved with practiced precision, their armor faintly gleaming under the dim moonlight. They were not the ordinary city guards or mercenaries he occasionally saw swaggering through the port. No, these men were deliberate and disciplined—predators on a mission. The way they slipped off the ship without fanfare and disappeared into the dark alleys of Sakai spoke volumes.

Pit's instincts tingled. Whatever they were up to, it wasn't the kind of business meant for prying eyes. And that made it all the more intriguing.

"You, newbie!" Pit snapped, pointing at the trembling recruit who had been quietly trying to blend into the shadows.

The newbie froze, his wide eyes darting nervously.

"Follow those men," Pit ordered, his voice low but commanding. "I want to know where they're going, who they meet, and what they're up to. You bring me every detail. Got it?"

The newbie hesitated, fear clawing at his throat. He had only joined Pit's gang a week ago, thinking it was his best shot at survival on the streets. Now, he was beginning to regret every decision that had led him here.

"I—uh—yes, boss," the newbie stammered, his voice shaky.

Pit narrowed his eyes, a smirk curling his lips. "Good. And just so we're clear, if you run off or screw this up, you'll wish I had done to you what we did to Ichigo's lot. Now go, don't come back empty!"

The newbie swallowed hard, nodding quickly before slipping into the shadows, following the faint clink of the soldiers' armor.

As the boy disappeared, Pit leaned back against the barrels with a satisfied grunt. His gang began murmuring among themselves, speculating about the soldiers' presence.

"Maybe they're here to arrest someone?" one boy suggested.

"Or smuggling something," another offered.

Pit ignored them, his thoughts elsewhere. He didn't care about the soldiers' purpose—not yet, at least. What mattered was whether he could find a way to profit from it.

Meanwhile, Ichigo and Teigen reached their makeshift shelter, a dilapidated two-story structure nestled at the edge of the village. The building had once been an inn but was long abandoned before Sosai and his group of orphans had claimed it as their home. Its crumbling walls and broken windows did little to keep out the cold or the rain, but to them, it was a haven.

Ichigo asked where Sosai, was. Teigen's sister replied that he was waiting for the moon to come out, so he could play his flute. However, it seemed unlikely he would be able to tonight as there was a dark cloud blocking his view of the moon.

Ichigo instructed Teigen to share the leftovers equally. He also added that they should save some for Sosai. He then leaped out of the balcony and onto the wall. Ichigo scaled the wall effortlessly, using any nearby objects as lever or pulley, and landed on the rooftop.

Sosai, sitting in his rocky wooden chair, with a bottle of cheap dirt for booze in one hand and a wooden flute in the other, greeted Ichigo who walked closer.

"your landing is still terrible, I bet an old granny could do better than that!" Sosai teased.

"Hah, I gave up on that already, trying to get the drop on you is never going to happen (grunts),"

"Which gang is it this time, and how bad is it?"

"It's nothing... nothing that you can't fix!" Sosai replied.

"Then it's the Pit gang, it is always the pit gang!"

Sosai knew that it must be the Pit Gang, for they were the only gang whose hits he could fix, somehow he was grateful for the gang's inexperience to ruthlessly deal with his children as many others did.

Sosai invited Ichigo to sit with him, and they enjoyed the calm night breeze.

It was almost customary for Sosai to play his flute each time a new moon came up. Although not many knew his story, he was a kind-hearted and wonderful man to all.

Sosai could tell fascinating and thrilling stories, and play the flute so beautifully that no one could resist listening. However, the booze and gambling had taken a toll on him, and he hardly told stories to the kids anymore. Now, he only played the flute when the moon was up and slept through the day.

"The moon is sad, Ichigo," Sosai said sluggishly, almost as if he was asking a question that gave away his drunken and fragile state of mind, a sorry case, he was, one that Ichigo hadn't been spared from seeing.