Vengeance

The red and blue lights flickered across the damp pavement as the tension in the air remained thick. Kairi and her group had vanished into the night, but their presence lingered like the scent of blood and smoke.

Ryuji Liang remained still, arms crossed, his jaw clenched as he watched the direction they disappeared. Beside him, Mikaela exhaled slowly, rubbing her temple.

A pair of slow, deliberate footsteps approached from behind.

Click. Click. Click.

The unmistakable sound of high heels.

A heavy sigh followed.

"You two really are hopeless."

Yuriko Matsunaga.

The Chief of the Kurokawa Metropolitan Bureau—and the one woman in the entire city who had no patience for failure.

She walked up beside them, her expression unreadable beneath the dim lights, but the sharpness in her eyes burned into them both.

Mikaela tensed slightly. "We assessed the situation—"

Yuriko's nails, painted a dark crimson, traced along her own jaw as she hummed in mock consideration. "Oh? Is that what we're calling incompetence now?"

Ryuji's fists tightened at his sides. "Kairi is not someone we can just take in like a common criminal—"

A swift smack rang through the air.

Yuriko had delivered a sharp slap across Ryuji's face—not hard enough to truly hurt, but enough to sting. Enough to remind him who was in charge.

Mikaela stiffened. Ryuji, however, didn't flinch. He only slowly turned his gaze back toward Yuriko, his eyes dark and unreadable.

Yuriko sighed again, stepping even closer to him—too close. Close enough that her breath tickled his cheek as her red lips barely parted.

"You had a chance to end this little problem," she murmured, her voice slow, sultry, and venomous all at once.

Ryuji didn't move. He only stared back, waiting.

Mikaela, however, narrowed her eyes. "If we'd made a move here, we'd be tangled in an all-out fight. We're trying to minimize casualties."

Yuriko chuckled darkly. "You're so noble, Mikaela." She lifted a manicured finger, dragging it along Mikaela's jawline—almost teasing, but with an unmistakable edge of condescension.

Mikaela gritted her teeth but didn't move away.

"You're both lucky I'm in such a forgiving mood tonight." Yuriko finally took a step back, stretching her arms above her head just enough to make her fitted blouse tighten over her curves. "But next time? If you let her slip away again…"

She leaned in one last time, her voice a whisper dripping in amusement.

"I'll have to punish you both myself."

With that, Yuriko turned on her heel, her heels clicking against the pavement as she strutted away toward the rest of the Bureau's officers.

Ryuji exhaled sharply, rubbing his jaw. "…She's in one of her moods again."

Mikaela crossed her arms, watching Yuriko disappear into the crowd. "She always is."

A brief silence fell between them before Ryuji finally spoke again.

"Kairi's moving fast. If we don't catch up soon…"

Mikaela's eyes darkened. "Kayd will be dead before we even get there."

The night dripped with tension, heavy and electric. The scent of rain and blood clung to the air, mingling with the gasoline burning in the engines of Kurokawa Metropolitan Bureau's blacked-out pursuit cars.

They were on the hunt.

Yuriko Matsunaga sat in the lead vehicle, her legs crossed as she adjusted the dark slit in her skirt, revealing just enough to tease the officers beside her. The soft click of her heels against the car's floorboard was the only sound in the tense cabin.

Across from her, Mikaela and Ryuji sat with their weapons loaded, the city lights flashing against their sharp features. There was no turning back now.

Yuriko smirked, tracing a painted fingernail along her exposed collarbone. "Let's see if our little runaway and her precious friends are ready for us."

The cars sped through the city, weaving through late-night traffic, following the same trail Kairi and the others had taken. They weren't subtle anymore. The Bureau had played the waiting game long enough.

This time? They were finishing it.

Meanwhile…

Kairi's group moved swiftly through the abandoned industrial district, each footstep echoing in the cavernous darkness.

They weren't alone.

Rin—still masked as Shatterwraith—trailed behind, her eyes flickering toward Kairi every so often. Her mind raced.

Why now? Why was she acting like this fight wasn't hers to finish?

She clenched her fists. No. It was hers. She owed Kairi.

Just as she was about to speak—

Headlights exploded through the dark.

Engines roared.

Doors slammed.

Kairi froze. Her crimson eyes slowly flickered over her shoulder as a line of blacked-out pursuit cars skidded into position behind them.

Then, the sound of heels clicking against the pavement.

Yuriko stepped out first, her blouse unbuttoned just enough to accentuate the dangerous mix of seduction and authority she carried so effortlessly. She stretched, letting the dim glow of the streetlamps kiss her exposed skin, before running a hand through her raven-black hair.

"You thought you could run forever?"

Kairi didn't even blink. She simply exhaled, rolling her shoulders as she sized up the officers pouring out behind Yuriko.

Then she smirked.

"And you thought you'd catch me. Cute."

Ryuji cracked his knuckles. Mikaela cocked her firearm.

Rin shifted subtly behind Kairi, eyes locked onto the Bureau officers. If they attacked—if Yuriko made one move—she would end it.

Yuriko only chuckled, tilting her head slightly. "Oh, sweetie." She stepped closer, her voice dripping in amusement as she reached out, trailing her fingers just inches from Kairi's jawline.

"You've never been the one in control."

And then—

The gunfire began.

The night dripped with neon and shadows as Kairi and her crew finally shook off the Kurokawa Metropolitan Bureau. The echoes of sirens faded into the distance, replaced by the sound of boots hitting pavement.

And then— it stood before them.

Kayd Arakawa's domain.

A twisted hybrid of a castle and a luxury hotel, its spires clawed at the sky, drenched in ominous moonlight. The windows glowed like the eyes of hungry beasts, watching their arrival with unseen malice. From a distance, it looked like something dragged out of a gothic fever dream, the architecture so obscenely grandiose that it felt like stepping into another world.

The group came to a stop just a few minutes away, bathed in the dim glow of flickering streetlights.

And they posed.

Like hellish wraiths standing before the gates of damnation.

Kairi stood at the center, her jacket slightly open to reveal a glimpse of toned abs, the city breeze whipping her silver-blue hair as her bloodstained lips curled into a smirk.

To her left, Shatterwraith (Rin) stood slightly turned, her gloved hands resting at her sides, mask hiding the intensity in her stare—but the way her posture leaned toward Kairi betrayed something deeper.

Kasumi crouched low with one leg extended, resting a hand on her knee, while her other held a knife against her lips, the faintest flicker of amusement dancing in her sultry gaze.

Aiko? Arms crossed, hip cocked to the side, her ripped top exposing one toned shoulder, eyes gleaming like a cat ready to pounce.

Jin adjusted his fingerless gloves, flexing his knuckles before cracking his neck, the scar over his eye catching the moonlight.

Unknown leaned against a nearby streetlamp, exhaling smoke from a cigarette, the embers casting an eerie glow against his sharp jawline.

A storm was coming. And they were the ones bringing it.

Shatterwraith (Rin) exhaled slowly, tilting her head toward Kairi. "It's beautiful."

Kairi's smirk widened. "Then let's burn it to the ground."

And with that—

They advanced.