Chapter 27: Shadows and Scars

They sat huddled around a small fire in Sai's new temporary hideout — an abandoned shrine perched on the edge of a cliff. Wind howled through broken windows, and the scent of rain mixed with burnt wood.

Everyone was battered, bruised, and smelled like a dumpster, but somehow... they were still smiling.

"I'm never eating ramen again. It smells like that trash we fell into." Mira gagged dramatically.

"You'll be back to slurping in two days, max," Sai smirked.

Kuro lay stretched across Hotaru's lap, his tail flicking lazily. Tora was busy tinkering with his broken tablet, muttering curses at the fried circuits. Jin silently brewed tea over the fire, because even after nearly dying, he was still a chef at heart.

Ryuuji poked at his bandaged arm. "So… about that voice we heard."

The air grew heavier, and all eyes turned to Hotaru.

She didn't answer immediately. Her gaze was locked on the flames, lost somewhere deep in memory. Finally, she spoke.

"Her name is Rin. She was my mentor when I was younger."

Mira's eyes widened. "Wait — your actual teacher?"

Hotaru nodded. "When I first became an assassin, I wasn't strong. I wasn't smart. I was just a kid they picked off the streets because I was fast and had nothing to lose."

"Sounds familiar," Sai muttered.

"She taught me everything. How to fight, how to kill, how to disappear. I worshipped her. She was like... the only family I had."

There was a silence — the kind only a painful truth could create.

"And then?" Kuro asked softly.

Hotaru's fists tightened. "And then Kurogane offered her power. A seat at the top. All she had to do was hand me over."

Tora nearly dropped his tablet. "She betrayed you?"

"She sold me like a broken tool." Hotaru's voice was steady, but her fingers trembled slightly. "They tortured me for information. They tried to reprogram me to work for them. I escaped, but not before they left me with this."

She pulled down the collar of her shirt, revealing a jagged scar running from her collarbone down to her chest — a scar none of them had ever seen before.

The fire crackled loudly in the silence that followed.

"...That's why you hate Kurogane so much," Mira whispered.

"It's not just revenge." Hotaru's eyes burned. "It's personal."

For a moment, no one knew what to say. Until Ryuuji, in his eternal stupidity (or genius), spoke up.

"Well, that's messed up." He paused. "But you know what's even more messed up?"

Everyone waited.

"Tora's hairline."

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" Tora lunged at him, knocking over the tea kettle and sending Kuro scrambling onto Jin's head.

"Every damn time—" Jin sighed.

Mira burst out laughing, followed by Sai, and even Hotaru couldn't help but crack a small smile.

"You idiots," she muttered, but there was warmth in her voice.

Kuro, now sitting proudly on Jin's shoulder, raised a paw dramatically. "I, for one, propose we beat Rin's ass so badly she forgets how to betray people."

"Agreed," everyone chorused.

The fire crackled on, but this time the silence was comfortable — filled with unspoken promises and the kind of bond only forged through chaos, ramen, and near-death experiences.

"Tomorrow, we train. Harder than ever." Hotaru stood up. "This time, we're not just fighting to survive. We're fighting to end this."

The flames flickered against her scar, but her eyes were steady — no longer haunted by her past, but driven by it.

To be continued.