Chapter 44: Dead Men Tell No Tales

The cold air bit into Hotaru's skin as they sprinted through the alleys, smoke from the collapsed warehouse still curling into the sky behind them. They had nowhere to go — again.

"Where's this backup base, Sai?" Hotaru asked, barely able to catch her breath.

Sai didn't slow down. "You won't like it."

"Not the sewers again," Mira groaned.

"No," Sai said, glancing at her with a tired smirk. "Even worse — it's my old safehouse."

Tora almost tripped over his own feet. "The one you swore you'd never step foot in again? That one?"

"Unless you've got a better option," Sai said coolly.

No one did.

They ran for another fifteen minutes before Sai led them down a cracked staircase hidden behind an abandoned ramen stall. The entrance was so unassuming Hotaru almost laughed — until Sai punched in a long code into a rusted keypad.

The metal door groaned open, revealing a narrow corridor. Dim lights flickered on automatically, and the stale scent of dust and rust hit them hard.

"Home sweet home," Sai muttered.

The room inside was small, almost claustrophobic. A single cot, a table covered in old papers, and a cracked screen mounted on the wall. There were dried bloodstains near the sink — fresh enough to make Hotaru's stomach turn.

"Why'd you leave this place?" Mira asked quietly.

Sai didn't answer right away. Instead, he sat down at the table, fingers tracing a scar carved into the wood — a single name: Renji.

Tora and Ryuuji exchanged glances but didn't say anything. Even Kuro, who normally had a smart remark (or a dramatic tail flick), sat silently at Sai's feet.

Hotaru folded her arms, leaning against the wall. "If we're gonna hide out here, we need to know. What happened, Sai?"

He stared at the scarred table for a long time before answering. "This was my team's base. The original Sai Squad. There were four of us — me, Renji, Kohei, and Yuto. We were all orphans Kurogane used as experiments. When we escaped, we promised we'd never leave each other behind."

His fingers clenched into a fist. "But Kurogane found us. One by one, they killed my team. Right here in this room."

The silence grew heavy, suffocating the air.

"You escaped?" Mira asked softly.

Sai's smile was bitter. "No. Renji locked me in the storage room so I wouldn't die with them. When I came out…there was nothing left but blood."

Hotaru didn't know what to say.

"No wonder you hate coming back here," Tora muttered.

"I don't hate it," Sai said quietly. "I hate myself for leaving them behind. That's why I work alone now."

Hotaru stepped forward, placing a hand on Sai's shoulder. "You're not alone anymore."

Mira smiled gently. "You're stuck with us now, whether you like it or not."

Ryuuji grinned. "And I'm too handsome to die, so no tragic backstory for me, thanks."

The mood lightened just slightly — just enough to breathe again.

Suddenly, Kuro leapt onto the table, pawing at Sai's old papers. His sharp claws shredded through one of them, revealing a map underneath — a map marked with Kurogane's secret routes.

Sai's eyes narrowed. "Where did you find this, Kuro?"

The cat meowed innocently.

Hotaru leaned in, eyes scanning the map. "This…this is a list of their black sites. Underground labs, holding cells, supply chains — everything."

"How the hell did you have this all along?" Tora asked.

Sai gave a small, grim smile. "Renji stole it before he died. He told me it was our only chance to destroy Kurogane once and for all."

Hotaru's heart pounded faster. This was it — the key to ending everything.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Mira grinned, tying her hair back. "Let's burn Kurogane to the ground."

Sai stood, finally looking like the old soldier Hotaru had only heard about in rumors. "Let's finish what my team started."

End of Chapter 44