Nifumi didn't rush. He stepped forward like someone walking into a room he owned, eyes cool and unhurried.
The giant looked at him, blinked, and obeyed. Fucking losers giant mutters with a grunt as he shoved the boys aside.
Nifumi stepped over the fallen, blood-slick crates and planted himself beside Itsuki, calm as a cat. He leaned in close enough that Itsuki could smell the cigarette on his breath and his grin was all teeth.
"Well?" Nifumi said, amusement sharp as broken glass. "Where's the beast I felt at the hospital? Are you this… worthless?"
Before Itsuki could reply, Nifumi's slaps his face like a judge's gavel. The slap echoed. Itsuki's head spun, a fresh silver line blooming at the corner of his eye.
"You were trained by the legendary Kurogami," Nifumi continued, voice soft and cruel. "And you couldn't even put down a big gorilla like that? Disappointing, nephew." Nifumi's expression darkened that mocking grin vanishing into something feral. He slapped Itsuki again, the sound sharp, echoing.
Another smack.
And another smack.
Itsuki's lip split, his cheek swelling fast, but he didn't say a word. He just stared at Nifumi, rage building behind the red in his eyes.
Then Ken, barely standing, dragged himself forward on trembling arms. "Stop it, fucker!" he shouted, throwing himself between them.
Nifumi turned his gaze down on him and grabbed Ken by the throat in a flash, his grip strong enough to lift him halfway off the ground. His eyes no longer human burned with fury.
"It's family business, you little shit!" Nifumi shouted, slamming Ken into the wall. "Stay out of it!"
Ken gasped for air, blood spilling from his mouth, but Nifumi didn't stop he punched him once. Twice. Three times. Each hit heavier, faster. "You don't fucking speak when I'm talking to my family!"
Itsuki, dazed and furious, finally shouted, "Stop it, Nifumi!"
But Nifumi's glare shifted back to him a storm behind his eyes before he finally let go of Ken, letting the boy collapse onto the floor. Nifumi wiped the blood from his knuckles with a slow breath, voice calm again but dripping venom.
"Pathetic," he muttered, turning to Itsuki. "If you can't even protect a fool who stepped in for you, then you've learned nothing from Hayato." Nifumi leaned in close, his voice low, venom dripping from every word.
"What would you do, huh?" he hissed, eyes narrowing with a cruel grin. If I sent that big gorilla after your precious Miyu… imagine him playing with your untouched little sleeping beauty..
The moment the words left his mouth, something inside Itsuki snapped.
He didn't think his body just moved.
His hand shot up, grabbing Nifumi's collar, yanking him forward with such force the air between them seemed to shatter. His eyes burned crimson with pure rage not fear, not hesitation just raw hatred.
"Say that again," Itsuki growled, his voice shaking but deadly calm. "Say that again and I'll tear your throat out."
Nifumi's grin widened as he pointed at the hulking man.
"Go to the hospital," he said coldly. "Find that sleeping girl… and end her."
Ken froze coughing blood.
The giant cracked his neck, grabbed a katana from the rack, and started toward the door without a word. The floor creaked under his steps each one heavier, slower, certain.
And then
In the blink of an eye, Itsuki was gone from where he stood. The air shuddered. The next heartbeat, he was already between the giant and the exit. His head hung low, hair shadowing his face. The pupils in his eyes were gone white, empty, inhuman.
The room fell silent. Even Nifumi's smirk faltered for half a second.
Itsuki's hand moved a blur of steel. The sound of a blade cutting through air echoed once. He sheathed the katana in one smooth motion, the click of metal sliding home breaking the silence.
A heartbeat passed.
"You'll need someone stronger," Itsuki said quietly, voice flat, eyes still blank. "Because he's already dead."
The giant's body twitched once. Then his arm slipped off at the shoulder. A clean, perfect slice. The rest followed chest, waist, legs falling apart in precise, surgical pieces, thudding to the ground in wet, final sounds.
Blood painted the floor and walls.
Nifumi started clapping, slow, delighted. "That's what I'm talking about," he said, grinning like a man watching a masterpiece. "There's the beast, I wanted to meet"
Ken stared, face pale, his voice cracking in disbelief. "What the fuck are you, Itsuki…?"
Itsuki turned slightly, the faint reflection of blood still on his blade.
He looked more like a ghost than a man.
Nifumi only laughed because the demon he wanted to see was finally awake.
Itsuki's blank eyes locked on Nifumi. The sound of his sword scraping the floor echoed once then he lunged.
From Ken's eyes, it looked unreal Itsuki was vanishing and reappearing, his blade cutting arcs through the air too fast to follow. Each swing was a blur, a flash of silver.
But Nifumi didn't even move his hands from his pockets.
He tilted his head slightly, stepping aside each time as if strolling through rain. The blade missed him by inches, again and again.
"Faster!" Nifumi shouted, whistling, his voice dripping mockery. "Come on, nephew, is that all Kurogami's training gave you?"
Itsuki's swings grew wilder, sharper sparks burst from the ground with every miss. The air cracked from the speed.
But from Nifumi's point of view, Itsuki might as well have been moving underwater.
He watched the blade approach lazily, sidestepping without breaking rhythm, the faint sound of his whistle weaving through the chaos.
"Faster, Itsuki!" he shouted again, grinning wide. "You can't touch me with this speed!"
Ken, trembling against the wall, could only whisper, "He's not even fucking trying…"
Itsuki's blade stopped inches from Nifumi's throat trembling from his grip. blood coming out of his eyes.
Nifumi leaned in close, his grin devilish.
"That's the difference between instinct and control," he murmured. "You've got power, boy but no control."
Nifumi flicked Itsuki's forehead just a light tap but it was enough.
Itsuki's body went limp instantly, his eyes rolling back as he began to fall.
Before he hit the floor, Nifumi caught him effortlessly, supporting him with one arm.
He looked down at his unconscious nephew with a faint smirk.
"You made me proud," he murmured, brushing the blood from Itsuki's cheek. Now… shall we go meet your father?
He turned his head toward Ken, who was still trembling near the door, his back pressed to the wall.
Nifumi's tone softened :
"Tell me, boy… why did you two come here?"
Ken's lips trembled. He tried to form words but nothing came out just a choked breath. Finally, he forced it out.
"T-To save my sister."
"Ohh," Nifumi sighed, dragging the word out as if bored. That's what it was all about.
He looked away, exhaling through his nose, then cracked a small grin.
"Well, since I'm in a good mood now…" he said, nodding toward the hallway. "The girls are in the third room. Take your sister and get the fuck out of here."
Ken didn't move for a second just stared at Itsuki in Nifumi's arms, the weight of fear and confusion settling in.
Nifumi raised a brow.
"What? You waiting for an invitation?"
Ken swallowed hard, then stumbled toward the door.
Ken came back a few minutes later, his clothes stained and his sister's limp body slung over his shoulder. She was bruised but breathing.
He froze when he saw Nifumi still standing there, holding Itsuki like a broken doll.
"Good," Nifumi said, flicking his cigarette away. "Now come with me can't leave my nephew's friend alone right?"
Ken hesitated, clutching his sister tighter. Where are we going?
Nifumi didn't answer. He just brushed past him, motioning toward the exit with a lazy wave. "You'll see."
Moments later, the four of them were in Nifumi's black sedan, Nifumi drove with steady hands, the city sliding by in smeared rectangles of light. Inside the car the air was thick with the smell of oil, blood and cheap cologne. Itsuki lay slumped in the back, breathing shallow and ragged. Ken's sister rested across his lap, eyes closed, small and bruised. Ken hunched forward, panic and exhaustion warping his expression.
Nifumi glanced at them in the rearview mirror, then let out a short, almost fond laugh.
"You two are in rough shape," he said. "Let me get you patched up. You've got to look presentable before you meet Hayato he'll skin me alive if you come in like this." He tapped the wheel. "I'm a good uncle, aren't I?"
Ken stared at him, confusion bleeding through until it outweighed the exhaustion. "Who the hell is Hayato?" he asked, voice thin.
Nifumi's smile sharpened but he says nothing.
The question seemed to take something out of Ken. His eyes fluttered, the adrenaline leaving his limbs. He swallowed hard, mumbled, "Right… right," then let his head slump forward. In seconds he passed out his body folding over his sister as if he couldn't hold himself up any longer.
Nifumi didn't bother to do anything. He eased the car into a quieter street, pulled up under a low, unmarked building, and killed the engine. The place smelled faintly of antiseptic and oil one of those clinics no one asked questions about.
He moved quickly, gentle in the way practiced hands can be, lifting the girl into his arms as if she were a fragile thing and carrying her inside. Then he gathered Ken and Itsuki with the same uneasy tenderness, laying them on narrow cots and calling a soft-voiced woman from a back room.
"Patch them," he ordered as if it were a favor. "Don't spare the bandages. Make them look like they didn't just come from a nightmare. And keep them asleep for now."
The woman nodded, efficient and expressionless, and set to work. Nifumi leaned against the clinic wall, the dim orange light of the hallway flickering across his face. He slipped a cigarette between his lips, lit it with a quiet flick, and exhaled a thin stream of smoke before dialing the number. The line rang twice.
"Yoo, old friend…" Nifumi's grin widened, his tone dripping with mock cheer. "Or should I say, brother?"
A cold, calm voice came from the other end. "Don't be so casual with me, Nifumi. Why the hell are you calling?"
Nifumi chuckled, tapping ash off his cigarette. Well, my dear nephew kinda paid me a visit with his little buddy. They tore the place apart. I was starting to think he didn't like me.
Hayato's silence was sharp, heavy.
"You know I'm helping you," Nifumi continued, his tone sliding into a low, teasing drawl. "But your kid's making things… difficult. Black Fang's will start to doubt me at this point. You really should keep him on a leash, brother
He took another drag, eyes glinting through the smoke. "But hey, don't worry. I will handle things. Since I'm such a good uncle and all."
There was the faintest edge of movement on the lineHayato breathing in, ready to speak but Nifumi cut him off.
"They're all with me," he said simply. "I'm coming to the hospital. Meet me there."
And before Hayato could respond, Nifumi ended the call, slipping the phone back into his pocket.
He grinned to himself, exhaling the last curl of smoke.
"Brother, brother…" he muttered