It’s been a few months since katsu was saved by vin, he is now living a new and peaceful life…

Unfortunately, That's a lie…

Ever since that day, something changed in him.

Every night, that day comes to haunt him in his dreams, and it won’t stop…

And he gets a feeling, of emptiness, without a purpose, he tries to fill the void that got punched through his heart,

Every night, the voice tells him to avenge his parents’ death.

But he doesn’t know how to, he feels powerless, he wants to become stronger and wants to do something.

Katsu is now living with the stranger that saved him.

8 months of not doing anything. Every day, this feeling of revenge in katsu grows stronger.

The stranger that saved him, katsu now trusts him with his life. They’ve been close to each other; he has been taking care of katsu and keeping him company. He is kind and caring, as he also teaches Katsu new things. But still, he can’t fill the hole that the incident left in katsu’s heart.

And now, another day starts, a day, where his lives moves forward…

“Katsu! Wake up!”

Vin as usual, waking katsu up early. Too bad he doesn’t feel like waking up early today.

Katsu turns and says “Just a few more minutes’ vin, just let me sleep more”

And refuses to wake up.

“You are hard to wake up aren’t you, you little rascal, what would happen if I tickle you?”

vin threatens katsu that he’ll exploit his biggest weakness.

“Tch, fine, I’ll wake up now.”

Disaster prevented.

“Get up and ready now, breakfast is on the table.”

“Okay!” rubbing his eyes, still has sleep inertia.

Katsu stands up and sits, and starts eating.

“I've got business to attend to today. You’re free to do anything today.”

“Business again?”

“Yeah, they don’t seem to give me a break.”

“what's this business for again? You never told me.”

“Just some business from some old friends, well I'm off then”

“See you later!”

Vin leaves the apartment.

Vin has been going out quite frequently lately, katsu keeps on wondering what this business is all about.

“Well, whatever it is, time to finish my meal so I can go out.” He thought to himself

Katsu finishes his meal leaves the apartment and heads out to find something to do.

Katsu felt quite bored without vin around, they would go around exploring the city, or he would teach katsu something.

“I guess I would go visit Bon again.” He muttered and starts walking down the street.

Katsu walks towards Bon’s store. And walks past several poor people begging for money.

Those who do not follow the conscription acts will be treated as traitors in this city. As well as those who did not follow orders, of them are shunned by society, as a result, their rights are stripped, forcing them to live on the streets.

A harsh reality in living at the time, vin taught katsu well about all of this.

Katsu arrives at Bon’s store and goes inside, and then he greeted Bon.

“Bon! Anything you need help with?” katsu asks,

“Ah! Mr. katsu! Sorry, unfortunately, don’t have anything for you to do today.”

“Oh, ok then.”

“Why? Is vin not available today?”

Katsu walks over to the counter, sits down on a tall bar chair, and then sighs.

“Vin’s been busy with his “business” for a few days now, I'm starting to get bored.”

“Ahh, forgive him, he has no job, he has to resort to… other ways to earn money.”

“Ehh?? Is that so? Well, then it looks like I've got nothing to do today again.”

Katsu slumps over the counter.

Since Bon is the other close friend he trusts, every time vin does his business, katsu always goes to Bon’s store.

Bon then thought of an idea on how to make katsu entertained for the time being.

“Hmm, how about this?”

Bon pulls out a coin.

“There is a vending machine in the street right next to the station, take this, buy whatever you like.”

Katsu burst into excitement.

“Really!? Thank you so much!”

“Be careful on the way there!” Bon says while pulling out some cigarettes

“I will! Bye!”

Katsu leaves the store.

Bon lights the cigarette and smokes. And then sighs,

“Vin, how long are you planning on hiding this? sooner or later, it will eventually reach the boy, it’s inevitable.” Bon mutters to himself.

The door opens and the bells ring, customers have arrived.

“Ah, bonjour, and welcome to the shop- “

“Where is vin!?”

As three large men surround the counter. And starts to question Bon.

“I-I don’t know where he is!”

“you're lying! You know where he is! Tell us now!”

Bon gets grabbed by the collar and was getting threatened.

“Boys stop it!”

A deep voice yells out from outside the store.

“we’ll find him soon enough, it’s not worth it to interrogate him, we’ll get nothing out of him.”

A shady man with a long dark coat ordered the 3 men.

“let’s go, we’ll find him eventually, he can’t hide from us.”

The shady men left the store.

Bon just laughs off this situation, and just continues working.

“Vin, you’re in deep trouble now.” bon mumbles to himself and continues to smoke.

On the other side of the commercial district is Katsu, now walking to the station with a coin in hand, is ready to get a refreshing drink!

“I would’ve never known there was a vending machine near the station if it weren’t for bon!” remarking as he feels excited about getting a fresh drink.

He arrives at the station entrance looking for the vending machine.

“Now, if what bon said was correct then the vending machine should be around here.”

He walks to the side and see’s the vending machine.

“Ah, there it is!”

He quickly runs towards the vending machine and got some lemon soda to drink.

He takes a sip.

“Ha! So, refreshing… hm?”

He was enjoying my refreshing drink until he saw someone familiar at the corner of his eyes heading into a dark alleyway.

“Vin?”

“No, why would he be here? He said he was going to do some business.” He questions himself if he thinks he saw the right person.

“Maybe his business is in a dark alleyway?

…No, no, no. maybe I have just mistaken him for someone else…”

He starts walking back and forth deciding if he wants to follow the person he saw.

“Tch, I guess I’ll just satisfy my curiosity.”

After some thought, he decided to follow the stranger in the alleyway.

“Eek, this is too scary for me, I should go back.” He says to himself, and then hears voices

“What? Why would you do that!? Our future is at stake here!” a muffled voice from heard further down the alleyway

“Ehh… Yeah, looks like this was a bad idea after all.” He thought to himself.

But just as he was about to leave, he hears another voice.

“Vin, you know what will happen if we tell the boss about this.”

Vin? I knew it! vin is here.

“Come on guys. Take it easy on me, I just took a break, that's all. I’ll pay you guys back in no time!” a voice that sounds like vin explained.

Katsu leans against the wall trying to eavesdrop on the conversation.

“You always say that boss won’t forgive you again.”

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“Yeah, he is particularly hotheaded when it comes to you.”

“don’t worry about it! he and I are best buds!”

“If you don’t pay your debt, he’ll have to cut your head off for payment!”

Katsu shocked, gasps out loud.

Vin hears this and quickly responds.

“Katsu, katsu is that you? Come out! I know you’re here!”

“Wha!? How did he know!?” katsu is caught off guard.

“Ah, yes sir.”

Katsu comes out of hiding. He saw 2 buff men in black suits.

“Vin, who is this?”

“Oh, he’s none of your business.”

“Tch, how dare you to talk to use like that!”

“Now, now, there’s a child with me. You don’t want to scare him and make him cry right? It will cause a scene.”

“What a cowardice way to get out of this situation.”

“Our business here is done, now scram.”

“we’ll tell the boss about this.”

The 2 men leave the 2 behind.

Vin turns around to katsu.

Katsu expected a scold after he disrupted his business.

“Thanks for getting me out of that sticky situation.”

“Huh? You're not mad at me?”

“I would be, but since the situation would have escalated if I just didn’t give them an answer, good thing you were here.”

“Oh, is that right…”

“don’t worry about it. I'm not mad.”

“Ah, that's relieving.”

“let’s go back to Bon’s store now.”

They now left the alleyway and headed back to the store.

While they were walking back, katsu was conflicted on whether he’ll ask him about what happened or not.

But he once again let curiosity get the better of him.

“Umm, might I ask what just happened?”

Vin stops and pauses for a moment then sighs.

“I guess I can’t hide it anymore.”

Katsu got goosebumps, utterly shocked at Vin’s response was, in all the days they’ve spent together, vin… hid something from katsu.

“I… there is a reason that I’ve been doing these ‘business meetings’ because… I'm in debt. And I have a bounty on my head now.”

“In debt?”

“Yes, if I don’t pay it back, I might be beaten. Well, judging on what the messenger said, I would guess he is already on his way to find me.”

“Why? Why are you in debt?”

“it’s a long story. I’ll tell you later.”

They continued walking… but after hearing something like that from vin, he can help but feel uneasy.

Paranoid that every moment they’re being targeted…

Worried that the traumatizing incident might happen again.

“Tch, my heart is pumping fast, I need to calm down… Deep breaths deep breaths.”

He tries to calm himself.

All the while, vin is casually smiling, trying his best to suppress his emotion so katsu won’t get nervous.

“Katsu.”

“Huh? Yes sir?”

Vin turns back and faces katsu.

He said something similar to when they first met.

“don’t worry about it, I’ll protect you. And I will not let them hurt you, trust me!”

A burst of energy, similar to the ones he had before occurred. It was powerful enough to start knocking him unconscious.

“Katsu! Katsu! What happened? Hey! Hey! Can you hear me!”

He fell unconscious…

Katsu then found himself waking up at the riverside, on a bench, his head on Vin’s lap.

The beautiful sunset illuminated the towers and buildings on the other side of the river.

Realizing he was awake again, katsu quickly sits upright, which startled vin.

“Woah there! Ha-ha, are you alright?” vin says while casually smiling and slouching.

“Wha-… ye- yes sir…” he says with a confused look on his face.

His appearance has changed, every time he gets these bursts of energy, something changes in him.

“You passed out while we were going back to Bon’s store, I had to carry you to a nearby clinic, but they said you’re fine. So, I carried you here until you woke up.”

“Oh, is that so? Thank you, and sorry about that.”

“it’s alright,” he starts to sit straight and looks at the sun to enjoy the view. “Something like this happened to you when we first met.”

“Yeah…” katsu starts to do the same.

Vin starts to put up a mildly serious face. Katsu knows it’s going to be serious.

“You know katsu, I see myself in you”

“Huh? Really?”

“we’re practically the same, I’ve experienced the same thing you’ve experienced.”

“Wait!? You mean-”

“Yes,” he interjected. “I too was a village boy.”

Just like you, I had a family, friends, and a happy life, just like you, it was just a normal day, or so I thought.

Just like you, we were attacked. And just like you, I lost everything. My village was invaded, bombed, burnt, and destroyed. My family killed, trying to save me…

Like you, I lost everything. I ran away as fast as I could, trying to escape the onslaught.

After that, I ended up alone, in the cold hard streets of this city. Sleeping next to rats, eating from trashcans…

I was hopeless. Until I was found by a gang, a young, enthusiastic man offered me to join his “Gang”, and if I refused… I’d be killed. I accepted, I was taught their ways, which made me do things I didn’t want to do… after a few years… I knew it was not right for me, I know how to take care of myself, so I left. But they didn’t allow me, eventually, I talked them down on releasing me, but had to pay them a huge sum of money. Even now, that I’m not in that horrible gang anymore, I don’t feel free, I’m still chained to them. I’ve been free from them for 3 years now, and then I saw you. A barrel flowing down the river, at first thought, the barrel might be full of cash. So, that’s when I met you.

Katsu, I don’t want you to be like me. You’re still a kid, you have a future ahead, I don’t want anything that happened to me to happen to you as well. Well, even if the invasions have stopped, and the cats have been pushed back. I have something to ask of you.

I’m not as young as you, I am bound to this city, I cannot do anything, but you, you can do something, do something like what I’ve done, don’t let others experience the pain we went through. Promise me, to do this…”

Shocked at the story, katsu replies “yes, I promise. I will.”

Vin smiles, stands up, and stretches.

“it’s getting late, let’s go back.”

“Yeah…” the 2 head back to Vin’s apartment.

In katsu’s mind, he was reassured he had made the right choice back then.

This good feeling only lasted for a short time.

All was well… until katsu starts feeling strange once again.

He felt like someone is following them.

Katsu looks at vin. And Vin's face looked irritated, annoyed, and stressed.

“Vin, what's wrong?”

“they’re here.”

“What!? Who’s here!?”

Katsu looks back, and see’s two men with hoods following them.

“Come now, we’re taking a detour.”

Vin grabs katsu and runs into an alleyway. The pursuers follow suit.

Vin begins to stress out and makes katsu worry.

Vin stops running.

Two people had cut them off and aimed pellet guns at them.

The other two men who chased them caught up and pulled out knives.

They were surrounded.

Vin pushed katsu back and yelled at him to “RUN!”

The guns fire and katsu’s vision flash.

Although not real guns, these pellet guns can fire pellets at a speed of over a hundred meters per second, if it hits you in the head, you’ll get knocked out.

Katsu finds himself on the ground, ears ringing.

He gets up, he can feel the blood flowing down from his head.

His ears start to work again and start to hear vin talking to the henchmen.

“Look, he-he, we don’t have to result to violence, don’t worry, give me like 5- no 4! 4 more months!”

“This is not about your money problem anymore; the boss wants you back!” the henchman threatens Vin.

“Vin!”

“Ah, katsu! don’t worry, I got this!”

“So, your resisting?” the henchman asked.

“What do you think I’m doing?”

The two exchange blows, but vin gets overpowered by the more experienced henchman.

Katsu starts watching as vin gets beaten.

Katsu gets reminded of what had happened to his parents, they get killed, while he, does nothing.

“Do it, go and do something, or you’re too weak to save him.” A voice whispers into his ears.

Vin falls to the ground, bloodied.

“The boss said just to get vin alive right? So, it’s fine if he’s a little beaten.”

Katsu’s heart starts to pump faster, he starts getting adrenaline.

“Steven, you should stop now.” Another man told him to stop.

“Sure, but one last kick to make him know his place.”

Time begins to slow, and the unknown energy bursts once again.

Katsu runs and charges at the man who’s going to kick vin, and knocks him down.

“Katsu! Stop it!”

“you kid! What are you doing!? Stop it!” as he grabs katsu on the shoulder.

Katsu pushed him away. But with great force.

The man was sent flying, and hit a wall, even cracking it.

This unbelievable strength surprised everyone.

“Stop that kid!” one yelled.

The people aimed their guns at katsu.

Katsu stands up and walks up and grabs the man called Steven, ready to throw a punch.

“You, who are you? No, what even are you!?”

Katsu stops and thought about what had happened.

“Katsu! Stop it! You’ll only get hurt!” vin pleads while trying to get up.

Hands shaking, he lets go of the man.

As Many more gang members arrive and surround the two.

Katsu is heavily bleeding from the adrenaline.

“it’s ok, I’ll get us out of this situation.”

Vin is trying to calm katsu down.

Then suddenly, an unknown voice yells out “shoot him now!”

Katsu has been shot once again and was knocked out.

Lying on the ground, slowly losing consciousness.

“Katsu!”

Vin runs over and starts trying to treat katsu’s wounds.

From the small crowd of gang members, one steps out, his figure similar to the one seen back at Bon’s store.

“That’s enough Vin!”

He walks up to vin.

Vin gets a terrified face and starts shaking in terror, for the man in front of him. Known as the great crown prince of crime.

Ivan Hanzai. Leader of the largest gang in the kingdom.

“I-Ivan, look…” shivers in fear, and stutters.

“I’m here for you, we need you back,” Ivan tells vin.

“W-why would you need me??”

“we’ve realized your power and talent. And of course, the thing you’ve told me.”

“Thing? W-what thing??”

“You know that’s classified within our ranks, anyway, I’ve got an ultimatum. Join us, or the kid dies.”

Ivan pulls out a real pistol and aims it at katsu, but vin blocks his view.

“Ivan! Don’t let the kid get caught up in this!”

“I will if you don’t go back.”

“Tch…” vin paused, thinking of any other way to escape, but alas, he realizes there are no more options left.

“Fine. I’ll join you, on one condition! Patch up and treat katsu and return him to my home safely.”

“Pff. It’s not like you’re in any position to bargain but since it’s you… deal.”

“Thank… thank you, sir.”

Ivan turns around.

“Men! Back to base! Also, treat the little twat and bring him back to Vin’s apartment. Let’s get a move on!”

Ivan’s men start to leave. Katsu still has consciousness, having heard everything, he tried to speak.

“Vin… no…”

Vin faces katsu with a smile.

“don’t worry, ill be back…”

And then katsu fell unconscious.

A voice lamented. “I have failed, once again…”

...

...

Katsu wakes up in Vin’s apartment bandaged up, it’s morning.

Katsu looks around to find vin, and starts realizing what had happened…

“no… not again…”

Starts to curl up and shivers in fear…

“what should I do now??” he wonders to himself.

He then finds a note right next to him.

He picks it up and reads it.

The note says “katsu, I’m sorry, but I had to return. Don’t worry, I’ll get out of this. You’ve got the keys to my apartment, just go to boy’s place if you need some stuff…”

Katsu was about to throw the note away but notices something written on the back.

“Take your time to recuperate, once you’ve done that… here’s the plan.”

Vin had planned for this situation.

Now it’s just a matter of will katsu do it…

And of course… he will…

End of chapter 3