Kazunai groans as he pushes himself out of bed. "Shit, I overslept!" he shouts, stumbling out his room and bolting down the hallway.
WHAM! He slams full-force into his uncle Sean, and the two tumble to the floor.
"Watch where ya goin', ya dumbass!" Sean grumbles as he gets up, rubbing his elbow.
"Sorry Uncle, I'm in a rush!" Kaz yells, already dashing away.
He skids around a corner—
Only to come face-to-chest with two massive, bald men in suits holding rifles.
"I need to talk to my dad—NOW!" Kaz barks.
"The boss is busy," says the one on the right.
"Too busy for his own son?" Kaz scowls.
"Don't you have school or somethin'... little Kazi?" chuckles the left one.
"Oh, you like jokes? How about this one: If you don't let me through, I'm gonna stick your head... up his ass."
The right one snorts, "Kid's got jokes."
CRASH!
One kick from Kaz sends both men flying through the wall straight into Seamus' luxurious office.
"They pissed me off," Kaz mutters as he walks through the rubble.
Seamus sighs, rubbing his temple. "Outta all my sons, why's the youngest one gotta give me so much trouble?"
"Dad... tell your idiots to stop messing with me or next time I'll rip their heads off and—"
"Oh my, so scary," Seamus says dryly, then chuckles. "What do ya want, kiddo?"
Kaz scratches his head, suddenly sheepish. "Well, Dad, um... you see... there's this girl and, uh..."
"Lemme guess," Seamus smirks. "You're goin' out on a date and probably gonna come home stupid late, huh?"
"Yup..." sighs Kaz.
"Well, have fun. And use protection for cryin' out loud."
"Thanks, old man!" Kaz grins, wrapping his arms around the mountain of muscle that is his father.
"Ugh," groans Jamie, walking in.
"Jamie, ma boy, whazzup?" Seamus calls.
"I'm headin' out. Heard the Bears are talkin' shit again," Jamie says.
"God, I hate the Bear Mafia..." Seamus sighs.
"Fucking savage lowlifes," Jamie growls.
"Your mom's a savage lowlife," mutters Kaz.
"What'd you just say, half-pint?" Jamie snarls.
"You two—knock it off," Seamus snaps.
"He started it," Jamie mumbles.
"Screw you, Jamie," Kaz says as he turns to leave.
"That's why your mom died," Jamie whispers under his breath. Kaz stops cold in his tracks. The air around him darkens. A black flame flickers from his left eye.
He turns with a crazed smile.
"Keep talkin' shit, Jamie. See where it gets you," he says, voice cold.
Jamie's fists shimmer in writhing shadows. "What are you gonna do about it?"
"You two—enough!" Seamus booms.
Jamie grumbles, "Sorry, Pops."
"I'm outta here. I've got school," Kaz mutters.
"Stay safe, kid," Seamus says. "And you, Jamie—you're not goin' anywhere."
At Westwood High
Kaz sits in class, gazing out the window at a lone cherry blossom tree. "Such is life..." he sighs. "You good, Kazunai?" asks the pink-haired girl beside him. "I'm fine," he says quietly.
Amy Tachibana. The Cherry Fire Princess.
"You still on for our date?" she asks.
"Pfft. Of course. Wouldn't miss it for the world."
"You're quite the gentleman," she giggles.
"Well, I can be the devil if you want me to," Kaz smirks.
Amy laughs, then leans in. "Can you show me your flames again?"
"Amy... you know how I feel about this dreadful flame..." he sighs. "I think it's beautiful," she whispers.
Kaz hesitates, then raises his left palm. A dark flame flickers, hovering just above his hand.
"Oooooh," Amy coos, placing her palm under his. A brilliant pink flame dances upward beside his.
"I've never thought of that," Kaz mutters, mesmerized. "These are the flames of our love," she says dreamily. "So beautiful."
"Excuse me," snaps Ms. Yasubi, their teacher. "No powers in class."
"Sorry, ma'am—it was my idea," Kaz says quickly.
"Actually, I asked him," Amy adds.
"I don't care who started it. Just don't do it again," she scolds. "Understood, ma'am," they say in unison, heads bowed."Fucking bitch," Kaz mutters.
"Kazunai... you'll never change," Amy sighs.
After School
The bell rings. Most students rush out the door, some even leaping through windows.
Kaz casually sweeps his books into his bag.
"You ready, sweetie?" Amy asks, linking his arm. "Born ready, babe," Kaz chuckles.
"Then let's go, go, go!" she shouts, yanking him down the hallway by his tie.
"AMY! Slow down!" he yells, stumbling after her, laughing.
At the Amusement Park
"You ready, baby boy?" Amy giggles at the entrance.
"Ready as I'll ever be," Kaz grins.
They enter the bustling park.
"Two tickets—and make it quick, or I kill you," Kaz tells the man in the booth.
"R-right away, Mr. Yazumèi!" he stammers.
"Kazunai, you're such a meanie!" Amy pouts.
"I've got a reputation to maintain," Kaz says flatly. "You know... drug lords and gangsters."
"It's okay, babe. Just try being a little nicer?"
"Uuuumm... no," he laughs.
"You're a dick," she giggles, punching him. "Let's go!"
Again, she drags him by the tie.
Later That Night
The streetlights of West Tokyo flickered above cracked sidewalks and aging neon signs. Rain had fallen earlier, leaving slick puddles that mirrored the city's grime and glow. Kazunai Yazumèi walked alone, hands in his pockets, hood up, the world around him as muted as the pain he kept buried beneath his skin.
His thoughts danced between two extremes—Amy's voice in his head like soft wind chimes, and the cold silence of a house where his mother's warmth used to radiate.
He turned down a narrow alley behind a closed pachinko parlor. That's when he felt it.
Eyes.
"Yo," a voice called, slurred and slimy. "Ain't you one of Seamus's little bastards?"
Kaz froze, then slowly turned.
Two men stood near a dumpster, both wearing tattered coats and the kind of smirks that meant trouble. One was broad and bald, a jagged scar running across his forehead—Kubo. The other was thin and twitchy, with eyes too wide and a tongue that flicked out like a lizard's—Kaji.
Kaz stayed silent.
"You deaf?" Kaji laughed, stepping forward. "You Seamus's kid, ain't ya? The black flame brat."
Kaz's eyes flicked up, expression blank. "And you must be the garbage Dad forgot to take out."
Kubo chuckled, cracking his knuckles. "Mouth on this one."
Kaji wasn't done. "You know," he said, circling Kaz like a vulture, "I was there when they dragged your mom's body outta that house. Smelled like burned pork. Shame they couldn't find her face."
Time stopped.
Kazunai blinked once. Slowly.
Then the world ignited.
FWOOOOOM Black fire roared to life around him, spiraling up his arms like serpents. The pavement cracked under his feet from the heat, the nearby dumpster warped and melted. Kaji stumbled back.
"Oh shit—"
Kaz was on him in a second. His fist crashed into Kaji's jaw, shattering bone, sending the man spinning into a wall. Kaz didn't stop. He advanced, grabbed Kaji by the collar, and slammed his head against the bricks once splattering blood all over himself , twice—
"You don't speak about her!" Kaz roared.
Kaji's tongue lashed out, slicing across Kaz's cheek. Blood sizzled on impact with his flames. "You little freak—!"
Kaz pulled Kaji close, whispering: "Burn for it, asshole."
He shoved his hand straight into Kaji's chest, blood spraying outwards like a fountain. The black fire didn't explode—it consumed. Kaji's scream was cut short as the flames swallowed his lungs. In seconds, his body was a charred husk collapsing into ash.
Silence.
Kaz turned slowly andKubo, was long gone.
Just the sound of retreating footsteps and a trail of urine left in his wake. Kaz stood in the alley, chest heaving, the smell of scorched flesh still hanging in the air. The fire around him flickered out like dying candles.
He stared at the ash where Kaji once stood.
"…Don't talk about my mother," he muttered, voice hoarse.
Sirens wailed in the distance.
Kaz shoved his hands back into his pockets and kept walking, leaving scorched footprints behind him.