Kazunai kicked the front door open, his silhouette framed in crimson—splattered across his jacket, streaked down his arms, drying along his jaw. He stepped inside.
"Jesus fucking Christ, kid!" Uncle Sean barked from the living room, eyes widening. "You're getting blood all over the damn carpet!"
"Sorry, Uncle," Kaz muttered, wiping his cheek. "Ran into some trouble on the way home."
Footsteps pounded the stairs. "Big brother!" Kimara cried as she bounded down, her eyes wide with panic. She tackled him in a hug, wrapping trembling arms around his torso.
"Oh my god—are you hurt? Who did this to you? I'll kill them!" she sobbed.
Kaz gave a small chuckle. "Relax, lil' Mara... it's not my blood, plus why you acting so worry thought you were in your edgy teengager stage ." Kimara rolled her eyes letting go of her brother "You're lucky I even care" she retorted
"You fucking idiot," Sean growled. "What the hell did you do this time?"
Kaz sighed, rubbing the shallow cut on his cheek. "A couple of idiot thugs jumped me in the Shinho District. Tried to play nice… They didn't listen and things may have escalated."
"You didn't let them live, did you, got you're such a hotheaded dumbass?" Sean's voice dropped an octave.
Kaz shrugged. "They cut my face."
Sean's expression twisted. "You realize this could start a goddamn war, and you're worried about your face?"
Kimara blinked. "A gang war?"
Sean nodded grimly. "Shinho is White Tiger territory. You killed two of their guys, that means—"
Kaz's smile was slow, grim, full of ghosts. "So what if they were White Tigers?"
Kimara looked up at him, alarmed. "Kaz… what are you planning, I know you it can't be anything the least bit sane"
"I don't trust that smile," Sean muttered, taking a step forward. A black arm slithered out from his shadow and wrapped around Kazunai's throat, lifting him slightly.
"You better not be planning any bullshit."
"Uncle—let him go!" Kimara shouted. Her voice cracked, and the air chilled. Dark snow began falling from the ceiling. Shards of jagged black ice burst from her shoulder.
"Or else," she growled.
Sean turned, momentarily frozen by the sight. "Well, I'll be… Look at you. Got yourself a cute lil' frostbite tantrum."
"Put him. Down. Now." Kimara's voice shook with power.
Sean smirked, mocking her tone. "Put him down now. This ain't no ice cream shop, princess. Go make popsicles in the kitchen."
Kimara grit her teeth and slashed the air with her hand. Ice shards launched forward. Shadows surged from Sean's feet and devoured them whole.
"An ice princess, huh? And you..." Sean looked back at Kazunai.
Black fire erupted from Kaz's back, forming a skeletal wing. His eyes glowed crimson.
"I'm a fire demon," Kaz whispered with a wicked grin.
"Oooh, spooky. I'm two seconds from shitting myself," Sean laughed.
"That's enough, you dumbasses!" a voice thundered from the stairs.
Seamus stood there, arms crossed, annoyance written across his face. "I try to take a dump, and next thing I know, my kids are starting Ragnarok in the hallway."
The shadows recoiled, dropping Kaz to the floor. Kimara's snowflakes melted. Kaz stood, brushing himself off. Seamus looked at his kids and broke into laughter.
"What's so funny, old man?" Kimara snapped.
"Did you just call me old, half-pint?"
"Twit!"
"Dumbass!" Seamus shot back.
"Don't call me a dumbass!"
"Kazunai, help me out, ya dumbass!"
"Your mom's a dumbass!" Kaz called.
"My mom is your grandma, ya dumbass!"
"Still a dumbass, ya dumbass!"
"Will you all just shut the fuck up!" Sean shouted.
"Come shut my fuck for me!" Seamus yelled back.
"…That doesn't even make sense," Sean muttered.
"I don't care!"
A new voice cut through the chaos. "Why are you all being so loud?"
Vali stood in the hallway, his lean frame rest against the far wall , arms crossed, eyes locking on Kaz. "What kind of trouble did this dumbass get himself into this time?"
"I was just about to ask myself" Seamus said. "Kaz, you want to tell everyone why you look like a murder scene?"
Kaz scratched his neck. "Well… after my date with Amy,didn't feel like driving so I took a shortcut through Shinho. Two guys tried to mug me. They cut my face. I kinda lost it."
"So you killed them, over your stupid face you've got to be fucking kidding me" Vali stated."Shuddup its not like I expect you to understand you ugly asshole" Kaz growls ,Vali's fist clench in anger and before he could say anything Seamus sigh and said "Knock it off you two now is not the time"
Kaz nodded. "Yeah sure. Sorry about the mess Dad."
"Shinho, huh…" Seamus murmured. "We haven't been besties with the White Tigers for a long time."
"Like father, like son—always stirring the wrong fucking pot," Sean muttered.
"Shut up," Seamus barked.
"Think we'll win if they retaliate?" Kaz asked.
"That depends," Seamus said, eyes darkening. "Their current boss is Alexandrov Grigorovich."
Kaz frowned. "What the hell's a Grigorovich?"
Sean scowled. "Only God's biggest shit stain on this earth."
"A nasty old enemy," Seamus added. "He killed your mother… for reasons you're not ready to hear."
Kaz's jaws and fists clenched. "Try me."
"No," Seamus said firmly. "Not yet."
"Don't I deserve to know why she died?" Kaz's voice cracked. "Why she screamed that night?"
There was a pause. Seamus sat beside his son.
"She was a scientist," he finally said. "She made a drug that could change everything—wars, power, maybe the world. That's all I can tell you."
"Bullshit," Kaz muttered.
Seamus ruffled his hair. "You've grown up, kid. Still mouthy, though."
"You're just an old perverted geezer."
"Say that again, and I'll knock your skull in."
"Ow, ow, okay—cool perverted geezer!"
Seamus rose, lighting a cigarette. "I got shipments to make. Clean up the mess, will ya?"
"What's so important?" Kaz called.
Seamus paused in the hall. "Shipments, trades… and making sure no more Grigorovich bastards lay a finger on my family."
He glanced into the shadows.
"Our boy's growing up strong, huh… Sonohara?"
No one replied.
But the hallway suddenly felt colder.