Westwood High was alive with energy by the time Kimara stepped into the school courtyard, dressed in her dark uniform, earbuds tucked into her ears, soft snowflakes clinging to her jacket. Her mind was a whirlwind—not with classes or grades, but with everything her family was going through. Seamus still in a coma. Kaz training like a madman. The Sharks stretched thin.
And worst of all, everyone seemed to know who she was now.
Whispers followed her. Stares stuck like thorns. The younger sister of Kazunai Yazumēi. The daughter of Seamus Yazumèi. One of the Sharks.
She didn't look like a threat. Pale, quiet, eyes like ice. But that was the mistake they always made.
Especially Reina Volkov.
Daughter of Zorya—one of Alexandrov Grigorovich's Bloodfang Trio. Tall, blonde, smug. Reina had Westwood wrapped around her perfectly-manicured finger. And lately, she'd taken a special interest in Kimara.
Kimara could feel it building for weeks.
The whispers. The pushed books. The trash stuffed into her locker. The giggling when she walked into a room. Today it turned into something more.
It started in class. Kimara took her seat in the back, quiet as always. Reina turned, grinned, and said loud enough for half the class to hear:
"Careful around her. Daddy might not wake up next time someone finishes the job."
Kimara froze.
The teacher didn't say a word.
The class laughed. Not all of them—but enough.
She clenched her jaw. Breathed. Her powers itched under her skin like frost in the veins.
Then, during lunch, it happened.
She stepped out to her usual spot behind the school, where the trees and brick walls gave her peace. But this time, Reina and four of her goons were waiting.
One cracked her knuckles. Another was already holding a camera, expecting entertainment.
"We figured it was time for a little... message," Reina said, arms folded. "You're Sharks. Your brother made that clear. But this isn't his battlefield. It's ours."
Kimara stepped forward, slowly setting down her lunchbox. Her breath misted in the cold air. Her voice was quiet:
"You really want to do this?"
"No, sweetheart," Reina sneered. "We want to end this."
The first goon lunged—fast, with a flickering red aura. Fire element. Amateur.
Kimara's fingers curled.
The snow around her feet evaporated instantly as an aura of blackened frost exploded from her body. Dark snowflakes whirled in a storm, slicing into skin and freezing the air.
She caught the boy's wrist mid-swing and twisted. The crunch of bone echoed. He dropped, screaming.
Two more came at her.
Kimara's eyes glowed blue-white as she exhaled.
A blast of razor-sharp black snow burst forward, coating one in jagged frost. He fell, convulsing from the cold invading his muscles. The other swung a metal bat.
She ducked and uppercut him with an ice-coated fist. He flew back into a tree.
Now it was just her and Reina.
Reina's grin faltered. She reached into her blazer pocket and pulled a sleek metal rod—it expanded into a crackling shock baton.
"Your whole family's gonna bleed," Reina hissed. "Starting with you."
Kimara's voice was calm.
"I don't want to kill you. But I won't hold back."
Reina charged. Sparks lit the air.
They clashed under grey skies. Kimara dodged, redirected. Reina was trained—you could tell by the precision, the stance. But she was still sloppy.
Kimara caught the baton, channeled her frost, and froze the circuitry solid. Then she let the dark snow rise. It encased Reina's legs. Up to the waist. Paralyzed. Kimara leaned in close.
"Next time, don't start a war you're not ready to finish."
Reina was shivering. Not just from cold.
Kaz pulled up after school in an old black sedan, music low, eyes half-lidded from a long day. Kimara climbed in, quiet at first.
He noticed the bruise on her cheek.
"Mara... what happened?"
She told him. All of it.
By the end, Kaz's knuckles were white on the steering wheel.
"They're starting to come after us in the open," he muttered. "Not just gangs. Their kids. Their reach."
Mara looked at him sideways. "I handled it."
"I know you did." Kaz exhaled. "But we can't wait anymore. If we don't hit back, there won't be any Sharks left."
That night, Kazunai called a meeting. Sharks of all ranks gathered in the freight yard. Vali stood beside him. Jamie watched from the shadows.
"Grigorovich wants war?" Kaz said, voice steady. "Then he gets war. But we don't do it like him. We protect our own. We don't start fights with school kids. But if they come at us? We finish it.....we end them."
The gang murmured in agreement. Kimiko, standing off to the side, watched Kaz with wary eyes.
Something was reawakening.
Not just in the city.
In him.
Later that evening Kazunai called a family meeting.
The Yazumèi family compound was unusually quiet for a place once ruled by Seamus's iron presence. Stilk mostly destroyed from Grigorovich's onslaught. Without his voice echoing through the halls, without his footfalls pacing during midnight phone calls, the silence had felt like a weight pressing down on everyone.
Kaz sat at the head of the dining table — Seamus's seat — flanked Vali on his left. Jamie stood near the door, arms folded, while Uncle Sean paced slowly in front of the television, his hands behind his back like a general surveying a battlefield. The tension in the room was so thick, everyone felt it crawl up their spine.
"Is this about the deal with Kimiko?" Jamie asked, breaking the silence.
Kaz nodded. "It's not just a deal. It's survival."
Sean stopped pacing, raising a single eyebrow. "You're suggesting we work alongside the same military that's spent years trying to dismantle our influence in the city?"
Vali scoffed under his breath, tapping his knuckles against the table. "It's either that or let Grigorovich stomp us out one by one. You saw what happened to Iron Jaw Mike's base. They're not playing."
Jamie cut in. "And the second we start siding with the military, we stop being sharks. We start being pawns."
Kaz leaned forward, his dark eyes meeting Jamie's. "That depends on how we play the game. I'm not suggesting we kneel to them. I'm suggesting we use them — just like they're planning on using us."
Kimara walked in just then, bruised but proud from the fight she had earlier that day. Kaz caught her eye. She nodded silently, sitting down beside Vali.
Kaz gave her shoulder a small squeeze before continuing. "Your mother is offering support. Weapons. Intel. Manpower. All she's asking is that we cooperate on eliminating Grigorovich's key people before they gain too much ground."
Sean frowned, resting both palms on the back of a chair. "You think she's not playing her own game?"
"Of course she is," Kaz said. "That's why we stay alert. But for the first time in years, we have a chance to do more than survive. We can hit back."
Mara cleared her throat. "And what happens when the military's done with Grigorovich? You think they'll just let us go back to the way things were, I know how they operate once you're in, you'rein and they keep you in no matter the cost?"
Kaz turned to her, his voice calm but firm. "No. But we'll be ready. Stronger. Smarter. Unified."
Riko, Daiji, and Toma — Uncle Sean's kids — stood against the far wall. Riko was silent, arms crossed and unreadable. Daiji spoke first. "You think you can earn our respect and lead just because you made a couple flashy moves?"
Kaz stood now, slowly, his voice growing colder. "No. I think I can lead because I'm the only one willing to fight for all of us. The only one who's bled, trained, and taken this family's name seriously since Seamus, MY FATHER, went to take a damn nap." slamming his fist down at the table.
Jamie stepped between them. "Enough. He's right, Daiji. You were there when Alexandrov tore our family apart. Kaz got it the worse of us."
Sean gave a low hum. "This alliance… is dangerous. But you've got foresight, Kaz. You've grown."
Kaz locked eyes with his uncle. "Then back me. Let me lead us into this war — not as criminals, but as the last defense this family.....hell even this whole damn city, has."
Sean gave a slow, reluctant nod. "You've got my backing."
Jamie stepped forward, clapping a hand on Kaz's shoulder. "Mine too."
Vali sighed, rolling his eyes. "If it means taking that psycho Grigorovich off the board, count me in."
One by one, the rest followed. Even Riko gave a subtle nod. Daiji remained silent, but he didn't protest.
Kaz took a deep breath. "Then we move forward. Kimiko's expecting an answer. I'll tell her the Sharks are in."
Mara leaned over, whispering to him, "You really think we can trust her, I know she's my mother and all but the military's claws are in deep where she's concerned?"
"No," Kaz whispered back. "But I think we can use her."
Outside the compound, the city buzzed under the pressure of an approaching storm. Inside, for the first time in weeks, the Yazumèi family found themselves — if not whole — then at least unified