Pacifist

Years Ago – A Forgotten Alleyway, Ichiban District

The rain pounded against the pavement—thick, heavy, relentless.

Two figures ran through the labyrinth of alleyways, their breath sharp and desperate.

Rin gritted her teeth, her grip tightening around Natsuki's wrist as they weaved between rusted dumpsters and shattered glass.

"Keep moving, Natsu—just a little further!"

Her younger sister stumbled, her small frame barely able to keep up.

"Rin… I—"

BANG!

A bullet whizzed past their heads, tearing into the brick wall beside them.

Rin cursed.

They were too slow.

Their pursuers—Kayd's men—were gaining on them.

Their laughter echoed through the alley, full of mockery and certainty.

This was a game to them.

A hunt.

And Rin knew exactly how it ended if they got caught.

She wouldn't let that happen.

She shoved Natsuki forward.

"Go! Find somewhere to hide!"

"But what about you?!"

Rin spun, her fists clenched.

"I'll handle them. Just—"

Something moved.

A shadow cut through the rain.

A figure dropped from the fire escape above like a guillotine descending from the heavens.

And when they landed—the whole world seemed to freeze.

A girl.

Drenched in blood.

Eyes sharp as broken glass.

A blade in her hand—already dripping with someone else's life.

She turned her head, just slightly.

And in that moment—Rin felt it.

A presence so suffocating, so monstrous—it was almost inhuman.

Then, the girl spoke.

"…Tch. Bunch of weaklings chasing after kids? You guys really need to set the bar higher."

The men didn't even hesitate.

They lifted their guns—

Too late.

The girl moved.

She was pure violence, flowing through the storm like a demon untethered.

Steel flashed.

Screams followed.

Rin could barely process it.

The girl's movements weren't just skilled.

They were merciless.

A throat sliced open—blood sprayed against the alley walls like fresh paint.

A leg shattered—bone piercing through flesh.

A knife driven into a chest—twisted, pulled, discarded.

Within seconds, it was over.

Kayd's men lay in pools of their own blood.

The girl exhaled, flicking the blood off her blade with a practiced motion.

Then, she turned.

Her gaze landed on Rin and Natsuki.

"…Who the hell are you two?"

Later That Night – An Abandoned Warehouse

Rin sat across from the girl, still trying to process what happened.

Natsuki huddled beside her, her small hands clutching her knees.

The girl leaned back against a crate, chewing on a piece of gum.

She hadn't given her name.

She hadn't asked for theirs.

She had just—helped.

And now, she was sitting here, as if she hadn't just slaughtered an entire group of men.

Rin finally worked up the nerve to speak.

"…Why did you save us?"

The girl exhaled through her nose, her eyes distant.

"Dunno." She tilted her head. "Guess I just hate seeing scumbags breathing."

Silence.

Then—

"…I'm Natsuki."

The girl glanced at her, before offering a small, almost reluctant smirk.

"Cool."

Another pause.

Then—

"…I'm Kairi."

Days Later – The Night Natsuki Died

It happened too fast.

One moment, they were hiding in a decrepit apartment—planning their next move.

The next—they were under attack.

Kayd's men had found them.

Gunfire erupted.

Chaos swallowed the room.

Rin barely managed to grab her sister before they ran into the hallway—desperate to escape.

But—

A gunshot.

A sharp gasp.

Rin turned—

And her whole world shattered.

Natsuki's eyes widened, her lips trembling.

Blood bloomed across her chest—so dark, so red.

She collapsed.

Rin's breath caught in her throat.

No.

No.

NO.

She dropped beside her sister, shaking her.

"Natsu! Stay with me! Please!"

Her little sister smiled.

"Rin… it's okay."

It wasn't.

It never would be.

A shadow loomed over them.

The shooter.

Laughing.

Amused.

As if he hadn't just—as if he hadn't just taken her world away.

Rin snapped.

She lunged.

Her fist cracked into his face—again, again, again.

She didn't stop.

Not even when his screams turned into gurgles.

Not even when his skull caved in.

Not even when his body went limp.

And when she finally did stop—

She turned back.

To Natsuki.

To the tiny, fragile body growing cold in her arms.

And Rin screamed.

Present – Back to the Fight

The memory burned through Rin's mind.

Her grip tightened.

Her body moved.

She wouldn't let it happen again.

Not to Kairi.

Not to anyone.

She shot forward—

And this time—she was fast enough.

The air between them turned to ice.

Mariko's stance remained unshaken, her posture refined—controlled.

Meanwhile, Rin's fists trembled. Not with fear. With raw, boiling fury.

No hesitation.

She shot forward—faster than a bullet.

Her fist rocketed toward Mariko's face—

Miss.

Mariko tilted her head just an inch, the punch grazing past her cheek.

A counter came.

Rin barely had time to register it before—

CRACK.

A knee drove into her stomach.

Her breath vanished.

Pain exploded through her core.

Her feet lifted off the ground.

Mariko grabbed her by the throat mid-air—effortless, brutal.

Then—

SLAM.

She drove Rin into the pavement like a ragdoll.

The whole alley shook.

Rin coughed—blood splattering her mask.

She tried to push up, but—Mariko's heel crushed her hand.

A snap.

A scream.

The Others Watched in Shock.

Jin's eyes widened. "She's losing?"

Kasumi clenched her jaw. "No… Mariko's just—"

"Stronger."** Aiko finished, her voice low.**

Unknown glared. "We have to—"

"No." Celeste cut in, her eyes trained on Mariko. "Not yet."

Mariko stared down at Rin, her face unreadable.

Then, with an almost bored tone—

"…You're sloppy."

She lifted Rin by the collar, her grip unshakable.

"Relying on anger, on grief, on pain—"

A fist collided with Rin's ribs.

A sickening CRUNCH.

Rin gasped—her body convulsing.

"—but all of that?" Mariko leaned in, whispering, "It makes you weak."

Then, she threw Rin.

Her body crashed into the side of a dumpster—metal denting under impact.

Silence.

Rin tried to move—failed.

Blood dripped down her mask.

For the first time in a long time…

She couldn't win.

Kairi Started to Stir.

A groggy, weak voice—"What… the hell happened?"

Jin's grip tightened around his weapon.

They had to act.

Now.

The pounding in her skull was unbearable.

Kairi's vision blurred, the pain clawing at her muscles like an iron grip.

She pushed herself up, gritting her teeth. Her body was screaming.

But the moment her gaze swept over the battlefield, all of that vanished.

Her mind went still.

Jin, Celeste, Aiko, Kasumi, and Unknown were all battered. Hurt.

Rin—or whoever the hell she was—lay against the dented dumpster, barely moving.

Then her gaze landed on Mariko.

Tall. Elegant. Untouched.

Kairi's fingers twitched.

Everything inside her snapped into focus.

She knew that feeling.

It was the same one she had before killing Rulaze.

The moment where the fight stopped being a fight—and became execution.

But before she fully locked in, her gaze flicked to the figure in black—Shatterwraith.

Blood dripping from their mask.

A breathing pattern that was shaky but determined.

Kairi narrowed her eyes.

They weren't a threat.

No.

They were a potential ally.

And right now, she needed every advantage she could get.

Her voice came out like steel cutting through the air.

"…Get up."

Rin's breath hitched.

Kairi stepped forward, wiping the blood from her mouth, her eyes now locked on Mariko.

"You."

Mariko raised an eyebrow, unfazed. "Ah, the beast awakens."

Kairi cracked her neck.

"You made a mistake."

Mariko tilted her head. "Oh?"

Kairi's grip tightened around her weapon.

"You hurt my people."

The air grew suffocating.

The others felt it instantly.

Jin's eyes widened—he recognized that shift.

Aiko took a step back.

Kasumi exhaled slowly, whispering, "She's in it."

Unknown chuckled darkly. "Locked in."

Mariko, however, only smiled.

"Good."

She lowered her stance, fingers adjusting her gloves.

"Show me what the Pacifist is really made of."

Kairi's foot dug into the pavement.

Then—

She launched forward.

And the world exploded.

CRACK—

The pavement shattered as Kairi lunged—no hesitation.

Mariko sidestepped, barely dodging the blazing-fast slash of Kairi's katana.

Steel whistled through the air.

A hair's breadth from Mariko's throat.

Too close.

But she was ready this time.

Their eyes met—past and present colliding.

They both knew.

This wasn't their first dance.

The Past – The Day of Rulaze's Fall

The first time they clashed, Kairi was already pushed to her limits.

She had just wiped out Rulaze's forces, blood soaking her clothes, exhaustion clawing at her bones—

—and then Mariko appeared.

Refined. Precise. Unshaken.

Unlike the criminals Kairi tore through, Mariko was surgical.

Every movement was calculated, every strike designed to maim, not kill.

And Kairi?

She was a storm of violence.

She fought with ferocity, overwhelming speed—but Mariko was built different.

It wasn't just skill.

It was experience.

She knew how to counter Kairi's aggression.

She nearly won.

But Rulaze's interference forced Mariko to retreat.

A fight unfinished.

Present – The Rematch

Now?

No interruptions.

No Rulaze.

No distractions.

Just Kairi and Mariko.

Round Two.

FWSSH—!

Mariko's heel slammed forward, aiming for Kairi's chest—

Kairi weaved left, twisting mid-air—and SLAMMED her knee into Mariko's ribs.

A solid hit—but Mariko didn't buckle.

Instead—

She caught Kairi's leg.

And flipped her over.

BOOM!

Kairi crashed into the ground, concrete cracking beneath her.

Jin and the others tensed.

Mariko smirked, stepping back.

"You still fight like a beast. No finesse."

Kairi's lip curled, wiping blood from her mouth.

"And you still fight like a coward. No guts."

Mariko's smile sharpened.

"Let's change that."

She vanished.

—A blur.

Kairi's eyes snapped to the right—

TOO LATE.

A fist SLAMMED into her stomach.

A second one CRACKED against her jaw.

She staggered—but caught herself.

Mariko didn't stop.

She was pressuring her, pushing her back—the same way she did in the past.

Jin's fingers twitched.

"…She's adapting."

Aiko gritted her teeth. "Kairi's barely getting hits in."

Celeste narrowed her eyes. "This isn't just a fight for Mariko… she's proving a point."

Unknown chuckled darkly. "She's trying to break her."

Kasumi clenched her fists. "Like hell that's happening."

And it wasn't.

Because Kairi—

Was learning too.

Her breathing slowed.

Her stance adjusted.

The fight wasn't about overpowering.

It was about rhythm.

And Kairi—

Learned to dance.

The next strike came.

Mariko's fist shot forward—

Kairi sidestepped.

Then—BOOM.

Her elbow drove into Mariko's ribs, twisting—slamming her against the wall.

Mariko coughed—but smiled.

"Good. You're improving."

Kairi rolled her shoulders.

"You're dying."

And just like that—

They clashed again.

CRACK—!

Kairi dodged just in time—Mariko's heel slammed into the pavement, splitting concrete where Kairi's head had been a second ago.

She retaliated—a brutal hook to the ribs.

THUD.

Mariko barely flinched. Instead, she grabbed Kairi's wrist—twisting it hard.

Kairi gritted her teeth.

She refused to scream.

Instead—

She twisted with it.

Her entire body moved like a whip, using the force to launch herself up and over Mariko, breaking free from the grip.

She landed on her feet, skidding back—breath sharp, pulse wild.

And then—

"Alright, enough of this!"

Jin stepped forward, gripping the hilt of his weapon.

Kasumi cracked her knuckles. "We're not just gonna stand here while you—"

"STAY BACK."

Her voice—low, guttural, commanding.

Jin froze.

Kasumi, Aiko, Celeste, and Unknown all felt it—that shift.

Kairi's eyes, once sharp with battle-focus, now burned with something deeper.

Something dangerous.

Something personal.

She never took her eyes off Mariko as she spoke:

"This one's mine."

Her breathing was ragged, blood trickled down her lip—but she didn't waver.

"I don't care if I die. I don't care if she dies. But I will not let anyone else finish what I started."

She rolled her shoulders, wiped the blood off her face with the back of her hand.

"This isn't a fight. This is a reckoning."

Silence.

Jin's grip on his weapon tightened. He exchanged looks with the others.

They wanted to argue.

But they knew.

Kairi would never forgive them if they stepped in.

Mariko smirked, tilting her head.

"Prideful until the bitter end. That's what makes you weak."

Kairi grinned, spitting blood onto the pavement.

"No. That's what makes me Kairi."

Then—

They clashed again.