The laughter and teasing lingered in the air, but, as always, Shadow had to ruin the fun.

A single, deliberate throat clearing echoed through the room - a silent signal, but one that spoke volumes. The relaxed energy shifted instantly.

Shadow had barely spoken the entire time, his presence like a spectre in the corner of the bathhouse, listening, observing, absorbing the tale of Takeshi - a story that had remained a mystery even to them. And now, knowing Takeshi had an adoptive brother - a powerful mutant working for the Association - well, that certainly added a new layer of intrigue.

Not that they doubted Takeshi's loyalty.

But it was interesting.

"We need to drop off the samples," Shadow finally spoke, his voice as weary as it was firm. "I have multiple other errands and ongoing operations to keep track of. I only came because of the stunt you guys pulled, so we might as well finish the mission off before I head out. But I'm on the clock."

There was a shift in his tone, subtle, but noticeable.

It was less hoarse than usual, almost as if the cloak of darkness surrounding him was thinning.

Though still, all they could see was a silhouette.

Sayuri sighed, unfazed by the abrupt end to their gathering. She had was curious s to what they were involved in, but she didn't pry. She also didn't want to make their parting overly sentimental.

Instead, she simply gestured toward the door.

"Get out of my hair. And take Takeshi with you."

Her tone was casual, dismissive, but there was warmth beneath it - hidden, yet unmistakable.

"I enjoy living alone, anyway."

They weren't sure if she was telling the truth. Did anyone truly prefer being alone?

But she carried herself with conviction, claiming she was protecting the town, standing guard against beasts, monsters, whatever else threatened the remnants of the villages in the area - all in the name of the old man who raised her.

Takeshi hesitated.

Even without seeing his expression, Sayuri could feel it, the quiet reluctance, the weight in his movements.

So she gave him a reassuring smile.

One just like the ones she had given him when they were younger - when she stitched up his wounds, when she kept watch over him, when she reminded him he was never truly alone.

"Don't worry, Takeshi. I'll be fine."

Her voice was soft but firm.

"I think you're overthinking things. What would Ryuunosuke want with me? I've been fine for this long, and I don't want you worrying about me now."

Then, at the end, her tone sharpened, just a little.

"I can still hold my own."

The truth was... she was no less skilled than Takeshi. It was only unfortunate that she had never become a mutant. And when she was younger, she hesitated - she had once feared harming others.

But that fear?

It seemed long gone.

And Takeshi couldn't help but wonder, just how skilled had she truly become?

But that was something to discover next time.

Kai grinned, throwing a lazy arm around Takeshi's shoulder.

"Don't you worry, Sayuri - we'll be back. And we're going to keep bothering you until you start chasing us with your sword."

Sayuri rolled her eyes, but her lips curled into a soft smile.

"You're welcome here anytime."

And just like that, Shadow prepared a rift, the swirling distortion opening before them - a gateway back to their mission, back to wherever else in the world they needed to go.

But not long after they stepped through, leaving behind the peaceful isolation of Sayuri's sanctuary, the weather shifted.

The once clear skies darkened, an ominous heaviness settling over the town as a sudden, unexpected storm began.

And after the flash of lightning, there was always the rumble of thunder...

-

Not long after the others vanished through the yawning Spatial Rift, the skies above the quiet rural region began to twist and churn. The air turned heavy. Thick. Charged.

Then...

Boom!

A crack of thunder split the heavens, rattling the earth beneath, and a bolt of lightning carved its way down from the clouds.

And from within that streak of blinding light... he descended.

Like a fallen deity wrapped in chaos, he slammed into the ground, sending debris flying and the air howling. His boots crushed the earth beneath him. Arcs of electricity snaked along his arms, dancing off his body as if the storm itself clung to him like a jealous lover.

Thundercutter had arrived.

Sayuri, who remained while the others went ahead, didn't flinch. She stood in the courtyard, hand resting on the hilt of her blade, kimono fluttering in the rising wind.

Ryuunosuke tilted his head and smirked, lips curling with a dangerous familiarity.

"It took me a while to find you, Sayuri," he said, voice laced with venom and amusement. His smile was sharp, cruel. "I thought Takeshi would be here. He always cared for you the most, after all..."

Sayuri's grip tightened. She slowly drew her sword, its steel whispering against the sheath. Her eyes didn't waver.

"You just missed him," she said coolly, taking her stance. "Pity."

Thundercutter chuckled, low and dismissive, as if he'd just heard a toddler declare war.

To him, she wasn't a threat.

She was a child with a butter knife.

But even a child with a butter knife... could draw blood, given the chance.

He took a few casual steps forward, beginning his monologue like a villain on a stage.

"You know, I haven't seen you since that night. Since the night I stopped crawling in Takeshi's shadow, stopped being that weak, spineless boy you all used to look down on."

His voice grew darker, more guttural.

"That night, I walked away and forged a name for myself... with the old man's swordsmanship. The Yakuza welcomed me. I carved out my place with steel and blood. But it still wasn't enough."

Lightning crackled along his shoulders.

"And then... as if by divine providence... I awakened. I became more. A mutant. And just like that, the chains were gone."

Sayuri said nothing. Her focus didn't shift for even a moment.

He took another step, letting his aura pulse, trying to suffocate her spirit.

"And wouldn't you know it, he awakened too. Evolved. Like I did. What are the odds of that?" He scoffed, as if the very idea was annoying. "Our little skirmish in the city? It was exhilarating. A real clash of monsters. But there wasn't a conclusive ending."

Then his eyes narrowed into a storm.

"I'm here to finish the job. And this time, you'll be my witness."

"He's gone," she said.

Thundercutter paused. "Gone?"

"He left you here... Knowing full well I might come for you?" he questioned.

His words stung more than she expected them to. She knew Takeshi's worries weren't for nought, but she couldn't bear to be a burden, hold him back, or see him have to suffer again.

"Heh. So he abandoned you?" he said with mock sympathy. "Seems he doesn't care for you as much as he liked to pretend."

Sayuri said nothing, but her shoulders stiffened.

And then, he dropped the bomb.

"You know what else, Sayuri?" he said, voice suddenly filled with venom. "I poisoned Master Jiro. That old bastard was already rotting from the inside out when Takeshi killed him."

Her eyes widened.

"I wanted the master who overlooked me gone. But that fool still picked Takeshi to finish him off. Both pathetic. One couldn't see through poison, and the other didn't even question it. A match made in weakness."

Sayuri froze.

It was a suspicion she'd buried. A dark thought she'd tried to ignore. But now... he'd confessed it himself, grinning like a demon unbound. Meanwhile, the fact that he was confessing was the most disconcerting thing...

"Master Jiro would be proud of what you've become," he added in a slow, chilling voice as he took a step toward her, electricity flickering off his boots.

"Don't say his name!" she snapped, fury finally cracking through her calm.

But she didn't rush.

She let him come closer. Let him bask in his arrogance. She waited, studied him... and then, she moved.

Her blade sang.

It cut through the air in a clean arc aimed directly at his throat. A kill strike. Precise. Swift.

"Going for the kill, huh?" he said lazily, leaning just enough to avoid it.

Then came another swing. And another.

She was relentless.

Every strike held a piece of Takeshi's refined style, his speed, his composure. But it also held Sayuri's raw fury, the unrefined power she never let herself use. Her style was sharper now. Deadlier. She'd been holding back for far too long.

But mutants were monsters.

The difference between a fully trained human and a combat-type mutant was like comparing a candle to a wildfire. Even a non-combat mutant could overpower most elite, trained normal people.

And Thundercutter? He had descended with the storm.

He could reduce her to ashes with a flick of his wrist.

And yet... she managed to wound him.

A shallow cut along his cheek.

His smirk faltered. Just slightly.

She'd seen through the pattern in his lazy dodges, read his rhythm, and punished him for it.

That one cut?

It gave her hope.

'Maybe I can do this.'

She'd always been the most talented of the three. Everyone knew it. But she never embraced the sword, not truly. She'd hated the thought of killing.

But in that moment, she was willing to become what she hated.

And just when it seemed she might find her rhythm-

There was a flash.

Crack!

Light exploded, and everything flipped.

Her world spun, and her vision twisted as her body slumped behind her.

Her head, her actual head, rolled across the stone tiles.

She had been decapitated.

The storm rumbled again, a final drumbeat of her death five seconds after it had struck.

Thundercutter stood tall, a thin line of blood trailing down his face. He reached down and casually picked up her severed head, holding it by the hair as he stared at her lifeless expression.

"That was honestly quite impressive," he muttered. "But let's be real... there was no way you could've beaten me."

His smile grew twisted.

"Not unless you were a mutant."

He turned, her head still in his hand like a grim trophy, and looked toward the horizon.

"This should get him riled up... make our next duel so much more thrilling."

Then, in a burst of thunder, he vanished once more...

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