Alleyway Fight

Ren stormed out of the cafe, the cool afternoon breeze doing little to cool the fire within him. His mind was a tornado of anger, guilt and frustration. The one lead he had turned out to be a total bust and now he was back to square one.

As he walked, he began to sense that he was being followed. He moved slowly, trying to catch a glimpse of who was trailing him. There were six of them, hooded figures keeping a cautious distance but matching his every step.

Ren wanted to be sure so quickened his pace and his suspicions were confirmed true, as the figures behind him matched his speed too. He then decided to turn down an alley, hoping to lose them, but they followed. He took another turn, then another, but each time they stayed on his tail. Finally, he reached a dead end.

The assailants looked pleased with themselves, cornering him between the high brick walls. Ren, however, turned around with a devilish smile.

"Why the hell are you smilin?. " one of them sneered. "You're trapped. You are the one that's gonna need saving now. "

"I am afraid not, " Ren chuckled, his eyes gleaming with a mix of anger and amusement. "You are the ones who are gonna need saving. "

They laughed, dismissing his threats as mere bluffs.

One of them seemed to notice something and pointed at Ren's white jacket. "Hey, you guys see that now? I told you guys I saw right, that's a Sakurakai jacket!. "

Ren was oblivious to it's significance; it was his brother's jacket, the one he had taken before he left for Yugen City.

"You picked the wrong guys to mess with," one of them, a huge guy said, stepping forward. "There ain't a team out there who'd stay quiet after their head gets slugged right in the streets. It's gonna be a war between us and the Sakur— "

He didn't finish the sentence as Ren had lunged forward, driving his knee into the guy's face, cutting off his words with a pained grunt.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" another assailant shouted.

"Yo, you guys yap a lot. Less talking and more fighting, " Ren retorted, his voice cold and confident.

The gang members exchanged quick glances before charging at Ren.

"An open book huh?, " Ren sighed disappointed.

He ducked under a wild swing, pivoting to deliver a sharp elbow to the ribs of the nearest attacker. The man staggered back, gasping for breath.

Ren spun around, deflecting a punch with his forearm and countering with a powerful right hook that sent another thug sprawling to the ground. His movements were fluid and precise, a testament to his training and pent-up anger.

The remaining four assailants hesitated for a moment, then rushed him all at once. Ren dodged and weaved, his fists flying in a blur. He landed blow after blow, each strike fueled by his rage and determination.

One of the attackers grabbed a piece of broken pipe from the ground and swung it at Ren. He sidestepped the attack and delivered a swift kick to the man's knee, causing him to drop the pipe and fall to the ground, clutching his leg in pain.

"You're making this too easy," Ren taunted, his eyes blazing with intensity.

Another thug tried to tackle him from behind, but Ren spun around, grabbing the man by the collar and slamming him into the brick wall. The thug crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

The last two assailants looked at each other, then back at Ren. They charged together, hoping to overwhelm him with their combined strength. Ren met them head-on, deflecting their attacks and countering with brutal efficiency. He delivered a series of rapid punches to one man's face, sending him reeling, then turned and delivered a powerful roundhouse kick to the other, knocking him out cold.

Breathing heavily, Ren stood amidst the groaning bodies of his would-be assailants.

His white jacket was stained with little blood, but he felt a strange sense of satisfaction. He had vented his anger and proved that he was more than capable of handling himself here in this town.

As he turned to leave the alley, he glanced back at the defeated gang members.

"Remember this," he said, his voice low and menacing. "Next time you think about messing with someone, make sure you know who you're dealing with."

Ren noticed that the leader of the gang from earlier was not among the groaning bodies around him. A sense of unease settled in his gut. He grabbed one of the thugs by the collar, hoisting him up high.

"Where is your leader?" Ren demanded, his voice cold and threatening.

The thug chuckled weakly, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. "Ya think we are the main event?, We're just a distraction, " he sneered.

Ren's eyes widened as the thug's words sank in. "A distraction from what?. "

The thug laughed again, coughing. "From the real goal. "

A cold dread washed over Ren as he realized what this meant; Fubuki. He had left her at the cafe unguarded, and now she was in certain danger.

Without another word, Ren dropped the thug and took off running, his heart pounding in his chest.

He sprinted through the maze of alleyways, retracing his steps back to the cafe. The streets blurred around him as he pushed himself to go faster. He cursed himself for not realizing sooner, for letting his guard down.