10 Alleyway confrontation

Vin pushed Katsu back and yelled at him to "RUN!" The guns fired and Katsu's vision flashed. Although not real guns, these pellet guns can fire pellets at a speed of over a hundred meters per second. If it hits you in the head, you'll get knocked out. Katsu found himself on the ground, ears ringing. He struggled to get up and felt blood flowing down from his head. His ears started to work again, and he began to hear Vin talking to the henchmen.

"Look, he-he, we don't have to result in violence. Don't worry, give me like five, no four, four more months!"

"This is not about your money problem anymore; the boss wants you back!" the henchman threatened Vin.

"Vin!"

"Ah, Katsu! Don't worry, I got this!"

"So, you're resisting?" the henchman asked.

"What do you think I'm doing?"

The two exchanged blows, but Vin was overpowered by the more experienced henchman. Katsu watched as Vin got beaten, and he felt a deep sense of helplessness. Memories of his parents' death flooded his mind, and he was reminded of the pain of being powerless to stop them from being killed. A voice whispered into his ears, "Do it, go and do something, or you're too weak to save him."

Vin fell to the ground, bloodied. "The boss said just to get Vin alive, right? So, it's fine if he's a little beaten," one of the henchmen said.

Katsu's heart started to pump faster, and adrenaline coursed through his veins. "Steven, you should stop now," another man told him to stop.

"Sure, but one last kick to make him know his place," Steven said.

Time began to slow, and Katsu felt an unknown energy building up inside him. He charged at the man who was going to kick Vin and knocked him down. "Katsu! Stop it!" Vin pleaded while trying to get up.

"What are you doing!?" one of the henchmen yelled as he grabbed Katsu's shoulder.

Katsu pushed him away with great force, sending the man flying and cracking a wall. This unbelievable strength surprised everyone. "Stop that kid!" another henchman yelled as they aimed their guns at Katsu.

Katsu stood up, heavily bleeding from the adrenaline. "You, who are you? No, what even are you!?" Steven asked, stunned by Katsu's strength.

Katsu stopped and thought about what had happened. "Katsu! Stop it! You'll only get hurt!" Vin pleaded while trying to calm Katsu down.

His hands shaking, Katsu let go of Steven. Many more gang members arrived and surrounded them. Katsu was heavily bleeding, and his body was weakened from the fight. "It's okay. I'll get us out of this situation," Vin said, trying to reassure Katsu.

Then, suddenly, an unknown voice yelled out "shoot him now!"

Katsu was shot again and lost consciousness, lying on the ground, slowly losing blood.

"Katsu!" Vin ran over to him and tried to treat his wounds, hoping he would wake up soon.

From the small crowd of gang members, one steps out, his figure similar to the one seen back at Bon's store. The man's presence sends a chill down Vin's spine, and he can feel the fear rising in his chest. It's the great crown prince of crime himself, Ivan Hanzai, the leader of the largest gang in the kingdom.

Vin's terror is palpable as Ivan approaches him, his men lurking in the background like shadows. "That's enough, Vin!" Ivan's voice is cold and calculating, and Vin can sense the danger in the air.

"I-Ivan, look…" Vin stammers, his voice shaking with fear.

"I'm here for you, Vin. We need you back," Ivan tells him.

"W-why would you need me??" Vin manages to ask, his heart racing in his chest.

"We've realized your power and talent. And of course, the thing you've told me," Ivan says, a hint of menace in his voice.

"What thing? W-what are you talking about?" Vin is confused and scared, but he knows better than to push Ivan too far.

"You know that's classified within our ranks. Anyway, I've got an ultimatum. Join us, or the kid dies," Ivan says, pulling out a real pistol and aiming it at Katsu, who is standing nearby.

Vin's heart sinks as he realizes there are no more options left. He pauses, thinking of any other way to escape, but alas, he knows there is nothing he can do. "Fine. I'll join you, on one condition! Patch up and treat Katsu and return him to my home safely," he says, his voice shaking with fear.

"Pff. It's not like you're in any position to bargain, but since it's you… deal," Ivan says, his voice dripping with contempt.

"Thank… thank you, sir," Vin manages to say, his voice barely audible.

Ivan turns around. "Men! Back to base! Also, treat the little twat and bring him back to Vin's apartment. Let's get a move on!" he commands, and his men start to leave.

Katsu, still conscious, has heard everything. He tries to speak, but his voice is weak. "Vin… no…"

Vin faces Katsu with a smile. "Don't worry, I'll be back…" he says, trying to reassure him.

And then Katsu falls unconscious.

A voice in Katsu's head laments. "I have failed, once again…"

When Katsu wakes up in Vin's apartment, he is bandaged up and it's morning. He looks around, searching for Vin, and starts to realize what had happened. "No… not again…" he whispers to himself, curling up and shivering in fear.

"What should I do now?" he wonders to himself, feeling lost and alone.

As he looks around, he finds a note right next to him. He picks it up and reads it. The note says "Katsu, I'm sorry, but I had to leave. Don't worry, I'll get out of this. You've got the keys to my apartment, just go to Boy's place if you need some stuff…"

Katsu is about to throw the note away, but notices something written on the back. "Take your time to recuperate, and once you've done that… here's the plan." Vin had planned for this situation, and Katsu realizes that he must trust in Vin's plan to get them both out of this mess.

It's just a matter of will, Katsu thinks to himself. And of course… he will…

End of chapter 10