Jin's fist clenches. Anger surging through him, his face contorting.
Jin, in a flash, grabs Keiji's collar, picking him up a few inches off the ground.
"YOU DARE SHOW YOUR FACE IN FRONT OF ME? YOU'RE A DISGRACE TO THE SHIRT YOU'RE WEARING, KEIJI."
"WHAT DO YOU KNOW, JIN?"
Keiji punches Jin in the face. Without any hesitation, Jin throws Keiji into the bar.
"You have no right to wear that shirt after what you did."
Jin grabs one of the glass cups on the bartop and slams it into Keiji's head.
A pool of blood begins to form, and people are staring from all ends of the bar.
"Did you forget why I formed White Vow?"
"You made that disgrace of a gang try to avail me."
"YOU'RE WRONG, G JIN"
Jin grabs a glass shard and stabs it into Keiji's leg.
A gut-wrenching scream spews out of Keiji's mouth as blood drips from Jin's hand gripping the glass so tightly.
"If I'm wrong, then why don't you inform me of the truth?"
"Don't you remember I said it with my dying breath?"
"I can't believe I created this gang all because I thought you gave up on our goals… I-I'm sorry J-Jin" was the dying words of Asano Keiji… A traitor.
"I remember what you said to me, Keiji."
"So you remember I'm more than a traitor, I'm your friend."
Almost ten years ago, I met Keiji.
He was sitting alone in the park when I showed up. I remember a group of middle schoolers showing up and demanding money from him. I was so cocky when I was little… I took them on. And I won.
"You beat them?"
"Yeah, I did. Because I'm the best."
"Whoa!"
"My name's Jin. Kuroryu Jin. What's yours?"
"I'm Keiji. Asano Keiji."
"I'm sorry, Keiji." Jin scowls, "Clean yourself up, Keiji. You look pathetic."
Jin grabs a cloth from his pocket and tosses it at Keiji.
Keiji catches the cloth, looking up at Jin, a small tear forming in his eye.
"You are a monster, you know that?"
Two years after that incident, tragedy struck. I was plastered all over as a monster, a cold-blooded killer. I was arrested and dragged into a courtroom.
"Your honor, both of the Kuroryu brothers testified that this was an act of self-defence, and a witness confirmed Sanzou's violent behavior."
I got off with only a year in prison… They said I was lucky, but it felt like Hell.
"Jin, do you remember what we formed Black Dragon to do?
We formed it to protect the innocent… to crush the evil… and to rule like kings."
During my time behind bars, I saw terrible things. People murdered, women raped—sometimes just because they looked different.
K-Keiji… I HATE people like that. I told myself I had to find a way to stop them.
When my sentence ended, I built Black Dragon. At first, it was just to protect Mori. Then it was to crush the evil in Shibuya. And eventually... I wanted to rule the red-light district like a king.
"Keiji… there's something important I need to tell you."
"Is that so?"
Jin's cold eyes tighten. His expression doesn't change, but his voice does—just slightly..
"I killed Mori. I did it… with my own hands."
Keiji's mouth drops, shock crossing over his face.
"I killed him, out of greed… out of anger… out of my denial, I killed him"
A single tear falls from Jin's cheek, landing in the pool of blood at his feet.
"I'm heartless, a monster
I killed my family
I am worse than death,"
Jin raises his head, eyes empty and cold.
About eight years ago, I was nine. My life was the same as any other kid's. I played, I fought, and I won. It was a cycle every day at the park, but that cycle was broken.
"YOU BRATS DARE THINK TO BE LATE GETTING HERE?"
"W-w-we a-are v-v-very sorry… sir"
"GET IN THE HOUSE, WE HAVE SOME BUSINESS TO DISCUSS."
Sanzou slams the door. His henchmen from his gang are standing perfectly still.
"So how do you two little shits think we should deal with insubordination?"
"How about you just let it go already?"
WHAM!!
Young Jin falls to the ground.
"You wanna talk that way again, Jin?"
"I-I'm Sorry, Sir."
"How about you… Little Mori? What if I just torture you? Make Jin suffer from watching?"
"LEAVE HIM ALONE, SANZOU!!"
WACK!!!!
"WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT CALLING ME THAT NAME!"
"YOU BETTER GET AWAY FROM MORI!"
"DON'T YOU DARE FORGET WHO YOU'RE SPEAKING WITH, BOY!"
Jin stands with visible anger swelling, his fists clenched, his eyes filled with hate, anger, lust death.
"Don't you dare touch him."
Sanzou pokes Mori in the cheek.
"And what are you gonna do, JIN?"
"I'll kill you."
"Is that so?"
Jin doesn't move his whole body, perfectly still, waiting to strike.
Sanzou grabs a gun off a nearby table.
"Do you think you and Mori are bulletproof?"
Jin doesn't move his eyes, coldly staring deep into Sanzou.
Sanzou bends down, placing the gun against Jin's head.
"You are a demon. I can't even tell if you're scared."
Sanzou smiled, pressing the gun harder to Jin's head.
In a blitz, Jin hits Sanzou in the nose, causing him to stumble back from being bent down. Blood rushes from Sanzou's nose.
"YOU BRAT, THAT WAS JUST A LUCKY SHOT!!"
Jin remains cold and emotionless.
"I'm going to kill you."
Jin picks up the gunturning and shoots Sanzou in the chest.
Sanzou drops to the ground, blood pooling on the ground as he stares at the ceiling in disbelief.
Jin instantly turns to the door and shoots the wall on both sides, effectively killing both guards.
"What have I taught you?" comes the shaky voice of Sanzou
Jin remains cold, unbothered by what he's done.
"Jin… I failed you. I see what I've done now… I'm sor-"
BANG
Jin continues to stand there, head tilted up, eyes cold as ice.
"Keiji, do you remember 8 years ago?"
"You mean… when you-"
"Yes, when I killed my father, Kuroryu Sanzou."
"I… yeah. I remember"
"Lately… I've come to regret it."
"Wasn't he abusive? and sadistic?"
"He was… but in the end, he was still my dad."
"He was a villain, A TYRANT!"
Jin looks down at Keiji, another tear rolling down his face.
"WHO AM I TO DECIDE WHO IS AND ISN'T REDAMABLE… Who am I to decide the fate of those around me?"
He looks down at the blood on the ground, his reflection looking back at him.
"That's what got Mori killed."
Jin looks at Keiji, his eyes softening.
"Keiji…"
Tears run down Jin's face, lifting his hands to his head.
"I killed them… Both of them… and the whole time I thought my dad wanted me to be like him… a gangster, a murderer, a monster"
Jin squats down
"And my whole time here, I thought Mori wanted me to kill everyone who got in my way, I thought he wanted me to murder every villain and eventually follow the same path I did before."
"Jin… sometimes we don't know what others want… and worst of all, we don't know what they are thinking, but that's not what matters. What matters is what you want, what you need."