Blood on the Snow
The snowstorm hadn't let up. It felt as though the heavens themselves had chosen tonight to open every wound, to spill grief upon Tokyo's rooftops.
Akio Hukitaske pushed himself upright, his breath ragged, his lips split and bleeding. His jaw throbbed from the Oni's last strike, his ribs screamed from every shallow inhale, and yet he forced himself to stand.
The fox-masked figure — his brother — stood across from him, motionless. The Oni loomed just behind, his body like a shadow carved from hate.
Akio's knees trembled. His body begged him to stay down. But he couldn't. Not again. Not after everything.
He spat blood into the snow and let his voice tear through the storm.
"I already gave up once!" Akio roared, his throat raw with memory. "When my friends died. When Marina almost slipped through my hands because I was too afraid to fight back. I almost failed her... and I'll never forgive myself for that. But I won't do it again. I won't let her down — not now, not ever."
The fox-mask tilted, silent.
"Even if she survived, even if she's out there somewhere... I swore that the past wouldn't break me anymore. Not the Lab. Not despair. And not you."
Memory of Marina
The snow swirled heavier, but Akio's heart burned hotter.
He saw Marina's smile in the storm. The way she'd stood beside him when no one else would. The way her hands steadied his when his own faltered.
"She wouldn't want me to quit here," Akio said, his voice trembling. "She'd tell me to keep moving. To make something of the pain. And if you hate me, if you don't want me as your brother anymore—then so be it. I'll carry that. But don't you dare say I abandoned anything!"
He slammed his fist against his gut, where his heart still beat despite everything.
"Because I didn't! You're the one dragging chains around his memory, not me. You're the one obsessed with Grandfather, using his legacy like a weapon. I became a pharmacist because of him too! I kept fighting because of him too! You think you're honoring him? No—you're shackling yourself to a ghost!"
The Clan's Purpose
The Oni stepped forward, fury thick in his muffled voice. "How dare you—"
But it was the fox who raised a hand, silencing him. For the first time, his brother's voice broke like thunder.
"His shop—our grandfather's shop—was Japan's pride! His life's work, his heart, everything he was... the Lab nearly destroyed it! You think we're obsessed? You think we're clinging to ghosts?" His fists shook, his shoulders trembling beneath the fox mask.
"No, Akio. We're avengers. We created the Mask Clan of Pharmacy to finish what he couldn't. To protect his legacy with our lives. Anyone who threatens it—anyone who shames it—will pay. The Lab. The world. Even you."
Akio staggered at the words.
"So this... this is what you've built?" His voice was hoarse, his eyes hollow. "A clan. A crusade. All to worship a human who's already gone. You're spitting on his memory more than anyone, brother. Because you're using his life to justify your hate."
Akio's Defiance
The Oni growled, but even he faltered at the accusation. Snow fell thick between the three, silence heavy.
Akio took a single step forward, pain etched into his every movement.
"You're dragging him through the mud. You're turning him into a banner, a rallying cry for revenge he never asked for. And for what?!" He spread his arms, his voice breaking. "What happens when the Lab is gone? What happens after you burn every enemy alive in his name? What then?"
His words echoed, biting.
The Oni froze. The fox-mask hesitated. For a moment, neither spoke. The storm's howl filled the gap.
Finally, the Oni snarled, "Shut up. Shut up before I—"
But the fox lifted his hand again, cutting him off.
"...Then we'll see," his brother muttered, voice low. "The future will decide. But our purpose... our only future is this: to carry his wish. To destroy anyone who burdens his legacy."
The Breaking Point
The words were too much. Something inside Akio broke.
With a guttural cry, he launched forward. His fist — fueled by every memory, every scar, every tear shed for Marina and for his friends — slammed against his brother's jaw. The fox-mask figure staggered back, snow exploding beneath his boots as he crashed against the wall.
Akio's stomach heaved, his knuckles bleeding. His voice came low, almost a whisper, but each word cut sharper than a blade.
"You're pathetic. Obsessed. Mindless. You talk about legacy, but you've forgotten how to live. Grandfather's smile wouldn't be proud of you — it would shame you. You're not following his example. You're not honoring him. You're just moving toward a future that doesn't even exist, chasing shadows with no goal but destruction."
The Oni's eyes widened behind his mask. For once, he was shaken.
Akio turned, blood dripping from his lips. "At least I know I'm pathetic. At least I know I fell into despair. But I'm clawing my way out. You? You're lost. And I don't even know what your face looks like anymore... because you're not my brother. You're just a monster in a mask. So I don't care to even know what you people look like."
Echoes of Hate
Akio staggered away, his shadow stretching thin in the snowstorm's light.
Behind him, the fox-mask finally spoke, his voice echoing with fury and grief.
"You think you can walk away from us? You think you're not a pawn in this? You'll always be bait, Akio. You'll always be the Lab's obsession. And no matter how far you run, we'll never stop. Because we don't live for you. We live for him. For Grandfather's wish."
The Oni added, his voice booming: "And we'll keep coming. No matter what you say. No matter how you fight. We'll never give up."
Akio didn't turn back. He didn't falter. His voice was low, but it cut through the storm like lightning.
"Then come at me with everything you've got. Because I'm nobody's weapon. And if you keep following this path... then you're already lost."
He disappeared into the night, leaving only the echo of his words.
The Oni turned to the fox-mask, unsettled. "He'll fight back. We won't stop until we get our hands on Akio for the lab's sake — he's their greatest threat since the Uki Brothers. That will set things right for those who accidentally endangered our leader's legacy, and for your grandfather, whom I also call grandfather out of respect. Our clan was forged for one purpose: to continue his legacy. Under that banner, anyone who threatens his name — even by accident — will be made to feel the cost of their actions."
The fox stared into the snow, his hand trembling where Akio had struck him. "...I know."
And for the first time, he wondered if the brother he hated might still have a strength he had forgotten.
To Be Continued...