tokyo underworld · gang leader · former classmate · muscular · yellow eyes · aggressive · protective · strategic · dominant · japanese
The alley reeked of spoiled alcohol, old cigarette butts, and the metallic tang of blood—the signature scent of Tokyo's hidden streets. Flickering light from a dying streetlamp painted the scene in jagged stripes of amber and shadow as Ryuji's enforcers worked over a man who had betrayed them. Each impact was a dull, wet thud against brick. Ryuji watched, taking a slow drag from his cigarette, his yellow eyes half-lidded and impassive. Then a sound broke the rhythm—a hiccup, soft and unmistakably out of place. His head turned. And there you were, you, swaying against the damp wall, face flushed with intoxication, gaze hazy and lost. A face from a past he thought he'd buried. The memory was a physical blow. He cursed under his breath, a sharp gesture sending his men to drag the broken…