POV: Rai Kurosawa
Tokyo Bay, Abandoned Dockyard – 2:09 AM
The air stank of salt and secrets.
Rai stood beneath the steel skeleton of an old crane, the waves behind him crashing like distant gunshots. Cold wind swept through the open dock, but he stood still — a statue in black.
He didn't bring bodyguards.
Tonight wasn't about strength.
It was about sacrifice.
The enemy approached — cars pulling up one by one. Sleek, foreign, expensive. The emblem on their flags was unmistakable: The Kurogane Clan, the bitterest rivals of the Kurosawa bloodline.
They had history.
Wars. Blood. Betrayals.
And now… possibly an alliance.
All for her.
---
Flashback – 3 Hours Earlier
Kurosawa Penthouse
Kenji slammed a folder on the table. "They know about her."
Rai didn't look up. "Who?"
"Everyone. The clans, the syndicates, even the overseas buyers. They know she's your weakness."
Silence.
"She's no longer just your wife, Rai. She's leverage. Bait."
Rai lit a cigarette with slow precision, his voice low. "Then I'll flip the game before they make the move."
"You mean—?"
"Yes. I'm making a deal with the Kurogane."
Kenji's face paled. "They'll slit your throat the moment you blink."
Rai met his eyes, steel behind his calm. "They can try."
---
Back to the Dockyard – Present
From the shadows stepped Daiki Kurogane, head of the rival clan — lean, cruel-eyed, and smug in a white snakeskin coat.
"Well, well. The Black Rose himself. I expected more… guards."
"I don't need them," Rai said simply.
"You always did have a god complex." Daiki smirked, then tilted his head. "Let me guess. You're here about the girl."
Rai didn't answer. He didn't need to.
Daiki's grin widened. "You've changed, Kurosawa. Once, you'd have burned down an empire over pride. Now you're begging to save a girl."
"I'm not begging," Rai said. "I'm buying time."
Daiki leaned forward. "And what do you offer in exchange for her safety?"
Rai reached inside his coat.
The Kurogane guards tensed.
But he pulled out a crimson envelope — sealed with the Kurosawa crest.
"The Haneda shipment routes. Two years' access. No interference from our side."
A long pause.
Daiki's eyes gleamed. "That's suicide. You'll be halving your drug trade."
"I don't care."
Silence fell heavy between them. Then laughter — sharp, hollow.
"Oh, you're really in love," Daiki chuckled. "This is rich. The infamous Rai Kurosawa, killer of kings, protector of doves."
Rai said nothing.
Just held his ground.
Because this wasn't love.
This was war disguised as affection.
And he'd already chosen his side.
---
Meanwhile – Secret Safehouse, Tokyo Outskirts
Anika sat alone on the floor, her eyes raw from tears. She didn't know where she was. Only that Kenji had brought her here "for her safety."
But safe from what?
From Rai?
Or from what the world would do to her if he was no longer around?
She gripped the pendant he'd once placed around her neck — a black rose carved into onyx, cool and silent against her skin.
Why did she still wear it?
Why did she still want to believe him?
Her heart whispered, Because even monsters can bleed.
---
Back at the Dock – Deal Sealed
Daiki pocketed the envelope, his voice laced with mockery. "You just gave me half your kingdom for a girl who might never forgive you."
"I didn't do it for forgiveness."
"Then for what?"
Rai's voice was steel.
"For her survival."
Daiki's smile faded.
He nodded once. "You've got three days. We'll pull back the bounty. But if she leaves Tokyo… she's fair game again."
Rai turned to leave, his black coat billowing behind him like a curtain drawn across the night.
As he walked into the mist, Daiki's voice echoed after him:
"There's no heaven for men like us, Kurosawa. Only graves."
Rai didn't look back.
Because he already knew that.