The night was quiet, but Yuki knew better than to trust the calm.
She stood in her room, methodically preparing for the mission ahead. It wasn’t a simple patrol—this was an actual information-gathering operation, the kind Kurayami didn’t trust the police or heroes to handle properly. Usually, they just left subtle hints, breadcrumbs for the authorities to follow and clean up the mess themselves. But sometimes, when the situation required a more delicate touch, they handled it personally. Tonight was one of those nights.
Yuki adjusted the black gloves on her hands, ensuring they were snug before pulling on the rest of her vigilante gear. Her black mask lay on the table, reflecting the dim light from her desk lamp. The familiar hum of her black flame hovered quietly by her side, flickering like a patient shadow. Everything was routine—calm, efficient, and predictable. Just the way she liked it.
This time, she would be going alone. Himiko had her own patrol on the other side of the city, and Touya… Well, he had his own business to handle. Yuki didn’t ask what it was—if he wanted her to know, he would tell her. But that meant she was on her own tonight, not that it made much of a difference. Working alone was easier in many ways—no distractions, no one to worry about.
She slid her mask into place, her expression remaining blank as ever beneath it. It wasn’t that she disliked working with the others—it was just simpler to move without anyone slowing her down. Besides, the mission itself wasn’t complicated: gather intel on a rising underground network suspected of trafficking illegal quirk-enhancing drugs that was meantto have been confuscated long ago. Standard enough. Except this particular group was smart. They didn’t leave a trail, and they had connections deep enough that even Miss Renka’s information network was having trouble pinning down their leaders.
If Yuki was going in, it meant things were serious.
She double-checked the small earpiece tucked beneath her mask, tapping it lightly to test the connection. It buzzed softly, confirming it was active. Kaito would be at the other end if anything went south. It usually never did.
Sliding open the window, she stepped onto the ledge. The cool night breeze brushed against her skin, carrying the distant hum of the city’s life.
And tonight, she was diving straight into the middle of it.
Without another thought, Yuki leapt from the ledge, the black flame following in her wake as she disappeared into the night.
Yuki moved like a shadow through the city, silent and unseen. Her destination was a seemingly abandoned warehouse tucked away in one of the less patrolled areas of the city. To the average person, it was just another derelict building, forgotten and crumbling. But to her trained eye, the subtle reinforcements, hidden cameras, and strategic positioning of the structure told a different story.
This was no ordinary hideout—it was a fortress.
The real danger wasn’t aboveground. Her intel suggested an underground extension, heavily secured and deliberately cut off from outside interference. If an organization went through this much trouble to remain hidden, it meant they were more than just some small-time operation. They were careful. Smart. Dangerous.
But even the best-built walls had cracks. And Yuki? She was very good at finding them.
She kept to the shadows, watching the exterior security for several minutes. The guards patrolled in pairs, their movements precise but predictable. Automated security systems covered the blind spots, but nothing she couldn’t bypass.
With calculated patience, she moved. A quick pulse of her black flame briefly disrupted a nearby camera, its feed looping just long enough for her to slip through an unguarded side entrance. From there, it was a matter of avoiding detection—easy enough when you could spot flaws in even the most secure systems.
She navigated the upper floors with ease, slipping past security points without so much as a whisper. The real challenge came when she found the entrance to the underground sector—an elevator, locked by multiple security clearances.
Yuki crouched by the terminal, tilting her head slightly as she examined the locking mechanisms. It would take too much time to override manually, and brute force wasn’t an option if she wanted to remain undetected. Instead, she reached into her belt, pulling out a small device—one of Kaito’s creations. A temporary frequency disruptor, capable of forcing a reset in the system.
She placed the device on the terminal, activating it with a soft click. The screen flickered for a moment before the locks disengaged. The elevator doors slid open soundlessly.
Stepping inside, she pressed the only available button, feeling the slight shift as the elevator descended.
It was a long way down.
By the time the doors opened, she had already mapped out several potential escape routes in her mind. But as she stepped into the dimly lit underground corridor, she immediately noticed something was off.
The first thing she saw was the security camera at the far end of the hall—powered down.
The second thing? The guards.
Unconscious.
Yuki’s eyes narrowed slightly as she took a slow step forward. The men were out cold, slumped against the walls and floor. No blood. No signs of struggle. Just… taken out, efficiently and silently.
Someone had beaten her here.
And they weren’t sloppy about it.
In an instant, Yuki’s blade was drawn, the dark metal stopping just before the intruder’s neck. But before she could react further, a sharp, red-tinted edge hovered at her own throat.
Her eyes flicked to the side, locking onto the familiar golden irises of her opponent. He stood there with his usual easygoing smirk, completely unbothered by the fact that a blade was mere inches from his skin.
"Hawks," she stated, her voice altered by the built-in voice changer in her mask.
"San Kurayami," he replied smoothly, amusement clear in his tone.
"You heroes were finally early for once," she noted dryly.
"You say that like we're bad at our jobs," he countered, tilting his head slightly, though his feather blade remained steady.
"Most of you are."
"Blunt honesty hurts, you know."
She didn’t dignify that with a response. Instead, after a brief pause, both of them lowered their weapons simultaneously—her midnight-black blade disappearing into the shadows of her cloak, and his sharpened feather retracting effortlessly as well.
Hawks watched as she strode past him without hesitation, her steps silent against the cold floor. He fell into step beside her, hands tucked lazily into his pockets, but she knew better than to assume he was relaxed. His sharp eyes were always watching.
"You do know apprehending you is part of my job, right?" he said casually, as if discussing the weather.
Yuki didn’t break stride. "Do you want to try that?"
"Not a chance," he admitted with a light chuckle. "At least for now."
She didn’t bother responding. There was no point. He wasn’t an immediate obstacle, and she had more important things to deal with.
Still, she could feel his gaze lingering on her as they walked deeper into the underground facility.
Yuki didn't need to ask to know Hawks had been the one to disable the cameras and knock out the guards. The precision was too clean, too quick. If she hadn't arrived when she did, she wouldn't have even noticed something was wrong until she was deeper inside.
The hallways were narrow and suffocating, built that way on purpose—to limit movement, control the flow of intruders. It didn’t bother her, but she noted how Hawks' wings shifted slightly, the confined space restricting his natural advantage.
"Not the best place for a guy like you," she commented, voice still masked by the voice changer.
Hawks hummed in amusement. "Yeah, not a fan of tight spaces, but I manage." His golden eyes flicked to her. "This kind of setup makes it harder for me, but you? You fit right in."
She didn’t answer, stepping over a knocked-out guard without pause. He wasn’t wrong. Tight spaces, darkness, places built to disorient—none of it ever felt like a problem to her.
Yuki’s instincts flared just as she reached the corner. In a fraction of a second, she shifted to dodge, her blade already halfway drawn—but before she could move, Hawks’ wing snapped up in front of her. The confined space limited his usual speed, but it was enough. An array of metallic spikes clashed against his feathers, some deflecting while others lodged themselves into the walls.
Her mind barely had time to register that attack before another came from the opposite side. This one was different—wider, faster, something meant to ensure the first strike wasn’t avoided.
Yuki moved.
Using the limited space to her advantage, she twisted to the side, narrowly avoiding a burst of electricity crackling through the air. The residual energy tingled against her skin as she landed in a crouch, blade fully drawn now.
Hawks exhaled through his nose. "Well, that’s annoying."
She didn’t bother responding, already calculating. Two attacks, different angles, different methods. Meaning at least two people—possibly more.
Yuki and Hawks stood back to back, both with their blades drawn—hers a sleek, black weapon that seemed to drink in the dim light, his a razor-sharp feather held loosely between his fingers.
The silence stretched for a moment before soft footsteps echoed through the hallway.
Then they stepped out.
Two figures emerged from the shadows, both clad in dark tactical gear. The first was a tall man with a jagged scar running down his jaw, electricity still crackling faintly at his fingertips. The second was a woman, shorter but no less dangerous, her hands fitted with mechanical gauntlets that still dripped with metal—the source of the earlier spikes.
Hawks let out a low whistle. "Not bad. You guys actually know how to set a trap."
The man smirked. "And you walked right into it."
Yuki barely spared him a glance. "So did you."
Before he could react to her words, she moved.
Yuki didn't waste time. The moment the man stepped forward, she was already moving.
He raised a hand, crackling with electricity, aiming for a direct hit. She ducked low, sidestepping as his palm slammed into the wall beside her, leaving a scorched mark.
Fast, but not faster than her.
She flicked her wrist, a thin wire slipping from her sleeve. Before he could react, she lashed it forward, wrapping it around his wrist and yanking hard. He stumbled, but recovered quickly, sending a jolt of electricity through the wire.
Yuki let go immediately, flipping backward to avoid the surge.
Meanwhile, Hawks was dealing with the woman. Every time he tried to close the distance, she created a wall of sharp, metallic spikes, blocking his path. His feathers, usually fast enough to slip through any defense, clattered uselessly against them.
“Tch. That’s annoying,” Hawks muttered, dodging a metal spear she hurled at him. He flared his wings, sending a controlled burst of feathers to distract her while he circled around.
Yuki barely spared him a glance, focusing on the man in front of her. He was trying to close the gap again, electricity crackling in his palms.
She had two options—knock him out or tie him up. Whichever worked first.
As he lunged, she spun, slipping behind him and kicking his knee out from under him. He stumbled, and before he could regain his footing, she wrapped the wire around his other wrist, pulling it tight.
A crackle of energy ran through it again, but this time she was ready—yanking him forward and slamming him into the ground before he could fully discharge the shock.
He groaned, trying to get up, but Yuki tightened the wire, pinning his arms behind his back.
One down.
She turned just in time to see Hawks still held at bay, his usual speed countered by the woman’s shifting walls of spikes.
Yuki sighed. "Need help?"
Hawks smirked, dodging another spear. "Nah. I’ve got this."
Yuki barely spared Hawks another glance as her black flame flickered beside her, stretching forward like a living shadow. It slithered soundlessly down the narrow corridor, illuminating the darkness in flickers of deep violet and indigo.
She walked forward with steady, deliberate steps, her senses tuned in to what her flame detected ahead. The hall was long and quiet, but the way the air shifted told her there were more people nearby.
The man she had tied up groaned from where he lay. She ignored him. If he got free, he’d regret it.
Behind her, she heard the sharp clang of metal and the rush of wind—Hawks was still dealing with his opponent. But that wasn’t her problem.
Her flame reached the end of the corridor before she did. It flickered, reacting to something just beyond the next turn.
Someone was there.
Yuki slowed, pressing herself against the wall. Her flame curled back slightly, as if waiting for her next move.
Then, without hesitation, she stepped forward.