The night was thick with fog, the cold air biting against Hina's skin as she moved through the back alleys of the city with practiced ease.
The moon hung low, casting faint silver streaks on the wet pavement, but it was hardly enough to illuminate the dark corners where she thrived.
This wasn't her first time navigating the city's underworld.
Far from it.
Hina had long since mastered these streets, knowing every shortcut, every escape route, and more importantly, every face in the shadows.
She had learned the rules of survival quickly in the criminal world: trust no one, and rely only on yourself.
And now, here she was again, on yet another job, another mission.
But tonight, something felt different.
There was a tension in the air that she couldn't quite shake.
Hina tightened the hood of her jacket around her head, obscuring her face as she approached the rendezvous point.
It was an abandoned warehouse by the docks, one of many that littered this part of the city.
Rusted metal, broken windows, and the smell of saltwater filled the air, a perfect cover for shady business.
As she neared the entrance, she spotted the familiar figures waiting for her.
A group of men, hardened criminals, all of them, stood by the warehouse doors, their faces partially hidden in the shadows.
They were the muscle for tonight's operation, hired by someone much higher up in the chain.
Hina didn't bother with pleasantries.
She knew her place in this world.
She wasn't here to make friends.
She was here to get the job done.
One of the men, a tall, bulky figure with a scar running down the side of his face, stepped forward.
His eyes scanned her from head to toe, but Hina didn't flinch under his scrutiny.
She had dealt with men like him before.
Men who thought they could intimidate her with their size and presence.
But she was beyond intimidation.
"You're late," the man growled, his voice like gravel.
Hina shrugged, her expression cold and unreadable. "I'm here now, aren't I?"
The man grunted, clearly not pleased with her attitude, but he didn't push it.
He knew better than to mess with her.
Hina had earned a reputation in the underworld.
One of efficiency, ruthlessness, and unpredictability.
She wasn't someone you crossed lightly.
"Let's get this over with," Hina said, her voice steady and calm.
She wasn't interested in wasting time.
The longer they stood here, the more risk they attracted.
The man nodded, motioning for the others to follow him inside.
The group moved swiftly, their footsteps echoing in the empty warehouse as they made their way to the storage room where tonight's cargo was kept.
Hina kept her hand close to her side, ready to draw her weapon at a moment's notice.
She trusted these men as far as she could throw them, which wasn't much.
In this world, loyalty was bought and sold like any other commodity, and it could disappear in an instant.
The cargo tonight was valuable.
Highly valuable.
A shipment of illegal arms, smuggled in from overseas, meant for some of the biggest crime syndicates in the city.
The kind of deal that could shift power balances if it fell into the wrong hands.
That's where Hina came in.
She was part of the Kobayashi dragons, one of the most terrifying gangs out there.
But despite that, she still liked to keep her independence, taking jobs that suited her and playing different sides when necessary.
It gave her an advantage, and more importantly, it kept her off the radar.
Most of the time.
Inside the storage room, crates were stacked high, each marked with a symbol that Hina recognized immediately.
These weren't just any arms.
They were military-grade, stolen from a black-market ring with connections she didn't want to think too deeply about.
She wasn't here to ask questions.
She was here to ensure the transaction went smoothly.
The leader of the group, the scar-faced man, signaled for his men to start loading the crates onto a truck waiting outside.
Hina's job was simple: oversee the operation, make sure nothing went wrong, and most importantly, make sure no one double-crossed anyone.
But as she stood there, her eyes scanning the room, a nagging feeling tugged at her.
Something wasn't right.
It was too quiet.
Too smooth.
Her instincts kicked in, and she subtly reached for her gun, keeping it hidden beneath her jacket.
She trusted her gut, and right now, her gut was telling her that things were about to go sideways.
And she was right.
The first shot rang out from across the warehouse, shattering the eerie silence.
One of the men collapsed to the ground, blood pooling beneath him as chaos erupted.
The others immediately scrambled for cover, drawing their weapons as gunfire echoed through the space.
"It was another fuckin' ambush." Hina whispered angrily.
Hina ducked behind a stack of crates, her heart pounding but her mind calm.
This wasn't her first shootout.
A spy probably told a rival gang about her operation that night.
They came to take the weapons, or to take revenge by killing one of the most skilled soldiers ever existed.
Hina knew exactly what to do.
She peeked out from her cover, scanning the room.
It didn't take long to spot the attackers.
Another group of armed men, clearly rivals probably looking to steal the shipment for themselves.
But they were nothing more than amateurs.
Judging from their appearance, they were probably some kind of sacrificial pawns.
They were wearing a balaclava, armed jackets, and holding assault rifles.
But their arms were exposed.
Hina recognised a very familiar tattoo.
An eagle without head and a dagger on the middle of the body.
"Oh… the Hawkeyes." Hina repeated to her mind.
Suddenly , a malicious smirk appeared on her face and a small heat started to spread all across her body.
She perfectly knew what was going to happen.
She was about to have a lot of fun.
"Ahh..~ fresh meat…" she said with a sadistic tone.
The men then stopped firing their guns and started to carefully looking around.
Scar-Face was hiding in a corner, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
The rivals inexperience were so clear.
They didn't even know where to look, and more than that, their coordination actually was the same as 0.
It wasn't a group, they were 5 different people thinking with 5 differnet minds.
Their leader probably wanted to send them to die.
That's how the Hawkeyes work.
They don't care about human lives.
The Kobayashi dragons at least have a moral in their own way.
Also, the men hadn't expected Hina to be here.
And so, the skilled assassin took advantage as soon as one of the men leaned closer to check a dead body on the ground.
Without hesitation, Hina fired a few precise shots, taking down one of the attackers with ease.
She moved quickly, darting from cover to cover, her eyes sharp and focused.
Every movement was calculated, every decision made with cold precision.
That single shot was enough to scare the other members.
They didn't see Hina.
She was perfect and invisible, dancing in the shadows like it was the most normal thing to her.
In other occasions, she would've stabbed them one by one , but for that night, they cargo had to be secured rapidly.
"MATT!! NO!" One of the men screamed, after the corpse fell on the floor.
Judging from that voice, the person who spoke should've been around 20 years old.
Around Hina, the other members of her gang were scrambling, trying to fight back, but they weren't as prepared as she was.
In a matter of minutes, the warehouse had turned into a war zone.
But Hina thrived in chaos.
This was her element.
She took out another attacker, her expression never changing, never faltering.
It was almost frightening how calm she was, how efficiently she moved through the firefight, like a ghost in the night.
As the last of the attackers fell, silence settled over the warehouse once again.
Hina then looked around, with her eyes scanning the area for any remaining threats.
Her hands were trembling.
But not for fear or sense of guilt.
She was excited, aroused.
Her body was feeling so hot, and she also felt the urge of killing other people.
She stared at the gun in her hand for some instants before lowering it down.
She then took a deep breath to calm down her senses.
The men she had been working with were still standing, though some were injured.
Scar-face wiped blood from his arm, clearly impressed. "You're a damn good shot."
Hina didn't respond, holstering her weapon with a practiced motion.
She didn't need compliments, and she didn't need validation from men like him.
She had her own reasons for being here, her own goals.
And none of them involved seeking approval from criminals.
"You handled yourself well," the man continued, stepping forward. "We could use someone like you on our crew full-time."
Hina's eyes narrowed slightly. "I work alone, stay out of my business."
He shrugged, clearly expecting that response. "Suit yourself."
As the others began cleaning up the mess, Hina slipped away, her footsteps silent as she made her way back outside into the cool night air.
The mission had been a success, but something still bothered her.
That ambush… it had been too well-timed.
Too convenient.
Someone had known about the shipment.
As she walked through the empty streets, her thoughts drifted to Shota.
He had no idea what she did when she wasn't with him.
He had no idea of the world she was part of, the shadows she moved in.
And for his sake, she wanted to keep it that way.
But she couldn't help but wonder how long she could keep her two lives separate.
Because sooner or later, the darkness would catch up to her.
And when it did, it would swallow everything.
Hina was doing all of that for Shota, to save his mother and pay all the medical debts he had.
She was doing that because he was one of the few people who showed genuine feelings towards her.
But… why was Hina helping him?
She asked that question to herself a lot of times.
She thought she abandoned her criminal life, but she came back alone to help him for a while.
She was probably trying to redeem herself, to have an excuse to staisfy her hunger of killing.
Did Hina love Shota? She didn't know.
She was experiencing new feelings.
A lot of different things.
Too many things that nobody can't describe, not even her.
Hina didn't even have a glimpse of normal life.
As soon as she met people who cared about her, she wanted to help them.
But her money weren't enough.
Rina was dealing with a bad disease.
Shota had a dying mother who could be saved only with a specific therapy.
Aiko had gambling debts…
Everyone asked Hina for help.
But the only thing she could do to afford everything, was just returning to the criminal life.
So, she started to live a double life… until…