Standing before Sirius, the leader sneered, eyes narrowing.
"This is the famous 'Dark Angel'?" he scoffed. "Doesn't look like much. Just a kid."
Without hesitation, he grabbed Sirius by the shirt and hoisted him off the ground.
"Did you go mute, punk? I'm talking to you. Or are you too scared to answer?"
His friends erupted in laughter, thoroughly entertained, seemingly oblivious to Sirius's reputation.
Feeling cocky, the leader grinned. But then...
"What's so fun about bullying people weaker than you?" Sirius asked in a calm, almost neutral tone, his voice soft yet echoing down the alley.
The leader's smile faded. "What did you just say, punk?"
"I asked if it's fun," Sirius replied thoughtfully. "I think I'd like to try it out for myself."
Before the leader could react, pain shot through his abdomen as Sirius struck, quick as lightning.
"Argh!" the thug gasped, collapsing, releasing Sirius, who landed lightly on his feet.
Not wasting a second, Sirius dashed toward the other thugs. They panicked, too slow to react.
Sirius was already in front of one of them, driving his fist into the man's throat. Gasping for air, the thug collapsed, only to meet the ground face-first as Sirius's kick connected. Unconscious in seconds.
The last thug turned to flee, but Sirius grabbed a rock and hurled it with pinpoint accuracy. It struck the man's spine, sending him sprawling with a pained cry. He didn't get far.
Sirius calmly walked over, dragged the thug by his collar, and dropped him next to the others. Without a word, he kicked the leader's face twice, knocking him out cold.
The last conscious thug watched in horror as Sirius crouched down, summoning a handful of salt from his palm. The salt glittered ominously, a product of his soul weave. Its properties were...special.
"What...what are you doing?" the thug whimpered.
Sirius ignored him, methodically pulling down their pants. Then, without a hint of emotion, he sprinkled the salt over their crotches. The salt immediately absorbed all moisture, leaving an excruciating dryness behind.
The girl who had been watching the whole ordeal shut her eyes, and Xander simply shook his head. The last thug stared, wide-eyed, too horrified to scream.
"If I ever catch you doing something like this again," Sirius said, his voice ice-cold, "it'll be much worse. Understood?"
"Y-Yes! I swear!" the thug stammered, trembling.
Satisfied, Sirius rose to his feet, turning toward Xander, who wore a wry smile, and the girl, who now looked at him with awe, confusion, and embarrassment.
"Alright, let's go," Sirius said, flashing a bright, innocent smile, as if nothing had happened. They both followed him out of the alley.
The last conscious thug breathed a sigh of relief once they were gone.
....
While walking, Sirius asked, his tone kind again, "What's your name?"
"Emilia," she replied timidly.
Xander grinned. "That's a nice name!"
"Thank you," she said quietly. Gathering her courage, she added, "Thank you so much... for saving me. I don't know what they would've done if you hadn't been there..."
Her voice broke, and she began to cry.
Xander panicked, unsure of what to do, but Sirius remained calm, though a little uncertain himself.
After a moment, he said, "Emilia, I know it was scary, but the important thing is, you're safe now. We stopped them before anything happened."
"But..." she started, her voice wavering.
"No buts," Sirius said softly, pulling her into a gentle hug. "You're safe, and that's all that matters."
At first, she was surprised by the hug, but soon she melted into it, letting the tears flow. Sirius patted her head comfortingly.
"It's okay," he said quietly. "We'll walk you home, just to make sure you're alright."
Xander nodded in agreement. "Yeah, let's do that."
Emilia wiped her tears, calming down as she led them home. They walked for twenty minutes until they arrived at her house.
When they got there, she hesitated. "Would you like to come in?"
Sirius smiled gently. "Thanks, but we've got to help my aunt. Maybe next time?"
"Yeah, she'll be mad if we're late," Xander added with a chuckle.
Emilia smiled, bowing her head slightly. "Thank you again."
Sirius sighed, patting her head once more. "No need to thank us anymore. Just take care of yourself, okay?"
She nodded, still blushing, and the boys waved as they walked away.
"See you later!" Sirius called, his usual bright smile on display.
"Bye-bye!" Xander added playfully, catching up to Sirius.
....
Once they were out of sight, Emilia let out a deep breath and finally turned toward her house.
Back at their place, Sirius and Xander quickly changed into casual clothes before heading to Ava's café. The place was bustling with customers by the time they arrived.
Seeing the crowd, Sirius cursed under his breath. "Shoot!" He took off running toward the café, Xander close behind.
Once inside, they slipped into the back room to grab aprons, then hurried out to help with the orders.
Ava, noticing the extra hands, sighed in relief, though her sharp eyes soon picked up on something else. The café had gone unusually quiet.
Ava smirked knowingly. Most of the patrons were women, and all eyes were locked on Sirius, who had let his black-and-silver hair down, his fair skin and delicate features catching the light. His dark purple eyes and almost ethereal beauty had the women entranced, many with admiration, some with jealousy. Even a few of the men couldn't help but stare.
Sirius smiled kindly at each customer, furthering the spell he seemed to cast over the crowd.
"Well, I can't blame them," Ava muttered, shaking her head with a smirk. "This was my idea, after all."
A man in his forties, standing at the kitchen door, grinned. "You really turned your nephew into a honey trap, a neighborhood sweetheart, huh?"
Ava gave him a clueless smile. "What do you mean, Roy? He's just helping out, like always."
Roy chuckled, returning to his cooking. "Scary creatures, you women are."