Blood & Vows
The Shadow at His Back
[Penthouse Office – Varela Corporation, Midnight]
Leon
Rin Kuroda. Ex-military, dishonorably discharged. Impressive kill count. No recorded failures.
Leon
I read everyone’s file. Most of them die anyway.
Leon
They all said that too.
Leon
And you’re different?
Rin
I don’t make promises. I just get the job done.
Leon
Good. You start now. Someone’s trying to kill me. Find them.
Rin
If the enemy is inside?
Leon
Then you cut them down.
Rin
You sure you can handle me?
Leon
I don’t hire men I can’t control.
Rin
Then you hired the wrong man.
(Silence is palatable. They stare at each other. Leon smirks.)
(Rin turns and walks out of the office. Leon watches as he leaves, eyes sharp. Something about this man… dangerous. And Leon has always had a taste for danger.)
Test of Loyalty
[Leon’s Private Residence – 2:13 AM]
(Rin's phone rings. He answers.)
Leon
Two hours in and you’re already slacking?
Rin
You’re still alive. That means I’m working.
Leon
I don’t pay you to sit around.
Rin
You don’t pay me to entertain you, either.
Leon
Get to the north wing. Now.
(Rin steps inside. Leon is waiting, arms crossed, watching.)
Rin
Next time, try screaming. It’s more authentic.
Leon
Funny. Let’s test something.
(Leon nods. A shadow moves behind Rin—an attacker.)
(Gun clicks. Rin moves before the trigger is pulled. In a second, the attacker is on the floor, arm twisted at a brutal angle.)
(He presses harder, making the man groan.)
Leon
Mm. Not yet. He might be useful.
(Rin lets go. The attacker gasps for air, curling up in pain.)
Leon
Efficient. But next time, don’t just react. Read the room.
Rin
Next time, use someone better. This one was predictable.
(Leon laughs under his breath.)
Leon
I might enjoy keeping you around.
Rin
That’s not why I’m here.
(Leon steps closer, his voice dropping.)
Leon
Then tell me, Kuroda… what are you here for?
Rin
To keep you breathing. Nothing else.
A Step Too Close
[Leon’s Office – 9:45 PM]
(A quiet night. Too quiet. Rin stands by the window, scanning the streets below. Leon pours himself a drink.)
Leon
Are you always this tense?
Rin
Are you always this reckless?
Rin
Two buildings over. Scope glint. Amateurs.
Rin
Still breathing. For now.
Leon
If someone wants me dead, let them try. It keeps things exciting.
(Rin steps closer, his voice low.)
Rin
You don’t get paid to play with death. I get paid to stop it.
Rin
How many people have tried to kill you?
Rin
You won’t be smiling when they succeed.
(Leon steps closer, his voice gets softer.)
Leon
Then make sure they don’t.
(Silence feels heavy. Charged.)
Leon
Then waste something else.
(Something flickers between them. Not tension. Something sharper.)
Rin
Get some rest, Varela.
(Rin doesn’t answer. But as he turns, he knows—Leon isn’t the only dangerous one in this room.)
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