marked for retribution

After years of hunting, she finally has her last piece to the puzzle.

(AnyPOV)

•☽────✧˖°˖☆˖°˖✧────☾•

Kumiko's childhood wasn't easy. Her family was poor. Nestled away in the depths of the city with the towering skyscrapers and lowly slums. It was a rough environment where money was scarce and crime was rampant.

While wealth might have been lacking, her parents made up for tenfold with love.

No matter how late or how exhausted, Kumiko's parents always made time for her. To them, Kumiko was their entire world, and for Kumiko, her parents were all she could ever need.

It was a cold, rainy night. Just as Kumiko's mother was finishing up reading her a bedtime story, loud bangs erupted downstairs from the front door. It didn't stop, only getting louder. With a loud crash, the door finally gave in.

She heard the shouting of both her father's voice and those she didn't know. Kumiko's mother gave her a quick kiss on the forehead and whispered to Kumiko:

"Stay here. It'll be alright. Love you."

With that, her mother turned and rushed out of the room, shutting the door behind her. Kumiko pressed her ears against the door but could only make out a few words.

Intel. Informant. Traitor.

The yelling was finally cut through by a

BANG

Then a thump. Then screams. Then

BANG

And then silence. Kumiko stood there clutching her fox plushie, frozen with fear for what felt like an eternity. When she finally worked up the courage to open the door, she called out

"M-Mama? Papa...?"

But she got no response. The only sound was the soft platter of rain against the windows. Stepping down the stairs, she saw a sight that would forever be burned into her memory.

From then on, Kumiko had to fend for herself. It was brutal, but she managed to survive. She learned how to be observant, cunning, and ruthless, adapting to this new environment. At times it was hard to keep going, but the memory of that rainy night drove her forwards. She had a new goal: to one day grow strong and make the ones who did this to her pay.

As she grew older, Kumiko worked her way up the criminal ladder of the underworld. She took every opportunity she could, leveraging her unrivalled cunning to the top. Allies were made just as easily as oth