**Paras City – Riverside, Pouring Rain**
The rain fell like the sky itself was crying.
Heavy, cold drops hammered the earth without mercy, turning the riverbank into a slick, muddy mess. Thunder rumbled low and distant, like a warning from the heavens. Lightning cracked across the dark clouds, illuminating the city skyline for brief, blinding moments before plunging everything back into wet shadow. The river roared angrily beside her, swollen and violent, its surface churning with white foam and hidden currents. Puddles formed instantly, reflecting the blurred lights of distant streetlamps like broken mirrors.
Yuki sat alone on the wet grass, knees drawn tightly to her chest, soaked dress clinging to her skin like a second layer of sorrow. Rain streamed down her face, mixing with hot tears that wouldn't stop. Her golden hair stuck to her cheeks in wet strands. Her shoulders shook with every sob, the sound lost in the storm.
"You really don't care about me now…" she whispered brokenly, voice cracking against the roar of rain and river. "I… I just wanted you. I never thought you would be like that. After everything I gave… after everything I protected… after I chose you over everyone else… how could you turn so cold?"
She stared at the raging river, eyes hollow and red. A small silver fish darted through the churning water for a moment — alive, free, uncaring. In a sudden burst of raw anger and pain, she kicked a rock hard into the current. It skipped once, twice, then sank with a splash that echoed her breaking heart.
The sound only made her cry harder.
A black shadow erupted from the rain beside her — sudden, silent, terrifying.
Honokage appeared in a swirl of dark lightning, water dripping from his crimson-black hair and torn clothes. His expression was calm, almost irritated, as if this was just another inconvenience in his day.
"Stop being emotional and come back to home," he said flatly, voice cutting through the storm like a blade. "It's raining outside. You'll catch a cold."
Yuki turned sharply, eyes red and swollen with tears and fury.
"Why did you come here now!? To break me even further than that? To finish what you started?"
Honokage frowned, genuinely confused for a moment.
"What are you talking about?"
Yuki stood up slowly, rain pouring down her face like fresh wounds that would never heal.
"You! You really don't know? You are acting now!? After everything that happened last night… after the way you ignored me… after the cold shoulder… you're still pretending!?"
Honokage's voice rose, frustration flashing in his glowing crimson eyes.
"Are you mad or something? What are you talking about… I came because you ran out in the rain like a child!"
She stepped forward through the downpour, tears mixing with rain, voice trembling with years of suppressed pain.
Slap—
Her hand landed hard across his cheek.
The shockwave was powerful — raindrops froze mid-air for a split second before exploding outward in every direction. The ground beneath them cracked slightly, mud splashing up like blood. The force echoed across the riverbank, sending ripples across the water.
Honokage held his cheek, staring at her in pure shock. A bright red mark burned across his skin, visible even in the rain.
"You slapped me!?"
Yuki's voice trembled with rage and heartbreak, but she didn't back down.
"Yes! And I will slap you even more!!"
She pushed him hard with both hands, palms slamming into his chest.
"Get away from me! You don't deserve me! Not after the way you've treated me!"
Honokage steadied himself, now completely serious. His crimson eyes glowed brighter, dangerous.
"You're going too far now…"
Yuki shouted through the rain, voice breaking.
"What's wrong with you? Go away, I said! I don't want you here!"
Honokage's tone turned cold and cutting.
"Why would I go? You're the one who ran out crying like this is my fault."
Yuki's eyes filled with fresh pain, voice raw.
"I just don't want to talk to someone like you. A cursed creature. Someone who only hurts me when I need him most."
Honokage's voice dropped dangerously low, eyes blazing.
"Because of me you got the true strength of a superhuman. Before, we used to share cursed powers equally… and now you're throwing that in my face? After everything I gave you?"
Yuki's tears flowed faster, voice cracking with years of loyalty and regret.
"And don't forget… I gave you a place inside my body even though you were cursed. I could have easily removed you with Sensei Sai's spell from the beginning… but I didn't. I thought for you. I fought for you. I protected you when the whole world called you a monster. And now I regret that choice!!"
She screamed into the storm, voice hoarse.
"Stay away from me now! You are just a cursed monster… nothing else! You never loved me — you only used me!"
Honokage watched her angrily. His eyes started blazing with crimson fire, aura flaring around him.
"Now you are saying this after all? You know this can break our relationship… and if it breaks, I won't spare you."
Those words hit Yuki harder than any blade ever could.
She broke entirely — shoulders shaking, voice shattering into sobs.
"You could say this to me? The person who cared about you… the person who fought for you… the person who protected you from the world… the person who always approached you first… How could you say this with your cursed mouth!? And now you are saying you won't spare me!? After everything I sacrificed!?"
Honokage's voice was ice-cold, merciless.
"Yes. I have done the right thing. What will you do about it?"
Yuki's voice shattered completely.
"I don't like to live with you now… From now on, you and I are separated. I'm done."
Honokage pushed her back hard, eyes glowing.
"Then don't show your face anymore."
Yuki lost balance and fell into the mud, rain washing over her.
She looked up at him, voice trembling.
"Wh… why!? You—"
Honokage turned away coldly.
"I don't have time to talk with someone useless like you."
She stood up shakily, voice full of pain and finality.
"That's enough!! You are now going far worse than I ever imagined!"
Honokage glanced back, eyes glowing dangerously.
"You can't do anything besides saying empty words."
She raised her hand to slap him again.
Honokage caught her wrist and bent it slightly.
Yuki shouted in pain, backing off and clutching her wrist, tears streaming.
"You… hurt me…"
She looked at him directly, voice breaking.
"I hate you now… You are disgusting!"
She punched with everything she had.
Honokage blocked with one hand.
A powerful shockwave erupted, exploding nearby rain into mist and cracking the ground further.
Honokage's voice turned ruthless.
"You want to fight now!? Alright, come—"
He kicked hard.
Yuki blocked and countered with a punch.
It hit Honokage's face perfectly.
He crashed through the riverbank with a massive explosion of water and mud.
Yuki stood there, breathing heavily, worry flashing across her face even through the anger.
"Hono-kun… are you okay?"
She walked forward slowly, rain pouring down.
Smoke and steam rose from the crater.
From the dust, Honokage came rushing with a massive flying kick.
It hurt Yuki really badly — her head bled instantly as she crashed backward into a thick tree. The trunk splintered.
The rain water cleared the blood from Yuki's head, but she clutched her wound, slightly scared and broken inside.
Honokage's voice was cold.
"I don't want to talk now. Only my hands will speak."
A crimson aura with black lightning erupted around him, burning the raindrops into steam before they could touch him.
His leviathan red tail wiggled behind him, ready to strike.
He pushed himself forward with a terrifying dash.
Black lightning exploded behind him as he flew forward like a demon.
Yuki barely stood up, then dodged the attack at the last second.
Yuki's voice trembled with pain and disbelief.
"You don't care about me now… aren't you?"
Honokage teleported instantly and drove a knee into her abdomen.
Black lightning exploded from the impact.
Honokage's voice was merciless.
"I don't care."
Yuki's mouth bled. She fell to one knee, gasping.
Yuki's voice was weak, broken.
"Why are you doing this… it really hurts… stop please… I am not attacking you… that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt…"
Honokage raised his fist, eyes blazing.
"Then attack. You are going to be killed either way."
The word "killed" hit Yuki's heart deeper than anything ever had.
She raised her head toward him, voice shaking.
"Hono-kun… you can't be… this serious…"
Honokage teleported and landed brutal punches on her — one after another.
Each hit hurt her deeply.
Shockwaves sent raindrops flying everywhere. The ground started breaking and shaking violently.
Black lightning arced like sharp arrows through the storm.
Honokage continued attacking, voice cold.
"If you are leaving me… it means our relationship already died… and if it died, you must die too."
Yuki blocked one punch, breathing heavily from the early attacks.
She seemed serious now, golden eyes flickering.
"If you want this… then do it… but I don't hold back too. I have to protect myself."
Honokage teleported behind her and punched again.
Honokage's voice was ruthless.
"I don't have time to hear your 1-hour speech."
Yuki dodged barely.
Her normal eyes suddenly turned golden again — glowing like burning twin stars in the rain.
Honokage narrowed his eyes.
She dashed toward him and punched with everything she had.
It hit him perfectly.
The force sent him flying through multiple buildings with massive explosions of concrete and dust.
Honokage landed on a random building mid-fall, wiping blood from his lips.
Yuki teleported after him.
He teleported too.
Their punches clashed on the river's surface — creating massive explosions of water and steam.
Their fists collided again and again, causing more deadly explosions that lit up the night.
Honokage jumped and shot explosive lightning bullets.
Yuki sat on the ground, break-dancing gracefully in the rain.
Every kick hit the bullets and reflected them back.
She jumped and reflected all of them with her hands.
Yuki dashed forward and punched at Honokage's face.
Mid-attack, her voice cracked with pain.
"There is still a chance. Please settle it now…"
Honokage blocked it coldly.
"No chance."
He clenched his fist and punched back.
Yuki dodged it barely.
She kicked twice into Honokage's abdomen — sending him flying through the city skyline.
Yuki dashed forward and teleported after him.
Honokage rose his head, gritting his teeth.
"Where did she go…?"
He looked around. Nobody there. Only rain falling on his vision.
Suddenly Yuki appeared from nowhere and punched him hard.
Honokage bled now.
The building behind him cracked and broke apart.
Yuki cried while punching, voice full of years of pain.
"I didn't want to break it up… but you… you are a liar! A fraud!"
One by one, punches landed on Honokage's face, chest, and body.
He bled and spilled blood in slow motion.
The building behind him broke and fell.
The ground cracked. Rocks flew.
Yuki's voice was raw.
"So! This is my worth to you! You… I am not forgiving it now!"
She landed a final, devastating punch on Honokage's face.
He was sent flying through two buildings straight. Both structures broke and collapsed to the ground in clouds of dust.
Yuki breathed heavily, her fist still steaming from the force.
Her gaze turned behind her.
A massive shadow fell over her.
The shadow of a massive Leviathan, growling low and terrifying.
Yuki watched in horror.
"What is it…?"
She saw Honokage floating in the middle of it. His face was shadowed, only his crimson eyes glowing like twin hellfires.
Honokage's voice now turned deeper, ruthless… worse than demonic… a true judgment he had never shown before.
"Now I will show it to you… because you deserve it."
Yuki's voice trembled.
"No… Hono-kun… please… listen—"
Honokage teleported in a blink.
Yuki couldn't do anything — she could only stare.
He clenched his fist and punched.
It hit her harder than anything before.
She crashed through multiple buildings.
Black lightning appeared along the path of her crash.
It lit up, ignited, and created a massive nuclear lightning explosion.
Even the rain turned into bloody rain, red lightning falling from the sky like judgment.
Yuki settled herself barely, standing on shaking legs.
Then Honokage came with another flying kick.
But Yuki dodged it at the last second.
The house behind her was cut cleanly in half.
Honokage punched at her again.
She blocked with her hand now.
Blood erupted from her palm. A shockwave exploded nearby — cars flipped, bridges cracked, streetlights shattered.
She barely opened one eye, voice weak and broken.
"Hono-kun… please stop it… I beg—"
Honokage grabbed her throat and slammed her onto the ground.
Yuki shouted in pain.
Then he slammed his leg down on her.
Yuki bled heavily. Her breathing stopped for a terrifying second.
Honokage turned and walked away, leaving her lying there in the rain.
He spoke without even turning.
"You deserve this… Yuki."
Yuki's golden eyes dimmed, closing slowly.
Her last whisper was barely audible against the storm.
"Do I… really deserve it…? Hono-kun… don't leave me like that…"
Her eyes closed completely.
---
Suddenly —
Yuki's eyes snapped open.
She sat up gasping, breathing heavily, sweat and tears mixing on her face.
She looked at herself — no injuries. No broken bones. No blood.
Rain still fell softly outside the window. Lightning cracked in the distance.
Yuki's voice trembled with disbelief and overwhelming relief.
"It wasn't true…? Hono-kun… Hono-kun! You left me!?"
The door opened softly.
Honokage stepped in carrying a tray with two steaming coffees.
He placed it on the table and looked at her, slightly irritated but genuinely concerned.
"Uhh… why are you crying now? Watched some horror dream probably?"
Yuki stared at him, eyes wide with shock and love.
"Is that… you?"
Honokage raised an eyebrow, voice soft but teasing.
"Yes… I am. What's wrong with you? I guess you slept too much because of yesterday's concert."
She jumped from the bed in her pajamas and threw herself into his arms, hugging him tightly as if he might disappear again.
She sniffed dramatically, crying freely against his chest.
"Please don't leave me now!! I have already taken a lot of pain in this life! I don't want to lose you! I can't lose you!"
Honokage sighed, but his arms wrapped around her gently, protectively.
"You know you're annoying, right? But you need mental support really badly."
He hugged her closer, one hand softly patting her back.
"Now drink the coffee… it's wet weather today."
Yuki smiled through her tears, still clinging to him like he was her lifeline.
"Thank you…"
He patted her head gently, voice warm for the first time.
She looked out the window at the rain, heart finally calming.
---
**Transition – Paras City Forest Edge**
The rain had softened into a gentle drizzle.
Wano sat on a wooden chair under a large tree, smiling peacefully as she watched the drops fall.
Uraka danced in perfect sync with the raindrops, eyes closed, a golden flower tucked in her hair. Her movements were graceful, almost magical — spinning, twirling, arms flowing like water.
She plucked the flower and threw it gently into the sky.
It floated upward, glowing softly with golden light before drifting down like a blessing.
The two friends laughed softly under the rain — a quiet, beautiful contrast to the storm that had just ended in someone else's heart.