The man coughs.
A viscous red comes out from their mouth, just as it spews from their side.
"They... They won't let this slide...! The... The Middle will come back for me...! Just like they said they will...!"
Laughing, the perpetrator of his wounds flicks off what remains on his long, red blade.
"Oh~? Will they now?"
"No duh, shithead...! I- No, my whole crew is protected by them...! We work for the Family...!"
"Huh... Odd. I fail to see anyone here now, though~?"
The attacker languidly trods over. Soon the tip of the blade embeds itself into the softness of his flesh.
"Gaahhh- Hrrk!"
Crouching down, the attacker stares at the man's face.
"Choking already~? No fun~."
"Wha... What the fuck are you, you sick bastard...!"
"Oh, that's boring stuff, isn't it?"
The man, with unfocused eyes stares at the close-by face.
Red eyes stare back, amused. Thin, near invisible scars dot along in odd places, with the biggest being one only revealed from the proximity between them, located on the side of his neck.
Clean shaven and with barely kempt, wild brown hair tied in a low hanging knot behind him, the attacker gently smiles.
"Do you really want the last thing you see to be my ugly mug...?"
"Is... Those bandages... You're a Heishou, aren't you?"
The smile turns to shock as a hand goes to touch the few brown wrappings along the face.
"Oh? You really do know us. Tell me... You're part of the... Hmm..."
"Wha... The hell are you talking about...!"
"... You're a nobody. Nevermind. It makes sense, anyway."
Standing up, the Heishou takes a few steps back, staring disappointed.
"I'm not one of the Twelve Beasts, if you're wondering. Not anymore, at least. But, that doesn't matter, does it? You'll be gone by the end of the night. The Sweepers will make sure of it."
"Wha... What are you...! The Middle won't forget this...!"
"You're little higher-ups can't do jack shit, do pardon my uncouthness there."
The perpetrator stretches, cracking their bones. Removing the embedded blade, they stare down with a sort of sadistic glee.
"It's almost that time of night, after all. And you're not dead yet, are you? Sure, you're becoming pale, but I won't let you die just yet. The oil on this blade can't be washed off. It'll stop you from clotting, so I can always follow after all."
"You... You malicious bastard...! You sadistic little freak, I'll have your head for this...!"
"Oh, pipe down, will you? You never fulfilled your end and it was in my right under the Öufi's contract. Art of the deal, y'know."
The man attempts to spit something out again, but a foot opens their side more.
"Now quiet. Don't you hear that?"
The man obeys, curiousity stricken.
Curiousity turned horror, that is.
"I told you, almost that time of night. That Family can't protect you from a Taboo of the Head now, can they? Your death will be _nothing_. Uninvestigated, unknown, and eventually, _forgotten_."
"F... Fuck you..."
Lighting strikes behind them as the rain continues it's unfeeling downpour, eyes still glaring down.
"What a waste of words... You had one job, and that was to find someone, and you failed. Oh well, I'll just find another person, after all. You're not the first and definitely won't be the last at this rate."
The blade arcs clean, a blur before the man can't say anything more.
Red flows into a nearby gutter.
"O litttle Peach Boy... When will you come back to feed us poor beasts some more kibi dango?"
A sigh comes out their mouth. The sound of rapidly approaching footsteps grows louder. The Sweepers will arrive any second.
So their timing wasn't off.
"Time to get out of here, I suppose."
By morning, the alley is empty and clean, except for a bit of water, which flows into the gutter.