Down a dark alley covered in trash and shadows, wreaking of sweat and waste, a thief is robbing a young couple. The man is unconscious, blood trickling down his temple from where he was struck by the man who is now grappling with the woman, trying to keep her quiet as he shoves her to the ground.
When the thief speaks, his voice is jittery and slightly scared, he's clearly not used to this. "J-just shut up and stay there!" The thief turns away from the woman and returns to the man on the ground, searching his pockets for his wallet before standing to inspect the contents.
As the thief shoves the cash from the wallet into his pocket a shadowy figure lands behind him and delivers a swift and precise kick to the thief's ribs. A sickening crack echoes through the alley as the thief is launched into a dumpster, coughing up blood. The woman, in shock, screams and backs up against a wall, but as she looks around the alley, the shadowy figure is gone, any trace of him being there having left with him.
The sounds of police sirens wail bellow as Kurai sits on the edge of a rooftop overlooking the alley bellow, dressed in his black bodysuit, hood up, his blue Oni mask replacing his expression with a snarling demon. The wind tousles his hood and his heel bounces against the wall in irritation as he watches the police get their report from the woman as paramedics load the would-be thief into the back of an ambulance. His hand clenches around a throwing knife as he contemplates using it.
A shadowed figure places a hand on his shoulder, cutting his brooding short. The figure's voice is deep and apathetic as he berates Kurai. "Enough. You know better than to interfere once the police arrive. I taught you that."
Kurai's shoulders tense at the sound of the voice and his heel bounces a bit faster as he releases the knife. "Then how about you teach me something new? Why does the bastard that assaulted those two get to go to the hospital while the woman is interrogated by the police?"
The figure is silent for a moment before sighing. "Because that's just how the 'justice' system works, Kurai. That is why we do what we do: Because the government is not able to do what needs to be done." His voice slowly fills with venom as he speaks.
Kurai takes an uneasy glance back at the figure before looking back down at the scene. "Right... you keep bringing that up.... But what does it really mean?" His voice is calm, but superficially so, as he attempts to keep the sound of his pounding heart out of his voice.
The figure pauses, as he does before all of his responses, carefully considering what and how much to say. "Teaching."
Kurai's stomach twists at the word. "Teaching? Teaching what?"
"Teaching criminals that there are consequences for their actions."
Kurai freezes, then looks back at the figure, a bit longer this time before returning his gaze to the street below. His foot no longer bouncing against the wall. "But why doesn't the government do that?"
The figure's voice is steady and low, making sure his words are understood. "The government is soft. They waste time with 'rehabilitation' instead of what truly matters: Making the criminals afraid to act again."
Kurai's eyes are glued to the flashing lights of the ambulance as it drives away, his stomach clenches and his shoulders tighten as he responds slowly. "So.... we must punish them?"
There is a heavy silence as the figure gauges Kurai's acceptance. "Yes, Kurai... We must punish them." The figure steps back into the darkness, vanishing as if he was never there. Leaving Kurai with his thoughts as his heel slowly starts to bounce against the wall again, the pace faster now. His breathing is slow... steady... but something lingers in his mind.