Page 144 of The Dragon 1

I nodded.

The skin around Reo’s temple was bruised dark where someone had landed a blow.

Sighing, Reo looked at Hiro. “We will bury her—”

“No.” Hiro’s voice cracked through the stillness. “Iwill bury her.”

Hiro didn’t raise his voice yet, the depth in those words could have shattered glass.

Reo swallowed. “You don’t have to do this alone—”

“I didn’t even know what we were going to be!” Hiro’s voice broke the space. Even the tinted windows seemed to flinch. Hiro looked down and dropped his voice to a raw whisper. “I didn’t even know. . .”

I watched him.

I didn’t blink.

I couldn’t.

My Tiger’s gift—still wrapped in black ribbon and gold paper—lay untouched on the seat beside me. I glanced at it for a moment. A bright surprise I’d been given tonight. And even that. . .felt too heavy to hold. Not even Nyomi’s laughter wrapped in a box could lift me from this.

Hiro wept silently.

Never had I seen him cry.

Reo widened his eyes and turned away.

Goddamn it, Father. I am going to torture you before I kill you.

Tears slid down Hiro’s cheeks as he pressed his forehead gently against Nura’s. “I didn’t know if we would be friends or more. She made me laugh. That’s what I knew. And she wasbeautiful. I knew that too. Standing next to her made me feel like the king of the world but I didn’t understand why. . .”

His voice cracked. “I made her laugh too.”

Tension built in my chest.

Hiro closed his eyes and held her tighter. “We could have just been friends forever. . .That’s it. . .”

Then, he opened his eyes and looked at me. Not with rage. Not with blame. Just sorrow. Wide and endless. “Or we could have been love.”

That broke me.

My throat tightened.

I clenched my fists. My nails bit into my palms. “I’m sorry, Hiro. This is my fault.”

He shook his head. “No. It’s not, but understand this. . .”

I tilted my head to the side.

“I’m going to kill our father. Do you understand?”

I didn’t blink. “No, Hiro.I’mgoing to kill him.”

For a moment, we stared at each other. Something unspoken passed between us—brotherhood, pain, ruin. He studied me like he was searching for truth in my bones.

He nodded once. “This is war?”

“It is. I will fight right next to you and I will kill for you. I will tear Tokyo apart to heal your heart.”