THE RETURN OF THE GOD LEVEL ASSASSIN (BL)

THE RETURN OF THE GOD LEVEL ASSASSIN EPISODE 2

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Chapter 2: A New Beginning, An Old Threat

The rain had stopped by the time dawn approached, leaving the city in a soft haze as the first rays of light filtered through the large windows of Ryu's penthouse. The night had passed in a blur, a mixture of whispered confessions and shared silences. Neither of them had slept. Kae sat curled up on the edge of the bed, his legs tucked under him, his gaze distant.

Ryu, standing by the window again, glanced back at him. The weight of their conversation still hung heavy between them, and he knew they hadn’t even scratched the surface of everything that needed to be said. He couldn’t help but wonder what Kae was thinking now—what he was feeling after hearing everything Ryu had confessed.

"You’ve changed," Kae said quietly, breaking the silence. His voice was soft, almost hesitant.

Ryu turned to face him fully, watching as Kae’s fingers toyed with the hem of his sweater, the same nervous habit he remembered from years ago. He had changed, there was no denying it. The man who had stood before Kae five years ago had been an assassin, cold and efficient, bound to the darkness of his past. The man standing here now... he wasn’t sure who he was anymore.

"I had to," Ryu replied, his voice low. "After I left, I didn’t know who I was without that life. Without you."

Kae’s gaze flickered up to meet his, and there was a flicker of pain in his eyes. "So you tried to disappear, tried to bury yourself in that world again?"

Ryu exhaled slowly, walking over to sit on the edge of the bed beside him. He wasn’t sure how to explain the years he had spent wandering, lost in the shadows of the underworld he once commanded. He had thought he could return to that life, that it was all he was good for. But every mission had felt emptier than the last, every kill hollow. And the more he tried to forget Kae, the more the memories of him haunted every corner of his mind.

"I thought it was the only way," Ryu admitted, his eyes focused on the floor. "I thought if I pushed you away, I could protect you. But no matter how far I ran, I couldn’t escape it. I couldn’t escape you."

Kae’s hand slowly reached out, brushing lightly against Ryu’s. It was a simple touch, but it was enough to send a jolt of warmth through Ryu’s chest. He hadn’t realized just how much he had missed that—missed him—until now.

"I spent years wondering if you were alive or dead," Kae said, his voice cracking ever so slightly. "I tried to move on, tried to forget, but you were always there, in the back of my mind. I hated you for leaving, Ryu. But I could never stop caring about you."

The words hit Ryu like a punch to the gut, and he clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms. He had known that leaving would hurt Kae, but hearing it now, seeing the pain in his eyes—it was more than he could bear.

"I’m sorry, Kae," Ryu whispered, his voice thick with regret. "I thought I was doing the right thing. But I was wrong. I should have trusted you. I should have let you in."

Kae’s fingers lingered against his for a moment longer before he pulled his hand away, standing up from the bed. He walked over to the window, his back to Ryu as he looked out at the city below.

"I don’t know if I can just forgive you, Ryu," Kae said softly, his voice barely audible over the hum of the city waking up below them. "You broke something in me when you left. I’ve spent the last five years trying to put myself back together, and now you’re back, and it feels like everything is falling apart again."

Ryu stood up, crossing the room to stand behind him. He wanted to reach out, to pull Kae into his arms and tell him that everything would be okay. But he knew it wasn’t that simple. He had broken something between them, and it wasn’t something that could be fixed overnight.

"I’m not asking for forgiveness," Ryu said quietly. "I’m asking for a chance. A chance to make things right."

Kae turned to face him, his eyes searching Ryu’s face. There was a mixture of emotions there—anger, hurt, longing—but underneath it all, there was still that spark of something deeper. Something that hadn’t been extinguished by the years or the distance between them.

"You can’t just come back and expect things to go back to the way they were," Kae said, his voice firm but not unkind. "You left, Ryu. And I’m not the same person I was five years ago."

Ryu nodded, his chest tightening. He had expected this. Kae had every right to feel the way he did. But that didn’t change the fact that Ryu was determined to prove himself—to show Kae that he could be more than the assassin he had once been.

"I know," Ryu said quietly. "But I’m not the same person either."

For a long moment, they stood there, the silence stretching between them. Ryu could feel the tension in the air, the weight of everything unsaid pressing down on them. But then, slowly, Kae took a step forward, closing the distance between them.

"Maybe we can start over," Kae said, his voice soft, but with a thread of hope running through it. "But it’s going to take time, Ryu. And trust."

Ryu nodded, his heart pounding in his chest. "I’ll do whatever it takes."

They stood there, inches apart, the morning light casting a soft glow over them. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, Ryu felt a sense of peace. It wasn’t perfect—it wasn’t everything he had hoped for—but it was a start.

But just as that thought crossed his mind, the familiar buzz of his phone shattered the moment. Ryu stiffened, his instincts kicking in as he reached for the device in his pocket. The number flashing on the screen was one he hadn’t seen in years, but it sent a chill down his spine.

Kae noticed the change in his demeanor, his brow furrowing in concern. "What is it?"

Ryu didn’t answer immediately. He swiped the phone open, reading the message that had just appeared.

"We know you're back. You can’t hide forever, Ryu. It’s time to finish what you started."

The world around him seemed to shift, the quiet moment of peace dissolving into something darker, more dangerous. His past had finally caught up with him, and now it was threatening to take everything he had fought so hard to protect—including Kae.

Ryu clenched his jaw, his eyes narrowing as he pocketed the phone. He had known this day would come, but he hadn’t expected it so soon. The underworld he had once ruled was calling him back, and this time, they weren’t going to let him walk away so easily.

"I have to go," Ryu said, his voice tense. He turned to Kae, his expression hardening. "But this isn’t over. I’ll come back. I promise."

Kae looked at him, confusion and concern flashing in his eyes. "What’s going on? Who was that?"

Ryu didn’t answer. He couldn’t. Not yet. Instead, he reached out, brushing a hand gently against Kae’s cheek.

"I’ll explain everything," Ryu promised, his voice soft but firm. "But right now, I need to take care of something."

Kae’s gaze held his for a long moment, as if searching for answers that Ryu wasn’t ready to give. But then he nodded, his expression resigned.

"Be careful," Kae said quietly, his voice barely above a whisper.

Ryu gave a small, tight nod, then turned and headed for the door. As he stepped out into the hallway, the weight of the past five years pressed down on him. He had thought he could escape it, but now, it was clear that his old life was far from finished with him.

And this time, he wasn’t just fighting for himself. He was fighting for Kae, for the future he wanted to build with him. But first, he had to face the demons that had haunted him for so long.

As he disappeared into the shadows of the city, one thing was clear: the battle was only just beginning.

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Chapter 3: Shadows of the Past

(To be continued…)

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Let me know how you feel about this chapter and if you’d like to dive deeper into specific elements as we move forward!