It was just another awful day for Yuto and his best friend Shay, they had been walking down the back alley streets of their home. The city had grown almost desolate over the years. What was once a happy place was nothing more than another back-water city infamous for all the underground crime that always went on being ignored.
The cause of this had been a sketchy group known as Academia. They had been prowling around and slowly chipping away at the city, to the point that hope and joy were almost an extinct concept. Somehow though, a few people had a bad feeling that Academia's terror was far from over.
Two such people being Yuto and Shay of course, this skepticism being the very reason for their travel today. They often strolled down this street in hopes they would hear a possible Academia spy scheming around the corner. They had never had such luck catching them of course, though that only meant they were more dangerous.
Yuto stopped when he heard Shay's own footsteps come to a halt. He turned around and saw his friend take out a cigarette and light it, and rolled his eyes in disapproval. Shay gave him the same look he always did when he knew he was about to get lectured. A look that Yuto dubbed the "you're not my mom" look.
Regardless, he let out a sigh, "Do you have to do that now?"
"Shut up. I at least need something to take these Academia fucks off my mind."
"The point is to stay quiet about it, Shay. We're sure as hell not gonna find 'em if you just announce that we're looking for them," Yuto groaned.
"Just leave me alone. I wouldn't have said it if you didn't insist on lecturing me," Shay grumbled, shoving his hands in his pockets.
"You're my friend, and god knows Lulu would kill me if I didn't at least get on your case about it."
"Does it really matter either way? Maybe you should try it for once."
"Thanks but no thanks..." Yuto sighed as he leaned up against the wall beside his friend.
He looked down at his feet before he spoke up again, "Hey...about your sister-"
"I don't want to talk about it, Yuto."
"It's been a year! How much longer do you need to calm down about it?"
"I mean there's no point. Just drop it," Shay growled.
"Fine."
The two sat in silence for a couple minutes, Yuto glancing the other way as he noticed a shady looking figure in a cloak staring at him from down the sidewalk. His eyes widened as he put a hand on Shay's arm to grab his attention. But he was confused when he received no response, and turned around to see what was wrong.
Shay was unconscious now, and Yuto caught him as his body began to fall over. Yuto called out to his friend several times, trying to get him to wake up. By the time he realized it was futile and he'd be better off fleeing the area, he felt a sharp pain in the back of his neck as all his senses began to falter.
His vision blurred as he fell over and his head hit the pavement, rendering him officially unconscious.