Author's Note: Welcome to the prologue chapter or pilot chapter of the Love is War series. This chapter is meant to serve as a quick background for both my OC's and also to test the waters and see how the story goes. If you want any suggestions or critiques, please feel free to let me know so I can upgrade the final product when the full series launches. Appreciate all the support!

Chapter Prologue
The Chikages

For a middle school teenage boy on a Saturday, sleeping in was crucial after a night of binge-watching anime on Netflix until late after deciding to leave homework for Sunday. Saturday brought not only freedom but also opportunities to have fun around town, despite the over-the-weekend homework some teachers tend to give students in hopes of keeping them busy. Or so, Kaichi Chikage thought. He didn't mind this, since he would leave it for the last day. If he remembered to do it at all. Sleep and fun came first. After all, he was still a kid, so he believed he had no worries. This would have been the case if it were a normal Saturday. Right now, he was beyond sleepy, helping his mother carry some boxes around the house early in the morning.

He had jet black hair combed to the back with his sides shaved. He had amber eyes, almost gold, a defined chin, an athletic build, and freckles on his face. He was currently wearing baggy pants and a long-sleeved shirt which he slept on along with a pair of slippers. To top off his look, he had two black studs in each of his ears.

"Ma, do we have to do this so damn early? I mean, I'm happy Onii-chan is here with us but still...couldn't this have waited until later on in the day?"

"Young man, where you getting off cursing around in my presence?" His mom, Ruka Chikage, chided him from across the room. She was an eye-catching lady with long, cascading brown hair and a pair of green eyes that adorned her face. Unlike her son, she was dressed up already, more specifically, for work. She was a police officer."Your cousin can't get all his things sorted up by himself. Besides, you shouldn't be going to sleep so late. Did you finish that homework you mentioned? It's supposed to be a science report, correct?"

"Erk..." Kaichi rubbed his nape sheepishly."Working on it, Ma. I was just so excited Onii-chan was coming that I sort of forgot."

Ruka narrowed her eyes in suspicion at her son before deciding that it was for the best to let it go."Fine. You have another day before you have to turn it in, so as long as you do it, it's fine. But you really need to improve your grades, Kai. I saw your report card and it's extremely degrading to the Chikage name."

"It wasn't that bad, Ma. You're exaggerating."

"All C's and two Ds. Except for your A in PE."

"Gotta give credit where credit is due, I always say." Kaichi gave her a toothy grin, receiving a slipper to the face from his mother."Ma! What's the big deal anyway? I'm going to be a professional runner one day! I don't need good grades!"

"Are you guys sure you should be this loud?"

A young man emerged from the stairs leading to the attic of the two-bedroom apartment. He had a similar appearance to Kaichi, except his hair was dark brown, and had purple eyes. His hair was shaggy and unkept with a few bangs going down his forehead and nearly covering his eyes. He was lean but had some muscle in his body, and his height made him seem intimidating. Like his cousin, he had two piercings, but they were diamond earrings instead.

"The man of the hour." Ruka smiled at her nephew."Please, Ren. Tell your insensitive younger cousin that grades are important for kids at school."

"Kai, grades are important." Ren addressed his cousin, who began pulling on his hair."Get them up."

"Not fair, Onii-chan! You never side with me!"

"Because you're never right."

Kaichi growled, leaping over to his cousin and began pounding on his chest while stomping his feat."Mean! So mean! So mean!"

Ren sweatdropped, noticing the height difference between them.

"Despite his vulgar and blunt personality, Kaichi is indeed a short stack, coming up to 5'3 feet! Ren, on the other hand, stands taller than him with a good 5'11! The difference is almost too comical."

'Kai's mom and my dad are siblings. My dad is pretty tall but Kai's mom is short. Guess he must have drawn the short end of the stick when it comes to genetics.'

"Anyway, auntie, you going to work soon?"

"Yeah. Just gonna do a regular patrol while relaxing since it's so early. Shouldn't be too many troublemakers awake. What about you? Settling in already? I thought you'd be asleep. You did get here pretty late."

"Well, I slept all the way from New York to Tokyo, so I'm wide awake. Pretty sure jetlag is gonna catch up to me though."

"In any case, I made you boys some breakfast. Actually, I got you breakfast. Some bagels and donuts. Bought them just a few hours ago"

"Ma, don't lie. Those are probably leftovers of your shift yesterday." Kaichi set a box down, wiping some sweat off his forehead. The young man approached the kitchen counter, grabbing a bagel for himself."Anything to drink? Got me a mountain dew?"

"I got some iced coffee. Vanilla."

"Ugh..." Kaichi groaned, his head dropping on the counter like a bag of bricks"I hate coffee...Can't understand people's fascination with it."

"I think I saw a can of cream soda yesterday." Ren approached the fridge, opening it up and grabbing said can, tossing it to his cousin."Not much of a cream soda fan."

"Smashing! I love this shit!" Kaichi opened the can, gulping down its contents until it was half empty. With a satisfied smirk, the boy let out a thunderous burp."Man, thank God for soft drinks!"

"Stop cursing and stop drinking so much soda. It's bad for you." Ruka shook her head, grabbing her keys from the living room table and her coat."Ok. I should be back late afternoon. After that, we can go see what school you'll be attending, Ren."

"Got it, auntie. Take care."

"Love you both!"

With that, the cousins were left alone in the house, taking opposite seats at the dining table.

"Thanks for helping me move my stuff." Ren said, finishing his first bagel and wiping his mouth with a napkin."It was nice of you and your mom."

"Don't...mention...it." Kaichi said in between bites, speaking with his mouth full."Figured I'm not gonna be able to go back to sleep, so might as well get the day started and show you around. Don't expect anything too crazy though. Things aren't as crazy as back in America."

"I'll say." Ren trailed off, twirling his cup of iced coffee around.

"So?"

"So, what?"

"Come on, tell me how it was back in the states, man. You moved over there when you were little so you must have a great experience."

"Experience with wha-"

"Girls!" Kaichi exclaimed, banging his hands on the table."Come on, tell me how the girls across the ocean are. I've seen some tourists here and man are they out of this world."

"You want to talk about girls? Well, they were pretty average for the most part. Gotta admit though, they grow so damn fast they look like adult women."

"Lucky you!" Kaichi leaned back in his seat."Over here most girls are so dull-looking and plain Janes. Drives a guy nuts. I guess that's what you would expect from a public school, though. Prettier girls attend private schools. But you know how snobby and self-entitled they are. Don't bother giving a fella like me the time of day. Certainly doesn't make them any less sexy though."

"Woah, my cousin is a ladies' man? I heard that you were a bit of a playboy but I wasn't expecting this. Got a girlfriend? You are just 14 though."

"I..." Kaichi's body froze up, his eyes darting around."I have too many contenders, you see. Can't choose a single one. Besides, if I get in a relationship now, what are the other ladies going to do without me? Gotta stay open for business."

"Kaichi has never had a girlfriend in his entire life. He calls them "contenders" but in reality, they considered him a weirdo."

"Is that so? Well, whoever you end up choosing, you gotta treat her right."

"That's the idea, Onii-chan. I can't...I refuse to be like that man."

Ren glanced up, noticing his cousin clenching his fists and his face contorted in anger. He figured he had to move the conversation long."In my case, I had a girlfriend. For a few months. It happened a while back, so I'm over it. Didn't really end up well."

"Yeah? What happened?"

"Let's just say two negatives don't make a positive." Ren explained with a sullen expression."Argued too much about anything. Fights every day. I figured it was better to let things go before they got worse. Ever since then I haven't thought of finding someone new. And well, given what happened, I doubt anyone will."

"That's why you moved here, though. To start anew. Who cares if you got a criminal record over there? You're a new man now. Living the Japanese Dream and all that jazz. Trust me, we'll find you someone new. Leave it to the Love Hunter Kai. I got an eye for these things. Trust, trust."

"It's not really a criminal record. I went to juvie. It's fine. Besides, I have to adjust to Japan again. Will probably take some getting used to and all."

"Schools here are pretty mediocre, at least the one I attend. You can get away with anything though, so that's fine with me. They don't give a shit what you do. I play games on my phone and sometimes snooze in the middle of class. It does affect my grade up but those are just details."

Ren quirked a brow at that."Kai, you know you have to get your grades up. You can't just be slacking through middle school just because."

"What are you, my mom? It's fine. All I have to do is start trying really hard near the end of the year. Works like a charm!" Kai flexed his biceps."Besides, I have to focus on my running. I'm the ace on our track team. So I have to keep my grades up. But...I guess I have a couple of D's here and there. I might have to fix that if I don't want to get kicked out of the team."

"Right...it's good that you know when to take things seriously." Ren continued munching on his donut.

"Aw, come on, I know what I'm doing."

By the time the boys finish breakfast, it was already 8 a.m. Both of them were dressed up in their casual outfits and ready to head out.

"So, what are we going to be doing today?" Ren inquired, fixing up his jacket.

"First we'll hit up the arcade and play some games. Then we'll go do some karaoke and hit up the mall, buy some fresh fits, and see if we can talk to some ladies. Should be fun. I have enough money saved up from my allowance."

"Are you sure we won't take long? Remember that your mom said she'll take me to that school she mentioned."

"It's fine!" Kaichi waved his hand dismissively."She comes back pretty late. So it's all good." Finishing combing his hair by the mirror, Kaichi jumped on the sofa, resting his legs on the table."Phew...man, I never noticed until now but this couch is very comfortable."

"Huh? Is that so?" Ren made his way over to the couch, taking a seat and mimicking Kai's actions."Hey, you're right. It is pretty comfortable."

"Told ya so."

"But is it a good idea for us to be just laying here?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I'm going through jetlag right now and you slept, what, couple hours? If we get too comfortable we'll probably crash."

Kaichi blew a raspberry."Please, those are just some silly myth-" Immediately, Kaichi started snoring, his body sinking further into the couch.

"Kai!" Ren tried to reach for his cousin, but his eyelids were too heavy!

"Must...resist...sleep..." Ren's arm felt as if it got heavier and heavier. Each blink took everything he had."This couch...is cursed..."

With those final words, Ren joined his cousin in the sweet dreamland.

"Wake up!"

Ren's eyes snapped open, nearly having a heart attack due to how loud the yell was."W-w-what-"

"Wake, up! It's 2010! Iphones? Twitter? Instagram? The hell is that? Come on man, get on Facebook right now and play with me!"

"What the hell?" Ren said louder than he intended, his voice raspy.

Kaichi burst into laughter, holding his stomach."Man, look at your face! Got you soooo good with that one. I've always wanted to do that, ever since I watched those youtube videos."

"Just what kind of videos are you watching...?" Ren rubbed his eyes, trying to rub the drowsiness off of them.

"Memes, dear cousin, memes. Dank memes at that. Anyway, you ready to go?"

"What time is it?" Ren muttered, pulling out his phone only to yelp in realization."It's past five! We slept that long?! How?!"

"Turns out you were right about that myth of yours." Kaichi placed his fists on his hips with a shit-eating-grin."And we fell asleep. Slept through lunch and everything. Aw, man. I just remember I'm hungry. Anyway, ready to go?"

"Go where?"

"To grab a bite. I know a really good Italian restaurant down the street. Since it's pretty late already and mom should be home in an hour or so, we won't have time to explore. But that's okay. We can always go tomorrow."

"We just slept the whole morning and noon away and you're so nonchalant about it." Ren rubbed his face, both out of annoyance and to rub off his drowsiness."Your sleep schedule is going to be ruined."

"I'll just sleep at school during one of the boring classes or something, relax. Let's go, I'm starving!" Kaichi grabbed Ren's arm, pulling him along and giggling like a small child. Ren took out his phone, realizing he had no new messages. Not like he was expecting any messages. Back home, he had no one that would send him a message, other than his parents. And even then they must be asleep or something by now he figured. But he didn't mind that. He wanted nothing but to forget everything that chained him back to his past. All the hardships he suffered because of people he called friends. People he went after and started a confrontation with. It was that that landed him in juvie for a few months. His memory of his first and only girlfriend. All of that seemed too distant and meaningless.

He silently chuckled, shaking his head as he absentmindedly followed Kaichi down the lobby of their apartment complex. He didn't know anybody in this place and yet here he was, already happier than he used to be mere hours ago. And perhaps he could make something of himself here in Tokyo.

'Though what would be the point in trying...It's not like it'll be any different than before.'

"Hey, you gonna sit down or what, cus?"

"Huh?"

Before Ren knew it, he was inside a small restaurant, if it could even be called that. It was a small room, perhaps as big as a classroom with four tables and a few chairs. The wood creaked when they marched towards one of the empty tables, mixing in with the jazz playing in a jukebox behind the counter. There were candles lit up that not only release an appealing cinnamon aroma but also contrasted with the dim lights in the establishment. There were pictures of people around the places, all of them wearing suits and carrying guns. Ren deduced these were either very old photos or fake.

"Hey, Vino!" Kaichi propped down on his chair, hands behind his back."You got customers!"

"Kai, is that you? A masculine yet somewhat high-pitched voice spoke from behind the door. The door opened up, revealing a young man in his twenties wearing black dressing pants, a long-sleeved white shirt, and a black apron. He had peachy skin, brown eyes, and red hair combed to the side."You again here, kid? You just came by a few days ago."

"It's impossible to get tired of your cooking, Vino. Oh, this is my Onii-chan. He's my cousin but we're basically brothers. His name is Ren."

"So this is the famous cousin you've been blabbering on about, eh? Name's Vino Constello, of the Constello family. Call me Vino, though."

"And I'm Ren Chikage of...the Chikage family?" Ren tilted his head in confusion, earning a hearty laugh from Vino.

"Don't tell me the Chikage family thing you made up is actually real." Vino addressed Kai, who pouted back at him."This is actually the cousin though?"

"Yes, he's my cousin! What the heck, man? Why are you doubting me? We of the Chikage family are the real deal!"

"Whatever you say, little man." Vino rolled his eyes, taking out a notepad."So, what are you peeps going to be getting today?"

"Give us the usual. Two Pepsi, please. Also, a sidedish of mozzarella sticks. Extra sauce, don't be shy."

"Kid, you're always ordering the same stuff. Don't you wanna try something new for your cousin here?" Vino lowered his notepad and gave him an exasperated look."Can't be saying you like Italian food if all you eat is one thing."

"I like other things too. Pasta, pizza, macarroni, ravioli-"

"All of those are pasta except pizza. But whatever, suit yourself. Should be out in a few." Vino ripped out the page in which he wrote the order, going back to the door and yelling something in Italian before heading back to his spot behind the counter.

"So...I didn't know you liked Italian food." Ren rested his arms on the table, his arms feeling the cold of the plastic tablecloth.

"I like to try different things. Mexican, Chinese, Korean, Italian, and Hispanic. They're all so good I can't seem to choose a favorite. Better than eating at the cafeteria or one of those Bentos I buy at the convenience store anyway. What do you like?"

"Anything that doesn't have vegetables."

"Still a picky eater, huh? Well, I can respect that. By the way, whatever happened to Yuji-Onii-chan? Did he go to university?"

"Nah, he joined the army a couple of years ago as soon as he turned 18." Ren closed his eyes, reminiscing of his times with his older brother."Haven't seen him since. I think he's trying to get away from our family as much as possible."

"He joined the army? That's so cool of him! I could never pull something like that. My backup plan was just to follow in my Ma's footsteps and join the force. Though it's not like I'd ever need a backup plan. I'll be just fine! But hey, why did he end up leaving anyway?"

"As it turns out, he could never stand our family, particularly mom. Always clashing heads with her. So one day he came to get breakfast, told her a few things he probably rehearsed overnight, and left."

"Yeah, I can see that. He's a prideful kind of guy, so I get why he wouldn't like to be around aunt Maizono. She's really...uh...you know."

"You don't need to finish that sentence. I know." Ren rose a hand, cutting him off."I know."

"Tough relationship with the family, huh? Seems we're on the same boat. My mama wanted me to grow up to be a doctor or whatever, but I ended up following my old man's path and became a chef. I finally managed to get a place of my own, but as you can see, it's rather small. I'll try to get a new one when I can afford it."

"Inheriting the family business. I like that. That's so mafioso of you, Vino."

"Mafi what now?"

"Vino's in the Mafia."

"I'm not." Vino rubbed the edge of his nose."How many times do I have to explain this to you. When I say "family business" I don't mean something like my own familia or whatever. We don't do that. Kind of stereotypical of you."

"What do you mean? Then how do you get such good food and this place is barely paying the bills as is?!"

"My dad knows a guy. That's all. You're overthinking things, Kai. Besides, why would the Mafia be around here with the Yakuza crawling around? We'd be dead before we know it. I'm not a mobster. Just saying this hypothetically."

"Is the food that good that you'd think he's with the mob?"

"A guy can imagine." Kaichi shrugged, yawning."But man, the atmosphere always gets me sleepy. Don't you got anything livelier?'

"In a second." Vino was now heading towards the jukebox, holding a record in his hand.

"Back to the matter at hand, hopefully, we'll see Yuji-Onii-chan again soon. I'm glad you chose to come with us instead of doing something crazy like distancing yourself from your family. We're happy to have you."

"Thanks..." Ren gazed down at his palms, rubbing them together. Before they could continue their conversation, Vino came by with two plates, balanced in one hand, and a tray holding their drinks.

"You gotta teach me how you do that." Kai watched in amazement at how easy he made it look, without dropping anything."You're balancing everything perfectly. I can't even do that with just one plate."

"Practice. But I'm a natural."

Vino, lied between his teeth, laughing internally.'I could never tell them that my dad kicked me out of his restaurant because I kept practicing with his plates.'

"Please, enjoy. If you're wondering who was cooking it's just some outside help I hired. Don't worry, he follows the recipe to a T, so this should be almost as good as what I make. And if you don't like it, let me know and I'll prepare myself."

"Thanks for the food." Both Chikage siblings said, grabbing their forks and began digging in their food.

Ren was mesmerized at the first bite that he found himself taking a few more before he spoke."Woah...this is good..."

"Told ya so." Kai spoke in between bites."Small restaurants like these often serve the best food. And a lot of food at that. Makes me wonder why rich people bother to pay so much for such a small ration. Oh, speaking of, Vino, any rich folk ever come by?"

"Every now and then. My father is kind enough to advertise my joint so some folk come and eat my food. Adults, mostly. Unfortunately, no one your age."

"Aw, man. I always wanted to meet preppy girls. I want to see how different they are from regular girls."

"I think you wouldn't stand a chance. It's not like we're wealthy and I hear they're pretty high maintenance."

"Uh, I know." Kai's shoulder slumped, continuing eating while crocodile tears streamed down his cheeks.

"Man, that food filled a hole!" Kai rubbed his full belly, letting out a loud burp in the process."Excuse me."

"You weren't lying. That was pretty good." Ren had a ghostly smile on his face, having enjoyed a great meal for such a cheap price. 'First meal I've had with a person in forever. It felt...weird, but not bad. I guess.'

"It is pretty late." Kaichi commented with his carefree attitude, starting at the light posts around the street."Seems like you won't be able to go to that school with Ma. Guess something is holding her at work. Not the first time."

"You don't like that?"

"Well, I wouldn't mind her spending some time with me for a change. But it is what it is, right? She works so she can provide for me and now for you too. So I don't resent her or anything. Aw, crap!"

"What is it?"

"I forgot my phone at Vino's place!" The young man gasped, his face turning pale."I can't let anyone see what's on that phone! I'll be back! You walk ahead!"

"But...I-" Ren did not finish his sentence since Kaichi was long gone back to where they came from.

Ren did not know where the house was. So he decided to walk around the areas that looked familiar to him. All apartment complexes with alleyways in between them. As he was passing by one of them, he heard what sounded like someone screaming but cut off immediately.

"Maybe it was nothing." Ren tried to rationalize the situation. It could be anything, really. The last thing on his mind was someone robbing another person or something of the nature. He waited a few more seconds that seemed like minutes, frozen like a statue. Not even cars were driving by and not many people were out. He was about to continue on his merry way before a loud noise was heard from where the scream came from."Fuck! Fuck!"

Rushing into the alleyway, Ren cursed himself out internally for being so stupid and rushing into what could be a crime. He never considered himself a good person. Did too much bad for that. And yet, here he was, leaning against a dumpster and peering at what was happening. A man was holding a girl at knifepoint. The poor girl couldn't be older than 12 or so. She was short brown hair and was wearing a long white dress. He couldn't see her eyes since she had them shut, presumably to prevent tears from coming out.

"Who would have thought that the daughter of one of the shareholders of the famous Checker Pizzeria was enjoying a nice stroll in this part of town? Sherry Komado. Too bad I couldn't snatch up any of the other kids you were with. They would all have made for good hostages for some ransom. But you'll do fine."

"Please...I'm so scared..." The poor girl sobbed uncontrollably, squirming when she felt the knife against her neck.

"What the fuck did I say?! Be quiet! I called a buddy of mine and he should be here in 15 minutes. You'll be coming with us and if your daddy gives a shit about you he'll give us what we want! But hey, I guess I can cut a little something. Maybe an earlobe or gouge out one of your eyes and take it as a prize. I love doing that to the people we kidnap. It makes them feel more...memorable."

Ren tried to get up from his spot, but he ended up leaning too much on the dumpster, causing the wheels to move slightly forward and making him lose balance, landing on his face."Ouch..."

"Huh?!" The man wrapped his arm around the girl's neck, holding his knife out."Who the hell are you?!"

"Nobody," Ren responded, making sure he'd note that he had to slap himself for getting into this mess. But now that he heard of what they were planning, he had no choice."Just leave that girl alone and we can all walk out of this."

"Fuck you! Why are you snooping around here?!" The man was getting louder and more agitated."Huh, I get it. It must have been you! I told you to not scream, you lousy bitch! Now you got another kid involved. Fine. Guess we can take him too."

"No, please...please let us go..."

"No can do, sweetcheeks. And for being a bad girl..." He positioned his knife near her cheek, slowly driving it across her flesh, causing her to sob louder as she drew blood."I'll leave you a nice mark."

Ren, without thinking, grabbed a nearby empty bottle of liquor, throwing it as hard as he could toward the repulsive man. Since he was way taller than the girl, he didn't have to worry about hitting her by accident. The bottle broke upon impact, prompting the man to release the girl and hold his face but this only made the glass dig deeper into his skin. The brown-haired unfortunate girl ran towards Ren, hiding behind him with a startled expression, breathing hard.

"YOU LITTLE SHIT!" With a raging scream, the man rushed at the pair, prepared to commit a heinous act.

Ren pushed the girl out of harm's way just in time before being stabbed in the abdomen. He recoiled his head back, delivering a powerful headbutt to the man's face, breaking his nose and causing him to release the knife.

He felt agonizing pain as well as his strength leaving him. Blood poured from his wound and he made sure to not remove the knife, otherwise, he'd bleed to death.

Ren thanked God for studying biology as an elective. He knew where to get stabbed without damaging any internal organs. He didn't exactly study this. He simply read it online.

Regardless, he was now against the wall, bleeding, trying not to pass out from the pain, and with a terrified kid next to him. The man had recuperated and was now making his way toward them.

'Guess this is it. First day in Tokyo and I'm already going to die.' He stared back at the kid with a sad smile. His eyes were growing heavier by the second.'But...if I can get her to safety and save her life...I guess my life wasn't as pointless as I thought it was...'

"It's lights out, kid." He bellowed, cracking his knuckles."You're dead!"

Before he could deliver the killing blow, he screamed in agony as a taser electrocuted him to the point of dropping to the floor with a loud thud. Ren shifted his gaze to the entrance of the alley, watching as his aunt and cousin rushed over to them in concern. He smiled to himself. The girl would be fine. So now he could close his eyes and drift off to sleep. If he wasn't dead later on, he would be grateful to be out of this situation.