This morning was like any other, the sky above our heads gray and cloudy from industrial pollution, the thick scent of oil and smog fluttered upon the morning breeze. While flying cars whizzed through the smoke-filled air, hovering trains rushed up above on their magnetic tracks. As neon lights, moving holograms, and glowing advertisements don the never ending skyscrapers that block out even the clouds. Yes, this was like any other morning - a morning in Shibuya City, Tokyo in the year 2522.

It has been three centuries since the Sun has been sighted - even much of the local schoolchildren claim that it never existed. Enter, Ren Amaki - VRMMO player extraordinaire, age 16. The boy comes equipped with jet black hair that frame his face with long front bangs, pale chalky skin, wide shoulders, and a short but fit stature; a measly height of 160 cm.

For Ren, today was a special day. His best friend's father will allow them to observe a recent crime scene today. Saburo's father- Officer Asahi Mikan was appointed lead investigator of this local case. The two teenage boys were going to watch Officer Mikan perform the investigation.

It took Ren a great deal of effort to maintain his uninterested and cool guise that made him so famous in freshman and sophomore year. However, this attitude was also a great cause of fear among Ren's schoolmates. It was this very mask had caused his fellow peers to perceive him as menacing and unapproachable. This became the primary of many of Ren's former friends leaving him behind. He would appreciate to keep it as such, but he does admit, it would have been nice to not feel the numb inklings of isolation again. At least he still has Saburo who has stood by him after all of these years, in spite of how cold Ren acted towards him.

Ren watched as Saburo jogged down the sidewalk with a slight pep in his step, keeping an even pace behind him. Today, they would be allowed to watch Saburo's father work as a detective for the first time.

Ren couldn't believe it, he was going to be at a legitimate crime scene! It was taking much more effort to maintain his usual aloof demeanour, his insides twisted with excitement. Ren's stomach filled with butterflies on a sugar rush.

Spotting Officer Mikan, the two exuberant teens ducked under the bright yellow caution tape and anxiously approached the senior officer.

"Hello dad, what happened to these people?" Saburo asked his father worriedly, pointing at a pair of heavily bloodstained white sheets, laid along the corpses of two horribly mutilated women.

Ren plugged his nose as a coppery scent filled the air of the graffitied alleyway. Something felt off about the crime scene, the suspect couldn't have fled Shibuya within a matter of five minutes. Along with covering their tracks - taking in how fresh the women's corpses were. Almost as if it was planned to draw out the police, it didn't sit right with him.

"There had been two murders in broad daylight. Me and my partner were able to get several witnesses and a good description of the suspect's appearance." Officer Mikan responded gravely, a frown spread across his wrinkled face.

"Is that so?" Ren inquired curiously as he picked at the police tape.

Officer Mikan sighed, "We are going to speak with some nearby shop owners in a few minutes, regarding any footage they may have captured of the event - see that camera there? Now that you two boys are here, let's go in and ask them now." The officer jabbed a thumb in the direction of an aged Owsons' Convenience Store.

"Shall we?" Officer Mikan said as he fixed his blue cap atop his balding head.

"Oh, no problem dad, we're glad to be able to watch you." Saburo said softly, giving a reassuring smile to his father.

"Thank you for giving us this opportunity to watch your work Officer Mikan." Ren bowed respectfully to the senior man. He curtly straightened himself up, trying to hide the excited grin that attempted its way onto his face.

"It was honestly such a huge surprise to see Ren, of all people come running over here with a grin." Saburo said, a cheeky smirk made a way onto his youthful face. He turned to look at the boy in question.

"Ren, you should smile more. I mean, that is if you are able to. I'm not forcing you to. But I would really suggest it, considering that you look like grouchy a little cobra 24/7." Saburo said, grinning ear to ear. Ren's blue eyes gazed up into Saburo's orange with a half-hearted glare.

"I'll have you know that cobras can spit venom up to three meters. Shut it unless if you want the worst of it, orange peel." Ren countered cruelly.

"Alright, I get it, easy there tiger. Or should I say baby kitten?" Saburo sheepishly chuckled while putting his hands up in surrender.

"Bite me." Ren hissed.

"Sure thing." Saburo nonchalantly declared, disregarding Ren's earlier threats. He leaned over to Ren's shoulder and opened his mouth as if taking a bite out of it. Saburo let out a slow and agonizing ,

"Aaaaaaaaaa-"

"I didn't say literally, you idiot!" Ren shouted in panic, caught off guard from Saburo's unpredictable behaviour as he backed up ten feet away from him. Saburo just heartily laughed at this.

"Chillax, I wasn't going to actually bite you." Saburo reassured.

"But you were asking for it." He snickered.

"Tch, whatever. It didn't scare me. I saw that coming from a mile away." Ren uttered, he sharply turned around with his back facing Saburo. He felt his face burn a bright shade of fire truck red in embarrassment.

"I'll get you back for this one day, sleep with both your eyes open." Ren snarled as he clenched his fist and briskly walked in front of Saburo.

Saburo merely sighed at his friend. He might try to act cool, in reality, Ren is the biggest softie that he has ever met. Just don't tell anyone he said that. Although Saburo does admit, it was amusing to get under Ren's skin. If he does something crazy to catch his friend off guard, every reaction was worth more than a few precious seconds. Although, Saburo was fully aware that he may die at the end of that. But that was just how it is, escaping his death at the hands of a tiny man at every turn.

"Anyways, we need to figure out their identities soon, hopefully the perpetrators gets caught." Saburo replied, following closely behind his father.

"Affirmative." Ren responded evenly to Saburo. Not before shooting a glare at the taller boy's back.

The glass doors slide open as the trio turned to enter the dimly-lit convenience store. The investigation commenced from there. So far, no substantial evidence has turned up. Ren convinced himself that they just needed to search harder and check over what they may have missed.

Saburo examined the same snack aisle for the third time in a row, he might as well have flipped over the entire section. Maybe he should have moved onto the next aisle. The tall black-haired, boy pushed his circular wired glasses over his tangerine orange eyes as he made his way toward the fridges.

Saburo noticed something gleaming out the bare corners of his vision. That something - whatever it may be, was making its way towards him, and fast. Saburo had little time to react to the gleaming object, before Ren sprinted toward him.

Noticing that a sharp knife was going to hit his friend, Ren swiftly jumped in and tackled Saburo out of the way. The knife plunged itself deeply into Ren's torso as a waterfall of blood poured from his mouth. Ren loudly hacked and groaned in pain, a fountain of blood sputtered out of the boy's wound as tears welled from his eyes. He couldn't see a thing through his own tears, everything was blurred and a loud ringing was echoing in his ears. Ren didn't have a clue of what events were unfolding before him.

Officer Mikan froze for a second, staring at Ren's fresh wound. Warm crimson blood flowed like a twisted waterfall, puddling around the young adolescent while staining everything on floor a deep shade of red. This included half of what was once a clean blue tracksuit jacket that Ren donned.

Officer Asashi charged towards the hooded assailant and locked their arms behind their back, hastily pinning them down to the ground with his body weight.

"Ren! Ren are you alright?!" Officer Asahi cried out, as his fear-laced voice attempted to gain any semblance of the confidence steadiness it once held prior to the incident.

Saburo looked at Ren in fear, he ran over to his wounded friend and knelt beside him. All Ren could see were the pale clammy hands of Saburo waving in front of his face, he could barely make what it was while black spots start to dot his vision.

"Ren! REN! Please respond to me, are you alright?! Can you see me?! Are you hearing what I'm saying to you?! Please, give me an answer! Ren, please! DON'T YOU DARE DIE ON ME REN AMAKI!! I need you here! For the love all that is holy, SAY SOMETHING, YOU'RE NOT ABOUT TO DIE ON ME!!!" Saburo screeched into Ren's ear as hot tears streamed from his pale face like the second coming of Niagara Falls. Try as Ren might, he couldn't respond.

Ren knew he spiralled into shock, at least it dulled the pain he experienced. Ren weakly turned to view his torso, the entirety of his right side was soaked in so much blood. The majority of it already pooled on the floor. What did his biology teacher say was on the left side? Was it it the kidney? Yes, that must be right. That was a disturbing amount of blood flowing out onto the checkered floor. All he could practically see was red, barely a hint of black and white checkered squares. Oh god, this can't be good, this can't be good at all. His vision darkened, everything was fading, he slowly drifted away.

Ren once again weakly looked up at Saburo's tear-stricken face. He saw Saburo bent over in grief, face white, glasses stained with tears, staring at his wound like it was a deformed monster.

None of this was supposed to happen, this wasn't how it was supposed to play out. This isn't how it ends for him, right?

One look into Saburo's eyes and Ren knew - at that moment, he wasn't going to make it out of this alive. But hey, at least his best friend was alright, at least his only friend was alright, at least Saburo was alright. In the end, Ren was just glad that Saburo wasn't hurt.

Ren Amaki let out his last shuddering breath. He bid the world he knew a final farewell, darkness swiftly overtook his senses.

Eventually, everything he knew faded into nothing with his very existence.

Eventually, Ren stopped thinking and passed on.