Shion stood at the back of the crowd with Dog at his heels. Though his mother had asked him not to, the white-haired boy had insisted on joining the large meeting assembled within the city to hopefully hear some explanations for the chaos that was slowly cropping up all around the city. He listened intently as a man took to the stage far ahead, stepping towards a microphone at the front. He spoke in an authoritative, deep voice, instructing the residents of No. 6 on the newest rules and information.

In the last few days, the rising tension in the city had completely driven away Shion's anxiety at waiting for Nezumi's response. A rising tension that had come to a boiling point before completely piling over, taking the wondrous awe of change in the city down to a terrible fall. Shion was a little hazy on the details, but it would seem that some Western District people had refused to work and were thrown out by their hosts. Riots had ensued afterwards, as the family that had been thrown out argued that their lack of work was due to illness, not laziness. The riots were still happening, slowly sweeping across the entirety of the city. There was crude talk from all over, saying that a terrible mistake had been made in allowing the two civilizations to merge.

"We must cooperate in these dark times if we wish to live as a single, united city!" the man shouted into the microphone, drowning out the chatter that had risen during a lull in his speech. "We are all strangers to one another. Hate will only drive us further apart."

"This city was fine before they came!" an older No. 6 resident shouted from the back of the crowd.

"Why do we have to accept them here in the first place?" another shouted from the front.

The man at the microphone scanned the shouting crowd, waving his arms for silence. "Though we cannot deny that this road is difficult, we cannot simply throw these people out!" Shion found it a bit strange how the man seemed to be ignoring the Western District people in his speech, speaking as though only those of the previous No. 6 stood before him. Though the crowd was filled by a majority of No. 6 residents, there were still Western District people visible amongst the mass. "How could we simply throw them away, after hearing of the terrors that our city has caused them in the past? Would you repeat such crimes to simply make our lives easier?"

The crowd quieted some, falling into thoughtful murmurs. As the roar lulled, the man stepped back to be replaced by another representative of the city. As the new speaker launched into an inspirational speech detailing how business would be conducted in a more favorable fashion, Shion slipped away, patting his side to have Dog follow.

"This place is going to the dogs," Shion muttered under his breath, weaving around the back of the crowd, back out of the area. "No offense," he added to Dog.

Dog gave a bark and wagged her tail, staring up affectionately at Shion.

Shion didn't want to return home just yet, so when he came to his own street, he took an opposite turn, heading in the direction of the broken wall.

As he walked, Shion eyed every section of the city, breaking it down in his mind. He saw sections where there seemed to be peace, Western District and No. 6 people working alongside one another to meet a common goal, but in other areas there was shouting and anger. Everything was so unstable now… then, maybe it had never been stable in the first place. Perhaps it was just Shion that had been caught up in a state of awe over the scene, not the entirety of the community.

When Shion reached the shattered remains of the city's walls, he moved slowly, stepping amongst the scarred rock with his hand held out to brush along the rough edges. He turned his eyes back to stare down the street, to spot a man being chased away, and then cast them forward to meet the barren land before him.

The Western District had been practically destroyed, leaving yet more rubble to collect across the land. A dark, dirty look reigned over the wasteland, even though the sun was up and shining. A chilly breeze drifted through the scene, scattering loose pebbles and dust.

Shion sat down upon the nearest stone section, losing himself in thought to the landscape. He subconsciously stroked Dog's head with one hand, while he cupped his chin with the other.

More and more, Shion found his sight stretching farther past the rubble of the Western District, past the still-standing, glowering shells of buildings, to meet the horizon. It sat so far away, casting a pale pink glare of a haze. The clouds sidled along through the light, drifting lazily above the pale shadows of far off mountains. It was difficult to see, but there Shion could see the faintest gleam of brilliant green.

All his life, Shion had lived within the walls of No. 6. That manicured city, preened and clipped into the highest of standards. There were forests, fields, and even rolling hills within the city, but they were all tended by the hands of men. He had been bored with that life… and then Nezumi had arrived, turning his life on its head.

Living out in the Western District had been perhaps the happiest time in Shion's life. It had been a new adventure, a rising storm in a dull, dry world. And now he was back in a dry desert, wandering in a drunken stupor, eternally searching for water. The city had definitely become interesting, torn by newfound hardships and riots, but it was still the same old city deep down. Now that Shion knew the city was on a route for change, the wall gone, the people integrating as one, he no longer felt the draw to remain there.

"Damn it, Nezumi," Shion growled under his breath. "Why couldn't you have stayed just to see this? I would have gone with you had I known that…" Had he known that he'd grow so bored… so lonely.

Dog barked by his side, dragging Shion from his thoughts. The dog was staring out over the scattered buildings, twitching her nose with interest. Shion followed her gaze to see several specks weaving around the skeletal remains of buildings. "People?" Shion said aloud, shielding his eyes with his hand to see through the glare of the sun.

Shion had no idea what he was doing. One minute he was sitting on the stone of the wall, regarding the tattered city below with interest, and the next he was clambering over stones, racing past sparse weeds and open stretches of barren dirt towards the decrepit Western District, forgetting the glorious city of No. 6 behind him. Dog followed along at his heels, all for the blunt idea. She barked loudly in the rush, happily scampering before Shion to take the lead. He'd be back before long, he assured himself on the way. Back before dinner.

By the time Shion reached the buildings, he was terribly out of breath. His heart was racing. He had to stop for several minutes just to breathe, to look around and take in the sight.

The Western District was terribly mangled from the purge the tanks had taken upon it, but more buildings than Shion had thought seemed to have survived. He started to walk down a long stretch of a road, looking up into the ghoulish windows of the ones that remained. It seemed at first that only the wind owned these hollow remains, but soon the sound of footsteps mingled with that of the howling wind.

Shion spun around at the sound to find two men standing behind him, half hidden in the looming shadow of a partially-wrecked shop. One man was tall and lanky, while the other was short and rotund, covered in a very thick beard that seemed to swallow his neck. They both looked rugged and dirty, covered in thick layers of grime.

Shion first thought to call out to them, but a chill ran down the nape of his neck before the words could so much as form at his lips. Both men had already seen him, and were staring at him with cruel, dark eyes. The lanky one leaned over to the shorter, mumbling something with a wicked smile. A moment after they advanced.

Shion turned on the spot, bolting down the road with Dog behind him, reluctantly fleeing with a growl. The steady sound of heavy footsteps behind him drove him forward, giving him a solid burst of energy as adrenaline coursed through his veins. He dared once to look behind, but nearly lost his footing on a loose board underneath. Flailing his arms to keep balance, he turned around the next corner, bursting into a full out run, pounding his fists forward in sync with the steady drum of his legs.

But no matter how much drive he put into his run, the footsteps behind him seemed only to grow louder. He could hear the men shouting to one another, but could make out no words through the roar of blood in his ears. He had no idea where he was even going. The distorted, wrecked city seemed vague and strange now to him. He took another blind turn, hoping to find an outing of the maze, or perhaps a kind stranger to assist him now. Yet all that Shion found was a solid brick wall blocking his path.

Shion patted the tall wall quickly with shaking fingers, hoping that by some magic it might give away. He searched for a place to climb, but it was far too steep. Realizing that he was completely trapped, Shion turned around to meet the eyes of the two men as they caught up, blocking off the narrow alley he had slipped in through.

Dog stepped in front of Shion, growling and barking at the men defiantly as the shorter of the two pulled out a pistol. Shion stared in daft horror as Dog barred her fangs, refusing to step away as the man cocked his gun. The white-haired boy wanted to shout himself hoarse, but found himself unable to speak for a fear that clung at his chest like iron claws. Just then the man grinned, ready to pull his trigger as Dog bunched her muscles to jump. Shion motioned to shove Dog aside, but found his actions moved sluggishly compared to those around him, as though he were caught in a frozen space.

It all happened so quickly, Shion wasn't really sure of what he had seen. Dog had leapt towards the man as a bullet shot from his gun—and so had another dog. Two dogs. Three dogs. All Shion did was shout daftly for Dog to move, only to find within the blink of an eye that both men that had been chasing him lay dead. Several large dogs, still snarling with their fangs sunk into human flesh stood scattered around them. Dog's own maw was rested deep into the shoulder of the taller man, refusing to let go.

Although the sight would be terrifying to any random passerby—a wild dog pack tearing our human throats—Shion found relief in their presence. He moved timidly forward to them, ignoring their bloodied lips and still-existent growls to reach out his hand. "T-thank you…" he said in a breathless whisper as their growls began to subside, and a large shepherd stepped forward to greet him, lapping playfully at his fingers. The dog's tongue stained his hand with human blood, reminding him of the power that the creatures could hold. He was glad that they were on his side, or else he and Dog… Without these dogs, they would be the ones lying bloody in the dirt, rather than being greeted by friendly licks and whimpers.

"Shion!"

Shion turned to find a face he had been waiting to see for quite some time. With her regular assortment of loose, tattered clothes, and long dark hair falling over her face, hiding her eyes in shadow, Dogkeeper stood at the head of the alleyway.