Talking: Nice to meet you.

Whispering: That's wild.

Thinking: (What the hell is happening?)

---------------------------------------------------------

{3rd Person POV}

A small old lady could be seen walking through the streets of a city. She was just done with some grocery shopping and was carrying her bag in one hand, her purse in the other. She was just calmly walking while humming a little tune to herself.

The sky was sunny, people were minding their business, and it seemed like a perfectly peaceful day...emphasis on SEEMED like. A hand suddenly grabbed her and pulled her deep into an alley. A tall man with slicked-back grey hair covered her mouth to prevent her from screaming, while the rest of his goons cackled with laughter.

Goon 4: What are we gonna do with her Miguel?

The grey-haired man smirked cockily.

Miguel: Kahaha as if you don't know. Run her pockets!

The old lady struggled against his grip, squirming and kicking with her legs.

Old Woman: Hmph! You bunch of good-for-nothing hooligans! I swear you'll be sorry when he gets his paws on you!

Goon 2: The hell are you yapping about hag?!

All the noise kept Miguel and his main goons from hearing the sounds of people crashing into the ground along with their grunts of pain. The noise was rapidly approaching, and before they knew it, they heard the voice of a male behind them.

"🐕Oi! 'The hell did I tell you dumbasses about stepping into my turf?🐕"

Miguel and his three goons looked behind them to see a teenage boy standing in the middle of the alley. His black and white hair and heterochromatic eyes definitely made him stand out in a crowd.

Old Woman: Inuzuka!

Miguel: Well if it isn't the Mad Dog? Had fun wailing on my men?

The camera pans out to reveal Miguel's goons passed out on the floor, with severe bruises, and bleeding from the nose, and one guy was even slammed into a dump.

"🐕Guess I did...🐕"

【🐕Kiba Inuzuka🐕】 [The Mad Dog]



The heterochromatic boy growled in annoyance and rapidly scratched behind his ear. In the same fashion, an irritated dog would.

Kiba: I told you to stop calling me that, dickhead!

Goon 1: Beat it, kid! This doesn't concern you! Or what, do ya wanna get shanked too?

That goon was clearly new to this whole gang business. His cocky attitude, limp posture, and reliance on a knife made it obvious. Kiba snarled, his hands still in his pockets. His eyes were locked in on them, any sign of weakness they dared show would preyed upon.

https://youtu.be/LFoyXEFaz2Q

Kiba: Tch! I can't stand weak people on my turf...

Goon 2: You call us weak?!

Goon 1: Wanna say that again kid?!

Kiba: And I especially can't stand weak people who prey on my neighborhood 'cause they think they're strong...

He took his hands out of his pockets and got on a low stance, leaning on one knee. He scratched behind his ear again before glaring at the four thugs.

"🐕You make me sick!🐕"

The teen dashed towards the first goon, the one holding the knife. Said man swore he saw a hound running towards him. This was no normal teenager. He didn't have much time to think when his wrist was grabbed and slammed into a wall!

The knife fell to the ground. The goon tried to punch with his other hand but Kiba weaved beneath it and hit him with an uppercut so hard it damn near took his head right off his shoulders!

Don't forget Kiba was still holding onto his wrist! The man was pulled down!

*PAM!*

Kiba: Kiss this knee, dumbass!

The black-and-white-haired boy pulled the man down directly into a knee strike to the face. The other two goons tried to attack him simultaneously. One tried a kick to his back. But the boy sidestepped, grabbed the man by the shirt, and used him to block an incoming punch from the third goon.

*CRACK!*

He jumped and used the man's back as a springboard to hit the third goon with a flying sidekick straight to the teeth! Nose bleeding and everything!

Miguel: H-HEY! Better stop this fucking s-second or the old hag g-gets it!

The multicolored-haired boy turned to the terrified main. His face was glistening with sweat as he held up the knife one of his goons dropped up to the woman's neck. Kiba's eyes became sharper as he frowned. He snarled and growled, bearing out his fang-like canines. He scratched behind his ear as he began to slowly approach.

Miguel: I-I-I-I'm serious y-you freakshow! I'm bouta shank this grandma! I SWEAR!-

Kiba: I've beat your sorry ass so many times...I thought you knew me better...

He dashed forward low to the ground with animalistic speed, before jumping up and hitting the grey-haired man with a flying knee to the face.

"🐕Get that punk shit out of my face!🐕"

The man fell to the ground, his nose leaking blood. He was about to stand up but his shirt collar was suddenly grabbed by the heterochromatic boy.

Kiba: You Red Fang Gang chumps better stay out of my territory for good you hear me? These streets are mine!

The man frantically nodded before running away, his tail tucked between his legs. The cowards didn't even attempt to pick up his underlings and just left them there passed out on the floor. The boy flicked his wrist (Cause he's cool like that).

Kiba: Pff, what a bitch...

He took a deep breath and sighed before smiling softly as he walked up to the old lady and began picking up her stuff that had fallen on the ground.

Kiba: Sorry I couldn't come here sooner Margaret.

Margaret: No no don't worry about it. You saved me after all.

She reached up and pinched his cheek.

Margaret: You're such a nice young lad.

The teen blushed. Profusely. His entire face went beet red. He lightly pushed her hand away from him and adverted his gaze nervously.

Kiba: N-Not like I c-care or anything!...

He sighed and grabbed a hold of her purse along with her groceries.

Kiba: Come on...I'll walk ya home...

The older woman smiled and latched onto his arm. The boy pouted, blushed, and looked away again. They walked out of the alley together and made their way towards her home. The camera panned upwards to reveal the city's skyline.

Post-apocalyptic life is hard you know?

...

...

...

HAHAHA! Yeah, as if! It's not hard at all when you live in a city like this!

【New Eridu】 [The Colorful Metropolis!]



Ah~ New Eridu...who knew the apocalypse would be this chill, right? You see, this city is the last surviving city after contemporary civilization was destroyed by the Hollows. New Eridu managed to survive and thrive after the apocalypse by acquiring the technology to be able to extract resources out of the Hollows.

Now, Hollows are industrialized and monetized by the city's administration, which gradually led to increasing tension between monopolistic enterprises, gangs, conspirators, and fanatics.

That's some crazy lore, right? If it's too many proper nouns with too little explanation then don't worry. It'll all be explained eventually. Right now, we have to set our sights on a specific neighborhood. The neighborhood of Bofurin.

-Time Skip brought to you by Kiba helping Margaret with her garden-

The soft sound of wind chimes could be heard through the streets. This is the distinct characteristic of the Bofurin neighborhood after all. You'll know you're close when you hear the ringing of wind bells calling for you.

We set our sights on the boy with double-sided hair. He's such a delinquent...yet wherever he walks people smile at him. He was carrying a bucket of paint and a brush with him.

He was ready to meet up with a friend but stopped in his tracks once he saw a couple of kids surrounding a tree, looking up at it with troubled expressions. It appears their frisbee had gotten stuck in a branch.

Kiba sighed, setting his stuff on the ground before taking off running, jumping high in the air, somersaulting over the kids, and snatching the toy from the tree. The children now sported happy looks of amazement! The boy landed, now holding the frisbee in his hand.

Kids: Mister Inuzuka!

The heterochromatic male knelt down and ruffled a brown shared kid's hair playfully.

Kiba: You've gotta be more careful. What will you do when I'm busy? And don't call me Mister. Makes me feel old.

Little Girl: Sorry...

The boy sighed, handing the children the frisbee before standing up and grabbing his bucket of paint and brush.

Little Boy: Where are you going Inuzuka?

Kiba: Gonna paint a wall for a friend.

Little Boy 2: Another one? But just the other day you painted over the graffiti on Miss Katy's bakery!

Kiba: I just wanted to tell any other crook to not step foot in my turf!

Little Girl: Liar! Liar!

Kiba: Tch, d-don't make me laugh!

The boy grunted in embarrassment, taking out some silver coins from his pocket. These are Dennies and are the primary form of currency in New Eridu. He grabbed the girl by the wrist and slapped the coins into her hand. He didn't do it too harshly though.

Kiba: Quit pestering and get yourself and your friends a nice treat you brat!

The children cheered and ran away, not before giving the black and white-haired boy a hug of gratitude which only left him as more of a blushing mess.

Alas, he continued walking. He made his way through the colorful neighborhood until finally reaching a sign that read "6th Street". He made a turn to the right and came across his destination. One of the main forms of entertainment in New Eridu is movies, and there's no better place in the city to get physical media than Random Play!

【Random Play】 [The Blockbuster Archive!]



The boy removed his black jacket and set it aside on a table before opening the can of paint. He dipped the brush in the bright yellow liquid and began to slowly stroke up and down the wall. This small video rental shop was owned by a pair of siblings and hadn't been repainted since it opened!

https://youtu.be/t9TdQCdtUeo

"📼Kiba! Good to see you!📼"

He turned to his left to see a blue-haired girl exiting the door of Random Play. That was none other than one of the owners of the humble establishment.

【📼Belle📼】 [-????????-]



This small blueberry of a girl is one of the two siblings who own and run the beloved video rental shop. Kiba, still mid-stroke couldn't help but smile back slightly at her bubbly personality. Her turquoise eyes looked even brighter as the sun reflected off of them.

Kiba: 'Sup Belle.

The smaller girl looked up at his blue and yellow eyes. She crossed her arms and gave him a slightly bratty pout, something she tended to do.

Belle: That's all you have to say? I've been waiting for you for like an hour you know? You think it's cool to leave a girl waiting like this?

Kiba: Ngh?! Leave me alone will ya?

Belle: Hmph! I swear one of these days I'm gonna get you a phone! In that case, you could've at least called!

Kiba: It's not like I stood you up or something! Plus, I was taking care of some business!

She processed his words for a second...

...

Belle: YOU WERE FIGHTING AGAIN?!

The boy covered his ears and closed his eyes in response. He felt like his ears were ringing!

Kiba: Don't scream like that!

Belle: You worry me, dummy! The Red Fang Gang is dangerous and I don't want the protector of Bofurin to get himself killed!

Kiba: *Blush* H-H-How many times do I h-have to tell you that I don't care about this d-d-dingy neighborhood?! I'm just keeping street rats outta my territory!

The blue-haired girl stayed silent after that, but after a moment, she broke out into a fit of giggles! The boy scowled at her laughter, a hint of pink still lingering in his cheeks.

Kiba: O-Oi! What's so funny?

The blue-haired girl stopped laughing after a few seconds. She looked up at Kiba and lightly planted a fist on his chest. The "hit" came with the sound of a small thud, and Belle could almost feel the beat of his heart. It was quick. She blushed at the thought. She caused that.

Belle: It's just...you! You're such a trope! A tsundere!

His face was already rosy, but this single comment made him explode into an even more severely flustered state! He growled with a shaky tone.

Kiba: I am NOT a ts-ts-tsundere!

Belle: But you are! You act so tough sometimes, but you get flustered so easily. Like a big, fluffy guard dog who secretly loves belly rubs!

He bristled!

Kiba: I am NOT a DOG!

The girl with turquoise eyes grinned cheekily, batting her eyelashes at the boy with a teasing glint in her eyes. She covered her mouth with her hand and wiggled her eyebrows at him, all in an attempt to see him get more flustered. She found it funny and somewhat cute.

Belle: You're right, you're not a dog...you're more like a feisty puppy!

Kiba spluttered, his face the color of a ripe tomato. Every playful jab from Belle felt like a critical hit. He tried to form a retort, but his brain felt scrambled.

"🐕Screw you! Gremlin!🐕"



The girl stuck out her tongue at him. They had these types of "arguments" every other time they met up. Belle's bratty teasing is something she enjoys doing with everyone but she likes it, especially with Kiba. He was easy to rile up and she wasn't joking when she said he looked like a puppy! He really did!

"🎥Arguing again? Seriously?🎥"

The two teenagers turned to the voice coming from the door of the store. It was none other than a tall and thin boy with silver hair.

【🎥Wise🎥】 [-????????-]



Out of the two siblings, Wise is definitely the more responsible one. Being older, and therefore more mature than Belle. He always seems so calm and collected! It's almost as if not many things can make him react.

Wise: Do you two always have to fight?

The blue-haired girl puffed out her cheeks playfully. She liked teasing Kiba more when it was just the two of them.

Belle: We weren't fighting bro! We were just having a...fun debate!

Wise: Debate? What was this so-called "debate" even about?

She pointed at the heterochromatic boy.

Belle: He was out fighting again! I wouldn't be as mad if he had told me he was gonna be late but somebody doesn't have a phone!

Wise: A fight? Let me guess...The Red Fang Gang...

The boy scoffed and looked away. He grabbed the paintbrush and continued to paint the wall of the store.

Kiba: It was nothing, just a mugging.

Belle: Don't downplay it! You know they're a serious gang when they want to be. They could've hurt you...

Wise: *Sigh* Getting into constant fights with people like them will only bring more trouble to you, and by extension, the entirety of Bofurin. They're dangerous, and next time, you might not be so lucky...

The boy stopped mid-stroke and stayed silent for a few seconds. He felt Wise's hand rest on his shoulder and he flinched slightly at the contact. He wanted to retort but deep down, despite not wanting to, he knew he was right. Wise was always right. But that wouldn't make him stop.

He reached down and grabbed a pair of paintbrushes he brought along with him and presented them to the siblings.

Kiba: Gonna stand there or help me?

The two smiled. Belle began to remove her jacket and roll up her sleeves while Wise was a little more hesitant at the prospect of staining his clothes with bright yellow paint.

Belle: I was waiting for you to ask!

Wise: Uh, let me change first at least.

Despite his hesitant feelings, he agreed. The three of them spent the rest of that afternoon painting the facade of Random Play together. Laughter could be faintly heard down the street as Belle, the cheeky ball of sunshine, shared stories and gossip she had heard from customers throughout the week.

Wise kept a watchful eye on the painting process, making sure no patches or sports bled through and that every single stroke of paint looked perfect once dried. Kiba remained calm throughout the process, smiling a few times despite resisting the urge to do so.

By the time the street lamps of Borfurin turned on, they had already finished painting. The greatest video rental store in New Eridu got a new facelift! It looked practically new now. Wise looked at the wall with meticulous and almost obsessively perfectionist levels of focus.

Wise: Yup! Not a single patchy spot!

He was crouching down beside the wall, staring with a miniature telescope.

Wise: Good job. Clean and perfect, just the way I like it.

Belle: Jeez...you're such a "Clean Freak" trope...

Wise: I am not a so-called "Clean Freak". I only care about the way the spaces around me look and feel. The neater the better.

Belle: That's the definition of a clean freak!

Meanwhile, the boy with black and white hair looked up to the sky, just now noticing it was starting to get pretty dark.

Wise: Anyway...Kiba, I think you should start heading home. It's getting dark and I don't want you to arrive home too late.

Kiba: Sure sure...*Yaaaawwwn*

Belle: Aw is someone tired?

Kiba: Ngh...No! Well...maybe a little...

He yawned again. He walked over to his jacked and softly grabbed it. He didn't bother to put it on and simply held it in his arms. The turquoise-eyed girl walked up to him and patted his back.

Belle: There there, the protector of Bofurin needs his rest~

Kiba: You're so annoying...Whatever, see ya tomorrow I guess...

Wise: Have a safe walk home.

They waved at each other as the boy began to make his walk home. He made a right turn and disappeared from the siblings' sight. Belle remained staring at the spot where she last saw him with an uncharacteristically serious expression.

Belle: I'm gonna give it to him...

The silver-haired male's eyes widened for a second...

Wise: Are...Are you certain?

...

Belle: No...I'm Belle. But yeah...I'm sure...It reacts whenever he's close by.

Wise: I see...Let's go then.

The two walked up the metal stairs on the side of the building that led up to the second floor. That's right, while the first floor was just the store itself, the second is actually where they lived. It was a nice and cozy setup.

The two entered the apartment, and Wise immediately headed to the bathroom to clean himself up. He absolutely despised feeling dirty in any way and needed to wash up after handling paint all afternoon. Belle, on the other hand, went to her room.

【Belle's Room】 [The Workshop]



She looked around her admittedly really spacious room. She grabbed a can of soda from the minifridge and cracked it open. She sighed as she removed her jacket and sat down on the couch. Her thoughts drifted back to Kiba and her conversation with her brother about him...

Belle: Every day there are more and more Hollows spawning...He's the one...I hope he is...

She finished drinking the can and threw it away towards the trash can. It didn't land inside. She paid it no mind and began to clear the chest she used as a table. She placed the cactus, laptop, and empty bottle of Ramune on the floor before opening the blue coffer to reveal a black and silver briefcase.



{TO BE CONTINUED...}