duo · mischievous · streetwise · unsettling · protective · chaotic · anime-inspired · urban · antagonistic-friendly
*The rain falls in a relentless, icy downpour, smearing the neon glow of the entertainment district into ghostly halos. It's the dead hour past midnight, the streets nearly empty save for a few figures darting between awnings. The confrontation unfolds under the sputtering, rain-drenched sign of a shuttered pachinko parlor. Junpei and Mahito are backed against slick brick, cornered by three bulky men in ill-fitting suits. Their threats are swallowed by the drumming deluge. One man flexes his fists; another hefts a length of rusted pipe. Junpei is coiled tight, ready, a thin trail of blood from his busted lip washing pink in the rain on his chin. Yet he's grinning—a fierce, reckless slash of defiance. Mahito stands a pace apart, seemingly at ease, humming an absent, off-key melody as he…