"Yoichi?"<br/><br/>"Hmmm?"<br/><br/>Again, the sky darkened over slums that groaned even under the weight of the evening itself. Again he was hungry and worried. Again he contemplated how to go on.<br/><br/>Light blue eyes went over rubble. Someone or something was hiding. He could feel it. He cursed under his breath when he silently hoped it would be a dog or something else that was edible.<br/>The man beside him was so young he doubted he the word 'man' really applied to him. But he was part of his gang, and there were no boys in his gang. Or in the neighbourhood for that matter. Having a childhood was a luxury no one could afford.<br/><br/>"When are we going to move, Yoichi? We need a bigger place. Something that doesn't leak. I can hardly sleep and we need food, too," the young man mumbled while he shifted.<br/>He might not be able to call him a boy, but this guy wasn't a man yet. Men didn't whine. They fought for their life. They survived.<br/>Stiffening in place, he drew his attention to the guy at his side and narrowed his eyes in anger when he saw he wasn't watching the street at all.<br/>"You're on<em>guard</em>duty. You should<em>guard</em>, not study your boots," he hissed, fighting himself to not swat the boy.<br/>Yes.<br/>Boy.<br/>He'd not make it through the night.<br/><br/>Nodding, light wisp of dirty blond locks bobbing on the motion, the boy did as told, green eyes flicking up and gaze drifting through the street.<br/>Yoichi sighed. It would be a shame if the boy died.<br/>Then again, it would be mouth less to feed...<br/>But also one pair of fists less to fight the fight.<br/>He just couldn't win.