Prologue

A blonde boy bolts through the shadowy back alleys with his friend in tow. The steady padding of footsteps and mens’ shouts echo behind them.

“He’s getting away!” one of the men barks. “Don’t lose him!”

“They’re gonna catch up if we don’t do something quick!” the boy’s friend cries.

Suddenly, the blonde boy finds himself hitting the pavement. “Got you!” a man yells as he pinions the boy’s arms behind his back and keeps him pinned to the ground. “Don’t you even try to escape! You belong to us!”

“HARU!!!” the boy’s friend screams. He rushes in and knocks the man off of the blonde boy. “RUN!” he yells to his friend. He kicks trash cans to the ground and rolls them in front of the men to impede the pursuers, then dashes after the blonde boy. They both disappear into the shadows.

A man dressed in suit and tie appears behind the boys' pursuers. “We’ll get him next time,” he says. “He can’t run from us forever.”