Into the deep, we find ourselves

At this time of the early morning, Riku knew the street should not have been nearly as lit.  Streetlamps dotted the area, of course, but in this part of town a good majority were burnt out, another handful only offering faint light as they flickered erratically.

But no, up ahead of him, beyond his current line of vision, the street seemed almost to be flickering with warm light.

Riku stood to his full height, which compared to other street rats admittedly wasn’t all that tall.  His arms were muscled though, his figure lean from years of fending for himself and learning how to get by.  If he turned away from this now, any silent observers would have cause to interpret it as an act of cowardice.

He might have been a lot of things, but Riku was not a coward.

So, inwardly cautious but outwardly standing tall, Riku made his way around the alley bend, and took in the sight in front of him with wary eyes.

It seems someone had set a metal garbage canister on fire.  Generally, this wouldn’t have been very unusual, if not for the size of the blaze, burning brightly against the muted colours of the sky.  Bright flames, and behind them a figure, unidentifiable currently from behind smoke and fire.

Unable to help his growing curiosity, Riku patted the knife sheathed to his make-shift belt reassuringly, then cautiously began to approach.