The Knights Himura

Summer, 2017

Under the sun of a midsummer day, two girls walked, side by side, down a lonely city alleyway. Their path was little more than a short and narrow road between two towering skyscrapers. There was hardly enough space for the two of them to get by.

Dozens of shops and restaurants, some open, some closed, lined both sides of the alley, but business was slow all the way down. Even their brightly colored signs and bright shining neon couldn't drag them out of obscurity.

Concrete and steel behemoths above and at both sides blocked out the sun, leaving the path ahead in a nigh permanent deep blue tinged shade. A wide open azure sky with dense white clouds reflected off the skyscrapers' glass sides.

"Nice day, huh?" A brown haired girl looked up at the sky in wonder.

Summer's first heat arrived, the first signal of the hellish July dog days still yet to come. The humidity made the air thick enough to cut through with a knife.

A moment of silence came before the other girl, the one with black hair, replied. "Oh, uhh, yeah."

The shorter girl turned her head. "You doin' alright there, Tsuki? The heat's not getting to you, is it?"

"I'm just... thinking." Tsuki replied as she stared off into the distance.

Tsuki was the taller of the two, quite a bit taller. She towered above her partner in an almost comedic fashion. Any taller, and she'd hit her head on every roof in the city.

She wore a white button-up blouse and navy blue pleated skirt, not a wrinkle on either of them. Her hair was an onyx black, with straight blunt bangs and ends, all neat and tidy. On the side of her head, tied into her hair, was a thin red ribbon.

"What're you thinking about?" The brown haired girl prodded.

Tsuki lowered her gaze. "Nothing in particular."

"Not even me?" The other girl smiled.

"Quit playin' around." Tsuki turned to her friend and grinned. "If you keep looking at me, you're gonna end up tripping over something."

Fumi was the shorter one, still tall by local standards but still below Tsuki's stature. Unlike the girl at her side, though, she'd actually come prepared for Japan's cruel summers, everything light and cool.

She wore a white blouse and black shorts, a combination she just adored. Her hair was short, soft and messy, falling an inch or two past her shoulders. If asked, she'd probably describe it as fluffy, with a proud smile.

"Nah." Fumi shook her head. "No way. I'm not that dumb."

The world around them grew darker and darker the further they got into the alley. While the rest of Tokyo bustled with the energy of the lunchtime rush, the path ahead was eerily silent, with not another soul running into them the whole way through.

Even the shops were seemingly empty, even the ones with their lights still on. Perhaps they were the kinds of places more interested in the type of customers that came around at night.

"Are you sure you're not lost?" Tsuki teased.

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"I'm not!" Fumi defended herself.

"Maybe if you'd look down for once, we'd be there by now."

"Yeah, yeah." Fumi pouted.

Fumi kept walking, her head in the clouds, not looking where she was going. She didn't stop skywatching 'till she finally felt herself bump into something. After narrowly stopping herself from falling over, she blinked, then looked around to see what she'd hit.

A tall, strange looking… thing, stood before her, not moving but clearly not inanimate. Fumi jumped at the sight of it, startled by its strange appearance. The shade in the alley made whatever it was into nothing more than a vague, black silhouette standing in the middle of the road.

It took a moment for Tsuki's mind to perceive what it was she was looking at. From what little she could see, it was a man, in a large black cloak or robe, with white porcelain over his face. Ornate, golden markings decorated his strange mask.

Fumi stammered out the first thing she could think of. "H-Hello?"

"Phones and wallets, now." The robed figure spoke firmly.

Tsuki dragged Fumi behind her. "Get behind me."

The man behind the mask quickly reached into his cloak and flicked open a pocket knife, its blade aimed toward the girls. The two of them stumbled back a few steps, Tsuki doing her damndest to stay in front of Fumi.

"Phones and wallets!" He shouted.

Both of the girls panicked, fumbling around to try and meet the man's demands. Tsuki handed over her wallet and phone, Fumiko only able to produce her phone. The man moved the blade toward her.

"I-I don't have my wallet!" Fumi shuddered. "Please, I swear!"

"Huh?" Tsuki turned to her.

The man inched closer as Fumi shoved her hands into each of her pockets, and all over her body, searching desperately for something, anything, to offer the man.

"Hurry up!" The masked man inched towards them.

"Just give him something, and let's get the hell outta here, Fumiko!" Tsuki pleaded.

"Quit wasting my time!" The mask growled.

The man in the mask moved forward, and Tsuki tried to get in his way. With his other hand, he pushed her aside, then jabbed the knife forward. His gloved fingers let go of the knife and moved back under the robes, then turned as if he had done nothing.

At first, Tsuki turned to watch the man as he took a few slow steps, then broke off into a sprint, leaving everything he'd try to steal from them behind. She would've chased after him, had she not heard the groans.

Fumi was grasping her stomach and stumbling forward. Not a single word could escape her lips, only a low, distressed sigh. She nearly fell over, but managed to catch herself against the wall. Her legs wavered and shook, before she fell to her knees.

Tsuki went down with her. "Fumi? Are you alright?"

The white of Fumi's blouse had already been stained a deep crimson, and it was only getting worse with each second. Tsuki started to panic, she didn't know what to do. She'd never been in that kind of situation before.

Fumi finally spoke through slow, heavy breaths. "Call an ambulance…"

"Huh?" Tsuki stuttered.

"Ambulance…" Fumi repeated.

"Y-yeah!" Tsuki fumbled around with her phone.

Tsuki dialed the emergency number and waited for the person on the other end to pick up. The slow, droning, repetitive ringing sound made each second feel like an hour. When the tone finally stopped and the dispatcher answered, Tsuki spoke faster than her brain could think.

"M-my friend's been stabbed! We're in…" Tsuki's voice wavered in fear.

Tsuki said everything so fast, she could hardly remember what she'd said by the end of the call. All she could do now was sit next to Fumi, squeezing her hand tight, so tight her fingers turned white. Feeling Fumi's grip, still strong, kept her calm, but she swore she could feel it getting weaker with each passing minute.

She could barely stomach looking at Fumi, only taking short glances before turning away. The sight of her blood terrified her, made her feel sick. Her eyes looked like they were getting glassy, and her skin felt cold.

Fumi didn't speak again, but she did her best to keep holding Tsuki's hand. The sounds of sirens in the distance offered them hope. Tsuki knew that once the paramedics arrived, it was out of her hands, but she also hoped that they'd be able to save her.

"It's… It's gonna be alright, okay?." Tsuki squeezed her friend's hand tight. "Listen, Fumi. They're almost here. They'll get you to the hospital."

Tears rolled down Tsuki's cheeks. She wrapped her arms around Fumi hoping for the best. Fumi's blood stained her own shirt, but she didn't care. She was too scared to care.

"…don't leave." Fumi muttered.

"I won't!" Tsuki sobbed. "I'll be right here."