The Knights Himura

Tsukiko spoke first. "So, why is he named Night Bird?"

Sylvie tapped her fingers on the table. "It was his favorite song, some old jazzy song from the eighties. It's all he ever listened to back then."

They were back in Aurelia's shopping, having moved away all the piles of fabric from one of the tables so they could see one another more clearly. Kazuo sat with them, clicking his pen as he skimmed his notebook, while Fumi sat next to Tsukiko with an arm wrapped around her. Haruka was standing over Kazuo, trying to make sense of his scribblings.

"I thought you guys liked to stay completely anonymous." Kaz looked up from his notes.

"Some of us had names or nicknames. Everyone knew my name was Sylvie, everyone knew him as Night Bird, there used to be a guy named--"

"Wouldn't that get you in trouble?" Kaz asked.

"Not really. It's a nickname, isn't it? Honestly, I probably should've given everyone a nickname. Things would've been easier that way." Sylvie tried to think.

"Why Point Zero?" Tsuki asked.

"The Shakudos started working 'security' for some shops and clubs a few weeks ago. It's a pretty risky move, I wonder if they know what they're doing." Haruka rubbed her face.

"Security jobs are a good way of pissing off the cops. Their leader must be one arrogant son of a bitch." Sylvie chuckled. "He won't last a week."

"Security jobs?" Tsuki scoffed. "How the hell does that work? Security from what?"

"It's just a way of fleecing people." Haruka explained. "You get your buddies to break a bunch of windows, put on a scene, then come and swoop in and offer to keep the place safe. Who's a nightclub gonna go to, the cops?"

"And how do we know they're all following one leader?" Tsuki suggested.

"...do you know something we don't?" Haruka stared.

"Maybe I do." Tsuki looked at her sister.

"You don't think he's behind this?" Kazuo asked. "You're probably right."

"Why do you say that?" Haruka put her hand on Kazuo's head.

"There are three leaders. A head, then a right hand and a... left hand. He got rid of the left hand. That's how I found out about Night Bird."

"And?" Haruka narrowed her eyes.

"...he got rid of him because of what he did to Lily. He was really angry about it. I don't think he was too happy about Fumi getting stabbed either." Tsuki continued.

"...really?" Fumi turned to Tsuki.

"Yeah... Weird, isn't it?"

"Let's focus on this guy for now, alright?" Kazuo put his hand on the table. "The one who… well, y'know."

Tsuki turned red. "You're right."

Kazuo's revolver appeared under his hand, the group caught off guard by the sudden shine of nickel and gold, Haruka jumping back.

"Where the hell did that come from?" Haruka just barely managed to regain her balance.

"It does that, remember?" Kaz grabbed the gun and inspected it.

Fumi squinted. "Doesn't it look... cleaner?"

Kazuo ran his thumb across the barrel. "Yeah, what the hell?"

Kazuo's revolver had been polished, any sort of damage or tarnish removed from its surface, the frame having been plated with a mirror sheen nickel metal. The barrel had a phrase in a foreign language written in gold across the long, broad and flat barrel, reading "Zeit ist das teuerste Kleinod" in thin, delicate cursive.

"Why's it so... huge? Isn't it hard to carry that thing around?" Haruka asked.

"Yeah." Kaz lifted it up slowly. "It's so goddamn heavy. I had to work out just to be able to aim the damn thing."

"Just leave it behind." Haruka suggested.

"I can't. A detective needs his gun." Kaz inspected it. "...and I can't, even if I wanted to."

Claudia appeared next to him with a smile on her face, staring at the gun as well.

Kazuo turned to Claudia, then scolded her. "I was trying to keep this thing original, damnit."

Claudia shoved a paper covered in red ink in front of his face. "I made this gun! It is original!"

Kaz read the note. "You made this?"

Claudia reached for the gun and Kazuo reluctantly handed it over, the redhead's small hands somehow able to carry it around as though it weighed nothing. She pulled apart the revolver's top break action and opened the cylinder, pointing to an obscured part of the gun's frame.

"She did..." Kaz stared at the obscured part. "Here's her signature... I always wondered what that said."

Claudia hugged Kazuo.

"Why'd you make it so heavy?" Haruka asked.

Claudia walked away, refusing to answer any more questions.

"It's probably for precision competition shooting." Fumi chimed in.

The group turned to her.

"I did some research! It's a break action revolver, a really old one. It's weighted for extreme accuracy, and it's got some light damascening."

"Damascening?" Haruka asked.

Tsuki took over. "It's a type of European metalwork, where you punch gold onto the surface of metal. Shakudo's the same thing, but Japanese, and it's black instead of gold."

"Man, this is what you guys actually stop and research?" Kazuo laughed. "We're way off topic."

–

As night fell, Tsukiko, Kazuo, and Fumiko stood together outside of the garish looking Point Zero nightclub, its music loud enough to break through even the soundproofed doors. Bright yellow neon outside advertised the place, shining so intensely that it hurt to look at them. Despite the gaudy look of the place, the asphalt outside was covered in trash, half burned cigarettes, and discarded drink cups.

"This the place?" Tsuki asked.

"I dunno, Tsukiko. I'm having a little trouble reading the big ass neon sign that says Point Zero." Fumi joked.

"Yeah but--"

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"Yep, that's it." Kazuo checked his phone.

"So, where would the dude be?" Tsuki

"Somebody mentioned he had his own spot in the club. Maybe it's upstairs?" Fumiko suggested.

"But how do we know which room? Or if their lounge is even upstairs?" Kazuo kept checking his phone for details.

"Maybe we should've come sooner, scoped the place out.:" Tsukiko approached the door. "But for now, let's find out. He's security, right? Maybe he'll come to us?"

Fumi grabbed Tsuki's shoulder. "You okay?"

"What do you mean?" Tsuki asked.

"...I know how you get." Fumi shook her head.

"Fumi." Tsuki stared.

"Don't lose your cool again, okay?" Fumi pleaded.

"If I lose it, just knock my lights out again, alright?" Tsuki smiled. "Hit me in the head as hard as you can."

Fumi didn't laugh. "This isn't a joke."

Tsukiko sighed. "Sorry."

Kazuo tried to reassure them both. "C'mon, just stay calm a little longer. We've almost got him."

With each step, the muffled 80s pop got louder and louder, and when Tsuki pulled the doors open, it was like she'd stepped into another decade. Everything was covered in gold or wood grain, with the bar lined with exotic looking colorful drinks, with fancy liquors lining the shelves behind the drinks counter. Booths lined the outer edge of the place, with a big lit up dance floor in the middle with a gold divider around it. Lights above flashed all kinds of pinks, blues and greens, the speakers hanging alongside them blaring the music so loud they could hardly focus.

"Where is everyone?" Fumi looked around.

"It is pretty early." Kazuo put his hand in his pocket.

"What time do people start packing in?" Tsuki scratched her head.

"...like an hour from now?" Kaz sat down at the empty bar.

Tsuki stepped onto the dance floor. "Do we wait?"

"None of us can drink, huh?" Fumiko's head sank in sorrow.

Then, the music stopped, and the doors behind them swung open, slamming against the walls. A group of men in black masks came running in, screaming and shouting, and swinging around wooden planks and baseball bats.

"Who's coming up on our turf, huh?" A female one shouted. "I'll give you fuckers one chance to walk on outta here, before we have any trouble!"

Tsuki stood up straight. "And if we don't?"

One of the Shakudos moved forward, holding his bat. "We'll just have to send you back to mommy and daddy in a bag."

When Tsuki didn't do as they asked, the Shakudo holding the bat moved forward, putting all his strength into one mighty swing aimed at Tsukiko's head. She raised her hand and caught the aluminum bat in mid-flight. The mood of the place changed instantly, and Tsuki could hear some of the others gasp. The Shakudo tried to pull the bat back, but Tsuki took the bat for herself and set him to the ground with a swing of her own.

Fumi ran off to avoid the fight. "Get 'em, Tsuki!"

"You ready, Kaz?" Tsuki turned to him.

"Yeah!" Kazuo pulled up his sleeves.

Then, a masked man wielding a pipe came running toward her, holding it over his head, and before he could swing, Tsuki lowered herself and punched him hard in the stomach. He let out a yelp and curled up in pain, and Tsuki grabbed him and slammed him down to the ground.

Another Shakudo grabbed Tsuki from behind. She tried calling out to Kazuo, but he was already too busy fighting to hear her. Tsuki struggled in their grasp, swinging her whole body around to try to get them off. Then, she felt a hard strip, and the person's grip loosened, and their weight slowly shifted off her back and down to the floor. Tsuki turned fast and found Fumiko standing there.

"What're you doing?" Tsuki motioned for her to leave.

"Hey, don't act like you didn't need my help." Fumi walked up to Tsuki. "I wanna be useful for once."

An unarmed Shakudo ran toward Kazuo, and he quickly took an offensive, throwing out several quick jabs, forcing an opening for a single, strong haymaker. Kaz's opponent fell down to the ground, and he followed up by kicking them in the side. They rolled away, then went limp.

The private eye then turned to his next target, a young woman in a black and gold mask swinging a baseball bat. Kazuo backed away quickly as she started swinging like mad. Fumiko stepped past Tsukiko and grabbed a chair, running forward and pinning the masked girl down to the floor with it, then reached down to grab the bat.

"...Whoa. Nice work." Kazuo stopped to watch this unfold.

Together, they were able to defeat the rest of the Shakudos with ease, and after the last one finally fell, they all stopped to catch their breath for a moment.

"The fuck's goin' on here?" A voice echoed from around a corner.

The group's gaze turned to the source of the voice. A tall figure appeared from a set of stairs that were hidden behind the bar.

"So, you're here after all?" Kaz glared.

The figure looked around before locking eyes with Fumiko. "Oh. It's you. I'm surprised you're still kicking."

"Shut up!" Tsuki shouted.

"I'm not here to babysit, so you'd better make this quick." Night Bird hesitated.

As Fumiko and Kazuo tried to join in, Tsukiko waved them off. "Don't get involved, this is between me and him."

The Shakudo, the one who stabbed Fumiko, stepped forward and held his arms out in a triumphant pose. "Acting brave will just get you killed, but if you really want to start something, then come at me."

The back of Tsukiko's boot met the side of the figure's head, sending him straight to the floor.

"Wait, wait, hold--" The man in the mask raised his hand.

Tsuki kicked him again.

Kaz grabbed Tsukiko by the shoulder. "Tsuki, stay calm."

Tsuki ignored him, standing over the figure.

Night Bird got away, staggering back onto his own feet. "You think I'm scared of a kid?"

"Shut up!" Tsuki approached the figure.

The last Shakudo reached into his robes and revealed a switchblade. "I'd back off if I were you."

"Tsuki, be careful!" Kazuo shouted.

Night Bird laughed as he played with the knife. "Don't make me do it again."

Fumi shouted across the room. "Tsuki, don't!"

"I'd like to see you try." Tsukiko stared him down.

Night Bird ran forward, holding the blade again.

"No, don't!" Fumi cried.

Time seemed to slow down, the whole world bending in fast, as the knife wielding man ran forward. Neither Fumi, nor Kaz could look away as Tsuki did nothing to stop his forward lunge.

"Tsuki!" Kazuo ran forward.

Their cries were in vain. Tsukiko didn't back down. Night Bird had grasped the blade with both hands and thrusted it forward, but he was the one who fell.

Tsuki stood over him as he tumbled to the ground, gasping for air. She moved forward and kicked him in the gut, and with that, the knife fell out of his hands and onto the dance floor, sliding away from him. He scrambled to grab the knife again, dragging himself across the floor, but Tsuki stepped over and stomped on him, crushing his hand under her boot.

"Down already?" Tsuki rubbed her heel into the figure's hand.

"Get offa me!" The masked man struggled.

"Not so tough now, huh?" Tsuki shouted.

Night Bird hit her in the leg, and she stumbled, before he ran over and grabbed the knife again, pointing it toward her.

"One last chance!" The masked man shouted as she held his side with his other hand.

Tsukiko grabbed an aluminum baseball bat from the floor and held it up. "You think I'm done?"

"Tsuki, calm down!" Kazuo grabbed her arm.

Tsuki shook him off. "Back off, Kaz!"

"Come at me!" Night Bird shouted, playing more defensively.

"Tsuki, stop! Don't!" Fumiko panicked. "You're gonna get yourself really hurt!"

Tsukiko moved the bat behind her head, and Night Bird quickly stepped back. She swung with full force and Night Bird instinctively raised his hands to protect his face. Tsukiko used what she'd learned from her sister, using the motion to carry its momentum to her leg, carrying her weight from one leg to the other in one big roundhouse kick that knocked his lights out. Kazuo moved quickly to subdue.

Tsuki turned and sighed. "Fumi, I'm fine, I'm fine."

"Are you?" Fumiko stuttered.

"Something wrong with my face or something?" Tsuki laughed.

In the middle of this distraction, the figure broke free yet again. Night Bird made a mad dash for the knife again.

Fumiko ran over to Kaz. "Gimme your gun!"

"No shooting." Tsukiko glared.

Fumi grabbed the revolver by the barrel, pulling her arm back, then swung her arm forward. With remarkable accuracy and strength, it went straight to the target, tumbling through the air and hitting the escaping Night Bird in the back of the head, making a loud thud as both he and the revolver hit the floor.

"Fumi, what if he caught the gun and shot us?" Tsukiko scolded her. "Seriously?"

"That was some quick thinking!" Kazuo patted her on the back.

"Huh?"

"You didn't want me to use it, so I left it unloaded, Tsuki." Kaz chuckled.

"...oh."