The Knights Himura

Tsuki and Sylvie stood on the sidewalk at the very edge of the shrine, the lights from the buildings behind them ending at their feet, as though their unnatural light wasn't allowed to touch the sacred ground. Deep within, was the Shakudo gang, standing before a small temple, donations boxes and all, everything lit only by the moon. Sylvie strained to try to hear what was going on, but no sound came through all the plants and trees.

"These things suck." Tsukiko tugged on the sleeves of her robes.

"Not my fault you're still wearing a jacket and skirt under there." Sylvie looked off into the sky.

Tsuki frowned. "You're squeezed into a catsuit under there, so…"

"It's tights and a compression top, you--"

Tsuki shook her head. "Catsuit."

"Goddamnit." Sylvie groaned.

Tsuki started walking to the group, pressing her hand against the mask, as if praying for it to stay secure.

"…you sure about this?" Sylvie hesitated.

"Well, it's not like we've got any other bright ideas." Tsuki's response seemed almost forced.

"I really hope this goes well." Sylvie stepped forward.

Tsuki and Sylvie stepped into the shrine, and approached the crowd at its center, slinking around to avoid any confrontation, hoping to be able to sneak into the crowd. It didn't take much effort to fit in without getting unmasked.

"Yo, when are we starting?" A Shakudo in the group shouted.

"Hurry it up!" Someone in the crowd was in a bad mood.

A few minutes passed, and the Shakudos started to get impatient, a few of them having to circle around to keep everyone calm and corralled. After a short while, the two people Tsukiko had met at the office appeared before the crowd.

"Alright, alright, settle down!" Morgan raised his hand.

This got a small reaction in the crowd of scattered shouts and whistles. Flowers paced around awkwardly behind Morgan.

Morgan's voice remained serious. "You all know why we're here, right?"

The crowd chattered.

As the crowd chattered, Morgan shook his head, and motioned something to someone off to the side. Another one of his men brought out a man in a wheel chair, his hands and legs bound to it. Flowers quickly approached Morgan and whispered something to him, but he just shook his head.

"Do you all remember this man?" Morgan stepped forward.

The crowd murmured to themselves.

Morgan tried to help them out, by placing the bashed up mask on his face. The crowd went silent.

"Morgan, please. Don't do what I think you're doing." Flowers pleaded quietly.

"Bring it on!" Morgan called out to two Shakudos standing to the side.

The two men kneeled down to a small ceramic kiln with a piece of metal sticking out of it, activating it with a couple of blowtorches at the bottom. It didn't take long for the whole thing to start glowing a dull red.

"From now on, you'll all be taking orders from me and Flowers!" Morgan shouted. "This bastard has done nothing but hurt us, and our people!"

The crowd was deathly quiet.

"There is no mercy in this organization for those who try to kill children, or those who try to destroy. There is no mercy for those who try to kill our own!" Morgan sounded like a lunatic.

Flowers stared. "Morgan. Seriously."

Morgan just kept on going. "We are thieves! We are not murderers!"

Sylvie whispered to Tsuki. "What the hell's goin' on?"

"...nothing good." Tsuki watched carefully.

Another Shakudo murmured. "I never liked that guy anyway… Maybe that Knight did us a favor."

"What're you, crazy?" Another spoke. "If it wasn't her, it would've been the cops."

"Nah, the cops dropped the charges, remember?"

"Dropped the charges?" Tsuki asked.

"Yeah! Those useless bastards." The figure responded.

"It's only fair!" Morgan raised his voice again. "That we punish him in the same way he hurt that girl!"

The two men by the furnace turned off the blow torches, but the inside still glowed orange. Morgan put on a glove and pulled out the piece of metal, revealing a red hot piece of rebar, then raised it to show off to the crowd.

Morgan smiled. "It's a burn for a burn, eh?"

"You're going too far, damnit!" Flowers shouted

The crowd got riled up, neither agreeing or disagreeing with their leader.

The man in the wheelchair shouted. "No, man! You can't do this!"

"You should be rotting in a cell!" Morgan spit at him.

"What the hell's wrong with you?" Flowers got between Morgan and the man in the wheelchair. "You can't do this!"

"Why not?" Morgan waved the red hot rebar around.

"This is too much, even for revenge. You don't hurt a man when he's down." Flowers shouted.

Morgan shouted back. "He'll just do it again if you don't teach him!"

"I'm pretty sure he gets it!" Flowers pointed to the shuddering man in the wheelchair.

"Why'd they let him go?" Morgan marched forward.

Flowers went quiet.

Morgan pushed her aside. "This bastard…"

"Leave me alone! Don't fucking touch me!" The man in the wheelchair pleaded.

Flowers turned and kicked the piece of rebar out of Morgan's hand. It flew off, bouncing across the ground a few times before it landed on the dirt, burning the soil black with a metallic ring and sizzle.

"I'm not letting you do this." Flowers stood strong against Morgan.

"Why not?" Morgan asked, calmly.

"I'm not letting you stoop down to that level. You talk so much about how you hate violent people, but here you are…" Flowers hissed.

Morgan sighed. "Take him back."

The two men approached the wheelchair, the man who'd once worn the bashed bronze mask apologizing profusely to Morgan while thanking flowers, his rambling almost incoherent. Flowers watched as they rolled him away, but Morgan just looked at her, then at the ground.

The crowd went silent again. Neither Tsukiko nor Sylvie knew what to think. Morgan didn't seem like the person they had expected to meet, his actions half driven by morality and half twisted by anger.

Morgan turned back to the crowd. "Well, you're all still here."

"Yeah." Flowers responded almost mechanically.

"I guess we've got to go through the rest of the agenda, huh?" Morgan stepped forward. "I'm gonna grind some discipline into all of you."

"Discipline?" One of the Shakudos muttered under its breath.

Morgan raised his voice again. "Yes, discipline! If you don't like that, then you can leave!"

None of them moved. Flowers approached Morgan and whispered something to him. He shook his head and whispered something back again.

"We're gonna put a fire under the police chief's ass!" Morgan proudly stomped his foot. "Then we'll see who's worthy!"

The crowd cheered.

"That useless bastard. This town's gone to the fucking dogs." Someone in the crowd replied.

The meeting took a strange turn, the two leaders of the Shakudos started pacing back and forth, lecturing the gang on all kinds of topics, from the mundane, to the bizarre. One moment they'd discuss what new businesses had paid for their protection, another moment, they'd stop and pay tribute to the shrine itself, each leader carrying themselves with their own flavor of charm and charisma. Even Tsukiko found herself entranced by their antics, and she felt somewhat embarrassed when she realized how closely she was following their words.

Morgan pointed at the girl with the floral mask. "Flowers over here's gonna start training some of you guys. Maybe then you'll stand a chance in a fight, huh?"

"…sounds familiar." Sylvie muttered to herself.

"It wouldn't have happened if you didn't keep petty grudges!" Flowers mocked Morgan.

"These guys are idiots." Tsuki fidgeted.

A few more minutes and the crowd began to disperse. Little by little, the crowd began to shrink, with only a few sticking around for whatever reason. Sylvie wouldn't let Tsukiko leave, even though it may have been the better option.

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"What? Can't get enough of me?" Flowers spoke with a playful tone.

"You can go home y'know!" Morgan waved his arms above his head.

"This is worse than I thought." Sylvie whispered.

"Why?" Tsuki muttered.

"He's…" Sylvie sighed "...actually pretty persuasive."

"And?"

"That means I'm a complete dumbass!" Sylvie whispered.

The two leaders began to walk toward them.

"They're coming." Tsuki kept looking forward.

"What do I do? What if they recognize my voice?" Sylvie spoke in harsh whispers.

"You two look new!" Flowers waved.

"Yeah." Tsuki nudged Sylvie.

"Bonjour!" Sylvie spoke in her native tongue.

"Ooh, a foreigner… Where're you from?" Flowers asked.

"…J-je suis française." Sylvie held out her hand.

Flowers turned to Tsukiko. "…the heck is she sayin'?"

Tsuki only shrugged.

"What are you doing here?" Morgan joined the conversation with a surprisingly light voice.

"Lighten up." Flowers shook Sylvie's hand.

"Shouldn't you be more careful with the newbies?" Morgan nudged Flowers.

"No." The girl in the floral mask defied him. "They can't handle me just fine."

Morgan stood in silence, only staring.

"Why'd you guys join up?" Flowers asked.

"To meet guys." Tsuki choked out. "I-I mean…"

"…that's refreshingly honest. Nothing wrong with that. I'll let you know if I meet any handsome fellas." Flowers laughed.

"Désolé, ne parle pas japonais!" Sylvie held out a thumbs up.

"Haha, I… have no idea what you just said." Flowers scratched her head.

"Me neither." Tsukiko sighed.

"Anyways." Flowers got close. "Either of you fought any of the Knights Himura?"

"I've gotten lucky. Haven't run into any of 'em yet." Tsuki struggled to keep a straight face.

"Oui, j'ai vu un Himura!" Sylvie blurted out with a false sense of confidence.

"Yeah, I still don't have the slightest clue. You really don't understand her?" Flowers looked confused.

Sylvie's head dropped in disappointment.

"Not a clue." Tsuki shook her head.

"I heard Himura, but everything else is… gibberish, honestly." Flowers shook her head.

"Some Japanese slips out sometimes. At least she's trying." Tsukiko took this opportunity to relentlessly mock Sylvie.

"Weird. I wonder where she's from." Flowers looked Sylvie up and down.

Sylvie remained quiet.

"C'mon, don't be shy." Tsuki put her hand on Sylvie's shoulder.

Sylvie hissed. "Arrête ça! Laisse-moi tranquille!"

"Aww, she's shy! Don't be so mean, Tokyo's pretty tough for foreigners!" Flowers punched Tsuki in the shoulder.

"Oww!" Tsuki jokingly rubbed her shoulder.

"You're pretty tough! Workin' out?" Flowers complimented Tsukiko.

"Yeah, something like that." Tsuki adjusted her mask.

"Keep it up! Consistency is the most important part of having a healthy body!" Flowers lectured her.

"Thanks." Tsuki bowed her head a little.

Flowers turned to Sylvie. "I'd talk to your friend here too, but, y'know…"

"Yeah…"

"Y'know, we should go out for drinks together sometime!" Flowers put an arm around Tsukiko. "You're pretty cool, y'know?"

"Y-you too!" Tsuki blurted out.

Sylvie glared at her.

"Is that a yes, or…" Flowers asked.

Tsuki gave her a thumbs up. "Just give me a time and place!"

"Yeah, invite your weird rambly friend too! Maybe we could find a translator or something." Flowers chuckled.

Morgan finally approached. "You're bad at remembering voices."

"Huh?" Flowers turned to him.

"Did you enjoy the show, Tsukiko?" Morgan stared.

"…who?" Flowers scratched her head.

"…Himura Tsukiko?" Morgan repeated.

"Not ringing a bell here, man." Flowers admitted.

"…the Third Knight Himura." Morgan made it even more obvious.

"Oh… That's bad…" Flowers turned to Tsukiko.

Tsukiko stared back at him.

"I knew you couldn't help yourself, Sylvie." Morgan turned to the blonde.

"What's your game, Morgan?" Tsuki asked.

"You know, we could always talk this out." Morgan cracked his knuckles.

"What's there to talk about?" Tsuki watched his movements carefully.

"You did me another favor, bringing Sylvie here. You look good in that mask." Morgan smirked.

"I'm not here to join your gang." Tsuki shook her head.

"Of course not. You're only here to eavesdrop." Morgan's voice grew lower.

"Boss." Flowers stepped forward.

"Just a second." Morgan stopped her.

"So, now what?" Sylvie finally spoke some Japanese.

"You fell for the French foreigner thing?" Morgan turned to Flowers.

"I like to be optimistic." Flowers held her head up defiantly. "Not everyone's out to get you."

"Take the masks off." Morgan demanded.

"No." Sylvie stood straight.

"Really, they'll just weigh you down." Morgan mocked.

"Huh?"

Morgan reached forward and tried to grab Sylvie, who slapped his arm away and went for a punch, hurting her hand when she struck his mask. In the split second that she pulled her hand back, Morgan grabbed her other arm and pulled her close. His fingers went under the mask, pulling it off and revealing her face.

"So, that's how it is, huh?" Flowers stared at Sylvie.

"Well, that was a waste of time." Tsukiko sighed, her face still hidden.

"And you're actually the Third Knight?" Flowers asked.

"No." Tsuki tried to escape peacefully.

"You know, Morgan's right, you've got a real distinct voice, Tsukiko." Flowers taunted.

Tsukiko pulled off her mask and dropped her robes, revealing her white and red jacket. "You got me."

"Whaddya say, Morgan?" Flowers turned to him. "I take one, you take the other?"

"Why not?" Morgan raised his fists.

Flowers stepped forward toward Tsukiko, but the Knight stood still to watch her opponent's movements. Tsuki reached down and pulled off her robes, revealing a sport top and bike shorts underneath, her skin tanned and her build toned and fit. Just as the robes hit the ground, Flowers lunged forward, running toward Tsukiko. Flowers struck her in the gut, and then took a swipe at Tsuki's face, scratching her cheek, then took a few more fast swings. Tsuki pushed her away to try to regain ground.

"What's wrong?" Flowers kept hopping left and right, her voice was a bit hoarse.

Flowers ran after her, and this time, Tsuki caught her in motion, striking her in the chest and then the stomach. Flowers choked and coughed, her wind knocked out, as Tsuki wound up a big kick that knocked her back.

"You tell me." Tsuki smiled.

Flowers staggered back onto her feet, watching Tsukiko with the eyes of a snake, taking deep breaths and keeping herself low. Tsuki stepped forward and Flowers did too, striking the Knight hard in the stomach, then the jaw. In one fluid motion, Flowers then shoved herself under Tsuki's arm, spun her around, and slammed her down to the ground.

"You're really slow." Flowers taunted.

Tsuki stared up at her from the ground."You talk too much."

"C'mon, get up." Flowers held an arm out.

"Huh?"

"It's not fair to hit someone while they're down, stand up." Flowers grabbed Tsukiko's arm and pulled her up.

"…what?" Tsuki narrowed her eyes.

"Alright, ready for round two?" Flowers raised her hands.

"Yeah." Tsuki nodded, readying herself again.

The Shakudos stood around, watching as both Tsukiko and Sylvie fought their leaders, forming a circle and cheering them on like fans at a boxing match, like the fight was just part of some big game. Some of them even cheered for Tsuki and Sylvie, taking bets on who would win. If Tsuki fell down, the Shakudos would urge her to get back up, and Flowers would wait for her to regain her balance.

"C'mon, Himura!" Flowers held her hand out.

Tsukiko ran forward and took a big swing, hitting Flowers in the face and knocking her mask off. Flowers looked down quickly, hiding her face in the shadow as she reached down to grab her mask.

"Sorry." Tsuki bowed her head slightly, out of respect to her oddly formal opponent.

Flowers got back up and got back on the offensive, striking Tsukiko several times. She stomped on Tsuki's foot, then kicked her shin in an attempt to knock her to the ground. Tsuki planted herself down, making Flowers' attempts to knock her down futile.

"How're you so damn heavy…" Flowers resorted to pushing and shoving.

Flowers leaned in, hitting Tsuki in the jaw. Tsukiko did the same. Both of them broke apart again, backing away from each other.

"Alright, enough! Show me how you really fight!" Flowers shouted.

"Let's end it here, no more games." Tsuki shouted back.

The way Flowers moved reminded Tsuki of her own sister, using momentum behind her attacks, but she moved more like a boxer, swaying side to side and avoiding Tsuki's own swings in a dramatic fashion. Tsuki slowed down, playing more defensively to analyze the way Flowers fought, doing her best to remember what she'd learned from watching Haruka fight.

"Hey, I thought we were fighting!" Flowers shouted as she struck Tsukiko in the shoulder.

Tsuki started swinging again, her opponent now moving slower from the fatigue of constant aggression. With Flowers having lost her speed, Tsuki could finally land some solid blows, and each one made her opponent reel and back away.

Flowers took this as a sign to fight even harder, smiling and laughing as she continued to wear herself out. Her breathing grew louder and more hoarse with each strike, but she still choked out a laugh when her opponent got the better of her.

Finally, one finally sloppy move proved to be her downfall. She threw out a punch much slower than usual, which Tsuki capitalized on with an upward strike to the jaw. Flowers fell to the ground in a heap. Her figure heaved with each deep, harsh breath she took. A few robed figures ran to her side, pulling her up like a coach trying to resuscitate a fallen boxer. A simple thumbs up was all Tsuki needed to see that her fight was over. After that, someone grabbed Tsukiko's hand, dragging her away.

--

Back at Aurelia's shop, Tsukiko and Sylvie arrived at a strange scene.

"God, you're so damn cute…" Haruka spoke in a deep voice as she wrapped her arms around Kazuo.

"…what're you doing?" Sylvie looked on.

"None of your business…" Haruka turned to Tsukiko. "Why're you covered in dirt?"

"Got into a fight." Tsuki carried a serious demeanor.

"You look like shit." Haru squeezed close to Kaz, as if she wasn't going to let the distraction kill her act of seduction.

"I didn't expect you to like cops." Sylvie sat down across from them.

"I'm not a cop." Kazuo put a hand on Haru's shoulder.

"Oh, I'm sorry, private eye." Sylvie spoke with the most condescending tone she could muster.

"Can't a girl just have fun?" Haru smiled.

Tsuki shook her head. "Not this kind of fun."

"Hey, I don't judge you and Fumi!" Haruka leaned forward.

"Yeah, but that's different." Tsuki looked away.

"How is that different?" Haruka hissed.

"Aww, c'mon, Tsuki. Give her a break, she's had it tough." Sylvie joked.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Haruka snapped.

"You haven't dated since high school!" Sylvie blurted out.

"Hey, I've been busy!" Haruka leaned against Kazuo.

"Hey, you'd better take good care of her, Shimizu." Tsuki looked him in the eye.

"What? You don't trust me?" Kazuo laughed.