The Knights Himura

Haruka took Tsukiko away from the house and over to a bridge that crossed over a river that cut through the city. Haru quietly led her over to the side of the bridge, to a set of stairs leading to a small opening underneath.

Halfway down the stairs, Haruka pushed Tsukiko against the stairwell wall, holding a hand over her mouth. Haru would look over her shoulder, then around the corner over and over, hiding from someone or something. After a long while, Tsukiko's patience began to run thin, fidgeting until she broke out of her sister's grip.

"Where the hell's your guy?" Tsuki whispered.

"I don't know! He said he'd be here." Haruka spoke in a harsh, loud whisper.

A sound came from under the bridge and the two of them peeked around the corner, looking for its source. They caught a small black haired girl in a yellow dress and large hat walking down another set of stairs at the other end. She approached the river, staring out to the water, sighing as she took a moment to take in the scenery.

"Is that Lily?" Tsuki spoke to herself.

Tsuki tried to walk toward Lily, before Haruka pulled her back but the collar.

"Hold up!" Haruka put her hand over Tsuki's mouth.

Tsuki broke free. "Hey, didn't you say your friend was in that gang? What if he shows up and hurts Lily?"

"She won't get hurt, okay? I've got this." Haruka smiled.

"It's him!" Tsukiko peeked around the corner.

Haruka was too busy gloating to pay attention. Tsuki nudged her over and over to break her out of her own little world.

"I thought you had this!" Tsuki asked.

Haruka shook herself back to reality. "What?"

"Your guy's got Lily by the throat!"

"I just told him to look for a black haired girl!" Haruka panicked.

Tsukiko walked around the corner, pulling back her sleeves. "Hey, get your hands off of her!"

"No way, man!" The man under the mask turned, holding Lily in front of himself like a shield. "I need the money!"

"What money?" Lily struggled.

"I-I dunno, one of you's got cash!" He tried to back away slowly.

Tsuki approached. "Let her go!"

The man backed away with each step of her approach, the gap between them not getting any smaller. He kept going, further and further, till he ended up with his back against the wall. The man tightened his grip on Lily, Tsuki staring him down, but not able to make any quick, sudden movements.

Lily bit down on his arm, and when he tried to adjust his grip on her again, she just bit down harder. It didn't take long for the pain to make him slip. His free hand reached over to pry her mouth open, eventually losing her in the process. Lily quickly ran to Tsukiko's side.

Without his hostage, the young man could no longer defend himself. Tsuki grabbed him and slammed him against the wall. He let out a yelp and closed his eyes, swinging his arms wildly. Clearly, he had no experience fighting, so Tsuki struck him in the face and swept him off his feet with a good kick to the leg.

Seeing the man fall over like a sack of potatoes almost made Tsuki feel a bit of pity for him. She turned back to look at her sister, but she seemed more interested in the fight than in her "friend's" well being.

Haruka ran around the corner to Tsuki's side, looking down at him. "I told you this would happen, you idiot!"

The masked man was still regaining his bearings, grasping his nose.

Lily ran to Tsuki and hugged her leg. "Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!"

Seeing Lily tremble made Tsukiko furious. Had she been alone, she probably would've kicked the man while he was down as some kind of personal punishment. It was the look on Lily's face that reminded her to keep calm. Haruka watched over the man as Tsuki did her best to distract Lily, feeling relieved that nothing bad happened to her.

Tsuki crouched down to see Lily face to face. "It'll be fine, alright? I'm here."

This moment of peace was short lived. More robed men came running down from the opposite stairwell, all wearing the same white and gold masks on their faces. Tsuki stood up and stared at them, bracing herself for the worst, but they all stepped back, save for one, that sole masked man slowly approachingTsukiko with a casual stride.

"What? You wanna end up like that jackass?" Tsuki rose up, and clenched her fists at her side. "Haru, watch over Lily."

"This guy tried to kidnap Lilith Guillemot? What? Is he an idiot?" The figure laughed.

Tsuki turned and watched as this figure, their leader, walked right past her and stood over the man who'd tried to take Lily. Their body was thin, and had a feminine shape. Instead of the usual robes, they wore black shorts and a loose fitting jacket. Only their mask served to identify them as a member of their gang.

"Who're you?" Tsuki staired.

"So, you're the Tsukiko I keep hearing about, right?" They spoke with a girl's voice.

Lily ran up and grabbed Tsuki's hand, pulling her closer to the girl in the mask.

"Tsuki, careful." Haruka spoke calmly.

The masked girl lowered the hood on her jacket, revealing long blonde hair, a rarity in Tokyo, then pulled off her mask. Beneath it was the delicate face of a young, foreign woman. Her eyes were a deep sky blue, and she looked far too young to be a hardened criminal. Still, Tsuki kept her guard up.

"Surprised?" The girl laughed.

"I didn't expect a foreigner to get dragged into this." Tsuki answered.

Haruka rose up a little, slowly stepping closer toward the blonde and narrowing her eyes, as if she was trying to get a closer look at her.

"Miss me, Haruka?" The blonde turned and looked Haru in the eye. "I haven't seen you in ages."

Haruka sighed, prompting a small chuckle from the unmasked girl. "Man, you really had me there!"

"Wait, you know her?" Tsuki glared at her sister.

"I'll explain it later, alright?" Haruka shook her head.

Tsuki scoffed. "Later? You better--"

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The blonde foreigner turned to Tsukiko and cut her off. "Hey, I've heard good things about you."

"Good things?" Tsuki asked.

"Yeah. I hear you're a good fighter. We could use someone like you." The woman chuckled.

"I'm not interested." Tsukiko shook her head. "I'm not going to side with criminals."

The blonde girl frowned. "I'm not your enemy, you know."

"Then who are you?" Tsuki took a step closer.

The woman took a moment to think of a response. "You like making bets?"

Tsuki tried to keep cool. "I don't make bets I can't win."

"Then beat me in a fight and I'll help you out." The blonde challenged her.

This caught Tsuki off guard, and she struggled to come up with a reply. "...why would I do that?"

The girl leaned onto one hip. "Lemme think…"

"Seriously?" Haruka tried to stifle a laugh.

The blonde finally gave her answer. "You and I are looking for the same guy. I could find him myself, but if you beat me here, I'll let you in on what I know."

"...and if I lose?" Tsukiko asked.

"I get the satisfaction of beating you?" The blonde shrugged.

"Who are you, anyways?" Tsuki narrowed her eyes. "You didn't answer me before."

"Haruka knows me." The figure smiled. "I'm a friend, okay?"

Tsuki glared at her sister again. "A friend?"

The foreign woman stretched out her arms. "Yeah, but I'm even friendlier after a good warm up."

The masked men who'd accompanied her took her movements as a sign, turning and marching back up the stairs, leaving just Tsuki, Haru and Lily alone with their leader.

Tsuki took a step forward. "Alright, make it quick."

The blond smirked, then raised her fists and stepped back. Tsukiko did the same, and they began to circle around like two swordsmen, each waiting for the other to strike first. The foreigner girl moved quickly, and Tsuki tried to defend herself, but not before taking a few quick jabs. Before she could retaliate, the girl had already jumped back.

Blow after blow struck her, and Tsuki could hardly get a hit in on her opponent. She watched her move, analyzing the way she fought. She knew she couldn't beat the girl in speed, so finding any weaknesses Tsuki could exploit would be crucial.

Soon, a pattern emerged, and Tsuki caught it. Every motion the blonde girl made was telegraphed by another before it, her body moving like a spring that compressed and decompressed, creating momentum for her next strike. With her way of fighting laid bare, the girl's attacks became easier to avoid. Tsuki could read what she was about to do by the way she moved right before she did it, momentum being the only way she could generate the power behind her attacks.

Tsuki opted to mimic her opponent, using her own movements to generate momentum, and power, behind her next move. In this way, she could evade more quickly and gracefully, tiring her opponent out and giving her the opportunity to strike back. The blonde's constant aggression soon became a double edged sword, wearing her down faster than she could hit Tsukiko.

On equal footing, the girl didn't stand a change. Tsukiko easily started landing blow after blow, and pushed her way through the pain of her opponent's weakened blows. With a full body twist, Tsuki finally landed the back of her heel against the girl's side, sending her tumbling to the ground.

Her opponent laid there, motionless. Tsuki was covered in red marks and bruises, but she still felt ready to fight. The girl on the ground, though, was tired, her chest heaving up and down as she tried to catch her breath.

Tsukiko stepped toward the girl, and she stirred, getting up onto one knee. The girl stared at Tsukiko, watching her with grit teeth, looking furious. She lunged forward with her arm pulled back, but Tsuki retaliated with a punch to the face that sent the foreign girl down to the ground in a heap.

The blonde laid on her back, struggling to catch her breath. "Lucky shot."

Tsuki stood over her again, sure she wouldn't try to attack her again. Lily ran to the blonde girl's side to make sure she hadn't gotten too hurt.

"We really could use someone like you in the gang." The blonde repeated.

Tsuki reached down and pulled the foreign girl back up onto her feet. "No thanks."

"…I coulda gotten you with that last one, huh." The girl laughed.

"You should worry about keeping up your end of the bargain." Tsuki's patience ran thin.

The girl's joy drained from her face as she let out a shameful sigh. "He's not one of us."

"Not one of you?" Tsuki asked. "How does that work?"

"Well." The foreigner crossed their arms. "Ever since I took over, we've been losing members left and right."

Tsuki kept a stern look. "Sounds like a good thing to me."

Haruka stood up and interrupted. "I-It's really not."

"Why not." Tsuki asked.

"Because they left and started their own gang. We're not the ones mugging and stabbing people, they are." The blonde one finished her sentence.

Tsukiko took a step forward. "Then what does your gang do?"

Haru ran to her sister's side. "Sylvie's gang doesn't hurt people, Tsuki."

Tsuki turned to Haruka. "Why do you know her name?"

"Don't worry about it." Haruka put her hand on Tsuki's shoulder. "She isn't involved in this."

Sylvie brushed the dirt off her clothes. "The man who stabbed your friend doesn't wear a white mask anymore. None of them do."

"Then what does he wear?"

"A blue one." Sylvie replied as she began to walk away. "Just look out for guys in painted masks. We'll talk when you find him."

Tsukiko stood there, not sure what else to say. She turned to her sister, and saw that the man she'd just fought was gone, with Haruka just standing there with the face of a child who'd been caught misbehaving.

"No more bullshit, Haru. Tell me everything." Tsuki demanded.

Haruka sighed. "If I told you, you wouldn't have come along."

"How am I supposed to trust you if you're not being honest?" Tsuki raised her voice.

"Because I'm helping you."

"Helping me?" Tsuki turned to her. "What about you?"

Haruka sighed. "I said there'd be something in it for you too, didn't I?"

Tsuki relaxed a bit. "...did you even know that guy?"

"No, not really." Haruka admitted.

"Did you know Sylvie was gonna show up?" Tsuki stared at the ground.

"...yeah."

Tsuki shook her head in frustration. "So you just lead me along this whole time?"

Haruka defended herself. "What the hell was I supposed to do? I haven't spoken to you in like, years! Would you have even believed me if I told you I knew her?"

Tsuki made her right hand into a fist. "Do you actually care about this?"

"Care about what?" Haruka's face twisted with slight anger.

"Do you even care about what happened to Fumi?" Tsuki stared.

"Of course I care, you fucking idiot!" Haruka shouted. "Why the fuck else am I here?"

Tsuki just got angrier. "You haven't spoken to us in years, Sylvie said she hadn't seen you in a while, whatever that means…"

"And?" Haruka sighed.

"Is this just some… bullshit ploy to get me on your side again?" Tsuki asked.

Haruka grit her teeth. "Just… trust me, Tsuki. I'm not trying to trick you or--"

"Can I even trust that?"

"Shut up, Tsuki!" Haruka shouted.

Tsuki was startled by her sister's sudden piercing shout, and when she looked at Haruka, she realized that those efforts had been genuine. Haru didn't have her usual smirk, she wasn't even angry. She looked sad and guilty.

"...sorry, I--"

Haru cut her off. "I know I fucked up, okay? I know I made a mistake. You don't think this hurts for me?"

"Haruka, I--"

"Shut up and let me finish!" Haruka shouted again. "I'm trying my best, damnit! I'm trying to help you in any way I can, alright? Just… let me try, okay?"

Tsuki paused, waiting for Haruka to finish. "...thanks, Haru."

"Huh?" Haruka didn't quite expect a reply.

"Thanks for helping me, alright?" Tsuki frowned.

"Aww, shit. You don't have to thank me for anything, I just..." Haru scratched her head.

Tsuki shook her head. "I can take it."

Haruka wrapped an arm around Tsukiko. "When'd you get so tough?"

"I've always been tough, haven't I?" Tsuki raised her head.

"Yeah, but now you're too tough." Haruka smiled.

"I have to be tough, for Fumi's sake." Tsukiko looked away.

"You're always thinking about protecting her, huh?" Haru chuckled.

"Of course I am."

"Don't you think you're overdoing the whole tough thing, though?" Haruka teased.

"What do you mean?" Tsuki gave her sister a confused look.

Haruka shook her sister a little. "You're too damn serious. You're always angry."

"Hey, it's been a rough week." Tsuki groaned.

Haruka's face turned serious, as she stared out at the river. "Then I have to be around you more often."

"Why?"

"Cuz I gotta make sure you don't fall apart." Haruka kept looking out at the water.

Tsuki tried to push Haru away. "I'll be fine."

Haruka wrapped her arm around Tsuki more tightly. "Then I gotta do whatever I can. You need to realize that deep down, you still love your big sis."

"Haruka."

"What?"