The Knights Himura

"Tsuki, this isn't really what I'd call a good date." Fumi complained.

"Sorry. The Chief called me in, I can't really say no to the cops." Tsuki frowned. "...I don't even know how he got my number."

"It's okay, it's okay… I'm just a little worried after what you told me last time." Fumi fidgeted.

"Nah, it's just the old man. He's alright, I guess." Tsuki tried to assure her.

Together, Fumi and Tsuki sat in another police interrogation room, but this time, it was a hell of a lot more inviting. Instead of the old beat up steel chairs and mirrored walls, they had a more inviting set of wooden chairs and walls lined with furniture and plants. The lights up above didn't make a horrid, droning buzzing sound, and there was even a ceiling fan to keep them cool.

The Chief whipped open the door, scaring the girls inside, and he slammed the door behind him before practically jumping across the room to grab Fumi's hand. Either he was in a great mood, or a terrible one.

"Oh, hello, Miss Nakano! How are you feeling?" His voice boomed.

"I'm doin' good." Fumi confirmed.

The old officer sat down across from them and bowed his head. "Are you doing well too, Tsukiko?"

"Yeah, I'm alright." Tsuki nodded.

"I hear you've gotten yourself into some trouble." The Chief lowered his voice.

"...what about it?" Tsuki tried not to show her fear on her face.

"Stay calm." Fumi nudged her.

"You've done some damn fine work out there." The Chief smiled.

"Huh?" Fumi cocked her head. "I thought cops hated that kind of thing."

"Not us. Some of us on the force are even rooting for you, Miss Himura." The Chief laughed.

"Why?" Tsuki asked.

"Well, to be honest… We haven't been doing so well on the investigation."

"Seriously?" Tsuki groaned.

"Police work is hard, Miss! You try getting any damn work done when you're spread this thin." The Chief whined.

"That's not my problem." Tsuki crossed her arms.

The old man sighed. "Listen, Miss… could you at least tell us anything you know?"

"Why should I?"

Fumi leaned in and whispered. "You really wanna pick a fight with the cops?"

Tsuki lowered her head and groaned. "Good point."

"W-what is it?" The Chief asked.

"If I tell you, you promise to show me what you've got?" Tsuki made a bold offer. "If you're gonna be asking me to put my own neck on the line, I need support."

"I thought that was obvious!" The Chief laughed. "Of course!"

He reached below him and pulled out a silver suitcase. He placed it on the table, unlatching the locks and putting his thumbs inside.

"What's that?" Tsuki asked.

"Tell me what you know, and I'll show you." The Chief latched the locks again.

"Fine…"

"So, what do you know?" Fumi turned and asked.

"There's two gangs. The first one started falling apart, so a bunch of people started a second gang." Tsuki scratched her head.

"...sounds about right." The Chief nodded.

"The second gang is the violent one. They're wearing painted masks now, not white." Tsuki continued.

"How do you know all this? Why didn't you tell me?" Fumi pouted.

"I was waiting for the right opportunity." Tsuki hid her face. "...and I only just found out about it."

"Painted masks, huh?" The Chief opened the case and revealed the contents. "Like these?"

Inside the suitcase were several damaged and chipped porcelain masks, lathered in poorly applied bright colorful paint. A few of them were totally intact, some others were nothing more than shards in plastic bags. Of the ones still in one piece, a bright red one stood out the most, below that a green and a blue one. They sat in order, as if they were important.

"Wait, gimme that!" Tsuki grabbed the blue mask.

"What's wrong?"

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"S-Somebody… told me that the man who stabbed Fumiko was wearing a blue mask now!" Tsukiko inspected the painted plastic mask carefully.

The mask was in remarkable shape, its blue gloss surface shining in the light, with not a single scratch on it. Upon further inspection, it was just a coat of spray paint over an original white and gold mask. The coat was uneven, and as her fingers ran across it, the blue began to rub off onto her finger. The underside hadn't been painted, and there were marks from where the paint had dripped onto the inner parts, leaving a few blue marks across its white bottom.

"That mask was found in the belongings of one of my officers, oddly enough." The Chief stared at the blue mask.

"Really?" Tsuki looked up at him.

The Chief reached into the briefcase and slid out a printed photo on a small piece of glossy paper. It had a plain looking man with a smiling face and a badge pinned on his chest.

"Yeah. He wasn't even related to the investigation. We just found it in one of his drawers the other day. He was pretty angry when I confiscated it." The Chief's eyes narrowed.

Tsuki shuddered. "Does that mean…"

"Tsuki." Fumi nudged her.

"...can your officer be the man who stabbed Fumi?" Tsukiko asked.

The Chief sighed. "As obvious as it may seem, we can't exactly jump to conclusions. Still, I can't think of any good reason why he'd have it."

"Hey, Tsuki, I know what you're thinking, but--" Fumi's pleas went ignored.

"Do you know where he is right now?" Tsuki stood up.

"I… I had to suspend him today. He was hiding evidence and interfering with the investigation. It's standard procedure." The Chief sighed.

"So, where is he?" Tsuki asked again.

"He just left a few minutes ago. If you run after him, you should catch him." The Chief laughed a little.

"Hey!" Fumi shouted. "Don't enable her! Don't you know what she's about to do?"

The Chief looked down at the table. "Miss Himura's tough… she can handle it, can't she?"

Tsukiko began to walk toward the door, but Fumiko caught her. "You're seriously not gonna look for him, are you?"

"Fumi, what's your deal?" Tsuki pushed her away.

Fumi tried to grab Tsuki's hand. "I know that look in your eyes. You're gonna do something stupid, aren't you?"

Tsuki looked at Fumiko for a moment. From Fumi's face, she could tell she was dead serious, but the man responsible was so, so close. Tsukiko turned and walked out the door without another word.

–

Tsuki stepped out the front door of the police department and found herself below a dark, foreboding sky, everything above her a dark, swirling grey and the ground below her shiny and wet. She started walking, in any direction, hoping to run into the man she was looking for.

The miserable storm above had all but emptied out the street, leaving fewer faces for Tsuki to scan and pick out. Most of them were ordinary people walking fast to avoid the rain, hiding their heads under their things to block the early drops.

Among the people on the street, Tsuki noticed a short man holding an umbrella, with a big cardboard box under his other arm. He had an irritated, almost angry look on his face. It only took another second for Tsukiko to recognize who he was. As she approached him, he turned the corner into an alleyway, looking around before he continued deeper.

Tsuki followed the man into the alley and shouted. "Hey!"

"Who're you?" The man asked.

"Did you stab my friend?" Tsuki spoke bluntly.

"What?"

"Did you stab my friend?" Tsuki asked again, slower.

"What the hell're you talkin' about?" The man started pacing faster. "No, I didn't stab anyone!"

Tsuki pinned the man to the wall, grabbing him by his collar. "Why did you have a blue mask?"

"Get away from me!" The man shouted.

Tsuki punched the man in the gut. "Tell me why you had a blue mask!"

"Get off of me!" The man struggled. "I dunno who the hell you are, so just back off!"

Just then, Fumiko and the Chief appeared from around the corner.

"Tsuki stop!" Fumi shouted.

"Quit lying!" Tsuki hit the man again. "I know you're in that gang, so tell me what you know!"

"I don't know anything!" The man dropped his things.

As the box slipped out of his hand and tumbled to the ground, papers and personal belongings scattered along the asphalt. Tsuki looked down and saw a black and gold mask rolling out, before landing flat.

Tsuki threw the man to the ground, shouting. "What do you know about the gang?"

The man yelped when he hit the ground, but did not speak again. In her frustration, Tsuki looked around for something. She grabbed a loose pipe off of the ground and held it up to the man.

"Tsuki, don't!" Fumiko shouted again, to no avail.

"Talk!" Tsukiko pressed the pipe against the man's cheek.

He kept quiet, instead inching away toward Fumi and the Chief. Tsukiko, so angry she was dizzy, pulled the pipe back, preparing for a swing. Fumiko ran in front of the man, protecting him, but taking a brutal hit to the arm. Tsuki'd tried to stop herself, but it was too late, and the sound of it striking Fumi made her sick to her stomach. Her mind went hazy, unable to parse what'd just happened.

"Fumi?" Tsuki blinked.

Fumi was standing here, her left arm limp but her right arm holding the Chief's service revolver, pointed at Tsuki's chest. Her aim was steady, but as the seconds passed, she started to shudder, her whole body shaking as her thumb reached for the hammer.

The gun clicked in Fumi's hand. "Put it down, Tsuki."

Tsuki could see the fear in Fumiko's eyes, and she could feel her own fear again, dragging her back down to cold, harsh reality in an instant. The pipe slipped out of her hand, making a hollow sound as it fell to the pavement. The police chief approached Fumi from behind as she began to sob and cry. Her grip was still right, but her finger moved away from the trigger.

The Chief stood by Fumiko, pulling the revolver away from her, decocking and unloading it before putting it back in its holster. His gaze went from Fumi, to Tsukiko, looking her in the eye before looking away.

"A blow from that to the head… You could've killed him." The Chief spoke quietly. "You could've killed each other.

The sudden realization hit Tsuki like a ton of bricks. "I-I'm sorry, Chief, I…"

"I know. You're not the only one at fault here, y'know. I fed you that info. I got hasty. I thought it was the right thing to do." He hid his face in shadow. "Don't kill anybody, Tsuki. Never cross that line, alright?"

"I didn't mean to, I just snapped, and--"

"Just go. Your friend's crying. Make it up to her. We'll talk later." The Chief walked a few steps away before pulling out his phone.

Fumi ran up to Tsukiko and wrapped her arms around her, still crying into her blouse. Tsuki's heart was still pounding, the Chief's words still burning in her mind.