In this corridor made of fog I find myself running towards nowhere on a journey of my own. This was my favorite reoccurring dream because I felt most in control here. With a katana in my hand I always felt so cool but my target was always the same white haired girl, eventually I started to ask,

How many times do I have to kill her?

I wondered if I had a choice in this matter and if I could dream up my preschool gym teacher instead of her. Her death certainly wasn't my fault, the inner mechanisms of my conscience are out of my control.

I stop at a distance from the white girl with white hair and wearing a plain white dress. She looked more like a blob of white sometimes and if I were to compare this to something I knew then she was a level 1 rare slime from a video game. Running up to her, my body swings the sword on its own, striking twice and painting the foggy ground red. She fell, and her last words were always, "How could you have done this?" speaking to me as if I were to take the blame.

No, If I could reply back.

My knees weaken and cause me to kneel, and my eyes start to close. The weight of blame was heavy despite me saying otherwise.

"..."

The sounds of the moving train filled the sleeping boy's ears. He was sitting by the window leaning slightly as he was dozing off more and more. He leaned to the side just a bit more until an uncomfortable pain struck him awake.

"Agh…" The boy groaned and rubbed his neck letting out a somber yawn. He stood up to grab onto a nearby pole; first alone until his blurry vision started to subside, then people started to fill the empty seats around him. The train's automated speakers announced his stop.

"Now arriving; Kashiwara Station, Osaka."

His new hometown. The boy took out his phone, flipping the top open to look at an old message detailing where he needed to go.

From Yamiko,

"Meet me outside Kashiwara station. I'll show you around town Tetsuya-san (*￣0￣*)ノ口 "

Sep 13

He then closed his phone as the train came to a slow stop. The pole shuttered and he felt himself be pulled by the weight of inertia before the train calmly crawled then stopped completely. The automated voice on the speakers would announce the stop once more, and when the train doors opened a new journey began. The boy walked out with his head held high and a grin on his face that showed his excitement for diving into the unknown.

A chill wind met his skin as he stepped out into open air. Puddles formed in the depressions on the concrete platform reflected the sky back upwards, which was an overcast bathing gloom onto the industrial city that surrounded the station.

The somber boy was average in looks, holding a soft look but determined gaze. This boy in question was born in nothing but the premonition for violence, constantly reliving the same nostalgic dream that he had forgotten now, but would remember vaguely everytime it returned to his unconscious mind. Whether or not it was foresight for his one true love; he had never encountered an all white girl in an all white dress and pure white personality. This boy would go on feinting ignorance towards his predicament for he knew nothing. Mixed with the crowd pouring out of the station, he then parted from the flock in search of a lady named on his phone.

The lady he searched for wasn't ordinary judging by her name, and the boy remembered from his education the first of many words he would learn, that being "Yami" which often translated to shadow or darkness. -ko was the ending but written in hiragana therefore it held no inherent meaning. If he had to guess what the lady looked like judging by her name, she had to be dark. A dark personality or dark in skin color, it was left to his eyes to see, and in looking around, there was no one of the latter description.

His eyes drifted down to his phone's screen still open on the last message she sent to him. A shadow then creeped from behind in the background of his vision, and at first he thought nothing of it until it grew larger and larger in size, and took the shape of a mythical beast.

"ー!" Startled by the shadow, The boy student swiftly spun around only for his horror to calm and his eyes to set on a lady with deep purple hair. She waved unenthusiastically at him. "You look lost… are you Hyde Tetsuya..?"

Hyde nodded, then his eyes narrowed to form a stern look directed at her. "I'm looking for a dark woman." He said with an air of foreboding.

The lady giggled in response then offered out her hand. "I am Yamiko Clotaire. If you will… Allow me to take your luggage."

Hyde swung around his suitcase leaning the handle for her to snatch before it tipped over. After an awkward laugh from her, Yamiko pulled the suitcase. First walking backwards to ensure the boy followed before looking ahead.

She spoke to fill the silence, "This city looks like America… don't you think?" Even though she knew Hyde hadn't been. He had only seen from pictures she mailed during a short trip away, and if he had to guess what more the city looked like—crossing underneath the darkness of a rail underpass, he would guess America was big, industrial, dense, and most importantly grand. Coming in school uniform attire, he thought himself to be out of place surrounded mostly by suited individuals including Yamiko herself. The occasional casually dressed person were far and few inbetween. A cigarette and fedora would've saturated his contrast in this painting that was of sepia tone.

He found himself slowing down and looking around in awe of his new home town then hurried his pace to keep up with Yamiko's stroll. "Osaka's a hotspot for industrialization… All in an effort to… explore the Severed Isles further south. Many boats are needed… to explore and… to attack."

Hyde simply nodded, not understanding the full picture or context of the world he inhabited. Having escaped the train station's bustling tourism and shadowy underpass, the once taller buildings looming over his presences shortened in height and the pedestrians sparse. Kashiwara advertised itself as a small town, small soul for wandering hearts like his own. Yamiko stopped across the street and pointed to a building on the horizon. Hyde had to squint and tilt around to see just the roof of the place they would be staying.

"That is the Dormitory we'll be living in. Though if you so choose… there is still time… to attend your school orientation if you… run now."

Given a choice he took the path of least responsibility leaving her with his suitcases while he ran off. Typical for him and she hadn't given him instructions to the dormitory he'd be staying in yet.

"I suppose I’ll just...text him again… But," Yamiko paused and wondered out loud.

"Hyde… I wonder how his vacation was."

────── 〔✿〕──────

Hyde Tetsuya was the name of this determined boy.

"...A new transfer student."

That was his occupation in this world. Drawing his name on the chalkboard in 18 strokes which happened to be his age. The first character "Tetsu" being 10 strokes and the second "ya" being 8 strokes, and as for his first name "Hyde" he wrote horizontally in english because pronunciation was a big factor in whether he viewed one as a friend or foe who didn't pay attention in english class. He turned to face the class straight faced against their heads collectively tilted. The notion that he'd write his name in english was an inconvenience making himself appear like an oddity amongst students. His inner thoughts were screaming, he cursed himself for not just using katakana.

"Your seat is back there by the window." The male teacher pointed across the classroom at an empty desk one column away from the window.

That was his seat in this world—beside a red haired girl and to his left, empty, for no one could take the window seat.

"Ahem!" He cleared his throat as he sat.

Hyde Tetsuya was a 4th year student with long shaggy brown hair and ocean blue eyes. Dressed in Ibunroku Academy's uniform, a buttoned blazer over a white buttoned shirt accented with a green ribbon, and lastly his pants had a dark green plaid pattern texting it. The female uniform was the same, though naturally they wore a long skirt instead of pants. But this introduction wasn't about uniforms, it was about himself, the self proclaimed wanderer of a world he, for some reason, couldn't remember well. Rubbing two brain cells didn't yield any of the answers he wanted. Every memory before boarding the train to meet Yamiko was hazy, including his childhood and even the reason he was put in Yamiko's care.

This prestigious school he was put into was due to his high grades, but Hyde felt that his skills were untrained. Not that it mattered since apparently this school's popularity decreased over the years and the prerequisites for attending faded away. Whether he was formally invited or attended on his own accord remained a mystery, but it held little importance in the grand scheme of things.

What did matter was the strangest occurrence so far—why did Yamiko's shadow look like a dragon? It was something he couldn't wrap his logic around since it was so illogical, granted, he knew nothing for his betterment. Shaking off the initial thoughts recapping his journey so far, he moved his eyes to inspect the students in his classroom. Many students snuck quick glances at him, especially the red haired girl that sat on his right who stood out among many others with naturally dark hair colors. Past her, among the regular humans were an animal eared species named rushè. Pointed sharp-eared boys and cat-eared girls were plentiful in his school; there were girls with rabbit ears sprouting from their heads, and some with tall fox ears and bushy tails. The pattern separating both sexes was that only females could have animalistic features while the males only had pointed ears of various lengths. Aside from their unique features that separated them from humans, they didn’t seem particularly interesting on the surface.

Well now with his introduction all wrapped up, he leaned back in his seat and spared a second thought about the one core issue that was his lost memories. Then quickly tossed that thought aside because despite it all, the main goal of his story, this story, was to make the most of his last school year. Finding someone to fall in love with, attending the school's events, cultural festival, club meets, and getting into trouble by accidentally bumping into a girl or getting into arguments about the mundane.

ーBut sitting in a classroom like this wasn't going to give him that excitement he desired, and he hoped for a fast day to move onto more interesting places, still needing to find the dormitory he would be living in. So when the teacher for the first subject entered the classroom, his brain turned off and the rest of the day flew by.

On his way home, Hyde held his phone open on Yamiko's newest text which had all the instructions for getting used to the small town. From details about the dormitory to the rules and other valuable information, it was his go to guide for settling in. After exploring the area to become acquainted with the landmarks, he eventually arrived at the dormitory—an imposing, hotel structure that stood tall among the neighboring buildings of similar height.

In a hurry he pressed his hand against the door only to slam his face against it. The door was a lot heavier than it looked. Luckily no one was around to see his screwup. After scanning the area making sure of the prior fact, he pushed his full body against the door to creak a narrow opening to slide inside, then letting the heavy door slam shut on its own. Often his uniform wrinkled and he would brush it down accordingly.

His eyes scanned around the warm brown interior, finding a green couch in front of the TV placed near the wall, a table near the back meant for morning or late night dining, and stairs that lead up to the upper floors. The usual things found in a lobby, but what was most pleasant of all was the piano's melody that accompanied his entrance, a sound by the far corner of the room. The lady at the piano stopped on the last key finishing her play with grace.

In the silence between himself and her, he spoke up. "Shijun-Mi Dormitory, right? It's me, Hyde Tetsuya."

The purple haired lady at the piano pushed away, sliding in her office chair from the piano to beside Hyde. Legs crossed and hands rested on her lap, she had a completely blank expression that switched to a friendly smile.

Hyde always used the term lady to describe Yamiko because she had an elegant flair specific to her that no ordinary woman could achieve. A mix of handsome with an angled bob cut naturally colored purple along with her narrow eyes. Two black scrunchies hung from the longer side of her hair, adding a hint of cuteness to her otherwise pretty sexy smooth skin, and slender legs. Her attire resembled that of an office secretary. A black buttoned blouse with thin white stripes, adorned with a large white ribbon around the collar. A smooth dark pencil skirt just at the right length to show her full pantyhose cover legs, and instead of heels she chose to wear slippers since she was always behind the counter working.

"Greetings Hyde Tetsuya... and welcome. It'd been… quite some time since you were in my care. Now that you see me… and my work here… allow me to introduce myself more formally. I am Yamiko Clotaire, the headmaster of this dorm...and all things detective." She moved her chair to the front desk, grabbing a clipboard then pushed herself back to Hyde. "I need you to sign this contract."

Hyde took the clipboard and was given a pen. A couple of scribbles later and he returned the clipboard with the pen.

"Thank you." Yamiko said, she then tossed the contact back to the counter without looking.

Hyde awkwardly scratched the back of his head watching the contact hit the edge of the counter then fall. Yamiko then proceeded to unsheath a ring of keys from her pocket and picked out one to give to him. "Room 8 on the second floor. I already placed your luggage there…"

Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

Hyde looked at the key which had his room number engraved on it. Luckily it was just on the second floor so walks in and out would be a breeze.

The sound of the doors slamming shut took his attention and at the entrance he saw a red haired girl wearing the Ibunroku uniform standing at the entrance. The same girl that stared at him in class. She and Hyde glanced at each other, Hyde's neutral stare and the stranger's brown eyes full of interest. She smiled, "I remember you!"

Hyde raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me, do I know you?"

She closed the distance at an uncomfortable pace. "You don't recognize me?! We sat next to each other and when I tried talking to you at the end of class, you walked away."

"And..?" His point was the same. Nonetheless in front of Yamiko he sought to look respectful. "I'm Hyde Tetsuya."

"Nice to meet you Hyde! My name is Mary Hitoshikawa—" She tried to bow at a 90 degree angle but ended up ramming her head into Hyde's chest. The wind was knocked out of his sails and he fell flat onto the rug covered floor. A position he was all too used to, that is, sleeping on the floor. "Ah, Hyde!" She would cry and it would be an ugly whining reminisce of a troublesome child caught in the act. Her voice was loud and pretty annoying. If he pretended to be dead then perchance she would go away.

"Hyde…" Yamiko said, and the bore in her tone was enough to force him back to his feet. He would stand tall then slouch after realizing his mistake. He couldn't fake his death and sucking up his woes once more, straightening out, he said, "Let's be friends Mary." Not attempting to hide the dullness in his tone.

"Yes!" She took a hold of his hand clasped between both of hers. He was going to wash his hands for certain after this encounter. "Let's be friends and make this school year of ours the best!"

Yeah it was going to be the best. Certainly, and he was going to make sure of that, believing this girl to be the first catalyst of that. Moreso the first step of a step ladder leading him into the next day, where Yamiko would awaken him with a playful smack of a rolled-up newspaper and assign him the duty of escorting a first-year student to school. An odd request but it intrigued him enough to do it without further question.

He dressed in his uniform, took his school bag and took off in a hurry, making sure to drag the girl requested by the arm to create a sense of urgency that sparked fear in the pink haired girl's eyes. She was a first year and didn't have a clue as to what Hyde was doing when he stylishly hopped down the entrance steps, then frantically looked both ways.

"We're not gonna make it to school on time without a bike!" He exclaimed, turning his head back to see her visibly shaken. Without saying anything she shyly pointed to a bike rack off to the side where one pastel blue colored bike was parked. Complete with a front basket and luggage rack at the rear. If he had written down everything on his bucket list then stealing would be crossed off like crossing the street; he rode on calmly contrary to the fib told to the girl using the luggage rack as a makeshift seat, and she held onto his back with shaky hands as he was both a stranger and looked the part of a lunatic who just stole a bike for fun.

Together they stopped at the school gates and kept their eyes glued to the building. Well this pink haired girl did, Hyde spent his time sneaking glances at her with his head inching ever so slightly with every peek. Her eyes were red as rubies and long hair silky as powdered snow. Her blazer was unbuttoned so a big red bow around her collar could be shown. When she caught him staring, she turned her head to face him and he snapped his back towards the school building. In Hyde's head it wasn't awkward but the young girl found it to be.

Then Mary entered between them, arriving at seemingly a similar time he did only because a majority of his bike ride was spent being lost on his way. She elbowed Hyde first. "Hiya! How come you didn't wait for me Hyde? We could've walked together as new students." Then she swiveled around to hold her hand out for the young pink haired girl. "Are you Hyde's friend already? Hi, my name is Mary Hitoshikawa."

The girl stared at Mary oddly before speaking. "Sonohoka. But… Hoka is fine."

During Mary's annoying introduction in which she spastically shook Hoka's hand, Hyde took the rolled up newspaper from his school bag and the front article instantly caught his eye. A black and white image of a particular criminal that "cannot be caught". Investigators and local officials were struggling trying to catch the masked man who they called "Soap" due to an event where he made an impossible getaway only leaving behind such an item as evidence. The claim seemed somewhat ridiculous but is possible if using the magic of this worldー

"That’s interesting isn’t it?" Mary looked at the two to see their reactions to the story. Hoka nodded slowly and Hyde had nothing to say. He rolled up the newspaper, lazily putting it away in his bag and moving on to class.

Within the confines of the classroom Hyde thought of ways to get himself away from Mary. Finding her way too talkative, he had to find other people to talk with to not deal with his redheaded friend all the time, and by a divine blessing his calls were answered coming in the form of a blonde boy entering the classroom wearing a cowboy hat that defiled conventional school attire.

"Howdy teach!" Complete with a forced accent, the cowboy hat wearing blonde offered a wave at the teacher. However his greeting wasn't reciprocated by equal enthusiasm, instead opposite, a scowl. Stepping directly into Dakota's path, the teacher effectively halted his progress. Arms crossed in a stance of authority, he issued his command: "Remove the hat, Dakota."

"You know I can’t do that." Dakota placed his finger on the edge of his hat and delicately traced the rim. "The parts ‘round here are dangerous. I’m here now but who knows when Soap takes me out for knowing too much."

"It won’t take long for your parents to know about your failing grades. Now take off the hat and go to your seat."

"Alright…" With a trace of reluctance, Dakota lifted the hat from his head and begrudgingly made his way to his seat.

Mary leaned over to whisper to Hyde. "What a delinquent. Does he think he’s American or something?"

"Are you American?"

"Only half I think." She replied.

Interesting detail, but Hyde refocused back on the teacher. A jerk of a man since he was giving the class a test, it's barely been two days! There was no use complaining, that wasn't Hyde's thing. Class went on without any problems and before he knew it, the last bell rung. Students stood up and left or stayed, doing their various activities. None which concerned Hyde. His concerns were fixated on the wannabe cowboy known as Dakota.

Mary stood from her seat. "What? He seems like a weirdo though."

"Perhaps, but he's connected to Soap somehow." Hyde mused, slinging his bag over his shoulder. He excused himself to get away from Mary for the time being, traveling the bustling halls—inadvertently brushing shoulders with other students as he ran his way down the hall pursuing the fabled cowboy. And down the stairs he would find a glimpse of his hat above the crowd. It was only once they were both outside by the school's metal gate that the cowboy pivoted, his attention caught by Hyde's stumbling footsteps and breathless stop.

Hyde played off his exhaustion by leaning back and running his hands through the bangs of his hair simultaneously wiping the sweat off his forehead. His plan was to act as casually as possible to lure Dakota into friendship. "Hey, I’m Hyde Tetsuya. Give me your name." Hyde said.

Smile? Check. Casually brushing down hair to look nonchalant? Check. Though he figured his manner of speech could use some work.

Dakota's smirk matched Hyde's, and he casually settled his cowboy hat back onto his head. "Is this a shake down? Ha! I’m Dakota Tsuyoi, local cowboy and somehow failing. But I’m working on it to make this last year of mine perfect."

Their goals were aligned though Hyde didn't completely think this interaction thoroughly. His mind flipped the script of interesting topics beyond asking how the weather was today, and he landed on the news article he read prior.

Dakota rubbed his chin. "Crime's pretty bad here in Osaka. Soap is inspiring a whole generation of criminals and the police can't catch him. However I did hear the Boss of the Royal Floral Detective Agency was close to cornering him."

"Detective agency? What’s that?" Hyde asked and a slight head tilt followed.

"A cafe and private agency led by Midare Amayda. It’s a pretty good cafe from what I heard and an even better agency."

The chattering click of the bike's chain accompanied each step Hoka took. The sound signaled her intrusion, and it took Hyde a moment to comprehend the situation. Taking hold of the bike's handle, he expressed his gratitude to her before swinging his leg over the frame. "Come on, Dakota, let's—"

His sentence was cut short when the bike's weight shifted unexpectedly. Hoka had positioned herself on the rear seat as if following an order. Hyde tilted his head slightly, his tone tinged with reluctance. "Uh, Hoka, I need you to step off the luggage rack. You might damage it."

She flickered a look of surprise before hopping off. Hyde then turned to face Dakota. "Alright, hop on."

"Phew, I was afraid I might have to walk." Dakota remarked, opting to stand on the two pegs connected near the back wheel. Hyde pressed his foot down on the pedal and together they left Hoka in the dust.

The city stores offered pleasant sights as Hyde observed them, mentally noting the various locals he passed, including an arcade and a grocery store. Together they strolled under another underpass and stopped in front of an unmarked building that seemed like the centerpiece of the avenue judging by the exterior adorned with tables and chairs underneath umbrellas. The presence of which invited people to sit but the chilly winds discouraged outdoor dining.

Hyde looked at Dakota after leaving his bike to lean on one of the tables. "How far is this from Shujin-mi Dormitory?"

"Uhh," Dakota lowered his hat. "It doesn't take long. Yeah…"

"Looks fancy. Let’s go inside." Hyde then entered the building with Dakota.

Whereas the outside was vacant, the inside was bustling with active staff and customers alike. The murmuring of the customers both hushed and exuberant filled as the background sound, mixed with the seemingly infinite footsteps against creaking wood. Soft light emanated from fixtures suspended from the ceiling, casting a warm glow that seemed to wrap the space in a cozy embrace but a crowded space was anything but comfortable for Hyde.

Hyde and Dakota stood out like a sore thumb doing nothing but standing in awe by the entrance doors and because of that, they were quickly approached by a barista with dark green hair and sunglasses always covering his eyes. The green apron around his shirt and vest didn't have a logo or insignia, this agency was entirely private.

"Are you lost? We’re quite busy right now." The barista aimed his thumb over his shoulder. "If you're looking for a seat, sorry to break it to you, but we're packed."

Dakota lowered his hat. "Well this was a letdown."

The man crossed his arms. "Didn't you see the sign? It's reservations only right now."

Hyde and Dakota looked back to see that the sign hanging on the door had fallen off. It wasn't Hyde's fault that happened, the wind must've blown it hard enough for the string to cross off the nail it hung on.

The barista stroked his forehead and let out a groan. "Jeez, just get out okay? If you want to hang out somewhere then go to that arcade down the street."

"So be it. Sorry for botherin’ ya.''

The blunt switch of the man's attitude made the boys feel awkward for stepping in. They coped at their loss in the brick walled arcade. A cramped and feeling place as the arcade cabinets were close together creating aisles for at most two to walk together in. Apart from them, only the uninterested manager behind the front counter was present, too engrossed in a magazine to pay any attention towards entering customers.

Hyde leaned his back on a crane machine and crossed his arms coolly. "Well then... Is the agency always like that?"

"Kinda. This is the first time I heard about needing reservations. I'm curious about what they're planning." He shrugged then looked at the various games. "I guess we have nothing better to do than to play games, yeah?"

Hyde scratched his head. "I don't have much in my wallet."

By fate or happenstance, a blonde-haired woman fox rush approached them. Dressed in a maid outfit, she greeted with a curtesy before reaching into her skirt pocket and taking out two yen from her wallet. "I don’t mind lending you some money if you need it."

"The offer is kind but we-"

"Accepted." Hyde snatched the money from her hand. He then frowned at her outfit, noticing the tailoring was that of a high clothing brand. Clearly her uniform was commissioned by how well it fitted her slender form. He had to ask, "Is there a maid cafe around here?"

"Oh, this?" The maid touched her long skirt. "It’s a gift for getting employed at the Royal Floral Detective Agency. The boss herself hired me on the spot. Unfortunately I have to wait until tomorrow since her hands are full right now."

Suddenly, a clamor erupted outside. Where there's a crowd there's definitely trouble brewing, and a one time event that only those who were there could experience. Hyde ran outside in a hurry, leaving the fox maid to watch from behind the glass doors.

The commotion came from the crowd circling an ongoing fight between a trenchcoat wearing woman and top hat criminal. It was like out of a book, that of a detective Hyde presumed the woman to be, and the eternal freedom criminal who always managed to slip away. A coincidence as the criminal before him was Soap, recognized from the picture Hyde saw in the newspaper. Seeing the real deal with his own eyes was dream-like. He had a flair of elegance and mystery along with the cape around his shoulders swaying with the wind. A white mask that was visor-like, hiding his eyes and nose and on top of his head was a top hat many recognized him for.

Hyde had to push himself through the crowd to get a good look at the fight, managing to get in front of an older male to see. Soap had taken a child from the crowd as hostage, holding a knife to the boy's throat, and the woman across from him kept her pistol aimed high.

"Let go of the kid. This battle is between me and you." Her tone was deadpan but still carried her threats.

The man moved his knife away from the young boy's neck to spin it in a stylish manner. "I wouldn’t come here in broad daylight for nothi—"

Cutting his sentence short, The detective fired a bullet at the knife with seemingly impossible human accuracy. It struck the knife, sending it out of his grasp, but he predicted this outcome and pulled the boy back as he took an unexpected advance closer. His arm whipped from his pocket across the detective's face, delivering a slash with a butterfly knife, causing her to reel back along with the pistol flying out of her hands so she could cover the bleeding cut.

The pistol slid across the pavement and stopped at Hyde's feet. It was fated for him to intervene. He'd never wielded a gun before, but the idea was so exciting that he just had to pick it up.

He stepped out of the crowd and pointed the gun at Soap thinking this was going to be easy, but when he pulled the trigger, the weight of the gun went from zero to unmanageable–the recoil staggered up his arm and Soap smacked the bullet out of the air with his knife. Switching his grip to a proper firearm hold, Hyde aimed again only for Dakota to run past and get in the way of his aim.

"Don’t worry, I’ll hold ‘em down!" Dakota shouted as he blindly rushed towards Soap.

It was a pathetic tactic but it was all he had at his disposal. Soap evaded the attack with a high hop, landing on Dakota's back and using it as a platform to jump further up and onto the roof of a building, getting away like a breeze of wind. He was the wind, coming and going wherever he pleased.

With the battle finished, Hyde pumped his fist having scared off the most notorious criminal and without even needing to try hard. The moment of cheer was short though, needing to check the condition of the woman that was struck. "That looked like it hurt." He knelt at her side.

She moved her bloody hand away from her face. "It's just a tiny wound- tch!" With a winced she returned her hand over the injury.

"I’m not a doctor, but someone in this city is." Hyde held out his hand to help her stand.

But the woman pushed it aside. "Go home, or else I'll charge you with obstruction of justice."

This was his repayment for saving her life? Hyde furrowed a brow at being told to screw off so plainly. He dropped her pistol and stomped off the premises before anyone could ask why, or if he worked with the woman.