"Yo, you ready, Tsuki?" Haruka's voice pierced through Tsukiko's idle daydream.

Tsuki sat on the steps in front of her family’s home, staring down at the ground. Her eyes meandered back and forth slowly, counting each little scuff on the pavement leading to the street.

The sun had just hit its highest point, lighting up the world to its brightest point. The massive shadows cast by the clouds meandered around, filtering the pure sunlight. The sky beyond the white, fluffy pillows was a deep, powerful blue.

Haruka's face filled Tsukiko's vision. It was the same face she'd known her whole life, looking back down at her. It was still a strange feeling, after thinking for so long that she'd be gone forever.

Even though they had fought again just a few days ago, the pain they'd endured was gone again. Neither of them was any good at holding grudges. It must have run in the family.

Tsukiko wasn't paying attention, so she muttered a vague response. "Yeah, yeah, never better."

"You OK there?" Haruka leaned in closer.

"Y-yeah." Tsuki stuttered.

"Here." Haruka held her head down and shoved something forward.

Tsuki looked down and saw the navy blue jacket and hat again.

"...this again?"

Haruka shook her head. "It's not permanent. We'll get you fitted for your own jacket."

Tsukiko scratched her head. "It's not that, it's just--"

"Yeah, I know it'll be tight around the chest but, again, we'll get it custom fit!" Haruka groaned.

Tsuki frowned. "If it mattered so much to you before, why're you handing it over now?"

"...I thought a long time about what Sylvie said. I think having you matters more than this stupid thing." Haruka put a hand on Tsukiko's shoulder.

"Haru…"

"I know it's not your style, but try it. If anything, it'll give you a little protection out there." Haruka weakly smiled.

Tsuki sighed. "I'm sorry, I didn't really intend for this to happen."

"Neither did I, but someday I knew my little sis would have to fend for herself." Haruka wrapped an arm around Tsukiko.

Tsuki avoided eye contact. "You think we'll find ‘em?"

"Maybe, but right now, that doesn’t matter."

Haruka grabbed her sister's head and turned it back to face her. "Hey, look at me."

"Wha--"

"Promise me you won't abandon that jacket." Haruka moved her hands down to Tsuki’s shoulders.

"It's not mine." Tsuki made a weird face.

"You know what I mean, don't you?"

"C'mon, out with it."

"I want you to be a good person. If you're gonna get a jacket of your own, I want you to fight to protect people. Fight for a good cause."

Tsuki shook her head. "This ain't my battle."

Haruka sighed. "You're not just fighting for yourself out there, right?"

"That's rich coming from you." Tsuki chuckled.

"...what's it gonna take?" Haruka looked Tsukiko right in the eye.

Tsuki didn't blink. "Only if you do it too."

"You know it." Haruka smiled. "We're sisters for life. Never forget that."

Tsukiko managed to escape Haruka's grip. "I thought I wasn't worthy."

Haruka spoke quietly. "C'mon, don't make me take that back, alright?"

They stood in silence before Haruka opened the jacket and put it on her sister's shoulders.

"I feel like a soldier." Tsuki laughed.

Haruka shook her head. "Not a soldier. A knight. This is your armor."

"Oh, it's armor now?" Tsuki mocked.

Haru raised an open hand. "Don't talk shit, this jacket might save your ass someday. I owe my life to this thing."

"Jeez, you sound like a character from a bad action movie." Tsuki backed away.

Tsukiko put her arms in each sleeve, and the fit was a bit tight. Fortunately, when she flexed her arms, it didn't seem restrictive at all. It was surprisingly comfortable.

"Yeah, yeah, we'll iron that out. Yours won't be blue or black. I'm thinking…" Haruka moved back and made a little square with her hands.

Tsuki shrugged. "Why not red? I got my ribbons, and I won't be able to wear ‘em with the hat."

Haruka closed one eye and looked through the square. "Mmm… Green?"

"Too soldier-y." Tsukiko protested.

"Brown!"

Tsuki played with the buttons on the jacket. "Maybe…"

"Nope!" Haruka parted her hands and stood normally. "Brown’s kind of a boring color."

"Does it really matter?" Tsuki scratched her head.

Haruka kept staring as she tried to decide which color fit best. "You'd be surprised what a symbol can do."

"You've got a point…"

Haruka opened her other eye and put her hands down. "I'm trying to figure out how we'd add some red to your outfit."

Tsuki looked down at her clothes. "Can I be honest with you?"

"What is it?" Haruka got a little closer.

"...I don't know if this is for me, y'know?" Tsuki scratched her head.

"What do you mean?" Haruka asked.

"I just wanna find the guy who hurt Fumi and end it there." Tsuki admitted.

"I'm still getting you fitted." Haruka shook her head.

"...can you really cover this?"

"Of course I can. I… know somebody."

Tsuki groaned. "Uh huh."

"I was like you at first, but… it felt right, y'know?" Haruka squinted as she designed an outfit in her head.

"What? Picking fights on the street doesn't really sound like my idea of a good time." Tsuki protested.

Haruka grabbed Tsuki and turned her around. "Seriously, just give it a chance, alright?"

"You almost done here?" Tsuki shouted.

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"Almost…" Haruka leaned forward on one leg till she was about to fall over. "I got it!"

The older girl tried to regain her balance, but fell over onto the ground.

Just then, a familiar accent broke through. "Heyyyy, you guys ready yet?" Sylvie shouted from out on the street.

"Ouch." Haru slowly stood up. "You ready?"

Tsukiko took the signal and replied. "Yeah, let's do this."

Haruka presented the outfit's flat-top billed hat. It was still adorned with little bits of gold. Haru untied her sister's red ribbon, and knotted it onto a little gold accent.

"There, now you look tough." Haruka smiled with her eyes shut.

"Hello?" Sylvie whined.

"Coming!" Tsukiko dragged her sister out into the street.

--

"This is it." Sylvie sat down in the grass.

The group sat in a patch of tall, unkempt grass across from another abandoned warehouse. This one was far, far taller, and generally larger than the Damascene's Headquarters. It was in better shape too. A burning stare of jealousy tainted Sylvie's face.

Even from here, they could hear loud music, and see flashing, colorful lights blinking through the windows. Outside were dozens of cardboard boxes and wooden crates, all but confirming that the Shakudos had bought all of the liquor themselves.

"Bastards." Sylvie growled.

Haruka sat next to her and laid a hand on her leg. "You seriously getting mad over that? Focus."

"I just wish we didn't have to leave Fumiko behind." Tsukiko kneeled beside them.

"Sorry, it's too risky. Besides, she doesn't know how to fight yet." Haruka assured her.

"Yet?" Tsuki turned to Haruka.

"Everyone's got to learn self-defense someday. Gotta learn to use those hands outside of the bedroom." Haru's face contorted into a mocking grin.

Tsukiko hid her red face.

Sylvie chimed in. "Just for emergencies, y'know. Maybe she could help out someday, but for now, let’s focus on this."

"I wish we wouldn't have to worry about that." Tsuki stared down at the grass.

"We won't have to for much longer." Kazuo spun the cylinder on his revolver.

"Put that away, you idiot!" Tsukiko grabbed his wrist.

"Calm down, they're rubber!" Kaz struggled.

Tsuki bared her teeth. "I don't care."

"It's just for emergencies!" Kaz pulled his hand away.

"He has a point, Tsuki. Just make sure it’s not your first instinct." Haruka cut in with a surprisingly calm voice.

Sylvie stood up. "Look at you, finally acting like the big sister type. It makes me kinda happy."

"One of us has to clean up Tsukiko's mess." Haru’s teeth looked sharper than usual.

After a moment of silence, Sylvie moved forward from the vantage point, closer to the warehouse. She approached the side of the warehouse and motioned for the others to move.

Sylvie and Kazuo would come in from the sides, mostly for support, while the two Knights would come in from the front doors. As simple as the plan seemed, it was more clever than anything any of them had done in the past.

Haruka and Tsukiko stood in front of the door, waiting for their signal. The younger girl carried a worried look on her face, but the older one looked down at her with a smile. The same toothy grin both of them were used to.

"It'll be fine, Tsukiko." Haruka tried to soothe her.

Tsuki sighed in relief. Suddenly, their phones started vibrating, and they forced open the doors. Before them was a room filled with people in black robes and masks. As they burst in, the music cut off, and the colored lights went dark.

The interior seemed dull and barren, with no tables or drinks. The only light inside was the weak orange light filtered in through the open doors and the large windows above. A wave of heat hit both Knights in the face as they forced the doors open.

Sylvie was kicking Shakudos down by the dozens, spinning around like a dancer, always in motion to have her momentum power her moves. She moved gracefully, always keeping her opponents at a distance. She seemed to have a sixth sense, being able to counter attacks coming from behind, even in the middle of a rather chaotic battle.

Kazuo pulled his weight, despite his relative lack of experience. The PI fought like a street brawler, but he was tough. All of his force went into each strike, knocking down Shakudos rather easily. He scanned his opponents for opening before attacking, targeting them all one at a time.

Tsukiko would take them on one at a time, weakening her opponents, before slamming them into the ground with a great kick. She tried her best to learn from the fighters around her. Her footwork was much quicker than it had been just a few weeks earlier. This increase in speed helped her avoid hits and break through her opponent’s guard.

Haruka, being the most experienced and qualified, was brutal. It was almost as if something within her had awakened. Nearly every attack targeted her opponent’s head or legs, sending them straight to the ground. She felt no guilt from kicking her opponents while they were down.

Yet, something didn't seem right. At some time during her fights, Tsukiko felt something strange. She felt as if there was something missing, or at least there was a certain detail she wasn’t quite noticing. Her subconscious was bothering her, but she tried to ignore it.

Whatever the case, the group continued their battle, making quick work of the Shakudos. Tsuki hadn't even worked up much of a sweat. All together, it only took them a few minutes to clear out most of the room.

There was no guiding force, or leader. Some of them even ran out of the building as they watched their comrades fall. The few that stuck around to fight barely knew how to punch, let alone fight. They seemed more like school children than hardened criminals.

As the robed figures fell, the sounds of the skirmish started to die down. In the new silence, Tsukiko heard something. She struggled to pinpoint the location. She looked from side to side, watching the others fight.

She took a moment to catch her breath. Everything went muffled. Her hands ached, and her feet throbbed. When the sound came out again, Tsuki tried to ignore it.

Her subconscious started bothering her again. There was a strange feeling in her stomach. Something dripped from the ceiling and hit her in the nose. She looked up and another drop fell in her mouth. It had a strange, nostalgic taste.

Tsuki squinted and noticed a strange thing hanging from the ceiling. It looked like a grotesque mess of loosely connected wooden pieces and rope. More brown drops fell from the bizarre, hanging thing.

As Tsuki watched the hanging thing, she suddenly heard a sound come from it. The sound was a horrid scream. She froze in terror when she saw whatever the thing was wobble and swing.

There was a catwalk overhead that could reach whatever the hanging thing was. Tsukiko left her allies behind to run to a nearby ladder, climbing up as quickly as she could to reach the catwalk. Once on top, she held onto the rail and moved as quickly as she could.

As Tsuki came closer, someone inside of the wooden thing spoke. "Help me!"

The horrible realization made Tsuki’s skin crawl. "Lily? Are you OK?"

"Help me!" Lily wiggled and struggled in the dripping wooden frame.

"I'll get you down from there!" Tsuki backed away.

Tsukiko scanned the room to look for any sort of way to save her friend. There was a rope, holding Lily up, looped around some scaffolding and tied to a rail at the far end of the warehouse. A Shakudo with a peculiar looking mask stood where the rope ended, watching Tsukiko carefully.

The figure flicked open a silver lighter and held it against the rope. In less than a second, flames began to run down the rope, toward the wooden frame.

In seconds, the flames swallowed the wooden thing. It exploded, as Lily's shouts and screams echoed through the building, reaching the rest of them below.

Tsukiko broke into a sprint toward the end of the rope pulley. The strange figure began to walk away from the rope as she approached. She tried her best to come up with a good plan, but there was nothing she could do.

She tried to run as fast as she could, struggling to breathe. In a last ditch effort, she broke the knot, sending the wooden thing to the ground. She dreaded whatever was going to happen next.

The sound of the wood exploding and splintering into pieces on the warehouse floor made Tsukiko sick to her stomach. She only looked at the flaming mess for a moment before looking away. She managed to catch a glimpse of the person responsible.

It looked at her for a moment, before dropping down the ladder and running out. Tsuki managed to get a good look at his mask. It was black and bronze, with strange dents and scrapes all over it.

When Tsuki slid down to the ground floor, Lily was lying underneath a large pile of still flaming wood. As she ran forward, the pile exploded, extinguishing the flames around Lily.

The wood on top of Lily had been destroyed in the explosion, leaving her out in the open. The rest of the warehouse had been consumed by fire, spreading a thick, black smoke.

An unspoken truce between the two sides had quickly taken effect, with the Shakudos stopping to drag away their injured and unconscious, letting their opponents escape the blaze.

Haruka even took the time to help them. She walked out, carrying some of her enemies on her shoulder.. For this moment, their battle did not exist.

Tsuki cursed herself as she kneeled down and found Lily’s face stained with tears and dirt. Miraculously, Lily herself was completely unburned. Her skin looked as if she hadn’t even touched the flames.

Her clothes had clearly been charred, but her flesh seemed to be unharmed. Tsukiko reached out to touch Lily. She ran her fingers through Lily’s hair, before placing her hand on the girl’s cheek.

It took awhile for her to regain her focus. The world around her muffled for a moment as she tried to assess the situation. It wasn't until Haruka shouted at her that she was able to return to reality.

As the fire grew, Tsuki grabbed the young girl and held her tightly, immediately heading for the exit. She was blind to everything else, the only thing that mattered was Lily's safety.

Kazuo ran to a side door, forcing it open and letting out some of the suffocating smoke. Haruka searched the room for survivors. She ran back and forth, rescuing Shakudos from falling rubble and dragging out unconscious ones.

Sylvie, rather selfishly, searched the place for anything interesting. Despite the raging fire and suffocating smoke, she refused to leave. She checked every nook and cranny she could, avoiding the fire to look for important documents and papers.

"Sylvie, let's get outta here!" Haru shouted.

"No way." Sylvie ran around the warehouse. "We haven't found anything good!"

Haruka ran after Sylvie. "They lit the whole thing on fire, you idiot!"

"It's fine!"

Haruka grabbed Sylvie by the collar. "I’m not letting you die in here! Let’s go!"

Tsukiko tightened her grip on Lily. She was glad the young girl was safe, but she wouldn't dare loosen her grip. Every time Lily stirred in her arms, her frustration grew stronger.

One by one, the others exited the building after a short delay. Kaz ran out of the building, panting and looking back in horror. Parts of it had begun to fall down and collapse. The fire hadn't spread, thankfully, but it was still a terrifying sight.

Haruka dragged out an unconscious Sylvie. There was a big red boot mark across the blonde's face. In her other arm, she had a large cardboard box.

"Haruka, we gotta get Lily to the hospital!" Tsukiko panicked.

"She’ll be fine, Tsuki. Don’t worry." Kaz put a hand on Tsukiko’s shoulder.

"No." Haruka turned to Sylvie. "We need to take her to the shop."