Tsukiko got off the train and ran as fast as she could toward the offices where the press conference was being held. She had managed to keep a record pace, as she neared the final corner leading to it. Her mind prepared itself for the battle that waited for her.

Her heels clicked with each step, slowing at the intersection. Her head turned slowly, but the scene wasn't what she had expected. Instead of running, she walked to the building, trying to catch her breath.

Several police officers waited outside, standing around. Tape blocked the entrances and exits. Clearly, she was much too late.

"Hey, you're not allowed to be here." A police officer approached her.

"W-what's going on? Is everyone safe?" Tsukiko asked one of the police officers.

"Oh, Miss Himura!" The man greeted her. "Don't worry, the situation's been dealt with."

"Dealt with?" Tsuki paused to catch her breath.

"Yes." The officer sighed.

"Oh." Tsuki smiled weakly. "Guess I had nothing to worry about."

"Thanks for coming anyway. It's always good to see a Knight out here." The officer smiled back.

"Right." Tsuki nodded weakly.

Tsukiko hesitated at first, not knowing what to do. The officer turned his head back forward, returning to his duty. Slowly, she turned around.

"Knight." A voice called out.

Tsuki turned back. "Huh?"

Ishikawa stood before her. "What're you doing here?"

"Well, I... I was trying to help, but it looks like I was a bit late." Tsuki bowed her head. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Ishikawa said. "Everyone inside's safe now. That's all that matters."

"Was anyone injured?" Tsuki asked.

"Only a few injuries, here and there." Ishikawa nodded slightly. "It's unfortunate, but it happens."

"And the guys who got away?" Tsuki kept her guard up.

"It's nothing you have to worry about. We've got it under control." Ishikawa looked away.

"Do you know what they looked like? Do you know where they were headed?" Tsuki stepped closer. "If you know anything, I can--"

"Miss Himura. It's being handled. Relax." Ishikawa cut her off.

Tsukiko was taken aback. "Are you sure?"

"I wouldn't be of much use if I offloaded all of the force's work onto you." Ishikawa sighed.

"We're supposed to be working together." Tsuki tried to remind him.

"My men aren't going to rely on the Knights." Ishikawa looked down.

"What're you talking about?" Tsuki narrowed her eyes.

"I'm going to turn this force around. It's high time we started doing our part." Ishikawa looked serious. "We're trying to earn the people's trust."

"And why can't I be a part of that?" Tsukiko insisted.

Ishikawa spoke. "Do you really think you have to do everything yourself?"

"What?" Tsuki blurted out.

"Do you?"

"I... I'm a Knight." Tsukiko said. "I have to protect people. That's what a Knight does."

Ishikawa shook his head. "It's more complicated than that."

"It's not complicated. I'm trying to do the same thing you are." Tsukiko countered.

"If you really want to help." Ishikawa paused. "...then stay out of trouble. You and the others."

"No."

"No?"

"People rely on me." Tsukiko glared. "That gang came after me and the people I care about. I'm not gonna stand down while they attack my family."

Ishikawa hesitated. "People rely on me too. People should be able to rely on the police. If I had my way, Tokyo wouldn't need the Knights Himura. You wouldn't need to do this."

"It's not about needs." Tsukiko said.

"...I'm not going to stop you, but know that if you make a mistake, you could bring us both down."

"Why are you telling me this?" Tsukiko looked him in the eye.

Ishikawa sighed. "I'm just telling you, the axe is going to fall on one of our necks."

"What axe? What're you talking about?" Tsukiko raised her voice.

Ishikawa turned and started walking away without another word. Tsukiko took a single step to follow, but she stopped herself. Slowly, she turned around and started walking the opposite way.

--

Her mind went blank as she walked the streets. She hadn't really kept track of time. It was night when she had left her home, and it was definitely past midnight when she finally came to.

Her phone kept vibrating, but she didn't respond. There was something bothering her, and it had nothing to do with Ishikawa or the Knights. It was something she hadn't considered in a while.

"Yo, Tsukiko." A voice cut through the haze in her mind.

Masahiro stood, leaning against a wall. His eyes seemed to track every one of the Knight's motions as she turned to him. His hand beckoned, but his face looked serious.

"What do you want?" Tsukiko's eyes narrowed. "Aren't you supposed to be in jail?"

"Aren't you supposed to be in bed about now?" Masahiro smiled, just a bit.

"Am I going to have to drag you back?" Tsuki threatened him.

"I'm not looking for a fight." Masahiro spoke somewhat softly. "Easy."

"Alright, then come with me." Tsukiko approached him. "Shouldn't take long to take you back to the station.'

"Nah, it wouldn't do you any good." Masahiro shook his head slowly. "I've been released."

"Released?" Tsukiko repeated, prodding for an answer.

"I never even saw the inside of a cell." Masahiro let out a weak sigh. "Not for long, at least."

"After everything your gang just did?" Tsukiko narrowed her eyes. "You expect me to believe that?"

"You can go back and ask Ishikawa yourself if you want." Masahiro countered. "He let me out himself."

"...then don't cause any more trouble." Tsukiko watched him carefully. "You got your second chance, don't ruin it for yourself."

"A second chance, huh?" Masahiro said it again outloud, to himself. "Is that what you think of it?"

"What do you want?" Tsukiko asked again with more urgency. "You wouldn't be standing around like that unless you were waiting for someone, so spit it out."

"Can we take this somewhere more private?" Masahiro asked. "That's not me making a joke."

"...you really think I'm gonna do that?" Tsukiko glared.

"I thought you swung both ways." Masahiro laughed to himself.

--

Tsukiko led Masahiro to a secluded spot underneath a bridge. She had visited the spot dozens of times before, so it was a comfortable place for her. It had become a special place, where she could hide from life for just a moment.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Across from them was a river. Moonlight scattered on its surface, giving the water a black and white glow. It gave off just enough light to make their surroundings visible.

"This a good spot?" Masahiro looked around.

"Yeah." Tsuki replied.

"Thanks." Masahiro bowed his head a little.

"Don't mention it." Tsukiko wasn't exactly pleased with the situation.

Masahiro was close to the river, staring out at the rippling water in contemplation. Tsukiko stood a few steps away, watching his every move.

"You're pretty scary." Masahiro admitted.

"Hmm." Tsukiko didn't let out much of a reaction.

"You know your stuff, don't you?" Masahiro cleared his throat.

"What about?"

"Y'know, the history of the gang and all that." Masahiro looked at her.

"It was a pretty fucked up gang that got shut down about a decade ago." Tsukiko tried to string together the vague memory she had. "Or something like that."

"When the gang reformed, we were just a bunch of couriers, following in the original's footsteps." Masahiro reminisced.

"Couriers." Tsukiko repeated.

"Y'know, we weren't thieves or fighters. We just moved things around behind the scenes. We've been around forever, we just... didn't really matter till now." Masahiro's face curled into a slight smile.

"And now you've got everyone in Tokyo wanting a piece of you." Tsukiko looked down at him.

"...do you remember the Shakudos?" Masahiro cocked his head as he looked Tsuki in the eye. "What do you think took them down?"

Tsukiko looked back at him. "I did."

"Escalation." Masahiro corrected her. "They just kept ramping things up over and over, making themselves look like terrorists."

"They were terrorists. Stabbings, arson, rioting, and for what?" Tsukiko sighed. "They got nothing out of it."

"And yet they were important enough for them to turn you into the Third Knight Himura." Masahiro pressed a sensitive topic.

"You don't get to choose the things that end up changing your life." Tsukiko shook her head. "It just happens, it's out of your control."

"Did you ever find out who their leader was?" Masahiro asked. "You knew him, didn't you?"

"Wasn't it all over TV back then?" Tsukiko tried to dodge the question.

"Not his name." Masahiro reached into his pocket for a cigarette, then a lighter. "Honestly, they talked more about you than they did about what you did."

"I never learned his real name." Tsukiko tried to refocus the conversation.

"Quit dancin' around the subject already." Masahiro lit the cigarette and took a long drag.

Tsukiko looked away, stifling a cough. "He was an idiot. An optimistic idiot, but an idiot nonetheless."

"Optimistic?"

"In the end, he told me the only reason he was still fighting was because he wanted to see the Knights protecting Tokyo again." Tsukiko covered her mouth and nose with her sleeve.

"You really that sensitive to smoke?" Masahiro laughed a little. "You're right, he does sound like an optimistic idiot."

"He knew his days were numbered anyway." Tsukiko watched the moon's wavy reflection on the water's surface. "How'd you start Themis, anyway?"

"I didn't." Masahiro let out a puff of disgusting, gray smoke. "I just took over when the founder left."

"Huh." Tsuki couldn't say she wasn't interested. "What were they like?"

"She wasn't much of a talker, just someone who did the work and expected everyone else to do their fair share." Masahiro paused to remember, tossing his cigarette to the ground and stomping on it. "Eventually, she told everyone she was bored of it all and moved on."

"...do you know where she is now?" Tsukiko asked.

"I've heard she's out in the big leagues now, off to make real money. No more pushing around packages or ordering teens around." Masahiro smiled a little. "Only ever knew her given name, Hotaru."

"Hotaru." Tsukiko repeated to herself.

"Don't expect to run into her anytime soon." Masahiro scratched his head. "She's done a damn good job of makin' like a ghost. Besides, the only thing she ever cared about was profit, and you're not exactly profitable."

"Shame." Tsuki muttered.

"Not me, I'm comfortable with where I'm at right now." Masahiro sighed. "There's a thin line between ambition and recklessness."

"Then why'd you do it?" Tsukiko narrowed her eyes.

"Do what?" Masahiro raised an eyebrow. "The press conference?"

"Yeah."

"Sometimes you give orders, sometimes you take orders." Masahiro only shrugged. "Not like I was the one who planned it, I was in jail."

"So that wasn't your stupid plan?" Tsukiko asked sincerely.

"Course not!" Masahiro shook his head. "You don't win anything by pissing off everyone in Japan at once. I'd never do something dumb like that.

"So who was the order from?" Tsukiko tried to get an answer out of him.

Masahiro simply shrugged. "D'ya think I'm gonna tell you something like that? You've got a detective friend, don't you?"

"Wishful thinking, I suppose." Tsukiko admitted with a sigh.

"Now I've gotta live with the decisions made." Masahiro put his hands together. "A bed's been made and now I lie in it. It's not really a second chance, is it?"

Tsukiko looked out to the river. "It's just a nice sentiment, something we tell each other."

"After this, we're enemies again." Masahiro announced. "Call it... a holiday break."

"Enemies." Tsukiko repeated, not sure what to think of it.

A moment of silence was shared between them.

"Y'know, it's a damn shame. I was supposed to share my cell with Sylvie Fontaine." Masahiro said.

"Sylvie?" Tsuki reacted.

Masahiro's fist came flying in. Tsuki was just able to dodge the first swing but another came right after, hitting her in the jaw, straight on.

Tsukiko stumbled back, reeling from the sudden punch in the mouth. Her brain felt like it'd bounced around in her skull, a mix of pain and adrenaline fogging her vision.

"You son of a bitch." Tsuki muttered.

"I gave you a headstart, didn't I? C'mon, you can do better than that!" Masahiro laughed.

"Go fuck yourself, you coward!" Tsukiko belted out some insults.

"Yeah, yeah."

The Knight was still rattled by his cruel sucker punch. Her body was screaming in pain, after all of the running and constant combat she had been through in the past few days. For the first time in a while, she felt weak.

The young man ran forward. Whatever was about to happen, Tsuki could only brace herself for it, too hurt to move out of the way. His leg struck her stomach with a considerable amount of force. Masahiro laughed as he saw her face go white.

Tsukiko tried to regain her composure. Masahiro's swings were turned to slow, mocking motions. It was as if he was trying to handicap himself, as if she were just a joke.

Her body was failing her, exhaustion weighing her down like a ton of bricks on her shoulders. She grit her teeth and tossed aside whatever fear she was feeling, readying herself for a comeback.

He stumbled, for just a moment. An opening presented itself, and Tsuki took it. She took the hardest swing she could at him.

It went past him. Her chance was wasted. She had somehow miscalculated the distance. All her opponent had to do was move, ever so slightly. Her frustration made it hard for her to look past this mistake. As she tried to comprehend her failure, another punch hit her abdomen.

Masahiro's assault continued. Tsukiko tried her best to guard against it, but it was not enough. He wasn't the same person she'd fought in the park before.

A kick knocked Tsukiko's leg out, making her fall to one knee. Masahiro looked down at her with the confidence of an easy victory. Tsuki stared back in defiant anger.

"Didn't know you'd be that easy." Masahiro chuckled. "Some hero you are."

"I'm not a hero--"

"Course not." Masahiro laughed. "I could put you out of your misery right here."

"I'd like to see you try." Tsukiko remained brave till the very end.

Masahiro hopped back, then ran forward for a powerful kick. The only target was Tsukiko's head. The force would gravely injure her, or worse. As he approached her, he planted his foot firmly on the ground. His other leg launched forward.

"What the fuck?" Masahiro exclaimed as he nearly tripped.

Tsukiko had let herself fall to the ground entirely. It was her last effort. It was one final move toward self preservation.

"C'mon, get up!" Masahiro kicked her.

Tsuki winced.

"Don't just sit there!" Masahiro stomped on her.

Tsuki hissed, but spoke no real words. She tried her best to get back up, but her body was too heavy. She felt sore all over.

The Third Knight cursed herself for losing a fight. Her mind didn't trail toward fear. At no time did she consider the consequences of her loss. Death was near, and she didn't even flinch.

"What're you good for now, huh?" Masahiro kicked her in the stomach again. "Get up!"

A figure leapt forward from behind him. Whatever it was, Tsuki could barely see it. She could only hear the sounds of a struggle.

The sounds of several heavy strikes rung out. Then she heard a scream, followed by a splash.

Tsukiko heard two pairs of footsteps. One was the distinctive sound of boots, the other was the sound of sneakers.

"Check up on her." A familiar voice commanded. "Make sure she's okay."

The sound of sneakers got closer. Tsuki could send a figure kneeling over her.

"Shit, shit, shit." A different voice muttered. "You'd better not be fucking dead."

"N-nah." Tsuki choked out. "Can't die."

"That's what they all say. C'mon."

Tsukiko felt a hand go under her knees, and another across her back. The face of whoever was saving her was a blur. She was too tired to even focus.

"Talk, talk. Let me know you're alive." The voice repeated. "Man, you're kinda heavy."

"I'm alive. I'm alive. I'm still here, I--"

"Alright, I get it." The voice laughed a little.

"Who are you?"

"Aww, jeez, uhh... Do you remember Flowers? Did you get knocked on the head?"

"Flowers?"

"Yeah, it's me, Flowers." She spoke slowly. "You're lucky Shizuka and I came looking for you."

Tsuki smirked. "Shizuka's here?"

"Y-yeah." Flowers nodded. "We followed you here, sorry."

Shizuka shouted. "Take her outta here! I'm gonna look for the kid."

"...damnit." Tsuki cursed herself. "I fucked up."

"Don't beat yourself up, alright? I'm taking you somewhere. Don't die on me." Flowers walked faster.

"I'll... be fine. I'm fine." Tsuki resisted. "Just bruises."

"What am I supposed to tell Fumi?" Flowers groaned. "She'd kill me if I didn't help."

"...good point."