Shortly after the ambulance arrived, Tsuki was shoved into a police car and taken to the station. They didn't put her in handcuffs, but the treatment was cold nonetheless.

Not a soul spoke to her. No one even bothered to look at her as they shoved her inside of a cold interrogation room. They left her alone, sitting on an uncomfortable chair at a scuffed table.

Mirrors lined the walls. It was clear that the room's purpose was to break down the will of whoever entered it. Fluorescent lights hung above, bathing the room in a bluish white light.

The constant buzz of the old bulbs drilled into Tsuki's brain. The clock hung over the door and clicked over and over in an unbreaking rhythm. Every minute spent in the room felt like an eternity.

A policeman entered the room. He was sharply dressed, even for someone of his position. He walked in, then closed the door behind him. He then ran his hands down his shirt and pants, straightening himself out.

The officer's attention then turned to Tsuki. He stared at her for a second, then narrowed his eyes and cocked his head to the side. Tsuki stared back, a sense of dread settling in.

The officer sat down and sighed, clipboard in his hand. "So, you're… Himura Tsukiko, correct?"

"Yes." Tsukiko answered formally, even bowing her head.

"...haven't heard that name in a while." The officer muttered under his breath.

"Huh?"

"Your friend got stabbed, huh?" His voice was cold and disinterested.

"...yes." Tsuki tried her best not to let her emotions get the better of her.

"Nakano… Fumiko? That her?" The officer didn't even bother to look away from the clipboard.

"Uh huh."

"So, do you know who did it? Did you see his face?" The officer asked rather bluntly.

"No, I couldn't. He was wearing a mask. Didn't I already tell you guys this?" Tsuki replied.

The officer neared. "So a masked man stabbed her in the middle of the street."

Tsuki nodded. "…Yes, sir. It was a man in a white mask and robes. He pulled out a knife and tried to mug us."

The officer leaned forward and moved his head past the bulbs. Deep, dark shadow obscured his face. The bulb gave the rest of his head an otherworldly glow.

The only detail Tsukiko could make out was the man's narrowed eyes and look of cruel contempt. The man's intentions were already clear. In his mind, she was guilty

"How do I know this isn’t some big ruse? You kids nowadays have got great big imaginations." The man replied without care.

"What, you think I’m making this up?" Tsukiko looked up at him with narrowed eyes. "Who the hell stabbed her then?"

"I can think of plenty of reasons not to believe you."

"Then why don't you ask Fumiko? She was there too, y'know!" Tsuki grit her teeth.

"So you’re saying I should throw your ass back into a cell and hope this girl gives me some real answers?" He spoke with an inhumane coldness.

Tsukiko shivered. "Y-you really think I did it?"

A moment of silence before his response. "You seriously think I’m going to take some high school girl’s word? You had more blood on your blouse than she did on hers."

In the middle of the chaos, yes, Tsukiko had gotten blood on her own clothes. Still, she knew that it didn't matter.

The accusation made Tsukiko very, very angry. She struggled to keep her emotions under control. She wouldn't dare show it.

"I had to help her!" Tsuki cried in frustration. "I had to do something!"

He grabbed her by the hair. "And what about the knife?"

"Let go!" Tsukiko struggled.

"You’re telling me someone left a knife covered in your fingerprints at the scene of a crime? A stabbing?" The officer tightened his grip.

This only angered her more. "He let go of the knife when he ran off! What the hell was I supposed to do? I panicked!"

"And he did it for no reason?" The man ignored her.

"Yeah!"

He tugged on Tsukiko’s hair. "What are you involved in?"

For a moment, the light revealed the man's face. Tsukiko finally got a good look at the man. He seemed a bit too young to be a police officer. His voice made him sound a bit older than he actually was.

His face got so close to hers that she could feel his breath. Tsuki wanted to fight, but she couldn’t. Any sort of trouble with the police would doom her.

Suddenly, the door swung wide open.

A rather large man with greying hair and a badge on his chest stepped into the room.

The old man bellowed. "Officer, what do you think you’re doing?"

The policeman let Tsuki go. He hid his hands behind his back like a child. It was an unconscious attempt to hide the guilt they carried.

Tsukiko almost fell to the floor, barely managing to catch on to the edge of the metal table. The larger man walked over and grabbed the officer. The old man took a good long look at the officer's face before tossing him aside.

"I will not have an officer treating a young girl like this!" His shouting grew louder and louder.

"B-but Chief!"

"You're a disgrace to the force, Officer! You think you can get away with abusing civilians? Huh?" The grey haired man got louder and louder.

"N-no, sir, you don't--"

The grey haired man held the officer against the mirrored wall, shouting orders into his face. He tossed the younger man aside as if he were nothing. The young officer fell to the ground, holding his hands up in fear against his superior.

"Grab your shit and go home! You're fired!" The aged man kicked the officer on the ground and forced him out of the room.

In one glance, Tsuki figured that the man must've been the police chief, or at least someone important. He had grey hair, nice clothes and a tired look on his face.

It was obvious that the man had been on the force for a while. It wasn't age. It was experience. She stared as the man sat down in the chair across from her, stretching out his arms on the table.

The older man’s disposition changed to a much kinder one. He cleared his throat and sighed. His lips curled into a little smile.

It was a shift so sudden, one could only describe it as off-putting. The look in his eyes betrayed him. He was still angry, clear as day.

"Sorry about that, ma'am. Some of the recruits run around acting like they own the place. Brings my blood to a boil…" his hands were still squeezed into fists.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

"...thank you."

A cold silence blanketed the room. Though the conflict was now over, it all happened so suddenly that neither of them knew how to react now. A lump formed in Tsukiko's throat, making it even harder to choke out a response.

The man across from her faked a cough, as if to tear the silence apart. They looked away from each other, both of their faces a deep red from embarrassment. Their mutual awkwardness made the old man laugh a little.

"So… I read about your case. I'm sorry about what happened. This is way too much for a kid like you to be going through right now. I understand if you just want to go home right now." His hand opened up and he put it over Tsuki's.

The gesture was ill timed and out of place. Any other situation, Tsuki would have pulled her hand away or flinched. His eyes went down to his hand, doubting his own action. She could see his sincerity.

"Sorry if I caused any trouble here. I really wanted to cooperate, but I couldn't get through to him." Tsukiko shyly admitted.

"Don't worry, I heard most of it. I would've done something earlier, but I couldn't. The office boys said to wait till he did something illegal. We've got rules." He seemed almost regretful as he pulled his hand away.

Tsukiko put her hands up and shook her head. "It's fine, really."

The man chuckled. "You don't have to put up with shit like that, you know. We're not monsters."

"Sorry."

The old man tried to get back on topic. "He... had good reason to doubt you. Most people think it's just a myth."

"Oh good, I was starting to doubt myself." Tsukiko muttered.

"Nah, it’s real, alright. Just... don’t go around spreading any rumors, okay?" He paused. "I’ll be honest, we don’t have many solid leads. Too many… things to focus on. Even then, it’s better if you just leave it to us, okay?"

Another silence settled. This time, it felt so thick that they could feel the weight of it on their shoulders. He wasn't brave enough to speak again.

The older man realized that he had said something he shouldn't have mentioned. The look on his face made it clear enough.

The old man suddenly got up, motioning for Tsuki to get up too. He walked her through the station, straight out the door, with almost nothing else. Before she made it all the way out, he handed her a rather ragged looking hoodie.

"What's this?" Tsuki asked.

"I need you to change out of those bloody clothes. Can't have you making a scene, okay? Head home before you head anywhere else. Your parents'll be worried sick."

"...fine."

--

Tsuki had to head home before going to the hospital. There was no one there waiting for her. It was completely empty.

She put together the best outfit she could muster. She wanted to look sharp before heading to the hospital. She had to do her best.

Maybe, just maybe, Fumiko had made it out of surgery already. Even if she hadn't, she had nothing else to do, nowhere else to go. This was more important than anything else.

The way to the hospital was long and slow. The trains would probably be too crowded at that time of day. The only way to traverse the city was on foot.

Tsukiko was already exhausted from the interrogation and the stabbing. Still, she wasn't satisfied sitting around. She dragged herself all the way to the hospital, ignoring all the weird looks she got for limping the entire way.

The front doors slid open as Tsuki approached. It was the homestretch. There was a little more energy in her step as she approached the front desk.

Luckily, it seemed to be a slow day, so she didn't have to wait. Behind the desk was a young man, distracted by something on his phone.

Tsukiko approached, standing in front of the worker for a second. He didn't seem to notice her. When he didn't respond, she knocked on the desk.

He jumped, almost dropping his phone, before catching it in mid air. He gasped when he saw her. He cleared his throat and quickly regained his composure.

"Tell me where Fumiko is." Tsuki growled as the worker quickly bowed his head.

The friendly face at the other side of the counter quickly donned a professional smile. "I'm so sorry, ma'am. Could you be a bit more specific?"

"The one that got stabbed. She's my friend."

Something in his head clicked. "Ahhh, Nakano Fumiko. Poor thing, huh? I'm surprised none of those big news agencies have come over yet. I guess stabbings aren’t big news in Tokyo anymore."

"Yeah, just lemme know where her room is." Tsuki responded blankly.

The receptionist was caught off guard by Tsukiko’s harsh tone. "Room five-oh-eight, ma'am!"

"Uhh…"

"Fifth floor, Last room on the right. She's just out of surgery, so she might be asleep, okay?"

Tsuki paced through the cold, sterile hospital as quickly as she could. It was a modern hospital with inviting windows and nice paintings.

No amount of interior decoration could ever rid it of the implications. It was still a dreadful, white-walled prison where people went to die. Nothing could change that.

The air was cold, with a powerful chill that went down to the bone. There was a weak, yet ever present chemical smell. It wasn't sweet or sour or bitter. It was just strange.

With every step, Tsuki had to dodge people moving just as quickly as she was. There was a nigh constant wail of ringing phones, chatter and beeping machinery.

When Tsukiko reached room five hundred and eight, she burst in through the door. The sounds of the rest of the hospital went silent. The cold air was now warm. The red and orange glow of a sunset bathed the white walls in color.

It was as if this room existed in its own little pocket, detached from the rest of the world. There was a peace in knowing that that horrible day would soon be over. It was a shallow peace, as the pain of what happened before still lingered.

Nakano Fumiko laid in the hospital bed in the far corner of the room. She sat, watching the sunset through a massive curved pane of glass. The entire Tokyo skyline was visible from her bed.

Tsukiko turned to see her friend, half her face in shadow, the other half a deep amber and crimson. Fumiko's eyes gleamed, reflecting the gentle sunlight as she turned to Tsukiko, a smile on her face.

For a moment, they both forgot their pains, feeling satisfied knowing that the other was okay. It was short lived, as the cold hospital air made them shiver once more after just a few merciful moments.

The sunset was still gorgeous, but it was far detached from the awful situation at hand. It was cruel, as if the sights outside existed just to tease them and remind them of how it was almost all torn from them.

Tsuki approached the glass, trying her best to clear her mind. She wanted to let her skin soak up the last few moments of precious light. It wouldn't be long before the sun was at the end of the horizon before it disappeared for the night.

"Y-you came…" Fumi's weak voice tore through the numbing sounds of medical equipment.

"Of course I came, Fumi. Why wouldn't I?" Tsuki turned back to Fumi, approaching her slowly.

"I was… afraid." Fumiko admitted.

"Afraid of what?"

"I don't know. I knew you'd be worried about me, but--"

"Well, yeah, I was worried. Now that you’re safe, I’ll be here, doing my best for you, okay?"

"Just stay out of trouble, please."

The two girls soothed each other with their presence. Just seeing that both of them were okay was enough to take a great weight off of both of their shoulders.

"I would've been here sooner, but… cops." Tsuki sighed.

"Huh? What happened?" The bedridden girl asked.

Tsukiko took a deep breath and explained. "Some rookie cop thought I was the one that stabbed you. He was about to try to beat a confession outta me."

Tsuki lowered her head.

"What the hell?" Fumi laughed. "Please, I would've slapped that knife out of your hand!"

She laughed harder, 'til she started coughing.

"You alright?" Tsukiko approached Fumi, placing her hand on the wounded girl’s chest.

"Yeah, yeah. I’m okay, but it still hurts." Fumi took a deep breath before exhaling it slowly. "Anyway, what happened next?"

"This old dude saved me." The black haired girl continued. "Seemed like an alright guy. Sounds like they're having trouble finding the guy that did it, though."

"Couldn't even stab me right. Probably just some kid in a mask." she smiled through the pain. "C’mere."

Fumiko motioned for Tsuki to lean in close, and made her turn her head as if to whisper, before kissing her on the cheek.

"Hey, don’t trick me like that!" Tsuki backed off.

"It's a good luck kiss. Madame Jeanne told me they'd protect the people I love."

"Madame Jeanne? Fumi, you think every foreigner you meet is some sort of magician or witch or whatever."

Fumi raised her voice a little. "Hey, she’s legit! She even runs a little shop."

"Uh huh." Tsuki rolled her eyes.

Fumiko chuckled. "You're too serious sometimes, Tsukiko. Lighten up, it's okay."

"Fine, fine. Just… don't do it too much, it's embarrassing."

"As if you have anything to hide." Fumi chuckled.

Tsukiko and Fumiko talked until the sun was a golden sliver on the horizon. They kept talking for a while after moonrise. Tsuki enjoyed the time spent with her friend.

Deep down, she felt something was wrong. Her mind settled on the stabbing, on how it happened, and what happened immediately after. Something kept her unsatisfied and worried and scared.

Over and over, Tsuki found herself distracted. Distracted by the thought that she had done something wrong. She blamed herself for what happened.

She felt frustrated. She felt like she hadn't done enough. She hated feeling helpless and afraid, but there was little else she could feel. As she watched Fumiko fall asleep, she vowed to no longer feel helpless.

Tsuki forced herself to come up with ways to be strong again. She needed to know why it all happened. These thoughts lingered until she blacked out in the chair next to the hospital bed.