Tsukiko, Aurelia and Lilith shared a strange moment alone. For once, they weren’t inside of her shop. Aurelia had requested for them to sit outside, on a bench outside of her shop.

It was a nice, cool day, so none of them could complain. Tsuki would look up at the deep, blue sky, and smile. Huge, puffy clouds drifted above them.

The cool air refreshed Tsuki with each breath. A smile grew on her face, the gentle beauty of the world around her giving her hope. She felt relaxed.

The area was almost silent, save for the usual sounds of the city off in the distance. If she focused, Tsuki could hear the sound of a passenger jet flying high above.

"I need time to work on it, but I have another gift planned for you, Lilith." Aurelia looked down at Lily, who sat next to her.

"Oh, what is it, what is it?" Lily looked up at her with curiosity.

"It has to be a surprise." Aurelia chuckled.

"Then surprise me right now!" Lily laughed.

"So, how long'll it take?" Tsukiko adjusted her jacket.

"It has been quite some time since I have taken up such a large project. Let's see..." Aurelia spoke with some uncharacteristic uncertainty. "It should only take around two or three hours."

"So, you need any parts or--"

Aurelia leaned in close to Tsukiko. "No, it is fine. You really should take Miss Guillemot out somewhere. She would appreciate it."

"But what about the--"

Aurelia cut her off again. "Enjoy yourself for now, Tsukiko. You would be better off helping Lilith than you would helping me. Try to remember how you felt the last time you went through something like that."

Tsuki stopped dead in her tracks. "…you’re right. Good luck with your thing, okay?"

"Enjoy yourselves." Aurelia smiled, before standing up.

Tsukiko stood up too, turning to look at Lily. "You wanna go somewhere?"

"Yeah!" Lily jumped up and grabbed Tsukiko’s hand.

Tsuki turned to Aurelia. "Should I tell Haruka?"

Aurelia's smile vanished. "No, I will let her know. Today is not the time for you two to worry. Take this opportunity to relax."

"Where are we going, Tsuki?" The little girl stood next to the knight.

"I… uhh… Let's figure it out together, okay?" Tsuki stuttered.

--

Tsuki and Lily walked down the streets, enjoying the beautiful weather. Every few minutes, they would stop and look at the clouds. They’d point out the shapes they saw and laugh to themselves.

Tsuki’s feet led her to an unfamiliar place. It was an old Japanese shrine. It was also quite empty, despite the beautiful weather.

Verdant green trees prevented a lot of the light of the sun from touching the ground. The sunlight filtering through the leaves left little dancing lights on the ground.

The silence there was much stronger than the silence in front of Aurelia’s shop. The sound of the water trickling down the stones echoed throughout the entire shrine.

"How've I not noticed this place before?" Tsuki sat down at a bench close to the pond.

"Look at all the flowers!" Lily stared at them with a smile.

A little garden sat in the sunniest place between all of the trees. It was filled with bright red thorny roses. Their color was deep and vibrant. Lily pads floated in the pond, carrying white and pink flowers on top of them.

Fish swam quickly. Their scales reflected little red and orange lights through the crystal clear water. Blue, wavy lines bounced off of the water, and onto the dark leaves above.

"You're too cute." Tsukiko planted her hand on the girl's head.

Lily sat down. "Can we pass by the river later?"

"Why?"

"I need to go pick up my stuff. I don’t wanna sleep there anymore."

"Why not?" Tsuki spoke without thinking.

Lily frowned. "C’mon."

"Oh…" Tsukiko frowned too.

"Look, now it's a bird." Lily pointed upward.

Tsuki looked up and squinted. "Where? Oh… yeah, it kinda looks like one."

Lily pointed up again. "And… there's a fish."

"Whoa, that one really looks like a fish. You’re pretty good at this." Tsuki laughed.

A middle aged woman in a loose dress approached them. "Is that your daughter? She's so cute!"

"Huh?" Tsuki was caught off guard by the woman’s voice.

"She's my sister!" Lily brightened up.

"I don't think so." The lady leaned forward to get a good look. "You sure?"

"Is it the hair?" Tsuki smiled.

"No, it's the eyes." The woman pointed at her own.

"No, really, she's my sister!" Lily assured her.

The woman sat down on the bench with them. She sat at Tsuki’s left, while Lily sat on Tsuki’s right.

"You seem like one of those hardworking types." The woman turned to Tsukiko.

Tsuki raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"You're all dressed up like a proper business woman, but you're still taking care of a little girl, must be rough."

"Hmm. I guess." Tsuki tried to sound formal and failed.

"You don't look that old, now that I get a good look at you." The woman stared Tsuki in the face.

"N-No, I'm still in high school."

"You a good student?" The woman asked.

Tsuki paused to think before speaking. "I just... do what I have to do. I think I fall asleep in class too much to be a good student."

"So, why the weird clothes?" The woman looked her up and down.

Tsukiko shook her head. "It’s a uniform."

"Kind of a weird uniform… Aren't you kids on break?" The woman looked Tsukiko up and down.

"It's not a school uniform, it's--"

"I knew a girl back in high school who used to dress like you. Your eyes remind me of hers, too." The woman looked off into the distance toward the shrine.

"Where is she now?" Tsukiko looked down at her boots.

The woman tugged on her dress. "She had a dream that she was fighting for, but last I heard, she gave up. I don’t even know why. It’s a shame, I always admired her."

"Accroche toi à ton rêve!" Lily spouted some French gibberish.

"Hmm?" The woman leaned over to look at Lily.

"It means 'hold on tight to your dreams'." Lily explained.

"Ahh, so your sister's the good student. So young, but already bilingual!" The woman smiled and clapped.

"What about you, Tsuki?" Lily tugged on her jacket.

"Ehh?" Tsuki was caught off guard.

"Do you know any languages?" Lily asked.

"Uhh, Japanese?"

The woman laughed. "No, she means foreign languages!"

"Oh, well… English is the only subject I’m good at in school." Tsuki lied.

"Oh wow! Don't be so humble, miss! Can you speak it?"

Tsuki turned to her and took a deep breath, before speaking in clear English. "Of course I can… I just don't like to."

"Wow! You could be a translator. Maybe one of those pretty weather girls." The woman’s words had a slight teasing tone to them.

"…I mostly picked it up watching American movies as a kid." Tsuki turned red. "I'm not an expert or anything."

"It’s still impressive." The woman nodded.

"It’s embarrassing." Tsuki scratched her head.

There was a bit of silence.

"You know, giving you a second look, you feel really familiar." The lady put a hand under her own chin. "Like I've met you before?"

"I don't think we've met." Tsuki laughed weakly.

"No, no, you do look familiar! Hmm… Maybe I'm mistaking you for someone else." The woman sighed.

"I'd recognize you, trust me." Tsuki laughed.

"Is that right?" The woman stood up. "Well, I should get going. I’ll see you again."

"Aww, goodbye." The knight waved.

"I hope to see you again, miss." The woman waved back as she started walking away.

"Name's Himura Tsukiko, by the way!" Tsuki shouted.

"Bye!" Lily waved.

They both leaned back onto the bench.

Lily smiled. "No querías presumir?"

Tsuki closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Hey, get off my back."

Lily snickered. "Sorry!"

"Where'd you learn all that anyways." Tsuki looked Lily in the eye.

"I dunno, parents, I guess." Lily shrugged.

"What are you?" Tsuki asked rhetorically.

"A girl, obviously!"

"You're not an ordinary girl." Tsuki smiled.

"Why not?"

"I’m an ordinary girl. You’re special." Tsuki held her head up high.

Lily paused to think. "I don’t think you’re ordinary."

They both went quiet. Tsuki grabbed Lily's hand and pulled her up. Together, the started walking out of the shrine.

"I've got some cash, you want anything to eat?" Tsuki held Lily by the hand as they walked down the streets.

"Hmm… I'm hungry, but…" Lily looked back and forth.

Tsuki gasped. "I know something you’ll love!"

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

Tsukiko started walking faster. Lily struggled to keep up at Tsuki almost ran through the streets toward her goal.

Tsuki finally stopped. She stood in front of a strange shop. It was a French style bakery with cute furniture and pastel colors on the walls.

"It’s one of my favorite spots in town! Plus, it might remind you of your homeland. Something like that." Tsuki presented the restaurant to Lily proudly.

Tsukiko opened the door and what lay on the other side was familiar, but it was not what she had expected.

"Oh, hello, Miss… Oh, it's you again." The blue waitress smiled.

"What the…?" Tsukiko looked back and forth.

Somehow, the door had led to the same restaurant that she had met the doctor in.

"Goddamn Claudia." Tsuki muttered under her breath.

"What's wrong?" Lily tugged at her big sister's sleeve.

"Claudia must've switched around the door. This is somewhere completely different." Tsuki stepped inside.

"How do you know?" Lily followed.

Lily was startled when she turned to the large window looking out from the restaurant. The window didn't show Tokyo's streets.

"Would you please take a seat over there?" The waitress pointed to a corner table.

Tsukiko grabbed Lily by the hand and took her to the table. Lily sat down right next to her, and across from them both was a third chair.

"What will you be ordering today?" The waitress approached after a few moments.

"Oh… uh…" Tsuki scrambled to read through the menu.

"Don’t worry, Tsuki. We’ll have two of these." Lily showed the waitress something before she smiled and walked away.

"Wait, do they take our money here?" Tsuki reached into her pockets.

Before they realized it, their food arrived. First, the waitress gave them two sweet smelling dark drinks in tall glasses.

Their food arrived. The delivery was a spectacle, with every ingredient displayed proudly. It had been a long time since Tsukiko had seen something so incredible.

It was a rather beautiful rendition of a toasted turkey sandwich.. To the side was a plate of fries, all perfectly salted and golden yellow. Still, the nicer the food looked, the more Tsuki feared for her wallet.

"Thanks." Lily thanked the woman before taking a bite.

"Yep, I've got no idea how to eat at fancy restaurants… whatever."

Tsukiko followed Lily's example and grabbed the sandwich off the plate.

"Where are we, Tsuki?" Lily spoke with her mouth full.

"Well… it's… uhh…" Tsuki struggled to answer before she just shrugged.

"I like it here." Lily spoke softly.

"Huh?" Tsuki tried to avoid eating for as long as she could.

"It's so pretty outside, and the food's great!" Lily took another bite of her sandwich.

"I'm a little too used to the city to appreciate this place. It's a nice town, but I feel like I’d miss the skyscrapers back home." Tsuki took another bite.

"Mmm…" Lily only paused to listen.

"I've been meaning to ask, where did you live before you stayed in Tokyo?" Tsuki spoke slowly.

Lily turned to a painting on the wall. "I’m not sure. I remember France, Belgium, Germany... We spent a few years in America, then Mexico, and we-- I ended up in Japan."

"Wow, that's impressive." Tsuki forced a happy tone of voice.

"I guess…" Lily took a bite.

"...Don’t you have any relatives you’re supposed to be with right now? Did you run away?" Tsuki spoke in almost a whisper.

"No." Lily shook her head as she stared at her food.

"Shouldn't you be in school?" Tsuki leaned forward.

"Already did." Lily brought the sandwich up to her mouth.

Tsukiko was a bit disturbed by her rapid fire answers.

"Can I stay with you, Tsuki?" Lily looked up at her big sister.

"I can’t… I can’t leave you out in the cold anymore, Lily. I just can’t." Tsukiko frowned.

Lilith’s face filled with warmth. It wasn’t the usual big grin she gave when she was happy. There was a gentle, powerful feeling to it, like a deep contentment.

"This food is really good." Lily took another bite.

"Wait, guillemots are birds, right?" Tsuki asked.

"Yep, they live on islands, I think." Lily took a french fry off of her plate.

"That's adorable." Tsuki finally took a bite out of her own sandwich.

"Do I really look like a bird?" Lily looked up at Tsuki with curiosity.

"A little bit. It’s really cute though." Tsuki took another bite.

Together, they took their time enjoying their food and conversation. The food really was good. It was much better than she had expected.

"Here's the bill ma'am." The waitress slinked over while they weren't paying attention.

Tsuki leaned over and whispered to Lily. "You wouldn't happen to have any foreign money, would ya?"

Lily shook her head. "Nope."

Tsukiko sat up straight. "Well, uhh, y'see--"

A familiar voice broke through the sounds of the restaurant. "I will pay for their meal, miss."

The voice belonged to Aurelia, who was handing a crisp bill to the young waitress. "Here, keep the change. It is the least I can do."

"Thank you so much, Aurelia!" The waitress bowed her head before scurrying off

Aurelia sat down across from them. "I am sorry for that, really."

Tsuki sighed in relief. "Oh good, I thought Claudia pulled a prank on us or something."

"No, no, this was my doing. Still, did you two enjoy the food?" Aurelia grabbed one of the last fries on Tsukiko’s plate.

"Yeah!" Lily smiled.

"Then, was it really that bad?" Aurelia teased.

"It was just a bit jarring." Tsukiko groaned.

"Still, you almost cleaned your plate."

"And you still haven't really explained where this is anyways." Tsukiko put her hand on the table.

"Does it matter?" Aurelia smiled.

"Of course!" Tsuki raised her voice a bit.

Aurelia went silent, before shifting the subject. "I have made some good progress on Lilith’s gift."

"If I guess, will you tell me if I’m right?" Lily looked up at the tall blonde.

"It is good that you are excited, but I think you should wait until it arrives." Aurelia shook her head.

"Don’t hype it up too much, now. You might disappoint her." Tsukiko's eyes looked sharp.

"I hardly disappoint." Aurelia chuckled.

"You’re usually ready with these things. Why’s this one taking a while?" Tsuki asked.

"I am not an engineer. I need help from Claudia from time to time when it comes to working with mechanical parts. Still, I prefer doing these things myself if I can." Aurelia started playing with her fingers.

"Mechanical?" Lily mumbled to herself.

"I hope it isn’t too complicated. If you’re trying to learn, maybe you should do something simple." Tsuki tapped.

"I am not totally inept. I have some experience, but these things still take time. I prefer doing things myself, especially if it is a gift." Aurelia lowered her head a bit.

"Huh…" Tsuki was caught off guard by Aurelia’s somewhat sensitive response.

"Did you enjoy yourselves, at least?" Aurelia looked at Lily.

"It’s always fun with you guys around!" Lily’s expression made Tsuki happy.

"That is good to hear, Lily." Aurelia stood up. "Well, I really should get back to the shop. Remember to pick up Lily's things, alright?"

Tsuki blinked. "Wait, how did you--"

Aurelia was almost halfway across the restaurant by the time her eyes opened again.

--

Lily and Tsukiko finished eating up every last crumb of their meal. The door lead back to the streets of Tokyo. They'd spent a lot more time eating than they'd noticed.

The moon was starting to rise. In the distance, the sky was still orange from the sun.

Bright lights and music bathed the streets, just like every other night. Big crowds wandered up and down the streets.

"C'mon, let's get to the river, Lily." Tsuki held her by the hand tight.

They walked down the path, now lit by neon signs, passing by all sorts of people. There were young couples learning the nightlife. Lonely businessmen and middle aged women shuffled around looking for love.

Tsukiko was mostly worried that she'd encounter her father. Not that he'd try to stop her, she just felt embarrassed around him.

"Heyyyyy, Tsukiiiiiii." A voice called out. "C'mon, it's meee, Haruka!"

Her drunk sister stumbled into view. Her arm was wrapped around Kazuo’s waist. Her other arm was wrapped around his chest.

"What the hell?" Tsuki approached.

"C'mon, drink with usssss!" Haru stumbled.

"Mmm, no thanks." Tsuki shook her head.

"Tsuki, I know you'd love it." Haruka’s voice demanded.

"No, you're a terrible drunk, Haru." Tsuki stood strong.

"Oh my god! Jus’ cuz I fuck up one tiiiiiiiime." Her voice slurred.

"Don't bring it up, please?" Tsuki pleaded.

"Don’t act like it wasn’t fun, you bitch." Haruka, her teeth showing.

"What the hell're you doing here, Kaz?" Tsuki turned to him.

"Haruka said she needed a drink buddy and dragged me along. She seemed really down, so I tagged along. She likes the hard stuff, huh?" Kazuo looked away, a guilty look on his face.

Tsuki frowned. "Have fun, you two..."

"Huh?" Kazuo turned back to Tsuki.

"Did she take you to a drug store?" Tsuki pointed at a bag under Haru’s arm.

"Uhh… yeah." Kazuo was clueless.

Tsukiko shook her head. "Sorry, I can only wish you the best of luck."

"What're you--." Kazuo was interrupted by Haruka shoving her face close to his.

"C'mon, take me home, I'm sleepy!" Haruka demanded.

"But it's only--." Kaz was cut off by Haruka dragging him away through a crowd.

"Tsuki?" Lily tugged on the taller girl's coat. "Is he gonna be okay?"

Tsukiko held the girl's arm tighter. "I hope so…"

--

Together, Tsuki and Lily stumbled through the crowds to a less populated area. There, they refocused, and Lily led Tsukiko to her little shack by the river.

The river reflected the moonlight.. There was a slight chill in the air. Tsukiko heard the voices of passersby above.

"Where're you gonna stay now, Lily?" Tsukiko leaned against the wall next to the girl's little home.

"Well, I was gonna ask Aurelia." Lily started going through her things.

"You could stay with me if you want…" Tsuki frowned.

Lily seemed focused. "Is it really okay?"

"Maybe for a while…" Tsukiko wasn’t as confident with her answer.

"Hold this." Lily handed Tsuki a few photographs.

"Who are these people?" Tsuki looked down at one of the photos.

The first photo had a few people standing together. A woman with a large hat stood out in particular. There was something strange about her.

"Mom gave them to me a long time ago." Lily moved a box.

The second photograph had the same strange woman. The strange woman had her arm around a familiar blonde. There was a look of joy on their faces.

Tsuki felt tempted to ask. "Is this your mom? Is she standing next to Aurelia?"

Lily popped back out to look for a second. "uhh… yeah…"

The third photo had the same smiling woman. Her arm was wrapped around a young man at her side. A bright light obscured his face.

Tsuki asked again. "And this is your dad?"

Again, Lily popped out to answer, before crawling back in. "I dunno, can't see his face."

There was something off about the photographs. The backgrounds looked a bit strange. They were all taken in front of a large looking home in the middle of a field.

In particular, the image that stood out the most was the one with Aurelia. There was a rather large tree that looked incredibly familiar. Tsuki didn’t feel comfortable mentioning it.

Tsuki sat down on the ground. "What was your Mom like?"

"I don't remember…" Lily admitted again.

"Oh yeah, I forgot." Tsuki looked out toward the river.

"…she wasn't a bad person." Lily spoke from within the shelter.

"And your dad?"

Lily made a strange sound. "Mmm…"

"I shouldn't ask, should I?" Tsuki laughed awkwardly.

"I should ask you the questions." Lily popped out with a smile.

"What do you wanna know?" Tsuki hid her face.

"I… I dunno." Lily paused to think.

Tsuki shrugged. "I'm not that interesting, y'know?"

"Why're you staring at the river?" Lily stopped moving her things for a moment.

"Cuz I can see the moon." Tsuki answered bluntly.

"And?" Lily prodded with a smile.

"I dunno. I like the moon. I remember when I was a kid, Haruka used to tell me there were rabbits up there. For like a month, people at school used to call me Bunny just to tease me." Tsuki laughed to herself.

"Is it cuz your name's Tsukiko?" Lily sat close to Tsuki.

"For a French girl, your Japanese is pretty good." Tsuki laughed.

"Am I right?" Lily smiled.

Tsuki leaned back. "My dad always told me that it was cuz I was an accident. It was a special night out, and there was a full moon, and they were still in love. Mom told me he lied, and that she named me Tsukiko as a jab toward him for always coming home late at night, piss ass drunk."

"An accident?" Lily frowned.

"Yeah, I was never supposed to be born, it just kinda happened." Tsuki felt a bit disturbed saying those words.

"I bet Haruka's happy that it happened." Lily tried to comfort Tsuki.

"I hope she's happy." Tsuki fidgeted around.

"Huh?"

"I have a lot of good stories about Haruka, but there’s always been something off about her. A few months before she left, she got all sad. I hope she’s okay." Tsuki stared out at the river.

Lily laid a hand on Tsuki's leg. "You can make her happy."

Tsukiko smiled back. "Y’know, Haruka knows the real reason my name is Tsukiko."

"What is it?" Lily lit up.

"My Dad’s sister named me. People used to talk about the moon when they were in love, so that's what she named me after." Tsukiko spoke.

"What do you mean?" Lily sat up.

"It comes from an old book, apparently. I don't know that much about it, to be honest."

"...talking about the moon when they're in love?" Lily repeated the words, as if deep in thought.

"When I first admitted my feelings to Fumi, she told me 'The moon is beautiful, isn't it?' It was super cheesy, but… it hit me so hard that I broke down crying." Tsuki stuttered a little.

Lily asked something odd. "Why did you cry?"

"I cried cuz… well… I loved her. I was madly in love with her. I didn’t expect her to love me back, y’know? I might look fearless on the outside, but I was scared." Tsuki felt her eyes water.

"Huh."

"That a good enough answer?" Tsuki wiped her eyes.

Lily nodded, smile on her face.

"Here's everything." Lily pointed to a pile.

At the top of the pile was a rather large photo album. There were a few intricate, but mundane things. They had been meticulously cleaned and protected.

Another part of the pile was dedicated to survival. There was a cast iron pan, utensils and a pocket knife. Lily was prepared for anything.

"How long were you living like this, Lily?" Tsuki grabbed the cast iron pan.

"Too long." Lily sighed.

"You seem so experienced." Tsuki put the pan back.

"Etsuko and the others taught me everything I know!" Lily seemed proud of herself.

"Hopefully, you won't need to use these skills ever again." Tsuki frowned.

"C'mon, let's go, Tsuki." Lily gathered her things into a bag.

"Yeah, you're right." Tsuki helped her move her things into the bag.

As Tsukiko began to stand, Claudia suddenly appeared next to her. Tsuki nearly jumped in surprise.

Claudia held out a long object with a note attached. "This is for Lily. It is not much, but Aurelia and I hope you cherish it."

"What is it?" Lily looked up at it in wonder.

Tsukiko rolled it around in her hands. It was a parasol or an umbrella. Claudia vanished, so they'd have to figure it out on their own.

The handle was made of very fine pale wood. There were two silver bands near the top and bottom. Engraved silver adorned the bottom.

Tsuki held it out and pressed on a small raised button. It opened up to a powerful ultramarine color. The mechanism used tension wires and durable metal parts.

"It’s a bit big, isn’t it?" Tsukiko slowly handed the umbrella to the young girl next to her.

"…I love it!" Lily stared up at the bright blue fabric with a smile as she held the open umbrella above her head.