Instead of heading straight back to Aurelia's shop, Shizuka chose a much longer, more scenic route. The evening sky eventually started to fade from orange to blue, then purple and black. Time seemed to move faster as they wandered the city, Tsukiko too focused on her own driving thoughts to even think about where they were going.

"So, what did you wanna talk about?" Tsukiko slowed her pace to keep up with Shizuka.

A pale moon had risen above Tokyo, bright against the deep black sky and the neon of the city had come on to replace the set sun. The traditional shops that lined the streets were lit with a comforting golden light that spilled all over the brick paved road below like a jolly drunkard's beer.

At night, Tokyo's air had gone from its usual warmth to the crisp, chilly bite that signaled the early summer's temporary retreat. Outside, the noise of a night that had just begun surrounded them, people walking back and forth, not quite sober but not yet drunk enough to make it obvious.

Tsukiko reached into her jacket, digging around till she pulled out a cherry lollipop. She tore off the plastic wrap and put the candy on her tongue, rolling the stick between her gloved fingers.

"You got candy?" Shizuka gave her an odd look.

"Yeah." Tsuki nodded.

"...it's a cool look." Shizuka paused. "Can I have one?"

"Nah. Last one." Tsuki frowned a little.

Wandering businessmen and women in formal black heels reminded Tsuki that it was another Friday night robbed from her by some idiot with something to prove. She should've been out enjoying the night with Fumiko, taking her out for a nice dinner and sipping on expensive drinks that actually tasted good, instead of the cheap beer she'd eventually have to settle for.

It wasn't all bad. After all, she was at least getting a chance to talk with Shizuka.

Shizuka had one of her hands between the buttons of her jacket. "Just wanted to have some time alone with you, that's all."

At night, Tokyo was a city of bright lights and inky darks. It was a city of contrast, with little in the way of anything dimly lit. The Knights rounded the corner, finding themselves between red and blue lights that washed away any real darkness, only leaving a few corners of pure black.

"Well, you've got me." Tsuki didn't know what else to say.

"...you doin' alright?" Shizuka turned to her.

"I... think so." Tsukiko laughed a little.

Shizuka stared. "You've just been... real stiff since we left Hotaru."

"Yeah. I'm just..." Tsukiko hesitated. "Tired. I barely got any sleep last night."

"You don't need to dance around your problems with me." Shizuka shook her head. "I've been that low before. Lower."

"I'm scared, Shizuka." Tsukiko admitted.

"You're a Knight." Shizuka said it as if to remind her. "All you need is a reason to fight, and you will."

Tsukiko lowered her voice. "Not everything's a fight."

Shizuka walked a little slower. "Fighting's just as much about takin' a punch as it is punching."

"When you put it that way--"

"Leave the thinkin' to someone else right now, Tsuki." Shizuka cut her off. "Just relax, you need it."

"You sound like Aurelia." Tsuki remarked.

"I've known her for years, probably longer than you've been alive." Shizuka blushed a little. "It's only natural she's rubbed off on me a little after all this time."

"How'd you two meet?" Tsuki finally got the chance to ask after years of curiosity.

"My grandmother introduced me to her." Shizuka paused. "Well, sort of."

"What do you mean, sort of?" Tsukiko pressed on.

"This wasn't the first jacket I had." Shizuka looked down. "I wore a hand-me-down. An old school uniform from before the war. Black, with big brass buttons and a hat. My grandmother gave it to me, told me to wear it."

"That's a hell of a birthday gift." Tsuki joked.

"Gift?" Shizuka scoffed. "I had to earn that fuckin' thing. How'd you think I got so tough?"

"Earn it? Did she teach you how to fight?" Tsukiko had great interest in her eyes.

"Not really." Shizuka adjusted her hat. "She definitely tried, but it's hard to remember anything when you're makin' it up as you go along."

"Mm." Tsukiko frowned. "Yeah, I know what you mean."

"Well, she told me about this foreign seamstress." Shizuka went back to telling her story. "She never introduced me to Aurelia, just told me about her. Told me she'd been around since before the war. She was an old family friend, apparently."

Tsukiko wasn't surprised. "So how'd you end up running into her?"

"I uhh... got into a fight once." Shizuka's voice hesitated, remembering something unpleasant. "They beat me so bad I could hardly walk. Back then, I didn't have anyone to save me. I was lucky I didn't end up breaking anything."

"...sorry."

"Not your fault." Shizuka smiled. "Well, you're sorta part of this story too, eventually."

"Huh."

"The outfit got all torn up and worn out from it. I was so ashamed of myself, instead of goin' to the hospital, I went straight to Aurelia. I didn't wanna come back to my grandma all... I didn't want her to see what I'd done to it." Shizuka forced a laugh. "Aurelia was so... nice. Probably the nicest person I'd ever met."

"I... I can believe that."

"First thing she did was pull me aside and hold me tight. I was so scared, I ended up crying on her shoulder for... about an hour or two." Shizuka's expression softened. "That's my earliest memory of her. Her warmth. God, I love her so, so much."

Tsukiko smiled, just a little.

Shizuka's eyes watered. "By the time I stopped, Claudia was already standing next to me, holding this cool black jacket, the boots, the whole thing."

"...didn't that freak you out?"

"She told me she'd been waiting for me for a while." Shizuka remembered. "I didn't think anything of it, I was like... twelve. Besides, my grandma'd told me all about her, I always thought she'd told Aurelia about me too."

"You were fightin' gangs that early?"

"Nah, no way." Shizuka shook her head. "I was fightin' off school bullies and petty thieves back then. I didn't start goin' after gangs till I was in high school. I don't think I would've made it that far if it were for her. She was there for me at my worst and at my best."

"I met her the first time Haruka took me to her shop, after Lily got burned." Tsukiko tried her best to remember. "I thought she was weird at first, I'll be honest."

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Shizuka sounded offended. "Weird? How?"

"She was wearing a corset, she's... really goddamn tall, she talks weird..." Tsuki paused. "She... kinda scared me the first time I saw her."

"And what's wrong with any of that?" Shizuka countered.

"Nothing." Tsuki admitted. "We didn't meet under the best circumstances. I was scared Lily was seriously hurt, so I wasn't really in a good mood to begin with."

"...yeah, that makes sense." Shizuka scratched her head.

"We didn't have a lot of time to get used to each other by the time she'd given me the jacket. Before I could even get a word in, she'd already shoved me through a door." Tsukiko hesitated. "I dunno why I trusted her so much. She was a complete stranger to me, but I felt so comfortable around her. I told her things even Fumi doesn't know."

"Sounds like Aurelia." Shizuka smirked. "She's got a way with people."

Tsukiko let the story roll around her head like ice cubes in a glass. "So, what'd I have to do with your story, huh?"

"Well, you... Y'know what, I'll tell you the rest eventually." Shizuka went quiet for a second. "A girl's gotta have some secrets, or else she's boring."

"Yeah, yeah." Tsuki rolled her eyes.

"You feel better now, don't you?" Shizuka put a hand on her shoulder.

"I do." Tsuki admitted. "For now."

"Like I said, save it for later." Shizuka comforted her. "You only need to be tough for a little longer, okay?"

"...thanks."

Reaching a happy conclusion, their conversation died down naturally, leaving them to the ambience of the city, the scent of smog and the cold air of a long Tokyo night. Their faces were bathed in pink, blue and purple as they let themselves wander through the city's entertainment district, the streets now full of all kinds of people trying to make the most of a once-a-week moment to unwind.

A wall of people was forming in the middle of the street, the Knights approaching it at a leisurely pace, not knowing what was waiting for them. Considering where they were, it was probably just a drunkard fallen over or a street performer doing their best to earn a bit of money.

Over the people came the sound of a blaring alarm, the sounds of metal hitting metal and glass scattering all over the asphalt. As the Knights approached, the group parted, out of fear and respect. Before them stood a woman with a bat, bashing in the window of a luxury sedan.

"About time you fuckin' got here!" A woman stood in the middle of the street, swinging around an old bat. "Can you walk any fucking slower?"

"Who the hell're you?" Shizuka raised an eyebrow. "You with Themis, or what?"

"'Course I am" The woman hit the bat on the roof of the sedan.

"Then stand aside and get fucked." Shizuka called out. "I'm not interested in pickin' a fight right now."

The woman lowered the bat to her side. "My job isn't to listen to you bitch, it's to make your life a living hell."

Half a dozen other members of Themis stepped forward, each of them holding makeshift weapons. They formed a wall, ready to block the Knights from moving any farther forward. The people behind them stepped back in lockstep.

Tsukiko blinked. "Cut the shit and go home."

"You know how this works." The woman rocked her head back and forth. "We're gonna be on your ass 'till you all retire or we're all dead. Get used to it! Quit wasting my fucking time and fight!"

Shizuka spoke quietly. "I can deal with 'em for you if you want."

Tsuki refused. "I gotta fight my own battles."

Tsukiko moved forward, readying herself for a long, drawn out fight. She felt the material of her glove tighten around her hand as she balled it into a fist for the first time, but Shizuka's hand reached out and grabbed her wrist before she could throw the first punch. A blinding, brilliant flash of rainbowy light followed, cutting through the darkness and neon.

A young woman fell down before them with a flip and gracious landing, standing before the men with a proud, triumphant pose. She had a large, ultramarine umbrella in one hand and rested on her shoulder. It was almost as large as she was, but she handled it with ease, twirling it with her wrist like an oversized baton.

Confidence radiated from her wide smile and flamboyant costume. It was a sleek black leotard and white tights. A beautiful crimson cape and ornate, Napoleonic cropped jacket covered most of her upper body. A brilliant white musketeer's cap sat on top of her head with a feather that had all the colors of the rainbow.

There were copious amounts of gold thread and brass buttons and accents adorning each garment. Her black leather boots and gloves were clean and well polished, practically sparkling in the light. A black domino mask obscured part of her face and hid her identity.

"I am the one who protects the precious dreams of the kind and innocent. I am the one who takes claim of the extraordinary in the ordinary! I am the Magicienne Musketeer Merlin!" She pulled off her cape and tossed it aside.

The woman and her cohorts stood, staring Merlin down without a word, none of them sure what to make of the situation. Tsukiko joined them in their confusion, but Shizuka's grip on her wrist only tightened.

One of the men moved closer to Merlin. "It's just a kid, isn't it?"

Another man laughed. "I thought the Knights were stupid, but now we've gotta deal with cosplayers too?"

Merlin's eyes narrowed. "You will leave the Knights Himura alone, or face harsh consequences."

"Consequences?" The woman leading the suited men stepped forward. "How about this? You get outta here and we won't have to tell your parents that you've been doin' this instead of studying. They'll be mighty pissed when they find out you've been cuttin' curfew."

Merlin watched the woman's movements. "Last chance. I'm offering you mercy."

"I don't need mercy from a shitty brat like you!" The woman's eyes widened and she swung her bat at the Musketeer.

The bat whistled as it flew through the air toward Merlin's head. Tsukiko watched closely as the weapon flew near the girl's head, but seemed to splinter apart before it got anywhere close to hitting her. In less than an instant, the wooden baseball bat had been reduced to slivers.

"What the fuck?" The woman looked at the wood pulp left in her hands. "You--"

Nothing else left her mouth as Merlin used the opportunity to take down her opponent. With a quick kick to the stomach, the disarmed woman was then knocked down to the ground.

Several others ran toward Merlin to defend their defeated ally's honor. A smirk formed on the mysterious girl's face, her gloved hands tightened around the umbrella's handle.

Merlin lowered her body, then straightened out, putting her entire body into a powerful leap, landing on one of the men's shoulders in a handstand. Another one of the gang members tried to knock her off with a wooden board, but he ended up striking the man under her as she sprung off and landed back onto her own two feet.

"I'm giving you another chance!" Merlin shouted.

A circle of armed men and women formed around Merlin, whose face was still curled in a perpetual, confident smirk. Her hand reached up to her Musketeer hat and tipped it down, readying herself for the worst. Ordinary citizens and passersby watched from the sidewalk, waiting to see what was going to happen, powerless to stop it.

"Hey, c'mon." Tsukiko tugged her arm away from Shizuka's grasp. "Are we really just gonna stand around and watch?"

"Just wait a second, alright?" Shizuka urged. "It'll be fine."

"She's just a kid!" Tsukiko resisted.

Shizuka gave her a terrifying glare. "Trust me."

As her opponents approached her and attacked, Merlin raised her blue parasol and opened it, and the weapons that struck it were reduced to scrap metal and wood chips. Those who swung their fists toward her had their coat sleeves reduced to nothing but unraveled thread and linen.

Tsuki watched in awe as Merlin picked off her attackers one by one in a flurry of kicks, somersaults and rolls. With misdirection and trickery, she was able to get her attackers to lose track of her, and even hit one another as they tried desperately to defeat her.

It wasn't long before the Magicienne Musketeer's opponents were nothing more than unconscious or tired lumps on the ground. Merlin posed triumphantly, a circle of defeated men and women looking up at her in half fear, half amazement, all of them utterly dumbfounded by Merlin's strength.

People on the side of the street watched the Magicienne with intense, wonder-filled gazes. Her body was enveloped in a brilliant milky, rainbowy light that seemed to pulse around her. The light got so bright it blinded those watching, letting Magicienne Musketeer Merlin disappear by the time it'd faded.

"Well that's new." Shizuka remarked, not really bothered by what had just happened.

"What the hell was that?" Tsukiko broke free of Shizuka's hand again, looking around for any sign of the Musketeer. "Where'd she go?"

"How should I know?" Shizuka shrugged.

"Why're you..." Tsukiko struggled to find the words. "Aren't you the least bit surprised?"

"Hey, it's like I said, I've known Aurelia for... longer than you've been alive, so I'm used to this kinda shit." Shizuka started walking again. "I'm just glad I didn't have to work up a sweat."

"...should we go and look for her?" Tsuki walked a little faster to catch up.

Shizuka replied. "Try not to dwell on it for too long. Juuuuuust relax."

"...it's kind of hard to forget about something like that, y'know." Tsukiko let out a sigh. "I'm not that far out of the loop, am I?

"If you wanna know more about 'er that bad, then just look it up online." Shizuka laughed. "Besides, it doesn't really matter, does it? It's not like she's on their side."

"Mmm."

"Lighten up." Shizuka put a hand on Tsukiko's shoulder. "I know you're all duty bound right now, but if you can't trust her, won't you at least trust my judgment?"

"It's not that I don't trust her." Tsuki looked away. "I just... I dunno what got into me."

"Aww..." Shizuka put on a big mocking smile.

"What?" Tsukiko glared.

"You're always doting over Lily, always lettin' her stay over at your house." Shizuka joked. "Maternal instincts?"

"Fuck me for worrying." Tsuki groaned.

"I'm just messin' with you." Shizuka put an arm around Tsukiko. "You sure act like a hard ass, but you've got a bleeding heart, don't you?"