"Hey, Tsuki, wake up."

A smack to the side of the head startled Tsukiko.

"It's morning already, get up." Fumiko said, not realizing the irony of her statement.

"Mnnngh… It's Sunday, Fumi…"

"I'd like some privacy, madame."

"Fiiiiiine."

Tsukiko stretched her arms out, before slumping back down in the chair. It didn't take long for her eyes to close again. A hand hit her again.

She stood up. Different parts of her body all cracked and popped back into place. Sleeping in a small plastic chair hadn't done her back any favors.

She ran her fingers through her hair, then down her wrinkled clothes. The light from the window stung her eyes, so she could hardly see. Her throat was dry, and her head hurt.

Someone had turned off the lights in the middle of the night. The room was still lit, but this time a powerful sky blue. Long dark figures were cast on the far wall, opposite of the window.

Massive puffy clouds meandered through the wonderful sky. The mid-morning sun covered the world in a clear, hopeful light. It only took a few more moments of this powerful light to wake Tsukiko up for good.

Even from up there, Tsuki could see the people below. The people of Tokyo were nothing but black specks wandering around below. They walked around in straight lines like little worker ants.

Massive skyscrapers dotted the skyline, reflecting the world on their glass facades. They were like massive mirrors, projecting the rest of the world before her.

"Go already!" Fumi fidgeted impatiently.

"Why?"

"Cuz if you don't leave now, your parents'll call and the staff'll get mad and blah blah blah, you know the drill. Just get out."

Tsuki shook her head. "Fumi, you know my Dad’s too drunk to care."

"What about your Mom then?" Fumi retorted.

"She moved out, remember?"

Fumiko sighed. "If you don't go now, you're gonna plop down next to me and waste the entire day. Don't make me feel like a burden. Just go live your life, OK?"

Tsuki was almost offended, but her friend had a point. "Fine, I'll... bring over a souvenir or something. I'll be back later, alright?"

As she turned away, Fumiko grabbed her and pulled her back.

"Don't get hurt, alright? Please, just stay safe. Don't get dragged into anyth--." Fumi held onto Tsukiko’s sleeve.

"I won't, I won't. God, trust me a little, Fumi. If you start worrying now, you're not gonna last a week in this hospital." Tsukiko pulled off Fumi’s arm and walked out.

Fumiko frowned, turning to look out the window, then back down at her own wounded body.

--

Tsuki returned to the crime scene to satisfy her morbid curiosity. She didn't want to look at first. Her mind tried to fight off the urge.

She didn't get too close, only walking past the alley where it had happened. From the corner of her eye, she could see that there were people walking up and down the alley.

This sight bothered her. There didn't even seem to be a police officer or any yellow tape. She thought she could even see the red stains on the ground.

It made her sick to her stomach. It was as if the stabbing had never even happened.

There wasn't anything for her to do. She couldn't just wander around all day to keep herself entertained or busy. For once, Tsuki felt alone.

She had nowhere to go. Going home wasn't an option. The stressful thoughts in her head made her legs want to move.

She gathered whatever money she had and traveled to the electronics district. It seemed as good a place as any. She'd promised Fumiko a souvenir, after all.

Tsukiko considered this place her second home. No matter what time it was, or how many times she had run up and down each shop, it still remained a somewhat exotic place. She always had a childlike excitement for what awaited her there.

Everything there was always new. Whether it be a revolution in technology, or a new cute girl to sell it. Tsukiko always found something to catch her eye every time she came.

The culture there was definitely a bit questionable. She couldn't really complain about any of it, though. She loved every moment of it. It felt like somewhere even she could fit in.

Approaching the shops was always interesting. Each one had a mix of the useful and the useless. Still, whatever it was, it would always be sold. Life moved fast in the electronics district.

Shopping itself was a spectacle. Everywhere she looked, there was something. Shelves were stacked from floor to ceiling, all plucked clean by the day's end.

Her eyes began to scan for whatever place would sell something she deemed good enough for Fumi. Tsuki opted to head to a novelty shop, since her friend had a soft spot for the bizarre. That, and she didn't have much money for a real gift.

Just as Tsuki was going to enter an interesting looking shop, a scream echoed from down the street. Against her better judgement, she went to look. She turned, and approached a large group formed in front of one of the other stores.

Through the cracks and gaps between the tourists and customers, she could see two people. One of them was a middle aged woman, on the ground and fighting for her purse. The thief was a black robed figure with a white and gold mask.

The crowd moved aside as Tsukiko shoved her way through. The figure ignored all of this as he began kicking the woman. Her shouts and screams grew louder as the people around her watched in silence.

"Hey, asshole!"

She ran forward, punching the figure in the side of its head. The figure stumbled, then moved forward. In one motion, it kicked the woman in the stomach and snatched the purse away.

The crowd broke away at one end, letting the robed person slip out. Tsukiko tried to chase after him, but the crowd blocked her. She resorted to pushing, shoving, and squeezing her way out.

The figure ran down the street at top speed. Her mind went blank as Tsukiko chased after them. An unusual grace settled in her legs as she swerved from side to side. She effortlessly dodged the obstacles in her way and kept up with the thief.

With each breath, cool air filled her lungs, and ran through her hair. For a while, Tsuki didn't feel anything. She just did whatever she could to stay close behind her target. Everything else happened automatically.

Tsuki watched the figure as it turned and ran into an apartment building. She ran inside as well, only slowing down to avoid knocking down the people moving around inside.

At the end of the main hall stood an incredibly tall set of winding stairs. The sound of the man stomping up the steps echoed down the well. Tsuki sighed, before grabbing the railing. She grit her teeth, before forcing herself up what felt like hundreds of steps.

At the top of the stairs, the masked man burst through a door with a red light above it. The sunlight on the other side burst in. The sun outside lit up the stairwell with bright, golden light.

The figure turned back to look at Tsukiko, who was catching up, before running out the door. She forced herself through the door, making it outside onto the building's roof.

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The figure ran forward, all the way to the edge of the building. For a moment, it looked as if it was going to jump off, but stopped after looking down.

The jump was much too far to make, and it was definitely high enough to be fatal. The figure nearly stumbled off, before turning around in a panic. He raised his hands and stepped toward Tsukiko.

"D-don't get any closer!" The hooded figure finally spoke.

The masked man tried to pull out a knife, but it fumbled. The knife's blade hit the roof. It ricocheted, falling off the building and hitting the pavement far below. Even from far away, Tsuki could hear the sound of it smashing into pieces.

"G-get outta here, kid!" It shouted.

Tsuki walked toward it slowly. The figure tried to back away, but they were already too close to the edge.

"What'd she do to you, huh?" Tsuki stared at the mask.

"What're you talking about?" The figure held his hands up.

Tsukiko grabbed the figure’s arm, before jabbing them in the stomach. "What the hell did she do to you?"

"I just wanted some quick cash! The purse is over there just take it and--"

"No. Why did you stab my friend?" Tsuki stared.

"Stab? I didn't--"

"Why’d you stab her?" Tsuki began to raise her voice.

"I didn't stab anybody!" The man pleaded.

Tsuki pulled her arm back. He tried to cover his face with his free hand, but he wasn't quick enough. The mask broke apart on his face, cutting him up.

He could only whine in pain and cry as he fell to his knees. For a moment, Tsuki felt guilty. She hadn’t expected the masked man to be so weak. Still, she kept her grip on his arm, twisting it.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry… please… I didn’t stab her, I couldn’t. She just wouldn’t hand it over--" The figure stumbled over its words.

"Hand over what?"

"Her bag. Somebody was talking about this rich blonde lady, so I--"

"Blonde?"

"Yeah, tall and blonde, she--"

Tsuki punched him again. "My friend isn’t blonde! What, you swing around a knife everywhere you go?"

"No, no, that wasn’t me, it must’ve been--"

"Tell me!" Tsuki looked down at him.

"It wasn’t me!" The man pleaded.

"Then who was it?" Tsukiko twisted his arm a little more.

"The other guys in the group… There's a bunch of other guys in masks! It's like a gang!"

Tsuki grabbed him by the collar and pulled him closer to her. "And where are these other guys?"

"I-I don't know! Honest! They move from place to place!"

Tsukiko pulled her fist back. "Yeah, right."

"I don't know anything! Please! I don't know who stabbed your friend!" His voice cracked.

Tsuki pulled off the mask. It seemed to be the face of an average man in his early twenties, maybe even his teens. He had the weak, inexperienced eyes of a student.

It was obvious, in hindsight. He hadn't been the most clever of thieves, especially if he'd been stealing in broad daylight. Tsuki grabbed his mask and tossed him aside.

"I’m taking this. The next time I see one of these masks, I'm not holding back." Tsuki turned around.

As she walked down and opened the door that led back to the stairs, she could hear him sobbing and whining. He didn't seem like he'd go back to crime, but she still decided to call the police.

--

Tsuki returned to the hospital with a new found confidence. The adrenaline had numbed her worries. Even though she felt like she did something bad, she couldn't help but feel good about herself.

She'd gotten rid of her weakness and her helplessness. At some point, she noticed that she was walking faster, and there was a slight smile on her face. The smile carried her all the way to Fumiko's hospital room.

"Yo, Fumi, I got a surprise…" Tsuki's voice trailed off.

A small girl, maybe half their age, sat in the chair next to Fumiko's bed. She was more fit to be in a painting than in real life before her. She wore little white shoes with a flowing white dress, and unkempt black hair.

She seemed out of place in this time, and out of place in general. In fact, the only thing modern about her was the hospital name tag attached to her dress.

The young girl turned to Tsukiko and smiled. Tsuki didn't really know how to react. The smile on her face still hadn't faded, but the mysterious person put a slight confusion on her face.

She paused for a moment, looking the young girl in the eye. Tsukiko looked her up and down. There was something interesting about her, but she didn't know what.

"Uhh, who's the kid?" Tsuki pointed.

"Not sure." Fumi was almost as confused as Tsuki was. "Maybe she's a doctor's kid or something."

"I'm Lily!" The girl smiled.

"Hi, Lilith." Tsuki said with a gentle smile.

"How did you--" Fumi couldn't finish.

"I can read nametags, y'know…" Tsuki scratched her head.

"Hello!" The girl looked up at her with bright green eyes.

"What painting did they pull you out of, little girl?" Tsuki said with a tender smile, patting the girl's head.

Lily just laughed. "Hehehe."

Fumi straightened up. "Ahem. Could you give us some privacy, Lily?"

Lily got up, ran to the door, waved to Tsukiko, and ran off.

"Ugh, what is it with you and kids?" Fumiko groaned.

"C'mon, she's so cute."

"Just don't do anything dumb. I know you're playful around kids, but have a little restraint for once, alright?" Fumi chuckled.

"But she's just so cute!" Tsuki laughed.

"So you’re a bad girl on the streets, and good girl--"

"Shut it."

"You're never gonna get over that, are you?" Fumi chuckled to herself.

"I got you a souvenir, straight from a crime scene." Tsuki proudly presented a broken mask.

Fumi gasped. "Where the hell did you find this?"

"Masked dick struck again, tried to take a lady's purse. Someone caught him and gave him the beating of his life." There was a hint of pride in Tsukiko’s voice.

"So, it’s over?" Fumi looked up at Tsuki.

"No. He said it's a bunch of people. Not just one person wears the mask, I guess." Tsuki felt bad to be the bearer of bad news.

"A color gang, huh?"

Tsuki sighed. "I think so."

"Oooh." Fumiko tried to lighten the mood by putting on the mask.

Fumiko pressed the mask against her face. Tsuki had polished the mask up, making the white and gold gloss really glow. The broken parts exposed one half of her face.

Her slightly bluish, deep green eyes gleamed through the mask. She looked genuinely happy. The image of Fumi's beautiful face obscured by the mask burned into Tsuki's mind.

The joy in the room was contagious. Tsuki tried to resist it, but Fumiko's laughter made a small grin curl across her face. She'd smiled a lot more than she thought she would.

For a moment, she forgot about everything painful. Whatever was happening outside of that room at that moment didn't matter. There was something reassuring about being able to have a good time with her friend.

"Nobody cared who I was until--"

"Shut the fuck up, Fumi." Tsuki laughed.

Fumi faked a frown. "Fine."

Tsuki moved in closer, lifting the mask off of Fumiko's face and kissing her on the cheek.

"What's that for?" Fumiko turned a bit red.

"It's because I love you." Tsuki spoke quietly.

For anyone else, this would be a tender, warm moment. Unfortunately, Tsuki and Fumi weren't like anyone else. Fumiko liked cracking jokes too much to let Tsukiko have that moment.

"Can't keep your hands off me? Maybe after I'm outta here, we can--"

"Not like that, idiot. It's a good luck kiss."

"Didn't you make fun of me for doing that?" Fumi frowned and hid her face under the mask again.

"Yeah, and?"

They both went silent for a second.

"This thing smells weird." Fumi tossed it to Tsuki. "It probably looks better on you anyways."

"You think?"

Tsuki put on the mask. One of her bright, red eyes peeked through the open gash.

"Yep, white mask on black hair. It’s all about contrast. I'm a fashionista, you know." Fumi puffed out her chest in pride.

"Yeah? Well, it just looks like I just left a weird temple or something." Tsuki played with the mask.

"Mhmm, you're divine."

Tsuki took it off and put it in her bag.

Fumiko put on a smile. "Keep it and remember that time you chased down a criminal for me."

"H-huh?"

Fumi frowned. "I'm not an idiot y'know. Don't put your life on the line like that again, OK? I almost lost you once already."

Tsuki laughed nervously. "You know you don't have to worry about me…"

Fumiko looked down at her own body. She still hadn't made much progress toward recovery. Both of them looked away from each other.

Tsukiko excused herself. She waved, turned to the door, and left. Fumi's words bounced around in her head as she left the hospital.