"You okay?" Haruka watched over Sylvie with a distressed look over her face.

"Yeah, I'm fine…" Sylvie spoke weakly.

Once again, Tsukiko stood over an injured friend in a hospital room. Part of her even believed it was the same room she had visited Fumiko in just a week or two earlier. It was like a cruel trick being played on her.

Something about the room seemed darker, though. It was probably the grey and gold clouds absorbing the dull sunset. Despite the bad omen that dark clouds usually were, there was a slight sense of hope in the golden fluff.

Tsuki didn't know whether to smile or not. Her friend was just a few feet away, beaten and bloodied, yet there was a strange sense of peace. She took a deep breath, feeling the sting of the cold air as the smell of latex and alcohol filled her mind.

Miraculously, Sylvie had managed to avoid surgery, and she hadn't broken any bones. Truly, she was much much stronger than she looked. She was in pain, but she still had high spirits. After all, Sylvie was surrounded by her friends, all of them praying for a swift recovery.

"Why didn't we take her to Aurelia?" Fumiko chimed in.

"Lily and Haruka pulled some strings to get her here. She has to recover here for a day or two, then Aurelia can take her in once she gets some supplies." Shizuka yawned.

"Strings?" Tsuki looked concerned.

"Yeah, Haru knows the police chief and Lily had a talk with the head surgeon."

Tsukiko turned to Fumiko and frowned. "You know what that means, right?"

"No, I don--"

"Miss Himura!" A familiar looking strong man barged in.

"Hi, chief." Tsuki feigned a smile.

"Oh, Tsukiko? And Shizuka?" The Chief seemed to be in awe at the sight before him.

"Hello." Shizuka awkwardly looked away.

"Don't act so cold, Shizu!" The Chief stepped forward, grabbing her hand and shaking it firmly.

"You're too damn loud!" Sylvie coughed.

"Oh! Oh… I'm sorry, Miss Fontaine." The Chief quieted down in shame.

"What brings you here?" Haruka asked.

"You already know why."

"Explain it to the rest of us." Haruka demanded.

The police chief ran a hand through his hair. "That Guillemot girl could buy this whole damn city if she wanted…"

Haruka smiled with sharp teeth. "The whole story?"

"…and you saved my ass, so I owe you one."

"That's what I thought."

"Let the poor man be, Haruka." Tsukiko rolled her eyes.

"I've always had a soft spot for the Knights. I'm still a kid inside. I can't help but root for a good old fashioned hero." The Chief smiled.

"Uh huh." Shizuka urged him.

"Oh, uhmm. I wanted to check up on you, Tsukiko. How have you been?"

"Fine." Tsuki nodded.

"Good, good." The Chief turned to the brown haired girl. "and you?"

Fumi pulled up her top, showing just her abdomen. "Look, look, no scars!"

Tsuki pulled her top back down. "What're you doing?"

"No, really!" Fumi raised her top again, showing her stomach to Tsukiko.

"What the-- whoa… no scars."

Tsuki started rubbing the area where the stab wound once was, before Fumi smacked her hand away.

"That's great!" The Chief smiled.

"How're things on your end?" Shizuka spoke in a shy monotone.

"Yeah… not good. I keep seeing black masks around the office. Blackmail, fraud, evidence tampering. It feels like I can't trust anyone." He sounded genuinely quite hurt.

"Well, yeah, when your leader's a fuckin' sociopath." Sylvie's voice was hoarse.

Haruka ran to her side. "Hey, rest!"

"Fuck off." Sylvie shoved Haru away as she sat up.

"Miss?" The Chief turned to her.

"Have you found out who their leader is yet?" Sylvie forced herself to speak clearly.

"We… only have a few leads." He admitted with a look of shame.

Sylvie sank back down into the bed.

"He seems a bit… nuts, at least from what I've heard." Fumiko chimed in.

"What do you mean?" The officer asked.

"Dragging men out of hospitals and burning them with heated rebar." Tsukiko glared.

The Chief shook his head. "Not this again…"

"Ehh?"

"You think my hair got this grey overnight? I can tell things are about to heat up. You all better be careful." The Chief sighed.

"How, exactly?" Haruka asked bluntly.

"Well, it's theatrics. There's only two reasons someone does something like that. Arrogance or desperation." The Chief sounded like he spoke from experience.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Shizuka suddenly spoke up. "Yeah. Either way, it's about to get tough."

"Like he's got something to prove, huh?" Haruka chuckled.

"It makes our job a little easier." Sylvie groaned. "He'll be out in the open more. Easier to find."

"Quit talking so much." Haruka's expression grew darker and sadder.

"It's a double edged sword. They might be easier to find, but innocent lives could be in danger. We don't really know what Morgan's planning." Shizuka looked out the window to focus on her words.

"Any leads you mind sharing with me?" A creepy smile stretched across the Chief's face.

"Nah, this is our thing. We'll tell you everything after we figure it out." Tsukiko made his smile disappear.

After a few seconds, his grin reappeared. "You guys that confident, huh?"

"We can do it, I know it." Haru nodded.

"Then I'll leave it all in your hands. God knows I could use a break." The Chief tipped his hat and exited the hospital room.

Shizuka exhaled sharply. "You're good with cops, Tsuki. They always creep me out."

"Just stand your ground. They're people like you and me." Tsuki explained.

"Hey, Sylvie." Haruka's voice tore through the surrounding chat.

"What?"

"What did that guy say to you?" Haruka leaned in.

"Which guy?"

"The one that almost killed you." Haru replied in a sharp tone.

"Oh yeah… I'm kinda out of it right now, sorry." Sylvie laughed weakly.

"One too many blows to the head?" Shizuka teased.

Haruka turned to her in a panic. "Wh-what?"

"Happens to the best of us." Shizuka shrugged.

"Nah, painkillers." Sylvie shifted around.

"Do you really not remember what he said?" Tsukiko approached the side of the bed.

"Mmm, does it matter?" Sylvie looked away.

"Maybe."

Any sort of happiness drained from the French girl's face. "Well, it's exactly what you think it was."

"What does that mean?" Haruka asked.

"He told me I'm useless." Sylvie sighed. "When he said that, I lost the will to fight. I just wanted to lay down and die."

"Sylvie…" Haruka was deeply hurt.

"I really do feel useless. He said a few other things, but that's what really stuck out to me. Stuff like that cuts deep."

"You're not useless, Sylvie." Shizuka looked at Sylvie from across the room.

"It just feels like I keep ruining things. If it weren't for me--"

Shizuka approached the hospital bed. "Get over it already."

"What?"

"Get over it! You're not gonna get anywhere if you let some dumb insult get under your skin! Grow up!" Shizuka shouted.

"S-sorry…" Sylvie cowered.

Shizuka stopped and turned around, walking back to a corner of the room. The others turned as she walked away, watching every step she took. She looked down at the floor, half in shame and anger.

"What was your grandpa like?" Fumiko's question caught them all off guard.

"Uhhm… He's really tough. He always knew how to keep everybody in the gang happy."

"No." Fumiko smiled. "What was he like as a person?"

Sylvie paused for a moment. "He was a great leader. Still is. He could rally people around him with just the snap of a finger."

"Why?"

"Why? He knew what he was doing. Nobody doubted him. Someone would ask him something and he'd blurt out an answer and it would be done." Sylvie reminisced.

"Shizuka. Did he actually know what he was doing?" Fumiko suddenly asked.

"Pfft, no. I mean, he knew his stuff, but he wasn't some genius." Shizuka smiled, as she was doing some reminiscing of her own.

"Well, sure, but--"

"So, what made him such a great leader?" Fumiko asked immediately.

"They all did what he said no matter what…"

Shizuka shook her head. "No."

Fumi countered. "Listen, Sylvie. The Damascenes might've been great and all. But, if it was really a powerhouse like people act like it was, you wouldn't be leading."

The words stung Sylvie. "I know, I just--"

"…cuz there wouldn't be a single leader." Fumi finished.

"Huh?"

"This isn't some organized crime syndicate, with leaders and ranks and rules. You know that." Fumi shook her head. "Just do what you wanna do, and the people who want the same thing will follow you. You don't have to please everyone."

Shizuka worked from Fumiko's observations. "Deep down, your grandpa and I are the same. He did all this because he liked it, and cuz he had fun doing it. He cared about you and everyone else in the gang cuz it was his gang, with his friends. It was never meant to be this grand thing you keep pretending it is."

"So…" Sylvie looked out the window.

Shizuka fiddled with her black cap. "Your gramps just liked fighting, and breaking into shit. He was just that type of guy. Pissed a lot of people off in his day. He dealt with the same problems you are, he was just more experienced."

Sylvie stared at Shizuka for a while in silence, before looking away and speaking. "I already have a goal, okay? I just don't know if I can do it on my own."

Shizuka smiled. "That's what the gang is for, Fontaine."

"No, I want your help." Sylvie looked at the three Knights.

"I thought that was a given." Tsuki scratched her head.

--

"You're too smart, Fumi." Tsuki laid back in her bottom bunk bed.

"Well, one of us has to be the smart one." Fumi chuckled.

They were back in Tsukiko's bedroom. Over the years, it had become a second home for the young Nakano girl. Fumiko knew every nook and cranny in the house. She even knew her way through Tsukiko's massive collections of books and movies.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm just kidding." Fumiko laughed.

"I'm just sayin'." Tsuki yawned.

"Why's that?"

"I dunno, you just seem to know exactly what to say to Sylvie. You spotted that one time Haruka was lying a while back…" Tsukiko held out her fingers as she counted in her head.

Fumi laughed. "Haruka's easy, I've known her for years. She's only a good liar when she's sober, and even then, she's got a tic."

Tsuki yawned. "Yeah, you're right, but what about Sylvie?"

"I followed what Shizuka was saying." Fumi shrugged.

"Yeah, yeah."

"You really wanna know what I think it is?" Fumiko asked.

"Sure, what do you think?"

"This is all too much fun. It feels like a real adventure." The bedsprings creaked quietly as Fumiko shifted.

"It's not all fun and games, y'know." Tsuki nudged Fumiko.

"Yeah, of course. Still, it feels so cool, and I'm always looking forward to the next piece of it all. I'm in love with a Knight Himura! I didn't even know what that was like, a week ago!" Fumi's eyes brightened with joy.

"I love you too." Tsuki felt warm and happy.

"Don't get sentimental yet. That's for later." Fumi pressed her face into Tsuki's shoulder as she spoke in a singsong voice.

"Sorry. I get what you mean though. Still, it doesn't answer my question." Tsuki looked down at her, waiting for a better response.

"Well, I can't just sit around while you guys do all the work. I've had plenty of time to think about… things. I wanna be the brains of the operation!" Fumi raised her fist.

"That really your answer?" Tsuki's voice remained stern.

"You risked your life for me. Least I can do is do my best at keeping you sane. I know how you can get sometimes. You like to hide how you really feel about things. I gotta make sure you and the rest of the gang are doing alright." Fumi looked away as she said the last part.

Tsukiko felt guilty, lowering her head. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Don't ever feel sorry for feeling sad. Those were dark times, and I know why you did it. Just… don't try to hide it again. I'll know." Fumi wrapped an arm around the Knight.

Tsuki sighed. "I'll keep that in mind."

There was a short silence as the words hung in the air. Tsukiko hadn't stopped to think about how Fumiko felt in a while. She felt thankful that she was so accepting of Tsukiko's new role. Aurelia's words echoed in her head.

Fumi spoke again. "And quit acting so tough, when you're just as giddy as I am about all this."

"Pretty sure I'm supposed to act tough. That's what Knights do." A smile curled onto Tsuki's face.

"Yeah, yeah." Fumi rolled her eyes and laughed.

"I'm worried too, y'know." Tsuki spoke quietly.

"Well yeah, we're all worried. Scared, even. Too late to give up, so let's go out fighting." Fumi sounded tough.

"Yeah, you're right."

"That's what I like to hear." Fumi wrapped an arm around Tsukiko.