Paranoia began to settle in. Her eyes scanned every crowd, every nook and cranny. She didn't feel safe on the streets. Something felt wrong.

Being calm would be the most important factor in any confrontation. Tsukiko knew this. She closed her eyes and sighed, taking another deep breath.

As she focused on clearing her mind, she felt a hand grab her thigh. She jumped, almost kicking whatever or whoever touched her leg.

"No, no, no! I'm a friend!" The thing frantically cried.

"What the hell're you doing’ out here, Lily?" Tsukiko looked down and jumped

"I found you!" Lily hugged her leg tightly, almost melting poor Tsuki's heart.

"Sh-shouldn't you be in the hospital?" The taller black haired girl nervously asked.

"I'll be safer with you." The little seagull strapped to her leg chirped.

"What about your mom and dad?" Tsuki struggled to walk, as Lily buried her face into her leg.

"No!" Lily pouted.

"Fiiiine. Just don't get me in trouble." Tsuki said, resting her hand on Lily's big sun hat.

Lily jumped off and grabbed onto Tsuki's hand. "Yay!"

"Got any place in mind or…?" Tsuki looked down to Lily.

"Anywhere with you, lady." Lily sang.

There was an open park across the street. It was as good a place as any. Tsuki grabbed Lily's hand, looking both ways before crossing.

Tsuki's fears turned toward Lily. If there was a target on her back, she could very well be putting the little girl's life in danger. She didn't want to let anything happen to her.

Her mind ran wild, running all sorts of bizarre and improbable scenarios. What if someone thought she was kidnapping Lily? It was a ridiculous thought, but she still couldn't force it out.

The park was a small one. It was just a fountain, surrounded by grass, benches and concrete paths. Young, fresh trees sat organized in a pattern around the park.

The water babbled gently as the two of them sat down at a metal bench across from it. The bench was still new and shiny. It was a bit uncomfortable to sit in at first, but they got used to it.

"So, what do you wanna do?" The older one asked.

The younger girl leaned over and shut her eyes. "I dunno."

"We didn't come here to take a nap…" Tsuki murmured.

"I just wanna talk." Lily looked back up.

"About?"

"I dunno, anything." Lily shrugged.

"Pretty curious for a seven year old." The older girl smiled.

"I'm nine!" Lily replied defiantly.

Tsuki started to pat and rub Lily's hair. "I dunno, you’re still pretty small."

Lily shook her head. "I wanna be strong!"

"Strong? You seem too cute to be strong. You're more the loveable type." Tsuki wrapped an arm around Lily.

"No, No. Strong! I wanna fight off the bad guys!"

"You're watching too much TV." Tsuki shook her head.

Lily nodded in response. "Honest! I wanna be strong like Mom and Dad were."

Hearing this pained Tsukiko. "…so why do you hang out at the hospital?"

"I have a lot of friends there! Fumi's so nice to me!"

"Friends? You mean the doctors?"

"Yeah, yeah! The sick people too!" Lily beamed.

"Must be a weird family." Tsuki chuckled.

"Family?" Lily asked.

"I've always thought that if you spend enough time with people and you care about them, they're like family."

"...what's your family like, lady?"

Tsuki struggled to answer. "Uhhm… I only live with my Dad. Sort of. He's hardly ever around."

"Mom?"

"I'd… rather not talk about that." Tsuki forced an awkward laugh.

"No brothers, sisters?" Lily prodded.

"It's... a secret!" Tsuki dodged the question.

"You don’t have to hide it, I know what you’re doing." Lily had a harsh change in tone.

"Sorry. You're a lot smarter than you look." Tsukiko hid her face in embarrassment.

"I just realized, you're probably old enough to have a boyfriend!" Lily blurted out.

"I'm not that popular with boys. They don't really make any offers." Tsuki replied with an awkward laugh.

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

"Well, that's why you have to do it! Love won't come to you on its own!" Lily's advice was oddly realistic.

"To be honest, I'm not that interested anyway… I'm pretty busy." Tsuki looked away.

Lily got up and kissed Tsuki on the cheek. "May good luck and love come to you!"

Tsuki laughed. "Got that from Fumi?"

"Nah, I learned it from someone else."

"Madame Jeanne?" Tsuki stuttered.

"Oooh, you're good!"

"Just don't go around doing that to everyone you meet." Tsuki chuckled as her lips curled into a smile.

Tsukiko's fear of the masked men practically vanished. She was having too much of a good time to even consider them. There was nothing in the world bothering her, at least for a while.

"What's your name, lady?" The little painting girl asked.

"What's yours first?" Tsuki dodged the question.

"Lilith!" Lily jumped.

Tsuki shook her head. "I already knew that. What about your last name?"

"Guillemot." Lilith replied with less enthusiasm.

"Lilith Guillemot? Is that French?" Tsuki asked.

"Yeah!" Lily nodded. "How'd you know?"

"A hunch? Makes sense, you look like you came out of a painting."

"Maybe I did." Lily smiled.

"Wandering like a little white bird." Tsuki leaned on Lily. "I really wouldn't be surprised if you did come running off a canvas."

"Now you tell me yours!" Lily demanded.

"My what?" Tsuki asked.

"What's your last name?"

"Himura." Tsuki responded almost instantly.

Lily sat up. "...and your first name's Tsuki?"

"Tsukiko." she corrected Lily.

"That's a nice name." Lily nodded.

"It's not that nice." Tsuki chuckled.

Lily looked almost frustrated, but in a childlike way. "So, how do I get strong, lady?"

"Mmmm. Maybe you already are." Tsukiko shrugged.

"What do you mean?" Lily sat up.

"Well, you're on your own, and you're still all smiles." Tsuki looked down at her feet.

"...on my own?" Lily asked.

"Well, your parents are… dead, aren't they?" Tsuki spoke carefully.

Lily avoided the question. "I don't feel alone."

"You don't?" Tsuki asked.

"Of course not! I have friends in the hospital. I have friends outside too! You're my friend too, aren't you?" Lily raised her voice.

Tsuki's heart couldn't take it. "Yes, I am!"

"Then I'm not alone, am I?" Lily puffed out her chest, as if proud of her answer.

Tsuki’s smile faded. "I guess, but losing people that mean a lot to you hurts."

Lily stared back at Tsukiko for a while. Her silence showed the beginning of an understanding. A certain look stretched across her face. Her smile disappeared for a moment.

The once aquamarine sky was now turning orange. The water in the fountain reflected a wavering orange smear. Tsukiko reached across and patted Lily's head, bringing back her smile.

"Well, it doesn't matter. Now you have a big sister to look up to, right?" Tsukiko smiled at the little girl next to her.

Lily didn't speak again. She reached over and wrapped her arms around Tsukiko. Another thick silence settled over both of them. It took awhile for Lilith to let go and finally let Tsuki speak.

"Where do I take you?" Tsuki asked as she stood up.

"I can make it back on my own, don’t worry." Lily broke free.

"You sure?"

"Trust me!"

"Alright, you find your way home safe, alright?" Tsuki said with a strained voice as she stretched. "Stay away from creeps, don’t go down dark alleys and--"

"Fine, I’m coming with you!" Lily groaned.

"Huh? Where do you live, then?" Tsuki asked.

"Your place!" Lily stomped her feet.

"What? Don’t you have a guardian or something? I can’t just take you home!" Tsuki looked around, noticing how dark it had gotten.

Lily held a sad, but frustrated face.

"I-I get it…" Tsuki relented.

As she began to walk, Lilith jumped up and grabbed her hand, humming a tune as they began to walk together.

--

The night had finally begun to settle in by the time they arrived. The horizon was orange, but the sky was an inky midnight blue. There were hints of a smoggy grey between them.

A black shadow covered the world. The hustle and bustle of the city was still going on strong, like a machine. The air was starting to cool, and a slight wind blew through the streets.

Tsukiko's home was in disarray, like usual. The bricks surrounding her home were broken and cracked. A dark mark showed the location of a family nameplate that had been there long ago.

The paint on the house's outside walls was dirty and beginning to chip. A few dead plants sat next to the front door. A few cracks let deep green, healthy weeds grow through to the surface.

"Oh, oh! Am I gonna meet your Dad?" Lily looked up at Tsuki.

Tsuki sighed. "Nah. He isn't around much, remember?"

The door swung open to a dark and moody room. It was messy and disorganized. It resembled a teenager's bedroom more than an actual home.

The left side of the room was sort of like a living room. There was a coffee table and an old brown couch. Unfolded laundry and grocery bags littered the place.

A cozy, but dirty rug lined the floor. An arm chair sat in the corner, with books and DVD cases stacked up too high for anyone to sit on it. The only clean thing was a polished stainless steel turntable. That and a sizable vinyl record collection.

The right side of the room was a kitchen or cooking area. The far wall had a countertop, stove, toaster oven and refrigerator. Over that were several shelves.

Scattered everywhere were random bags and boxes of food. Whatever couldn't fit on the shelves was left on the counter, on the floor, or wherever there was space. Everything was in a state of half organization.

The whole room had a brown tinge to it. The walls were a deep brown, making the room seem small and suffocating. Little thought had been put into decoration or design.

There was a thick, but not unpleasant musk radiating around the room. It was a strong, savory and sweet smell. The scent of cooked food had gotten itself stuck in the walls over the years.

Tsukiko's bedroom was very, very similar. The left side of the room housed a bunk bed, and the other side had all of her things crammed together.

The bottom bunk was messy, with the bed sheets almost falling off of the mattress. The top bunk was very neatly put together. There was a fluffed pillow prepared for a guest that would never arrive.

On the right side, her things were mostly strewn about in whatever order fit her needs. Shelves filled with movies, books, and video games, lined the walls. She had everything she needed to entertain herself.

In the middle of this chaos was a television and a computer. Both were covered in a thin film of dust. Despite this, they were definitely still heavily used.

It was a strange room, but comfortable nonetheless. Everything was in its right place, at least in Tsukiko's mind.

Tsuki motioned to the top bunk with her hand. "You can sleep on top if you promise not to make a mess, okay?"

"No, with you!"

"Fine, let's sleep on the bottom then." Tsuki sighed.

Tsuki tossed aside her blouse and skirt into the growing pile. Next, a red ribbon came out of her hair and she kicked away her shoes. She groaned as she leaned back onto the sheets.

Lily took her shoes off, carefully placed them by the side of the bed. Her sun hat went on top of her shoes. She chuckled at Tsuki, before sitting on the edge of the bed, before leaning back.

"Clean clothes, messy house." Lily prodded.

"Ugh, you sound like Fumi." Tsuki fluffed up her pillow.

"This place is comfy." Lily looked around for a bit before realizing that Tsukiko had begun snoring.

Lily turned back and smiled, before letting herself drift to sleep next to her new sister.