The doors to the Damascene warehouse were nothing more than two big rusted slabs of sloppily painted over steel. They didn't even lock from the inside or outside, whatever mechanisms they once had having been removed or fallen inoperable in the years since its abandonment.

All Tsuki had to do to get inside was grab onto one of the bars and pull. She wrapped her hands around one of them and started to open the door, but stopped when she felt something resisting her.

"Not yet!" Fumi's voice shouted from the other side. "I'm not ready!"

Tsuki was taken aback. "What?"

"Don't walk in on a girl while she's changing!" Fumi chastised her.

Tsuki pounded on the door twice. "Fumi, what the hell are you talking about?"

"Just wait for like... five minutes, okay?"

"Fumi--" Tsuki failed to get her words out in time.

"Just wait, damnit!" Fumi shouted back.

"Hotaru!" Tsuki shouted, demanding an answer.

Hotaru was about to speak, but someone muffled her voice at the last second.

Left feeling unsure, Tsuki turned to Morgan, who shrugged back at her, before turning back to the door. "Alright, fine."

There was no response. With that, Tsukiko took two long, slow, laborious steps away from the door.

"What's going on in there?"

"Dunno." Tsukiko leaned against the wall by the door.

There was a moment of cold, bitter silence between them. Morgan wouldn't dare make eye contact with her, but his face didn't show any fear or distrust of her. He kept quiet and calm, avoiding direct engagement.

"Hey." Tsukiko spoke up.

"Yeah?" Morgan finally looked up at her and made eye contact.

"Well... Wh-- No." Tsukiko stopped herself. "...it feels a bit weird having you around. Sorry."

In the distance, street lamps had come on and begun to light the dark streets of Tokyo, but the flat dirt and grass lot just beyond the warehouse's doors could only accept the light of whatever shined in the night sky. A golden glow escaped the bottoms of the Damascene warehouse doors, but it faded after a few meters, leaving Tsuki and Morgan stranded under nothing but pale moonlight.

Ishikawa's police enforced curfew had once again killed the usual hazy noise of nightlife in the city. With the sound of the warehouse trapped behind the thick door, Tsukiko felt like she and Morgan were the last two people left on Earth. Only the quiet rumbling of a nearby air conditioner served to break the silence.

When Tsukiko was still a girl, the inky corners and pitch black shadows cast along the city walls at night deeply unsettled her. Her experience gained from years serving as a Knight made that kind of setting all too comfortable for her now.

"I get it." Morgan's voice brought her back to reality. "But I meant what I said back then. I'm staying true to my word."

"I should've taken you more seriously." Tsuki looked away as she admitted it. "Looking back, you ended up being right about everything."

Morgan chuckled. "That's high praise coming from you."

"You got lucky, though." Tsuki did her best to remind him. "If I wasn't in this position, you'd probably still be in prison."

"That's the kind of thing the people running this city like to get up to." Morgan sighed. "They're the kind of people willing to use criminals to get their way. They'll twist your arm and try to use you as a pawn, just to hurt the people trying to help."

Tsukiko narrowed her eyes. "So what'd they want from you?"

"Dunno." Morgan shrugged. "As soon as they let me loose, I just walked away. I took the cash they gave me, bought myself lunch and went lookin' for Sylvie."

"Sylvie..." Tsukiko struggled to find her words.

"I heard she went down fighting." Morgan had pride in his voice. "Hell of a boss..."

"Don't talk like she's dead." Tsuki scolded him.

Morgan put on a weak smile. "I know she's not, but I never did end up finding her. Etsuko found me first."

"I still don't know if I should be trusting you this much." Tsuki looked him in the eye. "Your story feels way too convenient. What would they get out of letting you free?"

"Maybe they thought I'd scare you, hunt you down and get even." Morgan mused. "I'm your number one enemy, obviously."

"That's giving you a lot of credit." Tsuki mocked him.

"...A lot's changed since last time, though." Morgan stared at the warehouse's weathered exterior.

"Yeah." Tsuki lowered her gaze. "Never thought I'd be doing this."

"What, talking to me?"

"Well." Tsuki paused. "That, and running the Damascenes."

"Shakudos." Morgan's slight smile widened. "That's what you called them. The Shakudos."

"Don't rub it in." Tsuki glared.

"No, no." Morgan raised a hand. "I'd never."

Tsukiko played with her shirt sleeve. "It still feels like bad luck."

"Bad luck?"

"Bringing up the Shakudos again, calling myself Izanami..." Tsukiko crossed her arms. "Feels like I'll end up earning myself some kind of divine retribution."

"Scared you'll anger the gods?" Morgan spoke in a sing-song, mocking voice.

"Yeah." Tsukiko said bluntly.

"Wait. Really?" Morgan straightened up. "I was just joking... I didn't think you'd actually believe in that kinda thing."

Tsukiko didn't say anything in response.

"You're not as straight laced as you look." Morgan remarked. "Still, that's some hot Knights Himura gossip."

"If Asuka and Tanaka were here, I'd never hear the end of it." Tsukiko muttered to herself.

"Who?"

"Oh, uhh..." Tsukiko hesitated. "Some journalist friends."

"You're friends with journalists?" Morgan raised an eyebrow.

Tsukiko let out a long sigh. "They... twisted my arm pretty good."

"Blackmail?" Morgan suddenly started speaking in a hushed tone. "Just say the word, boss."

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"Don't call me boss." Tsukiko hissed. "And don't even think about laying a finger on either of them."

"Then?"

"I needed info, and they needed interviews." Tsukiko explained. "It's a mutually beneficial relationship."

"If you're looking for information... You know that fan site you've got, right?" Morgan asked. "That weird looking one, Tokyo Knights General?"

"TKG, yeah." Tsukiko replied. "I'm surprised you've heard of it. It's just a gossip site for the most part."

"For the most part." Morgan repeated.

"What?"

"Have you been checking it lately?"

"Not really. Haven't had the time."

"You should." Morgan suggested.

He went quiet for a while.

Tsuki looked at him. "...right now?"

"Yeah." The look on Morgan's face looked quite serious.

Tsukiko reached for her phone and pulled it out. There were a few new notifications, fewer than usual. She'd been ignoring them for so long that the old ones would sometimes spill over and take up the whole screen.

After a few seconds of typing and scrolling, she made it to the familiar TKG website. On the front page, there was a big, colorful link that glowed like neon against the pitch black background. It led to a thread titled "Tokyo Metropolitan Police pursuing 'Third Knight' Tsukiko Himura", which was in a huge font written across the top of the page. Tsuki chose to ignore it and moved to a thread simply titled "Themis Photos and Videos".

As the title suggested, the thread was an ever growing pile of evidence showing the kind of violence Themis had brought to Tokyo since Masahiro's fall. Her gloved finger slid across the phone screen as Tsukiko scanned dozens of images of smashed windows, upturned cars, and scorched buildings.

An amateur recording showed a man in a dark hoodie attacking a police officer with a baseball bat. Another video showed a runaway truck slamming into the front of a convenience store and the fire it caused shortly after. Near the bottom were photos of the riot police's march through the streets.

Somehow, Themis had successfully eluded Ishikawa and the police, and they were now powerless to stop the chaos that followed them. Even their best efforts seemed to only escalate the situation. In the brief time between Tsukiko's escape and the present, panic and lawlessness had taken over the city and she'd been oblivious to it all.

"Caught up?" Morgan asked.

"More or less." Tsukiko's eyes remained glued to her screen.

"Already?" Morgan scoffed."...you're taking it all pretty well."

"It's nothing different from what the Shakudos did." Tsuki looked up from the screen. "Gangs are all the same. Give them too much power, and it'll go to their heads."

"It's only been a couple years and you already sound like a jaded old-timer." Morgan stared at her.

"I've got a lot on my mind right now. alright?" Tsukiko defended herself.

"Is that enough to break your spirit?" Morgan prodded.

"Would you prefer it if I got real angry, right now?" Tsukiko threatened.

"...just make sure to keep an eye on that site." Morgan returned to the subject. "The stuff on there is unfiltered. The news just says what people wanna hear, they have to keep the peace."

"You really trust strangers online that much?" Tsukiko muttered.

Morgan scoffed. "Better than going in blind."

Tsukiko sighed. "Maybe you're right."

Nestled between the photos of violence and videos of brutal beatings were murmurs and rumors, all about Tsukiko Himura. They wondered aloud in short, blunt messages, discussing if, when or where they'd see her again. They wondered if she'd gone off to some faraway land or if she was hiding just around the corner. After reading the first few theories, Tsuki started scrolling without reading. Every other post was a variation on one of the same basic questions.

Instead, Tsukiko raised her open hand up to the sky. She lowered her phone to take a picture, careful to hide the buildings around her, then uploaded the image to the site.

Tsuki only typed three words. "I'm right here."

"What're you doing?" Morgan stepped closer.

Tsukiko raised her phone to show Morgan the photo she'd posted. "Showing the world I'm still alive."

"I don't think anyone had any doubt." Morgan stopped himself. "...do you think it's a good idea, though?"

Tsukiko didn't have a good answer. "It just felt right to do."

Morgan looked out to the skyline. "It'll give 'em a little hope."

"Guess so." Tsukiko put her phone away. "How'd this all happen so fast?"

"You can thank Ishikawa." Morgan laughed. "Right after he put out that order to arrest you, everything went to shit."

"Fucking idiot." Tsukiko clenched her fist. "Did he really think Themis would just go away?"

Morgan liked seeing Tsuki angry. "Not to mention all the protests."

"I ran into one." Tsuki remembered. "They were shouting something about Ishikawa."

Morgan sighed. "He shut down the whole city with a mandatory curfew trying to find you, and while that's going on, Themis is going around making a mess and the cops can't do shit. It's a huge scandal."

"...I doubt the city government's gonna let him do whatever he wants." Tsukiko replied.

"You'd think." Morgan started slowly pacing around. "But it's too early to tell. The only way they can oust him right now is if he admits he's wrong and steps down. If he's stubborn, it could be weeks before they punish him for this."

Tsukiko frowned. "Got my hopes up."

"I doubt you'd let him get away like that anyway." Morgan said. "I know you talk about justice and right and wrong a lot, but I know deep down, you're pissed."

"...I have to clear my name." Tsukiko said bluntly.

"Whatever you say, Izanami." Morgan's words jabbed her.

"Fine." Tsukiko raised her voice a little. "I am pissed."

"Good." Morgan praised her. "Get real angry and start fuckin' shit up."

Tsuki laughed. "Okay, okay."

Just as Tsukiko straightened out her face, the warehouse doors began to screech and scrape open, a bright warm glow flowing out of and illuminating the lot beyond. Tsuki and Morgan turned and saw Fumiko's silhouette, with arms stretched out, calling to them.

"Alright, it's finally ready!" Fumi shouted.

Tsukiko took the first few steps forward, but Morgan seemed hesitant to follow. She looked back at him and motioned for him, and he silently obliged.

It was so bright inside that Tsuki had to cover her eyes as she crossed the door's threshold. Looking around, the inside of the warehouse had been transformed, as if she'd walked into a completely different building.

The rust and decay on the metal walls were gone, replaced with a layer of golden yellow and white enamel paint. Judging from the strange smell in the air, it was probably still fresh.

The overhead fans weren't hanging on by a few bolts anymore, they'd been properly straightened out and their rattling and shaking had ceased. The dim hanging lights were replaced with brand new modern lighting that left not a single nook or cranny unlit.

Sylvie's greatest love, her stage, had lost its scraped and scuffed wooden facade, having been sanded down, polished, and waxed to a dark brown mirror sheen. The concrete flooring where her subjects had gathered below had been washed, its many years of stains and streaks removed.

Someone had even gone through the trouble of finding various matching tables and chairs and other assorted furniture to make the place more livable. The warehouse had gone from a simple meeting place for the Damascenes to a legitimate home for the new Shakudos.

Hotaru stood at Fumiko's side, doing her best to keep the promise she'd made with Tsukiko.

"Whaddaya think, eh?" Fumi presented her work proudly.

Morgan took a few steps past Tsukiko, looking to the new stage, the new lights, and the new Shakudos. "Sylvie would've been proud."

"That's right." Etsuko called out as she approached with a few masked men behind her.

"How'd you guys do this so quickly?" Tsuki turned to Fumi.

"Well..." Fumi's voice trailed off. "We did get a bit of help from Claudia and Aurelia..."

"You've got some weird friends, Fumi." Etsuko added.

"Good friends." Fumi corrected her. "Still, I owe 'em one. They did a great job helping clean this place up."

"It looks great." Morgan couldn't keep himself from looking around.

Fumi turned to Tsuki. "If you're gonna be leading the Shakudos, you're gonna need a good place to come home to. It's your homebase now."

Tsukiko still struggled to comprehend. "...yeah."

"Tsukiko!" Flowers's voice came from outside.

Tsuki turned quickly. "Flowers, you're back!"

Flowers entered the warehouse, just as shocked as Tsuki'd just been. At her side was Sylvie, who, despite her injuries, looked around in amazement and pride, her eyes practically sparking with joy.

"Holy shit." Sylvie's words slipped out. "...I've never seen the place this clean..."

Tsukiko quickly ran to her. "Sylvie--"

"No need to explain." Sylvie raised a hand. "I already know what you're doing."

"...Flowers told you." Tsuki came to a stop.

"I support you, one hundred percent." Sylvie looked at her. "If this is what you think is right, then do it."

"I'm sorry." Tsuki couldn't help but apologize, even if she couldn't explain why she felt so wrong.

"You've saved my ass more times than I can count, Tsuki." Sylvie looked her in the eye. "I can't lead the Damascenes, or the Shakudos, like I am right now. Seeing this place, though... I just couldn't stay away."

Sylvie held out her arms and approached Tsukiko, pulling her in for a hug. It'd only been a few days, but seeing her again made Tsuki's eyes sting in a way that she'd have to force back tears to keep up appearances.

Without their notice, the newly reformed Shakudos approached and surrounded their former Damascene leader. Quietly, she looked up at them, then put on a forced smile for them all.

"You know she's taking care of you all, right?" Sylvie pointed at Tsukiko.

"That's right, boss." One of them spoke out. "We'll make you proud."

"Worry about her, not me." Sylvie let out a weak laugh. "If you don't have her back, how's she supposed to have mine?"