Tsukiko and Fumiko walked together through the streets of Tokyo. It was a dangerous time, but they weren't going to let it keep them down.

"Hey!" A voice shouted from behind Tsukiko.

The voice wasn't anything she recognized. There was a strange hostility to it. Tsuki sighed and turned to Fumiko, who was walking with her. Her mind instantly started putting together a plan to get her to safety, in case anything went sour.

"Turn around!" Another voice shouted, with a hint of fear.

"Tsuki?" Fumi asked.

"Ehh, just ignore 'em." Tsukiko kept walking.

The figures were clearly not a threat. If they were any confident, they would have attacked her by then. The only things they did were follow along and shout useless insults.

Tsuki and Fumi walked around a corner into a great plaza. Crowds milled around, walking back and forth. The voices that followed them grew quieter and quieter until they became silent.

Tsuki kept her head down as she walked through the people. As they went through the plaza, the crowds grew silent. Their focus was rather suddenly turned to the sound of an explosion nearby.

"Tsuki!" Fumiko turned and pointed.

Tsukiko turned to see a huge fireball in the middle of the small plaza. People ran away from the flames shrieking. Luckily, the blast hadn't hurt anyone.

As the crowds edged away from the center, another explosion shrouded the area in smoke. Tsuki heard the sound of glass shattering as the pavement burst into flames in patches.

"What's goin' on?" Tsukiko turned around to the Shakudos behind her.

"W-we don't know!" One of the masked men held his hands up.

"Alright." Tsuki pointed away. "Get outta here before you all get hurt!"

The Shakudos stared in disbelief before bowing. "Y-yes, ma'am."

They ran off around the corner in a panic, and the rest of the crows followed.

"Did that really work?" Fumi's eyes widened.

Another blast came from the plaza, but it was louder. A few shops and cars were set partially ablaze.

"Don't get yourself hurt, okay?" Fumiko warned her.

Tsukiko started walking forward. "Call Haru and Shizuka. Tell 'em to get here as quickly as possible."

"On it." Fumi stuck her hand into her pocket.

"...and stay safe, alright?" Tsuki turned back to Fumi.

Fumi nodded, before turning and running down the road.

Shortly after, the people who had just ran away screaming formed a barrier. They stood a decent distance away, cautious but curious. The crowd was almost silent as it waited for the blasts to stop.

As the shops around the plaza burst into flames, Morgan stepped forward. He raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

The firebombs stopped raining down, and the sounds of glass breaking stopped. The only sounds that remained were the shouts of the people and the flames pouring out.

"What the hell are you doing?" Tsuki shouted.

"What's it look like?"

"Don't drag innocent people into this, you bastard!" Tsuki stepped forward.

"I thought Knights protected people. Get up and protect!"

"Just watch me."

Tsuki widened her stance, preparing to attack. Morgan ran forward, taking the first swing again. He swung over and over, before Tsukiko found an opening, striking him in the stomach.

"Back off!" Tsuki shouted.

"Like hell!" Morgan rushed her again.

Morgan attacked her like a wild animal. She could hardly keep up. There was no sense of anger in his moves, just a strange lack of etiquette. It was as if he was trying to finish the fight as quickly as possible.

Either way, it still ended up creating a strange stalemate. Morgan was on the offensive as Tsukiko tried her best to defend herself. In a strange way, they were completely evenly matched. Neither of them made progress.

People in the crowd cheered Tsuki on, urging her to take the initiative. As much as she wanted to heed their words, there wasn't much she could do. It wasn't until she got a lucky hit on his jaw that she could actually get enough time to catch her breath.

"Damnit!" Morgan rubbed his mouth.

"Why are you doing this?" Tsuki demanded an answer.

"You're really tough." Morgan ignored the question.

He stared at her like a snake. His body heaved up and down with every breath, and his stance lowered. It was as if he was scanning her for any sort of opening, any sort of chink in her armor.

"Answer me!" Tsuki raised her fists once more.

Morgan ran forward and grabbed Tsukiko's collar. His other arm grasped whatever fabric it could. Tsuki struggled to keep him away.

In a last ditch effort, she shoved her fingers underneath his mask. Her fingers scratched against rough, dry skin. His arms reached up to pull off her arm in vain. Tsukiko managed to get his mask over his head, his hood falling to his shoulders.

For a split second, she saw his face. The face of a man in his late twenties stared at her with widened eyes. His unkempt hair fell out of his robes.

He looked tired. His eyes had dark bags under them. His eyes looked somewhat hazy and unfocused. Morgan's mouth hung a bit in disbelief as his hands swiped at her face.

Tsukiko leaned over, her eyes locked onto Morgan's. A slight grin stretched across her face as she realized the true gravity of the situation. The man before her looked anxious and panicked.

What was only about a second in real time felt like minutes. His black, messy hair and dark eyes were now permanently stuck in her mind. Truth be told, he was a somewhat handsome man.

Morgan scrambled, grasping his mask once more, and pulling it down on his face. Tsuki took this opportunity to take a cheap shot, knocking him down onto his back. She approached him and he backed away.

He reached under his robes and pulled something out, pointing it at her stomach. Tsuki froze as he stumbled back onto his feet. He groaned, trying to catch his breath.

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"Y-you bastard."

"What're you so scared of?" Morgan spoke bluntly.

"That's a bad move." Tsuki took a step back.

Morgan waved the gun around. "We're not done here yet."

"Of course not."

"I want a fair fight." Morgan looked her in the face as he said something so strange.

"A fair fight?"

Morgan held his arm out, pressing the barrel of the gun against her stomach. "That's right."

Tsuki could feel her heartbeat get faster. Her legs shook slightly in fear. She couldn't move. She couldn't look away from his mask.

The sensation of the gun pressed into her body was strong. She felt like she could feel the cold steel of the barrel through her jacket.

Morgan wouldn't pull his finger away from the trigger. He held the gun there, as if it was a bargaining chip. He had a strange movement to him, shifting his weight back and forth.

"Okay." Tsuki agreed.

"When you find me, come alone. Let's settle this another time, okay?" Morgan pressed the gun even further.

Tsuki gagged, feeling like she had to throw up. "Yes."

"Good." Morgan backed away, still pointing the gun at her, before running away.

--

Once again, Tsukiko had been arrested. One more, sitting in the same interrogation room she'd been in when Fumiko was stabbed. She still saw the scuffs around the room from the time she first met the Chief.

Tsuki tried to keep herself entertained. She scanned around the room, imagining what each scratch and mark on the walls came from. After a while, she got bored again.

She started talking to herself. She started laughing under her breath at things she'd remembered from a long time ago. She must have looked like a crazy person.

Tsuki started planning things in her head. She started thinking about what she would do after she got out, or how she should organize things back home.

When she finally ran out of things to think about, she started slamming her fist on the table. She did it rhythmically, as if her little song would summon the police chief faster.

It must have worked, because it only took a few beats for the Chief to appear at the door, his head lowered in shame. He looked at Tsukiko with an apologetic look. He sighed and sat down across from her.

"You know why you're here, right?" The Chief asked.

"Maybe. I'm not exactly sure." Tsuki responded.

"I need to know what you know about the Shakudos." He had a look of defeat on his face.

"I don't know much about 'em myself." Tsuki admitted.

"You know more than us, trust me." He paused. "What do you know about Morgan?"

Tsuki paused to think. "I don't know much about Morgan."

"Damn." The Chief scratched the back of his head.

"Sorry."

"What do you know about the Shakudos, then?"

"They've been getting weaker lately. They're mostly teenagers now. Hardly even worth putting in cuffs." Tsuki crossed her arms.

"...Do you know why they're getting weaker?"

Tsuki was suddenly hit with hunger. "Don't you guys wine and dine a girl before asking her questions?"

"I'll buy you the finest steak in Tokyo if you answer my questions." He retorted.

"I never said I wasn't, but since you're offering--"

"Why does he want to push out the Damascenes?" He leaned forward.

Tsuki put her arms behind her head. "They don't like Sylvie."

"Is that seriously the only reason?"

"That's the best answer I've got." Tsuki looked down at the table.

The Chief made his hand into a fist. "Damnit."

"Does it really matter why?"

"I need something. The firebomb attack was the last straw!" The Chief snapped.

"I don't know anything, I'm sorry." Tsuki shook her head.

He sighed. "We've got so much on him, but linking him to a face seems impossible. I just don't have the resources to actually make an effort to catch him."

Tsuki pondered for a moment how to respond. "He'll slip up eventually. He's getting sloppy."

"Sloppy?"

"Well, yeah? The firebombs, fighting out in public. Gangs don't last long when they make a scene like that." Tsuki couldn't keep a straight face. "Or so I've been told."

"So, he's unhinged?"

"Maybe. Either way, this will end soon. I know it." Tsuki grinned.

"Why's that?"

"It's me he's after." Tsuki looked him in the eye.

"You?"

"He told me he wants a fair fight, Just me and him."

"...are you sure that's the best idea?" The Chief looked quite concerned.

"Well, I'm not the thinking type, so that's the best idea I've got." Tsuki shook her head.

"So, you fight him, beat him... then what?" The Chief asked her something she hadn't quite considered.

"I don't know."

"You saw what his men did to Lily... What they did to Fumiko... What makes you think he'll play fair?" The Chief's right hand fidgeted.

Tsuki stopped to think. She really hadn't thought that far ahead. There was no guarantee that anything good would come of it. Still, deep down, Tsuki felt like there was no other option.

If she gave him the fair fight he wanted, there was a chance that it could work. If she didn't, she'd have to track down Morgan for much much longer. Whatever the choice, the Shakudos had to be dealt with soon.

"You listening to me?" The Chief waved his hand in her face.

"What? Sorry, I was thinking about... stuff." Tsuki looked away.

"So, what's your call, Tsuki? I'm letting you decide."

"I'm gonna give him the fight he wants."

"...you're the boss." The Chief shook his head.

"...that right?"

"Don't let it get to your head, okay? I'm stretched thin as it is."

"Still, you'll do whatever your boss tells you, right?" Tsuki narrowed her eyes.

"Y-yes." The chief lowered his head like a sad dog.

"Tell me. Are you still letting the Shakudos free?"

"...you're still hung up on that?" The chief sighed.

"Of course I am." Tsuki crossed her arms.

"I've been working day and night on this case." The chief pleaded.

Tsuki leaned back in her chair, putting her leg up on the table. "You think I've been sitting around all day?"

"You're enjoying yourself a bit too much right now." The chief tried to avoid the question at all costs.

"Just tell me what I want to know."

The chief groaned. "You left me a beaten and bloodied man in an abandoned office building. There ain't much I can book him for."

"...not arson?"

"Can't prove it. Besides, you already did a real number on him. I made a deal with him, just to avoid the courts." The chief spoke quietly.

"What kind of deal?"

"...traded his freedom for some more information about Morgan." The chief revealed.

"What did he tell you?"

"Not much, in the long run. He gave us good leads, but they all led to dead ends. Morgan's smarter than he looks." The chief made his hand into a fist.

Silence hung over the room for a while. Tsukiko could feel the man's disappointment in her. She understood that it was out of concern, but she felt like she had to do something. Still, there was a weight on her shoulders now.

Though she was confident in her abilities, she felt guilty. Like before, she was going to throw herself into danger, while the others watched. It was the exact thing they'd scolded her for doing in the past.

Suddenly, a strange sound began to play in the Chief's pocket. He reached down and pulled something out, before holding it out for Tsukiko. She reached forward and grabbed it. It was her cellphone, vibrating and singing in her hand.

"You gonna pick that up, or what?" The Chief squinted.

"Yeah..."

The Chief stood up: I'll give you some privacy."

He walked out the door, closing it behind him.

Tsuki let her ringtone play a little before she answered. "Hello?"

"Yo, it's me, Haru!" She sounded out of breath.

"What's up?"

"The Shakudos are making a scene in the fashion district! Get down here!"

"I'll try. Might take a while though, I'm at the police station!"

"Chief holdin' you up?" Haruka's voice went from loud to distant from time to time as she spoke.

"Yeah, I can let him know what's going down, I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Careful on your way down here!"

"Thanks for letting me know, I'll call you back." Tsukiko spoke calmly.

"You better hurry up!" Haru's voice cut off after an abrupt click.

Tsukiko shot up and tore the door open.

"What's wrong?" The Chief asked.

"They're back! Fashion district!" She blurted out.

"Aww hell, why didn't you say so?" The Chief grabbed his walkie talkie. "I'm getting a report of violence in the fashion district, can you confirm?"

The voice on the other side was almost incomprehensible.

"Well, then send as many nearby units as you can!" He shouted before putting the receiver away.

"What's going on?" Tsuki asked.

"We need to get there now, c'mon." The Chief moved quickly out of the room.