For the next few days, the Shakudos had led a massive campaign of crime and destruction. Tsukiko and Shizuka spend nearly every waking moment of every day fighting them off.

As the days went on, the violence began to subside. The Knights were taking down the Shakudos faster than they could regroup. Still, they weren't to be taken lightly.

A game of cat and mouse formed. The Knights chased around what few remnants of the Shakudos were still around. They were spread far and thin.

Tsukiko spent most of this time distracted by the thought of her injured sister. Haruka's injuries healed just as fast as Fumiko's had. Still, Tsuki had insisted Haruka try to get some rest to recover.

Deep down, she knew that Haruka was still angry with her, even if she wouldn't show it. Or, at least, that's what she felt she knew.

The only thing she had was the somewhat strange text message that her sister had sent her. It contained nothing more than an address and a demand.

The fear of the unknown made Tsuki's chest feel tight. No matter how tough she got, that dread still got under her skin. She wanted to be strong then, but she just couldn't shake it.

The Shakudos' numbers were dwindling. Despite that, they were still able to spread the Knights and the police thin.

Haruka had decided that whatever she was leading Tsukiko to was more important. Tsukiko knew that her sister wasn't one to abandon duties or let anyone else do the same. The dread only grew stronger.

--

The location in the text led her to a distant place, far from the city's center. It was a street corner, with shops at each side. Tsuki began to slowly scan the shops, looking for her sister.

The street was dirty and dingy. It was exactly the kind of place she'd expected someone like Haruka to hang out. Maybe on a different day, they could go there together in peace.

For now, she could only look out the road in worry and concern. Tsukiko knew what she was going to hear and what they were going to talk about. She kept her head down like a scolded child.

Each one was empty, save for one that had a vaguely female figure inside. As she began to walk toward it, someone grabbed her by the collar and pulled her away.

"Come with me." Haruka demanded.

"What the hell's wrong with you?"

"Shut up."

Haruka dragged her sister away from the street corner and down a secluded path. "We need to talk."

Tsuki escaped her sister's grip. "Yeah, you said as much."

"Just follow me, okay?" Haruka's gaze did not relent.

"A-Alright."

Haruka pushed her around a corner and into a small parking lot. She made sure to take Tsuki into the far end of the lot, as if she was trying to avoid something. When they arrived in a secluded spot, Haruka pulled her sister to sit on the ground with her.

"What's your deal?" Tsuki complained as she stumbled down onto the asphalt.

"What's yours?" Haruka hissed.

"Huh?"

"I saw what happened with Morgan." Haruka sighed.

"What happened with Morgan?"

"You let him get away."

Tsuki groaned. "Of course I let him get away! He had a gun!"

"And?"

"I'm not gonna throw my life away like that!" Tsuki raised her voice.

"That's not it."

"Then what is it?" Tsuki rolled her eyes.

Haruka paused before speaking. "What're you scared of?"

"Nothing."

"You froze."

"And?" Tsuki narrowed her eyes.

"You could see it, even on TV." Haruka smirked.

"How is this funny?"

"It isn't."

"Then wipe that smile off your face, Haruka." Tsuki glared.

Haruka lowered her head. Tsuki kept her guard up, expecting her sister to move back to her usual mocking behavior at any moment. This shift never came.

"I told you what happened to me when I got scared, didn't I?" Haruka frowned.

"Yeah."

"I don't want you to go through what I did." Haruka admitted.

"Yeah, I know." Tsuki sighed.

"Tell me what you're scared of." Haruka's voice went dark. "I know you're not scared of dying, cuz you would've dropped that jacket weeks ago if you were."

"It's not that big of a deal, okay?"

Haruka shook her head. "You can trust me."

Tsuki scratched her face. "It's not that simple."

"Are you afraid of me?"

"...kind of."

"Why?"

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Tsuki turned red. "I-I feel like I pissed you off."

"And?"

"I was worried about you, alright? I was scared. It reminded me too much of what happened to Fumi..."

"That's still got you down, huh?" Haru sighed.

"I didn't wanna lose you. It's something you never wanna deal with again." Tsuki put her arms around her knees.

"...it's something you have to get used to."

"Hmm..."

"I hated seeing Shizuka get hurt back when I first became a Knight. Getting hurt is just something we do." Haruka sat closer to Tsukiko.

"I get that, but--"

"Are you scared of getting hurt?" Haruka asked.

Tsuki was used to getting hurt, even before she'd become a Knight. There were too many bad school fights and childhood injuries for her to count. Still, they were nothing to her but low points in the past.

"Not really." Tsuki shook her head.

"You can tell me!" Haruka insisted.

"I.."

"Yeah?"

"I'm afraid of being helpless." Tsuki admitted.

"Helpless?"

"I couldn't do anything for you when you got stabbed. I couldn't help Fumi. I feel like I have to sit around half the time while everyone else suffers. I like solving things." Tsuki complained.

"Well, you weren't really helpless."

"Hmm..."

"It's not your fault some bastard hurt Fumi. It's not your fault I got hurt. It happens, seriously. It's part of the job." Haru chuckled.

"I didn't want it to happen again. Especially not to you."

"You didn't seem scared when you were putting yourself in danger." Haruka countered.

"I'm not worried about myself."

"Why not?"

"I can take care of myself, can't I?" Tsuki straightened herself out.

"What about me and Fumi?"

"What do you mean?"

Haruka shook her head. "You think her and I can't take care of ourselves?"

"That's not what I meant--"

"Why are you making things harder for yourself?" Haruka cut in.

"What?"

"You kept talking about how weak you are. You kept blaming yourself for things, and talking about how you're not good enough. You don't really believe that, do you?"

"I couldn't do what I was supposed to do. I fucked up." Tsuki made her hand into a fist.

"You didn't fuck up." Haruka shook her head.

"Yes I did."

"How?"

"I... I'm a Knight. I have to protect people, don't I?"

"You did your best. Fumi and I are still here, alive. You're not a superhero, Tsuki." Haruka narrowed her eyes.

"But I'm a Knight. I have to do whatever I can to help people."

Haruka put her arm around Tsuki. "We're both Knights."

"And?"

"We're a team, Tsuki. Seriously. You ran out there on your own and you got beaten to a pulp." Haruka sighed.

"I made it out, didn't I?"

"That's not the point."

"Then what is?"

"We're not supposed to worry about you, but you can worry about us?" Haruka playfully jabbed her sister in the arm.

"You weren't worried about me."

Haruka jabbed her sister again harder. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

"You looked fine to me." Tsuki backed away.

Haruka turned red with anger. "Shut up, you fucking idiot."

"Huh?"

"You got all bruised and bloody. How the fuck was I not supposed to get worried?"

Tsuki shook her head. "You looked pretty mad to me."

"Of course I was mad. You fell for the easiest trick in the book after trying to settle shit yourself. You know how upset Fumi was?" Haruka grit her teeth.

"You told Fumi?" Tsuki's eyes widened.

"What the hell was I supposed to tell her? That you were just taking a nap at Aurelia's place?" Haruka looked away.

"I told you not to tell her for a reason!"

"She cares about you!" Haruka shouted.

Tsukiko went quiet.

"You're not alone here, okay?"

"I know." Tsuki responded rudely.

"We're a team, okay? You keep throwing yourself into stuff alone. You know we're just as scared as you are." Haruka moved closer again.

"If you're so scared, then you'll know why I'm doing what I'm doing."

"No, I don't. I know I'm scared, but I don't feel scared." Haruka sighed.

"What the hell does that mean?"

"I was scared too... when he had that knife. I knew things would be okay cuz you were there with me." Haruka's voice shook.

"I-I guess."

Haruka grabbed Tsuki's hand. "Stop thinking you have to solve things yourself. Finding the guy was just as important to me as it was to you. She's my friend too, y'know?"

"I hate waiting for things to happen. I hate having to sit around while those bastards are out there." Tsuki hissed.

"It sucks for everybody, alright? We're trying our hardest."

"Sorry."

Haruka pat Tsuki's back. "Don't worry about it."

"I know it's a bad habit." Tsuki thought aloud.

"What is?"

"...doing everything on my own."

"Where'd you learn that anyway?" Haruka asked.

"After Fumi and I were on our own. I couldn't rely on you or Mom or Dad." Tsuki scratched her head. "I got kinda... obsessed with doing everything for Fumi."

"Doesn't seem like her."

"She hates it. Always tells me I'm spoiling her." Tsuki laughed.

"C'mon, make her work for it." Haruka nudged her sister.

"What do you mean?"

"C'mon, she's lucky to have a girl like you." Haruka grinned.

Tsuki turned red. "What the hell're you talking about?"

"You're so cool!" Haruka shouted. "You're almost as cool as I am."

"Aww, shut it." Tsuki pouted.

"Take the compliment." Haruka insisted.

Tsuki sighed. "I should give her a call, huh?"

"Yeah. She'll be mad, but just for a little bit." Haruka stretched her legs.

"I hope so." Tsuki reached into her pocket to grab her phone.

"You've been in fights before." Haruka joked. "You should know the most important parts are what happens right before and right after. The fight itself's the easy part."

"...good advice."

Haruka caught her hand, grabbing her wrist. "Alright. Now lemme give you a little love advice, alright?"

"...okay." Tsuki readied herself for the worst.

"Fumi's strong, alright?" Haruka warned.

"Y-yeah."

"Respect her." Haruka squeezed Tsuki's wrist.

"I do!" Tsuki shoved Haruka's hand away.

"She's not just some girl who got stabbed. She's your--"

"I know."

"You didn't have to be a hero. You did your best, okay? Don't blame yourself for what happened to her anymore." Haruka spoke quietly.

Tsuki whispered back. "Okay."

Tsuki pulled out her phone and looked for Fumi's number before calling her. The first few rings were somewhat painful to hear. She wasn't quite prepared to explain what had happened to her.

Finally, Fumiko picked up.

"Fumi?" Tsuki asked.

"H-Hey! Get down to Aurelia's, quick!"

"What?"

Fumi spoke quickly. "Just get down here! Sylvie needs you right now! Shizuka's here too!"

"Shizuka?" Tsuki asked.

"Shizuka?" Haruka leaned in to listen on the call.

"She found him!" Fumi sounded excited.

"Found who?"

"Morgan."

"...I'll be there." Tsuki hung up.

"Well, you said you hated waiting." Haruka chuckled.

Tsuki stood up, pulling her sister up too. "A little break would've been nice, at least."