Tsukiko slowly stirred awake, her body a lump on the bed. She sat up and eyed the new bartender's uniform laying neatly on an office chair across from her. She could only let out a slight groan.
She had stumbled back to her room somehow, but she didn't remember it. The throbbing headache made it all too clear she had gone a bit too hard on the liquor. Her Knight's jacket had been left on the floor, carelessly.
It took her a moment to notice Fumiko sleeping at her side, peacefully. Tsukiko'd gotten used to sleeping with someone else, but she'd never get used to the sight of Fumi so close to her. She moved carefully, getting out of the bed as gently as possible to avoid waking the poor girl up.
Tsuki picked her skirt and jacket off the floor, doing her best to straighten them, though Aurelia's fabrics hardly ever wrinkled. Somehow, the Knight's white hat had remained firmly placed on her head, even through several hours of sleep.
Golden light painted the room, and the shadows were a yellow-brown. Tsukiko had shifted some things around, and finally made an effort to clean the place. Her stacks of games and movies were now neatly placed in shelves.
Her old computer had been replaced with a new, custom built one with some help from Shizuka. Several antique electronics sat, proudly displayed in their own corner of the room. A painting Aurelia had given to her hung off of the wall.
"You up?" Fumiko muttered in a half asleep state.
"Yeah." Tsuki nodded as she finished putting on her clothes.
"I really regret asking Aurelia for more of that weird whisky." Fumi groaned, rubbing her eyes.
Together, they descended down to the first floor. Tsukiko had taken a major effort to make her home a nicer place to be. The biggest step was repainting all of the walls and reorganizing everything.
Gone were the days of messy dishes stacking up and things simply sitting on counter tops. Dull browns were replaced with a strong scarlet color. The turntable had been painstakingly refurbished and records had been organized by hand.
A large television hung above the turntable, a homemaking gift from Haruka and Kazuo. Of course, Shizuka chose it and had made sure it was the top of the line model. It wasn't the kind of gift they'd expected, but Tsuki and Fumi appreciated it nonetheless.
"So, you busy?" Tsuki asked.
"Eh? No, not really, why?" Fumi replied.
"I was gonna try to talk to The Old Chief." Tsuki grabbed her phone. "...feels like I should go pay my respects."
"It's not like he's dead." Fumi poked fun at her. "You're making this a lot more serious than it really is."
"...maybe he knows something about that Ishikawa guy." Tsuki shrugged. "Or maybe he's got a lead on Themis? Who knows? It wouldn't hurt to try, right?"
"You don't need to make any excuses, just go." Fumi smiled. "Besides, even if there wasn't any reason at all, it's good to catch up, isn't it?"
Tsuki sighed. "...wanna come with?"
"No thanks." Fumi shook her head. "This is something you've gotta do on your own."
"You're right." Tsuki admitted it, but it still hurt to hear.
Tsukiko grabbed her phone and started scrolling through her contacts list. It had grown considerably in the years she had been a Knight. She didn't expect she'd meet so many people in such little time.
When she finally found his contact information, her finger hesitated over the call key for a moment before she forced herself to press it. Slowly, she brought it up to her ear with a sigh, the phone purring in her ear as it connected. After only a few rings, someone picked up.
"Hello?" Tsuki called out.
"Hello? Who's this?" The former chief's unforgettable voice spoke unusually softly.
"It's me, Tsukiko." she answered. "You remember me, don't you?"
The Old Chief's voice brightened. "Oh, Miss Himura! I wasn't expecting you to call me."
"I uhh... wanted to talk to you about something." Tsuki tried to get to the point as soon as possible.
"What is it?"
"It's not something I'd wanna bring up over the phone." Tsuki kept the details vague. "I'd rather talk about it in person, y'know?"
The Old Chief laughed. "So, you're respectful all of a sudden, huh?"
"Yeah, yeah." Tsukiko groaned. "So you're not too busy to meet up?"
The Old Chief paused. "You're making it too obvious."
"C'mon, just answer the question." Tsukiko sighed. "Where are you, anyway?"
"I'm still in Tokyo, where else would I be?" The Old Chief's tone straightened out.
"That's good." Tsuki nodded, as if he could see it.
"...so where'd you wanna meet?" The old chief asked.
The Chief simply gave her an answer and hung up. Tsuki held the phone to her ear for a few seconds after. Eventually, she slipped the phone back into her jacket and turned for the door.
"I guess you're heading out, huh?" Fumi asked.
"Yeah." Tsuki nodded. "See you in a bit, okay?"
"Be careful."
--
Tsuki stood around, waiting for The Old Chief at the designated location. There was some kind of unexplainable irony in their rendezvous happening at an old shrine in the outskirts of town. It was definitely the best place to discuss something sensitive, but it felt almost disrespectful.
It was as quiet as ever, as if the trees deafened the sound of the city. There were artificial ponds filled with golden fish and dancing blue waves on the water's surface. Colorful lilies left a few marks of pink and white on the scene.
"Miss Himura." The old chief approached her from behind.
Tsuki turned toward him. "Hey. Thanks for coming."
The Old Chief looked different. He seemed to have a darker complexion than usual. His clothes were more colorful, but his face was monochrome.
"I never took you as the sentimental type." The Old Chief sighed. "... so I'm guessing this is something important? Business?"
"Yeah, sort of." Tsuki felt a bit ashamed saying it.
"Go ahead then. Shoot." The Old Chief approached a bench and motioned for her to sit with him.
Tsuki sat down next to him. "You already know what I'm gonna ask, aren't you?"
"I don't know what happened." The Chief sighed. "One moment, you're working, then... you're not. Forced into an early retirement."
"Yeah, it didn't sound like something you would've wanted." Tsukiko stared at the ground.
"I guess it was about time, huh?" The old chief tried to make it sound pleasant.
"...sorry." Tsukiko didn't know what to say.
"They already had a replacement for me, someone named Ishikawa. He's a strange one, but... I'm not allowed to complain." The Chief stared at the ground. "If they think he's better than me, I can't argue it."
"...I already met him." Tsuki agreed. "He's... a weird guy."
"...how'd you run into him?" The Chief stared at the shrine in the distance.
"He came up to me yesterday while I was having lunch with Fumi. Said he'd been looking for me." Tsuki's voice went quiet.
"What'd he say?"
"The usual business type." Tsukiko paused. "Something about looking forward to working with the Knights cuz you had a close relationship with us."
The Old Chief laughed. "Me? Close to you?"
"You've helped me out a lot over the past few years." Tsuki shrugged. "...plus, I think I knew you better than any of the other cops."
"...thanks." The Old Chief lowered his head.
"He, uhh... apologized for what happened to Fumi." Tsuki added. "Said the cops should've done more for us."
"...easy for him to say." The Old Chief groaned. "It wasn't that cut and dry, and he knows it. Everybody knows it."
"Don't let him get under your skin." Tsuki cautioned.
The Old Chief shook his head. "I might as well say it anyway. I'm sorry if you think I did the wrong thing, but--"
"I don't." Tsukiko cut him off. "None of it was your fault. I might've gotten angry with you, but... you'd be mad too if you were in that situation."
"...I've got a daughter your age." The Old Chief revealed something oddly personal. "So... I think I know how you felt back then."
"She gettin' herself in trouble too?" Tsuki asked.
"Nothin' you need to concern yourself about." The Old Chief laughed and smiled. "I just... understand you better now."
"All that matters is that she's safe." Tsuki assured him. "Fumi's doin' okay, isn't she?"
"She's made a name for herself. Fumiko, I mean." The Old Chief nodded. "Sometimes I hear about her, and I feel kinda... proud."
"Hm?" Tsuki raised an eyebrow. "Proud?"
"You never keep up with the people you help?" The Old Chief asked her.
"Not that closely." Tsuki shook her head. "It'd be tough to keep up with that many people at once."
"So, uhh... What else did you wanna talk about?" The old chief tried to refocus the conversation.
"Themis." Tsuki cut straight to it.
"Where'd you hear about--" The Old Chief stopped himself. "So, they're still running around, huh?"
"Some kid came at me with a bat and mentioned their name when I tried to find out who sent him." Tsuki shrugged. "I figured you'd know something about it."
"I know-- Well, knew Themis." The old Chief nodded. "I remember them, back when I was just a beat cop."
"Shizuka caught me up on the old Themis." Tsukiko hoped for any sort of answer. "Do... Do you know anything about this new Themis?"
"...there's more to them than you'd think. I was working on a case on this new Themis before I got the boot." The Chief narrowed his eyes. "I don't know what way the investigation's gone, but... something about it didn't feel right."
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"What about it?" Tsuki cocked her head.
"The timing. The Shakudos fell apart a while ago, if someone this strong was gonna come up, we would've heard about 'em sooner. " The Chief chose his words carefully.
"What makes Themis so special?"
"...well, other than their name? Probably their growth." The Chief looked down at the ground. "When a big gang falls apart, a bunch of members make their own little gangs to take up its place. Themis wasn't born from the Shakudos, they just popped up out of thin air one day and by the end of the week, they were one of the biggest ones on the streets."
"Hmm." Tsuki stayed quiet in thought. "...why'd it take so long for me to hear about 'em, then?"
The Old Chief sighed. "Who knows? Maybe they were--"
"Hey!" A voice broke her concentration.
A man with a baseball bat approached them both. He covered the lower half of his face with a green bandana. At his side was another young man, wearing orange.
"Eh? Who are you? What do you want?" The former Chief stood up.
"You know what I want, old man." The man in green laughed.
"No, I don't." The Old Chief shook his head. "I don't deal with kids."
"Heh, it doesn't matter. Time is money." The man held out his weapon.
"Put it down, idiot." Tsukiko stood up.
"Y-yo, is that a Knight?" One of the two men panicked.
"C'mon, man. The boss is looking for movers and shakers. If we pull this off, we'll definitely make it." The green bandana proudly proclaimed.
"Who're you working for?" The Chief stood before them. "Huh?"
"Get ready to die, old man!" The man in the green bandana shouted.
He ran forward, bat in hand, quicker than Tsukiko'd expected. He pulled the bat back and swung it forward, the Knight holding out her hand out of instinct. It hit her hand and arm hard with a dull ringing sound, but she was able to avoid a more damaging blow. It still hurt her badly and it was obvious from the way she pulled her hand back.
"See? not that strong." The man in green taunted. "All just an urban legend."
He tried to pull the bat back for another attack, Tsukiko reached out and grabbed onto it. The man in the green bandana struggled with her, wrapping both of his hands around the bat and desperately trying to break it free from the Knight's grasp.
Tsuki moved forward, closing the gap and using a free hand to punch him in the side and gut. The man in green retaliated and headbutted the Knight, hitting her in the mouth. His body weakened, but his grip only tightened, so she aimed high and hit him in the face, right under his eye. As he fell, he held onto the grip of the bat and Tsukiko held the opposite end. With one final kick to his arm, she broke his grip, then kicked him in the side to make sure he stayed down.
Tsukiko held the bat in her hands, before she tossed it aside, its aluminum form giving off a metallic ring as it flew and tumbled through the shrine, ending up too far away for any of them to reach.
There was only a brief moment for the Third Knight Himura to catch her breath, adrenaline clouding her vision and dulling the pain in her hand and body. Though her mind and vision were clouded, she could feel a second presence near her, and a third further away.
Another man, this time wearing an orange bandana, ran at her, his body low for a tackle. His shoulder and torso slammed into body with quite a bit of force, and she was just barely able to defend herself and keep her balance. It was a cheap shot, catching her off guard and unprepared.
"Go down!" The man in orange spit out through grit teeth, pushing against her with wild might.
He pushed as hard as he could against the Knight, but she stood strong, taking a wide stance that would make her hard to knock over. Feeling this resistance, he resorted to weak jabs to her side and gut that, in the heat of the fight, she could hardly feel. Tsuki pushed back against him, returning the favor and overpowering him, knocking him down onto the dirt below.
One arm held the man down and the other punched as he tried desperately to break free from Tsukiko's grasp. She had him right where she wanted him, and there was no way for him to escape. He used every ounce of his strength trying to hit back or get free, but his baggy clothes just meant she could easily grab him and drag him back down, just to hit him even harder.
It didn't take much more effort for him to raise his hands and admit defeat, and Tsuki took her victory and gave him mercy. She got back up, kneeling over him and holding him by the collar.
The old Chief approached Tsukiko, then the two men. "...you two cooled off now?"
"...stop it. I'm sorry, I'm sorry." The man in orange looked away, hiding his beaten red face and wet eyes. "We made a mistake. We didn't mean anything by it."
"Nobody goes around swinging a bat for no reason." Tsukiko glared. "Start talking, or else."
"Don't be hasty." The Old Chief stopped her. "He's just a kid."
Tsuki turned back to him. "What do you want me to do, then?"
Suddenly, The Old Chief turned away from Tsukiko to something else. Tsuki turned with him, and found a figure in a coat walking away, their back toward them.
"Stop right there!" The Chief shouted.
The figure suddenly jumped, shuddered, and stopped.
"Where do you think you're going?" The Chief shouted again. "Get back here, that's an order!"
"You're not the boss of me!" The figure replied in a faux gruff voice.
Tsukiko turned her attention to the figure. "You want me to come over there and get you myself?"
The figure stopped and turned around with a lowered head, stepping back toward Tsukiko and the retired police chief. As they neared, the face of a woman in sunglasses revealed itself, the rest of her body obscured by a trench coat.
"What's your business here?" The old chief narrowed his eyes.
"I don't have any business, I'm just standing around--" The woman tried to defend herself.
"With a trench coat and a camera?" The old chief pressed.
"It's not a crime to take photos, right?" The woman tried to sweet talk. "The shrine's all pretty this time of year, isn't it?"
Tsukiko held out her hand, glaring at the woman. "Can I see your camera then?"
"I'm... a photojournalist." The woman finally relented. "Inaba Asuka. Freelance."
"So you've been following us around?" Tsukiko crossed her arms.
"Follow you? A Knight? I'm not that dumb." Asuka held up her hands, as if defending herself. "Actually, I was following these two."
"Huh?" The man in orange looked up at her. "Us?"
"You two went around bragging to everyone about your new job." Asuka looked down at the two men. "Thought I'd follow that rabbit hole and see if it'd land me a story. Two high schoolers gettin' paid to start trouble? There was probably more to it than that."
"Why can't any of you ever be smart?" Tsukiko frowned. "Then again, smart people don't join gangs in the first place."
"Right..." The Chief's attention turned to the two injured men. "So you got paid. Who gave you the money?"
"...C'mon man, you know how it works." The man in orange chuckled a bit. "We don't know anything, it's all a need to know basis."
Tsukiko tightened her grip. "I find that hard to believe. Everyone needs to know something."
"It... Well... He said he was with a gang called Themis." The man in orange gave up. "He paid upfront and said we'd get more if we kept doing stuff for him. He didn't tell us anything else."
"Do you know how to find him?" Tsukiko continued her interrogation.
"N-no. No, I don't." The man in orange tried to retreat. "He said he'd come to us if we managed to pull it off."
"...you really thought you were gonna beat a Knight Himura in a fight?" Asuka spoke incredulously.
"...don't rub it in." The man in orange frowned. "It was good money, who knows how much we would've gotten if we'd actually done it?"
Tsukiko smiled a little. "Well, he's never comin' around now. Should've taken it and ran."
The Chief turned to Asuka. "Can you confirm any of this, Miss Inaba?"
"How would she--" Tsukiko got cut off.
Asuka nodded. "There's shady looking guys standing outside of every high school in Tokyo these days. It doesn't like like too much of a stretch."
"Think we'd have any luck finding our man?" The Chief asked her. "It doesn't confirm anything, but if we could ask around..."
"Nah." Asuka denied. "No way you'd find 'em now."
"Right." The old chief nodded. "Well, at least now we know for sure how Themis recruits all these kids."
The man in orange sighed. "We really screwed up, huh?"
"Just be glad I stopped you before you did something really stupid." Tsukiko glared, then turned to the man in green, who was still unconscious. "Make sure you take care of your dipshit friend over there too."
"You're letting us go?" The man in orange didn't believe her.
"Yeah. Get out of here." Tsukiko let go of him.
He stumbled back onto his feet, quickly moving away from the Knight and nearly tripping over his own feet trying to get to his friend. He shook the man with the green bandana awake and dragged him away, the two of them disappearing back into the city without much fuss.
"All's well that ends well, eh?" Asuka started inching away from the group.
"So, what's on the camera?" Tsukiko glared.
Asuka stopped. "...nothing important."
"You sure?" Tsuki folded her arms.
"You really don't wanna piss her off, Miss Inaba." The old chief smiled at her.
"Fine. I... took a few pictures of you fighting those guys. Y'know, action shots." Asuka sighed. "Pictures of the Knights fighting sell for a good price, so I had to get a few."
"...that's what you were doing?" Tsukiko frowned. "Seriously?"
"Never underestimate a journalist, Tsukiko." The Chief laughed. "For you, it's your duty, but for them? A good story's life or death."
"Hey, don't talk about me like that. I'm not that desperate." Asuka folded her arms. "It's honest work."
The Chief shook his head. "Honest work, but you're involved in things like this?"
"Hmph." Asuka grunted. "You wouldn't understand."
"Honestly." The old chief muttered. "If I was still with the force, I would've taken you back to the station and given you a stern talking to."
"But you're not." Asuka smirked. "Are you?"
"Guess you got lucky." Tsukiko muttered.
"Lucky's right." The old chief sighed. "Do you know what could've happened if those kids had caught you?"
"Lucky?" Asuka looked away. "I lost the only lead I had on that story cuz of you two, so I've still got the short end of the stick here."
"How's that our fault?" The old chief scratched his head. "We didn't really pick a fight with them, they came to us. So did you, for that matter. Just be glad you didn't get caught in the middle."
"Whatever. Now I'm back at square one." Asuka let out a sigh. "...I went in headfirst again and fucked myself over. Again. Now I'm leaving empty handed."
"What about those photos?" Tsukiko pointed at the camera. "Didn't you say they were valuable?"
"Not as valuable as they'd be with a story." Asuka shook her head.
"What?" Tsukiko looked back at him.
Asuka nodded. "Mhmm. A photo of a Knight beating up some teenagers? It's basically b-roll, or a picture on some fluff piece. What I need is something with substance, something no one'd ever heard of before."
"...something no one's ever heard of before." The old chief repeated.
"How about an interview?" Asuka asked the Knight. "It's been nearly a decade since anyone's managed to get a candid interview with a Knight."
"...is that true?" Tsukiko paused. "Whatever, either way, there's no way I'm doing an interview."
"Huh? Why not?" Asuka cocked her head. "You owe me."
"I don't owe you a damn thing." Tsukiko hissed.
"Miss Himura." The old chief nudged her. "Life or death."
"Yeah." Asuka stood straight and proud, an intense look on her face.
Tsukiko immediately knew where things were going. "...I'll give you an interview if it'll help you out."
"Thank god." Asuka looked up at her. "I thought you were gonna leave me hanging."
"...but it's not gonna be free." Tsukiko added.
"...what do I owe you?" Asuka stared. "I can't do money, that's a conflict of--"
"No. I want you to keep a lookout for anything connected to Themis." Tsukiko stated her terms. "If you find anything, tell me."
"Themis..." Asuka muttered under her breath. "Well, I already told you everything I knew about it, which was basically nothing."
"You're a journalist, right?" Tsukiko continued. "Go and find a story and bring it back to me."
"You really think that's a good idea?" The old chief cautioned her. "She's just a civilian, she could get hurt."
"I dunno." Tsukiko turned to Asuka. "How bad do you want that interview?"
"I'll help you." Asuka nodded.
"Thanks." Tsukiko pulled out her phone. "Give me your phone number."
"Eh?" Asuka was taken aback. "Mine?"
"Yeah, how else am I supposed to get to you?" Tsukiko narrowed her eyes. "C'mon."
Asuka let out a sigh to calm herself, then reached into a pocket on her coat for her phone. Tsukiko did the same, and the two of them exchanged numbers and contact information.
"...I've got somewhere to be." Asuka bowed her head quietly. "Can I go now? Am I free to go?"
"...fine." The old chief finally let her go.
The journalist turned and started walking away without another word, leaving the shrine and disappearing back into the city.
"You're really gonna let her go out and investigate on her own?" The old chief looked Tsukiko in the eye.
"She was probably gonna go investigate behind our back anyway, right?" Tsukiko looked back at him. "If she's gonna get herself in trouble, it's better that I'm involved than if she's doing it on her own."
"Good point." The old chief sighed. "...You'll take care of her, right?"
"Suddenly got a soft spot for 'er?" Tsuki laughed.
"Hey, I'm a former cop, of course I'm worried. I know what happens when shit goes south." The old chief sighed. "...all I can do now is put my trust in you with stuff like that. It's in your hands now."
"What about Ishikawa?" Tsukiko asked aloud, already knowing the answer.
"I trust you more than I trust a stranger, Tsukiko." The old chief spoke softly. "I've known you for years now. I know what you're capable of, and I know you can keep folks like her safe, but... I can't help you anymore."
"...Thanks. For everything you've done for me." Tsuki bowed her head a little.
"Don't get all formal all of a sudden." The old chief scolded her.
"I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you, c'mon." Tsukiko insisted. "At least let me thank you."
"Give yourself the credit." The old chief sighed. "You're one of the toughest people I know, be proud of that. You don't owe me anything. You're the Knight. You're the one out there, fighting."