The girl in Darkness - Kousano

Chapter 2

Yosano was sure she must be facing some sort of goddess, some divine spirit. Her attacker stood on the other side of the dark room, illuminated with a bloodred light. Her attacker... was a gorgeous woman. Dressed in a flowing, silk kimono that waved gently through the air despite there not being any wind. Her scarlet hair was piled on top of her head in a bun, with loose strands curling around her long, thin, and pale face, which was radiantly beautiful. And her eyes... when she looked at Yosano with those bright red eyes, Yosano was certain she'd seen those lovely irises somewhere before.

The woman parted her curved cupid's bow lips into a smile.

"I was informed the Armed Detective Agency would be investigating here. I didn't know the Agency sent their doctor on important missions such as this one," the woman said, slowly advancing across the room.

Yosano's mind snapped back to attention. This ethereal woman must be a part of the Port Mafia. This woman is the enemy.

"I wasn't informed the Port Mafia would be here," Yosano snapped. "We were given an anonymous tip that suspicious activities were going on in this neighborhood."

"How queer," the mafioso said, tilting her head. It was then that Yosano turned her eyes to the enormous, glowing spirit above the woman that casted the red light throughout the room. It looked so similar to Kyoka's Demon Snow...

"Our scouts heard rumors of the investigations going on here, carried out by the agency. Looks like that was a lie," she continued. "Nonetheless, it is my obligation to do anything that might weaken the agency... particularly, getting rid of their beloved doctor."

Once again, the spirit unsheathed its sword and swung at Yosano, who leaped away from its reach. She sensed that the swipe was only a fraction of what the woman's ability could really do.

A grin spread across her face. She was starting to like this lady.

Koyo had been pleasantly surprised to see the agency doctor. For one thing, it made her job a whole lot easier.

She hadn't expected the doctor to be so skilled at evading the attacks from her Golden Demon, despite lugging around an enormous cleaver over her shoulder. Koyo quite liked some nice games of cat-and-mouse, but she didn't want to waste too much of her time here.

Golden Demon released a swarm of cuts from its sword, slicing the doctor all over her body. Such an attack would bring anybody close to death.

Sure enough, the doctor kneeled over, slamming her hand into the ground to steady herself and letting the cleaver drop from her grasp. Blood began to spill from her wounds.

Koyo kneeled before the injured woman, who turned her head to look up at her.

Koyo had to steady herself as the floor seemed to tilt under her feet. The doctor's face, no longer obscured by the dark... She knew that face.

A memory flashed behind her eyes. In the moment Koyo faltered, the doctor let off a faint glow.

The doctor's cleaver slammed into the floor by Koyo's feet. The redhead barely dodged the attack.

Koyo narrowed her eyes at the doctor. "You're healed."

The doctor tore her cleaver out of the floor and pointed it at Koyo. "My ability, Thou Shalt Not Die, can heal any injuries while the subject is on the brink of death," she said, her wicked smile stretching across her face. Koyo's chest began to beat wildly at the sight of her deranged, twisted smile, curling up at the edges, her tongue flicking out to lick her upper lip. It was a look that undeniably read danger.

"What did you say your name was, Doctor?" Koyo asked, feeling the corner of her lip twitch.

The doctor whipped the cleaver around and poised it in the air above her head, ready to strike. "Yosano Akiko. Pleasure to make your acquaintance.." she replied, pausing to indicate she expected a name in return.

"Koyo. Koyo Ozaki."