The Knights Himura

#46: You Will Bury Me

No matter how kind Shizuka's words ended up being, Tsukiko still felt restless. The images of Fumiko and Haruka being stabbed throbbed in her mind. It was like an image she couldn't get rid of.

Each time she tried to forget, she'd remind herself of what she was trying to forget. It was as if there was a morbid thing in the back of her head, trying to remind her of her own, perceived failures.

She knew she had to move on, but she couldn't. The entire weight of it all laid on her shoulders like a stone. Somehow, Haruka's blood hadn't stained her jacket.

Still, the red stripes on her sleeves kept reminding her. Tsuki tried to clear her mind, but she just couldn't. Every time she tried, she'd just remind herself of it again.

The thought that the people responsible were still on the streets made her sick to her stomach. Something in her was eating away at her, weakening her courage. It had been a long time since she'd stopped and considered the consequences of it all.

That lack of courage became a futile anger within her. A sort of frustration caused by the fact that everyone but her seemed to ignore what had happened.

The streets of Tokyo were busy as usual. The city never changed, no matter what she did. Sure, there were a few looks, and stares. Sometimes, people would look at her and cheer or smile.

This new attention was a double edged sword. Sure, people would support her more, but she also felt somewhat inadequate.

Something in the corner of her vision caught her eye. Something gold hit the sun in a way that made it sparkle much brighter than everything else in the area.

It was a mask, shuffling through the crowd with no issue. Tsuki moved to get a better view of whatever it was reflecting the golden light. Just as she'd expected it was a Shakudo.

There was hesitation in her motion. She didn't know if it was right to go after this specific figure. After all, they didn't seem to be up to anything, and they weren't following her. It looked as if they hadn't even noticed her to begin with. Still, there was still the possibility of gathering important information.

At just the right angle, Tsuki caught a glimpse of the mask itself. It had the same geometric design as the man who'd stabbed Haruka. Her legs carried her faster.

First, she walked quickly, then she broke out into a sprint. The crowd all turned to watch as she ran after the figure, who still hadn't noticed her.

The chase led her to a space between several tall office buildings. They stopped moving, looking for something, before taking another step forward. Tsuki reached out to catch the man before he moved.

"Hey, stop right there!" Tsuki shouted.

"Get away from me!" The Shakudo managed to get away.

Tsuki ran after them. "Get back here!"

"W-what do you want?" The figure tried to get away.

"You stabbed her, you son of a bitch!"

The Shakudo ran around a corner down an alley. Tsukiko followed close behind, trying her best to keep up. In the middle of her sprint, a piece of wood came flying toward her head.

The plank hit her in the forehead, breaking in half, but almost knocking her down. A metal pipe hit her in the arm, and a stick hit her in the shoulder, bringing her down to her knee. Another figure ran up and hit her in the stomach.

"We've got her!" Someone shouted.

Several robed men stood around her. Tsuki was too disoriented to react, and too hurt to stand back up. Another thing came crashing down on her back.