The Knights Himura

#47: Luminous Oil Colour

The Three Knights sat around a table near an old shrine. They weren't there to pray, but to soak in the scenery. The summer days made themselves the most beautiful. There was an unusual pleasure and peace to it all.

A gentle breeze flowed through the green leaves of the trees above. Sunlight filtered through the leaves above, illuminating the Knights' faces.

A little pond's clear water reflected light in wavy little shapes onto the wall above it. The little blue figures danced around as the wind made little waves.

Looking up, Tsukiko spotted the trail of a passenger jet thousands of feet above. She swore she could hear its engine. Passenger jets were a constant in Tokyo's sky, and seeing them made her feel at home.

"Yo, you okay there, Tsuki?" Haruka nudged her.

Tsuki was caught off guard, "Yeah, I'm fine."

"I think she might've taken a few hits to the head too many" Haru spoke to Shizuka, who sat across from them. "Isn't it kinda weird to zone out like that?"

"I do it all the time, it's peaceful," Shizuka admitted.

"Why?"

"It clears your mind, makes you sharp. It's mostly relaxing though," Shizuka shrugged.

"You should try it," Tsuki suggested.

"Alright, just shut up a bit, okay?"

Haruka took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. She looked around, staring at the little bluish reflections of the water, then up at the sky. She stared intently at the clouds, before her eyes traced the path of a plane cutting through the sky.

Tsukiko nudged Haruka, "You alright there? You still breathing?"

"Yeah, yeah... You guys're right," Haruka sighed.

"Told you," Tsuki laughed.

"Wasn't this a nice place to visit?" Shizuka smiled.

"You still haven't explained why we're here," Haru straightened up.

"Call it a test."

"Test for what?" Tsuki immediately cut in.

"I'll tell you if I get the results I want."

"I don't think it counts if you root for a certain result," Tsuki played with her hat.

"I'm expecting something. It'll be a pain in the ass to deal with. Still valuable information," Shizuka put her hands together and cracked her knuckles.

"What kind of pain?" Haru asked.

"...a pain in the ass, what I just said."

"No, like-- nevermind," Haru gave up.

"We'll be fine, it'll just be an inconvenience," Shizuka slouched.

"You better not drag us into a fight," Tsuki's eyes turned into daggers.

"Quit lookin' at me like that," Shizuka looked away.

"Aren't you the one always lookin' down on people with that creepy stare?"

Shizuka turned back and stared at Haruka, "I'm not creepy at all."

The look on the First Knight's face was ghastly. It felt like it would be the last thing someone saw before dying. It would be the last act of terror upon them.

Haruka unconsciously made herself smaller, "Stop, stop, stop, stop."

Shizuka turned to Tsukiko, cocking her head to the side, "What's she talking about?"