Tsukiko opened the door to Fumiko's room. To her surprise, the room was empty. She approached the bed and found nothing. She called out and heard nothing in response.

Another panic settled in. Her mind assumed the worst.

She noticed her friend's brown fluffy hair in the corner. Fumi stood staring out the window. Her eyes watched the moment of black clouds in the distance.

"What're you doing up?" Tsuki approached her.

"They told me I was recovering faster than they expected. I asked if I could check out early," Fumi's bored voice replied.

Tsuki didn't know how to respond, "That's good, right?"

"Yeah, but I only get a few days off. Something about having to check for infection every once in a while," Fumi seemed tired. "The cops have been on my ass for days now. I'm getting sick of it."

Tsuki cocked her head, "Didn't they catch the guy?"

Fumi turned to Tsukiko and smiled, "They caught a guy, but he didn't have a mask, so the investigation's still on."

"Probably my fault huh…" Tsuki looked out the glass.

"Y'know… If you hadn't taken the dude's mask, they probably would've just arrested the guy. They'd buy a round of beer for everyone," Fumi laughed a little.

"...you sure?" Tsuki turned back to her.

"Hey, if anything, it put a fire under their asses. They'd better catch him soon, though. They've been bugging me every few hours."

They both stopped for a moment to watch the city. The clouds brewed and grew darker. The first droplets of rain ran down the window in front of them.

"So," Fumi started. "Where we headed?"

"It's gonna rain," Tsuki frowned.

Fumi smiled, "Your place then?"

Tsuki laughed a defeated laugh, "It's a mess."

"Not from what Lily told me," Fumi retorted.

"Didn't know the French were so gossipy."

"She's nine, what did you expect?"

Tsuki fidgeted, "C'mon, let's get going. We'll miss the train."

--

Tsuki felt relieved. Within just a few days, Fumiko had already been granted some freedom from her cold, pale prison. She'd been healing so well, it seemed as if she hadn't even been wounded in the first place.

Fumi tried to carry herself with the same energy she'd have on any other day. On the occasion that Tsuki spotted her bandages, she would move her clothes around to hide them.

The trip home was uneventful. They went down the same old path, and on the same old train. The cold rain made it feel like they were back in school, heading home after a harsh day.

They both felt tired. Neither of them had done anything strenuous in the day, but there was still a weight on their shoulders. It came and went like a hammer, pounding them into the ground.

The train arrived at the station on time, like it always did. Still, there was some distance between the station and Tsukiko's home. It felt like it would be a long, awkward walk.

The rain still wasn't harsh enough for an umbrella. Enough time in even the weakest rain could soak through any clothes. The cold breeze, coupled with the humid air chilled the two girls to their bones.

The other passengers ran out of the station with things over their heads. They frantically tried to protect themselves from the weak droplets.

They had completed this trip hundreds of times in their lives. Their families were relatively close. Tsuki and Fumi practically grew up together.

Beyond the cloud cover, the sun still wanted to shine. The world was covered in a weak but omnipresent light, filtered by the grey masses above. There were no shadows, and everything was slightly grey.

The strong scent of petrichor and wet pavement wafted in the air. The sounds of the rain drops hitting the ground were just loud enough to be audible. Little dark spots were turning into puddles and streams.

"Mmm, it's been a while! Bad luck, huh?" Fumi smiled.

"Buy a lottery ticket, you'll win something," Tsuki spoke sarcastically.

"Must be all the good luck kisses."

Fumiko walked at a normal pace, not letting her wounds slow her down. Tsuki forced her to stop when she noticed her grasping at her abdomen. Fumi feigned annoyance whenever Tsukiko stopped her.

Fumiko didn't want to be a burden. She wouldn't allow herself to be weak. Deep down, though, Tsuki could see the smile Fumi didn't want to show.

It didn't take long before they ran into a familiar thing. A robed figure leapt out of nowhere, blocking their path. Fumiko instinctively went behind Tsuki, hiding her face in her hands.

"You know the drill, right? Wallets, phones, now," the hooded figure approached.

"Oh, goddamnit," Tsuki groaned. "Can't you just leave us alone?"

"Quit yer bitchin' and hand it all over already," the figure held out its arm.

"J-just give it to him," Fumi panicked.

"Fuck you, pal," Tsuki laughed.

The hooded figure pulled out a knife.

"Tsuki, don’t!" Fumi cried.

Tsukiko grabbed his arm and twisted it. With her other arm, she pulled back, before bashing the figure's mask. It shattered, revealing the face of a man and cutting up his face.

"Back off, kid!" the robed man stuttered.

The figure broke free, knife still in hand. He stood there, watching Tsukiko. He waved the knife around, trying to scare Tsukiko.

Fumiko could do nothing but watch, frozen in fear, "Tsuki… Tsuki, please…"

The figure moved forward, swinging the knife. He managed to get a few slices and cuts into Tsukiko's skin, but it proved pointless. She moved forward, slapping the knife away and grabbing the man by the throat.

The switchblade dropped to the asphalt, bouncing away. The sounds around her muted as she watched the man squirm in her arms. The only thing she could feel was her own heartbeat, and even that was faint.

He managed to break free from her grasp, diving down for the knife again. Tsukiko caught him, kicking him in the stomach, then stomping on the man's hand. He screamed in agony as he fruitlessly attempted to shove her off.

"Apologize to my friend here," Tsukiko demanded.

The hooded figure kept trying to get her leg off of his hand. In response, she began to grind down on the man's hand, scraping the back of it against the harsh asphalt.

The man in the mask screamed, then forced out an apology, "I'm sorry… I'm sorry!"

Tsuki leaned down to pick up the knife. He tried to move toward it, but the motion hurt his hand. She put the knife away and finally took her leg off of him.

"Now get the hell outta here," Tsukiko kicked him again.

The man gasped as he saw his twisted, mangled hand. He stumbled back onto his feet. His eyes met Tsukiko's for a moment, before he started running.

"That's right! It's all safe," Tsukiko laughed.

"Tsuki, what the hell…" Fumiko mumbled.

Tsukiko approached her still frozen friend and held her.

"It's fine, it's fine… I'm here for you. I'll call the cops and we can head to my place. Stay the night, OK?" Tsuki said with a soothing voice, with just a dash of confidence.

--

Tsuki called the police and immediately left the area. She wanted to avoid the police as much as possible. Fumiko's first day out of the hospital should have been a good one, and it was already at a sour start.

For the rest of the walk, Fumiko held onto her friend tightly. They both tried to choke back tears. Tsuki racked her brain trying to figure out if she did the right thing.

It was only a few blocks more to the house. The last few blocks were terrifying, but they made it in one piece. As soon as they entered, they went straight up the stairs to Tsukiko's bedroom.

Fumiko sat down, shaking, on the bottom bunk. Tsuki tossed aside her bloody blouse. The knife had left shallow, but still painful cuts.

"God, that stings," Tsuki whined.

Fumi only shuddered, "Tsuki…"

"C'mon, you're safe now. Gimme that smile again," Tsuki comforted her again with a forced smile.

Fumi started speaking quickly, "Sorry, I really freaked out, didn’t I? I was just so scared. I don’t know what would’ve happened if you--"

"We're fine, Fumi," Tsuki sighed. "I'm okay."

An awkward silence hung in the air for a moment.

"Can you do something about these cuts?" Tsuki put her hand on her stomach.

"S-sure, fine," Fumi spoke quietly.

Fumi turned to the stairs, before heading down. Tsuki listened to her hurried footsteps.

After a few minutes, Fumiko returned. In one hand, she had a roll of bandages. In the other, she had a bottle of rubbing alcohol and cotton.

"I'm not that cut up, am I?" Tsuki took a deep breath.

Fumiko sat down on the bottom bunk, patting the mattress, and motioning for Tsuki to sit down. She did as was asked, sitting down, then laying down on her back.

The alcohol touched one of Tsuki's cuts, making her hiss and bare her teeth. It was cold and it felt like she was being slashed all over again. The treatment was more painful than the blade was.

"Where'd you learn to fight like that?" Fumi was finally calm enough to ask.

"Don’t act like you don’t know," Tsuki grit her teeth as she spoke, trying to get through the horrible pain of the alcohol.

"No, I’ve never seen you fight like that before. This was different," Fumi loosened up as she worked on Tsuki’s wounds.

Tsuki forced her hand into a fist as she tried to bear the pain, "I… got angry. I had to do something, y'know? I had to let it out."

"I thought you’d be rusty. Haven't seen you really get into a fight in years. Always trying to protect me, huh?" Fumiko had a warm smile on her face.

Tsuki blushed, "You mean a lot to me, Fumi. You’re the most important person in my life."

Fumi stopped her work for a second, "I don't wanna lose you, Tsuki."

"You won't."

"Shut up and listen. I was afraid I'd never see you again, goddamnit," Fumi continued. "When I blacked out back then, I was so scared I'd never wake up again. That I'd never see you again. Don't get yourself in danger, idiot."

"You don't think I was scared too?" Tsuki cried before breaking down into tears. "I don’t wanna be scared. I hate being scared. I wanna be strong, for the both of us."

"What would she think of all this?" Fumi looked up at the top bunk, before slowly returning back to her work.

"I… honestly don't know. She'd probably scold me for being a coward," Tsuki sighed.

"You’re not a coward, you know. You’re strong, but stubborn. Please, for our sake. Try not to get yourself hurt," Fumiko pulled Tsuki up and began wrapping the bandages around her.

"I'm not giving any of this up. I know you don’t want me to, but I wanna be strong, and you’re not gonna stop me. Don’t act like she’d care enough to try to talk me out of this."

"She does care about you, Tsuki, she just--"

"If she really did care, she wouldn't have left," Tsuki said with a pained voice.

Fumi stopped for a second, looking Tsuki in the eye, "She was my friend too. It was a tough time, you're not the only one that got hurt."

More dead air filled the room. Fumi's delicate fingers wiped the blood off of Tsuki's bare skin. In any other circumstance, she would've made jokes, but now wasn't the time.

"What if it’s a gang?" Tsuki resurrected the conversation.

"You said I couldn’t stop you. You'd better not be backing out already," Fumi shook her head.

"I’m not scared, I just need to know what to do. Where would I even start?" Tsuki looked down at the dirty floor.

"Does it even matter?" Fumi chuckled.

"What do you mean?"

Fumi whispered in Tsuki's ear, "No matter what I say, you’re gonna go in head first."

"Maybe you’re right," Tsukiko's toes curled from the pain. "But that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t give this some thought first."

"Let’s focus on getting the blood off of you first, alright?" Fumi grabbed a pair of scissors.

"Whatever you say, doc," Tsuki laughed at her own joke.

"Seriously?" Fumi chuckled too.

They stopped talking again.

"You won’t be mad if I do go after that gang, will you?" Tsuki asked.

"Tsuki, you know me. I’m on your side no matter what," Fumi tidied up her workspace and gathered up her materials. "But seriously, I'll be… pretty mad, if you end up hurting yourself."

The bandages weren’t quite the work of a professional, but they'd have to do. Going to a hospital would cause too much trouble, and neither of them knew who else to turn to.

"That stings," Tsuki complained.

"It's the alcohol," Fumi sat closer.

"I can barely move," Tsuki winced as she tried to lean back.

"Maybe you shouldn't be jumping face first into every knife you see," Fumi chuckled a bit.

"What else was I supposed to do?" Tsuki countered.

"You really are my hero, aren’t you?" Fumiko chuckled as she forced her friend to lean back.

Tsuki groaned in pain, "Oww, that hurts! What the hell're you doing?"

"Giving my hero what they deserve," Fumi looked down at Tsukiko with a somewhat menacing look in her eye.

Fumi got on all fours, positioning herself over the injured Tsukiko. Their features were in almost complete darkness. There was only just enough light for them to make out each other’s faces.

"Slow down," Tsuki groaned.

"I thought you liked it when I surprised you," Fumi chuckled.

Tsuki looked away in shame, "Just… be careful, okay?"

Fumi smirked, "Anything for my hero."

She leaned forward and kissed the bandaged girl.