Tsukiko passed through the door and she returned to the same empty plaza. No corpse or blood was present. She didn't find the young girl in the strange clothes.

Somehow, time had gone backward, and she didn't know how. It was all too much for her to think about or even handle. Her mind kept coming back to the man and the girl.

After a while, she grew bored, sitting down by the fountain. Everything looked odd. The town seemed almost photogenic. The sky was blue, and perfect. The restaurants, or at least she assumed were restaurants, were calm and only had a few customers.

She had never seen so many wooden buildings in her life. The streets seemed to stretch for miles, yet it wasn't crowded. It was in no way comparable to the never ending glass skyscraper hell of Tokyo.

The town was peaceful. Everything around her moved slowly. There was a gentle, calming breeze blowing up and down. Tsuki lowered her head, and she began to doze off. She almost fell asleep, but a scream woke her up.

--

"…and you will know the-- again, Tsukiko?" Aurelia laughed.

Tsukiko shook herself awake. "Wha- What?"

Aurelia stayed silent as Claudia tugged on Tsukiko's jacket and pointed her to the door again.

--

"Alright, I got this." Tsukiko mumbled to herself.

She sat by the fountain and watched as the man and the young girl approached the plaza from a connecting street. On cue, the two violent drunken men appeared, and Tsukiko ran into action.

She jumped toward them. This time, her fists were ready. Before she could make her move, everything went white.

--

Tsukiko came to Aurelia's shop again. Claudia held a sign this time, almost like a silent cartoon.

It was a white sheet with a message in red pen. "You didn't make it in time, sorry."

Underneath it was a little doodle.

--

Tsuki passed through with a big frown on her face. It wasn't their death that was getting to her, but rather their fear and pain. She didn't want them to suffer over and over.

It was all her fault. Her movements were too slow, her mind wasn't focused. Even though she knew what was going to happen, she had failed.

Taking this into consideration, she stood by where the crime would take place. She leaned against the wall of a small liquor shop and waited. When they appeared, she dove in front of the knife.

It tore into her. It was the most excruciating pain that she had ever felt in her life. It was like all of the energy in her body had drained in an instant.

Her body went limp. She couldn't control herself. She simply dropped to the floor in a heap.

In the few moments of consciousness she had left, she looked down. She saw the blood staining her jacket.

--

Again, she returned to the shop.

This time, Claudia's sign read differently. "Knights can't save people when they're dead."

Under it was a doodle of a robed figure holding a knife. Tsukiko tore the sheet out of her hands and crumpled it up before walking through again.

--

Tsuki sprint through the door toward the usual spot. She crouched and hid behind some boxes. The man and the girl approached slowly.

The man seemed quite mundane, yet he had an air of importance to him. The girl, however, was a bit strange. She seemed older than Lily, but younger than both Tsuki and Fumiko.

To the left, the two drunks stumbled around like zombies. They walked with a wide gait, nearly falling over with each step. One of the men nearly tripped over his own feet, as he turned the corner.

"Goddamnit…" Tsuki muttered to herself.

She waited until the two men got into position in front of the man. Tsuki dove out and tackled one of them before everything went white.

--

"What the fuck did I do wrong?" Tsukiko groaned.

Claudia wrote on a piece of paper. "Attacking unarmed men would make you look like a lunatic."

Below this was the number thirty seven and a doodle of Fumiko and a heart.

"Thirty seven?" Tsukiko scratched her head.

Claudia held out her hand toward the door, before Haruka stumbled in, drunk. "C'mon, hurry up, ya fuckin' idiot!"

"Go away, Haru." Tsuki growled.

Haruka put on a large, cheshire smile, teeth and all.

--

"I got it!" Tsuki exclaimed, before looking around, hoping no one heard her.

She ran around the corner, looking for anywhere she could wait. A restaurant looked to be the best candidate.

Tsuki swung open the glass door. Not wasting a second, she pressed herself against the window. Her eyes were practically glued to the pane.

A woman wearing strange blue clothes approached. "Hello, hello, welcome!"

Tsukiko ignored the woman, looking through the glass intently.

"Hello? You OK?" The woman got a bit closer

Tsukiko didn't even turn to look. "Yeah, sorry, I won't be ordering anything."

The man and the girl appeared. She waited for a second, before opening the door and walking back out.

On cue, the two men appeared, stumbling around the corner. She followed them from a short distance, watching their every move.

"Watch where you're goin', maaaaan." One of the drunks bumped into the man and the girl.

"S-sorry!" The important looking man apologized.

"You coulda killed me man!" The drunkard raised his voice.

"Please, you'll be alright, it was just a bump!"

"Just a bump?" The drunk pulled out a razor. "What if you broke something?"

"Please stop!" The girl shouted.

Tsukiko ran forward and grabbed the drunk man's arm and twisted it. He tried to escape, but he couldn't. He was far too intoxicated to make any graceful movements. Tsukiko slammed him to the ground with enough force to knock him out.

The other drunkard raised his hands, as if to fight her. He tried to punch her, but he stumbled forward and fell. Tsukiko bought her leg down onto his back and put her weight on him.

"Stay down!" Tsuki shouted before kicking him in the side, making him writhe on the ground.

"Ehh, miss?" The girl asked.

"Oh, uhh…" Tsuki took her boot off of the drunkard's back.

The attacker stumbled up, dragging his friend away.

"Thanks. I don't even want to think about what could've happened." The important looking man lowered his head.

" D-don't worry about it. Worry about the kid who's about to bawl her eyes out." Tsuki smiled.

The man focused his attention on the girl at his side, planting his hand on her head. His hand seemed to soothe her. Tsukiko turned around and began to walk away.

The man called out to her. "Hey! Can I at least offer you a meal?"

Tsuki thought for a second before she replied. "Mmmm, It would be pretty nice to try out the local food."

--

"What would you like, Miss?" The man smiled.

Tsukiko shrugged. "Surprise me, I guess. Make it cheap too, I wouldn't wanna milk you dry."

"No, no, please, we owe you our lives." The man’s voice still had a bit of fear in it.

Tsuki planted her hand on the table. "Save the money, so you can keep on living. Don't worry too much about paying me back, I just wanted to see the local cuisine."

The young girl's eyes seemed to sparkle with a sort of contentment. It was as if everything in her life was just right.

The waiter approached with a strange spring in her step. "Hello! What can I get… Oh, it's you again! You actually ordering this time?"

The man listed off a rather decent list of sweets. The woman winked and disappeared with an eager bounce.

"Pancakes? Toast?" Tsuki laughed.

"Yep, it's a favorite of ours, ain't that right?" He looked to the girl.

The girl didn't say anything.

"She a mute?" Tsukiko leaned forward.

"Not usually, she might be a little shy." The man turned to her.

"C'mon." Tsukiko narrowed her eyes and smiled. "You can trust me. Sorry if I scared you."

The girl's face tightened to something more serious. "Th-Thank you so much! I-I don't know what would've happened if--"

"Don't mention it." Tsuki interrupted. "Just keep smiling, OK?"

"S-sorry." The young girl stiffened up.

"You don't have to apologize all the time." The man assured her.

The man reached over and started rubbing the top of the girl's head. Her face turned a little red.

The girl looked down at the table with embarrassment. "Thanks."

"So..." the man leaned back in his chair. "Where are you from?"

Tsuki considered her options before shrugging.

He laughed. "You don't know?"

"I do know, I just… don't know how to explain it. I'm not sure where I am right now, either." Tsuki hid her face.

"Do you at least know how to get home?" His face showed concern.

"…I think." Tsuki had little confidence in her answer.

She hadn't considered how she would return. The door hadn't moved, of course, being part of Aurelia's shop. There was no guarantee that going through that door again would take her back to the same one.

"Y'know, I'm always looking for assistants. You could take some of the load off for us, learn the trade." The man made his offer.

"Trade?" Tsuki cocked her head.

"I'm a doctor." He clasped his hands together, as if to look professional.

"You look too young to be a doctor." Tsuki played with her hair.

"Ahh, well, I would alwa--" he was interrupted by the strange, smiley waitress.

As she passed around plates stacked with sweets, Tsukiko took a long hard look at the waitress. There was something off about her. Whatever it was, she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"Uhhm, Miss?" The waitress waved her hand in front of Tsukiko's eyes.

"Oh, uhh… Sorry, you look... familiar." Tsuki blurted out

The waitress leaned forward on one leg to get a better look. "No, I'd remember a face like that."

The waitress left, and Tsuki could now look at the pastries before her.

In front of her, a slice of chocolate cake. The man had something that looked like two pieces of bread with jam in the middle. The young girl got a stack of pancakes.

"Can we eat?" She looked at him.

"Of course, you don’t need to ask." The man replied softly.

"Take a bite, Miss, you won't regret it." The man urged her.

Tsukiko grabbed the fork and poked it into the chocolate cake. It wasn't long before she attempted to shovel it into her mouth. She made some effort to do it in the most modest way she could think of.

"So, what do you think?" The man had a look of pride on his face.

"Yeah, that's… Wow, that's amazing." Tsuki’s fork went for another piece.

A hand came down on Tsukiko's shoulder. She nearly jumped out of her chair. There was no one behind her.

She looked forward again. Claudia standing outside through a window.

"Ask about Aurelia's order. Tell him the dress is coming along nicely!" The redhead waved the sign.

"Where'd you find that jacket, Miss?" The man asked.

"Oh, this? Uhh…" Tsuki tried to come up with an answer.

"It's like nothing I've seen before, so it's definitely not a local tailor." He stared curiously.

"It's from a woman named Aurelia." Tsuki answered truthfully.

"Aurelia? Has she been holding out on me?" The man muttered under his breath. "I've been meaning to get a new coat."

The Knight paused to think before she asked. "How's her order coming through?"

"You work for her? I’ve never seen you around her shop before."

"Nah, she just... asked me to look out for a young doctor with a girl." Tsuki spoke slowly.

"Well, I have it in the shop, if you'd take it to her." The man took a bite of his food then spoke again. "And if you know, please tell me why she needs the other thing?"

"What other thing?" Tsuki asked.

The man's head dropped in disappointment. "N-never mind…"

They sat in a mellow silence as they ate their sweets. The Himura girl ate like a savage compared to the girl sitting across from her. Tsuki enjoyed the food far too much to slow down and eat properly.

Tsuki finally paused to speak again. "She also said… The dress is coming along nicely?"

The smaller girl's face lit up. "Really?"

"I've got no idea what that means, she just told me to tell you." Tsuki started shoveling more food into her mouth.

The young girl tried to regain her composure. There was an odd formality to everything she did. It was clear as day that she was excited, though.

--

The sun went down quite a bit as they finished their food. They retreated back to the man's personal office. It doubled as their home.

The entrance to the house was also the entrance to the clinic. The place consisted of several empty rooms attached to a hallway. Their personal living space was behind a door at the far end.

The rooms were simple. They all had a single bed and a nightstand. The more interesting part was the strange medical equipment lining the walls.

The living space was quite small. It was nothing more than a kitchen, restroom and reading corner. It seemed to be enough for the man and the girl, but definitely not enough for a family.

Tsuki didn't expect there to be electric lights, but there they were. The reading corner had several bookcases, filled from top to bottom. Everything was made of wood.

Even here, in this sacred place, the same sort of disturbing darkness clung to the walls. There were dark stains on the walls and near the bottoms of objects. Everything looked like an uneven watercolor painting.

The man sat down in a chair and sighed. "Already night time, huh?"

The room clearly was not meant to accommodate three people. It probably couldn't accommodate two, but they all tried their best anyways.

"Damn, has it really been that long?" Tsuki stood in front of him, awkwardly shifting her weight from side to side on her new heels.

The man stood up suddenly. "I should make some tea."

The girl sprang up. "No, let me!"

"Please, you know I don't like it when you work too hard." The man shook his head

"But…" the girl looked disappointed.

The doctor smiled. "If it matters to you that much, we'll do it together."

The girl's eyes sparkled with joy and she latched onto his arm, her face pressed against him.

Tsukiko laid back in the chair, exhaling harshly. She was exhausted. Not tired physically, but she had probably eaten far more chocolate cake than she should have.

That, and her brain was still stuck trying to process everything. Tsuki stepped forward and collapsed onto a chair.

"Here we are!" The young girl came out with small cups.

They both sat on the floor in front of Tsukiko.

"Nah, I can't take this seat from ya." she stood up.

"No, no, you're our guest." The man smiled.

"Exactly." Tsuki sat down with them on the cold floor.

None of them dared to show weakness or informality by sitting down in the chair.

"So, what brings you here?" The doctor took a sip of his tea.

"You invited me." Tsuki laughed.

"No, you know what I mean." The man laughed at himself.

Tsuki sat, thinking of a good answer. "Hmm."

"You don't remember?" The man prodded.

"I'm running errands, I guess." Tsuki put her hand on her chin.

"Oh, I almost forgot." The doctor stood up and hurried off to another room.

For a moment, Tsukiko was left alone with the girl. She took a nice long look at her. She was remarkably cute, yet there was some sort of emptiness in her eyes.

There was a subtle maturity to her. Her clothes were well tended to, and her hair was very clean and tied up neatly.

The girl tended to stare off and daydream a lot. There was something on her mind, but she didn't seem to be the type to share. She definitely looked happy, no denying that.

"You like living here?" Tsukiko spoke up.

"Yes, I do." Her eyes sparkled. "I love it here."

"Are you his daughter?" Tsuki asked.

The girl shook her head. "No, he lets me stay here."

"He looks like a nice guy." Tsuki smiled.

The girl shook her head again. "He is a very kind man. He went out of his way to save me."

"From what?" Tsukiko leaned forward.

"It… doesn't matter. I'm happy, and I'll do whatever I can to repay him. I owe it to him." The girl held her hand against her chest.

Tsuki stared at her for a moment in thought.

She smiled, and reached out to put her hand on the girl's shoulder. "Don't let that hang over your own head."

"What do you mean?" The girl asked.

"Do what you have to. Don't feel like you owe him a thing. He does all these things for you because he cares." Tsuki looked the girl in the eye.

"...I still have to do my best for him." The girl lowered her head.

"Then make him proud. Become someone he can admire. Become someone you admire." Tsukiko tried her best to get her idea out.

"Someone we can admire..." the girl repeated to herself.

The man returned with a brown paper bag.

"Here." The young man handed the bag to Tsukiko. "This should be everything."

Tsuki bowed her head slightly. "Thanks, I really should get going now."

"Will we see you again?" The timid girl spoke up.

"Hmmm." Tsukiko stood up. "We'll see. I'll definitely try to come back if I can."

Tsukiko walked to the exit, and turned back to wave.

"Aren't you two being a bit dramatic?" The man laughed.

"Just roll with it." Tsukiko opened the door and passed through.

--

Tsuki appeared somewhere else. It was definitely Tokyo, but not a place in the city she recognized. Behind her was what appeared to be a restaurant, and before her was a strange looking shop.

Another strange sign stood before her. "Fortunes."

Tsukiko entered the fortune telling shop.

Before her stood the same strange blonde woman. "Welcome back, Miss Himura."

Tsuki walked past her and slumped down on a chair.

"Uhhm, Tsuki?" Fumi stood in front of her, pouting.

"Sorry, I'm just…" Tsukiko yawned. "…really tired."

Haruka squeezed herself next to her sister. "Well, at least we know you know what you’re doing."

"…huh?" Tsuki unconsciously leaned onto her sister to use her as a pillow.

"You walked in there, and didn't even question half this crap. You went in and did what you had to do." Haruka wrapped her arm around her sister. "You're gonna be just fine."

Haru stood up, letting Tsuki lean over onto the other seats.

"C'mon Haru, that's cruel." Fumiko sat down with Tsukiko.

Fumi slid closer, putting Tsuki's head on her lap. Her pantyhose made her legs the warmest pillows. Tsuki looked up at Fumiko, staring into her eyes.

"Geez, how tired are you?" Fumi ran her fingers through Tsuki's hair.

The black haired girl could only mumble in response before falling asleep.