The escalator carried Tsukiko back up to Tokyo, the air around her getting thinner the closer she got to the top, warm and dry summer night air blending with the cold and humid of the station below. Looking up, she caught a glimpse of the moon in the clouds.

As the sweet, refreshing smell thinned and the walls around her slowly began to lose their blue hue, Tsuki stopped a moment to look back. The station below remained, but it seemed to be darker, the lights dimming for her departure. Suddenly, the escalator beneath her stopped, stairs appearing below her. She firmly marched forward, the clean blue tile walls around her eroding into dirty dark concrete.

Tsukiko surfaced, finding herself in a narrow doorway between two shops, the path behind her just a short stairway leading to a locked door. Immediately, something felt wrong. The ambiance of the city, something she'd known her whole life, suddenly wasn't there. There were no crowds, no noise or bright lights, as if the city itself had fallen dead. Someone had grabbed Tokyo's nightlight and strangled it.

Her first step echoed down the empty alley, a few street lamps leaving little spots of shining light in her path with massive dark gaps between them. In the distance, the skyscrapers were still lit, dotting the sky with gold and blue glowing marks like squared stars.

Tsuki kept walking down the road, not sure where she was, but not willing to stand around and wait for sunrise. Her body was tired and sore, the exhaustion weighing on her like a hundred kilos on her shoulders.

Her steps slowed as she approached an intersection, the path cut in two. Around the right corner, Tsuki could see a barricade, and a police officer standing with his back to her. The other way was eerily dark, almost pitch black.

Tsuki stood there, not sure what to do, just staring at the police officer. He looked over his shoulder, quickly turning around when he saw her. Her body moved by itself, closer to the light.

"I'm not here to hurt you." The officer kept his arm at his side.

Tsuki just stared.

"Listen, there's no point in running around. Turn yourself in and they'll be lenient." The police officer edged closer.

"...I" Tsuki stopped herself.

The police officer stopped in his tracks, as if Tsukiko's half hearted squeak was some kind of growl.

"Listen to me." The officer muttered.

Everything Ishikawa'd said rattled around in her skull. Damned if she did, damned if she didn't, no matter her decision, it would always be the wrong one.

For a moment, Tsukiko weighed just handing herself over. She'd be gone, tossed into a cold cell and forever disgraced, but she'd be honest. She wouldn't be a criminal. It wasn't anything she'd ever intended to be, and something she didn't ever want to be. She didn't want to be as low as Masahiro or Morgan.

Despite his soft tone of voice and meek approach, he still kept one hand low, fingers millimeters away from the service baton near his hip. The officer's other hand was practically glued to his radio, ready to call for backup the moment she stepped out of line. He approached Tsukiko like a man trying to calm a beast, like he'd been the poor bastard chosen to drag a tiger back into its cage, like she could kill him in an instant. She'd never seen a man so scared.

It wasn't fair. Tsuki'd taken one misstep and suddenly she was treated like evil incarnate, as if years of work had amounted to nothing.

"I didn't do anything wrong." Tsukiko glared at him.

The officer hesitated. "That's... not for you to decide."

Without noticing it, Tsuki had balled her dominant hand into a fist. Her whole body'd gone tense and the man before her kept inching closer, his eyes wide open, no sympathy behind them.

Any other time, Tsukiko would've punched her way out, but starting a fight would doom her. Her mind went a million miles a second and bad thoughts piled in her brain like a toxin. The closer he got, and the longer Tsuki spent standing there, the more she just wanted to cave the poor bastard's face in.

Reality came back to her and the world around lost its haze suddenly, a hand reaching out and grabbing hers.

"C'mon, follow me!" A voice behind her spoke as Tsuki was yanked back.

"Where do you think you're going?" The officer stepped forward to give chase.

Tsukiko let her mysterious savior pull her away, turning to see them. Someone in a trenchcoat and black mask had taken her running down the street.

The officer stayed behind, only chasing after the Knight for a few steps before stopping and reaching for his radio. Tsukiko'd gotten away, but now every officer in Tokyo knew she was on the run.

"Hurry!" The masked person urged her. "We gotta get you outta here!"

"Where're we going?" Tsukiko moved alongside the masked person.

"Just run!" The masked person spoke bluntly.

Bustling city streets had been blocked off with barricades, lively nightlife subdued and cordoned off with yellow tape and guarded by young men in uniform. There were police cars parked in walkways and concerned citizens pacing around, worried and frustrated, but silent.

Above were thick, dense clouds that churned overhead like rolling water. It only got darker and darker as Tsuki's guide pulled her away from the main city lights and further and further into the residential areas. Dark alleys and dead bars were replaced by small houses and empty parks lit blue.

When the masked person finally came to a stop, they stood under one of those blue street lamps, hunched over trying to catch their breath. Tsuki was grateful for their help, but wasn't really sure what to say.

The Knight found herself in the middle of one of Tokyo's darkest corners, anything outside of the overhead street lamp's direct glow was a murky gray. They'd left the downtown skyscrapers behind and arrived in a quiet residential street, a playground and a few empty lots to their sides, and the silhouettes of a few homes beyond them with their lights out.

"Gimme a break..." The masked savior finally spoke again.

"You alright?" Tsuki asked.

"How're you not... tired?" They reached up and pulled their mask off, cramming it inside a bag slung over their shoulder.

Tsukiko immediately recognized her savior. "Asuka."

The street lamp above bathed Asuka's face in a deep ultramarine blue and cast the other half of it in shadow. Her usual red lipstick looked like a black stain on her mouth.

"The whole damn city's looking for you, y'know." Asuka let out a sigh. "What the hell were you planning on doing back there?"

"I-I don't know." Tsuki stuttered. "I really fucked up, I--"

"You don't have to explain." Asuka stopped her. "Ishikawa's been on every damn channel for the past few hours going on and on. Everybody in town knows the story now."

"So I..." Tsukiko stopped herself.

"You saw it back there." Asuka said. "You're a wanted woman."

"...I know, I know." Tsukiko'd tried so hard to forget, it was like hearing the words all over again.

Tsuki wished she could take it all back, go back in time and stop it all. She wished she hadn't just run out alone like an idiot. She wished Shizuka'd gone with her and knocked some sense into her before she'd gone and ruined it all.

"Were you gonna turn yourself in back there?" Asuka tore through the noise in Tsuki's head.

"No."

"Then?"

"...it's all bullshit." Tsuki hissed. "After everything I've done? After everything Masahiro did?"

"I never said I agreed with them, I'm just stating a fact." Asuka stared. "You saw how it was back there. They've got every cop in the city looking for you right now."

"They didn't close any streets when Sylvie got kidnapped, did they?" Tsukiko raised her voice. "There wasn't a manhunt when Fumi got fucking stabbed!"

"Tsuki!" Asuka stopped her. "You really wanna stand around shouting right now?"

Tsuki's voice lowered into a low growl. "Damnit."

"None of that matters now." Asuka sighed. "They said you're a criminal so you're a criminal. You pushed a little too far and... this is how it all ended up."

"I'm not a criminal." Tsuki insisted.

"...it doesn't mean you're a bad person, Tsuki." Asuka tried to comfort her. "It means what it means. It's just a label."

"Just a label?" Tsuki repeated.

"It's… for people who break the law. It's not always fair." Asuka explained herself. "Just cuz it happened doesn't mean you're a bad person. You made a mistake."

"But I make one mistake and this is how it all ends up? I'm not allowed to–" Tsukiko suddenly felt a knot in her throat. "...do you think I was supposed to hurt him?"

"Dunno." Asuka sighed. "Maybe. He did spend the last few weeks pushing your buttons, trying to get in your head. I can't imagine anyone walking into a fight intending to get his ass whooped though."

"I feel so stupid." Tsukiko's mind was stuck somewhere between anger and defeat.

"You're not. You were trying to protect people. It's not your fault someone would use that against you." Asuka comforted her.

"I never should've trusted Ishikawa." Tsukiko shook her head. "...but what the hell could I have even done?"

"...we figured out the whole thing was a set up right before it all went down." Asuka admitted. "It was the only solution Tanaka and I could come up with."

"We did too." Tsuki nodded slowly. "The Knights, I mean."

"Then why'd you go running in all gungho?" Asuka spoke in a direct, yet quiet voice.

"I just wanted it all to be over." Tsuki admitted. "If I caught him, if I had him, right there... Maybe it all would've fallen into place. Everything would've worked out fine."

"That's a hell of a gamble."

"I know it is. Part of me didn't wanna believe Ishikawa was a part of it either." Tsukiko said quietly. "Maybe that was giving Masahiro too much credit."

"Sorry."

"I don't want Fumi having to worry about people trying to hurt her." Tsukiko's voice lost its strength."Fuck that son of a bitch."

"You care about her a lot." Asuka tried to change the subject.

Tsuki answered confidently. "Of course I do. She's my girlfriend. I shouldn't ever be dragging her down, Knights protect the people they love."

Asuka smiled. "Guess trying to tell Fumiko was a waste of time, huh?"

"Is that why you were bothering her earlier?" Tsuki looked at her.

"Mhmm." Asuka confirmed with a nod. "I think Tanaka's stupid camera tipped her off on who we really were."

"Fumi's not a fan of journalists. They were obsessed with her and the Shakudo Incident back then."

"She must be worried sick about you right now, huh?" Asuka said.

"Probably." Tsukiko lowered her head. "Honestly... I really don't deserve her."

"Mmm." Asuka paused. "Hey, you took down a whole gang for her. She's lucky to have you."

"I don't want the people I care about getting into trouble cuz of me." Tsuki put a hand on her chest. "You shouldn't have been in danger just cuz you talked to me."

"Danger? You mean that photo Masahiro posted?" Asuka shook her head. "What danger? He never even got close to us. Hell, we didn't even know he was there. Tanaka found the post on Knights General and thought it was cool."

Tsuki laughed, a bit at Tanaka and a bit at herself. "Of course."

"Nothing gets him down, ever." Asuka praised him without noticing it. "You could learn a thing or two from that idiot. Just keep your head up. I'll defend you myself if I have to."

"Thanks." Tsuki sighed. "I didn't mean for things to end the way they did. It was an accident."

"An accident?" Asuka repeated.

"He charged me and fell to a lower floor and broke his legs." Tsuki nodded. "I tried to catch him but I wasn't quick enough."

"That's not what they said at the press conference." Asuka was taken aback. "They framed it like you'd lost it and beaten him till he couldn't walk."

"I didn't." Tsukiko declared. "I wanted him in a cell, not dead."

Tsuki hadn't given Ishikawa's conference much thought after Asuka mentioned it, but now she felt a dread building over her. She feared what other things Ishikawa had been saying about her, and she feared that the people of Tokyo would listen. Only the three of them knew the truth, and it seemed like he was damn sure it was going to stay that way.

"So now what?" Asuka asked. "You're not turning yourself in, but..."

"What the hell would I even do?" Tsukiko asked honestly. "Not like I can just undo what I did."

"You can make it right." Asuka countered. "You got away, now you can clear your name."

"Clear my name from what? I fucked up and Masahiro nearly died." Tsuki looked Asuka in the eye. "I wasn't framed, I did it."

"...you think people don't know that?" Asuka narrowed her eyes. "You're a Knight."

Tsuki raised her voice. "Damnit, is that what you people think of me? All I do is go around kicking the shit outta people?"

Asuka lowered her voice. "That's not what I meant and you know it."

"Then what did you mean?" Tsukiko asked.

"Don't act dumb." Asuka glared. "The cops hurt people just as much as you do. Anyone else in your shoes would've done the same damn thing and you know it."

Tsukiko stopped for a moment to gather herself.

"Why'd you help me?" Tsuki looked at her.

"You looked like you were about to punch that cop." Asuka replied. "I could see it. You were shaking."

"No." Tsukiko wasn't in the mood to mince words. "Why risk it?"

"Because I know you, Tsuki. I know who you really are, and I know you're not what Ishikawa says you are." Asuka wasn't pleased with Tsukiko's tone. "I made a promise to you and to Lily. Did you think I was gonna sell you out?"

"I dunno, I just--"

"Tsuki. People are more understanding than you'd think." Asuka assured her. "No one's going to turn against you all of a sudden."

"...what if I end up making things worse?" Tsuki let out a sigh. "What if I fuck up and just dig myself a deeper hole?"

"You're digging yourself a deeper hole right now if you keep that up." Asuka frowned. "You'd have to ask somebody else. I need a drink."

"C'mon, be serious." Tsukiko stopped. "Yeah, the bar. I need to get to Aurelia..."

Asuka paused to think. "We should be able to get there. It's not too far from here, and I didn't see any cops blocking the road when I passed by last time."

Tsukiko took a single step, then Asuka stopped her.

"Ah. No." Asuka held out her hand. "It's time for you to take that stupid hat off."

"Huh?"

"And the jacket." Asuka glared.

Tsukiko was taken aback. "...you're serious."

"You take that off, and you're like any ordinary girl." Asuka looked her up and down. "...maybe a bit tall and angry looking, but you'll blend right in. Especially if there's any foreigners around."

"I don't–"

"Do it." Asuka demanded. "This isn't just for your sake, y'know."

The Knight reached for the buttons on her jacket, her index finger and her thumb gripping the first button but hesitant to go any further. She'd taken the thing off almost daily, of course, but now it felt wrong. It had always been a point of pride for her, but now it was a liability.

As Tsuki unbuttoned the jacket and pulled it off, the uncomfortably warm air of the summer night hit her skin. It felt like everything had gotten hotter since she'd opened it up, but she didn't know why.

Tsukiko then reached for her hat, but she hesitated. Asuka grabbed the hat off her head for her and pulled the jacket out of her hand. Tsuki watched quietly as Asuka gently wrapped the white and black hat up in the Knight's jacket, putting everything into the bag slung on her shoulder.

"See? Now you look like... a lost office lady, at least from a distance." Asuka nodded. "Just act like you're tryin' to get home after a night of drinking and no one'll notice a thing."

"If you say so."

The both of them went quiet, enough to hear some distant footsteps. Tsuki glanced to her side and noticed the figure of a police officer holding a flashlight pacing toward them. It looked like he hadn't noticed them yet.

Asuka looked over and panicked, moving forward and shoving Tsukiko against the concrete fence behind her. It all happened so fast, Tsuki wasn't able to stop her. Asuka's weight pushed her body against the cold stone and her arms wrapped around the Knight's neck. pulling her head down.

They were face to face, Asuka with a meek look on her face, and a little fear in her eyes. She was so close, Tsukiko could smell her cheap perfume and feel her breath on her face. It was like an assault on Tsuki's senses, disorienting her.

"Ladies?" The police officer's voice called out as he shined his flashlight onto them.

Asuka shuddered.

The officer laughed a little. "You know you shouldn't do anything like that out in public, especially not right now. C'mon, head on home or take it to a hotel, we're searching for somebody."

Asuka didn't turn around. "S-sorry, sir."

"Go on." The officer waved his light around.

Tsuki pulled Asuka close and started walking down the street. "See you, officer."

Asuka clung to Tsukiko, both of them keeping their eyes forward. They kept a steady pace down the street, hoping the officer wouldn't give them another look.

When they'd gotten far enough away, Asuka finally spoke. "Thank god that worked."

"I hope we don't have to do that for every cop we run into." Tsuki sighed.

"Don't jinx it." Asuka held her hand over her heart.