Memorial World, Maruka's Kitchen, Morning, Present

  Maruka eats breakfast in silence. Across the room, Raizen sits propped against the wall, angled toward her.

  "Stop staring at me," she says finally.

  "If you understood the burden of consciousness trapped in steel for millennia, you'd understand why I find human eating habits fascinating."

  "I get it. You're bored." She pushes her bowl away. "Niche didn't say how long I'm supposed to keep you."

  "Until he returns."

  "Which is when?"

  Raizen doesn't answer.

  "Great. Love the clear communication." She stands, grabbing her bag from the counter. "I have stuff to do today. You coming or staying?"

  "I go where you go. Apparently."

  She picks up the sword propped against the wall. It's heavier than it looks, and she adjusts her grip twice before finding a comfortable position.

  “Try not to talk in public.”

  "I'm not an idiot."

  "Sure."

  "What's that supposed to mean?"

  "Nothing." She's already heading for the door. "Just try to act like a normal sword."

  "I a normal sword."

  "Normal swords don't argue." She pauses at the door, hand on the handle, and looks back at the living room. "Actually, you know what? Change of plans. I don't feel like going out."

  "You just said you had things to do."

  "I lied." She walks toward the living room. "I wanted to see if you'd fight me on taking you outside."

  "And now?"

  "Now tired and don't want to deal with people." She collapses onto the couch and grabs the remote. "Also, what was I supposed to do? Walk around carrying a whole sword?"

  “Maybe you thought it’d make you look cooler?”

  Maruka rolls her eyes, but a smile tugs at the corner of her mouth. "We're watching a movie. Don't talk during it."

  "I won’t make promises with you."

  Maruka's Living Room, Noon

  The TV casts blue light across the room. Maruka sits on one end of the couch, Raizen propped against the cushion beside her. The blinds are shut, immersing the two with the movie.

  The movie is darker than they expected.

  Maruka picked it because it was trending. She didn't read the description.

  On screen, the boy comes home to find his sister on the floor. The father stands over her, belt in hand. The boy picks up a kitchen knife.

  Maruka's eyes are wet.

  She doesn't notice at first. She's barely paying attention, her mind somewhere else. But then her vision blurs and she feels the tear slide down her cheek.

  What the hell? Maruka thinks.

  On screen, the boy is running. His sister isn't moving anymore. He's covered in his father's blood and he's running and he has nowhere to go.

  She reaches for the remote but her hand is shaking. It clatters to the floor, hitting pause on the way down.

  Maruka pulls her knees to her chest. A sob escapes her throat.

  "So," Raizen says. "What's wrong?"

  She shakes her head.

  “Is it the movie?” he continues. “The pacing is uneven and the themes are pretentious.”

  Maruka lets out a wet laugh. "Shut up."

  "I'm trying to help."

  "You're trying to get me to stop crying so we can finish the movie."

  "Both can be true."

  She wipes her face with her sleeve. More tears keep coming.

  "Let me just get it out so we can finish the movie." She takes a breath that doesn't hold. "I watched her die."

  Raizen goes quiet.

  "Mika. My—" Her voice cracks. She presses her sleeve harder against her eyes. "They killed her and I just stood there. I didn't do anything."

  Maruka plays the movie. Neither of them watch it.

  Flashback, Day 4

  Maruka steps out of Mika's front door.

  "Text me if you figure out problem twelve," Mika says from the doorway, yawning.

  "Sure. Get some sleep." Maruka adjusts her bag. "Next time we're going back to my place. Your desk is way too small for two people."

  Mika laughs. "You're the one who wanted to see my room."

  "I regret it."

  Mika's door clicks shut.

  Screens are flickering on somewhere. An announcement plays in the distance. Maruka doesn't pay attention.

  Suddenly, she hears a swarm of cars approaching. She glances back.

  Black vehicles are pulling up to the house she just left. Men in uniforms step out and move toward the door.

  Maruka slows. She watches from down the street.

  They don't knock. The door opens. They walk inside.

  Maruka thinks.

  A gunshot goes off.

  Maruka freezes.

  Through the front window, Maruka can see the living room. Mika staggers, hand going to her shoulder. Blood spreads through her shirt.

  Mika looks down at the wound. Not with fear. She tilts her head, like she's reading something written in the stain.

  Second shot. Her stomach. She drops to her knees. Still no scream. Her lips move but Maruka can't hear what she says. She almost looks relieved.

  Third shot. Chest. She falls backward.

  Her eyes stay open, fixed on the ceiling. Not blank. Focused. Like she's still thinking about something.

  Silence.

  Maruka presses herself against the wall. Her hand is over her mouth. She should run. Should leave. Her legs won't move.

  The unit emerges from the house. One of them stands in front of the group.

  A girl, Maruka's age. She recognizes her.

  Maruka thinks.

  "Social media dissident handled," Yuko says to the men behind her. “The girl's posts were gaining too much traction. Questioning Almajara's legitimacy.”

  Yuko glances at Maruka from the corner of her eye, but Maruka doesn’t notice.

  "Move out," Yuko says. The men file past her into the vehicles.

  Flashback, Residential District Streets, Later

  An hour passes. Maybe more. The sounds of chaos continue in the distance, but this street is quiet now. The Sutori house sits dark and silent, front door still open.

  When Maruka can finally walk, she doesn't go inside. She already knows what she'll find.

  Instead, she walks toward the hospital.

  Flashback, Central Hospital

  The emergency room is chaos. No one notices Maruka slip through.

  She finds Mrs. Sutori in the break room, shoving clothes into a bag.

  "Maruka?" She looks up, startled. "What are you doing here at this hour?"

  "Mrs. Sutori, I—"

  The words stick in her throat.

  Your daughter is dead, Maruka thinks. I watched her die. She wasn't even scared. She was curious. She acted like she'd been waiting for it.

  "I can't talk now, sweetie." Mrs. Sutori zips the bag, not noticing Maruka's face. "The hospital's sending non-essential staff out of the city. They're worried about more violence."

  "W-what about Mika? Niche? What happens to them when you leave…?"

  "Mika's probably at your house, right? You girls always study late and then she crashes at yours." Mrs. Sutori smiles, distracted, already moving toward the door. "I'm taking the medical staff bus to the rural clinics. Just for a few days until things calm down."

  She stops, finally looking at Maruka properly.

  "What's wrong? You're shaking."

  "I... nothing. Just... be safe." Maruka smiles.

  "Tell Mika I'll call when I get there. Phone service is spotty with all this chaos." She hugs Maruka quickly, not noticing how stiff she is. "Take care of each other, okay?"

  Maruka nods. She can't speak.

  Through the emergency room windows, she watches Mrs. Sutori board the evacuation bus and pull away into the night.

  She'll find out soon, Maruka thinks. Someone will tell her. But at least she'll be far away when she does.

  She stands there for a long time, watching the empty street where the bus used to be.

  Maruka's Room, Present

  Maruka lies sprawled across her bed, staring at the ceiling. Raizen leans against the wall in sword form.

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  Silence.

  "You saw her face," Raizen says finally.

  Maruka doesn't move. "Yeah."

  "The one who did it…do you know her?"

  "…Yuko." The name comes out flat. "Always thought she was weird. Too interested in everyone's business." She laughs, but there's nothing behind it. "Guess I know why now."

  Raizen says nothing.

  "I saw her a few days ago." Maruka sits up slowly. "At the shelter. Handing out water bottles. Playing the concerned citizen. Hugging people."

  "And?"

  "And she looked at me like nothing happened. Like we're just two classmates who ran into each other during a crisis." Her hands curl into fists. "She thinks I'm stupid. She thinks I don't know."

  "What are you going to do?"

  Maruka stares at the wall.

  "Play along. Let her think she fooled me. Get close."

  "And then?"

  "I haven't decided yet." Maruka stands. "I'm going back to the shelter."

  "Now? It's barely past noon."

  "She's still there. I know she is. Girls like her love the attention. They love being seen as helpful."

  Raizen is quiet for a moment.

  Raizen thinks.

  Raizen wonders.

  Raizen reminds himself.

  Raizen decides.

  Raizen thinks.

  "Be careful," Raizen advises.

  “I think that’s my problem.” Maruka starts walking to the door. “I’m always too careful.”

  The door closes behind her.

  Raizen muses.

  Government Building, Present

  Venus paces an empty office, hands clasped behind his back. Through the windows, smoke rises from somewhere in the city. He doesn't care.

  “Vanished into thin air,” he mutters. “Teenagers are annoying to deal with.”

  He stops pacing and holds up his hand, studying it like he's considering something. The air around his fingers seems to bend slightly, light warping at the edges.

  He drops his hand and stares out the window.

  "That girl, Maruka. She’s always with him." He taps a finger against the glass. "If anyone knows where our sun bearer ran off to, it's her."

  His reflection ripples.

  “Jupiter is too incompetent in his own endeavors.” Venus sighs. “I’ll have to do this myself.”

  His features shift and rearrange until Yuko's face stares back at him from the glass.

  Refugee Shelter, Later

  Maruka stands near the entrance, scanning the crowd.

  Maruka notices.

  Near the back, by the water station, Yuko is handing out bottles.

  Maruka's stomach turns. She forces it down.

  She walks over, keeping her posture casual.

  Maruka thinks.

  "Yuko?" Maruka calls out.

  Yuko turns, and her face transforms into perfect surprise, eyes wide, mouth open, the whole performance.

  "Maruka? Oh my god, how are you!?"

  "Yeah, I..." Maruka lets her voice shake, which isn't hard since she's exhausted anyway. "I've been looking for people I know. This place is so busy."

  "Tell me about it." Yuko sets down the water bottles and gestures toward a quieter corner of the gym, away from the crowd. "Here, sit. You look exhausted."

  They settle onto cots pushed against the wall. Maruka hunches forward and plays with her hands, building up to it.

  "I'm sorry," Maruka says. "About before. With the knife."

  "What?" Yuko blinks, then waves it off. "Oh, that. Everyone's on edge right now. I get it."

  "No, I was..." Maruka makes herself look down, forcing guilt into her expression. "I thought you were someone else. Someone dangerous." She glances up and meets Yuko's eyes. "But seeing you here, helping people...I was wrong about you."

  "Hey." Yuko reaches over and squeezes her hand. "It's okay. We're all just trying to survive, right?"

  Maruka nods and lets the silence stretch. She counts to five in her head.

  "Actually," she says, like the thought just occurred to her. "I found something earlier. This old water treatment plant on the east side. Completely abandoned, but the power still works somehow. Clean water too."

  "Really?" Yuko leans forward.

  "Yeah." Maruka tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. "I was thinking of checking it out tonight. Could be useful for the shelter, you know? For charity purposes."

  Maruka pauses, acting hesitant.

  "Would you want to come with me? I mean... it's probably safer with two people."

  Yuko smiles, warm and friendly and perfect. "Absolutely. What time?"

  Maruka's Room, Later

  Maruka closes the door behind her and drops on the bed.

  Raizen's in a different spot than before, but Maruka doesn’t notice. "How'd it go?" he asks.

  "She took the bait." Maruka's grinning so wide it looks like it hurts. She rolls onto her back and laughs at the ceiling. "We're going to a water treatment facility. Tonight at eleven. I'll take her through the maintenance tunnels, get her deep inside, then..."

  "Leave her in the dark?"

  "The security systems still work in some sections. Once I'm out, I call in an anonymous tip. She gets caught, arrested, taken away." Her voice is cold. "Let her rot in custody while the world burns."

  "Nice. Have fun." Raizen’s tone is neutral.

  Maruka pauses, glancing over at Raizen. "So...you taught Niche fire control, right?"

  "I guided him. Why?"

  "Could you…teach me? Just basics. Something quick."

  "Elements take years to—"

  "Niche learned in days."

  "Niche is a sun bearer. His connection to elements is divine." Raizen's voice carries a hint of amusement. "You're just human."

  "Then give me something small. Electricity maybe? Just enough to protect myself tonight."

  Raizen is silent for a moment.

  "Electricity's actually easier than fire for beginners," Raizen says. "Your body already has electrical signals. It's about amplifying what's there rather than creating something new."

  "So you'll teach me?"

  "I'll try. But Maruka…" His tone sharpens. "A few hours won't make you a fighter. At best, you'll manage sparks. Maybe one decent shock if adrenaline kicks in."

  "That's all I need."

  "We'll see."

  Eastern District, 11 PM, Present

  Maruka waits by a fence, Raizen's weight in her bag. The streets are empty. Curfew.

  Footsteps approach.

  Yuko emerges from the shadows, waving. "Hey! Sorry, took me a bit to sneak out."

  "It's fine." Maruka gestures toward the street. "This way."

  They walk in silence for a while. The city is different at night now. No streetlights work in this part of town. Just moonlight and the distant glow of fires that haven't been put out yet.

  "So this place you found," Yuko says. "How'd you even know about it?"

  "My dad worked maintenance." Maruka kicks a loose stone and watches it skitter across the pavement. "He used to complain about the eastern plant all the time. Said they never properly shut it down when they closed it."

  "And you just remembered that?"

  "Weird what sticks with you."

  They pass an abandoned storefront, its windows smashed in. Glass crunches under their shoes.

  "You probably think I'm crazy," Maruka says. "Exploring abandoned buildings during all this."

  “Well…it’s pretty clever.” Yuko's voice is warm. “Finding resources while everyone else panics. Good survival instinct.”

  She reaches over and touches Maruka's arm. "I'm glad you trust me enough to show me."

  Maruka's step falters for just a second. She recovers.

  "Of course I trust you."

  They reach the fence surrounding the plant. The chain link is rusted in places, and there's a gap near the bottom where the metal has pulled away from the post.

  Maruka holds it open. Yuko crawls through, her shirt catching on a jagged edge. She laughs and tugs it free, then stands up on the other side and brushes off her knees.

  Maruka follows.

  Water Treatment Plant, 11:15 PM, Present

  Their footsteps echo in the maintenance tunnels. Maruka leads with a flashlight she pulled out from her bag, the beam cutting through the dark.

  "Careful." She points at a pipe running across the floor. "Step over this one."

  Yuko steps over it, steadying herself on Maruka's shoulder.

  "Thanks."

  They keep walking. The tunnels smell like rust and old water. Emergency lights occasionally flicker overhead, casting everything in dim red.

  "It's like a maze down here," Yuko says, her voice echoing off the concrete walls.

  "Stay close. I've got you."

  They go deeper, past rusted valves covered in years of grime and through a room full of pipes that groan when they walk past, like the building is complaining about their presence.

  "Maruka?" Yuko's voice is nervous now. "Maybe we should head back. We can come during the day when—"

  "Just a bit further. The reservoir is amazing, I promise."

  They climb a set of metal stairs, their footsteps clanging against the grating. When they push through the door at the top, cool night air hits them. They're outside now, standing on a concrete platform overlooking a massive circular reservoir. The water stretches out wide and still, and red lights line the lip of the basin, making the surface look like blood.

  "See?" Maruka spreads her arms. "Look at all this water. If we could get this running to the shelter, it could help so many people."

  "It's... definitely something." Yuko looks around worried. "But how do we get out if something happens? I didn't see any other—"

  "I'll check for another exit." Maruka is already backing toward the door. "Stay here."

  "What?" Yuko takes a step toward her. "No, we should stick together—"

  "Two minutes. Promise."

  "Maruka, wait—"

  Maruka runs.

  She goes back through the tunnels and down the metal stairs, her footsteps clanging loud. Behind her, Yuko's voice echoes off the walls.

  "Maruka? This isn't funny!"

  Maruka runs faster, around a corner and through a doorway.

  “Please!” the voice calls out behind her. “I can't see anything! Where are you?”

  A crash comes from somewhere above, like someone tripping over equipment.

  "I'm scared!” The voice is getting further now. “Please come back!"

  Maruka slows and her hand finds the wall, steadying herself.

  That terror in Yuko's voice sounds real. She thinks of Mika, alone and frightened, bleeding out on the living room floor while Maruka watched from the street.

  "MARUKA!"

  The scream echoes through the tunnels, raw and desperate.

  "Don't leave me here... please..." The voice is barely audible now.

  A tear forms in the corner of Maruka's eye.

  She concentrates and feels the electricity build in her fingertips, faint and crackling. Then she pushes through the exit door and runs into the night.

  Outside the Plant, 11:30 PM, Present

  Maruka's hands shake as she pulls out her phone and dials.

  "Police? I want to report a break-in at the eastern water treatment facility. I saw someone suspicious sneaking around inside. Please come quick –"

  She ends the call and leans against the outer wall, trying to catch her breath. Her heart is pounding. The voice still echoes in her head. Scared. Betrayed. Alone.

  She pockets the phone and takes a breath.

  Maruka’s brain races.

  She turns to leave.

  Something cold presses against the back of her skull.

  "Stop interfering with my operation."

  The voice isn't Yuko's. It's deeper. Male. It sounds bored, almost irritated.

  Maruka's blood goes cold. She doesn't move. Doesn't breathe.

  "Did you really think was your friend's killer?" Venus continues. "Some random girl who just happened to be at the wrong place? You were ready to destroy an innocent person based on a familiar face during chaos."

  "She killed—"

  " killed Mika." The gun presses harder against her skull. "But you were so eager for revenge you never questioned if you had the right target. Just found someone who looked guilty and ran with it."

  His voice carries mild disgust.

  "Pathetic," he scoffs.

  His finger tightens on the trigger.

  In the same instant, Raizen's blade bursts from Maruka's bag and swings upward. The edge catches the barrel of the gun just as it fires, deflecting the shot into the sky.

  Venus steps back, examining his weapon. The barrel is warped, sliced clean through. Useless now.

  "Run," Raizen hisses.

  In the same motion, he falls back into Maruka's bag, settling against her side.

  Maruka doesn't hesitate. Her adrenaline spikes and electricity floods through her body, not from her hands but through her legs, her spine, every nerve firing at once. She launches forward into the darkness, faster than she knew she could move.

  Behind her, Venus doesn't follow. He turns the ruined gun over in his hands, still studying it.

  "Interesting. The sword can act independently." He drops the gun and watches her disappear. "Good to know."

  He could chase her. It would be easy.

  But the information is more valuable than her life.

  For now.

  Maruka's Room, After

  Maruka slams the door and collapses against it, sliding down until she hits the floor. Her chest heaves. She can't catch her breath. Her legs are still shaking from whatever the hell that was, that burst of speed that didn't feel like her own body.

  She sits there for a while, just breathing.

  When her heart finally slows, a new fear creeps in.

  "Is he following me?" she whispers.

  Raizen's voice comes from the bag, still slumped against her side. "No. He's much stronger than that."

  "What?"

  "If he wanted to kill you, you'd be dead. He let you go."

  Maruka doesn't know if that's supposed to be comforting. She pulls herself up and stumbles to the bed, dropping the bag on her desk. Raizen clatters against the wood.

  She lays down on the mattress, staring at the floor.

  "He said he killed Mika." Her voice is quiet now. "But that doesn't make sense."

  Raizen is silent.

  "Maybe he was lying. Trying to protect her." Maruka runs her hands through her hair. "The real Yuko still could've done it. He's just covering for her because..."

  The logic doesn't hold. She knows it doesn't hold.

  "But why would he know about it if he wasn't there?" She sits heavily on the bed. "Unless it really wasn't her. Unless I just..."

  She stares at her hands.

  "I left some random girl in the dark. Someone who was probably just trying to survive like everyone else. Screaming for help. Thinking I was her friend."

  Silence.

  "What if the police had found her? What if they'd hurt her?" Her voice drops. "For something she didn't even do?"

  Raizen says nothing.

  Maruka exhales slowly. "I can't keep doing this. Chasing shadows. Hurting people who might be innocent."

  She looks at the ceiling.

  "I'm done. Whoever actually killed Mika...I have to let it go."

  "Wise choice," Raizen says.

  She doesn’t respond for a while.

  Eventually, she sits up, flexing her fingers. They're still tingling faintly.

  "I can't believe I actually used electricity. It just happened."

  "Adrenaline and desperation. Your body pulled more power than it could safely handle." Raizen pauses. "You're burnt out now. Could be days or weeks before you can make even a spark."

  "Good." She lies back against the pillows. "I don't want to use it anyway."

  "Power without control just creates more victims. As you nearly learned tonight."

  Maruka doesn't respond. Her eyelids are heavy, drooping to half-mast.

  The electricity, Raizen thinks. It drained her energy. She burned through everything she had just to light her way out.

  “Maruka,” Raizen whispers.

  No response. Her breathing has slowed. Her hands have stopped shaking.

  She's asleep.

  Raizen watches her for a moment. The girl who tried to avenge her friend and almost destroyed an “innocent person” in the process. The girl who carried a divine weapon around in a bag like it was a tennis racket. The girl who learned electricity in an afternoon out of pure spite.

  Foolish. Reckless. Sentimental, Raizen thinks. Niche chose well.

  Grocery Store, Next Morning, Present

  Sunlight filters through the store windows. It's a quiet morning, the aisles mostly empty.

  "Why do humans need forty types of bread?" Raizen asks as Maruka pushes the cart.

  "Shh. Normal sword, remember?"

  "It's all the same plant," he continues, ignoring her. "Just cooked differently."

  "People like variety." She grabs a loaf and tosses it in the cart. "Unlike divine weapons who do the same thing for millennia."

  "I'll have you know I've had

  varied experiences—"

  "Uh huh." She moves to the next aisle. "Sitting in different scabbards doesn't count."

  "That's not what I—"

  He goes quiet.

  Maruka stops the cart. "What?"

  Raizen doesn't respond. The weight in her bag feels heavier suddenly, like he's concentrating on something far away.

  "Raizen."

  "Niche," he finally says. The sarcasm is gone from his voice.

  "What about him?"

  “Something just shifted.” He pauses. “With him.”

  Maruka's hands tighten on the cart handle. "Is he okay?"

  "I don't know." The bag shifts against her shoulder. “But whatever he’s doing…it’s not small.”