>   II   <


    The winter breeze swept across her body, stirring ripples through the canvas folds of her coat. Natalie shivered and drove her hands deeper into her pockets. Her fingers closed around a small deck of plastic cards—Dream Tokens. She pulled them out and looked them over. The thin, blue-and-white rectangles were glossy in the pallid afternoon light. She sighed and shoved them back into her pocket. Still not enough…maybe I should pick up another gig…work nights, too. Kayce’s tenth birthday was in a couple weeks. She looked to the sky—a sheet of pale blue loomed through the tears in the veil of puffy gray cotton. The wind stirred her hair from her shoulders and ran invisible, icy fingertips across her neck. She pulled a black hair-tie from her pocket, scooped her hair into a bundle, and fastened it in place.


    The Cauchy Street district was always quiet this time of year—it was too cold for an afternoon stroll. Squat shops and housing stacks rose up on either side of the pavement. Smoke drifted from little chimneys, and reinforced windows fogged with warmth from within. Steel beams and loose wires lanced between buildings like bones and veins burrowing into concrete flesh. A cargo train thundered nearby—not even the suburban districts of Preton could escape the rugged, filthy touch of industry. In the near distance, factories clotted the flow of small businesses and dormitory buildings. The air was rich with the metallic, floral aroma of artificial freshener that did little to mask the acrid stench of burning oil and slag. The echo of a man’s shouting voice floated over the rooftops, and metal rang against metal. People strode past her in the opposite direction—an older man in a pressed suit that was more white than gray; two young women, huddled together and wrapped in so many coats and hats and scarves that their rosy faces couldn’t be seen beneath; a group of factory workers, their faces smeared with grime and soot, laughing at some crude joke. None paid her any mind, and she wandered through the sparse crowd like a dry leaf between their shoes.


    She caught her reflection in the display window of a gift shop and paused. Her orange and black factory coat hung off her like a gown. It was at least three sizes too big, but they couldn’t find anything smaller for her to wear. Her pants weren’t much better—they were baggy and loose and riddled with as many rips as they had pockets. The softer features of her dirty face were beginning to show signs of hardening, and her mouth was frozen in the ghostly shape of a frown. Dark rings gathered under her eyes. Her messy, lopsided black hair was scored with a streak of crisp white dye. Some kind of poster was taped to the window, depicting a cute, young girl with long pastel-pink hair. Her eyes were wide and her mouth hung open—the poster froze her face in a perpetual look of awe. Bold lettering on the edges of the poster read “THE NEXT RISING STAR?” Natalie’s eyes flickered between the poster and her reflection. She scrubbed at the dirt on her face with her sleeves, but only succeeded in smearing it more. Her arms dropped back to her sides. She stared at herself for what felt like an hour, before turning away. As she carried on, she threw one last frown at her reflection before it vanished into the metal window frame.


    She passed a couple more shops—most of them for clothes of varying degrees and flavors of fashion—and stopped at an alley. It was cleaner than the alleys she was used to. There were no piles of rotting black bags; no burning barrels or skeletal husks of cars. There were a couple loose pieces of trash—a crumpled food wrapper; a discarded magazine, and an old bicycle missing both its wheels. A clean, empty dumpster sat open at the far end of the alley, and in the corner between its side and the concrete wall was a small huddled mass of dirty rags and tangled hair. The shape pinned scraped knees to its chest with filthy hands. The sight dug a pit in Natalie’s chest. You too, huh…? She looked around at the empty sidewalks and emptier streets. A young couple hurried by, quickening their pace as they passed the alley. They didn’t give her, the alley, or its contents a glance. Her eyes narrowed and she lobbed a glare over her shoulder after them. Yeah, keep walking. Pretend it doesn’t exist. She clenched her fist and closed her eyes. A long breath of cold air extinguished the flames in her lungs. She turned and started walking down the alley. Don’t worry. I can see you…even if they won’t.


    The huddled figure took no notice of her as she approached. She pulled off her coat, leaving herself with nothing more than a stained, white tank top. The winter air pounced on her and began siphoning heat from her flesh. She knelt down next to the figure and pulled her coat over its shoulders like a blanket. Its head jerked up to look at her, revealing the dirty face of a little girl. Her small hands grabbed at the edges of the coat and pulled it tighter. She stared up at Natalie through wide, blood-shot eyes. They were dim blue, like a tarnished sky. Natalie smiled at her. Tears began to crawl from the corners of the girl’s eyes. They painted clean trails through the grime staining her cheeks. She grit her teeth and her face contorted into a pained grimace. Squeaks and strained groans slipped from her throat.


    Natalie rested a hand on the girl’s head. “It’s okay. You’re okay now…” The girl threw herself against Natalie’s legs and wailed into her pants, staining them with tears and snot. Natalie’s smile trembled as she fought back the pressure building behind her own eyes. She began to stroke the girl’s greasy hair, combing it with her fingertips. She hummed some tune she’d heard somewhere that she didn’t know the name of.


    After a while, the girl’s cries turned to small whimpers that drifted out into silence. She shifted and squirmed, and Natalie looked down to find her staring across the street. She followed the trail of the girl’s gaze to a little cafe across the street, crammed between two residential stacks. She looked back to the little girl—her hands had released the edges of the coat and now grasped her stomach.


    “Are you hungry?” Natalie asked.


    The little girl flew upright. Her hands found the edges of the coat once more and pulled it tight. She shook her head and scrambled back. Her eyes flicked between Natalie’s face, the ground, and the cafe.


    “Hey—hey!! It’s okay! It’s okay…” Natalie said. She leaned forward a little and reached out. The girl flattened herself against the wall. Her breathing grew fast, ragged, and shallow. Her eyes flew around—from the ground, to the dumpster, to Natalie’s hand, to the cafe, to Natalie’s face, back to the ground, back to the cafe… Her hands jerked the coat up over her face.


    Her suffocated voice pressed through the thick canvas. “M-Mom-my…says…not t-to t-take…too much…fr-om…strangers…” She curled deeper into the coat. “Says it’s…s-stealing… Says…I’m…I’m a…b-bad girl…” Her voice cracked over the words like glass against gravel. “Bad…girl…bad girl…bad…” She muttered the last two words to herself over and over while she trembled and rocked in place. Natalie moved a little closer. A blue flicker above the girl’s head ensnared her gaze—her breath hitched in her throat.


    Her chest tightened with building pressure. Her pulse beat against her ears. A chill crawled up the back of her neck. Three little threads of weak blue light were twisting and writhing over the girl’s head. They pulsed with each repetition of the words “bad” and “girl”. Natalie threw herself backwards. Her muscles tensed. Her body was hot despite the frigid air.


    You…you…you have it too…


    “Collapse Syndrome”—she’d heard the word tossed around by other workers on the jobs she picked up. A terrible disease of unknown origin that was tearing through the world. It started with memory loss and emotional instability, which became psychosis, and then…reverstring—the complete unraveling of mind and soul as the body wasted away into dust. She pushed herself a little further away. The girl’s muttered words slurred into nonsense, and she started sobbing again. Natalie ripped her gaze from the strands and back to the girl’s huddled figure. Every crease in the coat trembled with each sob that rocked her little body. Her thin arms were raised to her face, wiping at streams of endless tears and smearing more soot over her skin. She fell forward and wailed into the concrete.


    Natalie pinched her tongue between her teeth and drew in a sharp breath. This isn’t like the others, Nat… Heat was building behind her eyes—tears began to crawl from their corners. She wiped them away on the back of her hand. She’s just a little girl…she doesn’t…she doesn’t deserve this… Her hand trembled as she reached out and set it on the girl’s back. Something in her chest released, and the tension disappeared from her muscles.


    “H-hey! Hey! It’s okay…” She lifted the girl’s face from the ground and brushed the hair from it. “You aren’t stealing from me. I’m…I’m offering, okay? I’m offering. You aren’t a bad girl.”


    The girl flinched as she swallowed another sob. “A-are…are y-you…s-sure?” The glowing strings above her head started to flicker and fade.


    “Yes,” Natalie said, laying her hand on the girl’s head. “I’m sure.” She glanced toward the cafe. “I’m gonna go get you something to eat, okay? Wait here, I’ll be right back. I promise. Just wai—”


    The girl buried her face into Natalie’s stomach. Her little arms tightened around her waist. She kept muttering something—something about “mommy” and “thank you”.


    Natalie smiled and allowed her arms to fold around the girl’s tiny frame. This isn’t like the others at all…


    >>>   |||   <<<


    A stiff, feminine voice buzzes from the little keypad by the door. “Armory. One. One. Three. Access. Granted.” The segmented metal door groans and crawls up with the coarse grind of motors. The small room behind it is well-lit and reeks of steel, porcelain and pungent chlorine. A sink, a wide locker, and a tall mirror are the only things inside.


    As Natalie takes her first step inside, she’s stopped by a shout from down the hall. “Miss Natalie!! Miss Natalie, please wait!!”


    She looks back. A short girl with a black bob cut ducks and weaves through the crowded hallway. She clutches a Star Pad to her chest with one hand and pins a set of thick, round glasses to her face with the other. She trips over her own feet, stopping right in front of Natalie, then snaps into a rigid salute.


    “Forgive me, ma’am,” she says. She’s panting, but her voice is sunny and bold. “Tanya. P.U.S R&D. We’ve made some alterations to your kit that we’d like to go over with you before you deploy.” Natalie stares at her. Her uniform is rumpled, her hair is a mess, but her bright hazel eyes cast a warm glow across her features. She drops the salute. The soft corners of her face are cemented into an expression of diligence one would find in a recruitment poster.


    “Uh…sure, I guess,” Natalie says. She glances around the hall. “Come on—” Tanya hurries past her. “—in…”


    “Perfect! Your kit’s in your locker, as usual!”


    Clunk! Schreek! Tanya throws the locker open. She leans in, disappearing down to her waist for a moment, then emerges hauling a large crate out with her. THUD! She drops it with a grunt. The crate is matte white and marked with warning labels and blinking yellow lights. Tanya pats the lid and grins.


    “Please get changed! I won’t look!” She turns away and begins assaulting her Star Pad with her fingertips.


    Natalie steps in, and the door grinds shut behind her. “Can’t you just wait outside or something…?” No answer. Great… Natalie changes and steps over to the mirror. “It’s, um…it’s certainly different…” She turns and sways, plucking at the fabric. She’s clad in a tight, navy-blue and black skirt with matching leggings—the fabric is traced with glimmering, blue lines. Silver plates of armor decorate her figure: they cover her lower legs, boots, chest, shoulders, and forearms.


    “One moment.” Tanya turns back to the box and retrieves a helmet, passing it to Natalie. “Here, please put this on.” Natalie slips the helmet on, taking a moment to feed a hasty ponytail through a slot in the back. “Perfect! Hold still, testing faceguard…now.” Tanya stands on her toes and delivers two rapid taps to the right side of Natalie’s head. Two metal plates hiss forward from either side of the helmet. They unite in the middle with a sharp crack!


    Natalie jerks back against the locker. “Holy—”


    At the same time, a smooth sheet of glass slips down from the helmet’s brim to shield her eyes. She reaches up and runs her fingers over the curved metal plate that now covers the entire lower half of her face. Tanya leans out in front of her. She tilts her head to one side and narrows her eyes.


    “Huh. Might wanna reduce the pressure of those pneumatics a little…” She returns to her tablet, muttering.


    Natalie frowns. She reaches up and taps the side of the helmet the same way Tanya did; the faceguard retracts. “I don’t know…” She looks her reflection up and down. “Don’t you think it’s a little too…medieval-looking?”


    Tanya adjusts her glasses, but doesn’t look up. “Hmm? Oh, I mean, I don’t see the problem with that at all! Miss Yvette designed this armor herself!” She leans in again and begins plucking at the hem of Natalie’s skirt. “The idea is to offer better mobility than previous iterations without sacrificing too much protection,” she says. “Plus, she says it’s cuter this way. I agree.”


    Natalie grimaces. “I don’t think looking cute is a priority here…”


    Tanya shakes her head. “You’re missing the point, Miss Natalie.” She reaches up, deploys the faceguard again, squints into the mirror, then taps a few more things into her Star Pad. “You need to think of the bigger picture.” As she says this, she tucks the tablet under her arm and gestures to a non-existent horizon. “Just think: when you’re out there—fighting the Scissors, stopping a robbery, helping the needy—people are seeing you. Our agents should look the part, whether that be professional or heroic.” She adjusts her glasses and her gaze drifts away. “People need symbols, Miss Natalie, and what better symbol for all the children of Strinova than a heroic knight that comes to save them from the forces of evil?” Her eyes sparkle as she stares off into the corner of the ceiling. “Isn’t it genius? Miss Yvette is truly inspiring!”


    “Uh-huh…” Natalie nods. Great. Total fangirl over here. She turns her arm over, revealing a small, puck-shaped device mounted to her forearm. Its curved, white shell is divided into four segments, revealing black metal and thick wires in the gaps. The center is dominated by a dark lens that devours most of the shape. “What’s this thing for?”


    “Oh, I almost forgot!” Tanya crashes back into reality and begins assailing her tablet again. “There’s a pressure sensor in your glove. Should be active…now. When you’re ready, please squeeze your fist as tight as you can!”


    “Why, what does it do?”


    Tanya rolls her eyes. “Just squeeze the sensor, please. Oh, and try to angle your arm away from your face when you do.”


    “I…alright then…” Natalie clenches her fist. BREEE!! A pitched whine floods her ears and a transparent, curved rectangle of brilliant blue light materializes off the disk. She jerks back. “What the hell?!” She twists and shakes her arm and the weightless shape follows, mounted there by some invisible force. Her heart hammering, she presses her free hand against it to try and force it off, but it doesn’t budge. It’s firm against her hand, like cold glass. “What the hell is this thing?”


    “Hardlight shield.”


    “Hard…light…what?”


    “New tech R&D has been cooking up. Programmable matter from energy.” Tanya begins talking faster. “The projector on your wrist condenses and compresses string energy into a pre-programmed shape. Think of it like a 3D printer of sorts.”


    “That’s…amazing…” Natalie traces the tiny hexagons that knit the shield’s surface.


    “Isn’t it?” Tanya is glimmering now. “The potential applications of this tech are endless! Just think: shields that never break, swords that never go dull, buildings that never crumble!” She reaches out and taps the shield. “Unfortunately, we’re limited to small scale stuff right now. Larger projectors tend to overheat and explode when too much stress is applied to the construct…oh, but don’t worry, it''s usually only the big ones that do that.”


    Natalie runs her hand over the P.U.S sigil engraved in the shield’s outer face. “You guys really put your logo on everything, huh?”


    Tanya’s face goes blank. “Of course. Why wouldn’t we?” Natalie releases her grip, and the shield flickers out of existence. “Oh, wait!!” Tanya dives back into the box and throws something. “Every knight needs a sword!”


    Natalie catches it. The handle is wrapped in black grip-tape and there’s a small trigger just beneath the crossguard. In the place of a blade is a familiar sculpture of white and black metal. Natalie’s eyes narrow. “That…kind of looks like…”


    “Komos Tower, right?”


    “Yeah…”


    Tanya smirks. “That little piece was designed by”—she twirls and gestures to herself with a flourish—”yours truly! Poetic, isn’t it? The Great Anchor of Strinova, wielded by the Chosen Knight to enforce the will of its Protectors, the P.U.S! What do you think?!”


    Natalie stares at Tanya for a moment. I think you and Yvette really need to put down the fantasy books… “Yeah…very poetic…” She squeezes the trigger. SKREE!!! A blade of crystal-blue light materializes from the tower-shaped projector in an instant. She twirls the weapon. There’s no weight or resistance. As it cuts the air, it emits a sound between a low hum and a high whistle. “Woah…”


    Stolen story; please report.


    “Hardlight sword! Weightless, unbreakable, and sharper than any blade the Scissors—or anyone for that matter—could throw at you.” Natalie releases the trigger. The blade vanishes. “And that’s it!! Your new kit, courtesy of R&D! If you have any further questions, please direct them to—”


    BAM! BAM! The armory door rattles and begins to slide open. Kokona ducks under it and into the room, clad in a bluish-gray poncho with a massive rifle slung across her back. “Natalie, you ready yet? We’re deploying in ten—” Her sentence stretches out into a squeal as her eyes land on Tanya. “Tanyaaaaaaa!!!” She leaps across the room. Tanya starts to back away, but not before Kokona latches her in a tight hug. “I haven’t seen you in forever!! Where have you been, what have you been working on and—” Her eyes slip open and land on Natalie. She tugs in a gasp. “Wouldja look at you!” She darts over and begins circling Natalie, pressing in close to take in every little detail. “So heroic! It’s adorable!!” She steps back. “People are gonna love you! Tanya, why don’t you ever bring me anything this nice? Tanya…?” She looks around. Tanya has slipped to the door and is already halfway around the corner.


    She points at Natalie. “Don’t break anything!” Then, she’s gone.


    “Tan-yaaaaaa!!” Kokona rushes to the door and shouts down the hall. “At least talk to me, wouldja?! I’m sorry I blew up your lab! It won’t happen again! Tanya!!” She presses her back against the door frame and rests her face against her palm. “She’s never gonna forgive me for that, is she…?”


    Natalie turns back to the mirror one more time. Something like a dark cloud stirs at the back of her mind. She glares at her reflection as she turns and studies herself.


    “Hey, you okay?” Kokona says. “Nat, you in there?” She snaps her fingers in front of Natalie’s face. “What’s up?”


    “It’s nothing.” Natalie lowers her head toward the floor.


    “Doesn’t look like nothing,” Kokona says. She leans against the wall and tilts her head to get a better look at Natalie’s face. Her eyes widen. “You look like you haven’t slept in weeks. I told you, you don’t need to stay at those barracks anymore. We have plenty of comfortable accommodations for Investigators, if you need them. Hell, you could even crash at my place—”


    “I said I’m fine.” Natalie turns away.


    “Natalie…” A gentle hand closes around her arm. “C’mon. Talk to me.”


    “It’s just…what’s the point?” Natalie throws her arms out to her sides and turns back toward Kokona. “The new gear, new equipment? Sure, it’s nice and all, but what’s the point if I’m not going to have a chance to use it?!”


    “You don’t know that…”


    “Three missions, Kokona. The last three missions I’ve been benched. And now I’m on flank duty?!” She swings her fist and it connects with the locker door. BAM!! Kokona flinches. “I want to help people. That’s why I joined, why I left—” The face of a little boy with white hair flickers through her head. Her words catch in her throat and dissipate like smoke over her tongue. “Why I left…” There’s a name—ghostly and formless, like mist in her lungs. “...I left…”


    “Left…what?”


    Natalie shakes her head, clearing the fog away. “Nothing, nevermind.”


    They stand in silence for a moment. The loose straps on Kokona’s poncho click. Her hand falls on Natalie’s shoulder.


    “Listen, I…I get it. I really do. We all went through this when we joined this squad. Hell, I know I sure did. You gotta understand, Nobunaga cares about you—I care about you. But we’ve both seen too many of our juniors get hurt because we threw them into situations they weren’t ready for… The things we deal with here are on a different level than what you’re used to—”


    “How would you know? You haven’t even given me a chance to prove myself yet!”


    “Because you don’t need to prove yourself, Natalie. You don’t need to prove anything to anyone.”


    “I joined to make the world a better place.”


    “And you are doing that. I’m glad to have you on our team, and I’m sorry we’re having to…baby you like this, but like the Captain said, we’re stretched too thin lately and we can’t afford any losses, especially not from our squad.” Natalie glares at the floor. Kokona sighs. “Look…I’ll talk to Nobunaga when we get back, okay? I’ll make sure you get your chance, if that’s what you really want. Just…promise me something, okay? Look at me and promise me something.”


    Natalie lifts her eyes to Kokona’s. “What?”


    Kokona’s voice grows firm. “While we’re out there…if you see that assassin…you run. This goes for Yvette too. High Command may care about this shipment, but I care about my juniors more. If you see Feng, just run. Promise me that…please.”


    Natalie looks away and squirms. “...fine.”


    “Thank you…” Kokona punches her arm. “Now c’mon, Miss Righteous Paladin. Let’s go stop a truck.”


    >>>   |||   <<<


    A bell on the door sang as she pushed it open. Warmth spilled out, rushing over her skin and eddying around her legs like an undertow. It pulled her in, where it drew the door shut behind her and held her in its invisible arms. The room was bathed in cedar-colored light. Sweet aromas of warm bread and cold cream sifted through the nutty fragrance of coffee. Muffled shouts and distant machinery pressed against the closed door, held out by the soothing ripple of soft jazz. It drifted from the speakers of a small radio on the counter across the room. Two young men sat in the far corner. One, with long silver hair tied back in a tight bun, sat with his back to her and muttered to the companion that his body blocked from view. Natalie began to wind her way between empty tables.


    “Look out, missy!!” Sneakers hammered and squeaked against the floor. A child in a pressed skirt dashed across her path. Short, blazing ruby hair flickered from her head like a wildfire. Natalie watched as the girl tumbled beneath a table, then turned a corner and rushed up a flight of stairs.


    “Hey!! What have I told you about running through—ugh!” A tall woman emerged from a door behind the shop counter. Her eyes were gray like steel and her hair was the same brilliant red as the child’s. A dark green apron was tied around her waist. She groaned. When her eyes landed on Natalie, she put on a smile. “Oh! Hello, dear! Please, forgive my daughter…”


    “It’s no problem, really!” Natalie said, stepping to the counter. Her eyes fell on a small picture frame, bearing a photo of the woman sitting next to a man with trimmed white hair. The little girl that had swept through like a storm sat between them, beaming at the camera with a missing tooth. The inside of her hair was a snowy white color, and it bled through in a few thick streaks that Natalie hadn’t seen as she darted past.


    “You have a beautiful family,” she said.


    “Aren’t they?” The woman’s laugh turned to another sigh. She rested her chin in her hands and propped herself against the counter. “Our daughter’s just about to turn ten. I don’t know what I’m gonna do with her… I never imagined I’d raise a child with so much…energy. Thankfully, father is good with her. I just…I wish I could do more for her…”


    “Yeah…” Natalie said. She looked at the floor. “Yeah, I know the feeling…” Silence lingered between them for a moment.


    “Oh—but here I am, rambling about my problems to a customer.” The woman rose from the counter and straightened up. “What can I get for you, sweetie?”


    “Oh! Um…” Natalie lifted her gaze to the wall of glass shelves behind the shopkeeper. They were packed with priced treats—from simple breads to decorated confections. “I’ll just take…taiyaki.” She pointed to a row of fish shaped cakes in one of the lower shelves. The woman grinned.


    “Ah, a great choice! Would you like custard or red bean paste?”


    “Red bean…please…”


    “Of course!”


    While the woman retrieved her order, Natalie glanced around the room.


    “This is a very nice place…”


    “Thank you, dear! We’re hoping to expand from a cafe into more of a restaurant in the coming months, so feel free to come back any time!” The woman stepped over to the register, clutching a paper-wrapped taiyaki. “Your total today comes to…five tokens!”


    “Right, let me just—” Natalie reached into her pocket and froze—her pocket wasn’t there. Oh no… Her coat was still with the little girl across the street, meaning… She began patting her pants pockets and muttering. “No…no, no, no…damn it, no!”


    “Is something wrong?”


    “I—I’m sorry, this is really awkward…I—”


    “I’ll pay for her.” The young voice was all at once gentle and firm. She looked up to see a boy with frigid white hair standing beside her. He slid some Dream Tokens onto the countertop and studied her through ocean-blue eyes.


    “Well, that’s very kind of you,” the woman said. The boy smiled at Natalie and handed her the taiyaki. The heat of the bread passed into her fingers through the paper.


    “T-thanks…” Natalie said.


    “No problem. Happy to help.”


    “I’m…I’m sorry, I need to go…but…thanks…again…” Natalie turned and hurried out. The cafe warmth slipped off her body as she flew out. She ran across the street and slowed to a walk in the alley. The little girl was still there, curled up in her coat. “Hey,” Natalie said. She knelt down. “I brought you something.” The little girl’s wide eyes flitted between the taiyaki and Natalie’s face. “Go on…take it…while it’s still warm.”


    The girl plucked the fish-shaped treat from Natalie’s hands and stared at it. She glanced one last time at Natalie, searching her expression. Without taking her eyes off Natalie’s face, she lifted the taiyaki to her mouth and took a small bite. The bread crackled between her teeth. Her eyes lit up. Her face began to glow. She began taking larger and larger bites, spilling crumbs and bits of red bean paste over Natalie’s coat.


    Natalie’s chest swelled and she giggled. “Hey, hey! Slow down!” She patted the child’s head.


    A shoe scraped the pavement behind her.


    “You know, if you were gonna buy her something, you could’ve just brought her with you. It’s much warmer in there than it is out here.” The gentle voice was familiar. Natalie turned.


    The boy from before stood in the entrance of the alley, leaning against the wall. Next to him was the other customer, who glared at her through mismatched eyes—one a pale, icy blue, the other the color of lead. He looked a little older than the white haired boy. When their eyes met, he looked away, his sharp features pressed into a scowl. Both boys wore the same starchy, navy-blue uniform.


    Natalie turned back to the little girl, who had just finished eating. She took the edge of the coat and wiped the corners of the girl’s mouth. “Most places don’t like people like us coming in,” she said.


    “Oh? And what kind of people are those?” The boy approached, closing the distance between them in a few casual strides.


    “People not as fortunate as others,” she said. The boy chuckled. Natalie bristled.


    “I don’t think I’d agree with that. People are kinder than you think,” he said.


    The boy with silver hair spoke. “We don’t have time for this.” His voice was gruff and hard.


    The boy with white hair rolled his eyes. “Forgive my brother. Reiichi isn’t exactly a ‘people person’.” He extended his hand to her. “I’m Nobunaga. You ran out before I could get your name back there…”


    “Natalie.” She didn’t take his hand. It drifted back to his pocket.


    “And who’s this little one?” He gestured to the girl.


    Natalie stared at her for a moment. “I…don’t know…”


    Nobunaga stepped forward. Natalie clenched her fists and sprang to her feet, planting herself between him and the child. As she did this, the other boy, “Reiichi”, took a single step into the alley. Even beneath his stiff uniform, the tension in his muscles was evident—she was sure he could close the distance in a single step and be at her throat.


    “Relax,” Nobunaga said. “I’m not going to hurt her.” He glared over his shoulder at Reiichi. “You relax too. I don’t need you to protect me.” Reiichi huffed and leaned against the wall, but kept his eyes on Natalie.


    “Look, just because you paid for me back there doesn’t make us friends,” Natalie said.


    “Sure, but I think it should’ve earned me a bit of trust,” Nobunaga said. “Like I said, the world is kinder than you give it credit for.”


    Natalie’s eyes narrowed. “That hasn’t been my experience.”


    “And yet, here you are…” Nobunaga said. He lowered himself onto one knee. “Acting like a mother to a kid you don’t even know. I think that’s evidence enough that there’s still kindness in this world, don’t you think?” His tone changed and he extended his hand to the girl. “Hey there!”


    The girl''s eyes flickered with blue light and she withdrew, shielding herself with the coat.


    “You’re scaring her.” Natalie’s fists tightened.


    “Just give me a chance. Please.” He looked back at the child and withdrew his hand. “I heard you like taiyaki. It’s one of my favorites!” The girl began to reemerge from behind the coat. “My name’s Nobunga. What’s your name?”


    The girl looked away. The blue flickering in her eyes slowed and faded. “E-El…Ellie…”


    Nobunaga smiled. “What are you doing out here, Ellie? Aren’t you cold?” The girl said nothing. Then she nodded. “I know a place that’s really warm. There’s lots of toys, lots of nice people, hot food—even more taiyaki, if that’s what you want. Does that sound nice or what?” She was still for a moment, then nodded again.


    “The hell do you think you’re doing?” Natalie said.


    “I’m trying to take her to a shelter…”


    “She can’t go with you. She’s—”


    “Suffering from Collapse Syndrome? I know. I saw her episode with you earlier. That’s what the shelter’s for—we have people there who can treat her.” Nobunaga extended his hand toward Ellie again. She stared at it for a moment, then crawled forward between Natalie’s legs. Nobunaga scooped her into his arms and stood. The coat fell from her shoulders and landed in a heap on the ground.


    Natalie glared at him. “If you saw, then why didn’t you help? Who the hell are you, anyways?”


    “You were already helping.” He turned and passed the girl to Reiichi. “Make sure she gets there. I’ll catch up.” He turned back to Natalie. “My brother and I are with P.U.S.” He pulled a silver badge from his pocket—an embroidered hexagon with a sword down the middle. Natalie’s heart skipped. “We’re actually here to help establish that shelter and find new recruits.”


    Natalie snatched her coat from the ground and slung it over her shoulder. She started past him, but Nobunaga caught her arm. She tore herself free from his grip.


    “Get the hell off me,” she said.


    “Listen, you can trust me—”


    “I know who the P.U.S are. You don’t have to explain it all to me.”


    “I just want to talk…”


    “About what? You did your job. Swept in at the last minute, flashing your badge and telling me to stand aside. Never there when you’re needed, always there when it''s too late and someone else has done your job for you.” She turned away and started walking again. “I have to get home, my brother’s waiting for me.”


    “You’re from District 43, right?” Nobunaga called after her. Natalie froze. “So’s that girl. I’ve been there a few times. Seen enough people from there to recognize it when I see it.”


    Natalie gritted her teeth and glared at her shoes. “The hell would you know about it…?”


    “I wouldn’t…you’re right about that… But I want to help. P.U.S wants to help,” he said.


    “Oh, really? Then where the hell are they?” Natalie whirled. A furious heat blazed behind her eyes and spread through her skull. “Where the hell are they when people starve on the streets? Where are they when people are buried alive beneath their own homes?”


    Nobunaga glanced away. “We’re…trying our best. There’s a lot of bureaucratic tape, you know… It’s always ‘too short on funds’ or ‘too short on people’. But we want to help.”


    “Well, you’re doing a damn poor job of it.”


    “You could help us.”


    Natalie’s mouth went dry. “...what?”


    “Join P.U.S. Help us build a better future for everyone,” Nobunaga said. He stepped up to her and pulled a small cream-colored card from his pocket. He held it out to her—it was branded with the same sigil as his badge. Natalie just stared at it. “Look, I saw you with that little girl. I can see the kind of person you are. You care about people, and we need that. I get that the world hasn’t been kind to you…but this is your chance to make sure it is kind to other people—like that kid.”


    Natalie was silent. “...I can’t.”


    “Why not?”


    “I told you, I have a brother. I have to take care of him.” She turned away again. “Thanks for the offer. Good luck with that shelter…”


    “Natalie, wait!” He caught her by the shoulder this time. “Please, just…consider it. There’s a recruitment office a few blocks from here. If you change your mind, show them that card and tell them Nobunaga sent you. I know you have other responsibilities, but…well, the way I see it is, you can keep living the way you are, helping one person at a time…or you can join us…help us build the future you want for that brother of yours…and for millions of other children out there just like him.” He pressed the card into her hand and let go of her shoulder. “Just…think about it. Please. I’d hate to see you waste your potential…”


    He walked past her, glancing over his shoulder one last time for disappearing around the corner. Natalie lingered there, staring at the little card clutched between her fingers.