Where was the honor in her death?
Anne and Nina went to school depressed and in mourning. They couldn't get over the loss of Kira. Their teammate. Their friend. It was all too much to handle for these teenage girls.
Nina tried to move her mind away from Kira's death by focusing on her studies and work, but with each stroke of her pen, all she could do was remember Kira's solemn and cute face.
Anne couldn't do anything, either. She just couldn't concentrate on anything. When she hunted Night Demons, she felt a sense of purpose even after Kira's death, but with each fight, she still didn't feel whole.
As soon as school ended, Nina and Anne promised each other not to fight Night Demons alone. If they sensed a Night Demon, they would immediately call each other for backup. They couldn't risk losing another. However, they still had to go their separate ways. Nina had to stay for her student council meeting. And Anne had to go to her martial arts club.
When Anne arrived at the martial arts dojo, she quickly put on her karate gi.
She was already considered a black belt, and, even though the club was for both boys and girls, she was the best fighter they had. She even won some local tournaments with her as their ace.
She didn't rely on her Light Guardian powers. Even before she became one, she was proficient in fighting.
The students lined up ready for their exercises. The instructor came out and always started with a chant. A saying that he used to describe his dojo.
"Honor before victory!" he shouted.
And all the students repeated after him the same line.
"Honor before victory!" the students shouted.
"H-honor before victory," Anne said at the very end.
Anne usually repeated the chant with the most vigor, but today, her words stumbled and staggered. The instructor and the other students noticed this, but they knew about how Anne lost her friend. None of them could really know how Anne felt, but they understood that she was at a low point in her life and felt sympathy for her.
When Anne practiced her punches and kicks, the only thing she could remember was seeing Kira. How quiet and gentle she was. She was always serious, but she knew her caring side. With every punch, her arms grew weaker.
After they were finished with their basic warm-up exercises, the instructor yelled, "Alright, listen up! We're going to have some sparring matches. Everybody find a partner!"
And so, each student found a partner.
"Hey, Anne. Want to partner with me," one of the boys said.
Anne attempted a smile and replied, "Sure, Ben."
Ben was another student at the same school, however they only really met up during their martial arts club. He was an average height and weight. Nothing really special about him except for the fact that he was considered the second best martial artist they had at the club.
It was just a simple sparring match. Each fighter would try to knock the other to the ground. Technically, there were no rules, however, each student knew that they had to fight honorably. No scratching. No breaking bones. No swearing. Nothing that would cause serious damage or insult.
Anne tried to focus her mind to the match, but she just couldn't concentrate. Ben noticed her wavering stance and took advantage of it. He was usually kind, but in the martial arts dojo, he always tried his hardest to win within the confines of what was considered honorable.
As Anne threw a punch, Ben grappled her and tossed her to the ground.
They were both surprised that that worked. She would have normally seen that coming, but not today. Today, her mind was elsewhere. Her mind focused on how Kira could get killed. How Kira's kind and gentle soul was crushed by a horde of Night Demons. Where was the honor in her death, she thought.
Ben gave her his hand to lift her up.
"You alright?" he asked.
"Yeah. Just... just not feeling all myself, today," Anne replied.
The instructor noticed Anne's behavior and went over to her.
"Maybe, you ought to take the day off. I can't imagine what it's been like for you this past week," the instructor said.
"No," Anne said quickly, "No. I need the distraction."
"Take the day off. I don't think you should give yourself any more stress," the instructor replied.
"But I-," Anne was about to protest, but instead gave in, "Alright. I'll go get myself changed."
After she changed back to her regular clothes, she left the dojo with her bag behind her. She looked down on the cold pavement as the sun shined above.
She looked around and saw everything being so normal. It's like nothing changed after Kira died. Her death didn't matter. All the other students walked around happily without a care in the world. The world kept spinning.
But Anne couldn't accept that. She walked away frowning. How could this cruel world take Kira? Honor before victory? Where was the honor in Kira's death? Anne asked herself these questions, but found no answers.
As she walked home, the shopkeep appeared before her. People walked around him as if he was just another pedestrian even though he still wore his gas mask.
"Hello, Anne," he said.
"What do you want?" Anne asked while still walking as the shopkeep followed behind her. She didn't even want to look at him right now.
"I have need of your skills in hunting a certain Night Demon," he said.
"Alright. So, you want me and Anne to go find it?"
"No. Not Anne. Just you."
"Only me? That's strange. Usually, you always ask the three...," Anne paused as she remembered Kira and then continued, "... of us. Why only me?"
"Because this Night Demon is far more tricky. It hides in a human. And while it does, it can't be detected by other Light Guardians."
"You didn't answer the question."
"Listen. This monster craves being inside the strongest human it can get it's hands on. By itself, it's quite weak and vulnerable. It's hiding inside a... fighter, of sorts. A fighter like you. Now, you could transform into a Light Guardian and kill the guy to drag out the monster, but that sounds like a terrible way to handle it. And there would be so much more work for me. Anyways, I have a plan if you are willing to take this job."
Anne stopped for a moment and replied, "Fine. I need something to do. I hate feeling this way. If I do nothing, all I'll be reminded of is that Kira died. I need something to take my mind off of that."
"Good. Then, I will meet you by the left side of the downtown Precumber building entrance at 8 pm tonight. Don't be late. We only get one shot. And I don't want to get those other three guardians to get the job. I can't imagine what they would do. They'd probably destroy the whole block in getting that one Night Demon. It would be such a headache."
"Okay," Anne said as she looked up the location on her phone's GPS, "I'll meet you there."