The Princess and the Vigilante Chapter Two

Once Lost, Now Found

"Aha! I found you, Trench Coat-Man! What's this…? You appear to be sad… but it's alright… these things happen…"

Ran groaned, "We'll never find him, Miyu…"

It was early in the morning. She sat near a nearby bench to relax while Miyu, focused and persistent as ever, continued searching for Trench Coat-Man.

"C'mon, Ran!" Miyu said, "We just can't give up now! He's possibly worried sick about his phone!" She looked at the smartphone, "Actually, to think of it, I wonder if he's realized he lost his phone…"

Aiden Pearce awoke from his bed, feeling guilty.

He sighed, "Another nightmare…"

This wasn't new to him as he had nightmares every night. The same reoccurring dream; it felt like a bad memory stuck on playback. It was quite strange though that his phone hasn't woken him up yet, so he shifted lazily over to the footstool and tried to find his phone. Once he figured it wasn't there, he groaned and got up out of bed. He then looked on the floor, assuming he dropped it, but it wasn't there either.

"Hmmm… maybe I left it in my pockets…" Aiden said.

He checked all his pockets, yet it wasn't there. Now, it was time to panic.

Aiden, you idiot! You don't know where your phone is? He said, banging his head with his hands. There was silence surrounding him as he was gathering his thoughts.

Don't panic, Aiden reassured himself, I'm sure if you retrace your steps, you'll find it.

Without his phone, he couldn't fulfill his daily routine: stop criminal activity. So for now, he had to find that phone.

"The only problem is," he said, "it could be anywhere…" He groaned, and then he realized something.

"I haven't visted Lena in a while…"

Hours passed, and Miyu was still on the move, while Ran tagged behind her sighing.

"We'll never find him, you know. It's like finding a needle in a haystack," Ran called.

Miyu looked back and grinned, "You're just saying that because you're hungry!"

Well, if only I could have finished breakfast, Ran thought, Oh, what I would do for an omelet right now…

Miyu stopped and waited for Ran to catch up. Maybe it was a bit unfair for her to wake her up on such short notice and skip breakfast to find Trench Coat-Man—actually, it wasn't fair at all.

"Ran," she said, "You can go home if you like. I know how tired you are."

Ran wanted to go home, but she couldn't just Miyu alone. There were many possibilities of what could happen to Miyu.

"Are you sure?" Ran asked, "Are you sure you'll be okay on your own?"

Miyu smiled, "I'll be fine. Don't worry!"

Ran nodded then she left. She really was worried for her friend. Ever since what happened at the café, it struck fear inter her that if something like that ever happened again… and then there's Trench Coat-Man. Just who is he and can he be trusted?

She remembered what Miyu said then sighed, "That's just worries me the most…"

Meanwhile, Miyu was looking around and asked various people about Trench Coat-Man. No later than an hour, she gave up.

"Maybe Ran was right. Maybe it's just like finding a needle in a haystack," she said. She then took out Trench Coat-Man's phone.

No! She thought, clenching the phone, You just haven't been looking hard enough! Keep looking! He'll turn up soon! I'm sure of it!

She sprinted down the sidewalk and recovered from her doubt. She seemed very hopeful to find Trench Coat-Man, even in the big city of Chicago. She passed through the gates of the cemetery, but something caught the corner of her eye. She stopped and backed up a bit to see what it was and suddenly her eyes sparkled.

"Trench Coat-Man!" She exclaimed.

She pointed to Aiden Pearce who was standing in front of a grave, his hands in his pockets. He took notice of her but pretended that she wasn't there, hoping she would leave.

"I foooouund you~!" Miyu mused, running towards him like a bullet train.

Aiden didn't know how to respond. Would it be better to run or to stop her from running into him?

Oh, God… she's coming this way! He thought.

Miyu then tripped on her own feet and fell forward towards him with great speed. "Ahhhhh!"

"Huh?!" Aiden gasped.

He had to act fast so he caught Miyu and she wrapped her arms around his neck for support. Unfortunately, in the process she stepped on his foot and Aiden lost balance. They fell on the grass and Miyu closed her eyes. When she opened her eyes, she realized she was on top of Aiden, groaning in pain.

She blushed, "Oh! Sorry!" She scrambled to get off, "Are you OK?"

Aiden grunted, "I was…"

She got up and offered him her hand to grab but he got up by himself.

Miyu bowed repeatedly, "I'm sorry! So very sorry!"

When she looked up, Aiden was dusting off his trench coat. She took a good look at him. Yes, he was the Trench Coat-Man from the café—green-rimmed cap and brown trench coat. Getting a closer look at him he wore a grey sweater, a neck-tucked scarf and his face was quite attractive—especially his eyes. When Aiden looked at her, she froze. They were so green; she was captivated by them, she could look at them all day.

Aiden raised an eyebrow, "Uhh… Hi?"

"Ha... ha… Hi…!" She managed to say. She blushed again, but she managed to hide it, "I'm… the girl from the café! You know?"

It took Aiden a moment to remember, "Oh, yes… It's all coming back to me now. You were the helpless girl taken hostage."

I wouldn't say helpless… Miyu thought.

"You're here to thank me, aren't you?" Aiden asked. He could see right through her… so much for expressing gratitude.

"Uhh… yes! That's one reason…" Miyu responded.

She grabbed her pink handbag and rummaged through it. She mumbled a couple times as she was trying to find something. Aiden presumed that she wanted to give him something.

"No," he said, raising a hand, "No gifts, please."

"It's not a gift, though… hmm… where is it…? Aha! Here you are!"

She pulled out Aiden's smartphone. Aiden was shocked, speechless for words. He couldn't believe that Miyu had his phone, but he was absolutely surprised that she would go through the trouble finding him just to give back his phone in person.

"You had my phone all this time…?" Aiden asked.

"Well sure! Why else would I go through the trouble looking for you?" Miyu replied. She gave the phone to him and smiled, "It'd be a shame if you never saw it again. Who knows what could have happened to it?"

Aiden took the phone and nodded, "Yeah, thanks."

To Aiden, Miyu was a different person all together. She was kind, honest, and a pure optimist. She was a "good girl with a sweet heart," and it was rare to him to meet that kind of person, but with that in mind she could be naïve, gullible and to an extent stupid. While he was busy evaluating her, she took a look at Lena's grave.

"Lena Pearce? Did you know this person?" She asked.

She knew she should have just left as he looked down. She panicked, knowing that she made him upset.

"Sorry! Sorry! I should have been aware…! But, you know, if it makes you feel any better, I've lost a loved one once."

Aiden looked up, but stayed silent.

Miyu continued, "When I was eight, my mother… died. She was the nicest person you've ever met. She'd always find a way to make everyone smile and when…" tears were running down her cheek as she talked.

"Are you OK?" Aiden asked.

It was hard for Miyu to talk about her mother, let alone think about her. Every time, it only brought despair and emotional pain.

"I'm fine! Really! It's just—it's just that these things happen. Those moments where you lose someone important to you," she sniffed then smiled, "but that's alright. It's better to forget the past and look on to the future. I'm sure they would want you to do that!"

A moment of silence, then Aiden spoke.

"You're right," he said, "but what good is the future if you forget the past?"

"Huh?" Miyu replied.

"I keep those memories to remind myself to never make the same mistake twice. It hurts to remember, but it's what motivates me."

Miyu didn't know how to respond, "I don't—"

Bang! Bang!

Gunshots rang in Miyu's ears. She jumped towards Aiden, holding him in fear.

"Eeeyaa! What was that?!" She gasped.

Aiden pulled out a handgun and scouted the area. He slowly turned left then right while putting a hand on Miyu's head.

Bang!

He pointed to the direction of the shooting, "Stay close."

A moment of calm silence until a whole round of bullets fired.

Bang! Bang!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

There were too many shots and the assailants were well-hidden. They were out in the open and Aiden cursed.

"Dammit!" he said. He grabbed Miyu's wrist and ran.

"Where're we going?!" Miyu asked. Her voice was about to crack.

Aiden didn't answer. He kept looking back; she could feel the tension he was feeling. They just kept running, fearful for their lives.

Author's Notes ('•̀ ▽ •́ )φ!

Currently, there's nothing in this chapter to explain...(ﾟｰﾟ;

Sorry for procrastinating（ﾉ´д｀）! I've just been playing Super Smash Bros. Brawl with my sister and some other games, but I am determined to continue this story!੭•̀ω•́)੭̸*✩⁺˚

We've reached 10+ follower milestone! Heck yeah! Inspiration gauge increased! ヾ(ﾟ∀ﾟゞ)

So, what happens next? Stay tuned for the next chapter! ٩(•̤̀ᵕ•̤́๑)ᵒᵏᵎᵎᵎᵎ