Damn hospital. She should have been home by now.

Tae Takemi always made sure to get on the same train every time she had to go somewhere. The streets were dangerous to walk alone, she knew that of course, especially at night for a young woman.

She had been doing some work for the Soul City Infirmary today, which required her to stay unreasonably late. Work like that was becoming fewer and farther between, no doubt owing her reputation.

Money was getting tight for her clinic. She needed all she could get, forcing her to take these jobs here and there, risking herself by walking the streets at night.

She held her bag close to her and just kept walking. Almost there , she thought. Just a few more blocks.

A low whistle froze her in place for the briefest moment, but she was able to adjust and keep her stride.

"Little mama's got somewhere to be, don't she, Haruo," a low voice growled.

"Sure do, Ichiro," a whispery voice replied in front of her. A giggle soon followed.

This time Tae was forced to stop as a man stepped out from the shadows holding a knife. He tossed it in his hands as she strutted towards her. The darkness and hid hoodie made it hard to make out any details, but it was obvious he was looking her up and down.

She clutched her bag and backed up into the other man, Ichiro. Without hesitation, she whipped out her pepper spray and blasted him in the face.

He screamed in a mix of rage and pain as he stumbled back and clutched his eyes, making his suffering all the worse. She immediately bolted past him. It was the wrong direction from her apartment, she knew that, but the way was block by the other thug.

"We've got a runner!" Haruo gleefully called out, giving chase.

Behind him, Ichiro rubbed at his eyes, trying his best to follow. He tripped and fell, but righted himself just as quickly. "Fucking bitch," he growled. "Gonna take my damn time with her!"

Tae wasn't sure where she was running. She didn't explore the neighborhood ever. She kept to her clinic or her apartment and went into the city for essentials and the odd job at the hospital.

She made a turn every chance she could get, but she couldn't lose her pursuers. Her breathing was heavy, her legs were giving out. Heels were not friendly to fleeing. Another turn and—

Tae skidded to a halt, facing a dead end. She looked around, hoping and praying for a way out.

"Well, well, well," Haruo cooed, turning the corner. He clicked his tongue. "Nowhere to run."

Ichiro came up behind him, still rubbing his eyes.

Tae backed up as far as she could against the wall. The mace wouldn't work a second time, they'd see it coming. Still, she held it up, ready to defend herself as best she could.

The shadow came without warning. It dropped to the ground between the muggers and Tae, cracking the pavement. It sat there in a crouch for a long moment as it slowly stood to its full height.

It towered head and shoulders above all of them.

Despite its size, Ichiro wasn't all that intimidated. He wiped at his eye and sneered. "Looks like we got a hero on our hands. Buddy, you picked the wrong day to fuck with us."

Haruo, obviously the brains of the operation, widened his eyes. He took a step back. "Wait, you idiot, that's-!"

Ichiro pulled out a knife and lunged at the shadow. It leaned to the left, avoiding the stab, grabbed his forearm with a red gloved hand, and punched his elbow.

The crack filled the small alleyway, echoing off the walls. It made Tae wince.

It made Ichiro scream. And scream he did. It was a bloodcurdling noise as the shadow stepped back and let the mugger clutch his now shattered elbow.

The shadow sent a boot into Ichiro's sternum, sending him flying back to land at Haruo's feet. He looked up at it, fear etched into his eyes.

No one spoke for several long seconds. The only sound were the quiet sobs from Ichiro on the floor, clutching at his broken arm.

The shadow took a step forward.

Haruo dropped the knife to the floor and bolted the other way. Ichiro scrambled to his feet, a task not helped by having only one usable arm, and followed his partner.

After they had left, the shadow turned its head back towards Tae. The white mask and white eyes bore into her. She clutched at her bottle of mace. The first thought, the first fear, was that she was next. That whatever this was only scared away those two to do what it pleased.

That faded when the pieces started putting themselves together. This was no monster, it was no creature from the depths of humanity's nightmares.

This was the Phantom.

A long pause passed between the two before he asked in a harsh, whispery voice, "Are you alright?"

It took her a moment before she realized he spoke. She nodded her head.

He turned back and took another step forward… only to fall to one knee. He groaned and tried to get back to his feet, but fell once again.

In an instant, instinct built up over years of medical school and being a doctor kicked in. Tae rushed over to him and grabbed him by the shoulder. "Are you alright?"

When she was this close, she realized how… human he looked. He looked tired and weak. His breathing was labored, and he was clutching his side. When she leaned in closer, she could see the red substance dripping through his palm. It was darker than his glove.

The Phantom was not only human, he was hurt. Badly. It was a miracle he was standing for as long as he was.

"I'm fine," he growled.

"You are obviously not fine," she bit back. "You need to go to a hospital."

"No hospitals," he snapped, looking up at her.

Before, she would have been intimated by that white-eyed stare. He had a glare that could reduce hardened criminals to tears if she were to believe the stories.

Right now, however, brown eyes glared back. Whatever fear she was feeling in the moment didn't matter. Someone needed her help. Someone that had saved her. She was going to help him whether he wanted it or not.

"But you need medical attention—"

"No. Hospitals."

Tae furrowed her brow and pursed her lips. She'd had plenty of difficult patients in her life, so this was nothing new. Still, it probably wasn't a great idea to hand a vigilante to the police.

"Alright. I have a medical clinic not too far away. I can take you there and patch you up."

The Phantom looked away and narrowed his eyes.

"Look, you're going to bleed out if you don't take care of that," she warned. "We're wasting time as it is, so please, just let me help you."

She reached down and offered her hand. The Phantom looked down at it, still clearly unsure. Pragmatism and common sense worked their magic, and he took her hand without further argument.

He was heavier than she was expecting, which was surprising since he already looked pretty big. Tae tried her best to support his weight as he leaned against her, but he had a good foot on her at least. It was a struggle to make it back to her clinic without tripping and falling.

Once she got them both inside, she quickly placed him on one of the seats in her waiting area before locking the door.

When she turned around, she saw him already starting to get to his feet. She rolled her eyes and threw his arm over her shoulder. She pretended not to notice the blood left on her chair for the time being.

She guided him towards her examination room. "I'll need access to the wound. You'll need to remove your coat, your vest, and your shirt."

The Phantom didn't respond until she stopped him in front of the bed. He reached for his jacket, but Tae stopped him. "I'll do it. You shouldn't strain yourself."

He grunted in annoyance but didn't put up resistance when she stripped off the jacket. He did his best to assist her, but his wound didn't allow him to do much. As soon as she got the jacket off, she tried to fold it, but there was a bunch of stuff inside clattering around.

She reached into one of the pockets and pulled out a metal pole. There was some dried blood along the end. She preferred not to think about that and returned it where she found it and draped the jacket over the chair.

"Do you think you can—" She turned around but stopped when she saw him. She didn't notice as she was taking off his jacket.

Underneath that jacket, all he was wearing on his torso was a sleeveless vest. It didn't look like he had anything under that. His arms were well muscled and strong, probably from beating up criminals every night. All along his arms were deep scars, bullet wounds, even what looked like some bite marks from a dog. Multiple dogs, rather.

Was this what being a protector of the night got him? Getting stabbed and shot, day in and day out? Why did he do this then?

He reached up and started to undo his vest when he looked up at her. Amazingly, the mask was able to convey the expression of a raised brow.

She cleared her throat. "Just keep doing what you're doing."

Doctor mode switched back on as she gathered up her tools. She grabbed all of the tools she'd need and placed them next to the Phantom. After that, she quickly washed her hands, put on a pair of gloves and got to work.

She had to clean the wound, opting to use iodine. After she felt the wound was as clean as it was going to be, she began to thread the needle.

To her surprise, he didn't make a sound during the entire operation. He sat silently, waiting as she patched him up. It was somewhat unnerving if she was going to be honest. Most people make some noise when getting sewn up, but not a peep out of him.

Then again, based on all of the other scars she saw on his body when he had removed his vest, maybe he was used to pain on this level.

"Who do you usually get to patch yourself up?" she asked.

He didn't answer.

"Because the work is amateurish at best. They shouldn't scar this badly if you were getting proper care."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him glance down towards her before looking forward. "They do the job."

"Sure, but you'll never be able to go to the beach without a shirt on like that," she replied.

Silence fell over the examination room again as she finished up the suture. She held a pad to the wound and instructed him to apply pressure, which he did so without complaint.

She wrapped the bandage around his waist, securing the pad, before stepping back and nodding. "That should do it. It'll take time to fully heal, so I recommend—"

She hadn't even finished her sentence before the Phantom got up and reached for his clothes. Tae placed a hand on his shoulder and demanded, "What do you think you're doing?"

"We're done here. I have work to do."

"Not in that condition, you don't." She pushed him back down onto the bed. "You don't just walk away after a stabbing, you need to rest and let it heal."

He glared down at her. "Move."

She planted her feet and stood her ground. "No. I didn't fix you up so you could get yourself killed. You're going to stay here until I feel comfortable enough to send you home."

"I—"

"One more word that doesn't include, 'Yes, doctor with a medical degree, I will follow your advice and keep my ass on this bed until you give the all-clear,' I will make you stay. Got it?"

He narrowed his eyes and chewed on her words. Doubt began to enter Tae's mind that perhaps it wasn't the wisest of ideas to demand someone well known for beating people up to do anything.

Thankfully he nodded and relaxed. He brought his feet up and rested his head on the pillow. "Yes, doctor. I will keep my ass on this bed."

"Good," she said, nodding more to herself than him. That was a little terrifying. "I'll keep watch over you to make sure you actually let that heal for tonight."

He grunted in agreement. His breathing was getting slower, and he was looking a little pale, although she wasn't sure if he just always looked like that.

"How are you feeling?" Tae asked. "Any dizziness?"

He shook his head.

She hummed. "With how much blood you lost, I'm surprised. I'll get you something to eat and drink anyway. How does orange juice and a cookie sound?"

At first, he didn't respond to that either. If he was going to play silent type, why was she even bothering to help—

"What kind of cookies?"

She blinked. Did the Phantom of Soul City really just ask her what kind of cookie she had? Tonight was certainly anything but boring.

"Sugar."

"…I'd like that."

Tae nodded in almost disbelief. This was her life right now. Helping a legendary vigilante with some orange juice and sugar cookies.

She moved over to the cupboard and pulled out a couple of juice boxes and a full package of sugar cookies. If anyone needed them right now, it was the Phantom.

She handed one of the boxes to him and prepared the other for herself. There were more if he wanted some. It was a strange sight to see him, still serious and grim, poke a little straw through the box and begin sipping on it.

He still hadn't taken off that mask of his. Not that she expected him to, of course. No on wears a mask to go around advertising who they are. Still, she was curious about the kind of man that went out into the night to beat up criminals.

He quickly finished his juice box and handed it off to her before grabbing a cookie. "Thank you, Dr. Takemi."

"No problem, so long as you—" She paused. That's strange, she could have sworn she hadn't introduced herself. "How did you know my name?"

He answered, mouth full of cookie, "It's on the building."

Oh. Right. Duh.

She honestly hadn't expected him to be paying attention to his surroundings, what with bleeding out and all. Still, this left her in a position to ask a question that she's been dying to.

"Well, that's not very fair," she said, a little bit of pout in her voice. "You know my name, but I don't even know what to call you. I've been thinking of 'Phantom' this whole time."

He shook his head. "Damn it, Ohya," he muttered under his breath.

"Who?"

"No one. Call me Joker."

She snorted. "I think I like 'Phantom' better. Alright, Joker , mind telling me how you wound up getting stabbed?"

"No."

"You know, this is going to be a very long night if there's no conversation," Tae noted, leaning back in her chair. When Joker shot her a glare, she raised her hands. "Just saying. I'm not going anywhere, and neither are you."

"…I was following a lead. They got lucky."

"You would think you'd be wearing body armor or something and not dressed as a magician going to perform at his nephew's party."

Even through the mask, she could tell how unamused he was. "A ballistic vest isn't effective against knives."

"So, you do wear a bulletproof vest?" Tae looked over at the vest on the ground. "I take it that means you get shot a lot?"

"More than I'd like."

"So, what was the lead you were following?" Tae asked.

"I'm not telling you that."

She scoffed. "Look, I get you have this whole mystique thing going on, but—"

" No. " Joker growled. Even sitting on a hospital bed without a shirt on and eating a sugar cookie, he was a commanding presence in the room. "The fewer people who know, the better. This is dangerous enough."

"I can take care of myself."

"Tonight showed otherwise," he bit back.

Tae didn't have anything to say to that. If Joker hadn't been there, who knows what would have happened to her.

"Alright, fine, I'll drop it." She leaned forward. "Seriously, though, you should get someone who can actually patch up something like that. Those scars were avoidable."

"They're fine."

"They are not fine," Tae replied. "Scars don't just stop being an issue once they form, they can leave long lasting consequences. They can affect your range of motion, they can still be painful years after the fact—"

"I don't care what happens to me," Joker growled.

"You should. You have a lot of people counting on you."

He scoffed and shook his head.

"I'm serious," Tae said. She motioned her head towards the door. "Do you ever wonder why your name has spread? Because you help people, and those people tell other people."

Joker regarded her with apprehension. It was like he didn't want to believe what she was saying. Finally, he shrugged a shoulder. "I'll try to be more careful."

"I'll hold you to that," she replied.

Suddenly, the buzzer for the front door went off. Joker bolted up to his feet, his hands balled up into fists. Tae had to place her hands on his chest and try to push him back down. "It's alright, it's just the door!"

He looked down at her, refusing to budge. He was breathing rapidly again, his body was tense, and a thin sheet of sweat had made itself home on his skin.

"Someone probably just has a stomachache; this happens all the time." She guided him to a sitting position. "I'll go wave them towards a hospital, just… calm down, okay?"

Joker gave her a shaky nod, but he didn't relax. He was still on high alert. Thankfully, he didn't look like he was about to do anything stupid, so that was a plus.

She was about to leave her exam room when she realized her dress was covered in blood. Thinking quickly, she grabbed her lab coat and threw it on. Normally, she left it open, but right now she buttoned it all the way up as she moved out of her waiting room and down the hall to the door leading to the outside.

As Tae cracked it open, she was prepared to give her best "Doctor" voice, but that failed when she saw it wasn't just some guy with a stomach ache but rather a police officer.

He was in his mid-twenties, had a polite face, and a warm smile. He removed his hat and bowed. "Sorry for the inconvenience, I understand you're closed, but I was hoping to ask Dr. Takemi a few questions?"

"You're speaking to her," Tae said, hiding her annoyance to the best of her ability. "Is there a problem?"

"Oh! My apologies, ma'am!" He bowed again, deeper this time. "My name is Officer Tachibana. There's been reports of a suspicious individual that we believe is connected to a string of violent assaults. Have you seen anything at all?"

Was he talking about Joker? Probably. It was doubtless that the police were looking for him, he was a vigilante after all.

Still, he had saved her life. She would return the favor.

"I'm sorry, I haven't seen anything. I was working a shift at the hospital today, I only just got back."

Tachibana's smile grew wry. "You always wear your lab coat after work, then?"

She didn't visually react, but it was a rather odd question that caught her off guard. "Well, they're just so cozy."

He chuckled and then saluted her. "Well, just let us know if you hear anything, alright? We're just a phone call away."

"Will do, Officer. Have a good night." Tae stepped back and shut the door before taking a deep breath.

She quickly hurried back into the exam room and almost screamed when she saw Joker up and putting his jacket back on. His vest was still hanging on her chair.

"What do you think you're—"

"That wasn't a cop," he quickly said, tightening the cuffs. "There's no 'Officer Tachibana' that works this route."

She sputtered. "W-What does that mean then?"

"It means we're about to have company."

Tae shook her head. "No, I was able to wave him off."

A crash filled the room, making her almost jump out of her skin. Was that the entrance to the building? Again, it sounded like someone kicked in the door to her waiting room.

"Look at that," a harsh voice said. "Blood on the seat. The bitch has him here."

"Sagewa, check where that door leads," Tachibana's voice commanded. "I'll check behind the desk."

Joker moved Tae to the side and stood in front of the door. "Hide," he growled.

"What's going on?"

"Just hide!"

The door opened, but the second Sagewa looked into the room he was met with a red fist slamming into his nose. The loud crunch of broken bone reverberated through Tae's ears as she let out a scream.

Sagewa's scream drowned hers out, clutching his nose as he fell backwards onto the waiting room floor. Two other men, Tachibana and another, stared at the now standing and ready to fight Joker.

Well, maybe "ready to fight" was an exaggeration. He was breathing heavily and he stumbled forward to keep himself standing, but he was standing between them and Tae.

Tachibana laughed. Gone was the charming smile, instead replaced with a vicious and ugly sneer. He gestured with a knife to Joker's bandaged and exposed abdomen. "You look like you just went three rounds with a tiger. This is the Phantom? Give me a break."

He turned towards his partner that was still standing. "Get him, Kaito."

Kaito grinned and cracked his knuckles. "Will do, boss."

He rushed Joker, going for a haymaker punch, but his fist was slapped away by the baton suddenly in Joker's hand. He screamed as two fingers broke. It was quickly silenced by Joker shoving him backwards out of the exam room.

As Joker rushed forward to fight, Tae brought her hand to her mouth. Despite his injuries, he was still frighteningly quick, able to match the two blow for blow. He was well practiced compared to the two goons as well, avoiding the punches and using their momentum against them.

Still, he was only one man and his attention was focused solely on them. He didn't notice Sagewa getting back to his feet, holding his broken and bloodied nose.

His eyes burned into Tae's. "You liddle bish," he slurred. "I'll fudgin kill you!"

He slashed at her, but she was able to gracelessly dodge to the side, crashing into her desk. It rattled, dropping a few test tubes and beakers to the ground. Knowing she had to do something, she grabbed one of the few left and smashed it against Sagewa's head.

They both screamed in pain. Shards of glass embedded themselves in Tae's hand, cutting deep. Meanwhile, the back of Sagewa's head bled profusely as he tried to apply pressure to it.

Before he could do anything to her in retaliation, Kaito was thrown into him from behind. They both crashed to the floor, and Joker stumbled in and fell on top of them, raising his baton and slamming it into the back of Sagewa's head.

Before he could do the same to Kaito, Tachibana ran in and wrapped a forearm around his throat and pulled him back into the waiting room. Joker snarled and tried to swing at him, but the fake cop was able to avoid the swings.

Tae knew she had to help. Even ignoring it was her duty as a doctor to help her patients, she was doubtlessly next to face their wrath. She grabbed a stapler and ran out.

Tachibana's back was to her, so she wasted no time smacking him in the back of the head with it.

He stumbled forward, his hold on Joker loosening for just a split second, who took the opportunity to reach back and flip him over to the floor. Tachibana landed on his back with a painful sounding impact as the wind was knocked out of his lungs.

With the brief respite given, Tae saw that her waiting room was completely trashed. Broken furniture, the TV attached to the wall was gone and nowhere to be found, it was utter pandemonium.

Joker looked terrible. He wasn't able to capitalize on the advantage given to him, instead taking the chance to catch his breath on his hands and knees. Both he and Tachibana began to get to their feet at the same time.

They both looked like they were going to collapse at any second. Blood poured down Tachibana's forehead, and the freshly applied bandages on Joker's waist were now completely stained red from a freshly opened wound.

They leaned against opposite sides of the wall, desperately clawing for air. Tachibana wiped away some blood from the corner of his lip while Joker just narrowed his eyes.

Tachibana snarled and lunged forward with a sloppy punch. Joker returned in kind.

Neither had any form to their punches, nor were they even trying to block or dodge at this point. Tachibana punched Joker, Joker punched Tachibana. There was no grace, no elegance. Just two beaten and broken men trying to be the last one standing.

Tae watched as Joker reared back and with all of his might punched Tachibana square in the jaw one final time.

The fake cop stumbled back, but he didn't fall. He righted himself and brought his fists up. "Heh. You call that a punch?"

Tachibana immediately fell forward with a thud.

Joker let his own fists drop and breathed a sigh of relief. He cast a lazy glance past Tae before groaning and moving towards her like he had some chore he needed to finish.

"W-What is it?" she asked.

"Move."

She did as she was told and let Joker step into the exam room. He stood above the slowly awakening Kaito. Robotically, he kicked Kaito across the face, knocking him out and ending the fight.

Tae took the moment to truly take in her clinic. It was completely trashed. It would take weeks to just clean up, much less replace all of her testing equipment. All because she took in a man who had been stabbed.

Maybe she should have just left him to bleed out on the street.

She immediately chastised herself for even thinking of such a thing. A man needed help. She was a doctor. That's what she does.

"I'm… sorry…" Joker said between breaths.

She blinked up at him. "A-About what?"

"For… the mess… I made…" He rolled his neck. "You weren't… supposed to get… involved…"

"I think…" She took a deep breath and mentally prepared herself. "I think I deserve answers now. Why are these people after you? Why did they destroy my clinic?"

He tilted his head towards her. She could tell he was mentally weighing the pros and cons of informing her. To her surprise, he nodded.

"Fine… On one… condition…"

"What?"

"Help me… tie these guys up…" He groaned and stumbled forward, clutching his head. Tae moved in to catch him before he could fall. "Oh… and another cookie… would be nice…"

After giving Joker another cookie and juice box, taking out the pieces of glass in her hand (thank God she was high on adrenaline and couldn't feel it right now), they tied up Kaito and Sagewa so they couldn't move. He covered their mouths with a strip of duct tape that he pulled from his jacket.

She was sorely tempted to ask how much he had in there, but she didn't get the chance before he said, "Does this place have… roof access?"

Tae nodded, finishing applying a wrapping to her hand. The glass didn't cut deep and she should have full mobility soon enough, but the pain was going to be Hell once she calmed down. "Yes, you get to it through the staircase."

"Good… I need him up there…"

"You're not going to throw him off the roof, are you?"

"...Not if cooperates."

"Hold on." Tae got in front of him and placed a hand on his chest. "Questions first. Who are these people?"

Joker narrowed his eyes. "Gangsters. Traffickers. They work for the Kaneshiro."

"The Kaneshiro? What's that?"

"It's a major criminal organization. One of the three major families that have a grip on crime in Soul City."

"Who're the other two?"

"Not important right now."

"I'll allow that. So why were you after them?"

"Lately there have been a string of kidnappings and murders that have been connected to various members of the Kaneshiro. Evidently, the head of the family is looking to expand."

"What does kidnapping and murder have to do with that?"

"The last would-be victim was Kasumi Yoshizawa, daughter of TV mogul Shinichi Yoshizawa. I got her out. It was close."

"Does a TV mogul really have the power to give them what they want?"

"Yes."

Tae waited for him to elaborate, but he showed no sign of doing so. She opted to not bother getting more information on that subject, instead focusing on Tachibana.

"Okay, so what does this guy have to do with any of that?" She gave Tachibana's still form a little kick for emphasis.

Joker leveled a disapproving look at her.

"What? He trashed my place."

He tilted his head in acquiescence before continuing. "I need some answers. I'm going to ask him politely if he has any."

"By dropping him off the roof?"

"Not necessarily."

Tae crossed her arms and shook her head. "I don't know… How do I know they won't come after my clinic again?"

"They won't," Joker said. "I'll make sure of that."

Maybe she was still thrown for a loop from all of the excitement tonight. Maybe she was just too tired to argue. But there was something in his voice that gave her an assurance that she simply couldn't dismiss.

She nodded. "Alright. Let me help."

Tachibana was a heavy bastard, she found. She had to guess he was 200 pounds, and that much dead weight was a pain in the ass for anyone to carry. Didn't help that she was down a hand and her helper was running on fumes.

But through trial and tribulation they got him up to the roof. Joker took over and just dropped his still form into a corner. He turned to Tae. "You need to go back inside."

"With those two thugs?" Tae shook her head. "I'll take my chances up here."

"No."

"Listen-"

"I understand you want to help," Joker said, more softly this time. "But no. This is something I have to be alone for. Those two aren't going anywhere. You'll be okay. You just can't be here."

Tae took a look at Tachibana's stirring form. He'd be waking up soon.

"You." She pointed a finger at Joker. "Are not allowed to leave until a patch you up again. Understood?"

What could charitably be called a ghost of a smile crossed his lips. "Yes, doctor."

The last thing she saw before she closed the door to the roof was Tachibana waking up and Joker turning around to meet him. She didn't stay up there to hear what he was going to do to him.

That didn't stop Tachibana's screams from reaching the examination room.

True to his word, Joker didn't leave before Tae sewed up his wounds a final time. Neither really talked after that. He didn't say what he did to Tachibana. She didn't ask. He thanked her for the patchwork job, she told him to take care of himself, and he disappeared into the shadows.

It was strange. When the police came by later that night, Tachibana was taken from the roof. Physically, he looked no worse than when she left the two. But there was a fear in his eyes that wasn't present before. He was shaking as they led him away.

A lone female officer came by. She offered Tae a cigarette, to which she gladly took. "Do you have insurance for this place?"

Tae nodded, trying to hide her shaking hands. She took a breath full of smoke and blew it out.

The officer nodded. "Normally, I'd be getting your statement right now. Working out what you know about these three known criminals coming in to trash the place, why there's so much blood in your waiting area, and why you have a bandaged hand."

Tae was silent.

"And officially that's what I'm doing here," the officer said, pulling out a powered off tape recorder. "It'll be reported as four members of the Kaneshiro family got desperate for drugs and attacked your establishment, hoping to get a quick fix. You defended yourself as best you could, though not without injury, and the group devolved into in-fighting. The fourth unknown assailant got away."

Her cigarette nearly dropped from her lips.

The officer noticed. "You and I now have a… mutual friend. He put in an anonymous tip. Told me to keep an eye on you. And he also wanted me to pass along a message."

Tae swallowed the frog in her throat. "Which was…?"

"That the Kaneshiro aren't going to bother you anymore." The officer shrugged. "Not that I figured they would anyway. They're a bunch of loud braggarts, but Kaneshiro isn't stupid enough to go after one measly physician that got caught up in this whole mess. He's got bigger fish to fry."

A tear slipped down her cheek. If her makeup wasn't already ruined, she'd be a little upset. Shame she couldn't catch the cigarette as she brought her hand to her mouth to stop a sob. "Thank you."

"No problem." The officer reached into her coat and pulled out a business card. She handed it to Tae. "You need anything else - from me or our friend - you call that number."

Tae nodded, looking it over. "Thank you, Lieutenant… Niijima."

Makoto Niijima handed her another cigarette. "Make sure to take care of that hand, got it?"

"Niijima!" An older man in a gray button up with a red tie called out from the examination room.. He and another dressed in a black suit and similar red tie looked over to her. "You're going to need to see this."

"On my way, Dojima!" Niijima bowed towards Tae before moving on to the other two officers. "What is it?"

"Take a look," Dojima said, presenting her with an object Tae couldn't make out from her seat. "Found it next to Tweedle-dee and Tweedle-dum."

The man in the suit laughed. "Guy's got a bit of a hard-on for theatrics, huh?"

"Shut it, Adachi," Niijima said, taking the object. It looked like a playing card. She let out a low chuckle. "He really can't help himself though."

Tae didn't get much sleep that night. She knew she wasn't going to open the clinic back up, but she wasn't altogether pleased about it being trashed. Part of her was paranoid about her apartment being directly above the clinic that just got trashed, but she was also too tired to really care.

She woke up, slipped on her jacket, and made her way a block over to her favorite coffee shop, a little hole-in-the-wall called Leblanc .

The barista, an older man named Sakura, saw her and didn't hide his surprise. "You look like crap, Dr. Takemi."

"I feel like crap."

"I heard about what happened last night." He already began preparing her normal drink. "How are you holding up?"

"All things considered?" She took out a pack of cigarettes. Thank God Sakura was a smoker himself and didn't mind when she lit one up. "Could be worse."

"Good to hear. The meal is on me tonight."

Tae nodded. "Where's you part-timer? You aren't running the store all by yourself, are you?"

"Took a sick day," Sakura said rather derisively. "Bastard is lucky I like him so much. I'll let him know you swung by and are doing fine. Oh, one more thing, got some mail for you."

"You did?"

"Yeah. Mailman must have made a mistake and delivered it to the wrong address." He handed her an envelope. "Here."

She grabbed it. There was no return address and it was handwritten. Normally she'd be unnerved, but after the events of last night she really didn't give a damn.

She tore it open and pulled out a handwritten letter… a letter written by the Phantom himself.

Takemi.

I'm sorry. I never meant for your clinic to become collateral damage. I should have just kept going on my way. But you helped me. I owe you a debt and I intend to repay it.

At the bottom of the letter is a phone number. Call it and give the codeword "Beauty Thief". The woman on the opposite end will take care of whatever financial trouble you have with restarting your clinic.

Best Regards,

Joker.

The letter was stained by a single teardrop. She reached up and wiped her eyes. Her damned makeup was ruined again.

"You okay?" Sakura asked, sliding her coffee in front of her. "What'd it say?"

She waved his concern off. "Just a… very well-worded love letter."

Sakura laughed. "Well, whoever can make you cry like that with just a few written words is a keeper. I recommend going after him."

Good thing Sakura was such a romantic sap. Tae would have never believed such a garbage lie.

"Maybe," she said quietly, bringing the coffee to her lips.

Part of her wished, deep down, that she saw him again.

Even if it was only to properly thank him.