There were a lot of things Maki liked about the night, such as the peaceful quiet compared to the constant hustle and bustle of the day, the distant beauty of her beloved stars, and the sound of her parents finally coming home after their long days at work. Really, Maki might say she loved nighttime...as long as she was in the warmth and safety of her own home.

In contrast, Maki decided that she was not a fan of being lost, alone, and out on the streets at night. Her mother had mentioned they'd run low on some groceries, and Maki just had to offer to go and get some before coming home that day. It wasn't until she was already on the train that Maki realized she had absolutely no idea where the supermarket was. She tried calling her parents, but apparently both of them were busy at work because neither one picked up. She briefly considered calling one of her friends, but the thought of having to explain to one of them that she didn't know where the supermarket was quickly invalidated that option. With a huff, Maki decided that she'd find it on her own. How hard could it be?

The sky was turning dark by the time she actually found it. By then her mother had called her back and asked what she needed, but Maki didn't want to worry her so she just said it was nothing.

Maki didn't know how long it took her to realize she'd gotten lost on her way home from the store, but eventually she noticed she didn't recognize her surroundings at all. "Well, that's annoying," she muttered with a sigh. Now she had to figure out where exactly she'd taken a wrong turn. Still, at least she was in no trouble-

"Hey there, little lady..."

Maki froze. In front of her, three ragged-looking men had emerged from an alley. "Wh-who are you?"

The one in the middle gave her an ugly, crooked grin. "Aw, you don't need to know that. We won't ask for your name either. What we do know, though, just from looking at you, you've got some nice stuff on ya." He pulled out a dirty and bloodied knife from his pocket. "If you like not havin' knife holes in you, I suggest you hand 'em over."

Maki took a step back. The thugs took two steps forward. "C'mon, let's not make this messy. It's not that hard, ya know? You give us your stuff, and you get to go home alive. Won't lay a finger on ya. Promise."

Reason screamed at Maki to do what the thug said. Her life wasn't worth any of her possessions. But her prideful nature prevented her from just giving in, either. She took another shaky step back. Someone...help me!

Despite the situation, Maki's attention was briefly drawn away to something gently floating in the air. It was a white feather, like that of an angel. If she ever needed an angel in her life, this was the time.

Suddenly, an arrow bolted down from above, impaling the feather and pinning it to the ground. "I cannot allow you to go any further," a voice boomed.

Could it be? Maki dared to look up. There on the rooftop behind her stood a hooded figure, dressed in a brilliant white costume complete with angelic wings. She held a large bow in her hands, an arrow drawn and ready.

The thugs were understandably bewildered. "And who are you?" the leader asked.

The small guy on the left took a step back. "W-wait, isn't that the Midnight Angel?"

"No way! Isn't she just an urban legend...?"

The big guy on the right pointed at the figure on the roof. "Does that look like an urban legend to you? C'mon, let's get out of here!"

Their leader glared at him. "What, you wussing out on me now? We can take some girl running around in a ridiculous angel costu-"

Suddenly, he clapped a hand to the side of his neck and howled in pain. Maki didn't even register the sound of the arrow flying through the air until it had already impaled itself on the ground behind him.

"That was your one and only warning shot. The next one will not miss."

"How the hell was that a miss?! You cut me in the neck, you-"

The Angel drew her bow with an exaggerated motion. As reckless as the guy was, apparently even he wasn't keen on losing his life tonight either. He wisely decided to run away, his two cronies quickly following him. Maki tried to calm down her rapidly beating heart as she watched them disappear back into the shadows.

"Are you alright?" the Angel asked from beside her.

She'd said it in a small voice, but Maki almost leapt out of her skin. She hadn't heard her jump down from the roof. "Y-yeah."

The Angel nodded. It was dark and the street was poorly lit, so Maki couldn't really make out any more details of her, but it looked like she was wearing a mask so she wouldn't be able to see much anyway. All she could see was that the Angel had long, flowing hair in a unique, dark blue shade. Midnight blue, arguably. Maki wondered if that was where her name came from, and then decided that was stupid. "This area is normally a safe place," the Angel said, "but even it has its rats and they are quite good at smelling the money on people like you. You should avoid being alone here after sunset."

Maki coughed. "Yeah...I was just running a few errands and happened to take a wrong turn somewhere."

"I see," the Angel said. "Do you know where you need to go from here, though?" Maki nodded. "Good. Go ahead, then. I'll be watching over you until you get to safety, so don't be afraid." Before Maki could say anything else, the Angel ran off and was soon out of sight. Maki looked around, but saw no sign of her presence, as if the Angel had never been there. Still, there was no reason to doubt the Angel's words, so Maki went on her way, pausing only to retrieve the feather that had been shot into the ground.

"Geez, Maki-chan, that sounds like it was a close one! I'm telling you, you really should learn some form of self-defense. Like knife-throwing!"

Maki looked up from her tomato salad lunch to scoff at her best friend. "Nico-chan, what kind of suggestion is that?"

Nico shrugged, waving around the excessively sharp knife she was using to cut up her lunch. "All I'm saying is, you'd have been pretty screwed if your hero hadn't shown up. The Midnight Angel, huh?"

Maki raised an eyebrow. "You've heard of her?"

"Yeah, but I always thought she was just a local legend," Nico said, stopping to shove a spoonful of food into her mouth. "There are stories of her from waaay back, mom once told me that even her mother told her about this Angel."

"Don't talk with your mouth full, you imp," Maki said. Then, after a moment, "So do you think I'm making this up?"

"Nope," Nico immediately replied.

"How come?"

The shorter girl hummed in thought. "Well, it just feels like it's true, you know? Besides, you're not a good enough liar to make something like that up."

"I'm just going to ignore that second part," Maki huffed. "But...from her figure she looked pretty young. Like, based on her general physique she could probably pass as a high school student. From the way she moved, she definitely can't be past 30 or even 25. How can she be so old your grandmother knows about her?"

"That's why I figured she was just a legend, or if she was real then she couldn't have been anymore. But well, you've met her once, you could just go and ask her, couldn't you?"

Maki was silent for a while. "Huh."

Nico shot her a look. "Maki-chan, I was kidding. You're not seriously gonna try to meet her again, are you?"

Maki started twirling her hair. "I never did say thank you..."

"Okay, but what are you gonna do, wander the streets alone until you get accosted by thugs again?"

It was 5:30 PM, and Maki was wandering the streets alone. To passersby, she looked like an ordinary teenage girl walking around, but inside, she was basically screaming. Really, this was insane. She was insane. Most people who got into situations like she had would learn to be more careful in the future and yet here she was, being exactly as careless as she had been, and this time it was on purpose.

Maki glanced at her watch again. In a rare display of concern, Nico had told her in a very strict voice that if Maki wasn't home by 6:30, she'd come drag her home herself. The raven-haired girl would really do it, too. Maki normally wouldn't need her friend to impose such a rule on her, but for some reason the thought of meeting the enigmatic Angel again made Maki feel like she'd be willing to stay out all night long.

Just as she was about to give up, she saw it. A white feather drifting softly through the air. Maki quickly snapped her head up, but there was no one there. Still, this was definitely the Angel's feather. She quickly looked around and spotted a nearby building with a ladder that went up to the roof. Before she could consider how unsafe it was—not that that would've stopped her at this point—she ran over and started climbing. It wasn't properly secured, and 'dexterous' was not a word that people used to describe Maki, so she almost fell down several times on the way up. Eventually, after what felt like an eternity even though it was probably really only like two minutes at most, she managed to pull herself up...to the top rung of the ladder. She was dismayed when she looked up and realized she still had to pull herself onto the actual roof, and she really wasn't sure if she had the strength left for it. Just then, a hand appeared in front of her, and without questioning it Maki grabbed hold and allowed herself to be pulled up to safety.

Maki collapsed onto the floor, gasping for air. Eventually, she was well enough to look up at the person who had come to her aid, none other than the Angel she had been looking for. The Angel crouched down so that she was at eye level with Maki. "Are you alright?" she asked. Maki nodded, opting not to waste precious air on a vocal response. "You're alone again. It's not nighttime yet, but I'm surprised you're brave enough to do that after last night's incident. What are you here for?"

Maki's eyes met the mysterious figure's mask. She couldn't see the others' eyes, but somehow she still felt the Angel's piercing gaze through the mask. Maki decided the floor was much less intimidating to stare at. "I was looking...for you."

At this the Angel tilted her head. "For me? How come?"

"I didn't manage to thank you last night, so...thank you," Maki said.

There was silence, and then the Angel chuckled. "You're a strange one. No one's ever come back looking for me, let alone just to say thank you."

Maki hesitated. "There's more." The Angel tilted her head again, prompting her to continue. "I want to...know more about you, if that's okay."

"Are you asking me out?" the Angel said.

Maki blushed. "Wh-what?! No! I-I just-" The Angel held up a gloved hand, giggling at the flustered redhead. Maki, already embarrassed, tried not to think about how heavenly that laughter was.

"Unfortunately, vigilante work doesn't lend itself well to shameless romance," the Angel said, suddenly serious. A gust of wind blew as if to highlight the change in her tone. She stood and walked over to the edge of the roof. "If people find out you've met me, it might put your life in danger. I appreciate you seeking me out just to thank me, but you're better off getting back to your life and forgetting that I exist."

She was no longer looking at Maki. Her back was turned to her as she gazed out at the city, almost as if she was searching for something. The silhouette of the legendary Midnight Angel on the lavender tones of the late afternoon sky was a hauntingly beautiful sight. But what struck Maki the most was the immense sadness of it. Slowly, she stood up and with a small voice, asked, "Isn't it lonely?"

The Angel didn't reply at first. Just as Maki was about to repeat her question, the other shook her head. "It's how it should be." She gestured to the people swarming the streets below, completely unaware of the two on the roof. "All these people deserve to live in safety, happiness, and peace. Protecting them and their world, this is the duty I inherited."

"What's with that?!" Her stubbornness flaring up, Maki stomped over and grabbed hold of the Angel's hand, fighting to stay upright despite the rush of blood to her head. The Angel turned to her, surprised. "All that fancy stuff about duty and honour or whatever, I don't really get it, but you deserve to be happy too, you know. It's not fair that they're all living in bliss because you're martyring yourself and they don't even know you exist."

"It's not like I'm doing this entirely alone," the Angel said with a perplexed smile. "I have friends, and..." Maki gave her a look, and she trailed off. She sighed. "I really shouldn't do this, but..." the Angel gestured to Maki's school uniform, "you go to Otonokizaka, yes?" Maki nodded. "Tomorrow after school, come to the archery clubroom." With that, the mysterious figure let go of Maki's hand and turned to leave.

"Wait!" The Angel paused and turned her head. "Could you...help me down?" The words had barely left Maki's mouth when she felt herself get lifted into the air by a pair of strong arms. Despite her embarrassment, Maki burned the moment into her memory, the flurry of white and blue and the hint of a floral fragrance that reminded her of a spring breeze. She almost didn't notice that the Angel had put her down and left already, or that she had been delivered all the way to the station. A single white feather lay on the ground in front of her. Maki picked it up. "Now I have to thank her again..." She smiled. The Archery Club, huh?

"This is it, right?" Maki asked, standing outside the entrance to the school archery range.

Nico glanced at the visible sets of archery equipment, the people shooting arrow after arrow at their targets in practiced motions, and the sign that read "Archery Club". "I don't know, Maki-chan, I think this might be the Photography Club."

"That's not what I meant!" Maki hissed, her eyes still scanning the area. "It's just...she's not here."

Nico raised an eyebrow. "Well, yeah, if someone was just standing here in that elaborate costume you described I think someone would notice." She gestured inside. "Look, why don't we just ask someone? If this Angel of yours has been around here, someone's got to have seen her."

"No, no!" Maki yelled, her cheeks turning red at the thought of asking a bunch of complete strangers if they'd seen the Angel. She immediately realized that yelling was probably not the best way for her to avoid that, seeing as how one of the archery club members had noticed and oh no now she's coming here what do I do-

"Hello there," the member greeted in a polite tone. "This is the archery club, and I'm the captain, Sonoda Umi. Can I help you?" Maki made the mistake of making eye contact and found herself paralyzed by the piercing amber. She could have spent the rest of her life there frozen in that moment, and she'd be content for all eternity.

Or at least until the girl blinked. "Hello? Can I help you?" she repeated, brows knitting in concern. Maki shook herself out of her reverie. Great, first she had caused a scene by raising her voice, and now she'd just stared dumbly at this girl she'd never met before. She tried to ignore Nico's snickering beside her.

"Um, I was sent here by..." Maki bit her lip. She was acutely aware of how silly she was about to sound, but she had to go through with it. She had come this far, right? "I was told to come here, by the...Midnight Angel."

Umi tilted her head. "The Midnight Angel? You mean that urban legend?" Maki was impressed by her serious tone, as if what she'd said wasn't completely ridiculous. "I can't say I know anything about that, or why you were told to come here. I'm led to believe she is supposedly quite skilled with a bow, but even if she actually existed, the Archery Club makes a point of remaining unaffiliated with vigilantes in ridiculous costumes."

Maki nodded stiffly. "A-alright, sorry to waste your time." She quickly turned to leave, feeling her face burning with embarrassment, until a hand grasped her wrist gently but firmly.

Despite herself, Maki turned back around. Umi's eyes locked onto hers, and Maki thought she saw a little twinkle in them. "I'm sorry we can't help you find what you were looking for, but if you'd like you're welcome to stay and watch us practice." Her lips curled up into a small, subtle smile. "Maybe this Angel of yours will show up later?"

Without waiting for an answer, Umi let go of her wrist and started walking away, her long dark blue hair, a shade perhaps better described as midnight blue, flying behind her as she turned around. Maki was left staring dumbly. Wait, midnight blue?

Maki's eyes widened. There in front of her, where Umi had just been standing, a white feather, like that of an angel, was gently floating in the air.

Happy birthday, Umi! Have a fanfic...though you didn't really show up much in it, did you? Hmm, it's your fault for wearing such an elaborate costume, you know. Do you have to be such an enigma? You didn't even answer any of the questions Maki had about you aside from who you are...my, does this call for a sequel?