A Dream

1997, February 9 - East Shibuya, by the coast
2:44 AM

"The ferry..." a woman spoke with laborious breaths as she stopped in an alleyway. It was dark, a sharp juxtaposition to the rest of Shibuya - a city that never slept.  

She wore a cropped black tank top, white jeans with a brown belt that had a golden buckle. On her feet were a pair of worn brown combat boots, and on her hands were brown gloves with ivory cuffs. She had piercing yellow eyes, long, silver hair with bottleneck bangs tied into a ponytail, and light makeup with a bright red scarf around her neck.

In her arms was a crying newborn baby boy. Looking down at him, her eyebrows arched with sadness as she rocked him gently, quietly shushing him. "Shh... mama's right here."

The baby's crying only got louder as she heard the sound of footsteps coming from around the corner she'd turned. Going deeper into the alleyway, she saw the ferry docking. She didn't know where the ferry was off to, but she knew it meant safety. Running past the buildings, trying her best to stay low profile, she continued to dash through until she was close to the port.

In the distance, she saw a man with in a suit, seemingly waiting for someone--waiting for her.

"There she is!!" Someone yelled their voice booming through the air.
"After her!" Another person yelled, just as aggressively. "Anyone with her head gets a pretty paycheck, so get to it!!"

Her eyes widened with terror. The man in the suit noticed her approaching, dashing forward to close the gap between them. With his arms out, the woman passed the crying baby over to him, and when the man took the baby he quickly ran to the ferry.

As for the woman, she was an exhausted mess, sweating everywhere as she wiped a stray stream of blood dripping from her lip.

"Akefumi..." she murmured tearfully, thinking about that baby, her heart heavy with grief that she couldn't afford to sit with.

Looking at the palm of her hand, she saw her blood before reaching behind herself and pulling out a long, round wooden hilt. Reacting to her blood, a gigantic blade emerged at the end, resembling a kitchen knife. Seeing the encroaching mob, she heard the ferry depart just shortly after, and she took a heavy sigh, one of relief and trepidation.

Assuming a rather poor stance, leaning forward with her knife-wielding arm reached behind her. Her weaker leg was ready as her dominant left was planted, keeping her in place but ready to spring.

Then, she sprung forward and threw her arm before her, unleashing a blinding flash of light.