Shattering Humanity-Chapter 287: Scrap Metal
"For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility,
By setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace..." -Ephesians 2 14:15
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[Outer Sanpaku]
Inside the dark tunnel, within the Outer Sanpaku side of the fallen wall, the Takamagahara party that was involved with a double dose of DæMons, slowly marches their way back home.
A stone faced Shelly is effortlessly carrying an upper body injured Itsuka on her back.
With everyone giving her funny, weirded out looks, Katsu tries his best to get everyone to understand the competitive nature of his adopted sister.
Katsu: "Shelly, I’m sure Itsuka is okay to walk back on her own."
As if ignoring him, the Ace of Takamagahara continues on down the dark freeway tunnel.
From the incredibly strong woman warrior’s back, Itsuka looks over at Saku walking right next to them.
It takes a minute before words finally escape her beautiful pierced lips.
Itsuka: "I’m... I’m sorry about earlier."
Saku: "I don’t know what you’re talking about..."
Laban lights one of her newly rolled blunts from her golden case and elaborates for her love rival.
Laban DaeMon: "Well Sakiii, I think she’s apologizing for stepping up to my older sister, like a dumbass, and almost having you sacrifice yourself for her own safety."
Itsuka is blushing, not arguing back against the DaeMon calling her out on the earlier egregious actions.
Towards the back of the group, Jormy and Drakania are walking side by side.
The taller younger brother is deep in thought, looking at the ground in front of him while walking at the same pace as his shorter older sister.
She leans forward with her arms behind her back, trying to look at her little brother’s charming face.
Drakania: "Are you okay Jormy?
You haven’t said a word for the past few minutes."
Jormungand’s Iceman hand clenches remembering the epicness of the 6 woman fight he had just witnessed.
Jormy: "I couldn’t keep up with them...even if I tried...
I’m sorry Drakania...
I’ll never be as strong as Shelly or those DæMons."
His full human arm gets warmer as blushing Drakania suddenly embraces it, holding his elbow tight to her chest and surprising him.
Jormy: "Dra-
Drakania: "Jormy, you don’t have to be as strong as them. All you have to do is your best and I’ll always forgive you.
No matter what happens to the two of us in the end, I’ll always love you."
Jormy: "Sis..."
At the front of the group, Katsu looks over at Scylia. The red haired woman has a deep look of concern on her face.
Katsu: "Is everything okay, Big Sis Scylia?"
She defeatedly shakes her head.
Scylia: "I was supposed to taking care of Takamagahara while Master Mina was gone, but I’ve failed him completely."
Shelly: "No, I was the one who failed you all."
Everyone is surprised to hear the woman who pretty much saved Takamagahara claim the failure.
Shelly: "By now, I should be strong enough to easily handle any and all challengers who come our way, without any collateral damage."
Confused Katsu moves his gaze all around the seriously solemn group.
Katsu: "Why is everyone so upset?
We didn’t win but we didn’t lose either.
Everyone is still alive, none of Sanpaku’s civilians got injured and we all got to witness a spectical of a scrimmage match."
Everyone in the group looks at one another while Saku side eyes his rivaling captain. Knowing it is all an act, the Yin Vessel sucks his teeth, and eventually looks ahead. Not calling out Katsu’s false "power of friendship" vibe.
Katsu looks at Shelly and Itsuka with his star eyes and they nervously respond to him with half smiles.
Katsu: "That was so freakin’ cool the way you two fought together!
That little girl DæMon said you two are linked by Seiõr because of your bloodlines.
That’s so awesome!"
Shelly looks back at her piggybacking foster sister and they both chuckle at Katsu’s ardor towards the two of them.
Shelly stops, making the rest of the group stop. She releases her grip on Itsuka’s thighs and the piggybacking young woman puts her feet to the ground.
Shelly: "I’m sorry, Big Sis.
Feeling insecure about my performance earlier, I used your injuries as an excuse to try and work up my anger. I’m sorry for involving you in my overreaction."
From behind the apologizing blonde, the much taller Itsuka keeps her loosely wrapped forearms around Shelly’s collar. It isn’t until Itsuka’s arms tighten and light skinned left cheek, presses up against Shelly’s flush pink right cheek in an embrace from behind.
Shelly: "Bi-Big Sis I-Itsuka?!
What are you doing?!"
Itsuka: "Back there, when you stabbed that witch and stopped her from killing me, you said that I was part of your family."
Shelly’s eyes widen, remembering the moment...
[FLASHBACK]
Shelly: "If you thought I was going to let you hurt my family...
...Then I don’t care what plans we made with MamMon, or what arrangement you and your unnatural sisters made to try and kill me 1on1...
...So if you don’t get the Hell away from my family, and go running back home, tail tucked with that tsundere skank over there...
... I’m going to put your little DæMon ass in the dirt where you belong!"
[END FLASHBACK]
Itsuka: "I just want you to know, that it truly means a lot to me.
Thank you Shelly..."
While still being embraced from behind, the blushing Shelly looks over at a warm smiling Katsu as he nods over at her in agreement to Itsuka’s words.
With the newly lit blunt resting in the corner of her mouth, Laban rolls her eyes at the sweet moment between the two young foster sisters.
Laban DaeMon: "So frickin corny."
Blushing Shelly calms down a bit and a warm smile of her own covers the previously stone serious face.
Shelly: "N-No problem, Sis.
And thank you for the assist.
I knew I could trust you to have my back."
She looks over at hands behind the head, smoking Laban with a dejected look.
Shelly: "Unlike some people."
Hearing the snide remark smoking Laban peeks over and rolls her eyes in response.
Laban DaeMon: "What? I see an opportunity, I try to snatch it.
I should be the one who’s upset
I gave you a viable Seax that was useful not even 20 minutes afterwards and then as thanks to me, you sucker punch me in the middle of your fight."
Shelly: "Cause you attacked Itsuka!"
Laban DaeMon: "That’s not how I remember it "
In the middle of the pack Dom tries to remember the scene.
Dom: "Wait, is that what really happ-"
Charybdis: "Dom, don- please don’t get gas lit over something that literally just happened a few minutes ago dude."
The group continues their way over and passed the once protective wall turned to rubble and scraps.
Scylia: "I wonder if Master Mina will be upset.
He and a bunch of other men he had managed to save, worked on this wall for days.
When it was finished, he said it was the last wall he ever wanted to build.
Now that it’s gone..."
Daisuki: "...Now that it’s gone, that means Inner Sanpaku is no more."
Everyone inspecting the fallen wall quickly turns around.
From the shadows, deeper within Sanpaku, Mina Daisuki appears with Sol, TayTay(eating one pretzel from the bag at a time), and a paint covered Aiden.
Scylia: "Master Mina!
I’m sorry, I couldn’t fully protect Sanpaku while you were gone.
I’m a failure as a wife and soldier."
Calmly walking up to the rubble, the Head Hancho of Sanpaku crouches down and looks at a piece of metal.
Daisuki: "Hey Sol, Honey."
Sol perks up and looks over at the crouching man.
Daisuki: "Could you please have Taylor come here for a second.
I need his brute strength for something really quick."
The young woman smiles and looks up at the huge man with her eyes of the sun.
Sol: "Hear that?
If you help Mr. Daisuki out right now Big Guy, I’ll let you have three desserts tonight, instead of two like I told you earlier.
But only tonight!
Then tomorrow we start your new eating regimen.
You got that?"
An excessively nodding TayTay gets extremely ecstatic, tossing away his half finished bag of pretzels.
The nearby ground barely shakes as he moves in a hassle to the hunched over Head Hancho.
Without anyone else seeing, Daisuki points to the specific piece for the brute to grab.
As if he was ripping out a piece of a page out of a book, TayTay grabs one of the pieces of sheet metal, and carefully tears a small section off.
Daisuki: "Careful, Big Man.
Yep that’s fine, don’t need the entire thing."
Everyone, especially Scylia is curious. Taylor finishes his task and hand the torn piece of metal over to Daisuki.
Daisuki: "Thanks, ’Yamato’!
I’ll make sure the wives make you something delicious tonight for dinner. Haha!"
Taylor smiles but quickly turns to Sol for confirmation on his success.
She walks over and looks up at him.
Sol: "Good job, Big Guy.
You earned whatever you want."
TayTay giggles.
With the torn piece in his hands, Daisuki walks over to Scylia.
Daisuki: "You know, now that we haven’t seen any Icemen in Sanpaku for almost a few weeks now.
And since we have someone to tame them if need be, I was wondering if we still needed this wall in the first place..."
He hands the torn scrap over to the puzzled woman and she looks at it.
On the metal, "M+S" is written in red permanent marker, inside a drawn heart.
Daisuki: "But now I realize the universe has made that decision for me and the only piece of that wall that needed to exist forever, is this one right here."
