Shattering Humanity-Chapter 309: "Shelly and I Can ’Cut Up A Daimond’."

"The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron, and with the point of a diamond: it is graven upon the table of their heart, and upon the horns of your altars" -Jeremiah 17:1

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[Faithful Friends Firehouse Field]

SeiõrSnow continues to fall all over the firehouse funded field.

However, noticably from above, the accumulated magical energy within play has moved to the side...and even created white lines down the sides as foul lines down the first and third base paths.

The wind from a baseball cuts through the air, lands in the webbing of a catcher’s mitt, and dust flies from the dirty glove.

From the thick, clam-like glove a hand reaches in and pulls the ball out.

Saku: "Nice pitch Itsuka!

Damn, that has to be at least 80-85 miles per hour!"

The Izanami captain is wearing catcher’s gear behind home plate. A red/black facemask, black chest padding(with a golden ’C’ embroided on it) and all red leg pads.

He throws the ball back to the pitcher’s mound where a blushing Itsuka catches the red stitched ball.

Itsuka: "Th-Thanks."

She examines her padded up and appropriately protected love.

Itsuka: "I didn’t know you were into baseball too, Saku?"

Half smiling while he is kick sweeping dirt off of the all white pentagon,

Saku remembers something from his childhood.

Saku: "Yea, football was always my favorite sport to play and watch, but I’m a sports kid in general.

So when it was spring, and there was no football or basketball, I would sneak into the minor league games and watch some of their games.

It’s not as physical of a sport as football, but..."

He looks up at his pitcher with a half smile as he beats his padded chest twice.

Saku: "...the catcher can get beat up a little bit if there are thrown pitches in the dirt or if a runner is trying to beat a throw coming home."

Itsuka’s beautiful smile turns into a look of concern as the physically chisled woman begins to worry about the man she loves more than anything.

Itsuka: "Saku, w-why is the body physicality of the sport the most important part to you?"

Saku cranks his neck with the bulky catcher’s mask halfway resting on his hair tied head, he does one strong nod, forcing the protective equipment down his face and he quickly fits it properly.

Saku: "What do you mean?"

The sports enthusiast smacks the "helmet" twice for assurance.

Saku: "The more you’re willing to put your body on the line for a cause, the more exciting or fulfilling something becomes, no?"

Itsuka looks at the small baseball in her scratched up, and scarred up right hand. She has a chipped teal painted pointer nail.

At home plate, the young man shivers after remembering one important piece of his protection is missing.

Saku: "Oh yea. Just please, whatever you do, try to keep the ball out of the dirt...

I’m not wearing uhh...a cup..."

Itsuka smiles and nods, putting her worries to the back of her mind.

In the close by Izanagi team dugout, Shelly is admiring, and looking out at all of the present members of Takamagahara, enjoying the post apocalyptic world together.

She watches Itsuka having a bonding moment with the man her taller foster sister clearly has feelings for.

Shelly smiles brightly to herself. Remembering a time before she knew about Seiõr, before they were all labeled terrorists, even before they all had left the Sister Mountains.

Shelly(thinking): *Itsuka is getting to enjoy that moment I had with Katsu when we first played football within the Sister Mountains."

[FLASHBACK]

Katsu(nods): "On one. On one.

...

Red 40. Red 40. Seeeet. GO!"

Saku takes his release step to start running the route but before he can get his right foot planted in the ground Shelly’s two open hands hit him square in his chest and send him flying backwards.

Saku sits up and Katsu looks just as dumbfounded with the ball still in his hand. Shelly is practically standing over him.

Saku gets pissed thinking she’s trying to intimidate him. As he starts to get up Shelly’s small hand reaches out to him. Saku looks up at her beautiful face and the fake Morta sun behind her head. He takes the helping hand up...

Saku: "Ok, so it’s not just fighting, you’re an all around athlete. ’Fool me twice.’(looks at Katsu) Hitch n’ Go.(smiles) On ’two’."

Katsu smiles and nods and Saku lines up in his stance again. Shelly adjacent from him, her cornerback stance perfectly squared on him. Saku nods to his left at Katsu.

Katsu: "Red 40. Reeed 40. Seeeeeet. GO!"

Shelly goes to hit Saku’s chest, knowing it would happen, the other "Beast of HFF" braces his back leg and takes the impact, but it still hurts...

Saku(pretending to be fine): "Encroachment! *cough*"

Shelly looks confused then remembers.

Shelly: "Ohh so that first ’GO!’ doesn’t have to start the play? And if I touch the offensive player before Katsu’s position steps backwards, it’s a foul?"

Katsu nods and smiles.

Katsu: "Yep. You good Saku?"

Saku: "Yea...same thing. On one this time."

Shelly: "Now you lost the advantage."

Saku(lines up in stance): "You still don’t know the direction of we plan to throw the ball."

Shelly(surprised): "That IS a disadvantage!"

...

Katsu: "Red 40! Red 40! Seeeeeet GO!"

This time Saku smacks her hands away on her attempt to bump his chest off his stance. His left arm goes over her head in a swim technique and he gets a step on her.

...

Katsu throws a perfect spiral in their direction. Saku sees exactly where it’s heading and drifts towards that way.

Saku sets himself up for a perfect over the shoulder catch, but from right behind him, Shelly jumps up with her arm stretched towards the sky.

Her right hand accidentally swipes down on Saku’s sweatshirt hood.

She perfectly snatches the ball out of the air, with just one of her small hands for an interception into a back flip. Saku falls back from the tug and lays on his back looking at the ’ceiling’.

Saku: "Pass Interference!"

Shelly lands perfectly on her feet from her, ’would be’ highlight reel interception.

Shelly: "What? It was an accident?"

Katsu stares in shock at his first ever thrown interception.

Then, he smiles at seeing his adopted sister play the game he and Saku love.

Katsu: "Even if it’s an accident, if it’s a penalty, it’s a penalty."

Shelly stands there holding the ball with two hands, confused.

he smiles after realizing...

Shelly: "My first catch was a pass from Katsu."

She looks at the ball, grips the laces how Katsu showed her, and throws a not so perfect spiral towards Katsu from 50+ yards away. He doesn’t move as the ball sails directly towards him.

Then, as if he’s been able to do it his whole life, he catches her pass.

They both smile at each other for different reasons.

[END FLASHBACK]

Quick footsteps can be heard coming from third base and Laban comes charging in at home.

The heart eyed woman doesn’t slide but dives for the catcher at the plate and tackles him to the ground.

Comedically, Saku’s eyes are swirls and once again, Laban is straddling his stomach with her hands on his chest.

Laban DaeMon: "Well I knew you liked baseball too Sakiii and I know you ’like it a little rough’. That’s why the more physical the activity, the more you love it."

She presses her face against his chest

Laban DaeMon: "You and I fascinate over the same things.

That’s why we’re perfect together."

The DaeMon gives a triumphant smirk at the angry pitcher on the mound as she stomps over.

Off to the side, Zoram and Princess Rebekah are carefully tossing the ball back and forth.

With the beautiful Völva woman still wearing her magical gloves, the Seiõr coated articles of clothing don’t get stained after catching the dirty ball.

The princess notices and becomes curious.

Princess Rebekah: "Umm, Mama..."

Zoram: "Yes, my love?"

The princess looks a her own tiny dirty hands while she asks...

Princess Rebekah: "How come your gloves aren’t getting dirty and stained from the ball?"

The gorgeous Middle Eastern woman smiles. Admiring the gloves her child and ex-wife had brought back, before the destruction and fall of Roronora City.

Zoram: "Well sweetheart, since these special gloves are constantly covered in a clear and water like Seiõr, all the dust, dirt, or anything that would ruin their beauty, falls right off."

Princess Rebekah: "Woooow..."

Back in the dugout, Katsu is listening and looking over at Zoram and the princess.

He puts a hand on Shelly’s shoulder, snapping the reminiscing young athlete out of her happy memory and she quickly turns to look at Katsu.

A few moments later, as the mother and daughter finish their conversation, Katsu and Shelly walk up to them.

The Izanagi Captain has a beaming, bright smile on his face. Standing behind him, Shelly is blushing with a shy smile as well.

Katsu: "Ms. Zoram.

Princess Rebekah.

Would you mind being on our team today?"

Both Zoram and Princess Rebekah look at each other in complete confuzzlment towards the young captain’s recruitment.

Zoram: "A-are you sure you want us?

We’re not the most athletic of individuals."

Katsu chuckles and pokes his thumb over to Aiden at first base.

The young genius completely misses a throw towards him.

Katsu: "Don’t worry about that.

Shelly and I can ’cut up a diamond’."