Shattering Humanity

{From outside of the Roronora City Fast Food Restaurant, the group that was inside is standing around, waiting for Laban to finish talking to her "Homie", Hathor.}

Shelly and Itsuka are both giving annoyed side glances at the DaeMon and her trusted assistant.

Dom and Jormungand are playing catch with a football. Every time Dom throws the ball towards Jormy, Drakaina takes a slightly audible gasp, but the athletic little brother catches the ball every time with ease, even with his special glove on. Jorm catches the ball, one handed with his human hand over his head.

Dom: "Damn bro, you’re probably just as good of a receiver as Saku!"

Jorm smiles and throws a perfect spiral back towards Dom, who tries to also catch one handed but fails. He loses his balance, falls to the ground after the ball bounces off his palm and then his head. The scene makes Drakaina giggle behind her hand, which Dom catches her doing.

Dom: "Oh yea, sure, yuck it up when I fail, but if that were Jorm, you wouldn’t have time to worry fast enough."

Drakaina: "Yea, but my Jormy isn’t as uncoordinated as you, so he wouldn’t look as silly."

While the two argue Jormungand looks over at Katsu and Saku by themselves, sitting on a bench down the block. There mouths are visibly moving as if talking to each other, but they don’t even look at the other once.

Saku finishes talking and gets up. Katsu stays sitting and watches the rivaling captain walk away. The youngest member of Takamagahara picks up the football and looks at his captain.

Saku notices Jormungand and the 19 year old chuckles, holding his hands up signaling he’s prepared to catch it.

Jorm gives an open mouthed smile and from a decent 40 yards away, the young man tosses a perfect spiral at Saku. The Vessel of Yin does a quick 360° spin mid air and catches the ball perfectly with one hand while still in air.

The trick makes Jormungand’s eyes widen and makes Dom fall back on his ass in astonishment.

Katsu, now looking at Saku with the disdain of an Above Sanpaku, tries not to show an expression of being impressed. With the ball in his hands, Saku looks over towards Itsuka and Shelly.

Shelly is sitting on the curb, Madame Fryer is unsheathed, and in the grasp of the Valkyrie descendant, with her eyes closed.

Itsuka notices Saku’s gaze and blushes, knowing exactly what he’s thinking. Looking over at Laban, making sure she is preoccupied, then back at Saku. Itsuka distances herself from Shelly by a couple feet. Slightly and nervously, she puts her hand up to signal for the ball.

Saku smiles and winds up his throw, even though it’s not as beautiful of a pass as Katsu’s, it’s trajectory is heading right for Itsuka. As if by instinct, and like she’s done it 1000s of times before, Itsuka catches the ball with both hands clamping down on it.

The sound of the close by catch makes Shelly open her eyes and she sees Itsuka holding the football with both hands and a huge grin on her beautiful face.

Itsuka: "Look Shell! I caught it! First try!"

Shelly smiles, remembering how elated she also was after catching her first pass from the man she loves. Shelly looks over at Saku then back at her Takamagahara sister. She smiles then nods over at the Izanami Captain.

Shelly: "But how good can you throw, Big Sis?"

Itsuka looks at the ball and lines up her fingers on the white laces. She peers up at Saku, who has gotten a smidge closer, just to make her first throw a little easier.

Saku: "Just point your left shoulder towards me, slightly lean your torso to the right, bring the opposite side of the laces a few inches from your right ear, and follow through with a left step. Never throw off your back foot, even under pressure. Just step into the hit and deliver a strike to your receiver.

If you’re willing to take a hit in the pocket to complete the throw, I’ll always be willing to get killed by a linebacker over the middle for the catch."

Itsuka blushes from the sentimental claim of self-sacrifice, tries to quickly process the instructions she was told, and then she nods.

Step by step, she points her left shoulder at him, leans slightly back, cocks the ball back to her ear.With her strong, toned legs, she takes a powerful step forward and then with her incredibly powerful upper body the gorgeous light skinned woman brings the ball forward quickly passed her ear, passed her broken heart tattoo on her right temple, twisting her midsection. Her 7th and 8th abdominal muscles barely showing as she twists and releases the ball.

The football wobbles sloppily through the air. However, even with the wind resistance, it is a low arching throw but it’s faster than Saku’s throw.

Saku catches it with a *SLAP!* and his eyes widen from the realization of the force of her throw.

Itsuka blushes at her amateur success and looks over at Shelly, who gives the older foster sister a thumbs up. Exposing her own broken heart tattoo.

Suddenly Laban blindsides the ball carrier and tackles him to the ground.

HARD.

The Don can be heard playfully giggling while the two slide and roll on the pavement due to the force of the hit.

Itsuka: "Saku!"

The Izanami vice captain sprints to her captain while Shelly rests her head in her hand, not too worried, while Madame Fryer floats beside her.

The two rollers come to a complete stop and in comedic fashion, while on his back, Saku’s human eye is all white and his Anjell Eye is chaotically moving in every direction. He still has the ball tucked to his underarm.

Laban sits up, and straddles the unconscious Yin vessel at his waist, her hands resting on his chest.

Don Laban: "Hahahaha! I loved watching football too, Saki! It’s honestly the most entertaining sport ever created and perfectly mimics the meta of Viking warfare.

The concept of football itself, the pure physical violence of the Vikings, the Roman gladiator style audiences, and then most fascinating aspect, the reliance needed on multiple groups of teammates to achieve victory. Because it’s a violent sport, injury happens, and those who weren’t the best on the team at their position become needed when the better player gets hurt."

Katsu is listening to the ancient Norse Witch explaining her fascination with the sport he also adores and grew up loving.

Katsu(thinking): *Dad use to say the same thing, ’Next man up’.*

With his hands, entwined fingers, in front of his mouth and nose, watching the scene. He closes his eyes, takes a deep, decompressing breath and stands up quickly. He walks over to Shelly, sitting on the curb.

While keeping his gaze on Itsuka approaching the scene, Katsu talks to Shelly.

Katsu: "Because injuries are inevitable, a team with championship aspirations, could lose a key player. The hope of the team and those who cheer for them, can be lost in that very instant."

Shelly turns her head and looks at her adopted brother, hanging on to every reminiscent word.

Katsu: "But the greatest stories of the game were based a respected starting Quarterback going down mid-season, and when the backup became THE next man up, he was able to lead the team to success. There’s nothing more inspiring than watching the hope of the hopeless, be rekindled by an unexpected hero. No matter if that’s in real sports or my ’nerdy cartoons’. We all need a hero, Shell. I guess that’s why we humans want any form of righteous God to actually exist..."

Shelly stays quiet and looks at the street in front of her. A line of ants are carrying different objects and snacks back to their home while she "digests" Katsu’s deep thought.

Katsu: "All the factors of a game, needed to go right and waiting patiently for the other team to slip up, in order to obtain victory. The constant upsets of better teams being outplayed by worse teams, were the most captivating part of football in general."

Itsuka’s IceEye is now popped off in it’s 2nd stage, a grey smoke aura, closing in on her Rival Love General.

While talking, Don Laban softly starts swaying her hips, back and forth on Saku’s waistline, every so lightly.

Don Laban: "It was clear to anyone who knows of Seiõr, that some of the most successful players were actually Seers as well and they were using the knowledge of Seiõr to gain a strategical or physical advantage."

She tilts her head at her unconscious love, then notices he still holding onto the ball like a professional would. The DaeMon smiles and pulls out the lodged football.

Don Laban: "Wow Saki! I knew you were committed, but you’re definitely tough enough to be a slot receiver, running a slant route right at a waiting middle backer."

The sounds of footsteps can be heard behind her and Laban’s hip stop. While the DaeMon is still straddling the knocked out Saku, she turns her upper body to look at a pissed off Itsuka looking down on them.

Itsuka: "Get. Off. Him."

Don Laban: "Make me, ’#2’. As far as I’m concerned, we’re a perfect match for each other, not you and your cliché ’love at first sight’ BS. By the way, what was the ’dead duck’ you just threw to him? I can clear an entire 100 yards with one throw and I know extensively about Saki’s favorite sport. While you’re here only pretending to be interested in it to impress him."

Itsuka(tears in her eyes): "SHUT UP! SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

The rest of the group watches the tension of the two women, silently and before a snickering Laban can say anything back, she gets surprised by Saku easily getting up, after suddenly waking up.

Laban: "W-Woah Saki!"

Saku slowly walks over to Itsuka, with her back towards him. She is quietly crying into her elbow, from the obvious truth of Laban’s hurtful words.

Drakaina also has tears in her eyes from her sympathy of a woman in love.

While watching the drama, Dom is already digging into one of the full bags of burgers and fries he took to go.

Katsu leaning back on his hands. Shelly’s arms are wrapped around her knees, and she lets the process of love run it’s course without interference.

Saku stands behind his sobbing vice captain, he reaches his hand out to touch her shoulder but before he can, her words make him pause.

Itsuka: "You don’t have to pretend like she’s wrong. Just to pity me, Saku.(sob) She right, what have I really done for you since we met? (sob) I hurt you before I knew your name.(sob) My eye ability is useless.(sob) My body type is unattractive and gross.(sob)"

Unknowingly, because of her closed tear filled eyes, she doesn’t notice Saku has circumvented to face her. Then, to her and everyone watching’s surprise, Saku buries his face in her chest making Itsuka stop crying.

Saku grabs her hand and slowly places it on his own head.

Once she realizes what Saku is doing, the tears begin to swell up again, but this time from a completely different emotion.

Itsuka: "Sa-ku...?"

Saku: "I’m home."

The beautiful, physically fit woman can no longer hold in the tears and snowflakes. She wraps both arms tightly around his head, pulling him closer, and cries tears of love while everyone watches with smiles, except Laban. Who has her arms crossed.

Don Laban(to herself): "Well played, opposing general, well played. But the winner isn’t declared until one of us has his baby."