Cracks in the Light

Clouds drifted high above in the overcast sky, refracting yellows and oranges as the wind picked up. The sun lay hidden behind them, shining but dimmed, only occasionally peeking through as it slowly descended.

It was a rather nice backdrop for their training, even if it was a little ominous.

Itsuki launched over a sudden stream of flame, his mace reverberating as its heat caressed it. When he hit the courtyard, he slammed it to the ground, shifting his momentum like a pivot.

He eyed Sayaka.

She blasted a gust of wind at him next, energy humming through her gestures. Just like many others, he only barely dodged it.

The attack impacted the wall behind him, sending a shockwave through the soon-to-be sunset air.

She cursed. "Stay still for just a moment! We only need one more hit until we can rest!"

He formed an earthen barrier in response, tanking a stream of fire as he closed the distance.

"I'd rather not get hit though. It's not my style!"

"Not your style?!" She conjured a barrier to divert a swift kick into the ground. "No, you don't get to say that cheesy line. You've been prolonging this fight for too long by whiffing your attacks, so either get hit or hit me already!"

"I mean, I'm attempting to do just that," he said, trying to figure out his next attempt. "So just let me—"

The words were knocked from him as wind sucker punched him in the gut. His body went flying, hurdling at full speed into the ground.

A crater formed upon impact.

"GACK!" Pain shot through him as he settled, layered techniques absorbing some of the blow. Debris fell around him in abrupt silence, and his head lolled back as he recovered.

A few sparrows flew off at the ruckus.

"Kisaragi?!" Sayaka immediately rushed to him, hands hovering in front of her. "Are you alright? I'm so sorry, I might've put too much energy into that one."

He groaned as he sat back up, any injuries quickly regenerating. It still hurt, but at least there weren't as many as there could've been had he not been using vita magic to bolster himself.

Fortify. Strengthen. Reinforce. He was glad to have learned them, even if it was just a barebone understanding.

"Yeah, I think I'm fine." His left hand unclenched. "Kiaki's idea to layer techniques with my power has been working great. I didn't even scream this time… much."

Sayaka sighed. "Well I think that you still need to focus on your offense. I don't get why you don't use your weapon against me."

"Hm? I do though. I redirect my movements and channel magic with it."

She shook her head. "I meant attacking with it. Seriously, there were like a dozen times where you had an opening. But no, you kept trying to get those kicks in for some—"

He interrupted her with a tap from his mace.

"There we go. I used it, my secret technique: Impact."

Her lips formed a pout as he got up. "I… you idiot." She turned and walked away.

"Sorry, that was just a joke!" Itsuki called out as he ran up to her. "However, I won't apologize for the kicks. Velena isn't here to heal you now if something goes wrong, so I'd rather not risk it."

Sayaka didn't answer. Rather, she waved him off as she walked the rest of the way to the respite area, plopping herself down on the bench.

"Usami?" He sat down next to her cautiously, though she intentionally kept her face angled away. "Like I said—"

She shoved some bread in his face.

"I get it. You don't have to repeat yourself." She deflated. "Just eat your food and try not to choke."

He scratched the back of his head as he chuckled.

"Fair enough. I'll be quiet for a bit."

A quietness settled in over the training grounds as they both eased into rest, a soft breeze blowing throughout the courtyard. It may have been overcast, but there was something relaxing about there only being the sounds of them and the wind.

Itsuki closed his eyes to savor it.

He dug into his food as he thought about their progress. It'd only been half a month since they'd arrived, and yet they'd somehow managed to get this far.

Sure, it was only the basics, but it was basics as defined by Velena and Kiaki. It was good enough to let them stand toe-to-toe with the town guards when combined with their powers. And from what he understood, those guys were relatively well off in comparison to most.

"Kisaragi?" Sayaka asked, drawing his attention as she scarfed down a type of root vegetable that reminded him of a potato.

"Hm? What is it?" he replied, looking over to her.

She gestured toward the town. "I was just thinking. When do you think those two will be back?"

"Those two? Oh, Velena and Kiaki." Itsuki furrowed his brow, remembering how they had to take off earlier.

He and Sayaka weren't exactly sure what had been going on, but it had been rather strange. Velena and Kiaki had told them that they had important information to tell after finding something in their research about worldwalkers. However, a guard had interrupted their training session before they could say it.

The matron and vice-captain had instantly left after, telling them that they needed to 'make preparations' and would be back soon. In the meantime, they were to have kept training, but…

He looked over toward the town, unable to make out anything strange beneath the cloudy sky.

That'd been nearly two hours ago.

"Hopefully soon," he replied as he got back to his food. "Why though? Did you want to talk with them about something besides their announcement?"

She shook her head. "Not really. I mean, there's one thing. But I don't know if I should be bringing it up or not."

"…Are you talking about our room arrangements? Like I told you before, I can always try to find somewhere else to sleep."

She shushed him with a swat of food. "Not that. I've gotten used to sharing a room with you—I'm thankful enough we each have a separate bed. I was just nosy about something."

He raised an eyebrow as he took a bite from his potato-like thing. "That's interesting. What exactly are you nosy—"

"!" A piece of his food suddenly stuck in his throat, terminating the sentence. He thumped his chest a few times trying to dislodge it.

"Kisaragi?!" She immediately jumped in upon seeing the struggle, smacking him on the back.

The jolt worked, shaking it free as he forced it the rest of the way down his throat.

"T-thanks, Usami." Itsuki gasped, wiping his brow and waiting for his pulse to return to normal.

By all that was holy in this world. He had not survived getting cratered a hundred times just to succumb to some starchy root vegetable.

"You okay?" A high softness crept into Sayaka's voice as she patted him, warmth lingering over his back.

"Yeah, I think so." He took another breath as mortification rose in his chest. "Thanks for saving me. Again. Right after you… warned me."

His face reddened.

"A-anyway, what were you nosy about?"

She raised a brow at his attempted segue.

He coughed. "What? I'm still curious. Not going to let almost choking stop me."

Her eyes flicked away in resignation once it was clear he was okay. "Fine. I… just wanted to know how adoptions work in the world. I was a little curious and figured they might know."

"Adoptions?" He tilted his head slightly. "Why would you want to… Oh. Is this about Refi and Eflam?"

Her face turned red. "Don't get any ideas. I was just thinking of how hard things must be for kids here. When so many things are happening, it's easy for people to erm… lose them in the process. I just wanted to understand their struggles a bit better."

He nodded, gulping down the rest of his food more carefully this time. "Of course, of course. I think I get it."

Moments like these were getting more common recently, and Itsuki rather enjoyed seeing this side of her. They were certainly an improvement from when they'd first arrived.

He couldn't help but smile.

Sayaka leaned her cheek on her fist once she saw his expression, looking even redder now. "Cut it out Kisaragi. I'm being serious. I'm just worried for them."

"Ah, sorry." He turned and held his hand up to appease her. "I didn't mean to upset you. I just thought it was nice that you're finally a bit more open about your… thoughts…"

His brain fizzled slightly at the sight in front of him.

The thickened sky parted slightly, orange briefly shining vivid above the training grounds. It illuminated Sayaka perfectly, just like a painting, as rays of light peeked through the backdrop. Her black hair flowed like silk in the breeze, and the lightest of smiles graced her lips, even if it was still tinged with a bit of doubt.

He was mesmerized, a feeling that only grew warmer as he saw her eyes. There was a shine to those grey pools now, one that was muted yet undeniably existent, and more captivating than the gold of the sky.

As he took her sight in though, something abruptly stirred—a warning.

It wasn't a physical danger like in their training. No, this was something else, something personal.

He quickly tried tearing his gaze away from her to prevent his mind from ruining things.

But he wasn't fast enough.

Just as he managed it, he saw her framed by the horizon, right as the clouds moved in to block its light once again.

Kaede.

He refocused his sight somewhere else, guilt squeezing painfully at the comparison. He thought he'd done well controlling it recently—keeping it under control.

No. It was fine. It was just a moment of weakness. He could just calm down and let it pass just like it always did.

"Kisaragi?"

"Y-yes?" He kept his gaze down, heart still thumping in his chest. "Sorry, I just got distracted for a moment. Please don't mind me."

It took him a few more seconds, but once he was sure he'd managed to banish the echo, he looked back to reassure her.

However, the look on her face made him tense.

She didn't say anything at first, simply meeting his gaze for a long while beneath the fading light, the shine in her eyes shifting to something else.

"…Erm, Usami?" He asked, noticing her shift slightly. "Is there something—"

She held up her hand, this time to his lips; the pad of her finger sealed them shut.

"Kisaragi," she sighed more than said. "I… I need to ask you something, please? It's been bugging me for a while now."

He paused briefly as her finger lifted, leaving them face to face.

"Sure," he said. "I'm uh, always willing to listen, so whatever's on your mind, feel free to say it."

She nodded after the confirmation, silence stretching for a moment, until finally after some hesitation, she spoke.

"I don't know how to explain it really, but something about you just seems off."

"Off?" he muttered, shrinking slightly.

Her lips quirked. "It has nothing to do with your intentions. Despite how strange you are, you seem like a good person. No, it's something different, like you're hiding something behind that smile of yours."

He swallowed nervously as his heartbeat quickened.

"U-Usami? What are you talking about?"

She stared at him and sighed.

"Kisaragi… why do you always have that look in your—"

The metal gate to the training grounds suddenly creaked open, interrupting what she had to say.

Their gaze diverted as footsteps sounded against the brick tile.

"Eflam?"

The young girl with orange eyes just like her older sister stumbled across the courtyard at full speed, almost falling down on her face.

Sayaka instinctually rushed to meet her. "W-what are you doing here, Eflam? Did something happen?"

The girl nodded frantically as Itsuki caught up, stumbling over her words.

"Y-yes, it's bad. M-Matron and Grumpy Lady, they're t-trying to stop, b-but…"

"Eflam." Itsuki said, patting her shoulder firmly. "Take a deep breath and calm down. Then you can tell us what's wrong."

"O-okay." She gulped, squeezing her hands tight as she struggled to do so. "I-I'll try."

The wind died down as she breathed, looking up at the both of them.

"Mr. and Mrs. Hero… Big sis is in trouble."