Nearing a breaking point

“Why not just wait until it’s been three days?”

It was the third time Jack had suggested this, and every time he did, a large group of people suggested that he be thrown out of the guild. It was getting late and there was only so much coffee could do at this point. The normally clean and well-maintained meeting room was strewn with wrappers and pictures of the droplet god and Muramasa’s aftermath.

“Because it’s really clear that’s exactly what he wants. He’s already killed thousands of people, so it’s clear he doesn’t have the best intentions” said Mizugawa as he yawned.

Isaac propped up with feet on the table.

“I think we should try and talk to him again”

“Just get Jesse to kill him”

Everyone turned to see who had spoken. It was Etsuko. Her brother harrumphed and slid down into his chair.

“I’m being serious. That’s the obvious solution. Ito is a threat, and we’ve got this chump who’ll do anything for us as long as we leave his wife alone or whatever”

The door to the room slammed shut. Jack jumped out of his seat and readied his iron fist. It was Jesse.

“I’m getting a little tired of being treated like a dog, Isaac” he said, towering over Etsuko and slamming his palms on the table. Fuyu took out a small knife and held it at the ready.

“That won’t do anything. None of you can do anything to me, no matter how hard you try. And yet you all act like I’m a child who can be sent to his room if he misbehaves. Just know that there’s a limit to the amount of disrespect I’ll put up with”

Isaac opened his mouth to say something, but thought better of it. He eyed Fuyu, whose hands were shaking. The knife really was quite small and didn’t look particularly sharp.

“Let’s all settle down. We mean no disrespect, Jesse” Mizugawa said, shuffling some forms.

Jesse’s face twitched.

“That’s bullshit. Regardless, I don’t have time to deal with this. I came here because I wanted to know what the current plan is”

Isaac sighed.

“There is no plan right now. We haven’t come to a decision as to what we should do about Ito”

“Kill him” Jesse said, giving Etsuko one last glare and sitting down in a vacant chair.

“While that’s tempting, we’re still not sure if he’s telling the truth” Mizugawa said. He buried his head in his hands. This was going nowhere.

A loud beep rang out, followed by a voice speaking over the intercom.

“There’ve been reports of 23 angels appearing across Japan, and at least 107 in the US. We’ve yet to receive word from anywhere else”

The room went silent.

“Well, I guess we’ve got something to do now, right?”

Isaac’s removal from the decider’s guild was once again considered, though not acted upon.

***

Two angels stood next to each other, one wielding a sword, and the other throwing large metal discs at nearby buildings. Fuyu and Isaac hid behind an overturned car, watching them mindlessly destroy the surrounding area.

“What are they trying to do, anyway?” Fuyu asked, clenching his knife.

“I don’t know. Usually, angels seem to protect their respective god or target potential threats. These guys aren’t really doing either”

He stretched both his arms high into the air and yawned.

“Aren’t you cold?” he asked, pointing at Isaac’s somewhat lacking attire.

“Nah, as long as the sun is out, I’m good. It’s like photosynthesis or something”

“I don’t think that’s how it works”

The angel with the sword turned its head towards the duo. It was nearly identical to the one before, only this one was dripping with a strange blue substance. As opposed to the deliberate, almost graceful movements of the angels they had encountered previously, it stumbled and lurched forwards, twisting its arms in strange ways.

“I’ll take it out, you stay here”

Isaac leapt on top of the car and drew his scythe. The angel increased its speed.

As the angel and human began to fight, Fuyu took his small knife, closed his eyes, and jabbed it into his wrist. Blood began dribbling out, and he let out a small cry. He grasped the knife and began cutting through his flesh until he reached a scar near his forearm.

At that moment, a loud crack sounded, and a thin line formed above him. Thin, white, porcelain fingers appeared, prying the crack open until a hole was formed. An angel pulled itself out of the clear white void. Its head was cracked, and it carried a large white cube in its hands.

Issac shot a grappling hook into the car and flung himself towards Fuyu.

“What the hell is that?”

Fuyu hugged his knees and turned away. His arm was bleeding badly.

“My angel”

“Huh” said Isaac. He watched as Fuyu’s angel bashed in the other angel’s head with the white cube. The disc thrower had noticed the commotion and set its sights on the traitor. Before it could launch its projectile, Fuyu’s angel flung the cube into the angel’s torso, causing it to break apart.

Fuyu began wrapping his arm with bandages. As he did, his angel began to fade away, until nothing remained.

“It attacked my town when I was younger. A decider thought they had killed it, but I found it hiding in the woods. It talked to me. It said I could save it if I just gave it some blood. In exchange, it said that if I ever needed help, I could summon them. This knife is a gift from them”

Fuyu rolled up his sleeve. His arm was covered in scars, all of them long, thin, vertical lines.

“I’ve never used it in battle before. I usually just give it blood because I think it makes them happy”

Another angel stumbled out from behind a skyscraper. It was carrying a long chain with a white sphere attached to the end.

“Don’t cut your arm anymore, buddy. I can take care of this guy”

***

While the deciders were busy with the multitude of angels that had appeared, Jesse made a phone call.
“Hello? Is that you?” said the voice on the other end of the line.

“Yes. Are you okay? How’s Yoshi doing?”

Scarlet sighed.

“She’s asleep right now. We’ve been having a hard time keeping her under control”

“We?”

“Oh, yeah, sorry. Zaza is here with us. She’s an old…person I knew from college”

Jesse shut the door to his house. It was starting to snow.

“Okay. Just be careful. There’s a lot of people who want to take advantage of others. You don’t want to become friends with a leech”

“A leech”

“Yes, like the animal. I don’t have time to explain. Just stay away from Shibuya. I’ll come pick you up after I deal with Ito”

“Okay. Love you”

“Love you too”

Jesse hung up and slid his phone into his pocket. With one graceful leap, he sailed into the air. It was time to put an end to this.