Third Person

~

"Troy and Kuro sure are taking a while," Momo murmured in her seat. Kira's match had gone on for about twenty minutes already and the two boys were yet to be back.

Jade lifted a hand to ruffle her hair, "Chill out Blondie, Kuro probably saw something cool and dragged Zhao to check it out while he gushed over it," she suggested. It wasn't beyond their shortest friend.

Haru nodded in agreement, "They'll be here soon, let's focus on cheering loud enough for them as well," he beamed, managing not to stumble over his words around them which was rare since Kira wasn't up there with them.

Jade grinned, looking back down to the court, 'Don't mess up, Vermillion,' she couldn't help but think to herself, 'Hurry up guys.'

***

Troy brushed away the stubborn strands of hair from his face, they'd arrived at the docks and had spotted the problem just as soon as they landed.

There were two ships far out into the channel, and a turbulent swirl of water lay beneath them.

"They're too far away to use my wire to drag them out," Kuro said flatly, eyes dancing from one ship to the other as they tried to come up with a plan.

"You're saying we'll have to carry the humans out ourselves?" The taller blond asked.

Kuro nodded.

"We're meant to stay as far from humans as possible?"

"We can't think about that now Angel boy, plus, I'm getting a strange feeling from that whirlpool," he flexed his wings, readying himself to take off, "We can't let them sink."

Troy sighed, forming his own pair of snow-white wings to join Kuro in the skies, a gust of sea air brushed past him, filling his nose with the smell of salt and sea foam, "Any plan yet?"

"Just one, I wrap my wire around the smaller one and pull it out to safer currents. Then we rescue the humans from the larger one and put them there since the land's too far out."

"I'll pull it, just set the wire."

Kuro didn't argue, in terms of strength, the best one for this would have been Kira, but she wasn't there. Troy was the next best match. His level of strength couldn't be enhanced mid-battle but the level he was at now should suffice.

Kuro zoomed around the smaller of the two ships, looping his wire garrote around the most appropriate places while Troy flew toward the other ship and started finding humans. Both boats were tourist vessels, so there were a few numbers of them.

He glided down to the deck of the boat, eliciting more frightened screams from the already terrified humans as the vessel tipped more violently. If they were this scared just seeing him, they really wouldn't like the modified version of his voice caused by the Mask.

"Stay calm, I'm here to rescue you," he said as calmly as he could. The crowd inched back a bit but a ruffle of activity caused them to part as a little girl came running up to him. Little children were more in tune with the aura of magic. He guessed his light magic aura had reached her.

"I'll be taking children first," he stated, "Two at a time, and stay calm."

Some parents pushed their kids forward and Troy picked up another. He flew to the other ship and dropped them on board.

"The wire is ready!" Kuro called from the other stern.

"Keep it from sinking, while I get the other humans here."

"Aye!"

Troy went back to his task, every trip was quick and efficient, and he avoided sprays that the troubled waves sent up. Water wouldn't stop him from flying, but it would make the process a lot more difficult. The only solution would be to vanish his wings and summon them once again.

They didn't have time for that.

He set the last pair of humans down and zoomed past them to the front of the boat where Kuro was gripping the string of his wire to keep it from sinking.

"Save your strength brat, we'll need a portal back to the match once we're done here," he said taking the string from the younger boy. Kuro shot him a playful glare.

The blond looped the string around both his gauntlets a few times before testing its strength.

"It's indestructible, no need to worry," Kuro pointed out.

"If you say so," Troy turned back to the boat. Several humans who could manage it had already gathered towards the stern, watching both of them in awe.

He took a deep breath, directing some strength to his wings, 'You can't fail,' he told himself. The pressure was something he hadn't felt in a long time. They'd never so much as thought of an emergency at sea.

This was new territory and this plan might not work.

But they had to give it their best shot. Compared to everything else they'd been through, this was relatively simpler. The only complication was that the lives at stake were right in front of them.

He pulled, flapping his wings against the wings as he tugged, his muscles strained but he wasn't bothered. He noticed Kuro inch closer from the corner of his eye, "I've got it."

The younger boy backed off, a look of amazement gracing his face as the boat started to move forward, meter by slow meter out of the whirlpool.

The other boat was already partially capsized at this point so it was pretty much goner. He would usually breathe a sigh of relief at this point since everything seemed to be going so smoothly but his feathers were still vibrating with nervous energy. A few had broken off from his wings and were hovering a safe distance over the whirlpool.

"What's wrong, guys?" He asked softly as he glided over to where they were. He peered closely at the dark swirling waves, far darker than the sunset kissed orange-blue of the calmer waters around them.

The darkness seemed to be growing larger and more ripples pushed up from the depths.

It instantly dawned on him, he turned to Troy who had gotten the boat a good distance away from the troubled waters.

But it still wasn't far enough.

"Archer! Get them further away!" He cried out.

Troy glanced his way before immediately turning his attention back to the boat, and then the patch of the sea they'd left behind, "Something wrong, brat?!"

Kuro had barely opened his mouth to respond when seawater exploded all around them. The raven-haired teen flew higher to avoid the spurts as a large, dark form rose from the dark patch. Growing larger the more of itself it revealed.

Troy's eyes widened a fraction, he cursed under his breath as he raised a hand to the air. If he hit the wrong spot he'd succeed in doing more harm than good.

The skies rumbled and glowed as the blinding pillar appeared, striking the monster that had risen from the steal. The beast trashed, sending up more waves in the already troubled waters while both boys stared at it in shock.

Kuro kept his eyes on the monster, a tingling sense of bewilderment washing over his senses, 'Nothing should be able to survive a Thunderstrike without a shield.'

A large amount of dark magic was flowing from it, though it wasn't the demonic kind.

A yokai.

A powerful one at that.

He studied it, trying to figure out what they were dealing with and if they could deal with it. From where he hovered above it, he could see it bore a bizarre resemblance to a carb. Six jagged pincers flew in every direction, upsetting the waters.

If Kuro wasn't so busy staring at the upper shell, he might have had time to consider the number of appendages strange.

The shell was a deep grayish black with hints of blue, speckled by algae, and sea debris...and covered by faces.

Faces screaming silently, all contorted in too many emotions to pick out were scattered all over the crab monster's shell.

A name finally clicked in the younger boy's head, bringing up memories of his lessons and he really didn't like this.

Troy growled under his breath, why wasn't the brat doing anything? The blond turned back to the ship of frightened passengers staring off into the distance to get a good look at what was going on. This should be enough.

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He dropped the line and landed on the deck, "Where's the captain?" He called out.

A woman looking into her thirties stepped out, her form shaky and hesitant in her crisp grey uniform, "Yes?"

"Will the ship work?"

"I'm not sure...can I have a minute to check?" He nodded, following her to the controls where she pushed a few buttons and checked a few screens.

"Water is lodged in a few places but the crew can get to it. It doesn't pose any serious problems though so we can sail."

"Good, get everyone as far from here as possible, stop for nothing," he ordered, turning to take off.

"Wait!" She cried reaching out to him.

He paused, eyeing her from over his shoulder.

She bowed to him, voice high and full of emotion, "Thank you so much."

Was that really what she wasted his time for? Nevertheless, he gave a curt nod and with a powerful flap of his wings, he was airborne. He made his way to Kuro's side in a minute, aiming an arrow at the monster below them.

Up close, he could truly see how large it was, he could also see his blast had made no impact whatsoever on it.

"What are we dealing with brat?" He asked a slow feeling of irritation and wariness already creeping through his veins. The last time his strike had no effect, they had been fighting Nightmare.

'That actually hurt a bit.'

The Summoner's words had yet to stop plaguing his thoughts.

"Hikegani, the indestructible crab yokai," Kuro replied to his question.

"It can't truly be indestructible," the blond stated.

"You're right, but it's incredibly hard to break through that shell, the negative energy from the tortured souls that form its shell doubles as a magic shield," he explained, the Hikegani trudged beneath them, wading its way after the boat toward shore.

"Any way to defeat it?"

"Hit it really hard or find a weak point among the armor joints."

"How possible is the second option?"

"That depends on how long you can hold your breath and if you like to swim," Kuro answered. He had done his best to think things out and the second option was indeed their best bet. The only flaw was that the Hikegani's lower half was securely underwater.

"Shit," Kuro cursed unable to help himself he was as excited as he was infuriated.

"Keeping it from shore is top priority now, so let's draw its attention first, then figure out how to take it down," Troy voiced.

The younger boy couldn't agree more, a sad sigh leaving his lips. They might be a little late to Kira's match after all.

***

Kira slid along the wooded floor, the thump of rubber against it telling her she had been too slow to stop their opponents from scoring.

After the blockers' wall failed to stop the high shot she'd decided to try going for a dive but that had failed as well.

A buzz sounded with their opposition getting another point added to their scoreboard. The Hamada High girls rebounded quickly scoring right after to take their score to twenty-five, securing the first set of three.

Another buzz signaled its end. They'd won the set but her game had gone off a little while in.

She was worried.

Anxiety ruined her game more than bad form ever would. The form could be fixed quickly. Worry would never stop until the source was removed.

She glanced up to the stands. Still no sign Troy and Kuro. Jade gave her a comforting smile and a thumbs-up while Momo waved her pompoms excitedly. Haru was doing his best not to look afraid of every stranger that so much as moved their direction.

'Do you think something big came up?' she asked the demons as she took a sip from the bottle Kamura handed to her.

'Reach out if you think something's wrong,' Lucifer replied simply.

'I guess I should,' nervousness pulled at her gut as she did, 'Troy, Kuro, can you two hear me?"

'Kira!' Kuro exclaimed, a cheerful note to his voice, 'How's the game going?'

'Okay, fine I guess... you're both taking a while.'

'We might have run into a little bit of a problem.'

'Little is a big understatement,' Troy finally decided to throw in.

'What-'

'Get back to your game Kira, there's no need to worry about us-' he cut off with a grunt, 'We'll be there soon, just a couple more minutes.'

With that, they were gone and she was left with negative thoughts echoing in the quiet of her mind and nervous hands clutching at her bottle.

If she left now and put her all into her enhanced speed, she could meet up and help them before returning. At least, she thought she could. Was she fast enough? Was there enough time? What if Kuro was right and it really wasn't a big deal? Would she make it back in time? What if people were in danger?

Her foot moved forward before she could catch herself. The shrill call of the whistle halted her. The second set was about to start.

She muttered a curse under her breath.

Kamura placed a heavy hand on her shoulder, "You're not alone out there, so keep a cool head 'cause we're right behind you, Kira," she ruffled Kira's brown strands fondly before marching unto the court with a determined smirk.

Kira grabbed at her hair, a hiss leaving her lips. That was right. This team needed her as well. To them, this was the biggest thing happening right this second. If she abandoned them now, they wouldn't know why, she'd lose their trust, and flush so much they'd been working for down the drain.

Damn it.

She dropped the bottle, hands still trembling, 'They said they were fine,' she tried to comfort herself, 'I'll finish up here quickly, then run over to help.'

Yeah. All she'd have to do was win this second game for the team and they were practically done there.

***

Jade couldn't stop the wince that crawled up her spine as Kira missed another spike.

"She was too fast," Haru's voice reached her over the disappointed noises from the crowd. A lot of watchers were already losing interest in their school team.

Kira's playing had taken a sharp nosedive, with Sasaki and Miura having to pick up the slack to keep the momentum. The other team had a stronger defense so their scoring was just as limited.

"What's going on down there?" Momo whined, "You think I should get the banner out?"

"It's not about spirit or motivation, Blondie," the darker-skinned girl sighed.

"Jade is right," Haru added softly, "Kira has that look she gets when she's thinking of something else...her mind's moving further from the game."

Jade pinched the bridge of her nose, a swift glance to the two seats beside her.

A whistle screeched, drawing her attention to the court. Hamada's coach had called a time-out. The girls' gathered, almost immediately, Sasaki was grabbing Kira by the uniform with Kaito and a few others having to pull them apart.

Their silver-haired player's voice was pretty loud, carrying a bit over the noise, "Get your head in the game Vermillion!"

"I am in the game?" Kira shrieked back.

The rest was lost, with the coach and Kaito having a short discussion. They must have said something because she heard Kira scream something along the lines of, "I'm not sitting on the bench!"

"Then quit slacking, rich girl! Or do you suddenly not care anymore since this isn't as easy?!"

"I care more than you can think of!"

"Calm down you two!" Kamura pushed them apart.

Kira wasn't benched and the game resumed, that was until an ill-timed jump on Kira's end cost them a score. The realization seemed to have thrown the brunette off.

Trying to make up for it the next chance she dashed, a risky jump and bad form causing her not to descend properly. She hit the ground with her right foot at an awkward angle.

The whistle came up again.

"I'm fine, just a pulled muscle, no need to sub me," Kira blurted out, she made to stand but a wince gave her away.

"I would have pulled you out anyway," Coach Makino sighed, gesturing to one of the seniors on the bench, "You were playing far too recklessly, Vermillion, cool off and let Hinode see to your leg."

Kira's leg was fine, in a minute the sprain would heal and she'd be back in action.

"You'll put me back on, right?" She asked.

The coach said nothing.

The substitution was made and Kira collapsed onto the bench, unable to meet the eyes of the other team members so she buried her face in her hands.

Jade ran a hand through her hair, that wasn't a good sign. At this rate, broken confidence and all, Kira would be of no use to no one.

She got up, "I'm heading to the bathroom," she waved to Momo and Haru who were watching the game anxiously.

"Can you keep an eye out for Troy and Kuro? Neither of them are picking up their phones," Momo asked.

"Whatever."

***

Troy brought down another Thunderstrike, this one aimed right in front of the monster to keep it from pushing forward. Kuro's feathers were striking at every part of it, soft spot or not.

The dark-haired boy wiped the moisture from his brow, his feathers were meant to be able to cut through anything and though they were leaving dents, it would take too long to drill into one spot.

The Hikegani raised one of its many claws, aiming to being it down on them but they left its path. Their only saving grace was how slow it was due to its size.

"It's hard to believe something like this actually exists, how irritating," Troy scoffed, pushing back some wet hair. They were bother covered in a sufficient amount of water.

"Once we take it down, let's hope Nightmare never finds one."

"He's not behind this one?"

Kuro shook his head, "No trace of corrupted dark energy is coming of it?"

"Have you thought of how to deal with it?"

"I have feathers doing their best to claw at the leg joints but its movements and the water current are making things very difficult. I've tried paralyzing it several times but its size means more magic energy-"

"Which means it's stronger, I know," the blond snapped.

"It's getting closer to the shore dammit!" Kuro pulled at his hair.

"We should let it, a land fight will give us access to its legs."

"We could hurt people," the younger boy muttered, not at all liking they would have to resort to something so drastic.

"We'll have to be quick then. I only have one more strike left before I have to wait."

"Kira would have been better for this."

Troy couldn't argue there, the chains would have been able to hold the Hikegani down, and her scythe might have actually been able to cut it.

"We told her we could handle this, any less would be a failure," he said tersely, hands glowing, "I don't fail."

A fond smile graced Kuro's face, the turmoil was still very much there, eating away at him, but he had to trust they could do this, "Well said Angel boy, let's do this!"

They both dashed to the front of the monster, hovering between it and the shore. They'd attack with everything they had and take it down, no matter how long it took.

Troy charged up another strike, 'One more time,' he huffed inwardly, about to bring it down when an unusual magic aura made itself known.

The evening warmth turned to chill almost immediately. Judging by the look on Kuro's face, the younger boy had felt it too.

They both turned back to see a form standing on the shore. Long white hair billowed behind them and white leather gloves pointed out to the sea, past them and at the monster.

The black witch's cap balanced precariously on the stranger's head tilted up to reveal bored honey-brown eyes, "You boys sure do know how to take your time, huh?"

It took Troy a second but he recognized them almost immediately. Annoyance flared up inside him but before he could say anything a powerful swell of magic energy knock him back.

Ice splintered in a path along the sea, crashing forcefully into the Hikegani. The two watched as the ice crept quickly along the roaring monster's body, sealing the beast in its frosty blue grip.

A gloved hand closed, and with a low rumble, the ice cracked, exploding over the area in an array of white dusty snowflakes.

Troy took only a moment to be stunned before dashing to the shore. He leveled their savior (he'd never admit that) with a cold glare. Kuro landed beside him still entranced by the snowflakes.

"I knew there was something I never liked about you," the blond hissed out at her.

Jade chuckled, tipping her hat back, "A thanks would be very much appreciated."