Fate Again

***

Sundown Alley -

As the battle raged on, Sakura was getting more and more pissed off, here she was, willingly holding back so not to harm the idiots filming them, while–

"HAHAHA! THIS IS SO FUN! YOU ARE STRONG!" Sakura barely had time to think, as a punch came at her chest, unable to deflect it, she tried to block it with the blunt side of her blade.

–BAM–

–BOOM–

A shockwave rocked through her body as she was thrown back by the force.

"Urgh!" Shaking off the pain in her wrist, she flipped mid-air and dashed at him the moment her feet touched the ground.

He responded in kind by aiming an uppercut at her, despite the mask covering his face, Sakura could tell the maniac was smiling.

Just as her blade reached his neck and his fist reached her stomach a voice called out,

"Stop." A calm monotone voice caused both of them to freeze, not from surprise, but because neither of them could actually move.

–Step–

–Step–

Sakura's eyes widened as a woman in some nun outfit approached them calmly, stopping only a foot away from them. She tried to move, but couldn't, it was some kind of force that was holding her in place.

"Kalpas. I thought you learned not to make a mess like this." The women paused, completely ignoring the destruction around them, and even Sakura' who's blade was next to this Kalpas's neck.

"But it seems some discipline is needed." All the while her face remained blank, her eyes dead, her hands clasped above her stomach.

Kalpas somehow shivered, Sakura also felt something ominous about this woman, 'What the hell is that to make this maniac shiver!?'

The woman suddenly turned to Sakura and her eyes seemed to gain some life for a moment, it quickly faded however.

"I've been expecting you." After her mysterious words the woman took a quick glance at the area before turning on her heel.

"Come along." Sakura felt her body free, she saw that this Kalpas person is the same, but instead of attacking her, the man or monster just followed behind the nun.

Conflicted, Sakura didn't know what to do, she wasn't prepared for a situation like this, should she follow the woman or retreat.

"I won't say it twice." Sakura's body started moving on its own and followed behind the nun alongside Kalpas. 'Just great...'

***

Low Earth Orbit -

Imagine trying to set up a satellite in space, add on top of that, all the space debris, and that Thor is having to actively correct the orbit of the satellite until he gets it going.

'Annnd… Done!' The satellite lit up, and Thor leaned in to check the onboard display.

[SPD - Operational]

[HC - Optimal]

[ET - Connected…]

Thor sighed, relieved that all was working. After a few final checks he teleported back to Earth.

…

–POP–

"Mei." Thor tapped her shoulder.

"Kyaaa!" Mei had quite literally jumped out of her seat, pointing a pen at Thor.

"Pfft–" Elysia stifled a giggle.

"Kya? Who knew she could do that?" Himeko whispered to Elysia, the latter having a look of realisation, she had just found the perfect blackm–Teasing, yes, teasing material.

Himeko noticed Elysia's calculating gaze at Mei, and wisely decided to pretend she never saw it, she didn't want to be responsible for the hell Mei will now go through.

Once Mei re-organised herself after one of her more embarrassing moments, Thor resumed.

"The satellite's up, we now have eyes on any rise in Honkai, no more relying on the few scanners around major towns and cities." Thor's words made everyone else, who didn't really know the purpose of the satellite, understand what this now means.

Until now, it had always been a serious problem, towns, villages, even smaller cities wiped out by Honkai before anyone could respond. Most didn't have scanners. They simply couldn't afford them.

That was how bad MOTH's funding had been, before the previous and current overseers took over.

***

"A church? So she really is a nun?" After being dragged here by the nun, she had expected more… danger. The nun stopped and glanced over her shoulder.

"Put it back Felis."

'Felis?' Sakura blinked in confusion, suddenly she felt a new presence beside and reached for her sword on instinct, but it wasn't there.

"Aww, do I have to?" came a voice just behind her, light but reluctant.

Snapping her body back she saw said voice's owner, holding her sword in hand, still sheathed and she was holding it close, as if it was some treasure.

"..." While the nun said nothing, this Felis person quickly handed the weapon back to Sakura, though she still seemed reluctant to do so.

"See? I gave it back! Please don't make me go through that again…!" Felis clasped her hands while bowing slightly, then scampered off in a very cat-like fashion. leaping onto a high beam and disappearing onto a balcony.

'Another one?! And she's fast too. Just What the hell is this place??' Sakura felt the same feeling she got when first hearing of Elysia's abilities, then when Thor, Aurora and Eden joined.

…

Sakura was eyeing Kalpas, he had been very quiet, not even saying a word or making a single unnecessary movement since their fight.

"He's sleeping." The nun said.

"Huh?"

"I put him to sleep the moment we entered this place." Sakura's eyes widened at the implications of those words.

'Couldn't she have done that to me as well?? Shit! Where the fuck did you send me Mei!'

…

"ACHOO–" Mei sneezed.

"I thought I removed your hay fever?" Mobius remembered it being one of the first things Thor had her do for Mei.

…

"Do you know anyone by the names of Kevin, Fuxi, Elysia, Mobius or Su?" Being asked such a thing made Sakura fall silent.

Yes she knew who four of them were but the second one? No idea.

"What?" Retorting, Sakura knew something was going on here, and this woman at least knows her connections.

"Did I stutter?" The nun's eyelids opened further as her ocean blue eyes as Sakura felt a sudden pressure fall on her.

It wasn't crushing. Just enough to make her shoulders tense like she was being silently judged.

"I better not regret this." She whispered to herself. "I know who four of them are, why do you want to know?" Furrowing her brow, she looked for any indication she could pull from the nun, but the woman just gave her nothing.

"Strange."

…

Sneaking about the building, leaping from one place to another, silent like the wind. Felis dangled from the ceiling as she reached for Kalpas's mask, this was a rare chance to see what he looked like behind the mask.

–Jingle– –Jingle–

–BAM–

Unfortunately she had forgotten to remove the coins she had on her, and received a fist to the gut flying out of the conveniently open window.

"Whaa?" Kalpas looked around the room, he'd sworn he was just fighting some pink bunny right?

…

"Wooooahh!" As she came closer and closer to the ground, she twisted herself into a summersault,

–...–

She somehow managed to land on her feet, not making a sound as well–

–Jingle–

–Well except for that.

She orz'd, "I was so close!" She grasped the pouch of coins and glared at it, "It was all your fault!" her expression changed in an instant from glare to apology, "Nonono, I didn't mean it."

A few people bore witness to Filis's actions, but brushed it off, they'd seen enough of the "Thief of Sundown Alley" to know of her love for money.

…

"An apostle. Are you joking?" Sakura just couldn't believe what this Aponia woman was implying. 'Thor being some kind of apostle.' Sakura looked at her like she was crazy.

Suddenly, sinful thoughts came to Sakura's mind, 'is she one of THOSE?!' Sakura's cheeks went as pink as her hair as steam rose from the top of her head.

Aponia showed no outward reaction to Sakura's movements, she had already decided that Thorald Arwansson must be some kind of God or Apostle sent to save them from their fates.

***

As night fell over Firemoth, Thor's group just had a mandatory game night. A modified version of Monopoly and a few ruined friendships/sisterhoods later, Thor and Hua emerged victorious in a tie.

–VMMM– –VMMM–

While waiting on the sofa for everyone to get ready for round two, Thor felt his phone vibrate.

–VMMM–

Taking it out, he saw Sakura's name and he frowned. 'Is this why she's not back, did something happen?'

"Yes Sakura?"

"Urmm, I don't really know how else I can say this." His frown deepened at her nervous tone.

"Can you come here, like right now, I've got this nun here going on about some sort of fate and wanting to meet you. I've sent you the coordinates." Sakura then cut the call.

Thor sighed, a bit tilted that his rare peace is being interrupted like this. 'Of course it's something to do with fate again, why wouldn't it be.'

His face contorted remembering how annoyingly cryptic and vague gods, with concepts in fate or wisdom were.

"Ellie." He called out.

"Yeeess~" She cooed from the door.

"Seems Sakura ran into a roadblock. I'll be back soon hopefully." Elysia came into the room with concern in her eyes.

"Is that why she's not back yet?"

"Yep. Though she seems fine so don't worry about it." Elysia leaned in for a kiss in which he reciprocated.

After a few seconds of Elysia trying to deepen the kiss, Thor just–

–POP–

Vanished leaving her kissing air.

***