riptide | kyojuro rengoku

V | human

"HERE,"

You could feel the boat slow down as you sleepily blinked. Kyojuro had stopped the vehicle, letting it bump into an empty island with a shore filled with sand; its trees were rich with fruit which was exactly why he had stopped there in the first place. "I thought you'd continue looking for him," You mumbled, managing to get yourself out of the boat.

Your toes wiggled under the sand and you giggled, looking out into the ocean to see a few sea turtles and that plethora of pretty colored coral. Everything here was peaceful and luckily, for your sake and his, nothing dangerous seemed to be in sight. "Senjuro. . . he's still out there. I taught him as much as I could about surviving and he always hung out with the fishermen."

There was a hint of solemness to his tone, but no urgency. It confused you for a bit, but you brushed it off; Kyojuro had already been dealing with so much, it wouldn't surprise you if he was a little numb to it all. "So, you think he'll be okay on his own," The male nodded, wiping down an apple with his robe before biting into it.

"Just enough to survive."

Although that seemed to be how he reassured himself, you didn't feel as confident when hearing that. Still, though, it was his brother, so he definitely knew him better than you ever could. "Why couldn't the village help you look for your brother?" Kyojuro paused at your words and you heard a slumping sound from beside you, hearing him sit on the rock on your right.

You moved to sit near him too, still digging your toes into the soft sand. "As I said, they're weak. Most of them can't wield a sword very well and those that can are growing old with age; we can't really defend ourselves in the same way anymore. They could help me find Senjuro, but they can't afford to lose any more people."

You hummed, leaning forward and picking up a handful of sand. It felt nice as it poured through your palms, disappearing from your fingers and piling onto your feet. "But it'd make sense if you stayed there, right? If they're. . . unable to defend themselves." He took another bite of his apple and hummed thoughtfully, trying to procure an answer.

"I left without telling them, but the biggest reason was that they didn't want to come with me to find Kagaya. They all knew he lived at the cliffside, but the tale always said the rage of the ocean had forced the Fire God onto the island. None of us knew what Kagaya was capable of other than seeing into the sea."

You leaned back, pausing when something cool met the tip of your nose. "Try it, it's tasty!" The man seemingly had no boundaries and your face flushed when you realized he was holding up the same apple he had taken bites from earlier. Shyly, you took it from his hand, muttering thanks before biting the fruit.

The sweetness exploded in your mouth and you let out a hum of satisfaction, looking in Kyojuro's direction and smiling. He laughed quietly at your expression and you could almost imagine him smiling too. It wasn't hard for you to come up with how people looked, but you never understood colors.

The one time you had seen them was when Kagaya and Amane had brought you to the ocean and swam in it. That was the only time you understood the definition of white and black; Kagaya's midnight locks contrasting with his wife's pretty moon-colored strands. Maybe you'd ask Kyojuro to do that for you someday.

"I don't know what Kagaya's capable of," You admitted. Judging from the sound of his clothes, he definitely turned his head to look at you, giving you his full attention. "And I don't think there's anything past what I can currently do. My abilities haven't evolved or progressed," You mumbled boredly.

Finishing the apple, you felt Kyojuro take it from you and toss it somewhere into the trees behind you. The animals would take care of it. He stood up, stretching out his limbs and watching you follow suit as you faced the boat straight ahead and stepped forward. Part of it was still in the sea, so you could make out the hull well enough to climb back onto it.

"And I can't go to test them out because of your village," It's not that you held anything against the Flame Pillar, but that feeling of skepticism still filled you. Of course, you wanted to help him find his brother to the best of your ability, but was it really that simple? How do you know he wasn't using you too?

Part of you still itched to admit this trip was a mistake, but you couldn't emotionally process the repercussions of that. Nonetheless, he lost his brother to the storm; the same way you had lost your father. No matter how skeptical you were of Rengoku Kyojuro, you detested his village. They had cast aside Kagaya who had done no wrong and burned him hatefully.

There was no questioning what they would do to you if they found out you lived there now. It was only by fear and by luck that Kagaya had managed to live there so long with his wife anyway. "That's true," Kyojuro spoke bluntly. "The people in my village hate Ocean Seers and it's against our rules to even discuss them."

"However, we can be kind too. We built a community and we treasure it. . . ostracizing is all we've ever known."

"So did you just decide on asking for my help because I was the only one that would? Other than my ability, was it because I didn't share the same mindset as your friends?" There was a bitter tone to your words and Kyojuro's heart softened. His brows pulled together and he set his hand on your hair, ruffling it slightly.

"Yes," He said unashamedly. "But we both make the same mistakes."

You swallowed harshly, unaware of what he would do next. Kyojuro bit his lip, a tinge of sadness lacing his words as he spoke. "You speak of the villagers as if they share some kind of pack mentality. And we viewed you as some pawn," He patted her head lightly, chuckling dryly under his breath.

"I guess we both forget that we're human."