riptide | kyojuro rengoku

IX | blood

YOU WATCHED AS THE knife swerved through the water, disappearing for a moment. "Please work," You mumbled, holding onto the rim of the boat tightly. A loud roar erupted from the depths of the ocean as screams followed after that; the large white body of the stabbed monster thrashing around as it chased after the sirens.

The waves rocked the boat and you stumbled to stand up after getting knocked down at first, running to Kyojuro's side. "Kyojuro, Kyojuro!" You called out to him, brows furrowed in concentration before you scowled and pushed him off the seat. It was fruitless to make you sail, but you could at least make sure you two weren't sailing into the fight.

Another roar erupted and you watched as purple diffused into the blue waters, your chest tightening at the sight. Oh shit. You cursed, pulling the rope swiftly to your right as the sails popped out to carry the boat to the left. The large-bodied aquatic animal continued to thrash around, its roars echoing as it rose above the sea and disappeared back into it.

The boat started to swerve, the waves rocking it harder. However, your grip was loosening, your left hand tightly holding onto the Flame Pillar to keep him from falling overboard. You tried to keep your eyes ahead and even get a peek at the sea just a few feet from where you sat, but it was near impossible.

Kyojuro still wasn't snapping out of it and you shook his cape in an attempt to gain his attention, yelling out his name again. However, it was fruitless and the boat rocked to the left again, making you gasp and lose grip on the rope that controlled the sails. You hit Kyojuro, his figure falling limp and soon, yours did too, your head knocking into something hard.

When you came to, you two were stumped against another island. Your head pounded and you stumbled, keeling over the edge of the boat and releasing your stomach's contents. A concussion? Your head still hurt but you tried to focus. As far as you knew, Kyojuro was still out cold too.

You peered out to the sea, your heart dropping when you realized the white creature from before wasn't as far as you hoped it would be. Rather, it was coming your way, fast. It let out a screech, teal fins flapping as it opened its jaws. Hundreds of sharp teeth were lined into rows, already stained with purple.

"Shit," You cursed under your breath, watching it get closer and closer. Instinctively, you put your hand out, feeling something warm drip down your thumb. I'm bleeding? Yet, you attempted to regain your composure, taking in slow breaths and exhaling at the same pace afterward. The creature looked at you, slowing its movements.

It stared at you, its eight eyes blinking once. It let out another groan, staring at you before turning around, disappearing into the deeper end of the sea. Your heart pounded and you fell back onto your butt, letting out a breath as you stared at your own hand. Did I just do that? You didn't know if it was pure luck or there was more to your abilities than you guessed.

Even then, wouldn't Kagaya have taught you something about that? You felt bitter at the thought. I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't teach me; he ditched me after all. You shook your head. There was no time to think about that stuff, not when Kyojuro was still knocked out not far from you.

You stumbled towards where you thought his figure was, nearly tripping over his leg in the process. Kyojuro let out a moan at that, slowly coming to his senses as he rolled over to the side. He held his own head, leaning up and questioning what just happened. There was a line of blood from his scalp to his forehead; it wasn't a lot, but it still stung.

It didn't help considering he had gotten splashed with salt water earlier when the boat rocked. "Y/n," He mumbled, blinking a few times to clear his vision. His eyes fell on you and he sharply inhaled realizing you were practically lifeless. The Flame Pillar panicked for a moment before he suddenly calmed, his panic returning when you managed to utter his name in return.

"What happened?" He pulled you close out of instinct, but you were still shaken up. Your hands didn't hurt, but there couldn't be a simple coincidence as to why the creature had left you alone all of a sudden. Was there actual power within you? There were so many unanswered questions and you couldn't bring yourself to say anything, clutching onto his robe wordlessly.

Kyojuro's chest rose and fell and he realized you were just as scared as him, settling for no answers as he took a look around his boat. You two hadn't lost anything vital, but some of the food you two had stocked up on was gone. "We'll have to stop for a bit again," He mumbled disappointedly, coughing more water again.

"If anything, you should rest first," You said, moving your hands toward his face. You didn't expect for either of you to have no injuries, but it still startled you to feel blood underneath your fingertips. The last time you had. . . You rushed out of his arms, leaning over the edge only to vomit more. You coughed harshly, raising an arm towards your lips and wiping it fruitlessly.

Kyojuro panted, looking at you with careful eyes. He felt bad for dragging you into all of this, but there was no going back now. He stood up slowly, his legs slightly shaking. Kyojuro looked around briefly, muttering under his breath. "There should be an island not far from here. I don't know if there's much fruit there, but there's enough to hunt and it has a cove too."

"When we're cleaning up there, you can tell me all about what happened just now, yeah?" He had a big grin on his lips and you could tell from the sound of his voice, that he was smiling. Kyojuro reached for your arm, lifting your frail form up and letting you lean on him. "You can rest now, I'll protect you."

And with that, you blacked out.