riptide | kyojuro rengoku

XXVIII | together

YOU GROANED, sitting up and blinking wildly. The sunlight warmed your face and you wiped your face; there were some grains of sand stuck to your skin, but you swiftly moved them off. Kyojuro was still resting beside you. He wasn't the quietest sleeper and oftentimes if he was really tired, he snored.

You had learned that the hard way.

You grumbled, stumbling over a few crates. You tried to feel for your surroundings, but let out a squeak when something stabbed into your heel. You stumbled back, falling onto Kyojuro. The male grunted, mumbling sleepily as he woke up from your maneuvering. "Y/n?" He asked quietly, instantly sitting up when he heard your cries.

You sobbed, clutching the heel of your foot. Your legs still ached from the burns Kyojuro had left on you earlier and your tripping had only reopened the scar on your ankle. And now, there was a wound on your heel since you had stepped on some dead pirate's forlorn blade. Great. You cursed yourself, curling into yourself.

Kyojuro's warm hands moved towards yours. He had a few cuts on his own face, but they'd heal with time and he was sure he could find medical supplies to take care of them eventually. If they got infected, he wasn't against the idea of returning to the village Shinobu resided in. "Hey, hey, I'm here, deep breaths," He coached you.

He had never seen you cry before out of sheer physical pain and it broke his heart. You were vulnerable in front of him for the first time in eternity; you couldn't even remember the last time you had caved into your childish instincts and let yourself fall apart in front of someone. Maybe in front of your father?

You crumbled, dropping your façade as Kyojuro squeezed your hand reassuringly before moving to wrap your heel with a torn cloth. You knew that it was with the same blanket he had draped over you two earlier. "I don't have anything to stop infections, but Shinobu gave me some of her best herbs!"

You giggled through your tears, your heart skipping a beat at his valiant effort. The boy was clearly lying through his teeth; Shinobu would never expend her best herbs on him. What she gave him was most likely the bare minimum and knowing Kyojuro, he didn't have the money for anything too expensive.

"It's okay; you should look after your own wounds too." 

Kyojuro leaned into your touch, moving to kiss your forehead. He didn't bother arguing with you. It would most likely be a losing battle on his end. Instead, he sighed and let you feel the herbs that he set down, sifting through the collections as he tried to remember what Shinobu had told him.

"Weird question,"

"Shoot," You responded. You had pulled your left leg closer to your chest, adjusting the bandage. Kyojuro wasn't the best medic, so the binding did feel a little uncomfortable at the moment. "When we kiss, would you even be able to kiss me on the lips?" Kyojuro spoke nonchalantly, but you knew full well he was as flustered as you.

Your face grew warm and you yelped. WHEN?! Your entire brain short-circuited briefly and the Flame Pillar elaborated as if you were a child. "I mean, you can't. . . aim, right? Unless you want our first kiss to be underwater. Is that what you want? You'd have to wait till our wounds heal; the saltwater would just make it hurt."

Kyojuro pulled a disgusted expression, but you were still busy processing his word choice. FIRST KISS? This man was going to be the death of you. "I aimed well enough to hit your face a few times," You remarked. You could tell that wasn't the response he expected as he stiffened, turning to you as a low whine left his throat.

"C'mon, Y/n!"

You smiled to yourself, looking in his direction. "I'll only think about kissing you when you tell me everything, good sir." Your tone was teasing and he laughed. Warmth bloomed in your chest and your grin grew wider. Everything Kyojuro did seemed to have no restraint anymore; he was committed to his promise, not his expectations.

He was committed to you.

Part of you was scared to uphold that with him. You knew you loved him; you held him close, prioritized him, and his flaws had only become another reason to love him. Yet, you were terrified. If you reciprocated, would you end up losing him too? It seemed like everything you held close ran away or left you tragically.

You didn't want that to happen to Kyojuro.

Not now, not ever.

"What're you thinking about in that brain of yours?" Kyojuro poked your forehead for emphasis and you dramatically fell back, wincing when the back of your head slammed against the wooden floor of the boat. "Hm, nothing," You let out a breath. Now that you were relaxing, you could feel the dull ache in your muscles.

Kyojuro finished wrapping up his cuts, carefully putting away the herbs and makeshift bandages. He moved to lay beside you, leaning on his side to admire you. Not that you could tell, but moments like these were ones that he would always seize. Something about watching you was calming, almost entrancing.

"Do you mind telling me everything?"

The tranquil nature that surrounded you two dissipated in a second. Neither of you wanted to move and begin searching, so the least you could do was talk, right? Still, you knew, whatever Kyojuro was going to tell you were things you weren't ready to hear. "I owe you that much, at least," He reassured, his hand reaching towards yours.

His fingers inevitably intertwined in your shared grip, smiling softly at the sensation. "I'm going to be mad," You spoke quietly, sensing his growing fear. "That's something you can't stop me from feeling, but I won't be mad at you. It doesn't matter which way we look at it; we were both pawns, weren't we?"

He shifted and you could feel his hair brush your shoulder as he nodded silently. Kyojuro's enthusiastic nature dimmed and you turned to look in his direction, grinning slightly.

"Then let's be angry at the world together."