riptide | kyojuro rengoku

XXXII | trust

"Y/N!" You turned at the sound of Kyojuro's shouting. You had been busying yourself with cleaning the ship slowly. He refused to let you do anything too strenuous or to bring you into the jungle, but you had to distract yourself with something. You had also organized some of the pantry too; it was difficult though considering you had to feel each item meticulously to know where to place it.

Kyojuro jumped onto the boat, not even giving you enough time to greet him. "There's a small creek nearby and dozens of fruits! You gotta see—I mean feel—them!" He was so excited he practically sprinted over to you, dropping a folded cloth in front of you. You felt around for it awkwardly, feeling his hands gently grab your own and let you hold the fruits he had found.

There were a few misshapen apples (either from the fall or his run over here, you couldn't tell) and a few other fruits you could recognize. "You found a lot," You smiled, slightly taken aback when his calloused fingers grabbed your chin, tilting it upwards ever so gently. You didn't know what he was looking for or staring at, but he seemed joyous nonetheless.

His touch suddenly disappeared and your head dipped down again, your hands reaching for the fruits that had rolled away from you as you gathered them back into the cloth and put them in the bottom of a barrel. Hopefully, the heat didn't get to them for too long and they'd remain ripe for a while. 

"Do you want to come to dip your feet in the creek? It looks like it's freshwater, so it shouldn't harm your wound." From the way he asked, you could already tell he had tested it on himself; he knew a lot about traveling but up until now, he hadn't mentioned the difference between saltwater and freshwater.

You nodded, reaching blindly upward. As if he knew, his fingers interlaced with yours and he hauled you up with ease, his other arm tracing your back. You shook your head, already knowing what he was thinking as his arm dropped. He was wondering if you wanted to be carried; you knew he was still injured, so you didn't want to add to the weight he would end up bringing over.

Besides, your injury was bad, but you could at least hobble. . . a bit. "Over here," Despite you saying no earlier, he picked you up anyway, only until he reached the shore and you could feel the ground for yourself. You guessed there were a few splints and cracks in the ship that your feet hadn't brushed against yet. 

Either that or the ship had stopped at a weird angle. "Be careful, there's a root there," Kyojuro gestured, bringing your conjoined hands down to point to where it was. You did as he told, lifting your legs over it carefully as he continued to lead on. "Here it is!" There was a grandiose tone to his words and you couldn't help but grin, dropping to the ground with excitement.

The creek wasn't too shallow from what you could tell and there were a few tadpoles scattered around in the body of water. "Feels good, right?" He asked, almost instantaneously as you slipped your toes into the cold water. It definitely felt relieving and you threw your head back with a hum, cheeks growing hot when he boldly kissed your forehead while you were leaning back.

He didn't say anything about it and neither did you, straightening up again to unravel your bandages. You dipped my foot into the water, gingerly pouring handfuls of water over it before submerging it. There was a slight sting, but it was a much better sensation than it would be to shove it into a bucket of saltwater.

You closed your eyes in bliss, jolting a few seconds later when something slimy brushed your toes. You recoiled instantly, peering into the water with both curiosity and fright. "Excuse me, sir, ma'am! Please help!" Kyojuro shifted beside you and you could feel him ready himself to stand up, but you clasped a hand over his, keeping him down.

You could practically feel his simpering glare, questioning why you would do such a thing, but you silently shook your head. "Don't," He seemed hesitant to follow your directions, pressing into your wrist and squeezing your hand harsher than normal. "I'm not going to leave someone helpless," Kyojuro argued, matching your volume just momentarily.

"Trust me on this," You pleaded.

Your change in tone was enough to make his body movement stutter. He paused again, not shuddering once when you moved to grab his sword instead. "Please! I'm so tired, I've been traveling for days and nights on end! I have a baby! Please hold him for a moment, will you? Just so I could rest?" 

Kyojuro attempted to move again, nearly escaping your grasp, but you pushed him down harder, climbing on top of him this time. "She's a woman with a newborn, Y/n. I'm not going to let her struggle like this," He scowled, his voice dropping into an interval similar to the one when you two had your fight earlier.

You pushed his shoulders, eyes narrowing the slightest bit. You couldn't tell how you looked (obviously), but you only hoped it was enough to intimidate him to stay still at that moment. "Whatever you do, don't take the baby." You squeezed his shoulders, reaching for his sword and grasping it carefully. You could feel the weight of it in your hands, easily judging its length.

Just one strong swing. . . "Ma'am, please. Oh, sir! Please hold my baby, just for a moment?" The woman pleaded again, but this time her voice was closer. You kept your breathing to a minimum and shortly after, Kyojuro seemed to copy your actions, deciding to trust you. Either that or it's because you held his sword at the moment.

"Won't you be kind and hold my child? Just long enough for me to sit down. . . "

And that's when you knew. You were right.

For, there wasn't a sound of footsteps in the sand, but there was a skim in the water; a tail had slid against your toes.

"Please?"

Her voice was much closer now and another ripple of water followed, your toes still dipped in deep enough for you to catch the slightest motion of waves. And as if listening to you, the water completely stilled, with no movement, no flow, just a flat plane area of liquid. The woman's voice grew ever so closer.

"Oh, please. Won't you hold my child?"

And you turned around and you swung.