riptide | kyojuro rengoku

XLII | supernova

FOR A SECOND, there was nothing. You didn't need to check to know that Akaza was staring at you as if you were crazy and for a moment, you were grateful that the detailed Ocean Seer abilities weren't known to absolutely everyone. You could only hope that your plea was enough to summon such a monster.

And indeed, it was. It was a black humanoid figure, dozens of times taller than the average human. It had pale, milky white eyes that stared into nothing and told nothing of its intentions. Instead, they were made clear by one clean sweep of debris and the village itself. It was here to destroy, to ruin, to clean the thing that had made its summoner so desperate for help.

You swallowed hard. You hadn't even thought about how to get rid of such a monster, but that was the least of your concerns. You could hear Akaza begin to panic. Sure, he had banked on everyone in his crew losing to the fight and his ship getting ruined, but his treasures were still there. 

All the evidence of his wins, his ravages, and anything else valuable were left to be swept up by the sea. You could feel your energy began to leave you, as if the sea was drawing it from your very soul. Everything felt frigidly cold, but you tried your best to ignore the sensation, managing to push yourself forward by digging your fingers in the sand. 

You lifted the water towards Akaza's figure. You weren't completely sure if he was there or not, but you could hear panicked breathing not far from you. "Not the village," You coughed. You gestured toward Akaza, fighting to keep the air in your lungs. "Him." The Umibōzu gave him one pointed glance before sweeping its arms in his direction.

You didn't have time to worry about them. Or rather, you weren't given the opportunity to do so. An arm had hoisted itself underneath your figure, dragging you away from the scene. You could feel the sea recede from the callouses of your feet, the sand sticking heavily to your skin now. Since when did everything feel so numb? 

You weren't sure if you could feel anything in your legs anymore and as far as you could tell, your arms were shaking from how cold it suddenly felt. "Y/n, c'mere," Kyojuro coughed, attempting to catch his breath as well. The warmth from his chest bloomed onto your figure and you let out a small sigh of relief.

The heat was enough to keep you comfortable for now, but it wasn't enough to keep you alive. It was the same way with the freezing temperatures of your body; it cooled his lungs and his chest, but it wasn't enough. Both of you needed immense rest after something like this. However, where would that be? 

Both of you knew that after the Umibōzu was summoned, the village was as good as dead. "It's going to destroy everything in its sight," You coughed. Your brows furrowed in pain and you tried to scramble to stand up, only being able to do so when Kyojuro aided you in the task. "We have to leave then," Kyojuro spoke.

The determination in his voice didn't waver and you knew that he didn't want to back down in the fight against Akaza. However, Akaza was practically a man thrown to the wolves at this point. Or in this case, the raging sea. And neither of you were ready for the same to happen to you just yet. 

You shook your head, the pounding in your head only growing. "No. We can't leave. I have to make it go," Kyojuro caught you again, your figure nearly slipping from his grasp as to how hellbent you were to make it to the shore again. His grip was the only thing keeping you from going any farther.

"What makes you think you can? Did that book say anything?"

He wasn't sure if you were keeping something from him and you shook your head. You had no idea what you were doing anymore; there was no way for you to know for sure if you could take that thing down. Even then, would it require killing it, sealing it? There were so many details and so much history omitted about your abilities.

You had no idea what to move on with next. Kyojuro tensed and you had a feeling the creature had turned its gaze towards you two. "I get it now," His voice was barely above a whisper. "The legend, everything. You can't take this down, you were never meant to. Only fire can tame it," You heard his sword relinquish itself in his grip.

The sliding sound of the metal was oh so familiar but even more painful given the circumstances. You were willing to die for Kyojuro; that was your human nature. And you knew he was willing to do the same, but knowing that such an act was truly on the line made it become a concept that was much harder to live with.

"No," You childishly grasped at his ankle, but he shook himself off your grip. "You'll die."

"Then, I'll die with honor. Protecting what I love," He stopped briefly to turn to you, cupping your sand and blood covered cheek with his hand and tilting your face up delicately. You could feel his breath fan over your lips as if he was drinking the sights of you in one last time before sweetly pressing his lips to yours.

"As a good Pillar should."

You slumped over in defeat, the warmth in your face returning as the tears trailed down your cheeks. "Set your heart ablaze," You choked out, knowing that any form of arguing or begging wouldn't change his mind in the slightest. You heard his footsteps shift at your statement, a small huff leaving him.

You knew he was smiling nonetheless, picking you up with ease and carrying you off to a sheltered area nearby. It was the most he could protect you with for now. And when he left, you heard his footsteps sound off, followed by the brightest blow of heat anyone could imagine.