~ I'll Protect You ~

38 1 1

by Midna127

by Midna127

Fandom: Crash Bandicoot

Ship: human!Aku Aku/Reader (unironic)

Requested by inotlillyXC

If you harass her in the comments about this, you're blocked /srs

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"I have to," Aku Aku insisted. "It is the only way to keep the world safe from his treachery."

You knew he was right. His brother, Uka Uka, had made a terrible discovery as to how he could become immortal without shredding so much as an ounce of his godly powers. Granted, nobody expected that it'd be as a mask, but that didn't mean that he was unable to destroy the Wumpa Islands and beyond with his wrath. The only one who could truly stop him was his twin brother and your partner, Aku Aku.

But you both knew that Aku Aku's mortality was the one thing truly holding him back from protecting everyone else. After a deep meditation the prior evening, he had taken off to the jungle to find a vessel suitable for what was to come. You didn't even notice that he was gone until you saw him blessing the mask the next morning. The shaman's bright eyes were dimmed with sorrow as he prepared to explain to you what was to come later that day.

Hand in hand, the two of you gazed up at the stars in an effort to avoid seeing each other cry. "How much longer?" you croaked.

"A few more minutes, my love," Aku Aku squeezed your hand. "If I am to lose these for good, I may as well spend these final moments doing this."

The waves brushing up against the shore provided the backdrop to the somber moment as you both waited for the sky to clear up. It was integral that the tribal mask, carved and created by Aku himself, received proper attention from both the sun and moon in order for the sealing process to work properly. You prayed that it would only get cloudier and prayed even harder that you would stop being so selfish.

His grip loosened as the clouds rolled away into the darkness. The moon reflected off the ocean's surface and onto the sands that you both stood on. Before he could do anything else, the shaman kissed your cheek before pressing his forehead against the side of your head. "I cannot go back from this," he whispered. "But know that I did it for you."

Everything from that point on was a blur for you. Maybe because your brain didn't want to remember the sight of your partner destroying himself to become one with sacred wood. You don't even remember if he said or did anything to you after that. And how you had gotten home was a mystery in itself. All you knew was that Aku Aku was fighting his twin alone for the sake of everyone. But during that time, you felt like you had no one.

You lost track of how long it had been since he left. Every day bled into each other until they piled up into a heap of nothingness. Even with the skies being so clear, you had no way of telling who was winning the battle. All you could do was hope that Aku Aku came home in the end.

One evening, though, you felt as though you were being held as you slept. You couldn't exactly confirm this, but you dreamt that it was him in his human form. "Worry not, my love," he assured you. "I may have changed myself, but that does not mean you should do the same. Live every day with joy in your heart, just as you did before."

"But I can't go on without you! You're my joy!" you protested. Instead of giving a proper response, he just hugged you tighter. It took a moment for you to realize what he meant: keep him in your heart, not your mind. You began to relax in his embrace and felt yourself begin to drift away...

...

You eventually woke up to the usual sounds of the ocean, only now with the added clamor of the village folk. As you rose from your mat, you noticed them by the beach, singing of victory and prosperity.

"He... he has been sealed away..." you muttered. "But how did they know?"

"Because I told them so," came a familiar voice from behind you. It didn't take any observation skills for you to know that Aku Aku was right behind you. Even as a mask, you still recognized him through the light of his eyes alone. "So, was I gone for long?"

You shook your head and wiped away a tear. "Not at all," you grinned. "Not at all."