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Chapter Text

Sweat poured across the grime and dirt tainting Shu’s face by the time he finished packing. His body leaned against the crate he just dropped and with a groan, pushed up his hairline. His fingers uncoiled through unsurprisingly damp knots and with a hazy eye, paid close attention to the very much unhelpful crowd he found himself in. As people ran around balancing crates of valuables like toys and others lounging about with the shade underneath their faces, he could feel his head aching more. Like a stress ball, he continued brushing his hair to the noise, if you call pulling your hair brushing.

This had to be the sixth load he ‘helped’ the people of Sol by now. It was a miracle they somehow raised the ‘champion’ within these lands. If he hadn’t known better he’d think the Mortis were better.

He flinched when a stranger plied open a crate and jug a whole bottle of alcohol.

Mortis would’ve definitely been a better choice.

As he pulled himself off the crate, frowning slightly at the sweat stain he marked, he felt his body jerk upwards when a fist nudged his hip. When he found himself staring down at a redhead wearing a casual smirk, his face reddened more in exasperation. Just like the wind, they say. “What do you want Kit?” he sighed, a hand wandering off from the helm of his sword.

“Damn, I think you’re more broody than the time Cooza held a surprise party for you that one time.” Shu cringed at the memory. Oblivious to his feelings, or unbothered to care, he yanked out a laugh and grinded his arm further against his. “HA! I guess you do learn something every day.”

“Kit.”

“What? I’m just saying!”

Shu let out a scoff and walked down to the dock, grimacing more to the sound of Kit’s cries laced with cheer. If he were told three years ago he’d be talking to anyone younger than him, at a comfortable pace too, he’d probably throw it off to the realm of impossibilities and ignore the creep who told him that. Yet here he was, doing said impossibility. As expected, said younger was nothing of help, in terms of physical labour that is. While he’d most rather cut Kit’s words and demand him to assist the remaining crates to the ship, he would be lying if the current rumour of the so-called ‘love triangle’ between Trad, Free and Kristina wasn’t interesting.

“And I was like, ‘That’s crazy! There’s no way Free and Kris would ever date’ but then they said, ‘But do you see the way Free looks at her?’ Like bud, what look?!” cried Kit throwing his hands in the air. Shu clicked his tongue and dropped yet another crate.

“I can see where they’d assume that. They do tend to be soft on one another,” he commented. He would probably laugh at Kit’s new appalled face if he wasn’t catching his breath. As if he did, the redhead rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, 'cause they were living together since they were kids. Hell, isn’t he like her brother?”

“You know people” – Shu pushes himself against the crate and walks over to the narrow bridge – “they’re all desperate for anything interesting here.”

Kit groaned again and continued after him. “Royalty spice is what they’re after. This rumour has been going on for nearly a year. A freaking year!” His eyes widened when he noticed the flushed redhead swiftly stealing his crate and cradle it in his arms. “I’m shocked less people are rooting for Trad and Kris.”

Shu’s muscles could probably sob in happiness. “Since were you rooting for those two?”

“Since they became my hypothetical parents. Ugh, Trad is probably the worst out of the two. He keeps acting more like my mum every day! I think he talks way too much with her.” He straightened his back and narrowed his eyes to form a sophisticated mask. "Clean your room, Kit. Make sure you practise your mapping skills, Kit. Don’t mess around during training, Kit – like I get it man! No need to worry about it all day.”

“He’s just worried for you. You know he cares deeply for the people than just the kingdom itself,” Shu said, a soft smile finding its way on his face. Kit looked over his shoulder and with a hesitated sigh continued walking over to the blank.

“I know, I know. Just… ugh I don’t know, have some faith in me, you know? I’m not a kid anymore,” he huffed. With his eyes staring at the back of Kit’s, Shu’s brows burrowed deeper upon noticing the muscles of his shoulders tensing. The two continued walking over to the ship in silence, an air of awkwardness filling the gap between the two. Before he could interrupt, let alone mutter anything that could appear in his head, Kit hastily dropped the crate and turned on his heel with a smirk. “Like come on! 16 is basically an adult, right? I even have a job, which is the worst thing to ever happen to anyone. Seriously why do they exist? Like, that’s adult-y enough, right?”

Even with his smile radiating with a light so blinding, and in a way must be too uncomfortable to hold for so long, Shu’s frown persisted further. Noticing the flicker of dread within his eyes, he turned his gaze away and sighed. “While you might relate to us in a few stances, from where I stand, you’re still a kid,” he finally said. He took a few steps to him and nudged his shoulder with a fist. A smile plastered on his face naturally. “A kid who still can’t do something as easy as folding their own clothes.”

Kit’s tensed face quickly reclined into shock and with an exaggerated gasp, punched Shu’s arm.

“I only asked Honey once! I so know how to fold my clothes.”

“Really? I must have been imagining things when I heard Anton complaining about folding your clothes the entire month.”

“That bastard! I paid him not to tell.”

“You paid him?”

“Uh, you didn’t hear that from me.”

“Sure.”

After rolling his eyes, Shu raised a brow at his poor attempt to justify why folding clothes wasn’t necessary. As the sun continued to claim the skies, burning up all the energy of the civilians on the land, the two relished under the new pace of banter they made together. While he could still sense the anxiety emitting from the younger’s body and his tendency to touch the rim of his hat down to the way his body tensed again at the thought of resurrecting the topic, he’d quickly switch the topic to the rumours he overheard a few days ago. Upon hearing his not-so-subtle sigh of relief, he could finally laugh.

It was probably nearing late afternoon when a familiar girl in blue came running towards them. He could barely warn Kit when her voice pierced through their discussion of rabbits. “Kit! What have I told you about distracting the crew? We are already running behind schedule and Shu is the only one working here,” Shasa groaned, finally side to side with the two boys.

Kit gave a comedic stance as he slowly turned to smile at Shasa, only to receive a louder groan from the other. Once the two entered their typical bickering, aka Shasa scolding Kit for not being as productive as she’d ought him to be, Shu’s mind wandered off to his training routine. His body tensed when that anger later faced him. Fortunately, it looked like he was spared; after a few seconds of silence that is. “I’m so sorry Shu, I really should’ve planned our scheduled trips ahead of time,” she sighed. “Hickson or Zac, hell even Sisco sounds better than these” – she turns to the group running wild on campus – “dumbos.”

He could hear a snicker beating his by a second beside him. Before her rage continued, he let out a very obvious sigh and said, “No, it’s alright. It was a shock to hear Ivan staying at Mortis than Sol, especially at such late notice.” Kit sighed faintly at Shasa’s now calm expression.

“You’re way too kind Shu. Seriously, you have enough power to order these brats around. You don’t need to do it for them.” He shrugged at her concern.

“My Kingdom is already on thin ice with yours, they’d ignore what I have to say-” and talking to an unfazed crowd rather than finishing the work earlier sounded much better. It was tempting to add, but with Shasa’s frown and anger still present, he’d rather choose to live. When silence finally lay before them, Kit poked his head between the two and stared up at Shasa. His eyes largening to resemble that of a kicked puppy, which to Shasa’s unimpressed glare seemed ineffective.

“You went off to get Free, right? Where is he?” Kit asked nonetheless, bobbing his head about to find the mysterious blonde. Upon hearing his name, Shasa’s anger flashed back right away. Shu shot a glare at Kit, who held his hands up in defence.

“Kris is covering up for him for who knows why. I swear, she’s too biased for him,” she moaned, swatting the air.

“Well, they are siblings.”

“Still. I might love Honey but I’ll never stop her from her duties.”

“You’re just too strict on people.”

“And Kris isn’t?”

“She’s a princess she’s supposed to be strict. You’re just, rude.”

“For a good reason!”

To the sound of unstopped banter, Shu turned away to the sea and heaved out a sigh. They were certainly leaving the next day.

Shu nearly drowned to death under all the letters that were passed to him before he took a step into the BC Sol. After dropping everything into the hands of a young seaman – despite the reluctance to do it himself – he turned around and returned to the hands of civilians crying for his attention. If he knew people would react this dramatically, he’d convince Kris to leave at the dawn of dusk. When he heard Kit’s laugh at his friends’ attempt to carry another crate to the ship, he let the fattest sigh he could muster.

“Kit, mind explaining why two town’s worth of people are here?” he groaned. The redhead looked at him with devastation as if he accused him of murder.

“Why do you think everything is because of me!?” he cried. Shu would’ve chuckled at his expression if he was bothered to. Thankfully his two friends who just dropped off their crates to the other seamen did it for him.

“You are usually the main reason for all rumours in Sol,” Honey commented, showing off a cheerful grin. Kit glared at her and crossed his arms.

“I’m not. I just happen to be there when they all start.” Honey and Anton – who finally caught his breath – stared at him blankly. “What??? I’m telling the truth!”

“It’s a bit too coincidental you know everything down to their roots,” added Anton. Kit groaned louder and rebutted quicker to the two’s firm claims, who only smirked wider when he nearly gave up and shoved his hair into his cap. With the three at their usual not-so-casual fighting, the older sister of Honey’s cut through the crowd grabbing the sleeve of a very reluctant blonde. The four immediately stopped talking to stare at the sight.

Truly a beast tamer.

After exchanging a very awkward exchange of greetings, the older man puffed a sigh at Shasa’s release. “And here I thought you’d return till the last second again. Better pay up Honey,” smirked Kit. The younger blue groaned and shoved a ten-dollar note to his face than his extended hand.

“Oh trust me, he would’ve. Fortunately for me, Trad knew where he was and like the angel he is, told me,” sighed Shasa. Somehow, the crowd seemed more rowdier with his existence here. Speaking of said existence, when they all turned to him he happened to disappear, once again. The four shared an equal look of awkward smiles while Shasa could be seen staring into the void. Expecting her to scream his name, she – thankfully – held it in and sighed. “Whatever, he’s inside the ship” – she turns to the fluffier and shorter blonde, who jumps to her sudden attention – “Anton, go check on Free. He’ll respond to you.”

The boy let out a deflated groan and the two juniors beside him gave an array of encouraging pats. When Kit said his fair wells and usual fist bump to the blonde, he gave a short wave and walked up to the ship, immediately calling Free’s name. When he was nowhere in sight, the remaining three looked at the now exasperated teen. “You sure you guys won’t let me join? It’ll be so boring with no one here!” groaned Kit. Honey’s eyes lit up and she leaned closer to her sister, pulling her arm.

“Come on Shasa, we need more people anyway! With him here, you can focus on being a boatswain than take in two jobs at once,” she added with a red-headed accomplice who showed off an energetic nod. Shasa looked at the two and hesitated with her sigh.

“All our best warriors are out at sea and our two seniors can’t keep everything together for the remaining month. I need you to stay here and fold the fort when we’re gone,” Shasa explained. “Plus, this is just a drop-off mission. We don’t need…” She flinched when she turned her gaze to all the juniors and low-ranked seamen showing off their status to the crowd. “… a whole crew.”

Noticing her reluctance, her younger sister took her shot with her best puppy eyes, tilting her head with her hands in front of her like how she’d do to convince a stranger she was half her age. While it was rather effective, to a sister whom Shu could only expect to have seen more than a thousand times a day, responded with silence for a solid minute. Unlike his accomplice, Kit kept persisting.

Shu looked at the scene unravelling with a tired frown. He turned away and looked up at the sun that nearly marked the start of noon. It will certainly be impossible to forget such a light-hearted town. His grip tightened around the helm of his sword as the sound of waves crashing against the ship echoed their desires to him. A desire too selfish to acknowledge. He wiped off his frown when the two entered a standoff, cutting off their petty argument by introducing the time.

He shouldn’t wish for more time.

Kit and the civilian's cries of goodbyes still left a mark on his memories. It was about half a day since he left Sol, and he wouldn’t return till roughly a week later. The sound of rock scraping against his sword failed to distract him from his worries. Instead, it might’ve been counterproductive. He held up the sword and inspected the sharpness. His eyes tightened for a good second, before deciding it needed more work.

It wasn’t like he’d leave right after he finished this mission, he’d tell himself. He’d stay for a few months – maybe 2 or 3, give or take – before he returned to Kratos. Everyone knew about the civilian tradie process and his participation in it. Ever since he came here two years ago, they all knew he’d leave eventually. So why…

He gave one more scrape against his sword and stared at himself in the blurry mirror.

Why did Kit try so hard to accompany him on this mission?

He grabbed a bucket of water to clean off the excess.

Why did they all make this last mission of his a big deal?

He swiped off the excess water and stared at his reflection. His regret appeared more apparent than before.

Why did he have to look so upset?

Shu sat there with a mind full of grey till a knock on the door broke him from his trance. Muttering something inappropriate, he held his shoulders high and walked over to the door. His mask of contentment tilted when he was greeted by Honey outside. She held a tray of food, consisting of a bowl of curry, a small array of crackers, and a drink of sorts. He must’ve missed lunch, again. “Afternoon Shu! I know you don’t like to eat with the crew so here’s your lunch. I know I’m not as good as Ange, but I hope I made it the way you like it,” she cheered with a smile.

He took the tray from her hands, before forcing a smile that resembled something like hers. “Thank you Honey, I appreciate the consideration.” When he looked down to get a better look, his heart nearly sank when he realised the drink was not rum but apple juice. He looked up when he heard chuckling.

“Honey…”

“Enjoy your meal!”

Before he could give her his thanks yet again, she ran off to he assumed one of the seamen here. When his shock wore off, he shrugged off a sigh and smiled down to his food.

He’d need to thank Ange for telling her his favourites.

“I spy with my little eye, something beginning with… s.”

“Honey, if it’s sea or ship again-”

“It isn’t I swear!”

Shu chuckled at the game performed beside him. Anton was listing off everything he could think of starting with ‘s’ and every single one was rejected by the girl grinning in gold. The deck they were basking on was still coated with water and a few members were outside talking merrily about the new sun above them. Even without Kit by their side, he still somehow saved their asses. Thanks to his heads up of a heavy storm during their route to Mortis, they were able to survive with little damage to the BC Sol.

She was currently being patched up by the only carpenter and sailmaker here, both annoyed by the damage dealt to her vessel. How he knew from all the way back at Sol was beyond him. They don’t call him the ‘Master of Winds’ for nothing, he mused. “Hey Shu, what do you think?”

He tore his gaze from the sea to the fluffy blonde, whose glasses were now placed on his head to comb back the hair obscuring his eyes. After connecting the dots, he looked around and noticed a certain blonde – much tired and older than the other – lazing on the lookout tower. He smiled and turned to Honey, who seemed to smile brighter to his line of sight. “Is it, Sleepy Free?” The girl in blue jumped in her stance.

“Yep!” Anton looked at her with a disappointed glare.

“How was I supposed to know that?” he complained. Honey giggled to herself and rolled on her heels.

“You’re just not good at the game, Anty.”

“That’s because you kept picking random words that no one would guess!”

“Shu guessed it!”

“That’s because he’s too smart to get fooled by you!”

Shu sighed and turned to the waves crashing against the starboard, attempting to hide the blush forming through the sun’s heat. The damp rails seemed to have dried up by now. He rested his cheek on his hand and stared at the sea with narrowed eyes.

This mission might be one of the top three calmest trips ever.

His breathing heaved through the thundering storm that suddenly hit them like a boulder.

With an arm trying to block off the rain entering his eyes, Shu ran across the deck grabbing the rope of the main sail. The previous seamen that held onto it must’ve returned, although slightly lightheaded based on his poor stance and swollen forehead. “Are you alright?!” he shouted, just barely above the brash orders Shasa echoed across the ship. The young man nodded shakily.

Together, they pulled down the ropes for Free to master the helm and guide the ship into the eye of the storm. When they sailed for a good solid minute, their footing suddenly slandered and more people lost their stances and dropped banged onto one of the masts. Shu narrowed his eyes.

He lowered his guard.

He barely let the boy process his words before he sprinted across the wet floorboard to the foremast, grabbing the unattended rope. With bleeding hands, he pulled tight onto the sail and with the remaining crew held the sails, held it up just right for Free to prevent the BC Sol from sinking. Lightning roared across the oceans, enough to make his order out as a whisper.

Shu clicked his tongue against his teeth.

He tried once more, yet only the waves answered his call. With nothing much to do to express his frustration, he could only glower at the dark clouds nearing them, as if they were an entirely new being. This must’ve been the storm Kit warned about.

He should've expected this. 

That last storm was nothing compared to this.

Screams and cries coated the skies in desperation while strands of clumped hairs danced across faces. Despite the pain felt through the crowd, everyone held down to their respective ropes, ignoring the winds teasing them with distractions. Even through darkness, they wouldn’t fall to some measly cyclone.

He summoned the remaining strength within his bones and yanked down the sail parallel to the floorboard.

Shu will not fall.

To his cries of torment, light was his reward.

“Here.”

White strands of hair obscured his eyes in coated red when he looked up to the figure. Their face seemed stained with veiny blues and grime of browns. Zoning out on the yellow and red strings flowing against the wind, a bottle was nudged closer to his chest.

When did that appear?

“Drink up, you've earned it.”

He continued staring at the bottle in a daze for a while.

When the bottle shook again, he finally understood what the other meant. With shaky hands, he took the bottle. To his luck, the cap seemed to be loose already. Slowly, he raised the drink to his lips and tilted his head slightly to drink the water. His lips closed quickly when it came rushing through his throat like ice. A chuckle arose above him.

“Don’t choke now. We still need you.”

Shu tore his gaze from his bandaged hands and at the blonde opposite him. Their face softened when their eyes locked.

“Welcome back to Earth, Shu,” teased Free.

The sudden thud awoke him from his slumber that day. With an aching head, Shu grasped his hand at the bandages that wrapped around his forehead and used a limp leg to force himself up back to the bed he fell from. While their hell was over, it seemed the sea had more surprises to give them. A groan escaped his lips.

How long was he out for?

He unconsciously turned his head to the nightstand. A tear nearly fell when he recognised that cider smell. Within a blink, he was already snatching the cup and jugging the drink down his throat, letting out a gasping sound when he drank too fast. Shu weakly punched his chest.

It would be ironic to die right now after surviving all that.

He let the thought simmer in his head before finalising his decision to get up, despite the desperate cries his muscles told him otherwise. He grabbed onto his sword sitting by his bed and used it as a cane to walk to his door. His eyes pointed to how long it took. Before he could touch the handle, the door flung open as if the storm was still there. Expecting the rain all over again, he instinctively closed his eyes and stiffened to the impact.

When nothing came, he opened them and sighed to see nothing of the sort. Instead of an angry mob, it was just two teens, Anton and… Rosalia was it? The boy seemed stunned to see him up and about – and more so on his reflex – but that confusion soon died after a sigh. “I should’ve expected this,” he said with a pitiful smile. “Are you feeling alright, Sir Kurenai?”

He narrowed his eyes, trying to process his words for a good second. “Uh, yes-” He coughed into his fist, cringing at his slurred response. “-Yes, I am.” Anton didn’t humour himself by the sight thankfully.

Immediately, Rosalia guided him back to bed while Anton went over to the desk dead-centred in his room to unpack his medical supplies. Shu frowned. He wasn’t that injured, right? “Sir Kurenai, can you hear me?” asked a hesitant voice from afar. He blinked twice and turned his gaze to the dark-haired girl. To her worried eyes, his stomach writhed in discomfort. How embarrassing.

“Ah yes, I can hear you,” he answered, trying to mutter his best smile to her. It seemed to work, just slightly that is. After a brief sigh, she proceeded with the short check-up on his physical form. Asking him questions about his pain and checking for any reactions from his limbs in case of broken nerves or such. The generic stuff. To her smile, he can assume he was in the clear. When she walked off, Anton came in holding a small can and a clean set of bandages.

“Thanks for scaring my assistant,” Anton teased, dragging a stool beside Shu. The albino shrugged off a sigh.

“Glad to be of service, doc.”

The blonde threw off a chuckle and unbandaged the wrapping on his left hand. He twitched when the pressure came loose. “I can’t believe you handled two sails at once. I had to confirm with everyone what I saw that night. Are we sure you’re human?” Shu snickered at the joke, trying to ignore the pain that shot up his arm when the water touched his scab.

“It was nothing. I wouldn’t be second-in-command if I couldn’t handle something like that,” he commented. Anton clicked his tongue and placed a cold cream on his wounds. They didn’t seem as bad as he expected.

“She wasn’t kidding. You’re really modest.”

Shu’s eyes flinched when he rubbed against the centre of his palm. “It won’t do anyone good if I got a big head.”

“Right, right.” After a few seconds of silence, Anton tossed the cream to Rosalia and was given a set of bandages in return. He took in a deep breath. “Just, tell us when it’s too much.” Shu nodded in response, gulping quietly. Rosalia, who sat by his right, began unwrapping his right hand and poured it with water while Anton began wrapping his left. While the pain was dreadful, it quickly eased away after a few more wraps. Noticing this, the blonde started to tighten the bandages more.

“Is everyone okay?” Shu muttered. The two medics seemed taken aback by his sudden question. Concerned, he tightened his fist and bit his tongue at the expected answer. Instead of sensing the remorse in the air, a loosened hum of approval came from the blonde.

“Yeah. Fortunately, we had no losses. Just injuries,” answered Anton, his lips curving upwards faintly. “Honey is helping the injured by dressing their wounds, and Captain De La Hoya and Lady Guten are discussing a new game plan. Thankfully, it seems like that will be the last of it.” He finished tying the bandages and leaned closer to unwrap the bandages around his head. He nearly fainted then and there when the pain struck back in one swoop. The blonde flinched, making his assistant hesitant too. “Too much?”

“No, it’s okay,” Shu answered a bit too hastily, resisting the temptation to hold his head. Anton shared a look with Rosalia before continuing.

“I’m surprised you’re still holding out. People by now would already be begging for Rosalia and me to stop.” The girl in brown seemed to have finished spreading the cream around his hand and started wrapping it with bindings. He straightened his back as a breath escaped his lips.

“This must be your first mission with me. I’m rumoured to be, thick-skinned,” Shu answered with a smirk. Kit would probably laugh at his desperate attempt. When the albino turned away, cringing more on himself, Anton snorted.

“Certainly.”

When the bandages completely fell from his head, Anton’s mouth closed shut and his eyes narrowed to pale head, moving chunks of knotted hair to take a closer inspection. As fingers softly traced over his scalp, Shu bit his tongue rashly when he touched anything swollen. He closed his eyes and with an acute breath, opened them to look around the room.

It wasn’t anything extravagant compared to the previous ships he entered. While the BC Sol was the Sol’s main ship, it was also the most underdeveloped. At first, he never understood why they arranged this as the best they had. He could instantly think of five that bet this from the top of his tongue adding on. But, now that he sat here, reflecting on the people who’d been with him throughout his journey of this civilian tradie process, he supposed that power wasn’t everything.

That the memories and bonds made were just as important.

He gazed at Rosalia who was asking him for the fifth time about his comfortability after wrapping his hand then at Anton who later asked about his head. Shu felt a smile forming on his lips. He supposed he had a lot to learn from the people of Sol.

Though, that could just be him reflecting on his near-death experience.

When all the bandages were replaced, Anton and Rosalia pushed away from him and packed up their supplies. Rosalia was the first to bid goodbye and run off to whatever wounded person called her name. Anton on the other hand lingered before the door, hesitant to leave. Before Shu could ask, he turned to him and placed his glasses in his pocket. “Oh yeah, Lady Guten is asking for you. When Honey comes in with your meal, can you please hurry over to the Captain’s cabin when you’re done?”

“Of course. Though, I can always-”

“Nope! Your health comes first so she can wait a few till your body is ready to move again,” Anton interrupted. He tightened his hand on the handle and flashed a grin. “I’ll see you later for your next check-up. Rest up till then, Sir Kurenai!”

Before he could answer, the door was closed, letting his words wander to the wind. He tensed his shoulders before letting out a tiresome sigh. How considerate. He turned his gaze to his hands wrapped with bandages and moved them slightly. Who would’ve expected a few rope burns to form this much damage? He then turned to the legs that were still drooping off his bed. They weren’t injured of course – else Anton would be fiddling with them too – but he can still barely form the strength to carry them.

Guess he knew that too.

After plopping his back to his bed, he stared at the ceiling and began counting all the visible cracks to pass the time. He was up to 192 when a knock came on his door. While immensely disappointed, he sat up and offered Honey to enter. However, unlike what Anton told him, he saw her older sister coming in, holding up a tray of food. Despite his desire to question the other senior, he was quickly overwhelmed by the new sense of aroma embracing his perceptions. Noticing this, she let out a chuckle and sat down on the stool Anton sat on not too long ago.

“Hungry?” Shu quickly shoved down his words of interrogation. Shasa placed the tray on her lap and dug the spoon into the curry. Another keynote he didn’t expect was her expectingly hovering the spoon near his lips. He frowned. “What? Did you seriously expect me to let a man who can’t move their hands feed themselves?”

Wanting to disprove her reasoning, all that came up in his head was a whole lot of nothing. He let out a groan and opened his mouth. He nearly wanted to close straight away when she let out another laugh. “You’re such a child sometimes,” she commented right after spoon-feeding Shu. He felt his cheeks warming to the comment.

“It isn’t exactly a nice experience,” he answered, pointing his face away to hide his mouth full of food. She shrugged and dug in another spoonful of food. They continued their discussion like this for a while: talking in turns when Shu was in the middle of chewing or when Shasa was busy making sure the spoon wasn’t too full for any accidental spills.

“You must be wondering where Honey is, yeah?” Shu paused momentarily before resuming to chew his food. After nodding with his food running down his throat, she let out a sigh and leaned backwards. “The sea must’ve wracked their brains so hard to change their personality or something. Everyone keeps abusing her kindness with their ‘injuries.’ They’re not even half as bad as yours yet they’re claiming they can’t move!”

He narrowed his eyes to the fact. If he could move his legs about now, he would be out there helping Honey lessen the load, and out of this uncomfortable situation that left him useless under her palm. Shasa must’ve sensed his distress and chose to shove yet another spoon into his mouth. Her plan must’ve worked judging by her sly reaction to his unconsciously tightened lips at the metal. “I’m glad Honey is getting on your good side. It’s weird to see you this, uh, distracted?”

“Helpless?” Shasa chuckled.

“I wouldn’t say that.” He closed his eyes and took in the food again. Silence filled the room once more, but contrary to him, she seemed content under it. He narrowed his eyes away to the floor as he chewed. “Anyways, Honey is busy outside and for some reason decided to use her free time helping more people than relax here with you.”

Relax?

Shu tilted his head slightly, pondering the question as Shasa scooped up the curry. “She’s relaxed with me?” he questioned slowly. She looked at him oddly before breaking out in a chuckle.

“She is. In fact, a lot of our juniors like being around you.” She shrugged and moved the spoon to his lips. “I don’t blame them, you’re just, I’m not sure. Comfortable? Nice? Empathetic?” He took in the food, borrowing his brows deeper.

Immediately, a finger flicked his forehead and he recoiled in pain to it. Even if his hands were bandaged, he raised them and clutched as much as he could on his aching head. “Calm down, it isn’t that deep. You’re just chill to be around,” Shasa firmly stated. Noticing her glare lingering, he finally decided to drop it.

For the next half hour, they began talking about random topics. While it made Shu’s skin crawl at just the thought of spending small talk with anyone, after letting the discussion drop about the state of the crew and the random stories that transpired when he was knocked out – which he assumed must be for two days – he didn’t even realise he had finished eating till he heard her crunch on some crackers. He zoned out for a second to process what happened and before she finished talking about the fishing competition, chose not to do anything but sigh.

She really does know what kept him interested in a conversation, huh?

Oblivious to his deduction, Shasa continued talking animatedly about the next random status that happened on the ship. “Apparently, Javier got into a fight with Sergio about what should be prioritised for the ship. I was only summoned till after the fight was solved thanks to Alejandro. Honestly, for such good friends, you’d expect them to be the most sane around each other during this time,” she complained, covering her mouth full of food with her hand.

“Well, a lot has happened. It isn’t that far off that they would be stressed. Adding on, they are the closest seniors of their occupations that don’t include me, you and Free,” sighed Shu. “We really should’ve thought to board in more carpenters and sailmakers.” Shasa sighed along with the thought.

“If only Kit was more specific on how ‘big’ this storm would be.”

“If only.” They mused on the thought for a while, before drifting off to speak about another. That is until a knock on the door arose. In sync, they called the guest inside and to their surprise, Honey and Anton stood beside the frame out of breath. Shasa immediately got up to check up on the two and sighed in relief when their source of fatigue was because of fieldwork. Shu happened to let out a sigh that was unwarranted to his attention when it was said as well. The eldest turned to the albino and smiled. “When you’re ready, head up to the captain’s quarters. I’d accompany you myself but our crew just had to fight again during my break,” she said with a rolled eye. Honey let out a chuckle while Anton and Shu sighed.

“Got it. Don’t kill anyone out there,” smiled Shu. Shasa smirked and turned her back to him.

“I’ll try not to.”

Honey and Anton waved goodbye to him along with some ‘get well’ wishes before they closed the door. With a hand placed on the bed, he leaned down onto it and let out a pitiful laugh when he later heard Shasa’s yelling at whoever poor soul she had to encounter first. After a few seconds to let the voices simmer, he glanced down at his legs and moved them a bit. While much better, he still flinched at the sensation.

Grabbing his sword, he used it once more as a cane and without interruptions, wobbled over to the door. Upon opening the door, he was impressed by the sudden silence that filled the ship. He can only assume that the rest of the crew quickly tried to find a way to some sort of agreement before Shasa’s fury lashed at them too. Before he entered the main deck, a bright light temporarily blinded his eyes. Twitching his eyelids to adjust, he turned around to find nothing that suggested anything remotely shiny. Was it the metal that was recently rained upon? He wondered. While it does seem rusted over the years, metal does shine in the end.

After a few more stares, he shrugged it off and headed downstairs, brushing off the waves that seemed to mock his deduction.

It didn’t take long before he stood face to face with those doors, slightly polished than the others scattered across the ship. He took in a deep breath and after a brief attempt to calm his bedhead – which he now regrets not brushing earlier – entered inside. As expected of his dear captain, he was practically sprawled across the couch below the window. The lighting portrayed his facial proportions that reminded Shu of a tired child, all emotions cleansed in emptiness.

Shu frowned upon recalling the last image of the blonde prior. He could vaguely remember the way his hair muddled up in the sky, nearly falling off the face that scrunched up with veins as he tried to control the helm. Apparently, when they escaped the storm everyone but him had fainted. It doesn’t take a genius to know who took care of them till Shasa or Anton aroused. Unbothered to wake the sleeping beauty, and rather weary by all the walking, he hobbled over to the closest chair and sat with a thump.

Free’s tiredness must’ve rubbed off on him, as he felt himself slowly pull into unconsciousness.

Shu quickly darted up when the door slammed open. He shot a confused and concerned gaze at the blue-haired girl whose shoulders tensed with agitation. When he peered beyond her and exchanged stares with her younger sister, she only smiled at him awkwardly before the sight disappeared by the door. He then turned to Free. Unexpectedly, he was still asleep. He could only pray so much for his survival when her anger turned to him.

After a not-so-quick process of shaking Free like a tree filled with fruit, the blonde finally stirred from his sleep and let out an exaggerated yawn. He must’ve been imagining things when he saw him also smirking at the girl’s groan. “…please tell me this is actually important,” groaned Free, pushing himself up to lean his back against the wall.

“We just experienced Poseidon’s hell and more than half our crew is injured- of course, this is important!” exclaimed Shasa with her hands in the air. Free looked at her and turned to the window, letting a low hum escape his lips.

“Yes, that did happen” – he stares at Shasa through his reflection and tilts his head to the wall – “shouldn’t we rest up more then?” he suggested blankly. It was a miracle he wasn’t rained down yet another storm of a god’s hell right then and there. Instead, the god seemed merciful and only paced around the room mumbling curses that were probably more than enough to form two whole spells against him.

Shu had to lean against the chair to give himself the momentum to walk towards the fumbling girl. “What’s the problem, Shasa?” he asked, praying she understood he wasn’t asking the main source of her anger at the moment. Fortunately, she did, as she quickly dug into her pocket and dropped two compasses onto the captain’s desk. While the inspection started as normal – the needle always rattled when it was suddenly dropped – after a few seconds, it was odd how it kept shaking. Even unusual when it turned to point at west or south rather than north. He looked over to the other compass, it seemed to be doing the same but more off.

A sight that even their lazy captain got intrigued by.

“You didn’t hold any magnets on you, right?” Free asked, now finding the energy to get up and move to his chair.

With a scoff, Shasa turned her back and headed over to Shu. “I can assure you I did not hold any magnetic material on me,” she answered, helping the albino by giving him a seat to sit on as well. After a brief thanks, Shu stared at the compasses with narrowed eyes. He tapped on his chin then looked at Shasa.

“Is it possible that the storm wrecked the compasses? We aren’t off course, right?” Shasa frowned.

“Judging from our last coordinate after the storm and the lack of movement we made due to our broken sails, I can only assume we aren’t.” She then stared at the materials below her and after narrowing her eyes even further, leaned back with her arms crossed. “I’ll be right back, don’t fall asleep again.”

While it was obvious she was directing that order to Free, Shu couldn’t dismiss the possibility of her pointing the statement at him too. He was sleeping when she did arrive after all. As quickly as she entered, she ran off while leaving the door ajar. To the suddenness, Shu and Free happened to lock eyes for a second, before turning away when the silence got awkward. Fortunately for them, she quickly returned with a whole arm full of compasses. The two eyed her carefully as she dropped them all on the table. As they finished arranging it – which was mainly only Shasa and Shu, Free was still slouching eyeing the compasses carefully – they took a step back and frowned.

Nearly every compass pointed in a different direction, shaking and twisting as if it didn’t agree with the direction. Some pointed at south before turning west mid-second and others pointed at east then north. Shu frowned at the sight. “Well, that crosses all the compasses out for use,” commented Free before the two could talk. Unable to refuting his words, the two nodded in agreeance.

“How about we make a makeshift compass? You know, with the needle and cork?” offered Shu after a minute’s worth of silence. The room turned silent again, making him tense when the tension turned heavy by their constant staring. He let out an audible sigh when he heard Shasa take in an abrupt breath, lips waxing up into a smile similar to her sister’s.

“You genius! With that, we’ll definitely know our north,” cheered Shasa, slamming her hand on the table that made even Free jump. He blinked confusedly at her excitement and in a daze, watched her running around the room searching for a needle and bowl. He only broke from his trance when he locked eyes onto the blonde, who was, of course, still as lifeless, but now somewhat snorting to himself at her expression. With a tired smile, Shu got off his cushion and while slow, helped Shasa find a needle.

By the time Free decided to reveal after ten minutes he did, in fact already have a needle on him, Shu had to hold down Shasa from strangling the man. They proceeded with little problems – it wasn’t their first time making this after all – and they all practically eyed the bowl like children when Shu did the honours of placing the needle cork onto the water. To their reveal, to simply say they were disappointed would be an understatement.

At first, they stared carefully at the wavering needle, all too preoccupied to let a blink pass. However, said excitement died quickly when the needle spun slowly then quickly then off the cork to the water. Distinct confusion could be heard without a single word exchanged. Shasa leaned back while ruffling her hair, Shu blinked twice and leaned closer to see why it happened, while Free stared as if it were the most natural thing, if his brows of intrigue didn’t betray him.

“Nobody blew on it right?” asked Free as he leaned back, tilting his head on his usual angle. Shasa threw him a death glare between the fingers of her hands, before deciding that she was too tired to humour the man.

“If that were the case, then someone would need ‘Kit-level’ precision in blowing to make it spin that fast, but even then, we’d hear it,” answered Shasa, hissing by the end of her words. The blonde dismissed her aggression with a shrug. As they continued their bicker/debate, Shu narrowed his eyes with a hand on his chin.

This was certainly more complex than he anticipated. Was this some curse? No, curses don’t exist, he swore that in any under situation he wouldn’t let his logic fall into their hands. There had to be a logical explanation. Next issue, why does any sense of direction point at nothing accurate? Was it all because of the storm? It was certainly strong enough to leave a mark on everyone, so it wasn’t too far-fetched to deduce it on wrecking all of our compasses.

Yet that still begs the other question. Did he somehow mess up the experiment? No, that can’t be right either. Shasa and Free would’ve intervened if he did. He looked up and saw them performing the trick again, which confirmed his suspicions when it fell back to the bottom of the bowl. With his mind filled with questions, he took in a deep breath and leaned back on his chair processing the facts:

Observation one, they just came through and survived one hell of a storm.

Observation two, all their compasses – based on Shasa’s observation – broke after the storm.

Observation three, after the storm, all their sails were torn, disabling them from moving for the last two days.

Observation four, any compass or sense of direction that is made is only deemed to fail.

His lips thinned tightly together to form a straight line. Even with that being stated, there wasn’t much to deduce that didn’t seem unrealistic. He placed his elbow on the table and rested his cheek on his palm, recoiling to the pain. Without even realising he uttered,

“In blind she beckons the stray to her arms, to join those to her eternal pain…”

When silence filled the room, he looked up to see the two staring at him bewilderedly. By their reaction, he turned red when he recalled what he just said aloud. “Sorry, it’s just that this situation reminded me of something my kingdom often told,” Shu explained. The two still stared at him, thankfully less confused. Free turned away, a bit too aggressively, then to the bowl discarded not too long ago.

“To her tainted tides and waves, may she remain as thou that cursed the line,” Free continued, poking the bowl to make a wave effect of the water inside. His eyes widened.

“You know of the rhyme too?”

Free let out a groan as his answer.

“Since Free lives with the Kurodas, he was forced to undertake their level of education, including all forms of literature, languages and such. So, he needed to remember the rhyme by heart,” she explained, leaning her hip against the table to give the currently brooding captain her side eyes. Once satisfied, she crossed her arms and looked at him curiously. “Didn’t expect it to be common knowledge at Kratos. Everyone at Sol only knows of the award-winning book Bane of Oceania version than the original.”

Shu was about to comment till a groan echoed across the chamber. Free, whose body turned to look at one of the side windows, sulked with a hand massaging his forehead. “Kris’s ancestors liked the rhyme so much it became the royal’s bedtime story. Then it became one of the most repetitive texts used for our close readings,” sighed Free. He played around with the knife near his hand and nearly broke the handle with his glare alone. “May that man suffer with all the warmest sides of the pillows.”

Shasa laughed at his misery.

“You should’ve seen it, Shu! Before their exams, Kris and Free memorised the entire passage to the point they repeated it as if it were a prayer. Thanks to their rambling, anyone who fell victimised to their chanting ended up remembering it too.” She then pointed at herself, tilting her head to give him a wink. “In fact, you’re looking at the first victim herself.”

Shu raised a brow.

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Do-”

“Shu, are you suggesting that our situation is based on that tale?”

The two turned to look at the man who interrupted Shu’s words. His voice seemed to carry an unfamiliar angst laced behind each word he pronounced. While Shasa glowered at his disrespect, Shu shuddered at the unexpected change. He mentally noted his dislike as he cleared his throat. “It’s only a theory, really. If anything, it shouldn’t be too focused upon,” he answered, his voice as firm as he could manage to match his. With the mood finally returned, Shasa sighed with her shoulders hunched.

“Anything is better than nothing Shu,” she answered. Finally realising the aching feet of being the only person standing, she took a nearby chair and dragged it by the table. “Besides, every tale carries a truth. If we connect the rhyme to our current situation, we might find a clue on how to head back to route.”

Shu stared at the floor silently nodding shortly to her call. “Mm, that would be a good place to start with.” He then looked at the compasses and bowl of water. “In the fourth line, it’s safe to assume the reason for our lack of direction is linked to Oceania’s curse?” Shasa nodded.

“There must be some magnetic force that messes with the poles,” added Free tiresomely. He positioned himself upright to stare at the two before him with a frown. “Probably some old junkyard was thrown out here and created a strong enough force to affect our compasses.”

“With that line of thought, we can’t exclude the idea of that force affecting our ship’s ability to move. This ship relies solely on air power after all. Ugh, a propellor would be so helpful right about now.” The blonde let out a low hum in agreeance. Shu on the other hand shook his head at her deduction.

“Even if we had a propellor, it’d surely be torn up by the storm and drag us further if the force were that powerful. Unless someone here does have experience in mechanics, we wouldn’t be able to fix it.” He shook once more at all the pros having a propellor could give.

“Anyway, I doubt it’d be strong enough to have a large impact on the ship’s-”

The door abruptly slammed open and the three were immediately engulfed with an icy chill.

As the clattering of displayed ornaments screamed within their ears, Shasa quickly ran to the person responsible for breaking in. “You better have a good reason to interrupt us this suddenly,” she informed, quickly changing her voice to her usual teacher-like tone. When the boy shivered and panted under her gaze, the cold demeanour she wore slipped under the seconds of uneasy silence.

“Hey, are you-”

Shasa quailed when he suddenly clamped onto her arm. His eyes poured with tears as he cried, “Another storm is about to hit us again!”

Everything after that seemed to crumble within seconds.

The first was spent with Shasa standing motionlessly, staring at him with her eyes practically popped from her sockets.

The next was a bang on the desk beside him. She couldn’t even speak before a trail of yellow shoved the two to the opened door. As if time knew of their halted breaths, it didn’t return till they heard a new and unfamiliar roar of orders from above deck.

Another second was spent when he watched Shasa patting the kid to head out to lace her demands with his.

When time turned for him to join, he could only stand under his shadow, frozen in dread. He blinked through the ache that raced across his ears. Thoughts of panic nearly drowned out the heart beating against his throat and with wobbly legs, closely tripped under the pressure. Bangs and shrieks were all that was heard across the ship and within the time he stabilised his posture, he’d pointed his gaze to the void of browns and blues.

Why…?

He stared down at his hands, who happened to be shaking.

Why couldn’t he move?

Did he train all this time-

Waves crashed against the rudder, tipping his bangs over his eyes of withered pupils.

-just to stand pitifully near mortality? To the winds that howled his name, laughing and insulting the failures of his so-called ‘achievements’, with a numb mind, he found himself standing above the boy who whimpered. With an extended hand, he paused to the words he spoke.

We’re all going to die.

The mist of paranoia cleared before his eyes.

He clasped his fist, recalling the feeling of his nails digging into the bandages now flowing in the wind. Before the fallen could turn, he pointed his back to regret and his face to the door. Steps resonated across the planks to the new sense of pain that caught him.

He didn’t remember if he breathed or not,

Nor how he walked over to the rest who stood above.

But with the pain that made him tear his cramped muscles. To the same pain that made him slit his bandages with his mouth. He grabbed the ropes that burnt his impulses and pulled in response to the captain’s call.

With his eyes covered in water, he shielded away the stares of disbelief at his appearance, especially to the one soaked in blue, staring at his confliction with apprehension.

Shu let the last second end with him.

Chapter Text

When the darkness voided from his eyes, all he could do was wither to the new sense of anguish engulfing him. Even if he did wake up sitting upright over a pool of sweat, he quickly slammed his back against the bed, clutching the chest that was ripping itself apart. A gasp escaped his mouth as his lungs heaved against his ribs, which he soon realised only resulted in more damage.

For what seemed like infinity, he lived under a vicious cycle of misery. Ricocheting between his desperate attempts to breathe and the broken bones that pierced his organs. As he tried to flee, he found himself further wrapped around a bundle of blankets, nearly choking out his lingering air.

By the time his head rested off the bed and the floor instead, his body fainted from the endless struggle. Unlike before, only long and faint breaths flowed from his lips. Before he could feel his chest nearing the edge of the bed, creaking arose.

With little effort, he turned his gaze to the shadow of a particular shape. It stopped and vibrated before darting to him. Blue was the colour he saw first,

Before his eyes gave in to the darkness again.

The next he awoke again was more of a blur than not. While his body burned, the pain didn’t surge when he shot a breath through his chest. He didn’t know whether he should be thankful or not, judging that the reason for his lack of pain was his lack of mobility. He would’ve opened his mouth to groan but his jaw said otherwise.

With nothing else to do, he stared at the ceiling counting the… huh?

He narrowed his eyes.

This wasn’t his room.

With as much movement one can do with a frozen head, Shu looked around the room, feeling his stomach falling deeper at the unfamiliarity. Instead of seeing the usual, red-curtained windows, boarded with thick blanks of oak, only two windows stood in sight, each pane dying for a needed wash. Even if the lighting was dim, it didn’t take much to notice the rotting and dusty wood scattered around him. Some blanks had fallen in sight while most were neatly packed at the furthest side.

This…

He forced his head to stare at all the trashed items nearby.

He couldn’t…

Upon silence, he waited for the sea, only to hear nothing but leaves swaying.

Shu wasn’t on the ship anymore.

As panic seeped into his cracks, he forced his upper body to sit up, only to recoil forward to touch his chest. Instead of blood, he felt bandages. A lot of them. He could barely feel the outlines of his body, let alone feel himself breathing. He nearly hyperventilated till he felt a slight push against his hand. With his breathing being his only lullaby, he closed his eyes and pushed up his hair, which was – expectedly – wrapped with bandages too.

They were clearly wrapped with no experience; only serving to cover the wounds than applying pressure as well. It nearly reminded him of how Honey would do it. Maybe even Kit if he wasn’t careful enough. Did Honey do this for him? Why couldn’t Anton do it instead? Did he get in…

His heart dropped.

What happened to everyone?

Before he knew it, he was pushing against one leg – screaming internally to the pain – and rolling over. The blankets followed his course and when he expected the fall due to his other leg being too weak to follow, felt only a minor thump. He would’ve commented on his floor bed, but he was already trying to kick the sheets that still clung on.

By the time he was a metre away from the bed, he was sprawled out across the floor, face down with his arms dragging him across. It was like a boulder was on his back. His limbs didn’t help at all, despite his efforts. He tried pushing his knee but that seemed impossible after his previous stumble. A snarl formed at his lips.

Who the fuck had to wrap him like a goddamn mummy?

God must love playing with him when the door croaked. He tried pulling his head up to see who entered, but with his eyelids covered with fallen bindings and a body weaker than a leaf, even that sounded impossible. Though, he was never known to be a quitter.

Footsteps entered the cabin and a squawk erupted after two seconds exactly. 

“Are you okay?!”

Shu’s heart sprinted when he didn’t recognise the voice or accent. He continued pushing and heaving to run but only moved by an inch before they caught him. He wanted to use the stranger’s body to momentum himself to evade, but the moment they touched, he recoiled in disgust at the slimy substance that rubbed on him. Quickly, a set of arms wrapped themselves around his body and before he knew it, a wave of euphoria consumed him. He had to stop himself from leaning against the other for more. To indulge more in that familiar saltness. 

He hated how much he missed that scent.

If the bandages didn’t cover his eyes, they’d surely been blurred by now.

He hated how pathetic he was even more.

After a long, and rather useless, attempt to escape, his body came faint in their embrace. Their hum of approval didn’t ease the shunned pride inside. Before long, he was back in bed with a racing brain. He could probably let himself faint if the stranger weren’t here, who was radiating anything but heat. “If I knew ‘blanks’ were this aggressive, I’d let Lui take care of it,” huffed the stranger. Shu stared at the darkness.

Blanks?

Another melodic hum arose. “Who am I kidding, he’d kill me if he found out I’m keeping a whole blank with me.” A shudder rose when a hand, or something resembling a hand, touched his cheek. He wanted to push it away or call them out for their disrespect, but only a feeble whimper was all he had left. While he hated the sound, it appeared effective. Thankfully. “Sorry! You don’t like that don’t you?”

Obviously.

“Well uh, I kinda need to touch you again, sorry, but I swear it won’t take long!” stated the stranger with their hands nearing his arm. Shu winced at the awkward tension. It wasn’t like he could do much to stop him. Sensing his aura of partial approval, the man scattered away and shortly returned with something emitting like a fire. He could feel himself both dreading and anticipating that sensation to be in him than out. The hand returned, grazing his skin faintly before touching the bandages, which he assumed must all be cluttered at his eyes to make him see hues of reds and blues.

At least he knew how to listen to orders.

He flinched again when the light entered his eyes, or as much one can do when they're paralysed. After a few blinks later, the first thing he noticed was the man’s arm, tanned and slightly blue. They looked smooth. At an abnormal amount, he noted. The next was their hands slightly glowing under the light. Their fingers were webbed and fell into a gradient from tan to blue at their fingertips. Before he could focus on them, a pile of hair – or was it tentacles? – rushed at his face. With a huff, they said, “Try not to move too much.”

His body screamed at the touch.

Shu’s eyes clenched as their hands started unbandaging his stomach. He swore he saw blood pouring out his body then. In his feeble attempt to push away, a hand gripped his shoulder. “Hey! I told you not to move! Come on, work with me here,” complained the other, a growl faintly heard lacing their words. Their hand tightened his shoulder and soon enough, he was pressed against the floor while they let the other slowly yet hastily loosen the wrappings.

If he could, he would’ve cursed at the man.

Once his body gave out, yet again, he finally gave in to the plague of fatigue. His eyes stared at the ceiling dazedly, brows frowning at the several cobwebs above him. He let out an internal sigh and sucked in his bottom lip, a replacement of sorts than biting it instead. As much as he hated the thought, it was clear how weak he was before him. Oblivious to his frustration, the man above sighed in relief.

The process was anything but pleasant. It was as if he were in that storm all over again but in slow motion. When he found his footing to survive the pain, his lungs unexpectedly widened and he fell once more with his heart at his intestines. His body flinched then and there to their touches, but it must’ve been non-existent based on their lack of acknowledgement. Before long, a hand left his shoulder and the changing process quickened rapidly. It seemed more of a curse and a blessing he realised. Later after the thought, their fingers treaded lightly against certain areas. Shu rolled his eyes.

How considerate.

After a long silence, glazed with the grunts and groans from his mouth, Shu decided to look at the man after counting up to 180. The sight was, unusual. A bit embarrassing to say the least. The man's chest was bare and was practically drenched from head to toe. His eyes watched the water tracing across his muscles, and they settled at the lines lodged on his side. He narrowed his eyes. They appear to expand and shrink like they were breathing. Something that reminded him of a… no way, were those, gills? He shook his head.

This is not a merfolk.

Shoving the thought away, he stared at his head instead. Their hair had been slicked back to display his face with a few strands pointing upwards like spikes, similar to how Free was styled. They were arranged in an assortment of blues, but most faired darker than Shasa’s and at the tips, they frilled and resembled something like an anemone. He closed his eyes tightly.

There was no way he was meeting a mermaid- no merman.

Lowering his gaze at their face he prayed it’d look relatively human. Fortunately, it was, in a sense. Their skin wasn’t a random colour like he feared but a simple tan, coloured with an array of freckles. At first, he thought he was glowing, but he swiftly deduced it was the water making it glow instead. People don’t glow after all.

If this was a person.

Shu mentally slapped himself. 

Focus.

While most of his freckles appeared brown, some looked blue or red. It must’ve been because of the water, he told himself. It must be. His eyes weren’t anything special either, just a simple brown. He traced up his jawline – which was relatively basic – and found himself tensing to the clunk of hair tilting upwards.

In his eyes of red, they locked with the pair that reflected their own. When a smile pointed at him, he quickly swerved away. “See? Look how easy it is when you listen,” he teased. Shu stiffened his gaze. Unfortunately, they turned their back before they saw his glare. When they faced him again, he immediately noticed the bowl in their hands, still miraculously warm enough to puff out steam.

So this was the ‘fire’.

Shu had to stop himself from drooling when the aroma came closer. How long has it been since he’d eaten? A chuckle broke him from his trance. “Hungry, huh?” He looked away. “Jeez, no need to be prick about it.”

The stranger edged closer to his face and after a few attempts, successfully dug his hand under his back and drew him to sit upright. Shu coughed when his organs collapsed onto each other. A snarl formed when their hand comforted his weakness. To his luck, they pulled away shortly. He’d never been so grateful to have someone not touch him.

After a sigh of relief, the sound of water swirling caught his attention. He turned and stared at the man blending the soup. He didn’t seem any taller than him, probably about the same height if he straightened his back. Before he could analyse him more, a spoon swiftly moved to his lips. His body leapt at the heat.

A groan came when he didn’t do anything after that.

“Are you serious- You were practically begging me to feed you just a moment ago!” They slumped for a split second before leaning closer to push the spoon further up his lips. “I seriously don’t want to mouth-feed you. You do know how to open your mouth, right? Like this?”

He opened his mouth, displaying an intricate row of teeth. Shu found himself a bit too focused on how normal yet not normal they looked. Was that even possible? If the other said something, it certainly fell on deaf ears. The outline of his mouth formed a tight line when the other closed and leaned back to ruffle his hair. “God, you blanks are so frustrating,” he grumbled. He peered through his webbed fingers with his eyes narrowed in defeat. After some silence, something seemed to click in him.

“Wait, can you even understand me?”

Shu glared at him.

“Shit, you can’t.”

Shu wanted to open his mouth and refute, but only an inherent grunt came out.

“Wait you can?”

He hesitated before nodding.

“So you are just being annoying for the hell of it!”

Shu snickered at his frustration. If they were under different conditions, he might’ve found this amusing. Well, without feeling paranoid that is. The man before him made it hard not to stay mad with his arms flailing about. Without even realising it, the pit in his stomach patched itself up. “I’m glad you’re finding my pain entertaining,” complained the bluehead sarcastically. “Just eat the food already. Open your mouth or whatever. It’s getting cold and I’d love to eat right about now.”

The spoon came near his lips again. As he claims, it was certainly colder than before. However, that didn’t stop him from feeling sick of the warmth it gave. Tilting up, he gave the stranger a raised brow. Another groan came out. “I didn’t poison it, which I’m starting to regret,” he finally said with a rolled eye. While his voice carried an excessive amount of angst that made his call questionable, he nevertheless, sucked in a breath and leaned in.

A more than necessary sigh came from the other.

While it tasted nothing like Honey’s or Ange’s cooking, it came down his throat like a slice of heaven. Before he knew it, he was wordlessly demanding the bluehead to give him more. He appeared more grateful he was eating than his outward gluttony. As Shu chewed the clumps of meat inside carefully, the bluehead ate from his bowl, and once he finished, a spoon filled with soup was always prepared for him to gobble. It was a peaceful cycle they settled into, replacing their previous one-sided banter.

With the fog clearing before his eyes, he could finally look at the other properly. The sight didn’t get better disappointingly, in fact, it probably looked more peculiar than before. His skin was indeed tanned, but he failed to acknowledge the darker shades of blue on his back and outer sides before. It was as if his body was painted to resemble that of a snake. A scaleless one in fact.

Shu chewed his food with a frown.

He was definitely sane. Not a single inch of him was rejecting the thought, and his brain was most certainly clear thanks to the food. They didn’t find it odd when his gills faintly opened and closed to the water still present, nor their cheeks that held another smaller pair, however external and feathery, wobble in the air like whiskers. It was all too convincing when he stared at the arm with blue frills, turning naturally when he stretched. Its length and size fell short compared to the one on their back that reached from his nape to…

A shudder escaped his lips.

“His tail…”

Total silence was his reward.

His gaze broke when he saw the other’s eyes widening abnormally. They looked shocked- startled even. He wanted to lean back and grab his sword when he came closer. “You just… spoke,” said the bluehead, dropping the near-empty bowl at his side. Shu narrowed his eyes.

“...so what?” he croaked. Too weak to massage his burning throat, he settled on tightening his grip on the sheets. The other didn’t seem aware of his discomfort.

“You did it again.”

“And…?”

“You spoke my tongue.”

Shu’s words clumped into his throat when his face came closer. He could see every sliver like this. From the way his eyes blinked like a bird’s, to the freckles that formed a red symbol on his right cheek – he saw every second of it, memorising everything as if it were a relic. He gulped when those eyes never tore away from his either. His heart raced when his lips parted just slightly enough to-

“A blank just talked to me!”

Shu blinked.

What.

The bluehead immediately backed off and extended his arms out in celebration. “Oh. My. Fucking. God. They finally talked to me!” he hailed, leaning backwards to nearly fall on his tail. When he eventually did, the albino finally noticed the very much apparent legs he had.

Wait, he had legs too?

“You had me. You had me fooled hella good back there,” he laughed. “Made me think I was going crazy talking to someone who might be mute.” He kicked his legs in the air – which weren’t a figment of his imagination – and sat back up to stare at him. Just when he thought his eyes couldn’t get any wider, he seemed to show him otherwise.

“Well, now that you’ve outed yourself like that, you can’t escape from me now.” Shu frowned at the declaration. Instead of groaning like he usually did, another chuckle erupted. “You remind me of my friend, Lui. He’s this super grumpy scala with the largest eyebrows of all time. Sadly, they do not help his appearance at all. Probably explains why he’s such a loner.” After a second, he turned around and scanned the walls, as if this Lui person would appear out of nowhere. When a minute passed, he sighed and looked back at him with a toothy smile.

“Weirdly enough, I feel like you two would really get along.”

He lowered his gaze with a chin in hand.

“In an awkward and untalkative way that is.”

The ‘man-that-resembled-a-merman-kinda’ continued to ramble on about coherent and random topics with minor resemblance to him for what seemed to be an eternity. While he learnt over 10 names and 20 terms he’d never heard of, the being somehow never mentioned his name, let alone hint what the hell he was. A merman with legs? What would he be called? A four-limbed merman, or maybe a walking merman perhaps? Was that how it works? He slumped into his form, glowering at the wagging tail with a million thoughts haunting him.

“You keep staring at my tail, is something on it?”

Shu jumped at the interruption. He peered up to see him waving his tail to his folded legs, ruffling his torn leather skirt with his eyes examining for any debris. It was oddly satisfying seeing how his fingers trailed it, swiping away what he assumed to be his protective slime coat. Satisfied, he looked at the human with a tilted look. “You’re so weird. The first thing you say is my tail and the next you shut up as if you are mute. It’s not like I can bite you like a scala or finex,” complained the ‘four-limbed merman’ with a frown.

Again with the odd terms.

Their eyes expanded to his confused state. “Oh, oh- You must be shocked to see a tail, right? I mean, you don’t even have one, which is pretty weird to see, like how do you guys keep your balance?” He crossed his arms, contemplating. “I should ask Rantaro about it later. He knows some tennae I think.” His tail bounced in his lap, catching Shu’s attention again. To his displeasure, it stopped after a few.

“Sorry for disappointing you, but... well you see, for us, uh, tail-folk, it’s kinda rude to let anyone touch it. Well it isn’t exactly a rule most follow now that I think about it- but like it depends on the walker or aquatic. Like for close friends and family it’s fine but… ugh how do I explain? It’s sensitive, you know? Like how I touched your face before. It wasn’t exactly comfortable, right?” Shu’s brows furrowed deeper to their waffling. After a while, he let out a groan and shoved his face into his palm instead. “Sorry, I must be confusing you again.”

Shu stared silently as his response. He knew he shouldn’t be intrigued by someone’s embarrassment, even one who wasn’t of the same species as himself, but he couldn’t help himself from doing so at the sight. While shielded, it looked as if his face turned red however heavily exaggerated. It was like his face got dropped into a bowl of blush. It didn’t stop there either, even his hair – or perhaps they were tentacles that resembled hair? – changed into pink, ever so slightly. He went to look down till he saw his eyes peering at him before looking away.

For some reason, his chest dropped when they carried more than conventional nerves. When he never saw them again the next minute, he clicked his tongue and turned away too. “If you don’t want me to touch it, that’s fine. You don’t need to make any more excuses,” he sighed. It wasn’t like he was that desperate to touch it. He didn’t need to turn to feel those eyes sinking into him.

“You spoke again!” He let out a relieved chuckle and leaned on an arm. As if he didn’t feel the familiar shame the albino held not too long ago. “You must really like my tail, huh? I might need to talk more about it to make you talk too.” Shu contorted.

“I’m not interested in your tail.”

“You just did it again! Mhm, okay, what topics can I say about my tail…”

“It’s not the tail.”

“Are you sure about that?”

Shu wanted to continue but ended up biting his tongue to huff instead. He won’t entertain this merfolk any further. Though, that seemed counterproductive judging by their laughter. “Come on, ah… oh wait.” Peeved, he glared at the other who stopped midsentence to stare off to the void. What was he up to now? Abruptly, he smacked his head, startling him and whatever animal that entered inside. “I’m such an idiot. I didn’t even ask you your name!”

Oh, that.

A hand was extended to him and with a smile said, “The name’s Valt. How about yours?” He stared at the hand – shortly taking in the lighter tan in his palm and dark blue on the flip side – before looking up in confliction. Do they not possess surnames here, or did he not trust him enough to tell? He stared deeper. Was this stranger even capable of lying? Perhaps this happy-go-lucky personality is just a front to ease him up. His limit must be nearing judging by the faint shaking of his hand. Sighing, he looked up without reaching.

“It’s, Shu.”

There was no harm telling him anyway.

The mer- no Valt, stared at him hesitantly before nodding to himself with his arm reclined. “Right, no touching,” he said with an awkward smile. He coughed into his hand and smiled brighter than before. “Well, nice meeting you, Shu.”

He didn’t know why he left thankful when he remembered, but he didn’t dwell on it too much. Instead, he stared into his smile, trying to find any lies. It wasn’t a revelation or anything shocking when he couldn’t find any. It did however make him sag recalling another bluehead’s smile. 

“It’s nice to meet you too, Valt.”

Chapter Text

The pain wasn’t as forceful the next time he awoke. Somehow, it was better than the one before, and even more so than the other before that. To his disbelief, whatever substance Valt applied on him worked at a miraculous rate. With a raised hand, he tried to analyse the ingredients he could’ve used based on smell. However, after deducing the same three potential plants from yesterday he dropped the hand with a sigh. Tea tree oil maybe, but why are spices also in the mix, he thought puzzledly. Perhaps it’s a foreign plant. He’s in a foreign country after all.

Shu will have to ask him the recipe once he can walk out of here, or subtly manipulate him into doing so.

A smile dug into his lips when he imagined those familiar faces: the fascinated gleam on Anton’s face when he has to analyse new medical appliances, the usual risk-taking smirk Sisco and Cooza shared before they rounded everyone up, and of course, the most unforgettable scowl Shasa threw before letting a single one abuse its power.

To the sound of wind blowing, not at all pushing the tides or encasing the sounds of joyous shouting, he narrowed his eyes to turn at the window.

Shu couldn’t recall the last time he longed for those smiles again.

As the sun filled the empty cabin with its radiance, he huffed out a sigh and shielded its warmth with an overhead blanket. How could he miss something he accepted to abandon long ago? He was only staying for two years, he told himself. He swore it under King Gilten’s law. It was useless to feel rejected by the idea. No matter what happens, the end is inevitable.

A hand clutched onto the sheets, turning white like him.

He didn’t belong with them, and neither did they to him. They all knew and accepted the idea from day one. It’s more foreign for a tradie to stay at their allocated kingdom than return. An unspoken rule expected for every tradie to return to their kingdom. A sense of familiarity to return to one’s homeland he muses.

Everyone knew and accepted it.

A shudder escaped his throat.

He long accepted it.

His jaw clenched when he saw that kingdom again.

Shu never-

“I’m back!”

Shu’s eyes darted up to the noise.

The Fishman had flung open the door with a bang, smiling all too brightly as the rubble fell. Shortly after it closed, his nose twitched after his accidental sneeze. “Do you want people to find me?” he groaned, swiping the dust from his face. Valt responded with a shrugged laugh.

“What? Can I not be excited to return home?” Another groan seeped through his lips. Light humming rose from the man in blue as he hopped on each step. They seemed to follow a specific pattern as they bounced to the table, completely ignoring the heavy sack of fish that kept bumping against his scales. As he hauled the bag onto the counter, he had to pinch his eyes when he realised they landed at that tail again.

With quick fingers, Valt pulled out a fish with one hand and a knife with the other. He didn’t need to look to know that wide grin tainting his face as he said, “Valt, the first dia- no walker to ever sleep with a blank,” he stabbed the marine and turned to Shu with a jarring smirk, “just the thought of it makes my body shiver!”

Shu looked back at him frowning. Well, that makes two of us, he thought bitterly.

With his back upright and too weary to return to his trail of thought again – especially with him around – he chose to lean against the wall behind instead. Boredly, he continued to stare at the dia, whatever that meant, cooking their meals. It has been about a week since he arrived if his brain wasn’t damaged. About 5 days to be specific. Despite all the answers he could be searching for right now, he simply stared at the way Valt handled his own. It was fairly insignificant. Something he could dismiss if he were busy with something else, like counting the cracks in the walls again.

Yet right after their second night, he immediately noticed his delicate practice in all he did.

From how he talked with his hands dancing to the non-existent music to how he carefully undressed his wounds, it was somewhat interesting to gaze upon. With careful eyes, he peered at the blade hesitating above the fish and they faintly widened when it was sliced into two with the bones discarded on the side in an instant. His hand gently brushed against his hair.

It was a good alternative to the former, he told himself. Nothing more than plain curiosity.

Once satisfied with his short analysis, he crooked his gaze to his own body. They seemed relatively fine, in the sense of him moving with little problem. Tracing his fingers down his legs, he flinched when he applied pressure to them weakly. Not yet huh, he frowned. When he pointed his gaze at the former, he appeared to be about finished.

Walking over, Valt sat beside his bedside and handed over a plate of finely cut fish. Shu didn’t let the individual speak before interrupting it with a “Thanks.” The one in blue, while shocked, ended up laughing at the act. He left the other to humour themselves as he ate with a rolled eye. Soon enough, a silence blanketed between the two. While content under the muffled sounds of greenery, he couldn’t help but feel tensed by the eyes ogling his body. Upon his third chew, he motioned his gaze to Valt.

He looked conflicted, in his usual exaggerated way. In how his eyes never locked into his and the occasional flaps his ears or hair made; it was safe to assume he didn’t think he was caught. A sigh escaped him when the other tilted his head with tightening eyes. “What is it?” puffed Shu. When Valt jumped to his voice, he shoved an extra fish to stop yet another sigh.

“Well, I was just wondering. Why do you keep referring walkers to uh, pe-po? Pie-peal?” – Valt shakes his head with a shrug – “Whatever the word is. Is that what you guys call us? Like how we call you blanks?” His mouth hesitated to chew for a moment. With his eyes aimed at the figure in blue, he let himself blink irregularly before turning away to ponder. It wasn’t like he didn’t anticipate this. On the contrary, it was odd how this was the first time Valt had ever asked him this. Upon hearing the ruffling of his loincloth, he shot a quick glimpse at him.

As unusual as it gets, he was shaking his head around, as if he was trying to get something out of his ear. Chunks of hair dangled by his face and those external gills resembled a dog’s ear as they waved about. He turned away when his staring came noticed. “It’s not a name for you pe- walkers. It’s simply an alternative term we call ourselves,” he answered. Valt tilted his head again.

“If it’s a name you call yourself, why call us that?” Shu narrowed his eyes at the thought.

“I don’t exactly know what to call you. I can assume you are a walker so if you’d like I’ll refer to you as one, but if I ever say people, it’s strictly out of habit.” He felt himself stiffen once he finished. Why was he trying to be respectful to this stranger? A hum soon cut that trail of thought.

“So, you guys are called pee-pale?”

“It’s pee-pl, but yes, we are called that. Though, humans are a better term.”

“Oh! Are people your subspecies like how I’m dia? Or is that humans?”

“Uh, no. We just have other terms to call ourselves.”

“There’s more? Jeez, you humans are so extra with it.”

“Don’t you have anything else to call yourself?”

“A walker is a walker and a dia is my more specific class. What else is there to add?”

“I, guess that makes-”

“-Wait! That means you must have a name for us, right? Right?? What is our name? Is it something cool?”

“I uh, kinda? The only word that comes to mind is a merman, but they don’t have legs, just a tail.”

“Ah, so aquatics then. Is that why you keep staring at my tail?”

“They’re the main reason, yes.”

“Uh huh, mhm, gotcha.” In crossed arms, he lowered his head to his palm and began to mumble something under his breath. With that much thinking, Shu found himself imagining steam fuming out of his ears. Comedic, he thought. The thought was quickly shoved down when his head came up. “I didn’t realise till now, but we have a lot of different words.” His answer was enough to turn him unamused once more.

“Of course we do. We were raised in different communities after all.”

“You didn’t need to say it like that! Jeez, makes me feel stupid for not realising sooner.”

“Isn’t that surprising.”

“What does that mean!?”

Shu stared at the other with a raised brow when he ruffled his hair. With that clenched jaw expressing a look that shouted, ‘This guy is so annoying’ in ten exclamation marks, he was surprised when the other remained silent than defend himself. It was probably a blessing in disguise. He looked away and chewed again.

He’d probably find a way to tear it apart either way.

When Valt ultimately spoke again, he blinked twice at the answer.

“Ugh, it’s so annoying when you’re wrong. But I gotta say, I’m kinda impressed you figured out I am a walker without telling you. I don’t think I’ve ever said it that much- or maybe I did. Thought I’d use aquatic more than walker honestly.” With the plate emptied, he found it useless to keep dodging his gaze. On top of that, found it also useless to ignore the aching curiosity of that last line.

“Aquatic? What do you mean by that?” he asked. Valt gawked at him as if he grew wings and flew.

“Wow, you really” – he shakes his head, mumbling something along the line of ‘focus’ – “Anyways, ‘Dias’ are those special case subspecies in the walkers section. Since us tails mostly hang out in sea, everyone refers to them as aquatics and most even refer to themselves as one.” He let out a chuckle and scratched his chin lightly. “Honestly, the terming is so outdated. Our time limit on the surface realm is about a couple of hours before my skin starts cracking. Like how can we be walkers when we can’t live up here, but I guess-”

Shu started to blank out when the term walker was used for the fifth time in a row. With the rate of words escaping his lips, he might as well be drowning in them. Was it possible to understand something but not at the same time? By the time he could process the category system between walkers and aquatics, it seemed that Valt noticed his brain stump.

Awkward laughter appeared to be that sign.

“Sorry! I’m rambling again, aren’t I?” said Valt, scratching the back of his neck with an apologetic smile. For some reason, it left a bitter taste on his tongue. “Alright, let’s start a bit more simpler for you to understand.”

A frown was felt on the tip of his brows.

“I understand, no doubt about that,” Shu replied, a bit too abrupt than expected. “So, walkers and aquatics are the two main species for your kind and dia are the subspecies under the walker category, right?” There were more terms he forgot to mention, but he wouldn’t risk embarrassing himself in front of the dunce expert before him. Judging by that widened expression, he was right on target.

“Wow! You’re pretty smart!” Obviously. “Yeah, you’re right on like, everything, so far. Since aquatics is a huge section and I know way more stuff about walkers, we’ll talk about them first.” Valt edged closer to the bed and with his hands up, he assumed to expect another array of childlike performances.

“First, we have us dia! We’re the only soft-skinned folks in the walker community and are defined by our ability to excrete this slimy substance to prevent our skin from damaging on the surface. We have this time limit on how long we can stay in this realm before it dries up, but it kinda depends if you have a tail or not.

“I’m part of the tail gang, which is probably obvious to you since you keep staring at it. We’re the part that often refers to themselves as aquatics and we have a shorter timespan in this realm. It’s roughly like, two to three-ish hours before our protective coat starts drying, which is a very bad thing since our skin cracks and that is hell to deal with.

“The other half is the no-tail gang- oh wait I forgot to mention but we’ll all uh kinda split in between in how we look but anyways- for the no-tail gang, they have obviously no tails and are the reason why dia aren’t completely aquatic. See, they refer to themselves as walkers since they spend most of their time here since their coats are much stronger and can last for days on end. Plus, unlike us, they can’t survive being underwater for too long- did I mention we could breathe underwater too? Welp we can, but no-tails can’t. At max, I’ve seen a no-tail stay underwater for like, five hours? Better than us here- but that’s beside the point. Honestly, now that I think about it, I’ve always wondered why we can’t split up like fina and finex since there’s such a big divide in our traits, but I guess it’s because our population isn’t as big as their-”

Silence soon filled the room.

Shu blinked in confusion at Valt’s sudden stillness. His head and jaw appeared to stop mid-sentence, along with the tail and arms that waved around to portray the emotions he tried to convey. When it remained for a solid minute, he felt his arm itching. Was this another random gimmick dia had? Hesitantly, he reached his arm forward. “Uh, Valt?”

He flinched when the other opened his mouth to gasp out air.

“GAHH! Too many thoughts!” he groaned. After ruffling his hair, he sighed and gave out a timid smile. “I’m not good at this explaining thing, aren’t I?” Shu hated how much he wanted to call out and ask him to continue. Even more so on how he had to pull himself from staring at his bird-like eyes.

He tightened his lips and gently moved his hair away from his eyes.

“You can say that again, but I understand more about your kind.” He noticed the other smile brighter at the comment. A bit too brightly he noted. “While it explains why you’re rarely around, it doesn’t explain why you chose to live so far away from the ocean. Wouldn’t it be better to live closer?” Valt shifted in his spot. If he wasn’t staring, he wouldn’t notice the slight twitch of his lips when he scratched under his chin again.

“Oh well, that’s uh, it’s kinda just personal preference,” he answered. Tilting his head, he managed to swipe that former smile with an even brighter one. “I mean, isn’t it more prettier to be in a forest than the ocean?” Shu frowned.

“No, not really.”

That seemed to perk him up.

“Really? I thought you blanks loved being on land. You don’t breathe underwater, do you?”

“I don’t need to live underwater to appreciate its beauty,” he sighed. “Just, being around it calms me. The sound of the waves, the overbearing salty taste, the cold breeze…” With his eyes closed, he can almost sense those descriptions happening. But as always, the fake imagery only reminded him of the obvious lacklustre of everything. He turned to the other, who only looked more confused than before. “I’m surprised you don’t like it.”

Valt continued to stare in an abnormal silence. As his eyes burrowed deeper into his sockets, he dipped his chin lower to look at Shu even more carefully. He nearly flinched when he leaned closer. Before he could interrupt, an amused hum arose from that throat of his and he immediately leaned back. “I must’ve hit the jackpot of humans.”

He quickly stood up, stretching his arms. “A half-aquatic who loves the surface and a human who loves the sea, man what a combo huh?” he mused. With a swipe of his tail, he waved his hand away and smirked. “I’ll be right back, okay? Good evening, Shu!”

Shu couldn’t even manage to utter a gasp before the other started to jog outside. When silence returned, he couldn’t help but retract the arm he didn’t know was still reaching. He looked down at his hand lowering. Why was he trying to talk to him? Was he that desperate for answers? He groaned when he placed his hand against his face.

“What jackpot?”

He didn’t even notice the shimmer of blood beside him when he fell asleep

By the next dawn, it didn’t take a fool to release its anomy to the rest. From the midst of his fantasies, the usual patter of waves soon transformed into an imbalanced force of melodies. As the creaking wood struggled to shield the sets of hands clawing their way into the ship, a groan rumbled in his throat to the swaying motion his body fell into.

While tempted to get up and curse the seas with a waving sword, with that familiar scent of saline tanging his lips, his mind only fell to the unconsciousness vacuum that haunted him. A strange desire to simply let those waves rock his body back and forth. To let their hands roughly yet gently grasp his clothes for whatever purpose they served.

When the winds of ice came to their end, he waited patiently for what was to come. He could only imagine what they-

“SHU GET THE FUCK UP.”

His luck never failed to impress him that’s for sure. The albino kicked up from the floor, heaving his chest against the bandages with a hand hovering to his side. “What is it?! Is it another storm? Tell everyone to-”

“-Oh, my, god. I seriously thought you died.”

When his hand phased through the ghost sensation of his sword’s hilt, reality crashed on him. He looked to his left and saw Valt groaning out a sigh, arching backwards to seemingly complain to the air. A faint warmth engulfed his cheeks to the realisation. When did he ever get so laced in a dream? He tried to cough into his hand but only a grumble came out, if you call an odd grating noise a grumble that is. “What do you want, Valt? Do you understand how early it is?” Shu mumbled, clenching his jaw when he could hear his voice crack midsentence.

The other, thankfully, didn’t seem to care and sprung himself closer to him. His eyes widened in annoyance as he leaned back once more. “What do you mean ‘early’? The morning risers are about to get up!” replied Valt sharply. Without letting him ponder the thought, the other got up and quickly began wrapping his arms around his waist. His body flinched as his fingers wandered too far down his stomach.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” Shu shouted, smacking away his arms. While it seemed effective for a few seconds, Valt’s brows furrowed and proceeded to go against his desires again.

“I’m trying to carry you, stupid. Just,” Valt’s hands wrapped around his waist and a shiver fell over Shu as the freshwater tapped his bare skin, “corporate with me.” Shu narrowed his gaze and continued his best to break out of his grasp. Now with his strength starting to amend, he twisted himself to face the other for more control, grunting beside the other’s stammered complaints. As Valt pushed his elbow away, his face distorted immediately after shifting his only supporting arm.

A mistake he’ll soon regret.

“I know you don’t like it, but trust me you’ll-”

With legs accidentally angling themselves wrongly, Shu found himself slammed against the ground. A groan escaped his mouth to the collateral damage, and he momentarily saw black when his eyes coiled upwards. Cursing the stillness, he blinked back into life to see that familiar bundle of shaded blues before him. It was as if those curses looked down at him tauntingly when his eyes widened at the sight.

If a colour were used to describe cold, brown would undoubtedly come to mind. With those pupils nearly consuming his shaded eyes, staring down at him with every synonym of irritation, how could he think overwise? Their lungs could be seen grinding against its chest, just enough for his ribs to be seen, and if he narrowed his gaze, he could see steam fuming from that pointed mouth.

Eternity happened to last right until a droplet fell to his cheek.

Shu felt himself burning when he reflected on the time. Briefly, he turned away to mumble out an incoherent curse before saying, “You’ve got my attention, alright? Just say what you want.” Those hues of brown seemed to diminish slightly, before engulfing his pupils. He didn’t bother to amuse himself to stare at the other’s discomfort, let alone deduce the apparent shame that was directed at everything but him. Fortunately, their eternity ended relatively fast.

“Sorry! I didn’t, fuck- seriously I’m sorry,” blurted Valt as he moved away to his side. Red seemed to glow briefly under the blurry night. “I just wanted to explain- no I, well I was planning to…” he let out a sigh after nothing came to mind for a while, “I wanted to take you to the sea.”

To the second drip settling against the ground, time momentarily paused for his reaction.

Shu blinked more than he’d liked at the bluehead. Valt paused for his reaction. With his hands twiddling against the cloth around his waist – which he realised was cleaner than any of their days together – and how for the first time refused to look in his direction, eyes holding more regret than he had ever seen before. Even more so to see how baffling it undoubtedly held under their faded light.

He took in a breath to solidify his movements. For some reason, his body shook in anticipation, yet in guilt.

“You… you should’ve warned me at least,” he finally said, lamely to add. Valt let out a rather too-forceful chuckle. Instead of easing the tension, it only served the opposite.

“Yeah. You made that pretty clear.”

Silence filled them again right after. However, for that moment, all he could imagine was that similar sight again: of the waves crashing against the bay, the sand’s failed attempts to drown his feet, and even the salt burning his eyes as if he were cutting onions to top the emotional rush. It was too much. He did too much already. Shu felt his body tensing when he heard that voice again.

“You’re right. It’s pretty early and you’re-”

“We’re still going right?”

Light shone on him. “What?” answered Valt, a bit too slowly. He bit his lip and let his gaze fall onto him, more focused than before.

“We are still going, right?”

That intoxicating smile was all the answer he needed.

The first thing Shu recalled was the rush of fresh air gagging down his lungs.

With a sigh and glare, he roughly elbowed Valt’s stomach, who only further laughed to his brief relief. That was until he slipped his grip and lounged towards the dirt. Those sounds of cheer soon turned into panic as he quickly grabbed his arm. “Jeez, it’s like you want to be injured,” groaned Valt, gently pulling the albino closer to his chest. Wrapping an arm above his neck, Shu clicked his tongue and looked away.

“Appreciate the concern,” he said sarcastically. Shu could imagine his eyes rolling at the comment. Even with the land barely shown, he could tell their little hut was hidden within the densest part of the forest. Carefully too in how the greenery was left unharmed despite their residence. It was fortunate enough that he landed in a vegetative land than deserted. He pointed his eyes at the other, after nearly tripping over a stick thanks to Valt’s late warning.

Shu supposed his luck could’ve been worse.

They continued their pace through the bushes of darkness, letting the veil of moonlight hover over their bodies. Through each time he found himself being pulled or pushed by the man on his right, he slowly remembered the deck that moved him similarly. To the way, he felt the nauseousness banging his brain down to each step always risking the chance he’d slip. Shu wanted to forget. To drift his mind space into a more dire problem to ponder about. Yet with that extra support, he hated how the anticipation boiled his blood.

How annoying, he thought. His knuckles glided against his sides as they tightened. When did he ever reminisce this much?

“Shu? You doing okay?” The air wrapped tighter around his neck.

“I’m fine,” he said, though not as promptly as he wanted. He tore away from those paranoid eyes and at the ground instead to adjust to the sudden hill. “Just getting used to walking again.” Valt glared at him heavily. It must’ve been the light that made him glow ever so slightly.

“We can stop if you’re tired,” said Valt, tilting his head to dodge an upcoming branch. Shu clicked his tongue and leaned closer to avoid a suspicious-looking web.

“Didn’t you say we were late?” A chuckle came out, topped with an exaggerated sigh.

“I didn’t exactly say that.”

“You implied it.”

“I was impatient!”

Shu stared at the other blankly as he mumbled off into the distance. As usual, he was shaking his head around like a dog soaking wet. Weird habit. Valt glared at him right after. Did he hear that? “Well, you never said no, right?” He had to blink an extra time when he saw Valt smiling than frown again. That said, his eyes soon narrowed to the conclusion. “You’re injured, so what if you’re tired? I’m supposed to take care of you until you get better. So,” he tilted his head and patted his back gently, “be honest with me from here on out.”

A flame suddenly lit up from inside.

Blindingly, he quickly looked away along with his body. His laughter was loud and clear, enough for the whole world to hear. Even if the impending fear of being caught lingered above them, for just this moment that seemed to be all trivial matter. Instead of thinking of anything rational, he couldn’t find a single word to make it stop. As the slowed pace of their tracks rebounded across his body, Shu swallowed the dead skin chapped on his lips.

Within one act, he was suddenly all too bright for him to ignore.

To Valt’s stumble against the dirt, that’s when fantasy turned into reality. Now with them halted in place he finally felt his consciousness retracing back to him. A chunk of air seemed to greet him and in return, he subtly gagged underneath his shadow. For some reason, Valt didn’t seem to care so much about the matter. Whether that was a blessing in disguise he wasn’t exactly sure where to deem it as. All he knew was the need to breathe and let the air clear the fog to see properly. “I can assure you that won’t be nec-”

It appears the fog thought otherwise.

All at once, Shu was quickly pushed down into a nearby bush. His body flinched and his mouth cursed at the thorns that prickled through his bandages like a set of kitchen knives. Once he could balance his head on his neck, he was nearly about to shout until a hand covered those words. His eyes narrowed when he saw Valt looming above him closely, placing his finger above his lips.

The air came tense when the sound of footsteps emerged.

Eyes of red stared through the leaves and twigs, gazing and analysing the new figure coated in feathers and iron. While there was, everything that he could talk about the stranger, the only thing he could watch were the unnaturally bent legs for each step they took. An instinctive act as he carefully processed the way they moved one leg across the other slowly, and the occasional halts and twists they did to stare into the void. Upon each second stop, they clicked their teeth thrice before humming a melodic scale. Even if they had to raise their leg to scrape the tree with their talon, their harmony was left-

Panic seeped into his face as the mask pointed in their direction.

Despite his attempt to stay still, the hand above his mouth only served as a distraction as they tightened. He was about to signal Valt to calm down but when he looked up, he was glaring whitely at his chest. Not a single gaze left that area of sight or even tempted to move. It was as if he knew who it was by aura alone.

A shudder came out of him.

He reached over his waist, only to realise the vacancy of nothing.

This was it, he thought.

Shu glared back and bit his tongue.

Now or-

“Tokonatsu.”

Time seemed to stop for them, and with that their breathing. The figure quickly turned to the other approaching with some sort of startled squawk. “A-Ashikaga?” When the steps came closer, he let out a sigh, quite unnaturally too, “Ah, I didn’t see you there.” If masks could deform, those eye-sockets would soften to the lack of threat.

When Ashikaga appeared in view, instead of seeing yet another bird-like figure, it was instead more reptilian. Scales scattered across her exposed skin, etching fine black markings from the outer part of her body and despite the clear fast pace she cleared, not a single noise came through that armour. However, that wasn’t what caught his attention.

Shu narrowed his eyes to the positions they fell into. Even with no visible legs – using only a tail to move – she still loomed taller than the former.

His superior huh?

“Did something catch your attention?” she asked, tilting her head to look in the other direction. Tokonatsu chuckled awkwardly and used his wing to rub against his chin. A much too familiar act, he noticed.

“No, not really. I thought I saw something white.” He looked back at the bush, turning silent as he pondered over his words. In the corner of his eye, he could see Valt finally looking at the stranger, eyes staring desperately at the boy. Those browns appeared to weigh more than he’d like to admit. Tokonatsu’s chest slightly pitched, before turning away. “Turns out it was just a moth.”

Shu peered back to the other. Her sea-filled eyes had narrowed in displeasure that can only be seen in every leader. “I told you not to doze off again. We are required to lack distraction to protect our realm, understand? Just because fate gave us one more peace to live in, we shouldn’t take it for granted,” stated Ashikaga indifferently, her tilted brow betraying the relief that layered her face. She looped away and before leaving added, “Hurry, before I question your resolve.”

The hand tightened above his mouth once more.

Tokonatsu stayed still for a moment, before bowing down hastily saying, “Yes ma’am!” A relieved smile could be seen plastered across that mask clearer than any sky. When he straightened his posture, he quickly made his way to her side, away from the view that was left visible to him. As the sounds of light chatter slowly vanished into the air, silence returned to the pair. They waited for a few more minutes, waiting for any anomalies hiding in the blowing leaves or trees.

What he didn’t know, it was only he who did.

“The coast is clear, let’s… Valt?” His eyes spied up and saw him holding a face full of blue, contrary to his usual one coated in yellow. With the light shining against his back, the shadows only darkened the space between his brow emphasising the frown that was formed. The unfamiliar mask sat uncomfortably in his stomach. “We’re okay now, they’re gone,” said Shu. He held his breath before adding, “We’re safe now.”

Teeth of white flashed him faintly in a bitter fashion. “Yeah.” Valt huffed in a waft of air, shakily exhaling after a few seconds. When he didn’t say anything else after a while, Shu’s eyes narrowed in concern. Should he say something? He wondered. They were safe. Those guards must be gone after that hour, or perhaps he knows they’re still here?

As he warily looked above the bushes, his gaze landed at his hands, which were turning paler by the minute. Upon the split-second thought, uncertainty overwhelmed him. Maybe he needs physical reassurance. Was a pat good enough or should he hug him? Thoughts spiralled across his head until a weak chuckle escaped from the other’s mouth.

“Man! I can’t believe we hid from Ashikaga,” whispered Valt in a tired relief. A hand poked the albino's forehead and on the lips before him, a familiar smile was laid. “Let’s hurry to the ocean, okay?”

The tension lifted after those words.

“Yeah, let’s go.”

Chapter Text

It was as if his body was slammed against a wall; one covered in ice and saline. Upon feeling its aftermath, shivers crawled up his spine as the mist of said ice engulfed him like a tattered sheet. Just enough to make his legs go numb, but not so much to leave him gasping. As the sight of gold appeared above the water, he released the breath he held onto for so long.

Six nights and five days since he came hospitalised. Stranded on an uncharted island with beings he never dared consider as real beforehand. His nose burned once the salt rushed in, to which his shoulders tensed to maintain their form. ‘You never knew what you had until it’s gone,’ was the proverb he recalled at that moment. As the fire blazed brighter before him, he couldn’t tell if the tears swelling up were due to his staring or for another reason he didn’t want to admit. Before the storm could escape his shuddering pants, he closed his lips till he couldn’t contain the air any longer.

How many weeks has it been since he saw the sun so clear?

As he blinked to moisten the blurriness, a shot of air came crashing against his body again. Instead of feeling pushed, it only dawned on how cold he truly was. Like a chain reaction, from the aching legs to his frowning brows, he leaned against the closest tree and gritted his teeth upon impact. He wasn’t on sand or watching the waves up close, yet here he was shivering to the sea’s long-range breeze. He clicked his tongue with a huff. How weak of him.

Shu was somewhat glad he addressed the distant grunts earlier, though he wouldn’t be certain if that was a blessing in disguise or not. Was it too much to ask to let that blue urchin escape his brain for just a moment? When the bushes cleared to reveal the individual, who was now turning pale in wariness, he must admit that he lacked any strength to launch an attack on anyone else.

“God,” puffed Valt, hunching forward to catch his breath. If his face was angled just slightly higher, he’d see the sweat pouring down that brow. A frown soon formed right after. Could someone like him even sweat? “You can’t just, start… running off like that! I seriously thought Tosho was back or something.”

Ears picked up on that. He turned around at the other, tilting his head slightly. Tosho? Did he mishear that name before? No, there was no way he would’ve mistaken Tokonatsu for Tosho. A different person perhaps? As if he had read his mind once more, Valt gave out one last huff before straightening his back. “Tosho Ashikaga. She’s the sca-uh, serpent-looking walker who nearly caught us,” he opened his mouth to get rid of the leaf inside, “She usually patrols the other side of the realm, but I guess she’s here now.” Shu let out a hum of understanding, to which was responded with a strained sigh. “Guess I gotta be more careful coming home now.” Shu let out a sigh as well.

“You just had to pick the day she was recently assigned,” he mused. Chuckling slightly, Valt ran a hand through his hair, brushing against the twigs that cluttered inside. It was truly a wonder how he kept them hidden for so long. Speaking of her. “How dangerous is this, serpent, lady?” He cringed at himself for addressing someone as such, regardless of species. Valt ignored his worries and responded with an awkward smile.

“Very dangerous. She’s one of the best warriors I know, but then again, I don’t go around looking for trouble with his majesty’s guards.” His face dropped. A royal guard too? What kind of sick luck does he have? It was as if it all got sucked dry to survive those storms. Though in retrospect, he wouldn’t consider it unlikely.

Lost in thought, he lowered his vision to the other’s chest, which appeared much calmer than anticipated. A sight that made his own tighten in envy. They must’ve walked at least a kilometre away from that last encounter and if his spatial awareness didn’t fade away like the rest of his strength, he was sure he dashed the last few meters to where they were now. Yet all he could hear was the heavy breathing from his side. As he looked up at the individual, he only seemed taken aback by the outburst, not straight-up fatigued. Before his staring came noticed, he turned away to the fallen leaves instead.

Valt didn’t seem as athletic as he assumed, being as scrawny as he is. With that said, if he was considered scrawny in his race yet could already match his agility to a junior a few pins away from his full strength…

His gaze darkened.

How strong would someone like Tosho be?

“What about her partner? Is he another strong warrior like her?”

Valt raised his hand to rub at his neck, rotating his wrist resembling one scraping whatever mud-like substance that had glued itself there. To the unnatural silence, he felt his stomach twist with paranoia. Signals of instinctive bells rang across his head as those spheres of brown stared off at a nearby tree. “Oh, him? That’s Tokonatsu. He’s more like her apprentice than partner really. I heard he’s new or something, so I’m not sure.”

His frown twitched at his tone. That wasn’t quite the explanation he expected. It was as if he was simply more interested in this Tosho walker than scared of Tokonatsu. He was about to ask more until Valt waved through the bushes and to the sand before them. Like a blazing light, his smile radiated enough for him to gulp subconsciously. “Come on, let’s forget about them and have some fun! Just before they come back,” he said with a wink.

Shu blinked twice, then maybe once more for good luck. Within a single second, his brain happened to swipe everything into the garbage pile. As he saw that grin break out into something more devious, he coughed into his hand to break the silence along with the eye contact. How wonderful, he thought bitterly. Looking back at the other, smiling as stupidly as he normally does, he desperately tried to maintain his attention on the sensation of his leg’s former pain. When he slid his feet apart, the action seemed successful based on his immediate gasp of a breath. “Fine,” he said right after his step. It would be pointless grabbing more information now. “I’m coming. Just be patient.”

A whistle was his sign of approval, and an unwarranted hand.

Shu stared at it for a moment before dismissing it entirely. A low hum was all that came out from the other as it was retracted back. Though in retrospect, that had been a poor choice as his words hitched when he tripped over himself. He would’ve surely fallen over onto the ground if a certain chest didn’t stand in the way. His embarrassment grew as laughter filled the air. Before Valt could comment, he quickly pushed away with a hand up his hair. “I thought we were trying to hide our presence?” groaned Shu. As expected, those laughs seemed to form into snickers as Valt tried to quiet down.

“Aw, so I can’t laugh now? This is the first time we’re outside, so just relax, will you?” When Shu kept silent, maintaining his glare as firm as possible, Valt chuckled and tilted his head again, just right for the sun to perfectly frame the dimples on his left cheek. “Come on, Shu. It’s like you want to stay negative.” He huffed and tore away from that light.

So pushy. “Fine, but if those two come back I’m ditching you.” He backed away from his arms and began to walk his way – inelegantly – to the ocean. Valt let out a dramatic gasp and ran to his side, continuing to ramble at deaf ears. As the wind muted his calls enough to ignore, his mind wandered off to the ocean near them.

To say it was gorgeous would be an understatement. If he were a poet, he’d combine all its synonyms and create a single word to express his gratitude. In how the breeze sang its harmonic melodies to the repeated rhythm of waves crashing against the bay, how could one think otherwise? With his feet getting used to the sinking sand, his cognition pointed to the water begging him to join. Though, as fortunate as his luck, the moment fell short once he felt those pointed lobes crawl up his spine.

Sighing, he turned to the other, who was still ranting off to whatever topic they now landed on. Oddly enough, as he continued to stare, those shoulders appeared to tense. Notedly when he tried to do something theatrical like a puppet show but without said puppet. Unaware, Shu tipped his head at the manner. The gesture was already weird in itself, but with how often the instance occurred, it appeared as a unique gesture from the other. Normally, he’d list him off as someone anxious under one’s attention, however, that was rather inconsistent with this behaviour he led on.

When they first met, he’d always seemed too energetic to stand still, bouncing up and down from one place to another. While most of it was due to his time limit on land, he doubts that anything would’ve changed if that factor ceased to exist. If he could categorise every person he met, he’d list him under the energetic and curious types. Yet, the most bizarre thing was the curious aspect. From the moment he woke up, he expected at least a day at minimum to fall victim to whatever questions he shot at him. They were different species after all. Even he had to resist the urge to ask then and there.

Hearing his laughter, pointed at nothing but himself, Shu looked at him with a fixated frown. He was definitely someone who acted first before thinking. No doubt about that. But that itself was what made him weird. For their entire time together, he could probably count all the questions that were asked of him on his hands. Significantly less compared to Kit – another brainless idiot – within their first hour.

His face glowered as he continued to think.

Was he simply too unbothered to know? He had nearly a whole week to spy on him every day. Probably more so if he counted the days he was knocked out. He might be one of the strongest warriors in Sol but being knocked down from a ship at least thirty meters above sea level after being injured is something not even he can walk away unscathed. Valt was probably tired from watching him and decided to walk around their little ‘home’ to fulfil his stimulation. Yet, something about that sat wrong in the back of his mind.

Was it really just that? Without given a chance, he was already boring in his eyes? Shu deepened his frown. Why was he so annoyed? Shouldn’t he be happy? He has his experiences with strangers entering his space. Practically breathing in his scent despite an entire room being vacant. In fact, it was simply insane how it actually motivated them to get closer. He hated it. He hated being invaded. But now with it gained, from a stranger he met for a few days no less, instead of being grateful the only feeling left was irritation.

That wasn’t right. Why was that there? Was it because he made him look uninteresting? Plain? Dull? His stomach dropped at the thought. That isn’t right. This wasn’t right. He pushed up his bangs, scratching against his skull as he pondered on how-

“Shu, look! It’s a normal lique!”

He blinked open and saw a dolphin jumping above the light. His breath halted for just a moment, eyes widening in sheer awe of the water scattering around the marine who appeared to float midair. A breath of fresh air finally escaped his lips. The trance seemed to break when laughter erupted beside him. He turned away from the dolphin swimming with its pod and to the dia breaking out with his signature smirk. As Valt’s attention stayed glued on the sea, he traced his own to stare at the tail waving excitedly like a dog’s.

Is there a chance that he’s acting even now?

As those browns pointed at him, slowly narrowing to his silence, he quickly tore away and to the sand that picked near his feet. Those shoes barely attempted to keep them clean. “Li-we?” he queried, tensing his shoulders as he tried to recall the pronunciation. His body further stiffened when he caught that grin growing wider.

“It’s Li-qu-e,” chuckled Valt. “They’re like the mermans you’ve said before, but furrier and kinda smarter – if they are like Fina and not entirely something else. Fortunately for us, this is just the normal kind.” Rolling on his heels, he huffed out a sigh and placed his hands behind his neck. “Man, we should’ve looked around for my normal-origin-thingy species. Mine’s real cute and can turn into a whole new animal if their living conditions are poor. Cool right?”

It was as if a cog plotted into Shu’s brain: shifting his current persona of spiralled depression to another of intrigue. He narrowed his sight and raised his hand to hold his chin. How had he not realised it sooner? Biting his lip to shut down his mind of paralleled confliction, he faced the other, now mumbling to themselves about whatever animal he was suggesting. “Can you show me your, normals, from each subspecies?”

Information was all he needed from him.

As Valt turned around, stunning half his consciousness with a gleam brighter than the sun, his heart ached beneath the ardour.

Shu shouldn’t expect anything other.

“You genius! That’s way better than explaining it to you,” his laughter echoed across the breeze as he scratched his nape, “Man, why haven’t I thought of that?” Before saying another word, he yanked on his arm and towards the water. His rationality quickly vanished when the water reached his shins, leaving him be where they couldn’t haunt him for a single second. Despite being cold-blooded, in how he gripped his hand it was more than enough to send flames across his body. Must’ve been the initial adrenaline of the seawater, he reasoned. Upon feeling his brain getting knocked against his skull, reality broke through when the waves clawed up his torso as well.

“Wait, wait, wait” – quickly digging his feet into the bay, he watched as Valt turned to confront their temporary pause with confusion – “I can’t breathe underwater, remember?” stated Shu hastily. With a gawked expression, blinking in an off-beat tempo, he stared at him as if he had grown two arms.

“Of course you can! I just need to airlock with you,” answered Valt, rolling his eyes with a newly layered chuckle. Now it was Shu’s time to stare at him just as gawkily.

“I- What?”

“Airlock. You know, when a dia- oh yeah, you don’t know what that is.”

Valt loosened his grip and peered at him with a bulky grin. To which Shu sighed in disbelief at. Quickly changing the tone, the other wiped his laugh and kicked his tail to drift closer. To their silence, he looked away whilst scratching his chin, pondering on his explanation. In how long he grumbled, Shu wasn’t sure if being underwater would make his body any less cold at this point. “Okay, so basically, I blow air into your mouth and make an air bubble around your head. Simple right?” replied Valt with the snap of his fingers. Contrary to Valt’s energetic expressionism, he felt his body stiffen at the reference.

Was his first kiss going to be with him of all people?

Heaving down a sigh, he shook off the implications and focused his gaze back at his front. It’s not a kiss, it’s an essential trick to learn more about these aquatics and walkers. Best case scenario, he could use this to his advantage to return to Sol. He lowered his head and let a hum roll in his throat. Information is dire and any opportunity should be taken, he assured. This was nothing more than lips touching. He chewed on his gum and drew in a long breath, as he briefly reclined to stare at his mouth. Just lips touching.

“Uh, is that like, a no-no for you guys?” Shu looked up and found him staring with a concerned frown. A horrible sight to open to he must admit.

“No, not really,” he shrugged. As expected, Valt continued his look of uncertainty, brows narrowed to analyse his expression carefully. Before opening his mouth to assure him, and himself, of the scene, he soon shrugged it off as well. With a final flick of the tail, he offered his empty hand to him, transforming his smile to express a silent tease. Rolling his eyes, he took it without hesitation and walked against the waves. Upon feeling the ground vanish in a matter of seconds, he felt his shoulders flinch when Valt suddenly sunk away. He was close to shouting his name until he felt hands redirected to touch his stomach. While looking down to see him checking his bandages, a shiver ran its way to his lungs when he caught those eyes looking up at him too.

He was just filled with consideration, huh?

Like a pop, his head emerged back on the surface, gifting him with yet another wave of salt to the face. “Okay, you ready?” Shu gave him an uninterested glare through soaked bangs. Valt let out a choked laugh and patted his shoulder. “Whoops. Sorry about that. Let’s head down then.”

Gently, Shu drew in a breath and sunken his head to join the rest. Unwarranted to deal with impaired and puffy vision afterwards, he drew them closed to envision an empty void. Where his senses expanded to pick up the roaring tides and distant gurgling enveloping him. A soothing still he fell to reminisce. Yet, as quickly as he entered, that all swept away when he broke into a hiss at the hands tracing his skin.

Valt was too delicate with him, he gathered. In how he carefully glided his hands against his binds and the occasional ‘sorry’s he heard through bubbled speech to his accidental nudges, mainly being his arm or tail. The entire ordeal was enough to make him feel powerless. A sentiment that made him shudder to his core. When those hands came satisfied and trailed up to his jaw, he had to repetitively tell himself that this was, again, nothing more than whatever this airlock was. Self-restraint was one he was most confident in, but as of now, the temptation had burnt too brightly. Nearly vanishing his reassurance as the skin below his jaw got caressed, accompanied by a slow melody purred across the tides.

As the occasional puffs brushed his lips, he could’ve sworn he felt a finger trace over them as well.

Reality and expectation were two things he knew crossed differently from one another. He’d faced it from anywhere as serious as practice to genuine combat, down to the most casual of his studies to silent exams. They all held their differences, sure, but Shu always found a way to adjust within seconds. Yet when the time finally came, as the new heavy perception fell to his skin, his brain short-circuited like nothing before. Even if he had all day to process it, there was no chance for him to ever adapt to such obstacle.

It was an odd sensation. In contrast to the warmth he somewhat expected, they were just about as cold as the water around them. If he pressed closer, he could probably feel those same lips becoming warmer through his body heat. As if his thoughts were truly as obvious as his blush, Valt took the lead to push closer, tilting his head to a point where he could feel his teeth grinding against his. Before he could process the information, an extra component glided its way to the seam.

Fuck.

Shu’s soul left his body.

It was his tongue.

He had to quickly open his mouth before it escalated into Valt prying it open. Feeling his body further dying to the satisfied hum the other made, he was one hundred per cent sure he saw heaven when a storm flooded into his throat. He could barely manage to choke as the wind continued pressing against his lungs over and over again. Desperate for any form of support, he drifted closer to clasp his waist, restraining himself from pulling away. He quite nearly did when the other hastily jolted to his dug-in nails. With their mouths displaced, the albino could feel the saltwater dripping into his jaw like syrup. Before breathing it in, Shu subconsciously tilted his head to slot them back together.

As the air continued filling him, his brain elevated to realms unimaginable. With so much zephyr distorting his body, he barely noticed the only thing supporting him gliding away. Leaving him to hook onto nothing but vacant space. By the time he could manage to see the ocean blue, he was a choking and wheezing mess. He would’ve slapped that hand away if he wasn’t gripping his chest then.

“Fuck- Shu! Are you okay?” Valt gripped his shoulder, eyes darting all over his body in complete panic, “I didn’t mean to blow so hard. Can you breathe? God, this was a mistake- We can go back up if you-”

“N-No, it’s nothing,” interrupted Shu, haggling out the last bubbles from his chest. While the fear eased away, the water remained dyed with mistrust at the words.

“Come on, man. I nearly choked you. It’s all good to blame me.”

“It’s not your fault, it was my” – he bit his lip – “first time. If anything, it was mine for being so dramatic.”

Upon hearing silence, he felt his body shiver to that aside from the water. Once his vision finally caught up to his nerves, he slowly raised his gaze to lock onto his. “I’m serious Valt, it’s nothing. I’m…”

Only for them to widen when he saw him once more.

“…fine.”

What was considered imaginary washed away like his consciousness at that moment. If he thought he was glowing before, he must’ve been radiating now. He never realised how horrible the lighting was for that crumbled hut to portray his appearance as anything lesser.

The freckles that painted his skin were more than simple dotted browns like he deduced. Instead, they were mixed with bright yellows and reds that resembled the constellations Shasa would point out and identify on the starry night. Contrary to his gills being just translucent, it was more of a jelly substance, making the view through them look zoomed in and blurred. With how they wavered through the current, it appeared as if there was an underwater breeze blowing through them like hair. Just the sight of it made him dizzy to reality. He trailed his gaze to his limbs and sucked in a breath musing over those-

Valt’s hum broke his focus.

Warmth quickly engulfed his body. What is he doing? He would’ve shielded his face from the embarrassment if his fingers hadn’t retracted the moment they glided against his air bubble. He wasn’t about to make the other repeat the process now, that’s for sure. Gulping down the shame, he looked through his lashes and opened his mouth to apologise.

“Valt-”

“You’re hot.”

Shu blinked.

“What?”

Valt touched his lips, which were straightened in a narrow line, as his face narrowed in concentration. Before long, he peered up at him with a breathless chuckle. “I mean, I’ve airlocked with others, but damn you were, just really warm. I know you’re warm-blooded and all, but…” As their eyes locked, Shu’s body shivered when they burned with an indescribable emotion. “Wow.”

As his voice drifted off, their gaze remained still, neither one holding the confidence to tear away. For what appeared like an eternity, all that stood before them was each other, basking in each other’s attention.

The moment soon ended when Valt laughed again, though much fainter than any before. His hand dropped to his side and like a switch, he turned to him with that enticing smile. Still too stunned to fight back, he let the other grab his hand without any defiance. “AHA! Well, forget what I just said. I mean that’s probably obvious to you- like duh of course you’re hot, you’re warm-blooded and I’m cold-blooded,” he shook his head and turned around to the nearest coral reef, “Come on, I didn’t bring you here just to rant. Let’s get onto teaching!”

As their bodies flowed with the ocean’s current, making his little bubble wave around to taint his hair with more water, Shu managed to replace his aching embarrassment with awe for the ocean beyond them. He’d heard of rumours of his kingdom making a contraption to allow humans to dive deeper and longer underwater, but while he understood it as a pivotal point for their industrial growth, he never understood the concept of why. Why waste their materials and energy on something such as that? Wasn’t it simply enough to appreciate its beauty from above? To simply fall in a trance to nature’s brooding waves and tranquil winds? Now that he was here, spinning his head to indulge at all the marine life circling them, he could never understand how someone could not desire a view such as this.

There were fishes he never recognised and plants he once believed as extinct. It was as if time reversed to reveal all its secrets to him in person. A beautiful yet contradictory scenery. Subconsciously, he gripped Valt’s hand tighter, ignoring the thoughts of hysteria behind him. To this choice, he was awarded with a hand squeezing his just as tight. He nearly forgot about his offer till his arm was pulled to thump against theirs. “See those fishes? These are normal fina,” chirped Valt as he pointed at the school dashing about. Then he directed his finger at a shark chasing them with starved eyes. “And that is a normal finex.”

After prompting giving him a side glance to the sudden tow, Shu followed his indicated line and hummed in insight. “So, you call them fishes too?” he wondered aloud. Valt gaped at him, before squinting to let out a laugh.

“Oh, thank god you know. I was worried I’d have to explain what a fish was.” He then tilted his head upwards, narrowing his view enough so they appeared shut with a hand landed just below his lips. As if he had the idea of the century, he swiftly turned to him with an even brighter grin. “I have an idea, how about you point at the sea creatures you know while I tell you what subspecies they represent?”

Shu looked at him unamused. “You just want an excuse to not explain, right?” Valt tilted his head innocently, adding a much softer grin to amplify that act. Breathing out a sigh, he turned away and at the marine around them than hear his cracking facade. It wasn’t like he would be any good at it anyway. With his gaze captivated by a fish in orange and blue, he raised his arm and pointed. “Over there is a blue-banded goby.”

Valt followed his aim and after finding its hiding spot, let out a low croon. “You really know your fishes, huh?” With the seine poking out of its sea urchin, he turned to see him smiling to himself faintly. So they do share the same names. “Oh right, I’m supposed to- ahem, that over there is a fina.”

Shu raised a brow to his broadened chest, resembling much of a bird puffing out their crest. How impressive, he thought with a rolled eye. Adding an extra kick to catch up with the other, he continued his search for more animals. “Right there, underneath the coral, is a green moray eel.”

Valt brushed his shoulder against his to dodge a nearby fish approaching him. “Another fina.” Shu frowned, pondering for a few seconds. He then looked over to find a different tactic.

“What about that red lionfish?”

“Andd yet another fina.”

“That sailfish?”

“Our one and only- fina.”

“How about that leafy seadragon?”

“You must really love them fina!”

Shu felt his brow deepen. “There’s a blacktip shark in just a few meters. They won’t attack us, right?” Laughter took form in bubbles when he peered back.

“Aw, didn’t mention another?” teased Valt. He then swatted the water around them, nearly hitting an unbounded seaweed. “Don’t worry, most animals here won’t harm us, they’re like trained to not attack aquatics and walkers- if you don’t mess with them. If they do, I’ll make sure we’ll escape unscathed.” Shu felt his face contorting to jeer at the comment. Most huh? Upon looking back, the two then entered a silent staring match for a while. That was until he coughed into his non-existent hand. “Oh! And yeah, that’s a finex.”

Shu clicked his tongue. At least it wasn’t another fina. “So finex and fina are generally fishes?” he asked instead. To their brief intermission, his eyes were later caught by the sight of a clownfish taunting its predator within the anemone. Valt seemed to have noticed the same sight as he leaned closer and abruptly snickered.

“Yeah, pretty much. It’s kinda hard to differentiate at first, but personally, I find it easier to remember fina as prey while finex as predator. Though that kinda changes with eels and bigger fish.” Shu nodded in silence, processing the additional knowledge. If those two were what he imagined to look like, he wondered if a human accidentally saw one and started the whole ‘mermaid’ tale then. After seeing how boring it was to stare at a clownfish cleaning itself, Valt promptly convinced them to resume their path for something more interesting- and by that by yanking his arm yet again.

The two continued drifting in the slow current, pointing and describing all the animals around them. While they were still relatively close to shore – due to their several stops and stares at the reef and assurance that no, they did not need to airlock again – there were more species than he expected to encounter. Some he didn’t even know could exist so high. Aside from them, biologically, there were others who would’ve already migrated to warmer seas. Yet here they were, circling him as if to tease this knowledge. With all the facts Honey dumped into him, he’d expect to have at least the same knowledge as an experienced fisherman.

Was it simply different in this ocean?

Applying that fact, he expected himself to talk about the sea life for at least a few hours before Valt took over. With this many species, it would be hard to go any lesser. But as luck found it, he didn’t last more than an hour before the conversation fell into the dia’s hands. As the same genus kept appearing, leaving the living fossils to identify, he somewhat regretted not listening to Trad’s one-of-a-kind history lessons on prehistoric fish. Nevertheless, he couldn’t blame her power now that his brain had been strained after that underwater lesson.

“Yo Shu, over there!” He blinked out from his mind-space and looked at where his voice pointed. After some guidance, he saw a rock lobster crawling around the rocky reef, trying to keep its food from floating away. Huh, where did that come from? “Remember what these are?” Shu didn’t bother to turn his head. That teasing smirk was a default impression whenever he asked one of these questions.

“Tennae right?” he answered with a few seconds of delay. To his reply, he was rewarded with a squeeze to his hand.

“Correct!” called Valt, rolling out his r’s to emphasise his playful manner. Probably due to the lack of praise he’d received as of lately, he easily let a smile forge under his skin. If memory served right, this was the fifth lobster he saw within their second hour. With the tides brushing against his bubble, he then recalled it being the sixth. The one who hid with the third- or was it second? He didn’t have much time to think when another tide rumbled against his body. Only later dragging him to resume their path shortly after his daze.

The next minutes flashed by like a snap, sprinkled with a dose of haziness. After venturing into the same blue scenery for what marked their third hour, it was frankly shocking how he never once felt bored. No matter the occasion, there was always something that left him on alert. That being the occasional tight swerves that Valt had done that left him breathless, and the relentless danger that hung above him when an unknown predator lurked close by. Even with the blue’s constant reassurance, he knew the ocean could be like hell if it wanted to.

He assumed he said something back on their banter of primitive animals, as Valt stopped holding his hand to express his rant about the differences between two creatures called ‘bonnerichthys’ and ‘bothriolepis’. There was an aching loneliness when that weight was dropped, he noticed. Something indescribable that left his brain aching for more. Perhaps it was the comfort of someone being near, or how this all wasn’t some lucid dream he’d been imagining. He let out a scoff between hushed breaths. Didn’t help how his companion blended in with their cold environment.

When he glanced away to stare at his hand instead, it must’ve said enough to make their hands intertwine again. As he let half of his brain pay attention to Valt’s ramblings on their personalities – which he doubts they had in the first place – he let the other gloss over the new terms he’s learnt. Might as well with him being so chatty, he reasoned with a rolled head.

In the aquatic section, there were five subspecies he currently knows. These included finex, fina, lique, tentro, and tennae. Finex and fina are the most common of the bunch, with them being fishes and all. From what he knows, finex includes those closely related to sharks, stingrays, and batoids. While fina involved those roughly ranked as forage fish. Although, from all the fina Valt identified, a better group would be those being ray-finned. What was that class called again? Act-ino-perry-gill? Shu could already feel his biology teacher’s frown at his poor memory.

As he lifted his gaze, preparing himself to disagree with the now-changed topic of underwater snakes, he wondered if a fina would be smaller than a finex. Was it appropriate for him to still refer to them as mermaids mentally? He puffed out a sigh when Valt realised that they were talking about two different snakes, and to the stupidity of his question.

Back on topic. Lique appeared to be marine mammals, if he didn’t miss out on oddballs like the eels within the fina category. Though, with Valt’s prior description, it would be hard to think otherwise. With it being how they landed here in the first place, and with everything that’s been built up in between, he wouldn’t need to worry about forgetting the definition. His thoughts momentarily got interrupted when said walker startled him with his exclaimed excitement to… whatever animal he found interesting now.

Shu must admit, he was somewhat glad he wasn’t being asked any more questions. His distant chatter seemed harder to digest as of late.

The name does appear odd, he queried instead. Lique: a word similarly pronounced and spelt to a slurred and simplified version of liquid. Doesn’t sound anything remotely close to mammals either. Although, he will admit that there were names he’d commonly refer to that had no rimer correlation to the animal itself. Like cockroaches. Besides, he should be thankful that they have any common ground at all. He could only pray that this would be the only oddball from the bunch, but with how ‘favourable’ lady luck is for him, he shouldn’t expect anything of the sort.

Mercifully, the next two were much simpler to remember. As the name suggests, tentro refers to those closely related to squids and octopuses. A no-brainer deduction when he first heard the name. His sigh came shallow as he stared up at the sun’s reflection, where the light pierced through the waves in rays of twisting ribbons. Taking no notice to his now blinded eyes of hinted yellows and greens. Genuinely, how does one make it sound more complicated than it is?

He narrowed his gaze. Staring into the realm of vibrant hues, as oceanic species danced in disorganised balance.

How does that same person show him something so beautiful?

Time seemed to resume when he knocked his shoulder against that of diamond ore. Which was odd, he supposed. There wasn’t a single inch of ground – let alone dirt – nearby. Inhaling a deep sigh, he turned his head around for the mysterious earth, only to halt as he shuddered at its last seconds. With the surroundings appearing darker than usual, he could only leave his assumptions in mind. Upon his second attempt to breathe, he felt the weight of salt-scented air toppling upon him. Despite the urge to pull away, he found himself leaning closer towards it, steering his head to rest on the rock that shook. Which was, in retrospect, the worst thing he’d ever done. If it weren’t for the smell, he’d think it was covered in mucus.

How disgusting.

“-hu? Hello? …You doing alright?”

For a moment, he believed that his consciousness was talking back at him. That was until a hesitated palm caressed his back. He didn’t recall his body ever being so cold. “I’m good,” he muttered sluggishly, after nearly forgetting to respond if those icicle tips didn’t trace their way up his nape. Ignoring the oddity, he dug his chin deeper into the misted surface, hoping to find some sort of warmth. The texture was smoother upon closer inspection. Similar to the raw granite he saw during one of his expeditions. Yet another reason why it couldn’t possibly be him. Moreover, it was undoubtedly impossible for anyone to lean their head against their own body.

That or maybe he dislocated it. Which is also something not so farfetched.

A whistle later cut his contemplation like a dull blade. Less effective than usual, but it did its job nonetheless. Blinking through the haze, he noticed two sandstone spheres, blinding him once more with aureate gleams the sunlight helped shape as whole. The air appeared to vanish as he noticed them staring down at him too.

Oh, right. It’s Valt. Valt the dia and walker.

“-u sure…? …you look a bit, uh, I guess-”

“Just say it already-” It’s annoying when you beat around the bush, were the words he wanted to attach, but he had already pressed his lips against that sun-kissed skin. A shudder soon arose right after, displacing his head to spasm even more. That’s no good, he groaned stiffly. Doesn’t he know how to let someone rest? He’d raise his hand to massage his temple if he had more than half of his motivation present. Now that he thought about it, his chest seriously needed it as well.

“Okay… spent too much time-”

Why? There was still much more left to discover.

“…god yo… so high-”

High? Weren’t we down here?

“Shu can… me?”

His frown deepened when Valt rolled his eyes. If he wanted something done, then he should’ve spoken louder. Desiring to resume their swim, he tugged onto his arm while returning the distance between another. To their lack of movement, his face further grimaced. When did he get so heavy? Brushing off the inconsistencies, he felt that very lacking motivation returning as he continued to heave. Which only resulted in him wasting more valuable energy. Looking up to voice his demand, he saw yet another disparity. One that involved the other with a confusing front plastered across his face.

Shu felt his stomach writhing at the sight, both figuratively and literally. He was the one acting weird, he rationalised. Why was he looking at him as if he were the one with their mouth blurred from earshot? As his brain’s hemispheres contested each other with conflicting proclamations, he suddenly stood at the centre, playing victim to their crossfires.

Fuck.

He clutched his chest.

It’d be great if his chest could work right about now.

Cutting off from the combustion, he returned to the world upon the sensation of a wall – one coated with a thin veil of elastic at its centre – slamming against his chest. Gasps of air escaped his mouth that shuddered his bubble. Prompting him to choke fleetingly to keep them contained. Did this idiot want him to die?

Flickering his eyelids open, he was close to shouting till a soft, rubber hand crawled up his arm. It took less than one loop of ripples to wipe that cluttered mind clean. Before he could recover, he failed to notice his arms being swayed to wrap the other’s waist. Once it did, his head quickly raced in paranoia at the sudden contact of leather.

What- where the hell is he?

Preparing to push away from the odd limb-wall individual, his body thought otherwise when it suddenly swayed sideways. To top off his sensory overload, his face got splashed with a wave of incoming water. Finally unbothered to consider the air bubble any longer, he tore through to sink his head into the wall. He could practically feel his roots getting drenched by the rushing stream.

For what felt like forever inside the ocean’s current – one that he and another were purposely going against – he felt an indescribable relief when everything around them suddenly stopped. Sensing the water dripping from his face, he gasped out a breath that finally restored his lungs.

He wasn’t sure if the water in his eyes was from him or the sea.

Fatigued and fulfilled, he rested his forehead against the block, heaving in more air greedily as if it’d all disappear the next moment. If he could taste it, it’d probably be the best meal he’s ever eaten. He didn’t even acknowledge the object slowly turning to face him backwards.

Oh, wait.

His head nested nicely against a crevasse.

This was probably the front.

As his chest brushed against theirs – which he can safely confirm is a living, breathing, person – he let his mind rush in to capture what was theirs. With the sun blazing across their skins, his mouth soon closed with the lack of space left for his lungs to consume. How tiring, was his first thought. Then, wow I nearly died, his next. He’d laugh, but it’d come out as a gurgled choke.

With time’s patience and the sea’s calamity, it didn’t take long for him to process what happened. The events had unravelled in a series of blurred images, barely enough for him to understand a single scene, even with a head now slightly levelled. Sensing it being pointless to reflect now, Shu sucked in a breath: elongated and innate. With his brain catching up to his consciousness, and the slight twitches he performed on his fingers, he can safely deduce his body being as broken as it previously was.

I’ll make sure we’ll escape unscathed.

He felt a snicker forming in his throat. He certainly didn’t fall behind in that regard. Although…

Shu closed his eyes, clicking his tongue when his head bumped against the wall again. It didn’t take a second before the pain shot up to his brain like a bullet. Couldn’t agree in terms of the mild hypoxia he experienced. Whilst preparing himself to swim away and in search of solid ground, he felt odd fingers tightening their grip around his back. His breath halted when he heard a groan after that.

No…

He blinked through the haze and gawked at the skin opposite of him.

There’s no way.

With a hand, he weakly pushed back to identify the individual, even if it was just an inch of a difference. His heart jumped to his throat when their appearance came unmasked against the sun’s rays.

He shouldn’t have looked up.

Upon seeing his movement, the other blinked through the shadow. Revealing those familiar brown and orange hues when he opened them wider after a moment of silence. “Shu! Oh man, how I missed that frustrated face,” Valt bent his neck to heave out a laugh before pinning Shu closer to his body, “Hey, you doing better now? No brain-dead activities going on inside there, right?”

Even with the frost engulfing more than half his body, feeling his head brushed against his was enough to burn ambers across his temple. That didn’t make sense, he argued. He bit his lip as he frowned at his smile, which bobbed around like the plains in spring. He was cold-blooded, there was no way he was experiencing heat exchange with the other.

Especially with him.

“Shu? You’re not still out of it, right?” Shu dunked his head into the water, shortly regretting the motion when it made his head freeze upon impact. He should’ve noticed this nausea sooner if it ached this much.

“I’m not, just-” confused? Annoyed? Wrecked? “-just extremely tired.” He glanced up and saw his head tilted, eyes narrowed to fit that arrogant smirk. What he’d give to shut him up right now.

“Yeah?” snickered Valt, hiding his snort against his smiles. Brushing one hand against his chin, knocking one of his feathery gills to wave against another, he turned back to shoot a gaze holding more concentration than before. Shu felt the discomfort pouring down like acid rain. “Sorry for not dragging you up earlier. I genuinely just got lost in the moment. That wasn’t cool, and that nearly cost your life. I’m sorry.” Shu stared at his apology in silence, his face narrowing in focus.

It wasn’t the best one he’d heard by far but-

“And.” Valt released his grip around his waist to replace it with his tail, making his body waver briefly against the tides. While opening his mouth to speak, his words only appeared to choke him when those hands redirected to his instead. “I promise I won’t get distracted again.”

Shu stared. No, probably gawked was a better term. He couldn’t recall if he was blinking with that reassuring beam being stationed for eternity. In addition to this lull, his brain fell warped to the hands that compressed against him, being softer than anything he could’ve conceived. If he knew any words to compare the sensation to, his brain simply lacked the ability to search them. Twitching his fingers, he directed every inch of attention to analyse it all; from how the webbing etched his skin and to the shivers he felt when his hands shifted to reapply the thin layer of moisture. He felt his breathing shallow as he dared to wonder deeper.

However, as always, the moment only lasted fleetingly.

To the feeling of a tail swinging across his shins, he soon returned to reality by the lack of digested oxygen. Suppressing a choke, he dipped his chin and forced himself to imagine the most gruesome possible ways of dying. Only to lose again when a certain figure appeared. It was as if his body was showing him a sign, whether intentional or not, to prove that he was losing his mind.

Just when he thought his head couldn’t get worse.

Breaking away from the tension, he cleared his throat and looked everywhere but him. An act that came to be an unexpected challenge. God, what was wrong with him? “Thanks,” he breathed, cringing at how airy his voice came out. “Apology accepted.”

He sure loved making the same mistake. It didn’t last a single minute before he went back. Where his smile appeared brighter than before. Without much thought, he found himself comparing it to the sun, being so bright it blinded him. He mentally slapped himself. God, what was wrong with him? As if finding his misery pleasurable, Valt laughed joyously and held his hands tighter. “Great! I’m like one hundred per cent certain an aquatic or walker might see us if we stayed any longer, so let’s head to shore.”

Finally, something logical. “Right,” said Shu, his voice still holding that weariness from prior. Feeling both relief and displeasure at his released hands, he didn’t put much resistance as Valt guided his body to cling to his back. With both arms around his neck and a head as clear as translucent glass, he felt his body flush when he felt the other’s glossy fins glide against his stomach.

They were much more elastic than expected. If his memory served correctly, he once perceived them as gel before. An odd but only comparison he could ever describe it as. Upon accidentally scratching his collarbone, he nearly slipped off when his body swung from left to right. With a frustrated look after getting back his grip, he mumbled an answer to the apology that came shortly after. After a minor discussion to assure the dia his safety – and how he wouldn’t immediately fall off – with a flick of his tail, they pushed forward to the land of greens and yellows.

“So, how was your first official lesson? Aside from the whole death thing,” asked Valt still pointing forward. While the view was obscured, he could see his face narrowed to express a somewhat uneasy look.

“It was alright. A solid six out of ten.” The tension left the other steadily, making it appear as if his confliction was just a mirage. Humming in an upward skew, bobbing his head to express his satisfaction, Valt rolled his head to bump against his.

“I’ll take it. A pass is a pass.” Shu leaned back to dodge as much contact with the other.

“So, I’m assuming our next lesson will be about walkers?”

“Walkers? Nah, we still have three more to shoot out!”

“… are you serious?”

Chapter Text

Shu couldn’t tell whether the day was a blessing or not. As much as he loved to walk without his new walking cane, Valt, the pang of pain that shot through his legs whenever he took a step made the act much unpleasant. He’s sure to thank himself for sprinting towards the sea those days ago. Today appeared to be another rough day: leaning against the wall, groaning as he massages his thighs to ease the pain. It would be for the best if he lay down, but after being disabled for a week, it does something to a man.

He flinched as he touched a sore muscle.

Especially to their pride.

Contrary to his lower limbs, which acted as if he had left the ship less than two days ago, his upper body was healing satisfactorily. Based on his progress, he’d reach two kilometres before his ribs poked his lungs rather than the usual one. Shu supposed that his swimming lesson with Valt was effective. His eyes narrowed as he processed the thought. Possibly good enough to reuse when he gets injured again.

With a much-forced sigh, he later dropped his hands by his hips. He should consider himself lucky that Valt didn’t take his pants along with his shirt and jacket. The thought itself was enough to make his ears go flush. How ridiculous, he thought with a bobbed head. He weaved his fingers through his hair, feeling the abnormal heat radiating off his face. Why should he be nervous? He never experienced any discomfort, aside from their stares, whenever he got medicated. For some reason, the thought of Valt staring anywhere lower than his upper body made his lungs tighten than any binding.

Shu quickly slapped himself, relishing the new sense of pain. This is ridiculous.

Shoving the thought down with a huff, he pushed against the wall and began his twentieth venture around the small house–or abnormally large storehouse. From what was stored inside, there wasn’t much left to note or satisfy his boredom. While there were more than enough rotting blanks and scattered ropes to label this place a walking hazard, for a scatterbrain like Valt, he must admit it wasn’t entirely bad. After crumbling another rope with a single touch, he wandered off to the other side. There sat the mini kitchen area where Valt cooked their meals: against the wall is a wide wooden table tainted with blood and on the right side laid a clutter of knives, ranging from all sorts of sharpness; to the left sat a bag of bones with meat he guessed Valt couldn’t bother to scrape off; above are two cabinets, one closed while the other barely keeping itself on its hinges.

He placed a hand against the surface, finding its smoothness like marble. While memories of his cooking plagued his brain, bitterness arose in his stomach. A feeling that pointed to the figure in blue rather than his own. How long had he lived here? Gazing at the agape cabinet overhead, the bottles of snacks and seasonings counted to nil against the area of space. In such poor condition, nonetheless.

Drumming against the table half mindedly, he snatched up a sample then stared at the worn-out ‘salt!’ etched outside. The text appeared slightly jagged, matching that of a child’s handwriting. A distant smile crept up his face as he imagined the man carving the words – tongue poking out as he included the very unnecessary exclamation mark. He hastily replaced it with another. The next depicted ‘B. Worms.’ If it weren’t his first time, he would’ve flinched at the creatures wriggling inside. He initially thought they were used as bait until Valt snatched the bottle and slurped it down a few days ago. A shudder arose as he placed it back.

He continued the process again with images of him haunting each recall. The way he spoke in delight as he explained each story behind every bottle. The way he’d nearly drop every third vile more than once and push Shu’s annoyance to hold it instead. From how he smiled, to how he laughed, then the way his eyes-

He prepped his hand to pick up the next subconsciously, only to blink twice when all he could find were the same bottles again. A peculiar feeling bundled in his stomach upon the comprehension, growing into something more as he pictured Valt’s face, who contorted into something stupid at his dazed behaviour. Then, next, his words, “Wow, you must really like my collection,” were spoken in taunt. He pinched the bridge of his nose, groaning out something too inaudible for anything worth deciphering.

Shu needed to return home fast.

Dismissing the unusual warmth in his hands, he swung on his heel. That was until he caught something shining behind the closed cabinet. Blinded, he stared back at the glow, grasping his last collected consciousness to comprehend the sight. When he last stood in this circumstance, with eyes of darted terror, Valt hastily pulled him away and back to bed. He didn’t need god-like intelligence to notice a secret. Rather than grow suspicious of the mystery, it redirected to his act instead. Though, in retrospect, he supposed that everyone has something they’d want private. He can name a few off the top of his head.

While his morals knew better than to invade one’s space, a gnawing pit clawed at his throat, flowing down to his flinching fingertips. He glanced at the doorframe, locked tight as before, then at the windows, revealing the usual blurring sight of leafy shadows. As he lingered on the panes, waiting for any figure to appear, he glanced back with narrowed temptation.

Shu opened the door and immediately felt the anticipation drop at the single vile. With flickering glances, he reached inside carefully. However, by the time his fingers grasped the surface, and the glass shimmered underneath the sunlight, he deemed the uneasy tension as a piece of fiction. Any residue of anticipation soon left when he read, ‘Medicine. Don’t Mix.’

It didn’t appear tightly sealed as he expected – he wrenched it open as any normal lid, really. As if the colour differences weren’t enough of a sign, he smelled the aroma that barely matched any synonym of tree oil. Glancing down at his wounds, which amounted to more than double the bottle could hold, he supposed that the substance was more common than anticipated. He pointed his gaze further. Did that mean there were better medications here? Was the ingredient a common flora here? Shu would need to ask later.

Returning to the main mission, he flipped it around and stared for any glaring differences. When two minutes passed, only two could be seen: cleanliness and handwriting. Based on its lack of fingerprints and gathered dust, they haven’t been used in a long time. An odd contradiction to his walking statement. The other was more of a nitpick than anything noticeable. While at first glance they appeared similar, the text appeared much neater, upgraded from a kindergarten to a junior level of writing. With such evidence, there was only one deduction.

Cross-contamination. There were cases of medicines mixed in meals, resulting in the victim’s sudden illness or life endangerment. While he never experienced the latter, he had his fair share as witness to the crime. It was only fortunate that each case was a tired accident. With nothing to gain, he was ready to turn in and deem the house as completed. Yet as the sun’s passed its seconds, the vile remained in his hand unmoved. As well as the unease.

He wasn’t sure why his stomach quailed or why his shoulder stiffened. It should be a good sign that Valt didn’t need to medicate himself as often despite his rural background. Yet, no matter how much he reasoned, something stood out. He shifted his weight to his other leg.

Shu knew better than to ignore his gut feeling.

With his brain occupied, he nearly dismissed the door opening. Swiftly, he placed the vile back inside and prepared himself for the other’s ramblings. Perhaps he could ease his paranoia by asking him straight up. When silence met at the closed cabinet, his gaze darkened. How odd. Turning his body, he opened his mouth and asked, “Hey Valt, you’re…”

Only for his words to drag when he looked at a stranger.

They were nothing like Tokonatsu or Ashikaga. Instead of feathers or a serpent's lower body, their body was covered in small-edged scales tinted in navy blues. Aside from the saggy skin on their neck and joints, it appeared like any normal coat. Underneath his own, he felt needles prickle. A scala. If it weren’t for that piercing purple gaze, he’d notice their open mouth, hissing as if he were a threat.

“A blank? That fucking idiot,” they- he spat. With a sharp swing of his tail, the door closed with an assured bang. His eyes zoned in on his target. “I knew he’d get himself in trouble again, but this? HA! What a joke.”

The man with the resonating voice slowly approached him, flexing out his claws in natural reflex. From the moment he stepped forward, Shu backed away with his gaze just as still. When his hand reached for his sword, he bit his lip when only air passed through. At the sight, the scala roared a laugh that leaked in bloodlust. “Don’t worry,” he lowered his back and revealed his fangs, “I’ll make this quick.”

In an instant, the stranger vanished before shortly reappearing up close. Without a single thought, Shu instinctively leapt to the side – narrowly dodging the blades near his chest. Now at the mercy of gravity, he collapsed against the ground. Regret itched into his body as his legs absorbed the fall. With his bandages springing loose, he grasped his chest in a feeble attempt at comfort. Eyes trained on the other, crouching on the ground with claws lodged into the floor.

Instantly, he kicked forward and scanned across the room for any weapon. Barely a second passed before he ripped the rotting floorboard and had his back shoved against the ground. With one blink, a world in blur was all that remained. With two, he pushed back with adrenaline as his only energy. With three, he watched the man looming above, shoving his nails through the plank.

Never had he seen such raw savagery.

With hands struggling to maintain distance, it was all instinct that he managed to slant his head to evade their bite. Distracted, he desperately shoved the wood against their neck and kicked at their stomach. To their choke, he clawed the floor and pushed away.

Just as fast as his escape, a broken glass grazed his cheek and to the wall in front. Before turning around, he dislodged the shard and swung back at the body from behind. In a matter of seconds, his face soon matched his eyes.

Staggering by the pain, the stranger fell back from the momentum and held their bleeding mess of a face. Shu took no less than two hasty breaths before reality dawned on him. He’ll die. The sagged body finally pulled their hand away, bearing his fangs to him. Undoubtedly so.  

Face blue, he turned back to the door. However, instead of footsteps, fear was all he heard.

Pause.

He was close to cursing aloud until panic took his breath.

Now?

He cautiously looked down. Instead of movement, he only wobbled in his stance.

Of all…

He looked up and saw a crippling smile.

Fuck.

Time slowed as he went through an agonising cycle of stillness. For what stood as seconds now felt like hours. Shifting his gaze between his legs and predator, he couldn’t do anything but feel his brain run overtime.  

He tried to slap himself. But his legs only wobbled in response.

He had to escape. But his head clogged up with fear.  

He searched for a weapon close by. However, the only identifiable one was the individual growing near.

Choked by the pressure, the floor shifted, and his heart jumped to his throat. From one second to another, his body touched the ground. Paralysed from the pain, his eyes remained on them.

Blood seeped through his lips.

Everything but air reached into his throat.

Footsteps neared his shadow.

His back slammed against the wall.

This can’t be it.

A hand raised high.

He didn’t-

Light shone on the blade.

Iron could be tasted before it came.

He wasn’t able to-

Shu couldn’t bear to look at his demise.

.

.

.

Yet his heart still pursued.

In the midst of his void, nothing but his breathing could be heard. The silence was unconventional, yet it wasn’t undesirable. Did he stand at the edge of death? Where he’s prepped and ready to meet a divine judge or a bottomless pit of nothingness. As much as he’d experience the thread, he could never be certain. With adrenaline behind his consciousness, he felt his body panic at the sensation of splinters sticking into his fingers.

Oh.

He sank his palm to the floor.

He was still there.

Choked in an indescribable wave of unease, every inch of his body returned to its original state. This wasn’t right. He shouldn’t be here. His throat throbbed at the turmoil. With a limp hand, he carefully raised it to touch his stomach. Revealing nothing new but former scars. Overwhelmed with his clashing thoughts, he summoned his abandoned courage and lifted his eyelids one by one.

Even with an incomplete view, a second was all he needed to recognise the figure in painted blues. For reasons of abnormality, his lungs tightened to the new figure in front of him.

Oh, a sight it certainly was.

Like a knife dug into his ear, he immediately recoiled when a shrill hiss erupted into the room. At that same moment, he blinked with strained breath and found his body coated in shadow. With a brain of unsteady seas, once he flicked upwards to the dia above, he could’ve sworn they grew larger than before. Figuratively and literally. At the sound of shifting grain, a voice then spoke.

“Fall. Back.”

Shu felt his body stiffening. If it weren’t for their body breathing out the words with certainty, the voice could’ve belonged to another stranger, and he wouldn’t be any wiser. As the saliva ran down his throat, deeming no impact to what was already dried, he tore his gaze from the fight. How idiotic. He watched him butcher fish as someone who knew their way around a blade, and he certainly was no chef. As muddled memories replaced with bias, the sound of feet shuffling neared his body to hush them. With a heavy wave from what he assumed must be a shoved arm, silence filled the air.

To one then five of unidentified voiceful minutes, a fingered ice grazed his shoulder. Instinctively, he grabbed their wrist, albeit weaker than anticipated. He mouthed a phrase he had told several times before, but by then, its purpose had lost its meaning. To Valt’s abnormally widened eyes, blinking with a third translucent eyelid, he bit his lips to his wavering resolve. They were different from one another. No better than two from two separate species.

How could he ever think otherwise?

Against touch-starved muscles in his grasp, Shu pulled every move to remain unresponsive. Even when the other blew a long stroke of air against his face, brushing his bangs to reveal his painted frown. Where his other hand etched into the crevasses of his scabs and muscle, pushing gently to feel his breath. How he whispered soft words in his direction that appeared to rumble straight from his throat. If a second of hesitation were to arise in any scenario, he knew how easily he'd crumble under those hands.

Yet once they pulled away, just briefly to let his chest move freely, he strangled every thought of their return.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t here sooner, Shu,” called Valt, or what he recalled him saying. Despite the energy slowly flowing back into him, he couldn’t find the words to speak. Call it pettiness or not, but he’d much rather see how his body stiffened to his response. In another silent beat, a low huff of disapproval blew to the crown of his hair. Too caught up deciphering his slurred mumbles, his breathing hitched in an unrecognisable whine when his hand slid to his cheek. The very aspect of him whining is enough for his body to warm up. This is something he’d need to keep to the grave.

“You’re hurt,” Valt continued, stroking away the blood in a faint trail. Fatigued from the stimulants, he allowed himself to lean against his palm. Hesitantly, he must add. As if he hung the moon, Valt hummed a soft, melodic tune that sounded too good to be improvised. Even with pivoting eyes, he could see glimpses of his head bobbing up and down. His lips twitched. How annoying.

He continued stroking his cut, hesitating whenever Shu shuddered out of a wheeze. “Is it painful? Thankfully, it isn’t anything deep. I doubt I have enough supplies to heal that too, or I guess I could…,” he shook his head and held him tightly, “No, I promised I wouldn’t do that again. Anyway, can you get up, or do you want me to carry you?” Having heard his voice again, Shu found himself wishing for their muted silence again. Thinking back, he quickly changed his answer once his face reddened. Unfortunately, his pain did not go unnoticed. “Hey, you ok-”

“I’m fine,” he mouthed, voice unsupported as if he had recently woken up. “I can,” his hand slapped away his offer of support, “get up… myself.” Turning away from their rejection, he tried to lift himself from the ground. The sight must’ve been foolish when he heard the faint snort. When he got himself up by a few inches, before falling back down on his ass, he bit his tongue to keep himself from groaning any louder. Another hand came over, but he ignored it with a pointed huff. He would’ve continued till-

“Shu.”

He shouldn’t have glanced up.

As expected, Valt was wearing his signature smile. The same one he’d use to comfort him whenever his teasing annoyed him too much; where his left cheek dinted to reveal that slight dimple above the corners of his lips, and his eyes were tilted high enough where the light radiated the shimmering gold inside. He lowered his gaze to the hand that neared his cheek, shining beautifully like glass. His throat bobbed when he raised them slightly to stare at a freckle above his lips for too long. In all his life, he had never wanted to destroy a thought so badly before. Yet…

Shu subconsciously licked his lips. In response, Valt’s shoulder stiffened.

It wasn’t so bad to muse on the idea.

“Valt, you are not courting someone when I’m still here, and a blank at that.”

As if a spell had been undone, the atmosphere suddenly vanished, and the pain crashed on him like never before. Above his groans, Valt shot up at a speed that intensified his aching head to turn at the stranger. “L-Lui! How long have you been there?” The other tossed him the very definition of a glare before groaning with a hand pinching his temple.

“Too long to see, whatever this is,” he explained exasperatedly, waving off as if they insulted his existence. With a swooping tail and blabbering mouth, Valt covered his face with a much louder groan. Shu blinked twice, then an extra for good luck. Odd. He touched his cheek, which felt abnormally warm. Did his near-death experience make him sick? He tilted his gaze back at the two, who were in a heated discussion with Valt spitting out lines at light speed, explaining a scene that never happened. Holding his aching head, he stared at how he had grabbed his hair in a panicked frenzy, puzzledly. That was until the haze cleared to replay a previous scene.

Surely not.

His grip turned tighter. As his fingers ran up to cover his jaw, he was met with enlightened flames. There’s no way. How could he…? Just thinking of the idea was enough to make him faint. The truth seemed doubtful, but the other’s behaviour clearly stated otherwise. Unfortunately, his train of thought was interrupted when a clutter of footsteps caught his attention. “Now go,” barked the lizard, shoving Valt. “Apologise.”

Valt frowned. “Not before-”

“Fine.” The other lashed his tail against the floor before taking a single step closer. Eyes narrowed in discomfort but not out of rage. “Sorry for nearly killing you. You did well in avoiding my attacks, given your current condition.” Shu glared at the man – Lui was it? – with a clicked tongue. In response, he sneered with a dilated pupil coated in red. Before he’d let an insult slip by, shuffling rang across his left side. Rather than anger, confusion waved over as he inclined his head to Valt,  who rubbed his neck in awkward silence. Why did he need to apologise?

His gaze furrowed.

And what brought that nervous stance?

“Shu. I uh, accidentally used um…” He rotated his head, staring at the ceiling distractedly before he fell into a trance. Until a hiss came, that is. Letting out a theatrical groan, he looked back. Dropping his arm beside his hip, he added another timid smile to the mix. “Sorry, I used Angelic Shadow on you.”

Shu gawked. “What?” His face must’ve replaced his puzzlement with another when the other hid his face in… embarrassment?

“I’m sorry! You were just so upset that I had to calm you down somehow, and I didn’t know what other tricks I could pull without annoying you further. Though, honestly, that already is a difficult task, considering that everything I do annoys you anyway. I mean- Not in a bad way! Of course, I like how stubborn you- AH WAIT! I mean, uh, I don’t mind the attitude, you know? Like, oh fuck the apology. Oh-kay uh, ignore that, haha, I just-”

“Valt heightened your serotonin and dopamine levels to make you ‘high’,” interrupted Lui curtly. Crossing his arms, he raised his head high in taunt. “I’m sure you can connect the dots, blank.” Without time to process, he turned his back and headed to the butcher table. Not before pausing halfway to glare at Valt, whispering along the lines of ‘You better have an explanation for this.’

Once the clanks of his claws died within their collective silence, Valt finally blew out a much-needed sigh with shagged shoulders. Pushing his bangs to join the relieved air, Shu glanced at the dia occupied by their finger’s webbing. To think he had such an ability with him. While it was easy to deduce every lax moment as deceitful, they all lacked the outward headache that persisted till now. His frown furrowed as strands of loose hair flicked over his eyes.

He just had to find someone so overly trusting, did he?

“Shu?” He flinched when his eyes adjusted to the face in front of him. As if he didn’t scare his breath away, Valt tilted his head innocently, staring with eyes of indescribable. He’d push him away if he weren’t caught up in its golden gleam. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

Definitely not anything else.

“I’m fine. How many times do I have to tell you?” Shu snapped without genuine vigour. As if it were a game, Valt muffled a snicker with his hands held high. Whereas he responded with a murmured complaint, rolling his eyes. Even when he ignored his offer of support, his hand was stolen and pulled along. He couldn’t bother to count himself lucky for the numbness when his foot slid across the other. Nor was he bothered to stop the glare, stunning the others’ alarms. Yet, never did his supportive grip waver.

Foot after foot, they found their way to Lui, who eyed the lonely vile with a careful talon. Under his frozen exterior of disappointment lay something foreign. Terms too tender that depicted the beast. “So, mind explaining why you were harbouring a blank of all creatures?” asked Lui, motionless. Against curses or swears, no word came to offend him. It was ideal to remain unbiased, even towards trivial matters, back home. Yet he stood stiff, fully prepared to change that record. Towards one that was never intended to hold vigour till now, nonetheless. Before fantasy became reality, a tight squeeze bit his shoulder. When he saw disappointment from Valt, he scoffed at his side instead. 

Cutting off the desire to choke that disgusting smirk, Valt leaned forward and blinded Lui with a smile. “Hey, so you know that walker I saved a few weeks back? Well-”

“Ugh, don’t-”

“Well, that’s Shu. I’ve been nursing him back to health since, and man, is he amazing!”

“Tsk, I suppose anything impresses you-”

“Honestly, Lui, he’s still healing, yet he’s done so much. I wouldn’t doubt that he was a workaholic like you.”

“Please, he’s more useless than a cod. What could he do?”

“Well, since you’re asking.” Lui sighed. “From how he uses his mouth to remove the bones in his food to how he undressed his wounds like clockwork every night:

“How he understood every explanation I answered and refused to ask for help because he’s somehow more stubborn than you sometimes; when we walked and he nailed it at the first go, and when he soothed my worries as we hid from the guards – I was so sure I kept my feelings bay then too! How he swam because wow I barely needed to slow down, and how he spoke of these unique fish names I’ve never heard before and man, the way his body-”

“Holy shit, you did not need to say all that.”

Shu couldn’t tell if the room got warmer or if he got sicker. Fortunately for Lui’s growing disgust, Valt stepped back to redeem himself like a spent discount. Sensing his body collided against his, he whispered a curse for ever forgetting about his overly large walking cane. Digging his eyes into his bangs, blood swelled within his teeth. Could Valt not think for a single minute of his life?

As time passed, their one-sided quarrel turned from personal jabs to unbiased jokes. Lui managed to scrape up ten victories despite being the former. It was about that time when Valt’s embarrassment turned into amusement as he laughed alone in the open air. He’d join if he weren’t two metres away in bed as ordered by none other than the chatterbox after one flinch. Watching how their tails barely grazed against one another, Shu clicked his tongue and shrugged off. He doubted they’d laugh at the same things anyway.

Pressure came near to rupture at his lip when those violet eyes narrowed tenderly. He shielded away from their reciprocation. What if they were close? It was none of his business, he silently repeated. Once he finds his crew, that psychological attachment will be reaped. The fact appeared strong till he opened his eyes and saw Lui hovering near Valt, with a hand of distance keeping them apart. Rationality and respect swiftly appeared as an option rather than a requirement. Under hushed whispers, with tails woven over each other, he didn’t hold himself back from eavesdropping.

“I can’t keep protecting you. I’m already risking my life keeping you here,” he heard Lui reply. A distant breath escaped his lips, laced with undefined relief and envy. He leaned in closer when Valt’s words appeared muffled.

“-or that. I truly am,” replied Valt hastily. Clutching his hand, he temporarily glanced away before stirring himself back with a firm gaze. “But I can’t just abandon him.” His mouth opened to continue, but the words rang too silently for Shu to hear. For the scala beside him, on the other hand, it may as well have been shouted aloud. As silence continued, Lui huffed crossly with his arms just as intertwined.

“You need to stop being so damn considerate. One way or another, this blank-”

“Shu.”

“…Shu will get you caught. Hell, I bet he was why you nearly did.”

Under the condensed air caused by their glares, Valt was the first to back down. Pain reflected on his face at his answer. “He nearly died, Lui. It was a miracle he could walk- to breathe, really.” He took in a deep breath and carried himself higher. “It was a miracle I pulled off.” Shu wasn’t sure why those words hit Lui harder than the rest. Nor if he wanted to delve deeper into it either. “Please, let me do something right for once. To finally save som-”

“Valt,” Lui gripped his shoulder, scrunching up the skin beneath his grip. “That day wasn’t-”

“You hear that?”

Eyes shot up to the door.

“Hmm…faintly,” said another voice. Shuffling leaves slowly grew from distant to near. “Must be coming from that shed.” Shu’s body ran towards Valt before his head could ponder. However, he doubted he needed to move as hastily as he did, thanks to the other’s swift movements to appear before him suddenly.

“Ugh, do we really need to check?” One pair of footsteps halted in place, causing the other to pause as well. Within their moment of silence, Valt stared at Lui, shouting pleading words through his eyes.

“Do you want to get punished by the captain?” The steps wavered, and a sigh of defeat came through. Despite their answer, Lui’s conflicted front remained the most frightening.

“I- Yeah, you’re right,” they resumed their pace. Confronted by time, Valt mouthed out a curse and yanked Shu to the right wall. “I’d rather partner up with Gou than get lectured by her again.” Pulling off a matted sheet, he barely processed the size of the crate before getting shoved in.

“Gou?” Shu choked up, not anticipating Valt’s additional appearance. “Why not Lui?” If it weren’t for the circumstances, he could imagine him murmuring whispers of apologies for every second they were squished together. Claws slowly paced around in contemplation.

“Have you seen a disappointed Gou?” If they were in different circumstances, he would react much differently. “That beats Lui’s criticism any day. Plus, he’ll think I’m too ‘useless’ and do the work for me.”

A door swung open. Whether he liked it or not, their fates relied on-

“I guess- C-Commander Shirasagijo?”