Notes: Soooo, somehow, despite the fact that I'm dying and thought I was way too sick to ever be able to put out writing I wouldn't be completely ashamed of, this happened. Was supposed to be an aside to some SFU shorts I posted on my tumblr so they're out there for people to read in worst case scenario. While this is nowhere near what I can do in better health, it's not half-bad, and I got to tell a part of the story I was really looking forward to.

If you ever wanted a Jenrin/Rin & Isobu scene, it's here.

the girl and the leviathan

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"So, Sanbi-san, should I call you..." Rin tilted her head, face screwed up in confusion, fear, and a bravado that couldn't possibly be working against a being akin to a god, "…San-san?" The second she said it, she desired nothing more than the floor, or maybe the giant leviathan glaring down at her in cold fury, to devour her whole.

"San," the Sanbi growled, his rage causing the water he was sealed inside to boil and froth and spit forth steam from where the—the key, her arm—would fit. "Your feeble 'respect' is not welcome, jailor." His eye narrowed, the overwhelming hatred swirling in it converging into a tiny laser point focused solely on the equally tiny, determined human before him.

Rin swallowed thickly, unblinking brown eyes drilling holes right back into him. As much as she wanted to convey her dedication to getting them out of their predicament, everything she perceived as respect was met with hostility and sassing an immortal being with the ability to warp reality probably wasn't the smartest idea.

She kept her mouth shut and stared up at him, taking a confident step forward, the heel of her sandal giving a resounding clack that echoed in the sterile whiteness of her mindscape.

The Sanbi's eye narrowed further, the red and yellow of his eye burning with an intensity that eclipsed the sun. "San," he repeated, the singular word enough warning to last several lifetimes over.

Which Rin, of course, had no interest in repeating.

"San it is," she murmured to herself, giving the demon a stilted, awkward bow despite herself. "I keep my promises, San. If I can't save myself…" Rin looked down at her feet for a moment, lips down-turning into a severe frown. She looked back into his eye, dead serious and fully unaware of the stance she'd taken.

The filthy human that dared to stand as if she was his equal… shone, and for the first time in years far too long, the Sanbi felt something. Something that wasn't overflowing with anger and pain and sadness and hate.

"I promise to save you."

The Sanbi's tails flicked in agitation and he rumbled lowly, the water behind the glass separating them boiling so furiously it masked the enormity of his body.

"We'll see, won't we, human?"

(Isobu refused to believe that she was a beacon of hope, of light in a very, very dark place. Maybe the darkness of the ocean no longer suited him.

But he would not admit such a thing, especially not to a mere girl like her.)