Part of Your World

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Last Chapter: Motonari fails to come to terms with his new legs, and struggles both with the ominous voice inside his head and his inability to remember the ritual. Motochika asks all the right questions and receives all the wrong answers. Strategy is discussed, and Motochika and Motonari come to an agreement, narrowly avoiding a falling out in the process. Is the world truly coming to an end?

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Author's Note: What do you mean, this story isn't dead?! GASP.

There is mention of the infamous blobfish in this chapter. Google it. Google it, and try not to notice its unfortunate likeness to He Who Must Not Be Named For Fear of His Ego Reaching Critical Mass and Destroying Us All. That fish deserves better.

A fundoshi is a traditional piece of Japanese underwear. Similar to the kind that sumo wrestlers wear, except as far I know those are called mawashi. I don't know. Just google that, too!

Noragi garments are patch-work clothes made of simple, durable fabrics that have been mended and stitched together over and over again, traditionally worn by poor fishermen, farmers and peasants. Typically, indigo dyes are used in their creation.

This chapter picks up directly where the last one left off, so you might want to go back and skim it to refresh your memory.

Also, more Motochika POV, because apparently I love to suffer.

Enjoy!

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Chapter 14: Red Sky at Morning

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That night, Motochika got very little rest.

He tossed and turned in his hammock, finding it near impossible to lie still and let sleep overtake him with the memory of everything that had happened over the course of the last few hours still weighing so heavily on his mind. Whenever he managed to doze off for a few minutes the slightest sound of movement from across the room would make him open his eye and stare at the ceiling, suddenly wide-awake.

Motonari slept fitfully in his bed, seemingly plagued by nightmares, and the little gasps and whimpers he occasionally let out made Motochika's heart ache with sympathy. More than once he found himself wanting to cross the room and shake Motonari awake, but every time he stopped himself, remembering how pale and exhausted Motonari had looked after that sudden seizure.

He needed to rest.

So did Motochika for that matter, and yet he found himself lying awake for the better part of the night, listening to Motonari's breathing and remembering that awful, endless moment when it had stopped and it had seemed it might never start again.

Try as he might, Motochika could not forget.

When the sun rose and its warm glow began to light up the cabin, Motochika finally gave up on sleep entirely. All in all, he figured he had gotten about two hours of sleep, perhaps three at the very most.

It would have to do.

He crossed the room and made his way over to Motonari's bedside, figuring he should wake him up and get some food into his belly. There was no telling when he had last eaten.

Reaching his destination, Motochika took a seat at Motonari's bedside and placed a hand on his shoulder, prepared to carefully shake him awake. But instead of following through on his intentions, Motochika went still and simply... stared.

The sunlight streaming in through the window hit Motonari's face just so, bathing his skin in a warm golden glow. He no longer looked nearly as pale as he had yesterday, faintly visible shadows underneath his eyes the only indication of the rough night he had had. Apart from that, he looked... peaceful.

It made something twinge deep inside Motochika's chest.

Gingerly, Motochika moved, fingertips barely touching Motonari's skin as his hand ghosted over his shoulder and towards his chin. He took hold of it gently, turning Motonari's face towards him so he could get a better look. Sleep had softened his features, leaving him looking open and relaxed, none of his usual frowns or icy arrogance to be seen.

It was striking, how different he looked.

A strand of hair had fallen across Motonari's face, partially obscuring his features. Careful not to wake him, Motochika brushed it aside and tucked it behind his ear. Motonari shifted a little in response, but did not wake.

Motochika's gaze travelled from the graceful arch of his eyebrows to the straight line of his nose, until finally it dropped to Motonari's lips, pink and slightly parted in his slumber. Unable to resist, Motochika ran the pad of his thumb over the gentle slope of Motonari's bottom lip.

He swallowed, Adam's apple bobbing. He licked his own lips, leaned in, and...

Abruptly, he got to his feet and walked over to the window with long strides. He threw it open so quickly it clattered against the wooden wall of his cabin, hinges creaking. The commotion had startled Motonari awake, who was now sitting upright in his bed, looking alarmed.

"Rise and shine, Mori!" Motochika said, spreading his arms wide as he turned to Motonari with a grin that hid the guilty thundering of his heart. "The sun is shining, birds are singing—well, they're not, since we are still at sea, but it's a beautiful morning anyway!"

Motonari looked nothing short of bewildered, slowly blinking sleep-heavy eyelids and making a noise that very much sounded like: "Guh...?"

Motochika couldn't help it: he burst into laughter. Any traces of the unwise impulses he had felt earlier had been replaced by mirth at the sight Motonari made right now. With his hair all mussed up like that and fine red lines from pillow creases imprinted into his cheek, he looked a far cry from the cold, dignified nobleman he usually liked to portray himself as.

It was hilarious. Hilarious, and undeniably adorable in equal turns. The scowl now spreading over his face as Motonari woke up a little more only added to that impression.

"Behold!" Motochika said dramatically, making a swooping gesture towards Motonari. "The illustrious Mori Motonari, risen from his slumber at last. What a magnificent sight!"

"Spare me," Motonari scoffed, moving as if to lie back down and pull the blanket over his head.

"You've got some drool on your face, you know," Motochika gleefully pointed out, sauntering over to stand at Motonari's bedside. He leant down and tapped a spot on his own cheek. "Right here."

"I do not drool in my sleep," Motonari insisted, gaze gone cold as ice but face gone warm as he furiously wiped the back of his hand over his mouth, just to be safe.

"Maybe you didn't down below the sea," Motochika conceded, figuring with all that water around, no one would be able to tell one way or the other. "But up here, you clearly do."

Motonari made a face. "Humans are so—unsanitary."

Motochika shrugged. "You say that, but we aren't the ones merrily swimming around in our own feces," he countered without missing a beat.

At least he assumed that was what the merfolk did. He had never asked Motonari what sort of system they used for dealing with bodily waste below the surface, so he could only guess. Considering the offended glare on Motonari's face, Motochika figured now was not the time to press for details.

"Anyway, you're human now, too, at least for the time being, so there's really no point arguing about it," Motochika said as he bent to pick up a bucket of water and a clean rag. He carried both items over to Motonari and deposited them on the bed beside him. His heart twinged with guilt when he realized that Motonari's anger had drained away at the reminder of his humanity, replaced by melancholy.

Placing a hand on Motonari's shoulder, he gently said: "Wash up. I'll be back in a minute." Motochika gave his shoulder a comforting squeeze, expecting Motonari to react the way he had many times before and reject the gesture. "And try to cheer up, alright? Things aren't as bad as you think."

Motonari did not reply, and after a moment, Motochika withdrew his hand and turned to leave. As the door to his quarters fell shut behind him, a realization dawned on him that made something warm bloom in his chest.

Unlike all the other times before, this time, Motonari had not shied away from his touch.

x—x—x

When Motochika returned to his cabin a few minutes later Motonari already looked a lot more presentable. He had taken the time to smooth out his hair and untangle it, his face was clean, and he looked fully alert and awake. There was a faint hint of discontent in the pinch of his lips but it cleared right up when he took a deep breath and smelled the food Motochika had brought.

Motochika smiled at the sight.

"Breakfast first," he announced as he handed one of two steaming bowls of stew to Motonari, keeping the other one for himself. "Then we're gonna find you some clothes."

Motonari looked up from his bowl at that, one thin eyebrow shooting up as he gave Motochika a critical once-over. Clearly unimpressed with what he was seeing, he said: "Nothing quite as obnoxious as what you are wearing, I should hope."

"Nothing wrong with what I'm wearing," Motochika laughed, pulling up a chair and shovelling some stew into his mouth. He was hungry, manners be damned. His lack of restraint earned him a small scoff of disdain from Motonari – or perhaps he had made that noise in response to Motochika's words. "Anyway, you're a twig. None of my things would fit you, so I asked one of my men to lend you something."

At that, the look of displeasure already on Motonari's face only deepened.

"...One of your men," he repeated dully, for a moment seeming like he might have lost his appetite. "You actually expect me to..."

Feeling just a little offended on behalf of his crew, Motochika rolled his eye. "Oh, get off your high horse already," he said. "They're clean, an' he's doing you a service, you ungrateful prick." Pushing his annoyance aside but deciding he still wanted to mess with him a little, Motochika regarded Motonari with a faux-questioning look. "Unless you'd rather remain as you are...?"

Motonari shot him a sharp look.

Motochika continued speaking, not deterred in the slightest by the silent warning in Motonari's gaze.

"I suppose if you're this set on lounging around bare-assed and buck naked on my ship all day, there's nothing I can do to stop you." He pretended to look thoughtful, tapping a finger against his chin. "And I guess it's not like the crew would mind. They've been out at sea for nearly a month now, so it's been a while since they've had a pretty young thing to feast their eyes on." Here, his expression morphed into a wolfish grin. "They're startin' to get a little eager, if you catch my drift."

The same went for him, but Motochika wisely chose not to voice that thought.

The look on Motonari's face was so cold and the heat of his glare so intense that Motochika felt it was a miracle that he didn't simultaneously freeze to death and burst into flames.

"You are disgusting and deplorable," Motonari said. "Every last one of you."

Motochika just kept grinning. "So you'll accept the clothes?"

"Of course," Motonari huffed, finally starting on his food. "That was never a question."

Motochika had figured as much, but he acted as if he had won an argument anyway, just to be obnoxious. "That's settled, then," he said, making sure to sound smugly self-satisfied.

He saw one of Motonari's eyes twitch in response. "Stop smiling," he bit out between mouthfuls of stew. "You look like a fool."

Motochika did not, in fact, stop smiling. But he remained silent, at least, choosing to give Motonari a momentary reprieve while they ate.

There would be plenty opportunity to keep teasing him later, he was sure.

x—x—x

"I fail to see the point of underwear," Motonari said the moment Motochika returned to his quarters.

After they had finished eating, he had excused himself to go pick up the clothes he had promised earlier, leaving Motonari behind with a fundoshi and instructions to put it on while he was gone. Motochika had been confident the brunet would be able to somehow figure out how to put it on, but evidently, he had been wrong.

Well, Motochika thought, caught somewhere between amusement and dread. Guess things are about to get awkward.

Motonari had folded the long strip of clothing across his lap to cover himself up, eyeing the fabric darkly before turning the full force of his displeased glare on Motochika instead. "It seems like nothing but an unnecessary hassle. Surely I can go without?"

Motochika winced as he imagined the chafing. "Better not," he replied as he set the clothes he had brought down on the table. "You're not a child, and you're not a woman, so you'll just have to suck it up and get used to it. Besides, you're only so dead set against it because you're pissed you couldn't figure out how it's worn on your own." He smiled disarmingly as he approached the bed where Motonari still sat. "Am I right, or am I right?"

"The only thing you are is a babbling, simple-minded blobfish that could not tell its head from its own fins," Motonari coldly said.

The words meant absolutely nothing to Motochika, but the tone they were delivered in told him everything he needed to know.

"You wound me," he joked, coming to a stop near the bed. "Come on, get up. I'll show you how it's done. "

Motonari shot him a withering glare, the kind that could curdle milk and make babies spontaneously burst into tears. "I can't."

Motochika took a moment to digest that, eyeing Motonari's new but useless legs.

"...Oh," he said at last.

"Yes," Motonari hissed out between clenched teeth, fingers digging into the material of the fundoshi in his lap. "Oh, indeed."

"Guess I'll show you how to stand on your own two feet first, then," Motochika said with a shrug, undeterred. He smiled, holding out his hands for Motonari to take. "Come on, then. I'll help you up."

Motonari first scowled at him, then at his legs. When it became only all too clear to both of them that no amount of hateful staring would make them morph back into a tail, Motonari let out a sigh of defeat. Briefly, his shoulders slumped. Then he pulled himself together, a carefully constructed look of disaffection appearing on his face. He looked calm now – almost dignified.

Motochika wondered if it was a deeply ingrained survival instinct that made Motonari so reluctant to show his weakness no matter his true feelings on any given situation, or if it was a simple matter of pride.

Perhaps, he mused, it was a combination of both.

With Motochika's help, Motonari slowly got to his feet. He stood like a newborn deer on ice, legs shaking and threatening to give out underneath him at a moment's notice. In fact, the only thing keeping him from collapsing right where he stood was Motochika's hold on him. The moment Motochika attempted to let go, Motonari's knees buckled.

Motochika caught him – of course he did – but Motonari still seemed surprised not to have fallen to the floor.

"Easy there," Motochika chuckled. "I've got you."

Thoroughly unimpressed with the situation, Motonari scowled. "Unhand me," he demanded, attempting to wriggle his way out of Motochika's hold.

"Would if I could," Motochika said, keeping his hands right where they were. "But if I let go, you're gonna drop like a rock."

Motonari seemed to see the truth in those words because he stopped fighting against Motochika's hold on him with a huff, making it that much easier for Motochika to turn him around so they were standing back to front. Keeping Motonari on his feet with an arm wrapped around his middle, Motochika reached around him and grabbed the fundoshi.

Bodies pressed together, Motochika very deliberately kept his mind entirely blank of thoughts related to their current position and gamely said: "Alright, let's do this. Pay attention."

He got to work, sliding the strip of cloth between Motonari's legs and beginning the awkward process of attempting to properly tie it mostly one-handed. It was not an easy task, made only all the more difficult because a large portion of Motochika's focus was dedicated to keeping his wandering hands and eye to himself.

He rather doubted Motonari would appreciate any touching that crossed that fine line between grudgingly accepted out of sheer necessity and downright unwanted. As it was, Motonari was already tense as a bowstring. He was holding his breath, too, and Motochika figured there was no reason to make this any more unpleasant for him than strictly necessary.

It was Motonari who broke the strange silence that had settled over them.

"I also fail to see how anyone could possibly think having genitals outside of your body constitutes as anything but poor design," he grumbled. "It seems—unsafe."

Motochika could not help it; he snorted, then let out a proper laugh. "I hear ya," he said, grinning, glad that the strange tension that had taken hold of them had been broken. "Nothing quite as painful as taking a knee to the groin. Women have the right idea. Still hurts like a bitch, or so I'm told, but at least nothing's gonna get squished."

Motochika could not see Motonari's face, but he took his silence to mean that he was pulling a face.

"So," Motochika said conversationally as he looped one of the fundoshi's ends through the back, trying to brush against as little skin as possible. "Mermaid dick, huh? Guess that's a thing. Wasn't entirely sure, because, you know, it's not like anything's visible."

Motonari turned his head and shot Motochika an irritated glare, lips pressed into a tight line. "There is... an equivalent," he grudgingly admitted. "I assume it functions similarly enough."

Motochika took a moment to process that information. Then he said: "I have so many questions."

There was a moment of silence before Motonari very pointedly said: "None of which I am inclined to answer."

A laugh worked its way up Motochika's throat, and he grinned. "Heh. Yeah, figured as much." With steady hands, he finished his task, relieved he had not accidentally touched anything he decidedly should not be touching. "There, all done!"

Motonari said nothing, but he did let out an audible breath of relief, his shoulders relaxing minutely. Motochika guided him to sit back down on the bed for now while he went to get the clothes he had placed on the table earlier. He suspected they would still be a few sizes too big for Motonari, but they would have to do for now. Beggars couldn't be choosers, and no matter how noble his family or how well to do the merman may have been under the surface, up here, he had nothing.

A sobering thought indeed, and Motochika pushed it aside quickly. As he handed Motonari the clothes he had brought for him, he asked: "So. How are you feeling today?"

It took Motonari a moment to respond as he figured out how to put the unfamiliar garments on. They consisted of an indigo noragi jacket and vest, as well as a simple pair of pants. Made from coarse patches of hemp fabric held together with sashiko stitching, they were cheap and not particularly elegant, but they provided suitable protection from the elements and served their function well.

"Given the circumstances..." Motonari finally said as he slid his arms through the sleeves of the jacket. "About as well as can be expected, I suppose."

"Any more nightmares?"

For a moment, a look of unease flashed across Motonari's face and he faltered briefly before reaching for the vest. "No," he replied as he put it on. "None that I can remember."

"Good," Motochika simply said, and when he realized that Motonari had trouble putting on the pants he had been provided because his legs refused to cooperate, he knelt down before him. "Let me."

Motonari stiffened and seemed reluctant to accept Motochika's help at first, but after a moment, he relented.

"This is humiliating," he complained under his breath, but Motochika only shook his head.

"Nothing humiliating about accepting help."

Carefully, he lifted one of Motonari's legs, then the other, guiding them into the pair of pants. He helped Motonari onto his feet and made sure he didn't lose his balance while Motochika pulled the garment all the way up and tied it securely around his waist. When he was done, they both glanced down at Motonari's feet.

They were completely obscured by his new clothes, the hem of the pants reaching way beyond his ankles.

"Well, that won't do," Motochika said with a click of his tongue. He made Motonari sit on the bed again and crouched down to roll up the bottom of his pants. "There. Better." From his position on the floor, he glanced up at Motonari only to pause at the odd look he found on the other's face. "What?" Motochika frowned. "Somethin' on my face?"

Motonari startled, as if caught doing something forbidden, then shook his head. "It's nothing," he said. "You just—surprise me. For a pirate, you are... unexpectedly kind."

Warmth flooded through Motochika, and the smile that appeared on his face in response to Motonari's words was so wide his cheeks almost hurt. "Kind, huh?" he repeated in a slow, somewhat self-satisfied drawl. "Guess you're not the only one surprised, here. Didn't think I'd ever see the day you'd actually praise me."

"What I said was hardly meant to be taken as praise," Motonari argued. "You are too soft. It is a quality people will not hesitate to take advantage of."

Motochika grinned. "Is that concern I hear in your words? Or are you sayin' you wanna take advantage of me?" He laughed. "Gee, didn't think ya felt that way about me. Suppose I should be flattered, huh?"

A look of distaste crossed Motonari's face. With a huff, he turned his head away from Motochika and said: "Oh, forget it!"

Giving one of Motonari's knees an apologetic squeeze, Motochika got to his feet. Amusement still danced in his eye when he said: "Sorry, just teasing. Guess you've got a point about me being an obnoxious son of a bitch."

"Not the words I would have chosen, but I cannot deny I agree with the sentiment," Motonari said, stiffly. "I do not believe there to be a person in this world more obnoxious than you, or more insufferable for that matter."

Motochika reached out and before Motonari could smack his hand away, he ruffled brunet hair. "Now that's the Mori I know and love!"

x—x—x

"You know, you gotta stop moping at some point."

At the sound of his voice, Motonari lifted his head and sat up straight. No longer hunching over the railing with his arms pillowed on wood warmed by the afternoon sun, he shot Motochika a displeased, side-long glance when the pirate stepped up beside him.

Motochika waited for an answer, but Motonari simply turned away to continue gazing out at the ocean like he was waiting for his long lost lover to finally return from the war – brooding in silence and hardly speaking a word to anyone, just as he had done the past few days. Motochika rolled his eye.

"Oh, come on," he huffed and slung an arm around Motonari's slim shoulders to give him a little shake. "Enough with the silent treatment already. It's not like you lost your voice, too."

"I wish you had lost yours," Motonari shot back at once.

At first, Motochika was a little caught off guard, but then he laughed. "See, that wasn't so hard, was it?" He gave Motonari's shoulders one last squeeze and then let go of him. "Knew you hadn't gone mute on me. Good thing, too. Just think – whatever would I do without your sharp tongue to keep me on my toes?"

"Perish, surely," Motonari said, the corners of his lips turned up in mirth ever so slightly. It barely counted as a smile, but the sight of it still filled Motochika with a heady sort of elation.

"Oh, without a doubt," he agreed easily.

A comfortable silence settled over them then as they both watched the waves. A thin strip of land was visible in the far distance. Soon, they would arrive at shore. They could properly begin their search for the Stone of Ascension, then. Or perhaps find some information on how to reverse the spell that had robbed Motonari of his tail, at least.

"We'll get it back, you know," he said suddenly, his eye still fixed on the horizon. Beside him, Motonari shifted to look at him.

"The Stone?"

"That, too." Motochika turned to meet Motonari's frown with a solemn gaze of his own. "I may be a thief and the scourge of the seven seas, but I always honour my word. A promise is a promise, after all." He grinned. "Besides... I'm a pirate. Finding treasure is what I do."

Motonari scoffed, but Motochika thought there was something grateful about the expression on his face. "I seem to recall that what you do is make others find treasure for you."

Motochika threw his head back and laughed uproariously. "Details, details," he said, waving one hand in a dismissive fashion. "Good to see you haven't lost your edge, though. With all the silent brooding you've been doing lately, I was starting to get worried."

"No witch can dull my edge, no matter how wicked," Motonari assured Motochika. "My mind is as sharp as ever."

"As is your wit," Motochika added, happy to see a pleased look flash across Motonari's features. "Speaking of the witch... I've been wondering for a while now. Why did she agree to help you in the first place? What could she possibly hope to gain from turning you human?"

"Her brother," Motonari replied after giving the question a moment of thought. "She wanted me to find her brother. I can only assume he was captured by humans the way I was once caught in your net, and she thinks him alive still."

A shadow settled across Motochika's face as he averted his gaze and turned his attention inward, towards matters of the past. "Family, huh..." he muttered, a dark tone in his voice. "It always comes down to family in the end, doesn't it?"

Motonari looked curious, but before he got a chance to press him for details concerning his cryptic remark, Motochika forced himself to brighten up and shoot the former merman a blinding smile. "Enough of that," he said firmly. "I believe it's time I taught you a little something-something that will be essential for you to know while you're stuck up here on the surface."

Looking more suspicious than curious now, Motonari narrowed his eyes and asked: "And that would be...?"

Motochika just grinned, and in lieu of a proper response, he simply said:

"You'll see."

x—x—x

"This isn't going to work."

Motonari's voice was as dead-pan as could be, a sharp contrast to Motochika's cheerful tone when he replied: "Nonsense! It's working already."

Looking uncharacteristically flustered and rather red in the face, Motonari took a moment to glance up and throw Motochika a scathing glare before training his gaze on his own feet in concentration once again. "No. No, it is decidedly not."

"You haven't face-planted for almost five minutes, now," Motochika insisted, barely concealed laughter in his tone. "That's what I call progress!"

Teeth clenched so tightly Motochika was beginning to worry the poor guy might be well on his way to grinding them into fine dust, Motonari hissed: "Hah! Progress!" Yet despite his protests, he took a deep breath and took a step forward.

"That's it, just like that," Motochika praised, his hands resting lightly on Motonari's waist to make sure he would be able to catch him in time should his legs give out beneath him. Trembling from the sheer effort of holding himself up, Motonari tightened his grip on Motochika's shoulders to keep his balance and took another step. "See? You're doing it!"

"Shut up and let me concentrate," Motonari groused, wobbling dangerously on his feet for a moment or two before he managed to catch himself.

"Alright, alright," Motochika laughed. "I'll be quiet."

He kept to his word, too, staying silent as he continued to make sure Motonari would not fall as he clumsily practised walking. Given how strained he looked, Motochika figured it was time to give him a break and keep his teasing words to himself.

His crew was not so kind.

"Would ya look at that?" someone yelled from across the deck. "Baby's first steps!"

"Looks more like he's drunk ta me," another man responded amidst the ensuing laughter and cheering.

"Or constipated!"

"Now, now, men," Motochika cut in, smiling despite his chiding tone. "Settle down."

Face even more flushed now than before and looking very much like he despised every single second of this whole ordeal, Motonari hissed through tightly clenched teeth: "I still don't see why we could not do this in your cabin."

"Too much crap lying around," Motochika replied easily, slowly guiding Motonari towards the railing. "The waves are bad enough. Add one tripping hazard too many to that, and you'd have broken your neck ten times over before taking even one step. Out here, on the deck? Much safer."

"You could have cleaned up," Motonari insisted, throwing Motochika a pointed look before glancing down again. "Honestly, the state of that place... How you can stand to live in such conditions is beyond me."

Motochika shrugged. "Eh, I've seen worse."

"I shudder at the thought."

They arrived at the railing, and the moment they did, Motonari removed his hands from Motochika's shoulders to grab onto the wooden structure for support instead. His knees were shaking a little, but he stayed upright when Motochika took his hands off his hips.

Only yesterday, that would have been completely unthinkable.

Motochika allowed Motonari a few moments to catch his breath, watching the pink tint to his cheeks slowly fade until he looked just as composed as ever again. Deciding that the merman was ready for the next step, Motochika walked a couple of paces away from the railing. Motonari watched him go with suspicion in his expression, and no small amount of trepidation.

Comping to a stop a moderate distance away from where Motonari still stood clutching the railing, Motochika spread his arms wide and cocked his head in expectation.

Motonari caught on quickly, face going dark and brows drawing together in a frown.

"No," he said flatly.

"Oh, yes," Motochika replied. "You're ready for it."

"I am not."

"You gotta have more faith in yourself, man." Motochika curled the fingers of one hand in a come hither motion. "You can do it."

Motonari pressed his lips together in a thin, unhappy line as he carefully judged the distance between himself and the relative safety of Motochika's arms. "...I'll fall."

"If you do – which you won't – then I'll catch ya."

That didn't seem to reassure Motonari in the slightest. If anything, he looked all the more irritated at Motochika's promise. Still, he slowly shifted his weight, visibly steeled himself...

...and stepped away from the railing.

Panic flashed across his features for the briefest of moments before Motonari narrowed his eyes and held his head high with determination. When he made his way towards Motochika, he did not so much walk as stumble, nearly tripping over his own feet several times.

Motochika stood ready and waiting, watching carefully to see if he needed to dash forward to make good on his promise to catch Motonari should he fall.

His assistance proved unnecessary, and before long, Motonari had reached him.

He practically fell into Motochika's chest, his legs finally giving out on him, and as his heart skipped a beat or two, Motochika wrapped his arms around Motonari to keep him upright. With a tight feeling in his throat, he remembered a few nights ago, when he had held Motonari as his body shook with convulsions.

Now, Motonari was shaking with barely concealed excitement, his eyes wide as he stared up at Motochika with a look of amazed disbelief on his face.

Motochika ignored the conflicted feelings budding in his chest and grinned with pride. "You did it!"

Breathlessly, Motonari echoed his words: "I... did it." Slowly, his look of disbelief transformed into a genuine, gleeful smile, such a rare sight on a man as reserved and tightly controlled as Motonari, and God, but Motochika had never wanted to kiss him more badly than he did in that moment. "I did it. I walked."

"You sure did!" he said, barely keeping the impulse to bend down and cover those smiling lips with his own in check.

For a few moments, they simply stood there, staring at one another in their shared joy. Then Motonari visibly remembered himself and went stiff as a board in Motochika's embrace. He cleared his throat, and said: "...You can let go now."

"Oh," Motochika said, clearing his throat as well. "Right." He loosened his hold, careful not to show his disappointment. Before he unhanded Motonari entirely, he cocked his head to the side and forced a teasing smirk to his lips. "You sure you can handle standing on your own two feet?"

Motonari pursed his lips and appeared to be actually thinking it over for a moment, for once not rising to Motochika's bait.

"Yes," he finally said with a firm nod. "Yes, I believe so."

Motochika had no choice but to let go.

x—x—x

A gentle hand on his shoulder rose him from his dreamless slumber, prompting Motonari to make a small, unhappy noise in the back of his throat. He smacked the hand away and pointedly pulled his blanket over his head, mind still too foggy with sleep to fully realize just how childish he was being.

It was rare these days for Motonari's sleep not to be plagued by nightmares, so he felt he was entirely within his right to be displeased at having his for once peaceful rest disturbed, but if he had been more awake, he surely would have been ashamed of his behaviour.

"I know, I know," a deep, amused voice said, its owner tugging the blanket out of his grasp effortlessly. "It's the middle of the night, and you're tired. But you've got to get up, Mori. It's important."

Inwardly cursing Motochika, Motonari scowled and sat up, resigning himself to wakefulness. "What could possibly be important enough to wake me up this late at night?"

Everything was still and quiet, the only other sound filling the room besides their voices being that of gentle waves lapping against the side of the ship. Clearly they were not under attack, which was the only excuse Motonari was willing to accept when it came to justifying the rude awakening he had been subjected to. Motochika had a lot of explaining to do, the way he saw it.

"You'll see," Motochika replied, and it was too dark in the room for Motonari to properly make out his features, but the grin in his voice was unmistakable.

It only served to make his mood even fouler.

"...I'm going back to sleep," Motonari declared coldly after a few moments of silence had passed. Before he could make good on his word and lie back down, Motochika's hand found his shoulder again, keeping him upright.

"Just trust me, okay?" the pirate said. "You don't wanna miss this."

Despite his misgivings, Motonari felt the first stirrings of curiosity chase away the last remaining vestiges of sleepiness he had been feeling. Now that he was properly awake, he feared he would be unable to go back to sleep even if Motochika decided to give up on trying to get him out of bed. So he sighed, bringing a hand to his face and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"Fine," he replied. "But if this is simply part of one of your hare-brained schemes and there is no actual point to any of this, then I will—"

Motochika laughed uproariously, patting him on the back just a tad bit too roughly, effectively silencing him. "Oh, this is definitely one of my hare-brained schemes. But I promise you won't regret playing along! Now come on, we're operating under a time limit, here. Get dressed, we've got places to be."

"Joy," Motonari muttered, but he did get out of bed, and he did get dressed.

They made their way out of Motochika's cabin and onto the deck, Motonari feeling much more steady on his feet than he had only a week ago. He still swayed occasionally, on the verge of losing his balance, especially in the dark, but for the most part, he managed. Walking upright, as it turned out, was not as impossible a feat as he had first assumed. Just—frustrating, and far slower than swimming.

"Hold this," Motochika said, handing a burning oil lantern to Motonari.

Motonari took hold of the item wordlessly, then watched as Motochika fiddled with some ropes tied to the railing. It was a cold, nearly cloudless night, and Motonari found himself shivering a little when a gust of wind hit him. Once again, he found himself wondering just what could be so critically important that it warranted being outside at this late hour. To find out, he stepped closer to Motochika and curiously peered over the railing to catch a glimpse of whatever it was the other man was fiddling with.

A boat. Motochika was slowly lowering a small boat fit for only a handful of people into the dark waters below. At once, Motonari's eyebrows shot up and he eyed Motochika with suspicion.

"We are going on shore?"

"Indeed, we are."

"Why?"

The light of the lantern caught Motochika's eye at a strange angle when he looked up from his task to glance at Motonari. It almost seemed to glow with an inner fire when the man shot him a wicked grin. "Having second thoughts about coming?"

Motonari huffed and rolled his eyes. "Can one really have second thoughts regarding something they never felt particularly enthused about agreeing to in the first place?"

The other man's answer was a shake of his head and a laugh, and then another promise: "I told ya, it's all gonna be worth it."

With a splashing noise, the boat made contact with the sea at last. Motochika threw a rope ladder overboard after making sure it was properly secured to the railing, providing them with a way down. With a frown, Motonari eyed the ladder, unsure if these past few days of practice had been sufficient to allow him to develop the motor skills necessary to climb it. Quite frankly, he could see his legs giving out half-way through, and the idea of tumbling backwards into the no doubt icy waters below was anything but appealing.

If he still had his tail, it would be an entirely different matter and he would not have hesitated to dive down into the depths below. But with these damnable human legs he was now cursed with, the ocean seemed... unsettling. Hostile.

He supposed nearly drowning had left its mark on him.

As if sensing his apprehension, Motochika reached out and ruffled Motonari's hair, an irritating habit he had picked up over the last couple of days. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna ask you to climb down by yourself. Just hold on tight, yeah?"

And with that, the pirate crouched down before Motonari, clearly expecting him to climb onto his back.

Motonari scrunched up his nose in a look of mild disgust. Great, he thought. Just great. As if constantly needing Motochika's support as he learned to walk on his own two feet had not been humiliating enough, now the pirate was offering to carry him, again. To say that it chipped at Motonari's pride was an understatement, though his unwillingness to rely on anyone for help was not the only reason why he preferred to keep all physical contact between Motochika and himself to a bare minimum.

Being close to the other man not only hurt his pride but also chipped away at the walls he had built around himself so painstakingly. He had been... noticing Motochika, lately, in ways wholly unfamiliar to him.

Frankly, it was disturbing.

"We ain't got all night, y'know," Motochika piped up then, a faint hint of impatience audible in his tone as he glanced at Motonari over his shoulder.

His words prompted Motonari to let out a derisive scoff even as he finally began moving towards the other man, climbing onto Motochika's back and wrapping his arms around his neck despite the way the action made his abdomen feel tight with dread. "Perhaps I would feel more motivated to adhere to your precious time schedule if only I knew what exactly it is that we are trying to accomplish, here," Motonari remarked snidely. "But alas, I am kept in the dark."

"I keep tellin' ya, it's not something that can be explained," Motochika shot back, his voice no longer tinged with impatience now that Motonari had moved from his spot. But he still sounded faintly irritated, a fact that sent a rush of vindication through Motonari. Large hands grabbed the undersides of his thighs, adjusting his position and making sure he was properly secure before Motochika began moving towards the railing. "It's something you've got to see for yourself."

"I cannot wait to be disappointed," Motonari said dryly, wrenching a very satisfying groan of frustration from Motochika's throat.

"You're kind of a prick, you know that?" Motochika muttered as he began his slow and careful descent down the rope ladder.

Motonari would have sent another scathing retort the other man's way, but now that Motochika's hands were busy gripping the ladder and therefore no longer helping to support Motonari's weight, Motonari had more pressing concerns. His hold around Motochika's neck instinctively tightened, and his legs bore down on Motochika's waist with a vice-like grip. A shameful sort of anxiety bubbled up inside Motonari's chest, only all too keenly aware that he was clinging too tightly to the other man for fear of falling.

Underneath them, the ocean's inky blackness drew ever closer.

The boat swayed dangerously when they finally reached it, but it did not tip over, and neither did shadowy hands suddenly emerge from the deep to drag them under the water's surface, despite Motonari's sudden, irrational fear of this foolish excursion coming to an end in exactly that manner. Motochika carefully crouched down, and once the boat had steadied itself, Motonari detached himself from the other man and sank down onto one of the boat's benches, knees a little too wobbly for his tastes. He chalked it up to the waves gently rocking the boat.

"Made it past the first hurdle," Motochika commented as he untied the rope keeping the boat attached to the Rising Sun. He grabbed a pair of oars and used one of them to push their vessel away from the bigger ship before beginning to paddle in earnest, moving them towards land.

Motonari said nothing, wordlessly staring into the water and watching the way the light of the lantern almost made the waves seem to come alive with a strange, unearthly glow. He was sure that Motochika noticed his unease, but thankfully, the man kept quiet.

It took them a few minutes of continuous rowing to reach the shore, and when they did, Motonari felt relief well up inside him. He took great care not to seem too hasty, but he was the first one out of the boat and on dry land. As he waited for Motochika to secure the boat, Motonari found himself gazing out at the vastness of the ocean, eyes fixed on where the dark sea merged almost seamlessly with the blackness of the sky. He shivered, and turned away, knowing fully well that he was being ridiculous.

To say there was nothing to be afraid of would be untrue and only a fool would believe such a thing, given past events, but to jump at every little shadow was equally as foolish.

When Motochika came up beside him, Motonari turned his head towards the other man. "What now?" he asked.

"Now we walk. Come on, this way," Motochika replied, taking the lantern from Motonari and lighting their way.

Knowing that any further questions regarding their destination would be met with the same irritating refusal of answers, Motonari kept quiet and instead focused his energy on keeping pace with Motochika. The sand of the beach soon gave way to what he could only assume was grass. His nose scrunched up in silent displeasure at the slightly damp, cold feeling of individual blades of grass brushing against his bare ankles. It was a strange, sort of ticklish sensation that Motonari decided he did not enjoy.

The farther inland they ventured, the denser the vegetation became. Plants he had no name for and could barely make out in the low light of the lantern obstructed their path as Motochika led them towards the foot of a hill. The sound of leaves rustling in the wind was foreign to Motonari's ears, and the occasional snap of a twig neither of them had stepped on had him on edge. The forest was alive around them, filled with strange noises and unfamiliar scents, and more than once Motonari found his heart skipping a beat when something caught him off guard, though he did not show any outward signs of anxiety.

As unnerving as the ocean had seemed to him earlier, Motonari now found that the forest was far more difficult to deal with. It was the idea of the unknown, he decided, that had him so unsettled. Barely being able to see anything past the broad set of Motochika's shoulders certainly did not help. If only Motochika had chosen to drag him on this pointless excursion during the day, like a sensible person... then perhaps Motonari would not feel quite so rattled.

But alas, here he was, internally jumping at every little thing, forced to brush aside low-hanging palm leaves and annoying branches that kept getting in his way as he went, his gaze darting this way and that way to make sure nothing that could spring a surprise attack on them was lurking in the shadows. It was nerve-wracking.

As they ventured onwards the terrain grew rockier, steeper, and much to Motonari's relief, the plant life grew sparser. Motochika guided them up a narrow path that led to the top of the hill Motonari had been able to see from the boat. With the suffocating, thick brush of the forest behind them, he felt more at ease. But his troubles were far from over: as the trail Motochika had chosen became more and more demanding and difficult to traverse, Motonari found himself gasping for breath, his legs shaking with the strain of keeping himself upright.

It was one thing to take a couple of steps on the flat if slightly swaying surface of the Rising Sun's deck before collapsing into Motochika's arms or before sitting down for a bit to let his body recover. Climbing a rocky incline at a pace far too punishing for his clumsy, untrained legs to handle was something else entirely.

"Why," Motonari pressed out between clenched teeth, wanting to glare daggers at the back of Motochika's head but needing to keep his eyes trained on his own feet to keep himself from stumbling. "...are you doing this to me?"

Motochika had the nerve to laugh. "Just think of it as training," he suggested, earning himself a short, sharp glare of death courtesy of one unamused former merman. To his credit, he at least sounded vaguely apologetic when he added: "I'd go slower, but we've got to hurry if we want to make it in time. We're almost there, so just bear with it a little longer, yeah?"

Motonari was tempted to curse the pirate to hell and back, and he quite likely would have... but as things stood, he had no breath to spare. So all he did in response was let out a haughty little huff before carrying on.

Despite his best efforts, Motonari found himself lagging further and further behind, legs screaming in protest with every faltering step he took. His hair stuck uncomfortably to his sweaty skin and his face felt far too hot from exertion. He could swim for hours before the first signs of exhaustion started setting in. Walking was a wholly different beast, it seemed. Truthfully, all he wanted to do was sit down and rest.

And still he pushed forward on unsteady feet, refusing to admit to Motochika that he could not safely go on for much longer. His thighs burned and his knees felt as if they were filled with jellyfish instead of cartilage, muscle and bone, and so it was only a matter of time before his legs failed him. Motonari's knees buckled, and with a surprised gasp, he went tumbling down.

He was no stranger to the sensation of falling, having grown quite accustomed to the sudden feeling of vertigo during his many failed attempts at putting one foot securely in front of the other, but usually, Motochika was right there by his side to catch him. Not so this time, and Motonari winced as his knees hit the ground. He managed to partially brace himself on his hands as he went down, so the impact was not as painful as it could have been, but it still stung.

Legs were stupid. Humans were stupid.

"Shit, you okay there, Mori?" Motochika called out to him, doubling back at once to check on him.

Letting out an irritated hiss and ignoring the helping hand Motochika was offering him, Motonari stubbornly pushed himself back onto his feet under his own power. He swayed, but he managed to keep his balance despite the way his body trembled. "I'll manage," he replied coldly, the taste of humiliation bitter in the back of his throat. To prove his point, he took a slow, careful step forward, and then another one.

He could still walk. He just had to do it slowly, at his own pace.

Motochika watched him inch his way forward for a few moments, and Motonari could practically feel the frown twisting up the man's features. Out of the corner of his eyes, Motonari could see the pirate glance towards the horizon, where a faint line of light was just barely starting to appear. Motochika clicked his tongue, and then pushed past Motonari in three long strides. "Look, I don't doubt your determination, or your ability to see this through to the end. But this is taking too long." As he crouched down in front of Motonari with his back turned towards him, he added: "Hop on."

Motonari scowled and he wanted to argue... He really, truly did, because he neither required Motochika's assistance in any way whatsoever, nor did he care about the man's silly time schedule, so clearly there was no good reason for him to accept Motochika's offer to carry him the rest of the way. But his body ached, and he was bone-tired, and Motochika's strong back looked far more inviting than it quite frankly had any right to look.

With a long-suffering sigh, Motonari gave in, climbing onto Motochika's back and allowing himself to be carried once more. It was turning into quite the worrisome habit indeed, though the way he found himself guiltily melting against the other man's body was arguably more worrisome by far.

"That was easy," Motochika teased good-naturedly as he rose to his feet and adjusted his hold on Motonari to ensure that it was secure.

Exasperated, Motonari rolled his eyes. "I'm exhausted," he finally admitted, tone just the tiniest bit frosty. "No thanks to you."

Motochika laughed and began walking, making short work of the remaining distance between their current location and the top of the hill. "Give it a minute," he said, quickening his pace as they got closer to the peak. Motonari pointedly paid not the slightest shred of attention to the way Motochika's powerful form shifted against his own body as the man moved with purpose, and he paid even less attention to the subtle heat spreading through him at the feeling. "You'll be thanking me for sure, then."

"I hardly believe—" Motonari began to say, only to abruptly cut himself off. He never finished the scathing remark that had been on the tip of his tongue.

They had reached the summit just in time for the golden glow of the rising sun to crest the horizon. As Motonari watched, mouth agape and breath stuck in his throat in wonder, the early morning sun began to paint the sky in dramatic shades of violet and red. What few clouds decorated the sky were illuminated in such a way that it seemed as if they were trimmed with molten gold. The ocean looked as if it had been lit on fire, reflecting the vibrant, slowly changing colours of the sky.

At once, Motonari found himself reminded of that fateful day when he had first laid eyes on the sun. That same sense of breathless admiration filled him now, washing away all his aches and pains and worries.

After a minute or so of clinging too tightly to Motochika's back, drinking in the sight of the sun greeting the new day, Motonari began to shift restlessly, wanting to be set down. Motochika caught on quickly and complied, carefully lowering Motonari onto his feet.

Still feeling rather unsteady from pushing himself too hard on their way up to the top of the hill, Motonari's knees wobbled dangerously. Before they could betray him again and give out underneath him, a solid arm snaked around the small of his back and a large hand found its way onto his waist, steadying him. Motonari stiffened.

"Easy," Motochika said, and Motonari expected him to remove his arm now that he had helped him find his footing. Any moment now, Motochika would respectfully pull away the way he always did these days, leaving Motonari awash with relief and disappointment in frighteningly equal measures.

Except Motochika did no such thing.

His arm stayed firmly in place, and Motonari felt himself grow more and more tense.

Yet despite his misgivings, Motonari found that his traitorous heart was beating far too quickly at the prolonged contact, and not entirely because he was uncomfortable with the situation. Slowly, Motonari pulled his gaze away from the horizon to glance up at Motochika's profile instead. The pirate's handsome features looked all the more striking lit up by the glow of the sun, the cut of his cheekbones and the slope of his jaw highlighted perfectly. Motonari's mouth went dry.

Seemingly noticing the heat of Motonari's eyes on him, Motochika tore his gaze from the stunning sight of the sun beginning its daily journey across the sky to look his way instead. A warm, slow smile tugged at his lips when their eyes met, and for a moment, Motonari forgot how to breathe. "Remember how I said I'd show you the sunrise one day?" Motochika murmured, voice impossibly gentle, his hand giving Motonari's waist a little squeeze.

Too distracted by the soft look in Motochika's eye, and his mind working with maddening slowness because of it, it took Motonari a moment to recall the conversation the other man was referring to. "...I do," he said at last, remembering being half-way submerged in a barrel of water out on the deck of the Rising Sun, with Motochika standing by his side as they watched the sunset together. It felt like years had passed since then.

Pleased, Motochika's smile widened into a grin. "See? I told you." He pulled Motonari closer, and with his free hand, he gestured towards the horizon. "I always keep my promises."

Motonari's lips parted in a silent 'oh' of realization. Unbidden, warmth blossomed in his chest when he remembered that only yesterday, Motochika had vowed to find the Stone of Ascension for him and break the curse that had robbed him of his tail. Motochika had insisted that he always kept his promises then, as well. And as Motonari finally relaxed and allowed himself to lean against the other man's welcoming body, he could not help but believe him.

Above them, the sky had turned a brilliant red.

Author's Note: Red sky at morning, sailors take warning. The seas are calm for now, but there will be plenty of storms brewing in the future, so enjoy the mindless, tooth-rotting fluff while you can...! I still have a lot of plans in store for this fic, but you guys know the drill by now... It's gonna take a while to get there.

For anyone wondering... The sunrise promise is a reference to Chapter 7: Ebb and Flow, where Motochika commented on Motonari's shameless sun fetish. I doubt anyone remembers, given that I myself had trouble remembering when exactly that promise was made...! Lmao.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed!