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Chapter Text

"Mr. Rengoku! Oh, Mr. Rengoku!"

Rengoku was jolted out of his daydreams by the sound of Mitsuri's loud yet cheerful voice calling to him from across the ship. He turned his head to see the pale woman waving enthusiastically. He waved back, and a subtle smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

"Ah, hello, Mitsuri!" he called back, laughing. Rengoku glanced at his hands on the ship's wheel before releasing his grip and turning to walk toward one of his many shipmates.

"Is there something the matter, Mitsuri? You know I have to keep the ship on course," Rengoku questioned, folding his arms over his broad chest. Mitsuri simply giggled. "Oh no, it's nothing that important. Well, unless you'd like to deal with Mr. Grumpy Pants yourself? I just wanted to say hi to you." She gestured toward Sanemi, who was retching over the side of the ship, complaining about his inability to handle the sea and its smell. "I just wanted to say hi to you," Mitsuri added.

Rengoku sighed, his smile faltering for a moment before brightening again. "No, I'd rather not. Would you do me a favor and escort him to Miss Kocho?" He tilted his head.

Mitsuri gave a quick nod before skipping over to Sanemi, who immediately directed his anger toward her.

Rengoku turned to gaze at the sea beneath the Demon's Target. The ocean appeared dark and menacing, as if it could tear you apart, consume you, and somehow spit you out alive. It was exactly what he had anticipated the forbidden seas would look like when he, his crewmates, and his captain had ventured across these treacherous waters.

What the fire-haired man did not expect, however, was for his own leader to go missing the moment they set foot on land. There was no sign of Captain Ubuyashiki anywhere; they had searched the entire town from top to bottom. It was as if he had vanished into thin air.

It was either that, or he had been taken—lured into the seemingly bottomless sea by the creatures who that these waters.

Rengoku refused to let his mind drift toward such dark conclusions. Captain Ubuyashiki was intelligent; if he could manage seven chaotic adults daily as if they were his own children, he would certainly be capable of handling a few fairytale monsters. Rengoku hoped this was the case.

The bright blue sky gradually transformed into hues of red, yellow, purple, and pink as the day drew to a close. Rengoku blinked slowly while sitting on the ship's railing, captivated by the sunset. The ship had been anchored just an hour earlier, and everyone was beginning to head into the barracks; he should also take the opportunity to rest.

However, for some inexplicable reason, he wasn't particularly tired. Sleep was the last thing on his mind. As he gazed into the dark depths of the water below, he caught a glimpse of something just before it vanished. Or rather...someone.

They appeared aquatic, distinctly non-human. Rengoku took a closer look when the mysterious figure emerged from the water. Their skin was pale, and their lips were a sickly blue, as if frostbitten. Their eyes were a bright sapphire, seemingly gazing into his soul. 

Rengoku leaned forward just enough to get a closer look at the person in the water, but he couldn't make out any distinct features before he lost his grip on the railing and fell face-first into the water. 

It took him a moment to process what had just happened before he began swimming back to the surface. However, no matter how hard he pushed his body upward, the sky did not seem to be getting any closer. All he could see was the dark, murky water surrounding him.

Suddenly, the same sapphire blue eyes appeared before him, a beacon of light in his current darkness. However, his fleeting sense of relief quickly dissipated as he noticed the figure's long, fish-like tail shimmering in the water. Their aquatic ears became more prominent as their long, black hair floated and swayed gracefully. They were a siren, a creature known for luring poor souls into the water and depths, where they would ultimately drown meet a tragic fate.

The creature opened its mouth, revealing rows of sharp teeth, but that wasn't Rengoku's biggest problem.  His greatest concern was that the creatures began to sing—a sweet, melodic sound that clouded Rengoku's mind and caused his body to freeze as he listened to the hypnotic voice of the siren before him.

Rengoku's eyes grew heavy as he allowed his body to relax and gradually sink deeper into the sea. He knew he should try to resist, but how could he when he was out of his element and unsure of how to navigate this situation? 

As his vision blurred, Rengoku caught one last glimpse of the siren as the creature paused to look at him, then grabbed him by the waist, pulling him deeper into the depths of the forbidden sea. He could only stare upward as the sky receded further out of reach; he knew he wouldn't make it back before drowning. Did his crewmates even realize he was gone? He hoped so. He hoped they would at least know what to do to find their captain.

All he could do was hope and remain optimistic, even though he might die right here, right now.

Chapter Text

Drip, drip, drip.

Kyoujurou felt wet droplets fall onto his skin along with something on top of hip as he gained consciousness. He slowly opened his eyes, however, the dirty water had blurred his vision.

"What....where...am I?" The fire haired man muttered. He couldn't tell what he was looking at, or if he should be speaking to it. All he saw was pale blue skin and jet black hair.

"You...you're awake." The thing spoke and wiped it's mouth, their voice was soft and a bit raspy. It's hands cupped Kyoujurou's face and used it's thumbs to wipe his eyes. Once Kyoujuro opened his eyes, he saw with clear vision what (or who) the creature was.

The siren.

Kyoujurou rose up to his feet in an instant ignoring how nauseous he was and how he was swaying slightly. "You!" He shouted and reached for his sword which was supposed to be safely secured in the sheath on his hip. ...But it wasn't. It wasn't anywhere to be seen, actually. With nothing to defend himself, Kyoujuro instead braced for any attack the siren would throw his way. However, no attack came. The creature simply...stared at him. 

"Are...you done?" It asked, hands resting on it's tail that was halfway in the water inside the cave. Kyoujurou's posture relaxed. "You aren't going to attack?" He asked.

"With this...tail? No. Embarrassing myself is not something I do often." The siren spoke calmly. "You though...you seem...comfortable with being embarrassing. How....peculiar." It loved a strand of hair out of it's face as it finished it's sentence.

Kyoujurou's face flushed. "I am not...embarrassing." He muttered. "I am alert, and ready for a potential attack at all times." He stood up straight, or as straight as he could when he felt like fainting and falling back into the water.

The siren looked confused. "You call...stumbling about alertness? Humans are strange." It muttered the last bit to itself then sighed softly. "Human, are...you hungry?" It asked next. Kyoujurou stiffened up again. Would this monster poison him, or even force whatever sludge it had down his throat if he refused. "You were asleep for a long while, human. A day or three if I'm correct."

Three..three days?! He'd expected to hear that'd he was unconscious for a few minutes, hours even. Not days!

If it'd been three days already, his crew must've unanchored the ship and sailed off already. Might've not even looked for him, thinking he'd been eaten by the sirens that clearly lurked in these cursed seas. He wouldn't blame them if they thought that, he thought that he'd been eated by now too.

Kyoujurou let out a long, tired sigh. "No, I'm not hungry." He answered finally. "I don't know how you would think I'd be hungry considering who I'm with."

"...I haven't hurt you." The siren said quietly.

"Yet." Kyoujuro retorted.

The siren once again stared at him for a long while before dipping back into the water with a splash. Kyoujurou kneeled down to look at the water and saw the warped figure of the siren swim away. 

The man let out a groan and sat on the wet stone beneath him. He felt dizzy again, perhaps it was the salt water he must've drank while that wretched creature dragged deeper into the murky depths?

It didn't matter now, anyway. He was already laying down again, and hopefully, if whatever divine being pitied him enough. He'd wake uo and this would all be one, all to real feeling dream. He'd wake up on a warm bed, underneath warm blankets, in dry clothes, and with the people and pets he cared about most.

Yes...that sounded nice. Wonderful. 

And hopefully, all these thoughts would come ture.

Hopefully.

Chapter Text

Kyoujurou opened his eyes once again to the smell of raw, ripe fish seemingly right in front of him. Because it was in front of him. The siren had his upper half on top of Rengoku staring down at the other man before dropping a l fish on his face.

"You're awake. ...Again." The creature stated blankly as he slid himself back into the pool if water.

"That was obvious, was it not?" Rengoku muttered under his breath pulled the fish off of his face and dropped it next to him.

The siren looked at his discarded food offering then furrowed his brows. "You...you're not eating." He looked up at Rengoku. "If I am not mistaken...human need sustenance to survive, no?" He tilted his head.

Rengoku sighed. "Yes, but..." He looked down at the raw, bloodied fish that still twitched even if it was dead. "We...I don't eat it like that." He gestured to the still spasming  on the cool ground.

The siren looks down at his generous offering. Then grabs it and eats it himself. "Verry well then." He mumbled over a mouth full of seafood. "Starve." 

Rengoku grimaced and sat up as he watched the aquatic creature feast like the monster he was. The man looked around the closed space once again, none of his weapons were around. Or atleast, he couldn't see if they were around. His vision was still a bit crappy from long exposure to dirty salt water.

The thought of being unarmed and vulnerable shook the firey haired man to his core. So instead if sitting and waiting for his impending doom, he decided to check his surroundings. 

"To see if anything is...abnormal." He told himself (everything here is abnormal you dibshit it's a new environment 😒).

Rengoku stood up and began to search the cave. Everything looked so...neat. It wasn't normal, but it wasn't wrong either if someone was living in it. He looked at the opening in the middle of the cave and crouched down next to it. The water was murky, but he could tell that it was seemingly bottomless. ...How deep into his unforgiving sea was he?

The thought of being deep enough to wear even the warmth of the sun couldn't reach him was unsettling. But the thought of being too deep to where he would never see his loved ones or friends again made his heart drop. To try and leave but only be met with cold water and disappointment as far as the eye could see.

Wait, he couldn't think like that! He was Kyoujuro Rengoku, second captain of his ship! His crew needed him, and he would not let them down!