Entwined | 𝘠𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳 𝘍𝘢𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘤

Till Death

BIG thanks to all my readers!! I love ALL your comments and your input, y'all really make my day! You'll never know how much your support means to me 🥰

{this chapter is dedicated especially to ChocoSenpai_OniChan thank you for your continuous support & for your wonderful writing, that's where I got inspiration for this part.}

~CHARLOTTE~

Cracking her eyes open, she came back to consciousness. Dim light flooded through small holes in the wall of briars that surrounded them. She shifted in Yami's lap, feeling him still inside of her.

"We should... ah... get back to the others," she said, even though she wanted to do the exact opposite.

He grunted in acceptance, they both knew if they were gone for too long the others might come looking for them.

Slipping her dress over her head, she felt a warm contentment bubble up inside of her as Yami hugged her from behind. It seemed he didn't want to relinquish their physical contact yet. She laced their fingers together and retracted her briars, the bright sun hitting them full force.

Once again they walked out onto the beach, waves splashing against their ankles. Charlotte couldn't help the smile that tugged at the corners of her lips.

This must be true happiness, true bliss. What would I do without Yami in my life?

Just as the flowery thoughts drifted across her conscious, a foul smell wafted into her nose. Immediately recoiling, she wrinkled her nose and turned to face upwind. Yami had noticed it, too. His eyes were coated in a layer of concern.

"The smell of rotting flesh," he said under his breath.

She turned her gaze up the sandbar and saw a dark lump, the details warped by heat waves. Her feet started walking towards it in her own, Yami trudging into the waves at her side. Birds cawed as they flew away in a shifting, black cloud.

As they approached, the stench became more potent and she wished she could go without breathing just for a few minutes so she didn't have to breathe it in. The blurry mass came into focus, a large sleek body with desaturated flesh that frayed in the open air. Flies buzzed around the beast's glassy eyes as it gazed into the sea. A whale. A dead whale.

The waves had washed away most of the blood, leaving only a corpse completely drained of life. Covering her mouth, she tried not to gag.

"Charlotte, you should go back," Yami told her. "So much for a peaceful day at the beach."

She shook her head, she could handle this. If she could just shift so that she was upwind...

Walking around the body, movement in the water caught the corner of her eye. Two heads broke the surface of the water, approaching her too fast to properly react.

"Captain Charlotte!!!"

She flinched, stumbling backward, then registered the melodic voice and familiar faces. Too late to catch herself, she gasped as Yami caught her with steady arms.

"Oh- Kahono, Kiato! You startled me!"

The water temple siblings ascending upon her and Yami, nearly toppling all four of them into the salty waves. A wall of stench hit her again and she wrinkled her nose.

"Good to see you two, but I wish it were in a better setting," Yami addressed them.

"Do you know anything about this?" Charlotte asked, trying to fix her face as to not appear rude.

Their smiling faces fell as their heads turned towards the whale's corpse. At the least they seemed to know what was going on, and weren't in panic about it. A bundle of tension released in Charlotte's shoulders, if there was an immediate threat they wouldn't be talking so casually.

"A beached whale, not anticipating such a high sandbar, it got stuck, then couldn't free itself from the shallow waters... " Kahono said softly.

"We didn't make it in time to save the poor beast..." Kiato finished.

Death. Even on a day off it's presence can't be escaped.

Her hand reached up to Yami's, which was holding her shoulder. He responded by pulling her closer, holding her against his massive chest.

She had never wished for death- never felt like it was an easy way out- but she never feared it either. It was only now that she realized the risk she and Yami took by being captains. They put themselves on the front lines, flying in the face of danger at the first call. Pulling Yami's arms around her waist, she inhaled his earthen scent. The last thing she expected was to lose him, but his survival wasn't guaranteed.

If anything, I have to protect what we have. I have to be there for him. No matter the cost, because nothing is worth more to me than he is.

She suddenly wished they were on the same squad. From now on, she didn't think she could see Yami go on a mission without her.