[Chapter 0]
Deeper and deeper he descended; Pulling him further down with every second passing; The cold freezing every fiber of his body, making him barely able to move a muscle. In a desperate attempt, he opened his mouth, trying to scream. Only some bubble with precious oxygen escaped his mouth and icy salty water filling his mouth. The pressure was rising and his head felt like it was crushed in a press.
[Chapter 1]
Pitter-Patter. The raindrops fell onto the roof of his small hut. It would only be a matter of time until the sea rose to unseen levels. A quick look to the gloomy outside and he could see that the ocean was already soaking the ground. If it was not for the foresight of their ancestors to build this village on poles, the floor of their huts would already be flooded. He tried to recall the last time when the gods decided to not punish them with countless drops falling down, but he could not pinpoint it. Too many moons had already passed.
His hair and clothes were soaked within seconds as soon as he stepped out of his hut that had been sheltering him from the rain. Slowly his eyes adjusted to the dim light that shined through the dark clouds above his head. The soles of his sandals were already soaked after the first steps in the shallow water. But still, he steadily marched forward. Ignoring the confused glances from the other people that stayed inside their homes.
His march towards the beach stopped for a second as he felt another hand delicately gripping around his wrist. He turned around and looked into a familiar face. Her dark hair soaked, as well as her clothes. But her eyes with the same color as the sky on a sunny day radiated a warmth while she looked at him. Gently he put his free hand on hers that was wrapping around his wrist while he tried to avoid her eyes. With every passing second, he could see her head sink further down and her careful grip loosening. A burning fire set alight deep in his chest while he could see her view becoming cloudy. Reluctantly he turned away.
Pitter-Patter. He opened his eyes again. Just the pitch-black sea in front of him. The waves crashing against the side of his small boat that he could just barely see through the dim light. The floor was covered ankle-deep with water as the rain did not stop out here either. It had to stop. He had to make it stop.
A moment of hesitation in his actions. Even if he had to do this for the sake of all the people back at the village, there was something he regretted. He had not been able to say what he wanted to for so long. Even when she held him back, not a single word emerged. All of it would be unspoken forever.
His knees trembled as he stood up in the small boat. Shivers ran down his spine the moment his eyes looked into the sea that had the same shade as ink. It had to be this way. To make peace with the gods, save the village, and with it her. A leap of faith into the freezing embrace of the raging sea.
[Chapter 2]
Thump. Thump. He could hear the sound of his own heartbeat in his ears. The pressure of the water was hammering against his temples making his head spin. All around him was just pitch-black. Gravity pulled him down relentlessly into the ocean. As long as his sacrifice would calm the gods, everything was fine. He could slowly feel his consciousness fading. His muscles tensed up but a smile appeared on his face. Yes, this was his end. But at least he could be sure that the village would be saved. With it, she was safe as well. And if he was honest with himself, that was the only thing he truly cared about.
Slowly his mind began to go numb. These were his last moments. If he could change anything the only thing he might've done differently was telling her when she tried to stop him. Holding her hand for just a few seconds. Other than that there was nothing he regretted. An unfamiliar warmth embracing his hand. If that was her hand holding his, then that would be everything he wanted, before his mind faded.
Pitter-Patter. Warm droplets fell on his cheeks. Where was he? Did it even rain where the gods resided? His whole body felt like it was cast from iron, but sluggishly he opened his eyes. What he saw was not the dark grey of rainclouds but rather the color of the blue sky on a sunny day. Yet what he was looking at was not the sky above him but the eyes of a person. Some strands of her hair were touching his cheeks that were still wet from the warm droplets that fell on them. On her cheeks were streams of glimmering silver.
While she stared at him in disbelief he gently lifted his shaking hand to touch one of her cheeks and wipe the tears away. As he opened his mouth she gently shook her head and put a finger over his lips. Slowly it dawned on him what it was she had done.
After he had gone out on the ocean she followed him and dove after him in the cold ocean. His sacrifice was null and void, but yet he could not hear the sound of the rain anymore. The color of the sky matched the color of her eyes. It seems that the gods accepted his sacrifice, even though she brought him back onto her small boat.
Slowly she seemed to realize on to what was happening before her eyes, as he had wiped the tears of one of her cheeks. So she wiped the tears from her other cheek with the hand that was touching his lips and gently grasped his other hand that was still shivering. As soon as her warm hand touched his and their fingers entwined they stopped shivering. A determined fire was burning in her eyes, similar to the one he felt when he left the village. But she used the fire in a completely different way - now that her finger didn't seal his lips anymore she sealed them with hers.
And that's it! I really hope you enjoyed this small one-shot. I'm still fairly new to writing fanfictions, so if you've got any tips or see any errors, please be sure to point them out.
Already got ideas of what I want to change when I've got time to revisit this - for now, I like how it has come out.
It was a bit of a check on how well I work with longer text as what I've written in the past has never been this long and I also wanted to avoid direct speech.
Anyways, thanks for reading. I'm open for review or tips on how to improve :)
Bye-bye and take care~.
