The World for Your Sake
Part I: Cycle
-Gifted-
"Respect the sea and you'll have a wonderful life."
From the first glimpse of water and sand, it was love.
I ran as fast as toddler legs allowed, semi-worried parents not far behind.
But they couldn't stay away from the water either. They understood.
I stumbled on an abandoned sandcastle. The rising tide ate the remains soon after.
Tiny feet touched the cold waves.
My life began in water, thrived in water;
Ended in water and reformed in water.
{I'll do whatever it takes}
Struggling desperately to stay afloat on turbulent water; losing a battle against the tides and succumbing to my beloved sea. Cold water invaded my nostrils
Nothing.
Water, warm, soothing.
A distant lullaby; synchronized heartbeats. One, two. One, two. One.
I tried to reach out to the beautiful sound–
Please, wait a little bit more…?
Against all instincts, I did my best to remain still.
At first, it was okay; I slept and listened to muffled conversations and the constant percussion of heartbeats.
Agony like no other. Stabbing, shocking, burning, freezing– 'Is it even possible to die twice?'
I think it was a hand, reaching out to me.
The nausea went away, and the excruciating pain gave way to calmness. No, that wasn't quite the right word; it was comforting and amazing and… I slept.
Time went by, unnoticed in that warm darkness. Throughout that time, the hand never let me go.
Light. Blurs. Fragmented s_o_u_n_d_s . Cold air.
I crIED.
Then, another scream.
A gentle embrace and the most beautiful face in the world.
The woman smiled and closed her eyes for the last time. Her mouth never moved, yet I understood the words she meant to speak:
"Protect each other, always."
{I'll do whatever it takes}
I finally found something worth more than the sea. So thinking, I braced myself, opened my mouth wide and. And. My jaw froze. I couldn't bring myself to bite it. I took a breath and tried again.
Ew! Bitterer than Spanish roast coffee, sourer than powdered citric acid and a stronger smell than overripe jackfruit! Somehow.
"Respect the sea and you'll have a wonderful life."
The inability to swim ever again isn't such a terrible price after all. Let's just hope I don't drown myself to death agai–
Uh, is it too late to regurgitate?
[I'll condemn] the world for your sake
Prologue end_
Warnings and disclaimers:
This is fanfiction. No money involved.
[IC]twfys is told from Ann's point of view, biases included.
Warnings:
Canon levels of violence;
Dark themes (canon-typical, but from the perspective of a somewhat idealistic 21st century earthian)
Swearing (I avoid it as much as I can, but... pirates, bandits, sailors.).
