mizuxfem!oc
The Ningyo (人魚, "human fish") is a creature with both human and fish-like features.
Many fishermen who find these creatures caught in their nets throw them back into the ocean.
For if a ningyo is caught, she will bring misfortune and cal...
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CHAPTER TEN: STILL HEALING _______
Cold dead heart, huh?
I guess so.
The next morning, Mizu threw the pirate corpses from yesterday's attack overboard. Nine bodies were cluttering the deck. Nine piles of rotting garbage.
She hoisted one of their bodies over her shoulder, holding her breath and grunting for strength. She hurled him overboard, a body three times her weight, and was sweating by the time she managed it. She was still sore, healing, and incredibly weak, but...
Eight more to go.
On top of it all, she tossed and turned all night. The wounds pulsed in agony, wrecking her body. The only time she did nearly get sleep, she saw Sogo's face in the distance. Teary-eyed, alone, heartbroken.
Why was the samurai unable to love..? Even if she wanted to again, deep down, no matter what she said..?
With the second body, she barely got it over the brim of the ship when he fell back on the deck. She cursed in frustration and kicked his head.
"Useless!" she hissed, directing her words to herself.
She heard footsteps behind her and turned to see Sogo, standing with her eyes still filled with sleep.
"Sogo," Mizu muttered, turning her towards the water. The wind of the sea blew the stands of hair sticking out of her ponytail past her ears.
"You're not useless," Sogo sighed, bending down to help her with the bodies. She grabbed the man's legs. "You're healing. Consider everything you've been through..."
Mizu said nothing, pulling her troubled brows together. Working together, the two women threw the corpse overboard, watching as the waves took the body. It seemed quite peaceful with the sun still rising. The ocean wasn't violent today, either.
"Seven more to go," Sogo piped, rolling the sleeves of her kimono higher.
When she did that, Mizu could see self-inflected bite marks going up her skin.
She opened her mouth to address it but caught her quick tongue and thought better of it.
"Seven more," she agreed, holding the legs this time while Sogo had his shoulders.
When they hoisted him up, the fabric of his shirt had tugged into a nail on the floorboards, and it ripped open. Revealed on his bare chest was a huge, blackened dragon tattoo of Ryujin, the god of the sea.
