Sakn couldn't kiss the boy enough to make up for what he needed to do, but he tried. He kissed him all over his face, kissed the tips of his fins, his chin, eyelids, brows; everywhere. He kissed the boy because he couldn't say sorry. Couldn't let Xiu know he was leaving. Sakn had to do this on his own. Xiu would insist on coming if the redhead told him.
He couldn't sleep at all that night, and instead lay on his side, watching Xiu as the boy slept. Several times Sakn almost changed his mind and woke the boy up to tell him about his plan. But each time, the fisherboy would change his mind, and instead of shaking Xiu, he would stroke that sleeping face or rub his tired eyes. At one point, when Xiu's hand tightened into his shirt, Sakn almost decided not to leave at all.
But the thought of Xiu dying like Sothy, dying because Sakn wasn't strong enough to protect him, frightened the teen more so, and in the end, he decided to go.
As the sun peeked over the sea, coloring the grey morning fog with hues of pink and orange, Sakn gave the smaller boy a last kiss on those sleeping lips and untangled himself from those trusting arms. "I gotta do dis," the redhead explained to Xiu, knowing the boy couldn't hear him. "I'm sorry, Xiu."
So very, very sorry.
With that the redhead loaded his pack with basic essentials and slipped out of the room. He kissed his mother and father good bye, and as Sakn left the house, his eyes burned with tears in the morning chill. And when the boy left the village, he swallowed his tears and moved towards the city.
He had a murdering b*****d to find. He had to do this, had to be strong.
