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enjoyjellime · 7 days ago

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Choco Fin | Chapter 8-2

Chapters: {1} {2} {3} {4} {5} {6} {7} {8} {8-2} {9}

Hey you thought I was done with the story? Well I thought I was as well, but thanks to some absolutely beautiful fanart from @floridecuts , I had the inspiration to make an alternate ending to chapter 8, so I thank you for giving me this opportunity! Also I know some people were expecting a merMashita, so I managed to implement that as well, I hope you enjoy! :D

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A sob emits from her gnarled throat and her eyes blow wide. Crooked fingers thrust forward, her maw ready to tear them to shreds. She hurls herself in Mashita's direction, poised to strike down anything in her path to obtain the love she so desperately coveted. They barely had time to react, everything happening so fast that it feels as if it were in slow motion:

Sameru pouncing through the air, Mashita throwing himself to the side just enough that she misses her mark, and instead crashes heavily against the glass, the crack splitting further in all directions from the impact. She isn't moving. The hallway reveals itself once more.

Yashiki rushes to Mashita's side, helping him stand back up as they rush towards the hallway dragging him by the hand, not wanting to stand around to see what could happen next.

They make it about halfway through the connecting hall before they hear it; shattering glass and the gush of an extreme amount of water filling the space. Still on the move, they look over their shoulders, they share an expression of terrified shock as a large wave collides against the wall, rolling smoothly into a track directly towards them, beads of the water splashing in bursts in an attempt to reach them.

They make it to the bottom of the stairs just as the water begins to lap at their feet, letting go to use the rail to pull themselves up faster, quick steps banging up each stair as they push onwards to make it to the top. The stairwell feels more humid as the water climbs relentlessly after them, only to stop right at the line of where the painted murals’ sea meets sky, the water gurgling in its final resting place.

Yashiki reaches the top first, about to wrench the door open when he hears a pained yell from behind him, whipping back in time to see Mashita falling backwards as if being pulled, eyes wide and hands outstretched before disappearing entirely beneath the darkness of the hungry waves.

His hearing is muffled, breathing heavily, eyes blown wide, yet eyesight blurry, a cold sweat enveloping his entire body. He can barely hear the sound of his scream, the only thought in his mind is Mashita, Mashita, Mashita-

“MASHITA!”

Yashiki blindly rips his bag off in a hurry to drop it at the top of the stairs, his glasses falling off in the rush as he dives in after him. His eyes flash orange for a split second as he cuts under the surf, his desperate need for Mashita's safety igniting the power lent to him. As his entire body becomes fully submerged, he finds that he has instantly transformed back into the monstrously beautiful form. He doesn't waste time dwelling on it however, as something in his brain clicks into place and with one flick of his tail, he speeds off through the dark depths like it was second nature.

With his newfound speed It doesn't take long to find Mashita, eyes squinted and beginning to thrash around, instinctual panic starting to set in. He's still holding his breath, but it doesn't look to be for too much longer. Yashiki races towards him, noticing how his eyes widen like he was spooked, arms flailing harder as if trying to get away, but he doesn't let him. “Mashita!” His yell rings clearly through the water as his webbed hands reach out to either side of Mashita's paling face, and without knowing what else to do, he smashes his lips hurriedly into his. The shock of the impact is enough to get Mashita to open his mouth for him to breathe air into, his gills jetting bubbles through the water from the panicked strain.

Too focused on keeping him alive, he doesn't notice that the orange glow had started up again; hovering within his chest just above his heart. It rumbles slightly before splitting in half, the second piece of light transferring over through their shared connection, settling within Mashitas chest before fading.

Mashita slows his flailing, finally having enough air reaching his brain again to think clearly, hands resting on the scaled arms cradling his head. They remain that way, lips locked supporting a steady stream of oxygen, just floating in place. His elegant tail flicked in bursts to keep them from sinking.

Despite the closeness, Yashiki can't help but feel on edge, he knows they aren't alone in the depths. Acting as Mashita's life support for the time being, they're pretty much vulnerable to being attacked from any angle, the thought has Yashiki clutching him tighter to his chest, an animalistic growl catching in his throat as an unseen shadow forcefully knocks the two apart, a new pair of arms coming up threateningly to strangle him. Sameru wasn't entirely gone.

Instincts not normally his own kick in at the attack, pupils formed into slits as he claws and bites savagely, his tail thrashing wildly to knock her off of him. Adrenaline mixed with fear was pumping thick, not for himself, but with the race against time to get back to Mashita before he could die a slow and painful death. The stress only amplifies when a strangled cry echoes through the deep, the sound of Mashita's voice always recognizable to him, his blood running ice cold. He can't see anything in the scuffle, all he wants is to escape, to be back at Mashita's side….he feels his energy waning.

A pained shriek reverberates against his eardrums as Sameru is suddenly thrown from his being, getting his sight back only to balk at what had managed to rip her away:

Mashita had aggressively rammed into her, now with a set of razor sharp teeth protruding from his mouth that were clamped down on one of her arms, bubbles shooting out of newly formed gills as he snarled. His eyes glared a violent red as he let go, using a combination of webbed claws and a strong two-tone tail to push her as far away from them as he could. His voice sounds perfectly clear through the water as he lets his anger out.

“GET THE FUCK BACK, HE'S MINE.”

Sameru only angers more at the claim, shaking herself off before bursting through the water with an annoyed wail, opening her shark-like mouth in an attempt to inflict more pain with her attack.

Yashiki on the other side kicks off into a swift glide, arms splayed outwards to reach Mashita before she does, reaching just in time to wrap them around him from behind, and in that moment, the two glows shine ever brighter, engulfing Sameru right as she was a hair away from shredding them both apart.

Blearily looking up to what created such brightness, they see that the light was that of Megumi Yokota, hugging Sameru tightly so that she couldn't escape. She whispers calming words of affirmation to her other half, who in turn was visibly relaxing within the hold, now too weak from the scuffle to fight back. She returns the hug, the same light spreading to Sameru herself.

“Everything's okay now, we can rest…We are loved.”

“L l l l o o o o v v v v e e e e d d d d. . . . .”

Sameru fades into the light, returning back to where she belongs within Megumi. Slowly she turns around to the two half fish, standing in place as if gravity couldn't reach her.

“Thank you for all that you've done. I am finally free…” She raises her arms as she says it, light filtering into the water that changes it from a deep cold dark to a sparkling tropical blue. The fish from the exploded tank start filtering through the larger enclosure, swimming around the pair in curiosity.

“When you are ready to go, just swim back up the stairs and you'll return to normal. I will let you be now, good luck to the both of you, I wish you the best.” She gives one last smile before she also fades away. Leaving them to float there, Still holding on to each other, their tails swishing without needing to think.

Yashiki hears a groan in front of him, his viewpoint from behind showing Mashita's arm raise to his head, only for it to jolt open more, his blue-orange tail giving a surprised flick back, smacking into the sturdiness of his own. Yashiki turns him around in place by the shoulders to look eye to eye, realizing the bright red from when he was attacking had dulled down in intensity.

“Where… wh- what the hell is this?.. why am I a fis- GH!”

Mashita scrunches his face in exasperated pain, his clawed fingers raising to cover his mouth, having accidentally bit down on himself with his new sets of spears. Yashiki grabs his hands and holds them to the sides of his head, much to his now maroon-eyed confusion, and takes in the view of just how intriguing he looked in this otherworldly form, dangerous yet beautiful, like a rose with intact thorns. Yashiki lays a gentle kiss onto the protruding edges, eyes wide in awe as they scan every inch of his face.

“You saved me, like you always do.”

“....Did I?”

“You don't remember?”

Mashita closes his eyes in a contemplative fashion, deep in thought trying to recall his perspective. He speaks slower around his fangs so he doesn't nick himself again.

“I couldn't really see much, it was too dark. But it was cold at first, then warm…and then cold again.” Mashita looks pained, his eyes downcast as he slides his hand out of Yashiki's grip, resting it around his own neck, feeling the openings lining the sides.

“There was this sharp pain to my neck, like it was being sliced. Now I guess I know why….god I'm a freak show.”

“Not to me. I much rather prefer you like this than dead. You had me scared there….”

“Heh, you know you can't get rid of me that easily, we're pretty much tied by fate at this point.”

Yashiki gives an amused chuckle at his remark, glancing down at their tails swaying in unison. “Don't I know it.”

Mashita squeezes his hand, eye contact missing as his ear fins flick in a flustered manner. “I was worried too…the face you made at the top of the stairs when I fell in…I couldn't bear it being directed at me.”

Yashiki huffs in endearment, bringing him in to hug him tightly. Mashita returns the hug with the same amount of pressure, their tails curling around each other as they bask in the warmth of the embrace, a stark difference to their surroundings. The colourful fish swim around them within the submerged main room.

“We should probably head out now, we don't want to leave the staff waiting too long.”

“Finally. I'm going to be sick of water for the next few months.”

They throw each other amused smiles as Yashiki begins to kick backwards towards the hall with Mashita in tow, the sheer power of his tail effortlessly doing most of the work, using it so naturally as if he had had it his entire life. Mashita can only do so much, not having the time to get used to his scaled appendage yet. So he takes the moment to rest, his tail moving up and down in languid strokes.

The sight of Yashiki in this form had nearly taken his breath away, more so than the water around him already tried to. The way his dark hair floated around his face was something he always liked, but adding on the fins, the dark eyes, the fangs!? They brought an extra layer of his otherworldliness that ignited his brain in just the right way. He was simply too beautiful for this world, and Mashita was happier than he'd like to admit that he was a part of his. He closes his eyes at the feeling of the water gliding past his face in a way that made his nerves tingle positively.

“We're almost there.”

“Mmh…”

After a few more paddles, Yashiki feels a slight bump of the stairs on his back to indicate they had made it, both turning to look up at the fluorescent light filtering through the water above them, their own personal sunshine after spending so much time in the dark.

“Ready to go?”

“As I'll ever be.”

They both kick hard, propelling themselves upwards toward the light, getting bigger and brighter the closer they get until their heads break through the water's surface like a ribbon at the end of a race, Yashiki throwing his head back to flip his hair from his face as he does so. They look to each other in satisfied relief now that they could finally escape this place.

The water beneath their neckline lights up in the familiar bright orange, looking down in surprise as it travels upwards from their chests, floating above them and conjoining once more before bursting into multiple glittering particles until fading completely. The last of her power.

Yashiki goes to drag himself out of the water and onto the dry step, pausing as he notices with blurred vision that his hand was no longer webbed and clawed, the outline back to his dull-nailed digits as he gripped the platform. Pulling himself up more, he flips around to plant himself onto the top step, clasping his hand around Mashita's to help him out of the water, both of their tails gone and replaced by their clothed legs; wet, but intact. He wasn't going to question how that worked, he's had enough of spirit magic for one day.

They sit on the top step together, catching their breaths and processing everything they had gone through up to that point, their fingers laced as they lay back on their arms.

The sound of metal clinking and something cold bumping his face startles him before it slides on more and his vision comes back in full clarity once again.

“Here, your glasses were up here with your bag.”

“Ah, thank you…” He adjusts them so that they sit comfortably how he likes them.

Mashita let out a heavy sigh. “We should probably see if we can stand.”

Yashiki nods in agreement, starting to lean on the wall beside him as he pushes himself up onto extremely wobbly legs, arm shooting out to the railing as a violent shake racks his body, his other slapping the wall in support. This might take a moment, not that Mashita is faring much better on the other side, his back leaning against the wall.

Once he finally feels the shaking subside enough to start practicing walking, he takes a tentative step towards Mashita, only to trip on nothing, falling into a kabedon right above Mashita's head, trapping him in place. A wild blush simmering on each of their faces at the contact.

“S-sorry…..I love you.”

“...Just help me up. …..and I love you too.”

📔•₊✧👻⋆⭒˚☕️｡⋆📔•₊✧👻⋆⭒˚☕️｡⋆📔•₊✧👻⋆⭒

I want to say thanks again to @floridecuts for the wonderful fanart that sparked this alternate ending, I've stared at it for hours at this point lmao.

AO3 link:

Choco Fin

#death mark #spirit hunter #spirit hunter death mark #shiin #死印 #kazuo yashiki #satoru mashita #yashita #yashiki x mashita #真八 #on the flipside🖤#death mark fanfic

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