The soldiers looked at one another, some in disbelief, others in confusion. Dune's face was a mask of fury, but for a brief moment, there was something else — surprise.
Kairo stepped forward, his power radiating like the ocean in a storm. "I don't care about her blindness. I don't care about her age. I care that she's the first person who looked at me — not as a prince, not as a threat — but as a person."
His voice wavered only once. "And now, because of her... I don't have the will to conquer your land."
The words hung in the air like a thunderclap.
Kairo's fists clenched at his sides, his water swirling around him, rippling the sand at his feet. "But make no mistake — if you lay another hand on her, if you try to enforce your cruel punishments or call her undesirable again — I will drown every last grain of your precious sand."
Dune's expression darkened further, but something flickered beneath his fury — a rare, momentary doubt.
Kairo had always been a prince fueled by ambition, by a desire for conquest. But now, for the first time, his fight wasn't for land... it was for Yuki.
And nothing — not Dune, not the Sand tribe's rules — would stand in his way.
The silence that followed Kairo's declaration was suffocating, broken only by the faint whisper of the desert wind. The Sand tribe soldiers shifted uncomfortably, their once-unwavering resolve beginning to crack beneath the weight of Kairo's words. Even those who moments ago had called Yuki an undesirable now struggled to meet Kairo's burning gaze.
Dune, however, remained unmoved. His eyes, hard and unforgiving, bore into Kairo like twin shards of stone. "You think a few pretty words will change anything?" Dune's voice was low, simmering with controlled fury. "She broke the rules. You broke the rules. And no matter how much you parade your so-called feelings for her, it won't erase her crimes — or yours."
Kairo's jaw clenched. "Her only crime was believing in her people — in you. And my only crime was protecting someone who actually sees the good in a tribe that doesn't deserve her loyalty."
The soldiers flinched, but Dune stepped forward. "She defied the laws of her tribe, and you... you have openly defied me. Did you think you could just take her, claim her as your future wife, and walk away unpunished? Do you think the Sand tribe will simply let this slide?"
Kairo's lips twisted into a bitter smile. "I don't need your permission. Your laws mean nothing to me."
Dune's hand tensed, grains of sand swirling at his feet, ready to obey his command. "Then you're a fool. And now, you'll face the consequences."
But before Dune could act, a faint voice cut through the tension.
"Lord Dune..."
It was Yuki.
She had emerged from the cave, her delicate frame barely steady as she clutched the wall for support. Kairo's heart lurched — she wasn't supposed to come out.
"Yuki, go back inside," Kairo ordered softly, but Yuki shook her head.
Her blind eyes, clouded but fearless, stared in Dune's direction. "Please... listen."
Dune's face twisted in disgust. "You dare speak?"
Yuki flinched, but she didn't back down. "I know I disobeyed the rules. I know I'm... an undesirable in your eyes." Her voice trembled but didn't break. "But I've never stopped believing in our tribe — in the kindness that still exists within it."
Kairo's fists clenched, the pain in her voice cutting deeper than any blade.
"I left because I wanted to see the Sand tribe beyond the districts I was forced to remain in," Yuki continued. "I wanted to believe that somewhere... someone in our tribe still saw me as more than just a blind girl past the age of marriage."
Dune's expression remained stone-cold, but a flicker of something — guilt, perhaps — flashed in his eyes.
Yuki's voice softened. "And then... I met Kairo."
The soldiers murmured again, some shifting uneasily.
"He didn't know me. He didn't know I was blind, or 25, or undesirable," Yuki said softly. "And yet... he protected me. He didn't see me the way the tribe does. He saw me as a person."
Kairo's heart ached at her words. Even now, even with the threat of death hanging over her, she still spoke with kindness — not only for him but for a tribe that had abandoned her.
Dune's voice was cold. "And what do you expect me to do with your little speech? Spare you both?"
"No," Yuki said quietly. "But I wanted you to know that even if you see me as worthless... I don't hate you. I don't hate the Sand tribe."
Dune's jaw tightened, and for a long moment, there was silence.
Then Kairo stepped forward, standing protectively in front of Yuki. His water swirled at his fingertips, dangerously close to unleashing another flood.
"If you still plan to harm her," Kairo said, his voice a low growl, "then you'll have to kill me first."
Dune's sand surged in response, the ground beneath them shifting and cracking.
It was a standoff — a prince of water and a king of sand, caught in a silent battle of wills.
And Yuki, standing behind Kairo, clutched his arm gently — a silent reminder of the one thing keeping him from turning the entire desert into a sea.
Dune's jaw tightened, his weathered face a mask of stone as the sand at his feet spiraled faster — a brewing storm just waiting for his command. The soldiers behind him stood tense, unsure whether to attack or await their leader's signal. The air between Kairo and Dune felt like a thin thread about to snap.
Kairo, his fingers still swirling with water, kept his stance firm in front of Yuki. His heart pounded, not from fear, but from rage — rage at the tribe's cruelty, at Dune's unyielding grip on outdated traditions, and at the fact that Yuki had been treated like an outcast her whole life by the very people she still defended.
Finally, Dune spoke.
"You speak of love," Dune said, his voice a low growl. "Of seeing her as more than an undesirable. But tell me, Kairo — do you truly intend to marry her? Or are these just desperate words to justify your rebellion?"
Kairo's blue eyes, like the raging sea, narrowed. "I don't need to justify anything to you. But if you must know... yes."
The soldiers exchanged shocked glances. Even Yuki's breath hitched, though she remained silent.
Kairo's voice didn't waver. "I'm not a man who makes promises lightly. I've spent my life avoiding attachments, avoiding people who only saw me as a tool to gain status. But Yuki... she saw me. Not as a prince or a soldier. Just... me."
Yuki's grip on Kairo's arm tightened. Her heart pounded so loudly she thought Dune might hear it.
Kairo continued, his voice steady. "So yes — if she'll have me, I'll marry her. I don't care about her blindness, or her age, or whatever worthless label your tribe has stamped on her. She's worth more than every rule you cling to."
Dune's sand flared, the ground trembling beneath them. "You dare speak of worth when you've trampled over our laws? She is an undesirable — a burden. And now you expect me to believe you'd tie yourself to that?" His voice turned sharper. "You'd stain your Aqua bloodline for a woman like her?"
Kairo's fury boiled over. Water surged from his hands, twisting into a wave that roared at his sides, poised to strike. "A woman like her?" he repeated, voice dangerous. "You speak of her as if she's less than human. But the only people I see lacking worth are the ones who abandoned her."
Dune's eyes darkened. "Careful, Kairo."
Kairo's voice was a thunderous growl. "I am done being careful."
For a moment, it seemed like battle was inevitable. The sand howled at Dune's feet, the water crashing around Kairo in waves — two opposing elements seconds from clashing.
But then...
A soft voice broke the storm.
"Please," Yuki whispered.
Kairo flinched at the sound of her pleading voice.
"Lord Dune," Yuki continued, her voice calm yet firm. "You may see me as an undesirable... but I don't hate you. I don't hate the Sand tribe. All I ever wanted was to belong — to walk freely through my own home without fear."
Dune's expression didn't soften, but the sand at his feet slowed, just a little.
"I know I broke the rules by stepping into the main district," Yuki went on. "But I only did it because I wanted to believe that there was more to the Sand tribe than cruelty. That there was kindness still left... somewhere."
The soldiers behind Dune shifted uncomfortably.
Kairo's voice was soft now, but unwavering. "And yet, when she was dragged through the streets, not one of you lifted a hand to help."
Dune's jaw clenched.
Yuki lowered her head. "Even so... I don't want to see more bloodshed. I never wanted to cause pain."
Dune stared at Yuki for a long moment, his mind a war zone of anger, duty, and — perhaps — the smallest flicker of doubt.
Finally, he spoke.
"You have chosen your side, Yuki," Dune said, voice heavy with finality. "There is no place for you in the Sand tribe now."
Kairo's water flared again. "Then she has a place with me."
Dune's gaze snapped to Kairo. "You think this is over? You think you can simply run away with her?"
Kairo smirked bitterly. "I'm not running. I'm choosing."
The sand beneath Dune's feet shifted — not in attack, but in retreat.
Dune's soldiers remained still, waiting for his next command.
After a long, tense silence, Dune finally said, "We will find you again, Kairo. And when we do... I will show no mercy."
With that, he turned sharply, his soldiers falling into line behind him.
As the Sand tribe slowly disappeared over the horizon, Kairo exhaled a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
Yuki clutched his arm tightly, her head against his shoulder. "Kairo..."
He looked down at her, his hand gently brushing a stray strand of blonde hair from her face. "It's over... for now."
Her blind eyes stared blankly ahead, but there was a soft smile on her lips. "You meant what you said... about marrying me?"
Kairo's heart thudded in his chest. His usual confidence wavered for the first time.
"...Yeah," he admitted softly. "I did."
And for the first time in her life, Yuki — the undesirable, the outcast — felt like she belonged somewhere.
With him.