@eidyllon / continued from here.
Trembling from the fatigue of weathering the tsunami and expelling saltwater from his lungs in racking, full-body coughs, Cross lugged his brother inland. What began as a steady retreat from the beach tarried into a sluggish plodding that dragged Maru's feet through the sand then dirt, Cross' own footsteps smearing into wobbly, tired lines in the ground as he stopped to cough, breathe, then carry on. By the time he crested the protective boundary of a forest out of sight of the Earthling, Cross considered heeding the alarms of his body and resting to collect his willpower, but Maru's gradual stirring unilaterally forced him to stop.
Easing Maru down against a tree, Cross backed up a few steps, at first intending to rest against a trunk standing opposite but finding his legs numb and unwilling to move. The screaming in his muscles blared loud, but his wariness deafened in comparison -- rooted, he watched his brother wake, and when he appeared conscious enough to respond, Cross hoarsely uttered his name. 「Maru...」
「What were you thinking?」