The Potential of the future

Kuraokami had always spent a great deal of time thinking about things that had not happened yet. The calm waters of the cenote were especially good for it. Beneath the surface, the world became quiet and distant, leaving nothing but cool water, dim light, and the constant movement of his own thoughts. He could spend hours curled beneath the surface, following one idea into another until something entirely new emerged. Lately, however, his thoughts kept returning to Spector. She was almost impossibly different from him. Kuro was quiet, content to disappear beneath the water when the world became too overwhelming. Spector disappeared beneath the water because she had decided that whatever was happening above it was no longer worth her time. He sought peace. She seemed to carry her own particular brand of chaos wherever she went. Yet somehow, the thought of her had begun to feel strangely comfortable.

Kuro drifted slowly through the cenote, his pale body illuminated by the soft blue light filtering down from above. His mind wandered toward the possibility of breeding with her, though he didn't dwell on it too seriously. They were dragons, and breeding was simply one of the many things that happened between them. There was no need for it to mean anything beyond that. Still, there was something appealing about Spector, and the thought of becoming breeding partners and spending some time together had become a pleasant little fancy. He could imagine the two of them meeting when the opportunity arose, spending some time together afterward, and then eventually returning to their separate lives. There was something almost comforting about that simplicity.

Then his ocean magic stirred.

The water around Kuro seemed to become distant as his psychic senses reached beyond the present. His eyes widened as fleeting images formed within his mind, fragments of something that had not yet happened. A small vision appeared, showing two dragons. Spector was there, her large body moving gracefully through the water beside Kuro. Their movements were effortless, following the gentle currents of a peaceful underwater cavern. Kuro stayed close beside her, their bodies occasionally brushing together as they swam. There was no urgency between them, no struggle to keep pace with one another. They simply moved together, sharing the same stretch of water for a while.

The vision shifted. They were deeper now, surrounded by smooth stone and shimmering water. Spector drifted peacefully beside Kuro while soft rays of light filtered down from far above. There was no crowd, no strangers, and no unwanted attention, just the two of them in a quiet place where they could spend some time together. Kuro's chest tightened pleasantly as he watched the scene unfold. It wasn't some grand future stretching endlessly ahead of them. It was simply a pleasant glimpse of what their lives might look like around the time they chose to breed, with both dragons comfortable enough in one another's presence to enjoy the experience without making it into something more complicated.

The vision shifted again.

Spector was diving.

Of course she was.

Kuro almost felt amused as the future Spector disappeared into the darker depths below him. Rather than following immediately, the future Kuro simply watched her descend, waiting patiently. There was no concern that she had abandoned him, because he already understood that this was simply what Spector did. A few moments later, she returned from the depths and swam alongside him again. Kuro found himself strangely entertained by the predictability of it. Even in a future he had never experienced, Spector could still decide that disappearing underwater was preferable to whatever was happening around her.

Another change came over the vision. The two dragons were traveling together through a vast underwater landscape, weaving between towering rock formations and glittering pools. Spector occasionally darted away into deeper water, while Kuro followed at his own pace. Neither needed to change for the other. They simply moved through the water together, enjoying each other's company for as long as they wanted before eventually going their separate ways. Kuro found that idea particularly pleasant. There was no expectation that their breeding would bind them together forever. They could enjoy one another's company, produce offspring together, and still remain themselves afterward.

The final image was the simplest. Night had fallen over the cenote, and Kuro and Spector floated together in the quiet water, their bodies comfortably intertwined. Spector's tail rested loosely against Kuro's body while he remained nestled close beside her. Above them, stars reflected across the surface of the pool, their light trembling with every gentle ripple. They simply floated there, sharing a peaceful moment after spending time together, comfortable enough to rest beside one another without needing anything more from the other.

The vision faded, and Kuro surfaced, breaking through the water and taking a moment to collect himself. The images lingered pleasantly in his mind. The future he'd seen didn’t seem too bad. Kuro looked toward Spector, a faint curiosity stirring within him. He wondered whether she would find the vision amusing, irritating, or perhaps just interesting. There was only one way to find out. He swam closer until his head was above the surface beside hers. Kuro remained there for a moment, gathering his thoughts before finally beginning to explain what he had seen. He described the peaceful waters and the quiet places they might explore together, the strange underwater landscapes where they could wander at their own pace, and Spector's habit of disappearing into the depths whenever she pleased. He lingered especially on the final part, the quiet night beneath the stars, where the two of them rested together in the water with no need for anything more than each other's company.

Kuro watched her carefully as he finished. He was sure she understood he wasn’t talking about forever, how could he when his forever was already claimed? It was simply a pleasant future he had glimpsed, one that made the prospect of breeding with Spector seem rather more appealing than it might have otherwise. When he had finished explaining what he had seen, Kuro remained beside her, quietly waiting to see what she would make of it. Whatever happened next, he found himself rather enjoying the thought of it.