The One Who Smiled

I stared at Sae's slumped form in the cockpit.

A million thoughts raced through my head at once. What the hell is happening? It's just a dream… right? But I couldn't just leave Sae there. I needed to do something. Water. She needed water.

I scanned the area, my kaiju senses picking up the sound of running water nearby.

Now I just needed something to carry it in. My gaze landed on a fallen tree, its trunk split open. Nature's cup. That would do.

I extended my whips, testing their reach. They moved just like video game controls. Muscle memory took over, all those hours gaming finally paying off as I used them to snatch the makeshift cup. Who would've thought playing Smash Bash Sisters would actually come in handy?

The stream flowed easily into the hollow trunk. I maneuvered my new whips to carry it back, trying not to spill.

Through the bushes, I spotted Sae using her good arm to rip strips from her flight suit, tying them into a makeshift sling. Her other arm hung useless at her side - definitely broken. Her face was pale and tense but focused.

Well, here goes nothing. Just... extend the whips... nice and slow...

Sae's head snapped up. Her hand flew to her hip, reaching for a weapon that wasn't there. Those cold eyes locked onto me, and if looks could kill, I'd be a kaiju-sized pile of ash.

But she couldn't do much else. The pain had her pinned, sweat beading on her forehead. We stayed frozen like that - me holding out water like some sort of waiter, her looking ready to fight despite barely being able to move.

After what felt like forever, Sae's good hand slowly reached for the trunk. She didn't break eye contact as she brought it to her lips, downing the water in desperate gulps.

The empty trunk clunked softly as she set it down. And then... more staring. So much staring. I'd rather face Gran Gran after getting a B on a test than endure another second of that penetrating gaze. At least Gran Gran's disappointment came with the occasional 'your ancestors would be disappointed in you' sigh. This was just endless, suffocating silence.

"I might have gotten it all wrong..." Sae finally muttered.

Gotten what wrong? Was she talking about Rhino? About kaiju in general? About me?

Without warning, Sae lurched to her feet. I froze, every scale on my new body screaming at me to run. But where would I even go in a dream?

She moved toward me, favoring her good side. Before I could process what was happening, her good hand shot out, fingers pressing against my throat.

I didn't move.

Not because I was brave. Oh trust me, my heart was doing somersaults. But because this was Sae. The same Sae who helped me babysit Little Shit. Who helped me study even when I was being difficult. Who drove us everywhere, even when she probably had a hundred better things to do.

Her grip tightened. Not enough to hurt, just enough to show she could.

One heartbeat. Two. Three.

Then something I'd never expect happened. Sae smiled. Not her usual half-smile or the tired one she gave when dealing with Little Shit's antics. This was real, warm and genuine, like sunshine breaking through storm clouds.

Sae's legs suddenly buckled.

Before my mind could catch up, whips shot out instinctively, catching her just before she collapsed.

Her small frame trembled against my scales. Without thinking, I curled around her, forming a protective cocoon.

I worried my rocky hide might hurt her, but she didn't pull away. Instead, she leaned into me, her breathing slowing, the tension in her shoulders easing bit by bit.

For a moment, I thought she'd fallen asleep.

Then I felt it. Something warm trickling down my scales.

Tears.

Sae was crying.

"Takashi..." she whispered, so softly I almost missed it. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you, otouto..."

***

The dream shifted, and suddenly I was floating. My kaiju body had transformed into a balloon, tethered to what looked like a hospital bed.

But this wasn't any normal hospital.

Strange machines lined the walls, blinking softly in the low light. Through the window, I could see military vehicles parked outside, and no ambulances in sight.

Haruka sat slumped in a chair beside Sae's bed. His KQ Division uniform was rumpled, probably from hours of sitting. His glasses had slipped halfway down his nose as he dozed.

A sharp gasp cut through the quiet.

Sae's eyes flew open, darting around the room with an intensity that made me want to shrink into myself, even as a balloon.

"Sae!" Haruka jolted upright, nearly tumbling from his chair. "Thank goodness, you're-"

"Where is it?"

"Where is what?"

She scanned the room again, then muttered, "Never mind."

The silence that followed was thick. Haruka fidgeted with his lab coat, clearly searching for something to say.

"So… uh… where'd this balloon come from?"

"It wasn't you?"

"Didn't even know they made balloons in this color."

Sae reached out with her good hand. Again, without thinking, I drifted closer, pressing against her palm. Her fingers were cold, but they warmed as they curled around my rubbery surface.

And then, just like before, Sae smiled.

***

The dream shifted again. This time, I found myself bobbing gently above a massive oak table, tethered to Sae's right arm.

Men and women in pressed uniforms filed in, their polished badges catching the harsh fluorescent light. I counted twelve seats around the table, each with a little name placard that probably cost more than my monthly wages at KaiKool.

"Another emergency meeting?" A guy with a mustache slumped into his chair. "Some of us have actual work to do."

"Nice balloon, Himuro. Going for the birthday party look?" A woman with perfectly styled hair smirked.

The room erupted into stifled laughs. I wanted to sink through the floor. Or float through the ceiling, given my current form. Sae, to her credit, just sat there with a blank expression.

The door slammed open. The laughter died instantly as a man with more medals than chest space strode in. The head of KQ Division, I guessed. He had that same no-nonsense glare Gran Gran gives me right before reading off my latest academic failure.

"I'll be direct," he planted both hands on the table. "The world is ending."

The words hung in the air for a split second. Then voices overlapping in a mess of questions and exclamations. But through it all, Sae sat motionless.

The head slapped a thick folder onto the table. Photos slid out, scattering across the polished surface.

There I was - mid-conversation with the Shibue Daikaiju, looking absolutely ridiculous in that Kaikool costume.

The head of KQ Division pressed his palms flat on the photos. "This S-grade threat has made its intentions clear. Total planetary destruction within a year."

He paused, then tapped my photo. "However, we have an unexpected advantage. This civilian. The kaiju entrusted its offspring to her. That level of trust from an S-grade is unprecedented."

Sae reached for one of the photos - a close-up of me and Little Shit. Her fingers traced the edges with surprising gentleness.

Then, it happened again. Sae smiled.

"I'll monitor them."

***

The scene shifted again, and I found myself gently swaying above a park bench, still tethered to Sae's arm.

Below us, my actual body was dangling a melon bread in front of Little Shit, who kept jumping and missing by inches.

And Sae... Sae was smiling.

Wait.

The crash site. The hospital room. The KQ meeting. Every single dream, I'd been seeing things through Rhino's eyes. And in every single one, I caught glimpses of this other Sae - the one who smiled.

These weren't just random dreams.

These were Rhino's.

To this strange creature from another world, Sae was... a friend. A companion. And it cherished Sae's smiles.

Maybe that’s why, if Rhino did understand the world was ending, it didn’t seem to care.

Because when you've found someone who makes the world feel a little less empty, maybe it doesn't matter how much time that world has left.