You picked up the last blood curd cube with your chopsticks and placed it in your mouth. You were impressed, it actually tasted great.

"Nice?" He asked, chewing on some rice and blood curd.

"Nice."

"I tell you already." He continued pushing food into his mouth.

"Yeah, I know you told me so." You monotonously replied. Mayanka snorted with a smirk, shaking his head.

Both of you went back to eating in silence.

You admit, despite being stranded on an isolated island with a maniac, this is the healthiest you've ever been. Physically.

You're well nourished, you get enough sleep, you get enough exercise, you're very hydrated and you get enough sun.

Months and months of drinking Mayanka's weird concoction of herbal teas made significant changes in your body. Your skin is at its' clearest, your eyesight is improving, you don't feel like you're going to die from a heart attack anytime soon and you're much more flexible than before.

The same cannot be said for your mental health. You felt like you 'lost' a part of your soul, you caught yourself dissociating from reality more times than you can count.

You even forgot the password to your laptop. Oh well, it's not like you're going to use it anytime soon. The entire thing is probably degrading away at the bottom of the ocean.

Rest assured, the nauseatingly intense hatred towards your rapist, Mayanka remained. Actually, it increased, tenfold after discovering that he knows what he did was wrong. Mayanka is a monster with a rotten core that deserves to be burnt alive. How you wish that he received the same sexual torture from a bigger, tougher, stronger man. Or woman... whatever hurts him the most.

You grit your teeth. No matter how angry you are towards Mayanka, you can't lash out or act hostile. He still is your only hope of survival.

You still can't live on your own in the wild. You never learnt anything useful from the rapist because he refused to teach you or let you see. Moreover, he has the best spot on the island, the most habitable area has been taken by him.

He probably knows the map of the island like it's tattooed on the back of his hand. It's not like you can outrun him or hide from him.

Then, it did raise a question in your head.

"Mayanka." His yellow eyes switched focus from his meal to you.

"Why don't you wanna live in other countries?"

"This is other countries." He picked up an amount of rice with his chopsticks.

"No, no. I mean. Why don't you want to join civilization?" He paused his munching and looked upwards, trying to recall what the meaning of it is.

"...I don't want to use money." He replied, swallowing.

"What?"

"I want to be not control. Vuzinia and civilization control me by money. Give work a lot but give very very small money. I cannot even buy this many food after work difficult for very many days." He gestured towards the heaps of empty bowls on the table.

You are speechless. Well, he did raise a good point about disliking capitalism, but... doesn't he want access to a better life? A better home? Technology?

"What about friends? Don't you want someone else other than me? Prettier women, nice women... nice men?" You're trying to hint that you don't want to be with him. Mayanka doesn't seem to pick up on the inflection of your tone... or maybe he's purposely ignoring it.

"You are enough. 'Iinaa ahbk." He wiped the corner of his mouth with a thumb.

"What?"

"You are enough." He smiled as he ruffled your hair. Mayanka stood up to his full height and collected the empty bowls in his arms.

"Go play. Don't too rough, your stomach will pain. No swim." He gave you a warning glare.

"Okay..." You muttered.

"And wear hat! Sun will burn you!" He yelled out from his 'kitchen'.

——

Mayanka leaned against the sturdy doorframe of his home, crossing his muscular arms as he watches you build a pathetic little sandcastle.

You don't realise that he's staring at you.

You let out a loud, dry yell when your sand 'castle' collapsed due to poor structure. Mayanka silently giggled.

While you're desperately trying to pile it back up, Mayanka went into his wooden shed and grabbed a bucket as well as a handheld spade.

"Damn it! Why is it not—"

"Sand too dry." You yelped in shock as soon as Mayanka's deep voice reached your ears.

"Mayanka!" He sat down next to you and dropped the bucket of seawater on your already destroyed sand'castle'.

"If no water, sand no stick." He scooped a handful of salty water with a hand and poured it on sand.

Mayanka dug out the moistened sand and began packing it into a hill.

You watch him skillfully mold it with his hands, he managed to make a perfect cylinder with nothing but his fingers and some seawater.

"Wow." Your jaw dropped. It's so smooth and leveled.

Mayanka then plunged his hand into the water bucket to retrieve the spade.

"You need sharp to make window, door and make pretty."He meticulously carved out shallow holes of various sizes. He gently ran the tip of the spade across the surface repeatedly to give it texture.

"Take water. Make me same shape but small on top this."

"O-okay..." You began pouring some water onto the sand. You scooped it and gently dump it on the main base.

You sculpted it, cringing as you felt sand getting under your nails. Dear god, your nails are long.

"Like this?" You're disappointed that it came out uneven and bumpy, but that's the best you can do.

"Good." He praised, tilting the bucket to dampen more sand to use.

"Thanks." You flicked your hand to remove some sand. "How are you so good at this?" You asked.

"I study... I study moving of thing. In Alearabia, we call Alfayzia'." He added more bulk to a secondary structure.

"Moving of thing... is he referring to Physics??"

"...and I play sand build with Meyanna." His neutral look fell and is replaced by a frown. You remained silent, you don't want to pry too deep.

Then, the man became quiet.

"Why did you STOP? I want to know more!"

You fake coughed and then asked, "What do you think about Meyanna?" Mayanka sighed and slowed his sculpting.

"He... is okay person. Not bad, but not good." You nodded, signalling him to go on.

"People like him more because Meyanna pretty. I am ugly." He bit his lower lip.

"But I happy I'm ugly." Mayanka let out a sad chuckle.

"...why?"

"Women and men force sex Meyanna." You slapped a hand over your mouth. That's terrible! That should have been Mayanka instead so he knows how degrading it is to the rape victim!

Mayanka gulped, it looked like he's trying to stop himself from crying.

"Meyanna... not happy people don't force sex me. So he... Mayanna force sex me." He cleared his throat.

Oh.

You blinked rapidly. You wanted to explode right there, right then. What made HIM think the best course of action was to rape you? Have he no shame? Does he not feel any empathy? Does he not want to protect others from going through the same thing as him?

Yes, it's an abhorrent thing to be raped by your own brother, no one deserves to go through that. But raping a vulnerable stranger is as bad, you don't deserve any of this! Why did he do it!? Why did he mirror his tyrant brother's actions?

"Then... then why did you do that to me...?" Tears fell from your eyes, your hands are balled into fists.

"..." Mayanka clammed up, his face is unreadable.

Your mouth shot open, about to raise hell. But a warning scowl from Mayanka put you back into your place.

"...no (y/n), keep your cool. Keep your cool. No matter how much of a dipshit he is, you still need him for survival." You took a deep breath and released it.

"Thank you, I don't want to play anymore." You stood up and swept the sand particles off your pants. Mayanka remained there, still building his sandcastle.

You stormed back into the cabin, mumbling incoherent curses.

Mayanka let his hands rest on his craft. The wind blew his stray hairs to one side.

He sat there, unmoving for a few minutes. Sorting his thoughts by himself, not a very pleasant thing to go through.

As soon as he closed his eyes, drops of clear anguish dripped onto the warm sand.

"'Ana asif..." He whispered. It was supposed to be for you, but it's highly unlikely— impossible for you to hear it.

Mayanka then pulled his knees towards his chest, burying his face in it.

His sobs were too soft for anyone or anything to perceive.