Author's Note: Everything in my story is © its owner, I make no claim of ownership.

I was sitting outside one summer, enjoying the day with my friend Hikari, when an idea suddenly dawned on me. Instead of sitting here, we could be out away from the house, enjoying the real outdoors.

"Hikari, have I ever showed you Arch Island?"

"Hmm? What's Arch Island?"

"Well, in the river down that way, there's a little gravel island with this natural rock arch on it. Do you want to see it?"

"Sure!"

"Alright, lets go-"

"Wait, I've got an idea. Can we take Rei with us? She never has much fun, and this'd be a nice change for her."

"Sure, why not. Call her up."

Hikari took out her cell phone and called Rei, who agreed (after some persuasion) to come along. We waited for her to arrive, (she would walk over,) and Hikari and I talked to pass the time.

"You know, Shinji, I was talking with Rei the other day…"

"Yeah? What about?"

"Not much, but…well, she says she really likes you, Shinji."

"Really? How about that…"

The truth was I had always liked Rei as well, but had never found the words to say it. Maybe being out there today could be the situation we needed to finally express our feelings. Maybe. Slowly but deliberately, Rei walked down the loose stone path to my place; Hikari and I stood up to greet her as she approached. She was dressed in a pair of jean shorts and a tight black t-shirt, which surprised me; she hardly ever left her school uniform.

"Hi Rei," Hikari said as Rei walked up onto the porch.

"Hello." Rei's voice had always been a little creepy, the way she hardly broke a whisper, but there had also been an enticing quality to it. I wasn't sure why.

I greeted Rei as well, and she struggled to keep eye contact as she returned my greeting. Now I saw what Hikari had been talking about. She was extra shy around me; this could be the proof I needed.

"Well," I said confidently, "let's head out." Hikari undercut me before we could leave, though.

"Shinji, hold on a second. Rei, you do know where we're going, right?"

"Into the water, is that correct?"

"Yeah… That's ok, right?"

"Yes," Rei said as she pointed down to her feet. She wore a pair of old hiking boots, perfect for our little adventure. Any passing stranger may have made rash judgments about this, but I stayed confident in my friend's word, that Rei was really interested in me.

"Ok, can we head out now?"

"Sure, Shinji. Lead the way."

We hiked through some thin woods, heading steadily downhill to the river valley. As we hiked, I tried to catch a glimpse of Rei every so often. Her eyes, locked on me, would dart away as soon as I met her gaze. After a few minutes, we reached the bottom of the large slope, and came out of the trees to behold the river.

About one eighth of a mile wide, the river flowed lazily by. We could see the opposite bank, wooded as this one, but steeper. In the middle, a small island about halfway out cut the passing current with its sharp leading edge. On it, a few trees did little to eclipse the impressive rock arch in the middle. The girls, new to this spot, were pleasantly surprised to see that I was in fact telling the truth. It was an impressive sight, usually reserved for desert climes, that had found its way to this temperate zone by some twist of fate. I looked over, and was able to take a long look at Rei as she looked, bright eyed, on the natural beauty that surrounded her. She was actually smiling slightly as she looked around, a foreigner to her face that looked so beautiful whenever it emerged (however briefly.)

Rei noticed me looking over, and looked down at her feet once again, though still smiling slightly. She was a sight to behold, out in the elements for once instead of the city or that drab little apartment.

"Well," said Hikari defiantly, "This is all very well and good, but how can we get over there? You don't expect us to swim over, or do you?" I blushed slightly at this, and momentarily lost myself in the mental picture: Rei, emerging from the river on Arch Island, dripping wet…

"Umm… no! I've got a boat here we can take. Just…help me pull it over to the bank, ok?"

I had bought a small wooden rowboat as soon as I discovered the island, because I was tired of always having to swim across. I spent lots of time there, especially when I wanted to be alone and write. There was a creative energy that flowed through me when I sat there; I was on that island when I wrote a short story about feudal Japan that had really impressed my parents and friends. The three of us pulled the boat over to the bank, and the girls got in. I pushed it out, hopped in, and hooked in the oars. It took a few minutes to row over to the island, time which I spent looking at the girls sitting on the bench in front of me.

They were pretty opposite, actually. Hikari was an outgoing person, who was involved in student government (and had been for many years.) She was quick to express her opinion, and made sure you understood what she said. Rei, on the other side of the spectrum, was a real enigma. She was a good student, but rarely spoke up during class. She wasn't in any clubs that I knew of, and spent most of her time studying. She never raised her voice, and rarely spoke more than one sentence at a time. Still, there was something about her that provoked my interest. Maybe I subconsciously knew that she liked me, that would explain it. The two girls even sat differently in the boat. Hikari sat with her legs crossed, watching my feeble attempts at rowing and giggling to herself; Rei sat with her hands in her lap, looking off to the side with the old serious look on her face.

We finally arrived, (I was not used to rowing that many people across,) and we pulled the boat up onto the shore. The girls headed straight for the arch, and I followed. They stood under the 10 foot rock formation, looking up in wonder.

"How… how did this form, Shinji?" Rei had spoken without being spoken to. I was obviously making headway by taking her here.

"It was probably eroded by the river, then when they built the dam downstream and the water level fell, the island came above the surface."

"I see…" She smiled as she looked slowly up to the arch again, then let her eyes return to me. This was the most I had ever seen her smile or look my way. Hikari was definitely telling the truth.

"Shinji, come over here!"

"I'll be right back," I said to Rei as Hikari called me to the other end of the island. I got over to her, and Hikari wore a proud expression.

"Did I tell you? Did I?"

"You were right, Hikari. She must like me."

"She doesn't like you, Shinji. She's crazy about you! Every time we talk and I mention your name, she gets this look, like she's daydreaming about you."

"Really? Wow… But, what do I do now?" Hikari had always been the expert on these things.

"Well, you should probably ask her if she wants to have dinner with you some night."

"Isn't that a little sudden?"

"Who's the expert on these things, Shin-" Hikari was interrupted by a loud splash. We ran over to see what had caused it. I thought to myself, 'It was too loud to be a rock thrown into the river… Rei!'

We reached the other end of the island, where my fears were confirmed. Rei was about ten feet out, being pulled by the current. She was trying to stay afloat, but I could tell she wasn't familiar with swimming in anything other than a pool. She continued to slip away, and I jumped in after her. After a few more yards, she was sucked under completely. I dove down, and saw her legs slip into what looked to be a small cave. I surfaced for air, and yelled to Hikari.

"Rei's down there! I'm gonna go get her!"

"Be careful, Shinji!"

I dove down again, and looked into the opening Rei had disappeared into. It was a small rise in the bottom, which sloped down diagonally into a small tunnel. I swam in, Only to be stopped by something completely blocking the tunnel. I reached out, and felt it to be made of wood. Feeling around, I found a metal ring set into it. 'How odd,' I thought to myself as I pulled on the ring and the wooden thing hinged out of the way. 'It's kind of like a door.' I was pulled into the tunnel-like passage by a strong current, and I slowly felt myself running out of air. As I lost oxygen, my mind became oddly calm and rational.

'Too bad I couldn't save Rei. I was so close, too.' I fell further into the darkness.

'I hope Hikari won't worry.' The water became strangely warmer.

'I'm sorry, Mom and Dad. I know you'll be sad.' The passage leveled out.

'I wonder if I'll go to heaven once this is over.' The tunnel sloped up, and brightened.

'If I go to heaven, I wonder if Rei will be there.' It all faded into blinding light as I surfaced.

Author's Note: I promise I didn't kill either of them, so please keep reading!