"Rin...Rin!"
A gentle shake eases her from the unconscious world. Her vision, obscured by the hazy feelings of sleep becomes progressively clearer with every blink, until a blanket of black sky dotted with silver-white stars materialises.
Approximately three seconds is all she gets of the grand celestial body before a blur of orange takes its place.
"T-Tobi?" She murmurs sleepily.
"Are you okay? You were thrashing around in your sleep," he says anxiously.
Was she?
The dream, though a distant blur, has left a horrific numbing feeling behind, much like stepping out from a traumatising event.
"I'm fine. Just a bad dream," she answers vaguely, as the newly accrued sensation of cold sweat trickles from all sides of her body.
"Tobi, why aren't you asleep?" she asks inquisitively, "Or did I wake you?" she adds quickly.
"I wasn't sleeping," he replies quietly.
Something in his tone indicates wariness, yet his slow, composed movement states otherwise.
"Is something keeping you up?"
"No," he replies vacantly, not looking at her, "I don't always sleep."
She watches him suspiciously, her mind bringing her back to the night when she first observed him 'sleeping.'
That was not sleeping.
Tobi stands to leave, keeping his watch fixed somewhere in the far distance, as if looking at her gets him agitated, nervous, uneasy. But Rin struggles to account for such apprehensiveness because she has become so used to his reactions around her. Or perhaps it is not her, but of someone or something else?
Though she has no reason to delve into Tobi's mysteriousness, it is the never-ending curiosity that her mind is always seeking. The moments and opportunities that she foresees in unravelling Tobi's complexity is enough to push her into uncertainty. Or perhaps her endless search to understand the mysteries of desire is cleverly manifesting in the form of curiosity?
"Can I join you? I don't think I want to go back to sleep anytime soon," she says, forcibly covering up her eagerness.
For several seconds Tobi appears guarded and reluctant, as if she is pushing the boundaries of their newly formed 'friendship' a little too quickly. But before she can shamefully withdraw her request, he briskly interrupts.
"Yes," he says forcefully as the idea of leaving him to his solitude becomes more potent.
Rin does not speak but reluctantly follows his lead, bringing a heavy tense silence between them. The further they walk, the colder the air, until the smell of a thick musky like scent infiltrates them, bearing a strong resemblance to the atmosphere of the Forest of Death. Above, the menacing skies are dark and cloudy, plunging them into a sinister blackness where the only inference to walking in the right direction is to follow the tall figure beside her.
When they stop at the riverbank thirty minutes later, Rin's mind has tuned too far into her thoughts, unaware that she is standing on the edge of a resounding river that glistens and shines under the moon's feeble light.
Vacantly, she moves in to touch the pristine water, feeling its coolness and the heavenly sensation of unsullied nature as it glides pass her fingertips. Her eyes trace its movements, its direction, gazing with passive eager as the water rushes by and down an enchanted waterfall. The smooth movement of its fall, so gentle, so spectacular, she stares avidly for several seconds with not a word spoken.
Then her attention turns to the cliff's edge, her attempts at seeing below oddly fruitless. The waterfall is so high, its end is shrouded in the depths of the dark mystery. Marred by soft puffs of clouds, the fall of water emits a fine mist that envelopes the atmosphere in a sheath of silent beauty. If she stands ever so quietly she can hear it. The delicate rush of a lake from far, far below, echoing into the quietude and dispersing in its sound as it reaches the very top and collides with the swift rush of water. Entranced in the mesmerising scenery, she does not realise that Tobi is beside her until he decides to speak.
"It is the highest waterfall in the world," he says softly.
And Rin startles, not because of the sudden statement but of how it was verbalised. Initially, she thought there was a third person speaking, but it was Tobi, and it was the most deep and pleasantly sounding tone she has ever heard. She does not question this sudden change in vocalisation, the revelation comes as unsurprising to her considering Tobi's very existent is an enigma in itself.
"It is, is it?" she whispers, and it is more to herself than to Tobi.
The feelings of content remains and it is so vastly different to the brief happiness that engulfs her with every medical development, she allows the surrounding sounds to immerse her once more. The smell of untainted air, the feel of a tender breeze and Tobi's proximity of security.
Never in her life has she experienced the ambience of such revitalising peace.
Momentarily, she lets these rare feelings permeate, allowing space and time to disappear from existence.
x
The evening forges on, each step of their walk taking them further and further into the midst of seclusion. Rin can still hear the subtle flow of water from far below, albeit her sense of direction is now a convoluted map inside her mind. At that very moment the clouds decide to part, allowing the moon to materialise in a hauntingly bright light and casting an endless shadow to their silhouettes.
"How long is this river?" Rin asks in astonishment.
"About three kilometres," Tobi answers pleasantly.
"Where is the lake where the water ends?"
"The water eventually leads to the ocean," he replies mildly.
She gazes at the deep darkness, her mind scrambling to piece together Tobi's words.
"The ocean?" She whispers slowly.
And her eyes widen at the revelation. She turns to face Tobi, an animated mixture of apprehension and furor interlaces her smile.
"Which way?" She asks avidly, and Tobi watches her in silence for several seconds before he speaks.
"Straight ahead," he answers uncertainly, without breaking his gaze.
They fall silent, the emanating sounds of distant waves tunnelling its way through and dispersing softly in their surrounding air.
"Tobi, I have never seen the ocean before," she says lightly, "Let's go!"
And she takes his hand in a firm grip, pulling him forwards and dismissing the sudden rigidity that is now radiating through him.
x
It is a tantalising dark mass amidst a spectacular heaven that rivals the enchanting cascade of a waterfall. And Rin looks ahead, arresting her attention on the remarkably alluring sight.
The ocean, sprawled out across an infinite expanse, exudes and epitomises the beauty of obscurity. Even by nightfall, she can still assimilate the exquisiteness of this beautiful mistress. Against the illuminating moon and amongst a celestial galaxy of a billion stars, the water glows a stunningly dark blue, emanating an incredible aura of perfect cerulean by daylight. But the amount of brilliance amongst the velvet sky is something that she cannot begin to elucidate. The stars are so close, so monumental in its amount, she can even make out the diversity in their colours. And it is like she is sitting in her very own galaxy, surrounded by an endless amount of astronomical objects, submerged in the captivating elegance of glitter.
Then there is the moon itself, its flawless circularity so close to the heavens she can trace its lines, re-paint its contours, memorise differing shades of white, grey and cream. Then the auras emerge, its multitude of green, yellow and blue colours casting an evocative complexion across the atmosphere that contrasts perfectly with the dark sky. In all her life, she has never seen anything so incredibly breathtaking.
Gingerly she takes several steps forward, unaware that her body is trembling from the exquisite sight before her.
Facing the very edge of the cliff, she allows the sound of howling winds and crashing waters to flow through her body. Bewildered, she stares at the rhythmic movement of waves below, the size so vast, so incredible, the rocky shores appear to tremble with every forceful hit. And she lets the potent scent of salt to settle, the perfection that is nature to embed itself into her untainted experience.
Beyond the shores, an immeasurable mountain-like rock drifts sombrely against strong currents, its distance an unfathomable number from her position.
"What is that?" Rin whispers, as she gazes intensely at the anomalous rock.
"Black Sand Island," Tobi answers ruefully.
"Black Sand?"
"The sand there is black. It is uncivilised due to volcanic disruptions that occur underwater. You cannot go there, the currents are extremely strong," he says candidly.
Her gaze continues to linger on the drifting island, unaware that reality is slowly slipping from her conscious state. And the cold, eerie like sensation transpires, coursing through her and spreading malignantly to every point of her body. It blackens her vision, distorts her surroundings and forces her to stare at the strange looking island. And she feels it, a dark, sinister, entrancing energy beckoning her forwards, grasping her very soul in a merciless grip and drawing her towards an unseen force.
Then the energy breaks and she blinks in confusion, unaware that Tobi has his hand on her shoulder. She gazes down, the crumbling rocks a solid indicator that she is standing dangerously close to the cliff's edge.
"What are you doing?" Tobi asks sternly as his grip on her shoulder tightens.
She turns abruptly, startled at her unconscious actions.
"I don't know, I wasn't aware…" she trails off anxiously.
Tobi watches her for several seconds, as if he is trying to read her mind. But then he slowly glances at the island, watching it in intense silence before withdrawing his gaze to face Rin.
"It is dangerous close to the edge, you should stand back here where it is safer," he says tensely.
She nods, backing a fair distance from the edge to stand beside Tobi. Her gaze inquisitively averts to the island. From here, it is oddly appealing, like she would never sense deception coming from such beauty.
"What are they?" she asks blankly, pointing at the miniature white specks surrounding the island.
"Icebergs," Tobi replies. "The water surrounding the island is ice cold, but the island itself has a constant temperature of about thirty-one degrees Celsius," he continues at the bewildered look on Rin's face.
"How do you know all this?" she asks skeptically, watching him in fascination.
"I've been there," he answers indifferently.
She does not question the contradictory nature of his answer to his previous explanation of the island's dangerous environment. There is more to Tobi than she could ever hope to decrypt. His mysteriousness consistently baffles her with every new information she acquires from him. But as much as she desires to unravel the puzzling demeanour of his words and of his actions, she fears she may discover something that not even his comforting proximity can override.
She lets the unease settle. His current contentment and his security is enough to drive those fears to the back of her mind, permitting a new level of gratification to course through her.
"Tobi, will you follow me to the waves?" She asks softly.
Her eyes linger on the gradual movement of water below, watching as it rolls effortlessly onto smooth sand before recoiling serenely into the dark mass of ocean.
"Shall we?" He answers quietly.
And he turns for the shore, an indicator that she too should follow suit.