"Rin...Rin!"
She feels the gentle shake and the way it eases her from the unconscious world. Her vision progressively clears, until she sees the blanket black sky with its silver-white stars.
Three seconds is all she gets of the grand celestial body before a blur of orange take 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.
"I'm fine. Just a bad dream," she answers vaguely, "I'm sorry, did I wake you?"
"I wasn't sleeping," he replies.
Something in his tone indicates wariness, yet his slow, composed movement states otherwise.
"Is something keeping you up?"
"No," he says, "I don't always sleep."
Tobi stands to leave. He keeps his watch fixed somewhere in the far distance, as if looking at her gets him agitated.
But Rin struggles to account for such apprehensiveness. Though she has no reason to delve into his mysteriousness, it is the never-ending curiosity that her mind seeks.
"Can I join you? I don't think I want to go back to sleep anytime soon," she says.
For several seconds Tobi appears guarded, as if she is pushing the boundaries of their newly formed 'friendship' a little too quickly.
But before she can withdraw, he briskly interrupts.
"Yes."
Rin does not speak but reluctantly follows his lead.
As they venture into the forest, a thick musky scent that bears a strong resemblance to the atmosphere of the Forest of Death infiltrates.
When they stop at the riverbank thirty minutes later, Rin's mind is absent.
She is standing by the edge of a resounding river, vaguely aware of its glistening effect beneath the moon's feeble light.
Her watch track its movement, until it reaches a smooth rounded bend that ends at an enchanted waterfall.
By the cliff's edge, she stares down into the empty abyss. Marred by soft puffs of clouds, the fall of water emits a fine mist that envelopes the atmosphere in a sheath of silent beauty.
And if she stands ever so quietly, she can hear it. The delicate rush of a lake from far below. It echoes into the quietude and disperses in its sound when it reaches the top and collides with the swift rush of water.
The mesmerising scenery is so entrancing, she does not realise that Tobi is beside her until he speaks.
"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 the 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.
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.
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 the rare feelings permeate, and permits space and time to disappear from existence.
x
The evening forges on, each step of their walk takes them 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 part and the moon materialises in a haunting light that casts endless shadows to their silhouettes.
"How long is this river?" Rin asks.
"About three kilometres," Tobi answers pleasantly.
"Where is the lake where the water ends?"
"The water eventually leads to the ocean."
She gazes at the deep darkness.
"The ocean?" She whispers slowly.
And her eyes widen at the revelation.
She turns to Tobi with an animated mixture of apprehension and furor to her smile.
"Which way?" She asks avidly.
"Straight ahead," he answers uncertainly.
They fall silent. She hears the emanating sounds of distant waves and the way it tunnels through and disperses into the surrounding air.
"Tobi, I have never seen the ocean before," she says brightly, "Let's go!"
x
It is a tantalising dark mass amidst a spectacular heaven that rivals the enchanting cascade of a waterfall.
Rin stares ahead and arrests her attention on the alluring sight.
The ocean, sprawled across an infinite expanse, exudes a remarkable aura of enigmatic beauty. Against the illuminating moon and beneath a celestial galaxy of a billion stars, the water glows a stunningly dark blue that emanates an incredible aura of perfect cerulean by daylight.
Even by nightfall, she can still assimilate the exquisiteness of this beautiful mistress.
But the amount of brilliance amongst the velvet sky is something she cannot begin to elucidate. The stars are so close and so monumental in its amount, she can make out the diversity in their colours. She likens it to her very own galaxy, and the way it surrounds her in an endless amount of glittery objects.
Then there is the moon itself, with its flawless circularity and its proximity to the heavens. She can trace its lines, re-paint its contours and memorise differing shades of white, grey and cream.
But the auras complete the picture. She sees the multitude of green, yellow and blue colours and the way it casts an evocative complexion across the atmosphere.
In all her life, she has never seen anything so incredibly breathtaking.
By the very edge of the cliff, she stares at the rhythmic movement of waves below and watches the way it trembles the rocky shores with every forceful hit.
Beyond the shores, an immeasurable mountain-like rock drifts sombrely against strong currents. It's distance, however, is unfathomable from her position.
"What is that?" Rin asks.
"Black Sand Island," Tobi answers.
"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."
Her gaze lingers on the drifting island. And ever so slowly, her awareness of reality slips from her conscious state.
Then, the sudden eerie sensation transpires. It blackens her vision, distorts her surroundings and forces her gaze on the island.
And she feels it, a dark, sinister, entrancing energy that beckons her. It grasps her very soul and draws her towards an unseen force.
Then the energy breaks and she blinks in confusion. Tobi's hand is on her shoulder.
She turns her gaze to the shores below. The crumbling rocks indicate her dangerous distance from the cliff's edge.
"What are you doing?" Tobi asks.
His tone is stern and wary.
"I don't know, I wasn't aware…"
Tobi watches her for several seconds, then turns his gaze to the island, before withdrawing from an apparent reverie.
"It is dangerous close to the edge, you should stand back here where it is safer," he says.
She nods and backs a fair distance. Her gaze returns to the island. From here, it is oddly appealing, as if she would never sense deception coming from such beauty.
"What are they?"
She points at the miniature white specks that surrounds 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."
"How do you know all this?"
"I've been there," he answers indifferently.
She does not question the contradictory nature of his answer. There is more to Tobi than she can ever hope to decrypt. His mysteriousness 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.
So she lets the unease settle. Tobi's current contentment and his security is enough to drive those fears to the back of her mind.
"Tobi, will you follow me to the waves?" She asks softly.
Her eyes linger on the gradual movement of water below. It rolls effortlessly onto smooth sand then recoils 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.