Ocean of Fire
Chapter 4
To say that Aerith was enjoying her time with Demyx would have been an understatement. She was loving every minute of it. Even though she was using it as an escape from her problems she did not care. Her friend was exactly what she needed She was sure he knew that something was amiss with her and yet he never brought it up, not once. He just went on as if everything was fine suggesting activities for them to do when Aerith fell into a stupor. He was good at cheering her up, acting goofy to get a laugh out of her. Sometimes the brunette could not believe how much she was laughing how easy he was able to make her forget, forget that her heart had been torn shreds.
It was only when they parted ways and the adrenaline she felt with Demyx began to wane did her mind start to dwell on her problems. Demyx would work the night shift but Aerith did not know where or what the job was. Aerith wondered when he found time to sleep but he never seemed to be lack of energy. During those hours alone Aerith would force herself to sleep so she would not cry. Then when she awoke she would meet her friend at the usual spot on the beach. He would be there, sometimes swimming and other times sitting on the sand, but always waiting to see her.
Together they would plan a day. Most days it involved swimming or some activity on the beach but today would be different. Today, Aerith wanted to explore the hiking paths through the dense wooded area of the resort town. She could not recall if she or her parents ever went on a hike together but the idea of being out in the middle of nature sounded tempting, peaceful even. Demyx agreed to go with her and when they met on the usual spot.
Demyx had been sitting on the sand, watching the waves roll in. He was wearing regular shorts that came slightly pass the knee and a black t-shirt with button up shirt that he kept unbuttoned. He wore black wristbands and a plain hemp necklace. Aerith found it weird to see her friend in anything but swim trunks and a t-shirt but the look suited him. He almost reminded her of a "surfer dude". She giggled softly at the idea as she approached him. He turned to look at her. Demyx got up and brushed the sand off his shirts. His marine like eyes looked up and down at her.
"Something wrong?" Aerith asked.
"I don't remember ever seeing you in shorts before, or pants for that matter." he said thoughtfully. "I've always seen you in skirts and dresses."
"And my swimsuits," Aerith added.
Demyx grinned, "That too."
True enough Aerith was in tan shorts and a pastel pink shirt. She wore a sturdier pair of sandals that would give her comfort while walking on their hike. She wondered if he found her strange in such clothing that she normally did not wear but by the smile on his face she was sure that not the case.
"It looks nice on you."
It was a sweet compliment and Aerith noticed Demyx always was sweet towards her. He openly complimented her all the time and it brought out happiness in her. She barely had time to mope. She was too busy having fun.
They headed down the old path through the woods. Since it was early morning there was no one around and the temperature was not as hot yet. The sky was fairy cloudy today so at least the sun would not be beaming down on them. Despite that, Aerith made sure to put on a good coat of lotion before leaving her cabin.
Demyx led the way, staying a few steps ahead of her. Aerith followed but took in the beautiful environment around her. The trees were so tall that it seemed impossible to even try and climb one. Wild flowers sprouted every so often along the sides of the path, sprinkling the green and brown surroundings with a pop of color. Aerith was so busy admiring her surroundings that she collided into Demyx who had stopped suddenly.
"I'm sorry," Aerith apologized.
"It's okay." he insisted.
"Why did you stop?"
Demyx shrugged. "I thought I saw something."
"An animal?" Aerith wondered.
"Probably," Demyx shrugged again. "Let's keep going."
They continued and soon they came to a clearing. In the clearing were several small grass huts with benches, meant for hikers to take a break and sit down.
"Need a break?" Demyx asked.
Aerith shook her head.
"Cool, me neither. Let's keep going. There should be path behind these old huts."
The two circled around the huts and found the path behind them. The two continued on deeper into the woods when they came to another stop. It was a small stretch of water, a creek. However, the bridge across the creek was in shambles and a sign clearly saying, "Danger, Do Not Cross."
Demyx took a step toward the creek. Aerith grabbed his arm.
"What are you doing?" Aerith asked as he looked back at her.
"What?" he asked. "We can cross the water. Besides if I remember there should be something really cool not too far down."
"The bridge is out." Aerith stated, matter of fact.
"We don't need the bridge." he pointed out. "The water isn't even high. We can walk across the water. Look we don't even have to get wet we can step on the rocks."
He began to cross. Aerith hesitated. She was wondering whether or not they should cross. Demyx made his way across with little trouble. He turned to look at Aerith and smiled.
"See?" he said. "Nothing to it."
Aerith stepped toward the edge. Demyx waved his hand for her to come over. She skipped across on the rocks, not wanting to get her sandals wet. She made it across and landed on the ground next to Demyx.
"Yeah," she agreed with a smile, "nothing to it."
Demyx smiled back before turning to the path. He took a few steps before motioning his friend to follow. They continued down on the path. As they walked the sky continued to become more cloudier but it went unnoticed to the two hikers.
"So," Aerith said. "Have you hiked here before?"
"Not since I was a kid. I remember a couple times walking this way now that I'm here. I vaguely remember."
"Wasn't it dangerous for a kid to walk alone?" she asked.
Demyx smirked, "Yeah probably. Now that I look back on it. It was pretty stupid of me to do but when you're bored and alone..."
Aerith frowned. "Were your parents ever around?"
Aerith gasped and covered her mouth. Demyx looked back at her and felt slightly embarrassed. He rubbed the back of his head and looked at the ground.
"I am so sorry." Aerith apologized. "That was so rude of me... I have no right... I'm sorry."
Demyx laughed weakly. "I guess it looks pretty bad. I would think so too if I were you. Your parents were always around."
Aerith looked down. She stared at her shoes. How could she say such things to him. She wanted to scold his parents for leaving him alone. No kid should be left alone especially if they could not take care of themselves. Demyx placed a hand on her shoulder.
"It's okay," he insisted. "Don't worry about me. I'm fine."
Aerith looked at him. The look in his eyes made her believe it. She nodded to him and it brought out a smile on his face.
"Now enough of this sad stuff. Let's go!"
"To this this really cool thing?"
"You know it."
When they arrived at the really cool spot, Aerith never expected what it actually was. She expected maybe a small clearing with huts like before. She expected some more plant life, maybe some pretty flowers. Yet, what she did find was something breathtaking. It was a waterfall. It was not a massive waterfall at all but a steady flowing one surrounded by wild flowers. Aerith stared at the scene for a long time, taking in the view.
"It's beautiful." she said aloud.
"Yeah, this place is pretty cool. The coolest part is there is this cave behind the waterfall. It's not big though."
Just then a drop of water smacked Aerith on top of her head. She looked up at the sky and saw the clouds were now dark. Demyx looked up too and a drop of rain hit him on his cheek. Then another and another until soon it was raining harder. Demyx, without hesitating, grabbed his friend's hand and ran to the waterfall. He then led her behind the falls and into a small cave that he had said rested behind it.
The cave was dark but from what Aerith could see it was not deep. Demyx pulled out his cell phone and clicked it on so that the light from it would light up the place. He grimaced and turned off his phone to save the battery.
"Well, I guess we can just wait here until the rain lets up." Demyx said.
"At least we didn't get drenched." Aerith said, sliding down to sit on the cave floor. "So much for a nature walk though."
Demyx laughed. "One of us should have checked the weather today. I think we've been spoiled. It hasn't rained since we met."
Aerith nodded, "True, true."
Demyx joined her on the cave floor. He looked out of the cave at the water flowing. He reached out to let his hand get soaked by the water. Aerith watched as he visibly relaxed. His shoulder slumping and a look of ease on his face.
Aerith hugged her knees to her chest. "You really like the water."
Demyx seemed lost in his thoughts and Aerith thought he would not respond but he tilted his head toward her.
"Water is calm and soothing... and safe." he said.
"Too much water can be dangerous," Aerith pointed out.
Demyx grinned. "Not to me."
Aerith smiled back. "So what shall we talk about while we wait out the rain?"
"What have you been up to since all this. All we seem to ever talk about is that summer when we were kids."
Aerith pondered for a second. "Well, I work in an office as a secretary, nothing special but it pays the bills. You?"
"I work here." Demyx answered.
"You work at the resort?" Aerith questioned.
"Yeah, ha ha, it doesn't pay much but they give me my own cabin and discounts on food."
"What do you do?"
"Odd jobs really. One day I do one thing another day I do another. I usually work in the evenings."
Aerith frowned. "Does that mean I keep you up too late? Do you get enough sleep."
"Don't worry for me... I don't sleep well anyway."
"Why not?"
Demyx stiffened slightly. A look of unease quickly passed his face and then vanished. Aerith noticed it and felt bad for it.
"I guess I'm an insomniac." he laughed. "Anyways, what do you do for fun back home?"
Aerith felt relieved that he was okay. Last thing she wanted was him being upset with her. "I like to plant flowers. My apartment doesn't have a lot of room for a garden but I found a secluded area nearby where I have a garden. What are your hobbies?"
"Music and swimming." Demyx answered, which Aerith should have known right off the bat. Demyx made it well known that he loved to play music, especially guitars and like instruments. Swimming was a given, considering every chance he got he would be at the beach. That was their meeting spot, the usual spot. They never met up at the others cabin. They always met up on the beach, near the water.
Aerith stared out at the water noticing it was flowing heavier and faster. "It must be raining hard."
Demyx shrugged, "Sudden downpour? Maybe it won't last long."
"I hope so."
Demyx tilted his head slightly. "Afraid of being stuck in here with me?"
Aerith let out a laugh. "No, I trust you."
Those words made him smile. "I trust you too."
Aerith leaned back against the cave wall, hugging her knees to her.
"So why did you come back here of all places?" Demyx asked.
"I haven't been here since I was kid." she shrugged.
"I get that but there must have been more exciting places to take a vacation. So, why pick here? Why not go oversees and tour a countryside or something?"
Aerith turned her head to look at the waterfall rushing past. "I just wanted to get away."
Demyx could hear her voice change slightly, pitched in a way that seemed sad.
"Why?"
Aerith shrugged again. "Sometimes you need a change of pace."
She did not want to delve further down her sad story and Demyx did not want to push the subject. Aerith turned to look at him.
"What about you?"
"What about me?" he asked innocently.
"Why did you come here after so many years?"
A small smile appeared on his face. He averted his eyes down an Aerith swore she saw light shade of red appear on his cheeks.
"Because, here is where I was the happiest."
Aerith felt her heart skip a beat. Was that time he spent with her years ago that memorable? She felt ashamed now that she had, until he reminded her, forgotten it.
She placed her hands on the smooth cave floor and leaned back against the wall. Even in the slight darkness she could see a smile on his face. He was staring at the waterfall with calm eyes.
"Oh, hey do you have a cell phone?" he asked suddenly.
Aerith looked at him. She suddenly felt her pockets expecting her phone to be there. When she discovered it was not she frowned. "Not with me. I left it in my cabin."
"Oh I was going to exchange numbers, if that's okay." he said. "In case I am running late one day so you don't have to worry."
Aerith nodded. She gave him her number which he punched in eagerly. He then sent a quick phone call to her so that upon her return home she would have it readily available.
"Thanks," he said.
"No problem," she replied.
"I think the rain stopped," Demyx said, noticing the waterfall flow was not as fast as it had been. "Should we head back?"
Aerith nodded and the two got up from their spot in the cave. They carefully slipped out from behind the falls and noticed puddles of water all around them.
"That was some downpour." Aerith said as she tried her best to avoid the big mud patches.
"You can say that again." he replied as he led the way back.
The walked back down the path until they came to the river which on their way to the waterfall had been shallow and easy to cross. Now the rocks poking out were being splashed with a fast moving current and hardly visible.
"How are we going to cross this?" Aerith questioned, looking up and down the waterway.
"We just jump rock to rock." Demyx said.
He moved to the edge of the bank and prepare to jump when Aerith grabbed his arm. He looked back at her.
"Are you crazy?" she exasperated. "You could slip, hit your head, be swept away by the current or... or who knows what else!"
Demyx laughed. "Don't worry nothing bad will happen."
The confidence in his voice seemed strange. How could he not be afraid? Aerith was positively terrified.
Demyx slipped from her grasp and jumped to the first rock with ease. He made it halfway and while balancing on one foot, looked back at Aerith. He grinned big and shouted for her to follow.
"See there's nothing..." he jumped to the next rock, "to it!"
Aerith swallowed hard. She moved closer to the edge of the bank. She jumped to the first rock and landed. She stuck her arms out and wobbled a bit before catching her balance. She heard Demyx let out a whoop.
"That's it!" he shouted.
"Yeah... nothing to it." even as she said those words, the confidence Demyx had in his were not in her own words.
She jumped to the next rock and the next until she came to the middle. She looked over and saw Demyx had reached the last rock and was now jumping onto the opposite bank. He let out another laugh before turning around to see Aerith's progress when she felt the cold water smash hard into her.
It was as if the whole word slowed down when the wave smashed into her, She saw the look of sheer horror on Demyx's face before crashing hard into the raging cold water. She had no time to catch a breath. She sank into the depths all the while being thrown around from the current causing her to become disoriented. Which way was up? She tried to swim, holding what little breath she had in her. It did not last as her body smacked straight into a large rock. The force caused her mouth to open and swallow water. She was going to die. That was all she could think of as she saw her world going black.
Something strange was moving in her throat, moving up, burning her.
"Aerith!"
COUGH!
"Aerith wake up!"
Aerith let out a moan after coughing up more water. Her eyes opened and she saw a blurred vision of her friend that slowly came into focus as she blinked.
"Demyx?" she whispered. She tried to get up but felt dizzy
"Take it easy!" Demyx called.
Aerith took a moment. Her friend was holding her, looking at her worrisome.
"What happened?" Aerith moaned.
"You fell in, I saved you."
"You swam after me?" Aerith asked.
He nodded. "Yeah."
Impossible, that's what it seemed. Demyx must have been a fish in another life. The current was so strong Aerith thought this would be her grave. Yet, miraculously her friend saved her.
"You are a better swimmer than I imagined. I... Demyx... thank you."
Aerith reached up at hugged him, tightly. He hugged her back just as tight, worried that she would slip away if her did not. They stayed like that for a moment before gently pulling away. Demyx stood and held his hand out to his friend to take. She took it and with little effort helped her up.
Demyx slipped off his dry shirt and handed it to her to wear. Aerith took and pulled it over her head. It felt nice and warm against her icky cold body.
"Well I guess next time I should listen to the warning signs huh?"
"I think I should too." The two let out a laugh, hoping to make light out of the otherwise scary situation.
They made their way back through the trail to where the cabins were. When they came to the fork where they were to part ways they stopped. It had been a quiet walk. Neither were sure what to say to one another. Perhaps it was better that they did not. Aerith wondered if it had scared Demyx more than he let on. Maybe he felt all the blame was his. She did not want him to feel guilty but before she could tell him he cleared his throat.
"Well um..." Demyx muttered.
He felt a little unsure of himself now.
"Demyx, don't feel guilty." Aerith said firmly. "It was an accident and if it hadn't been for you I would have drowned."
"Aerith..." He said weakly.
"Do not take the blame unless we are to share in it because I knew the risks too."
Demyx sighed. "It's not that, it's..." he rubbed he back of his neck nervously.
"Do you want your shirt back?" She asked hoping to lighten the mood.
"Uh, next time we meet up that is if you want to." Aerith wondered if he thought that she did not want to be around him anymore. That was far from the truth.
"I'll meet you at the usual spot then?"
A smile broke out on his face. "Sounds good."
They began to walk in opposite directions when Aerith hugged her arms around her. The shirt was starting to dampen due to her wet clothes and body. The dry shirt was a welcoming warmth and she was glad he let her borrow it. However, something dawned on her as she walked. She was soaked from falling into the river. Demyx saved her but his shirt was dry. She stopped and looked back at his retreating figure. He was completely dry.