The Drop Off

Aerrow

When morning came, I was honestly surprised to find Kai awake, and surprised to find I had slept at all. Whether it was the waves that had lulled me to sleep or I'd passed out from exhaustion, I had slept nonetheless. Kai had hit the waves just as the sun hit the horizon. We'd all neglected to keep the fire going, honestly too tired to care about the darkness. I laughed quietly, sitting up. I brushed the sand from my hair, scanning the water to catch a glimpse of the red-head girl.

I reached out, searching the sand for something to drink. I lifted the lid on the cooler beside Piper, finding a bottle of water. I glanced at the others, noting both Junko and Radarr had changed their minds, sleeping on the beach with us as well. I was disappointed that our pilot hadn't come out as well, but I couldn't blame him nor could I force him. Stork had his own issues, as did the rest of us. It was better not to push him over the edge of neurosis and keep him in his realm of sanity anyway.

I screwed the cap back onto the water bottle, standing up quietly. I had even been impervious to Finn's snoring, a complete surprise indeed. I tiptoed lightly passed the group, rushing off toward the shore. "Kai!" I called out, trying to catch her attention without waking anyone else up. Floating beside her board, she peered past the waxed board toward me.

She sunk down and resurfaced a few feet closer to the shore, her board in-tow. She grabbed her board and ran out of the water. She detached the strap, propped her board up in the sand and smiled. "You're up!" Kai wrapped her arms around me, the salt water from her bathing suit soaking into my clothes.

I laughed quietly. "How long have you been awake?"

Kai quickly pulled away as her surfboard began to fall over, catching it before it hit the sand. "An hour or so… Is anyone else awake?"

I shook my head. "Just us, maybe Stork."

She smiled softly. "You want to go surf?" Kai pointed a thumb behind her, showing me the soft tide.

"There aren't many waves…," I glanced behind me. "And I don't think the rental place is open yet."

"Steal Finn's board. He's not up yet…"

Contemplating the surf, and the fact that this possibly the last chance I had alone with her this vacation, I took it. I snuck up on my sleeping team and quietly pilfered Finn's board. I quickly removed my shirt and followed after Kai into the surf. The waves were calm, alongside a soft breeze. Kai had caught a few lucky waves and though it was slightly choppy, there wasn't enough to surf on anymore.

I wondered what her intentions were if surfing wasn't an option…

"Let's go out past the drop-off."

I scratched at my neck, a bit nervous. I'd never had much experience with swimming, but I could keep myself afloat. I just… I have issues when I can't see the ocean floor. Sure, the water's pretty clear, but the deeper you go, the darker it gets. "…Sure…," I laughed nervously.

"Huh?" she smiled. "Aerrow's not afraid, is he?"

"…A little…," I admitted.

"The leader of the Storm Hawks… You've faced the Dark Ace multiple times, invaded Cyclonia, flown through the Wastelands, escaped the Colonel's compound… You? Afraid of the ocean?" She crossed her arms, letting her board float away to the end of its leash.

"That's different!"

She stepped forward. "Do you want me to hold your hand?"

…Was that a rhetorical question?

"Come on," she smiled, grabbing my hand. "It won't be that bad." She reached out and grabbed her board, holding it at her side.

Now in a little past my waist, Kai about seven inches deeper due to her height, I suggested we stop here.

"Really…?" she whined. "What are you worried about? Look the fish don't show up until a few feet past the drop off. There's no strong current so you can't get sucked under…" Kai smiled. "You have a floatation device," she laughed, pointing to my board. "If you sink, you won't get very far."

After a bit of convincing, she managed to get me to climb up onto my board and paddle a little ways out. Officially unable to touch the bottom with my feet, I watched as the ocean floor dropped off in ten feet increments.

Kai turned towards me, pulling her feet up onto the board. Her board threatened to flip but she kept it steady. "Are you still worried?" she asked.

I turned and sat on the side of my board, my legs dangling in the water. "I see what you mean by fish," I laughed, watching the curious fish cautiously surround us.

"They won't bite…"

Several feet below us, solitary fish continued swimming undisturbed below us. "I guess it's not that bad, really."

Kai smiled. "It's really nice to just be in the water… Quite calming."

"Sure, it is… If you can get past the anxiety, the fear and imminent danger of drowning, and potentially dangerous fish."

"Aerrow!" Kai chided.

"All right, all right, fine." I continued to watch the fish, seeing them inch closer to us. Noting Kai's lack of fear, they'd already surrounded her feet. "Hah. Who knew fish were so friendly?"

"Yeah. When you don't stuff 'em in a tank to be poked at all day, you'd be surprised how friendly they are." She laughed, seeing the fish around her.

"So… how long are we going to be out here?"

"As long as we want to be…," she sighed, letting the slight current sweep her farther past the drop off. I kicked my legs through the water to keep up with her, scaring the fish away. It's actually pretty nice out here. Quiet… calm… serene…

"Hey, Kai…," I called, catching her attention.

"Hm?"

"Why do you think the birds are flying out here?"

"Suicide," she laughed. "There's no food out here… The farther past land's end a bird flies…"

I laughed. "So they're trying to kill themselves. Hm."

A suspicious smile grew on Kai's face.

"Hey, what's with you?" I asked, confused, as I watched her.

"Oh… nothing…," she grabbed the safety cord and pulled my board closer.

"No… something's up… Oh, no, no, no, no! Don't even think about tipping my board!" I ran my hands through the water, futilely trying to distance myself from her.

"Who said anything about that?" Her smile grew.

I tried to kick her board farther from mine, but it was useless, she still had a grip on my board. "Kai, I swear, tip my board and I'll kick your ass off the ship!"

"You promise?" she teased, tipping my board over.

I yelped as I fell into the water, kept at a short distance from the surface by the safety cord on the board. "Damn it, Kai!" I shouted as I resurfaced, reaching out for my board. "You better swim as far away from me as you possibly can!" I paused, wiping the salt water from my eyes. "The second I get my hands—"

"Aerrow…"

"—on you, you'll be scrubbing the ship inside and out! While we're flying!"

"Aerrow… Aerrow! Listen to yourself."

I stopped, recounting my words. "Ha… Ha ha…" I gave a half-smile, laughing at my stupidity. "I'm so used to yelling at Finn for stuff like that…" I looked up toward Kai. "I'm sorry, Kai."

She smiled, laughing. "You should see your hair, too!"

I raised a brow, shaking out my hair. I analyzed her precarious position on her board and sunk underwater, resurfacing on the other side of her board.

"Wait… Aerrow, what are you doing…?"

"Your turn!" I laughed, pushing her board over.

Resurfacing, Kai's jaw dropped, she roughly wiped the water from her eyes and stared me down. "Oh, now you're going to get it!"

I laughed loudly.

"Oh, sure, it's funny when it happens to me!"

I nodded.

With a sigh, Kai gave up the idea of revenge, knowing we were pretty much even. She pulled herself back onto her board and watched as I swam around. I minded the board leashed to my ankle, knowing it was cumbersome and only let me go so far without pulling it along. After seeing the fish flee the area, I began to feel guilty for disrupting their routes. I climbed back onto my board and watched Kai.

There was something, by then, I had been dying to ask. "What are we doing out here, anyway? There's no surf…"

She watched me, a soft smile crawling onto her features. "Can't I have some excuse to get to know you?"

"Hah…" I looked down toward my feet. "That was my excuse…"

She blushed looking away.

I glanced toward the shoreline, something catching my eye. "Hey… is that Finn?" I tapped Kai's leg, pointing out a small, blond kid waving toward us.

"Yeah! Finn and I are supposed to go diving later. I guess he's just anxious."

I looked down, then toward Kai. "You and Finn?"

"Yeah!" She quickly caught on to my uneasiness. "…You're… welcome to come with," she smiled nervously.

"No…," I sighed. "No, it's fine. Piper wanted to search the tide pools but she's afraid to go alone. I'll just go with her."

She furrowed her brow. "Were you expecting to spend the day with me…?" she asked, unsure.

I shook my head. "I wasn't entirely sure what to do," I forced a laugh. "Been contemplating a few things for a while."

Still unsure, she smiled. "Okay. But if you change your mind… Finn and I are going to rent our equipment once the stores open. We'll be starting at the pier where the reef begins. You can join us at any time." Unable to clear the awkward feeling in the air, Kai put in another suggestion. "I'm going to go see if there's anything else we need to do before we go diving, all right? I'll meet you on-shore."

I watched as Kai paddled back in, my heart sinking. I knew this was my fault—Kai already had plans and I was being selfish. Why did I feel like this anyway? After adding up the facts, I quickly came to a conclusion.

I was genuinely interested in Kai.

Hah. Who would've thought…?