ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 4: 익사 (ɪɢꜱᴀ)- ᴅʀᴏᴡɴɪɴɢ
"No, wait! Rivik, stop! pfft~~" giggles and wiggles made the air thick as the two were laughing non-stop, chasing each other while playing with each other, splashing water everywhere, just like they used to do 12 years aback as little kids. While their pants and heavy breaths were making the whole environment vigorous, they only cared about each other and nothing else.
She knew she had little palms, but it didn't seem to bother her much as she started splashing water all over him that was barely able to drench him. He chuckled at her vain effort,
"Stop hurting yourself, baby. You can't even touch me!" He started laughing sarcastically.
"Dare test me?" She rolled her eyes as she started running towards him.
Smelling the danger, he immediately slipped into the water getting out of her limits. And thus started the "catch me if you can" game.
Rivik was a lot faster than along with his huge body. So, clearly, he was getting the advantage in the game. While Yi-Ahn, being the small and weak one, was panting heavily from all the hard work chasing the pro swimmer.
Yi-Ahn knew challenging him will be at her disadvantage, and she will end up losing but she just was not ready to give up before trying. She stopped running as the salty water was already making her feet sore along with the tiredness. She was breathing heavily resting her right hand over her chest as the other was holding her waist from the side as her heart was pounding like a drum against her fragile body.
"Yah! You little punk, STOB it! You're making me pissed!" Yi-Ahn pouted as she crossed her arms around her chest.
Rivik, who was far more than 5 feet from her could clearly hear her. Looking back, he couldn't help but laugh seeing her cute expression.
She observed him with the corner of her almond-shaped sparkling eyes, as she moved her head to the side, "Humph"
Getting the hint that she was pissed at her own defeat, Rivik approached her, "Aww... look at my little princess....hwaa!" he gasped.
Well, he knew it was a dangerous approach or get near her, but now he totally regrets doing so.
Getting him within the border, Yi-Ahn didn't miss the chance to grab his dorsal fin before sliding herself over him as he gasped at the sudden attack.
"Huh? Who was talking about I can't touch him?" She rolled her eyes as she uttered sarcastically and started to caress his back with her little palms making round circles over his smooth, rubbery skin with her thumb.
"That's cheating! You caught me off guard," he whined as he fluttered his fins making the water around them splash all over them while she flinched with the feelings of herself getting fully wet.
Well... never mind, that's how they were.
"Yah, you hoe!" she yelled as she chuckled loudly at how her voice sounded.
"Everyone has to pay the penalty, babygirl!" He smirked.
You may get confused here by how she could talk and play with Rivik and understood him. Or by how Rivik himself could laugh, could smirk, could mess around, and could understand her. How could a human and Dolphin be friends?
Yeah, they had been friends for more than 17 years. Her only friend him, and his only friend her.
"You wanna see the sunset?" Rivik asked as they were sailing together in the blue ocean, her chest resting on his back and his back carrying her little figure through the azure sea.
"Yes," She beamed as she silently nodded cutely and kissed his skin gently as he started to rise the pace.
Her grip around him tightened as they started to move faster than ever not wanting to fall down. Rivik smiled her movement.
"Easy girl, easy. You won't fall." He assured her, "Just let yourself feel it. I am sure you'll love the feeling."
"B-but, Ri-" She hesitated but was cut away in a flash by him,
"Do you trust me?" He inquired in an extremely serious tone.
She nodded and smiled as she uttered, "More than myself."
"Then listen to me. You know, I'll never let you fall. I'll never let you go. Until you are here with me, you are always safe. Believe me, I'll always be there for you." hearing him speak, Yi-Ahn already knew, she was gonna depend on him.
She was ready to let go of everything, everyone. Just for HIM.
"Fine," she smiled, "I am ready to let everything go, for you. I trust you." She confessed.
Rivik's face lit up hearing the answer he was expecting from her.
"Okay, firstly, let go of my fin and try to sit on your back," he instructed.
He knew she was afraid, but she won't regret the feeling afterward.
Yi-Ahn silently followed his instruction. Well, yeah it was not easy, rather it was hard as hell. In the middle of the sea, only he and her. One wrong step and both could end up meeting the Doom together.
She tried to get up on her back several times but failed each time and at last ended up in a situation where she started to tremble very badly, her legs gave up and her whole body felt numb.
Rivik just observed her, giving her time for herself. For knowing her every movement. Throughout the whole time, he just observed her, not uttering a single word.
He could tell that she was about to give up but he was never gonna let that happen.
"Yi-Ahn." he could sense her flinch against his skin at his sudden voice.
"H-huh." She managed to utter.
"Look at me," he said pouring all the sweetness in his voice.
"W-what?" Yi-Ahn was confused about what he meant but looking at him. Hell, for God's sake they were in the middle of the ocean where she never dared to come before.
"I said look at me. Just focus on me, not anything else. Forget where we are. Forget about everyone and everything in the world. Your full attention should be on me." He explained in a calm voice making it impossible to understand what was going on in his mind.
Yi-Ahn closed her eyes, took a deep breath clearing everything from her head, trying to forget everything, until she could only see one face through her closed eyes. Her only friend, Rivik.
She then slowly opened her eyes dragging her gaze towards him. Only him. If there was someone in her mind, in her head, in her eyes, in her soul, then it was only him.
He and Her.
"Bravo! You did it, girl! We did it!!" She couldn't even understand that she was sitting on her back until she heard his voice.
"Eeeeeeeeek" She exclaimed with joy. "We did it, we did it, look we did it, Rivik!" She jumped with joy.
And the next thing she could feel was what she feared the most.
She could feel herself getting drenched. Her body felt wet with water all over her.
Did she just fall?
"Aish... stop moving! I almost fall," Yi-Ahn playfully slapped his back as she managed to balance herself, escaping from falling.
"Yah! You were the one to jump, not me! Stop blaming me," He yelled.
Suddenly their eyes got stuck in the scenery before them.
The blue sky suddenly turned yellowish red, making the whole atmosphere magical. Before them was the sun (A/N: just for your understanding, I've written 'the sun'. But it actually wasn't the sun) was shining brightly one last time for the day as if whispering them a fond adieu.
Through the magical light, two souls kept staring at the sun like a maze. Somehow they felt a warm sensation in their veins. As the sun kept drowning down, the warm sensation grew stronger.
Yi-Ahn in her whole life had never seen this side of nature. It was so calm yet mesmerizing to watch. It healed every part of her.
The warm touch that she felt, it seemed as if the sun was kissing nature goodbye for the day, promising to bring an even better day, a better tomorrow. It made her realize, how badly every sunset of her life sucks. They could never make her feel this way nor could warm her soul. This sunset, it felt different- different in a good way, it felt special.
Closing her eyes, she allowed her every sense to get sharpened in order to feel it with her entire soul. She exhaled deeply.
"How do you feel?" Rivik asked softly.
"Heavenly," she kept her eyes shut felling the warm touch.
"Yeah, that's how it feels when Jupiter sets."
"Hmm? What are you talking about?" Yi-Ahn being confused frowned as her eyes shot open.
"I was talking about Jupiter." the reply came after a few seconds and his voice sounded calm as ever.
"What Jupiter?" his calmness confused her more.
"Ohh... I guess you still can't remember. This is Jupiter and that is Daniel. You'll start getting the memories back once you reach there." It confused Yi-Ahn more as she couldn't understand a word he was uttering.
Why is he calling the Sun Jupiter? Isn't Jupiter the Planet next to Mars? And what about memories and reaching somewhere?
However, she turned her head in the direction, where he beckoned something called 'Daniel'. As her gaze met the unusual thing, she froze in her place.
In the middle of the sky, there had another daystar, much bigger than the sun or Jupiter whatever you say.
"How is this possible?!" she gulped harder in an unknown fear as her eyes widened so big that it was feared that they might get out of her face.
She might be seeing wrong, right?
She rubbed her eyes with her hands and look back hoping she was wrong, all of these was wrong...
But, no...
Her head started spinning around as her vision got blurry. What she was seeing right in front of her made no sense at all. But, it was true, she was witnessing it with her own eyes.
"Yes, this is the Mighty Daniel." Rivik's voice seemed almost inaudible to her as she found her senses fading away. her grip on his fin lightened and with a hard spin in her head, she fell off of him.
It seemed ages when her body touched the water making a loud noise. The world, everything in the world made no sense, everything was moving very slowly except for her mind. Memories started to crush into her brain. So many that she didn't even know what they felt like, what they were about, and why she was witnessing them.
Thousands of thoughts with millions of questions were running across her mind. Among all of them, the one which crossed her mind sharply was that she was drowning...
Drowning in the endless ocean like a piece of stone. Wondering what was happening with her...
... Until, she felt a warm touch on her wrist and following it when she shot her glance up, she saw an angel.
Or, was it the doom..?
She wondered.