It was completely dark.

  Untill I slowly revealed my eyes to the deep salty waters.

  I was falling. Deep into the dark waters of the deep, mysterious ocean.

  Great. It's back again.

  Honestly, this vision is keeping up on popping up almost every day, every night, almost every second. I didn't care when it first popped up during that dream a few months ago. But it kept on popping up again and again. Almost roasting my head like a bread inside a toaster for a longer time.

  I sighed. The oxygen bubbles slowly floated towards the water surface. I don't know where the real surface though. That was also another void to me.

  The waters were completely silent. But I kinda liked it. They were cold. Dark. Almost, mysterious yet alive. My lungs weren't aching even though they were filling up in ocean waters again and again.

  I closed my eyes. They returned back into the darkness underneath the eyelids. My limbs went soul less. They rested freely, floating in the waters as my body was falling deep into the oceans slowly.

  But my mind? It was still recapping those past memories I had. Yes. An aching past.

  I was completely still. My hair was dancing along with the waters. After a harsh survival in the living world,

  This is an Euphoria. A pure piece from peace. And more than that? Just the way I liked it.

  Me, waters, and memories recapping like a movie inside my head.

  Tick, tick... Tick..... Tick........ Tick.............. Tick................

  The soft mecahnical melody the wrist watch made, slowly faded away. And As I was predicting,

  That voice appeared again.

  " Toshiha Arukazo "

  The gentle echoing feminist voice spoke from far underneath the waters. The voice was subtle and gentle that you won't believe that I'm facing to a bad situation after all.

  I smiled. Yet my eyes were closed. My voice slowly escaped from my vocal chords;

  " Mizu no Jotei "

  A gentle jingling laugh appeared from underneath the water beds. She was giggling.

  A small smile crawled onto my lips. Yeah. I loved to hear her laugh.

  "You know me. Still"

  She said in an even melody that made my heart go dead for a second. You won't believe how cold and calm, gentle, melodical that voice was. Don't even believe me. Vibes are different from human to human you know.

  " How can I forget? You saved me when i was about to be killed by the society. Yes. I know you. You are the Last drop of life I have " I said, calmly and even.

  Yeah. Even. I said it.

  The waters turned slightly warmer. As if someone was comforting me.

  "That was a promise kept so far. And the save? Thank me later." She replied, with a soft sigh.

  I sghed too. In a more exhausted way.

  "You know " My voice was slow and almost null in tone.

  "I kinda hate to these random pop ups you send. But I love it at the same time. It's the only peace I can expect from my life".

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  Mizu no Jotei chuckled.

  "Of course. I know how much pain you are keeping inside your small soul. Your parents, brothers and sisters. They already had leaved you from behind aren't they?"

  And Like I said,

  Bad situation just started - once again.

  I nodded. "Yeah. I still remember them. Wish I could've travelled along with them" I said and escaped a heavy breath. A tear almost crawled along my cheek and mixed with the salty waters. I didn't wipe it up. Because sometimes,

  Letting things be themselves is better than trying to handle them.

  "Yes. You should've. But If you did, You won't be meeting me. See the bright side, Toshiha Arukazo. Time is not late for the things you can gain in the mortal world "

  She said. See? She's still controlling her calm voice. But those lines still lingers inside my veins.

  I nodded. "You are right. But - But - will I - "

  "Will I -"

  And Then,

  My eyes caught the sunlights of the evening.

  --------------------------------------------------

  The sky was deep purple and yet a golden horizontal line was gleaming along the horizon. I looked at the bottle resting in my grip.

  Sake.

  Am I allowed to drink them?

  Nah. Who cares?

  I uncapped the bottle and drank as fast as possible till I hit deadline. And I did.

  I coughed so hard. Till I run down the tears. Guess the pressure from the fluid was too intense.

  The man chuckled, who was cooking some fishes at then. The BBQ grille was filled up with scents of Vegan and salts. Yeah. Kinda liked it. A lot.

  "Slow down. Or you'll die once again, Kid" he replied, wiping his Hawaiian shorts in a playful way.

  He had a fine aura. Almost fine and energetic. I can estimate by his facial expressions, like his clean shaved face and eyes, he might be around- 30 or 40?

  "Anyways, Thanks for saving me. Mr-?"

  The man laughed, rubbing his messy hair.

  "Don't thank me trice, Kiddo. And, I'm Kōji Tsubadake. You know what? Just call me Kōji " he replied, flipping a fish on the grille upside down.

  I smiled. "Kōji. Got it."

  K?ji nodded, acknowledging. He took a sake bottle from the cool box, which was resting on the sandy beach and uncapped the bottle. He looked at me, smiling.

  "For what kind of a reason did you swim in the ocean?"

  Great. How can I say that it wasn't me?

  I chuckled nervously. "Ah. I was just - you know. I was - uh, trying to swim and then- a huge wave gulped me in!!"

  Kōji arched an eye brow. "Wait. You aren't - serious. Are you? I mean, is that some kind of a hobby you have or -"

  "Hobby!! Yeah!! You got me, Kōji!! He he " I tried to make things normal as hell but my throat was still betraying me ; it was nervous!!

  Kōji made up a smile. Then his eyes turned towards the far horizons.

  "If that it is, then fine. But keep the safety with you. Or next time, as the safe guard, I'll be picking up your corpse. You don't know kid. Being a Navy is a harsh job either."

  I nodded. Not because I wanted to get rid of him sooner. Because at last,

  He was talking my way.

  "True. Sometimes, even exams messes up my mind too much. Pressure you know?" I replied, looking at the blazes of the fire in the grille, reflecting on the glass surface of the Sake bottle. And I knew that more than that,

  Bullies? Far more worse. But I kept my profile low as better as I could.

  Kōji smiled. "You say. But they are the times that keeps you alive. You don't understand the weight of the society yet kiddo" he sat up. Probably for checking up on the BBQ fishes. "And we? We still try to find a time machine to get back to that life." He said, poking on the fishes by a stick.

  "Want some?"

  I nodded with a made up smile. Indeed i was starving after those dumb water empress stuff. More like Water embrass me.

  The fishes were absolutely tasty! No joke!

  I'm gonna highly recommend his foods in the internet sooner before I suicide. And yeah! Five star hotels are none compared to his small BBQ grille party foods with the guardianless nerd who almost died in the ocean for no reason.

  "Are you a chef!? " I asked, eyes widened. Kōji sulked his face. " nah. Why? Is the food bad or -"

  "Oh nah!! Hall nah. If they were bad as you're expecting, I'm not gonna be calling you a chef right?" I said, digging into the Fish. "Oh, yeah. And no. I'm not a chef, kiddo." He said pointing the stick into the air aimlessly like a professor trying to remind a point in his lecture.

  By the way, his answer was satisfying after all.

  "So.. Who taught you? I mean the recipe's and stuff? Self taught or some tutorials in Youtube?" I asled, licking my fingers. Yeah. I was kinda vibing. Kōji sighed with a made up grin. "My mum did!"

  Mum... It echoed in my head louder than the subtle voice of Mizu no Jotei.

  My hands lowered down as my eyes narrowed towards the far horizons emotionlessly.

  Kōji spoke up. Guess he had spotted the change of my reaction timings.

  "Something wrong, Kid? Maybe You want some wat-"

  "I'm fine. I'm fine" I said with a sigh. " Just imagining your mum and you learning those cookings. Sometimes, I wish I could've died along with them"

  Kōji 's voice lowered down in concern. He looked at me kindly.

  "Look, Kiddo. I didn't know your parents were dead after all. I was -"

  "I'm fine. I'm fine." I replied and drank some Sake. The environment was silent except the clashing tides against the sandy beach and the soft whistling of the wind passing by. Sometimes, silent was better than the words can describe.

  And tomorrow, I'm gonna be back at my family reunion up in the skies...