Outcroppings: There Are Worlds Colliding Under my Surface

It was late May now. The days that followed Riku’s reveal had drifted by in a daze, as the van made its way through Iwate Prefecture. Kureha had barely touched her camera in weeks, but Rin had encouraged her to continue documenting everything. Rin’s birthday was the day before and the friend group held a small, quiet celebration in Sanriku Fukko National Park on a bluff looking out at the clear blue water and tree-covered islands.

From there, the group continued south. Kureha and Rin were sitting in the back seat, looking through the birthday photos, when Arata turned the van down a steep ramp. Life briefly returned to Rin’s eyes with the first hint of where they were.

“Aw, is this?” she asked, to which Arata nodded.

“Awww,” she sighed.

“What?” asked Kureha.

“Geibi Gorge,” answered Arata.

“Really?!” asked Shiona.

“You two mentioned you wanted to see it a while ago, so Riku got us here,” said Arata as he tapped the map in Riku’s hands.

“Boat tours are on the hour every hour and are still active. Looks like we have about twenty minutes before the next departure,” said Riku, who was quieter these days, but still his ever-helpful self.

Shiona and Rin clasped hands and dared to let themselves feel excitement for the first time in weeks as they all exited the van. Kureha hesitated to grab her camera but decided to bring it just in case.

The launch stations were unassumingly nestled in the thicket of mountain edges and tree-lined bends. Roaring water could be heard in the distance. Shallow-bottom boats lined the docks in waiting. A handful of young men stood idly by, smoking cigarettes, watching the friends approach. One of the young men was blonde and had tan skin. He was clearly a foreigner amidst all of the native-born Japanese.

“Do you all work here?” asked Arata.

“Well, no. No one works here anymore. But we steer the boats if you want a ride,” said one of the young men with a smirk as he stamped out the cigarette.

Their vibe was strange. Kureha couldn’t tell if she felt unsafe or confused as her eyes met the blonde's.

“Stop scaring the kids, Hiro. You lot can come with me and Masanube,” the blonde man said in a strange accent.

“You’re… Australian?...” asked Kai.

“Good ear! Yep. Brisbane born. Got stuck here after the collapse. Airplanes don’t go home anymore, so I’ll die in Iwate, it seems,” the young man said with a far-too-casual shrug.

“Sooooo you don’t work here? But you work the boats?” asked Riku.

“Who really works anymore if money doesn’t matter? Their families ran these docks for years. I was just on a soul-searching hike that turned into a few years. This was going to be our job for a bit during our twenties, then everything happened, and we’re still here. So, we know what we’re doing, and we’re not going to rob you. Hiro over there is just a little unhinged these days since we don’t get many visitors,” said the Australian, whose calmness was still very strange to Kureha.

With that, the group was sent to the restrooms on command from the Australian to relieve themselves before the two-hour boat ride, then they were all loaded onto a long wooden boat. Their skipper arrived while dressing himself in his blue boatman’s attire and affixing his hat.

“Alright! I generally don’t talk, so you lot can chat among yourselves. Let me know if you have any questions,” said the Australian as he pushed the oar into the ground to kick them out to the water.

With that, they were drifting into the Satetsu River. It was peaceful and slow. Sounds of the oar rising and falling into the water before churning forward became a rhythmic beat that pulled Kureha into a trance. Towering cliffs and fully green trees leaned over them in silent watch. Rin’s hand found Arata’s hand. Shiona’s hand found hers. Kai and Riku sat alone on opposite sides of the boat, looking in different directions at the vast nature around them. Kureha was behind them all, finally deciding to take photos of the moment once more.

Her camera clicked away as she captured shots of her friends soaking in the sun and admiring the sights that were now engulfing them. Ducks drifted by with pleasant quacks and calls. Time seemed to move slowly for them as their boat moved along at its steady drift. Kureha scanned her photos without knowing the Australian behind her was watching.

“You’re good. Nice camera too,” he said after a moment.

Kureha smiled and turned the lens towards him.

“May I?” she asked.

“Sure. Been a while since someone’s taken a photo of me. Need me to do anything?” he asked with a tilted head.

Kureha shook her head. He brushed his hat up slightly, revealing beads of sweat collecting on his brow. His skin was freckled and already had the slightest creases forming around his eyes. He was handsome in a foreign, different way. Strands of his blonde hair clung to his cheekbones as he looked directly at the camera and smiled a crooked smile. His hands held the oar’s end near his head as his cheek rested on it. Kureha took the photo.

She was satisfied with the result and showed him the screen.

“Good looking dag,” he said with a grin before extending his hand.

“Here. Let me get one of you,” he said.

“Me?” Kureha asked.

“In my experience, you photographers get shots of everyone else, but no one ever gets you. So, I’ll get yours.”

Kureha hesitated, then handed him the camera. He seemed to know what he was doing and immediately held the viewfinder up so that he could frame the image. After a moment of slight adjustment, he was ready. Kureha found herself unsure of how to compose herself.

“I don’t know what to do,” she stated.

“You look great just like that,” he said with a smile and snapped the camera.

He glanced at it in review then smiled and returned it to Kureha, who blushed when she saw the result. Her face was uncertain. Vulnerable. Her eyes were tired. Her shirt was looser than she realized, and her cleavage was rather noticeable, especially at his angle. She couldn’t help but wonder if he framed it like that intentionally.

“My shirt,” she said in embarrassment.

“Hey, I wasn’t complaining,” he said with a grin before returning to his duties without another word.

Kureha found herself feeling something unfamiliar as she alternated between her photo and his. Looking up, she saw Rin and Shiona watching her with girly smiles. Rin raised her eyebrows approvingly, and Shiona held up a subtle thumbs-up. Suddenly, Kureha knew what she was feeling.

A half-hour later, the boat came to rest on the shores of a rocky outcropping at the edge of an enormous ravine. Arata and Kai helped Riku exit the boat while the Australian held it steady. The girls all convened in secrecy.

“Soooooo… you should seize that very quickly,” Shiona said to Kureha with a smile.

“What?! No! He’s like a grown man!” Kureha whispered.

“He said they’re all in their twenties. That’s not terrible! And who cares! The world’s ending! I saw you looking at him!” Rin poked in sincerity.

Kureha reflected on her feelings and came to an even more astounding embarrassment.

“I… I don’t want him. I’ve never been kissed, and I don’t want my first to be with him. I want it to be with… well… one of them…” Kureha said as she turned blood-red and pointed to the boys.

“Oh! OH!!” said Shiona in understanding.

“I mean, fair. I’ve wanted to kiss all of you for a long time,” Shiona admitted in agreement.

“Really? Is it not weird? I don’t want to mess up the friend group, but I’ve been coming to accept that I care for all of you in so many ways but I’m also attracted to all of you,” Kureha said as the three of them watched the boys moving together, arms linked, around the outcropping.

“Would any of us ever been this honest if the world wasn’t ending?” Rin asked.

“Would we have ever spoken up about our feelings if we weren’t facing oblivion? Or would we all have just gone our separate ways?”

“I think you and Arata would have always gotten married. You’re a very good match,” said Kureha.

“Maybe so. But what about you? You said you wanted us all to be honest. You should tell them. All of them. Even Arata if you feel something for him. I wouldn’t be upset,” said Rin.

“What?!” asked Kureha.

“Again, the world’s ending. And I don’t know how much time we have with Riku. Speak your mind,” said Rin.

Kureha glanced at Shiona.

“I know you truly, truly love Riku in a way that is deeper and different than what I feel. I don’t want to cause problems between us,” Kureha said as she took Shiona’s hands.

“You won’t cause problems. We should have all been more honest long ago. And I should have been more forward with Riku. All those years of Rin saying we were married in another life and I never had the nerve to tell him that would have been nice. I sent him links of my nude photo gigs but never told him I cherished him. We’re all fools in love, I guess,” said Shiona with a sigh of loss.

“Maybe we should tell them all together,” pondered Kureha.

The other girls looked at their boys, who were now standing barefoot in the water.

“They really would have been such handsome young men,” Rin said once more as she wiped her eyes.

With that, the trio held hands and approached the boys with their minds set on revealing their feelings, no matter what came afterward. The anticipation in Kureha’s chest echoed the bubbling water that skimmed along the rocks as she looked forward to having the words out in the open, finally. She only hoped it wouldn’t ruin things.