I caught Oceana smiling through the side view mirror as I rolled down the window. A hot gust of wind came in through the hole where the glass used to be, blowing Hayako's hair into her face. She grimaced, tightening her grip on the steering wheel of the rental car we were driving. It was a few hours after I had stepped off the plane, and after more greetings and hugs, we had all walked to the car, chatting and discussing our plans for the next week. This made me ask a few more questions about Jean-Eric, but after a few hasty subject changes, I decided to drop the subject.

I reached for the volume knob on the radio and turned down the pounding music that was playing through its speakers.

"Hey, does anyone want to go for a dive when we get back to Nineball? I got a sweet new wetsuit I'm dying to try out."

Hayako shook her head, looking back at GG.

"Me and GG can't, our pressure group is too high. The past few days were busy, but I'm sure Oceana would love to go out!"

To confirm her statement, Oceana nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah, I'd love to go! I haven't gotten a chance to dive in like, forever," she said, crossing her arms. GG laughed.

"She is never this excited about stuff! Usually it's just a bunch of grumbling and sighing. We all know she loves the water, though, so it's no use. We always know she will dive with us in the end."

Oceana glared at him while Hayako drove around a corner. I turned back around, watching the familiar sight of the ocean unfold before my eyes. It was a beautiful sight, the sun reflecting of the crystal clear water, causing me to block the sun with my hand. The beach was just as beautiful, serene white sand stretching forever. There was a dock in the middle of this, were L&L's motorboat was docked. It looked just about the same as I remembered it, except with a few new scratches and bumps. Hayako parked the car.

Opening the door, I was greeted by the familiar barks of Snorkel, the companies' adorable Yellow Lab. His collar was connected to a rope, which was tied to one of the wooden posts that made up the dock. He looked at me expectantly, tail wagging.

"Hey, boy!" I crooned, running to meet him. He barked again as I kneeled down, and licked my face. I laughed and hugged him, burying my face in Snorkel's warm golden fur. A shout sounded from behind me, and I turned around. GG, Hayako and Oceana were dragging my suitcases out of the trunk.

Well, I better go help them,

I stood up, gave Snorkel one last pet, and walked over to the car.