Hey ppl! Thanks for all the advice! I've mad this chapter longer and added in some speech. Hope you like XD

BTW, please comment! Thankies x


Gone.

The thought swirled round Ryuu's head over and over. The boy was gone. He had completely vanished. It was as if he had never even existed. But there was no way that he was simply a figment of Ryuu's over-active imagination. He had been far too beautiful for that. Even in the blonde boys dreams the strangers were never that stunning.

His heart sank at the sudden reality that fell before him. He didn't even know the bluenette's name.

Suddenly something caught his eye over by the waterfall. The rock it was falling from was so high that Ryuu had to crane his neck just to see the top of it. But it was behind the waterfall itself that his eyes were interested in. It looked like an opening in the rock, a cave maybe. He walked over to investigate. It seemed big enough for someone to enter, but it was a slight squeeze.

Being careful not to get wet from the waterfall right next to him, Ryuu slid through the crack sideways. It wasn't too easy getting in, but Ryuu was slim anyway which made it all the more convenient. Once inside he waited for his eyes to adjust in the darkness. It was surprisingly cool compared to outside, but then again the only light from the sun in there was that coming through the opening.

The cave was huge and completely breathtaking. The water from the lake must have got in through another crack in the rock, as there was a pool inside the cave just by Ryuu's feet. And there must have been cracks all along the top of the rock from where the waterfall was coming from because there was water dripping in quite a few places.

The walls were damp with water, shimmering in the little sunlight that seeped into the cave. It was so mesmerising that Ryuu almost forgot the main reason he had entered in the first place. However his mind wandered back to the ruby eyes that had caught his attention so completely just a while ago. He continued to scan the area for the boy but found nothing.

People didn't simply vanish. Maybe he had been freaked out by Ryuu's obvious interest and then sudden manic departure. Maybe it had unnerved the boy so much that he had fled the scene himself. No. Now the blonde was getting ahead of himself. The boy had looked like he was cleaning himself in the waterfall. He could easily have been a traveller and had just finished his wash.

That had to be it. Ryuu knew everyone in his small kingdom and he didn't recognise the boy at all. He would have remembered those eyes had he seen them before. Feeling defeated, the blonde turned to the exit and squeezed outside. It was probably time he started heading back anyway. He was meant to meet his friends later and needed time to clean up beforehand.

-Later that day-

"I had no idea what he was on about! Seriously I'd never met that girl before in my life, let alone been on a date with her!" Ryuu laughed at his friend's antics. Takashi had been accused of dating another girl in front of his girlfriend. This, of course, was entirely false, but it gave Hana a chance to tease Takashi which she couldn't resist.

"I guess I could forgive you…" She grinned wickedly "What do you think Ryuu?" Takashi whined at Hana before grabbing another bottle of lager. He seemed to be going through it rather quickly tonight. "Anyway," He started, changing the subject "what happened to you today Ry- mmhmf!" His questioned ended in a mouthful of pillow courtesy of Hana.

Ryuu shifted anxiously. He'd been desperate to tell them about the lake from the moment he'd arrived at Takashi's place, but thought it too strange to blurt it out of nowhere. "Well, I found this new lake today in the forest outside our kingdom." Hana looked over curiously. "Really?" Ryuu nodded. "Yeah it was so beautiful. There was a waterfall and a cave and it was just so gorgeous…"

"And…?" Hana could tell there was something else on his mind from the dopey look that had spread across his face.

"There was somebody there when I found it. They were under the waterfall and I think they might have been a traveller washing themselves. I didn't recognise them from here." He paused, leaving the best bit til last. "And he was hot! Man, I'd never seen anyone that looked as good as he did."

"What did he look like?" Asked Takashi, humouring his gay friend. Although Hana's sudden interest in the subject made him want to laugh out loud. "Well, he had two-toned blue hair, pale skin, - a slight six pack," he added devilishly, "and the most intense red eyes you will ever see…" Ryuu trailed off into a world of his own, obviously remembering the boy in question.

Hana smiled. "Not got a crush on him much then?" Ryuu blushed furiously whilst Takashi laughed. "So…" Takashi's face turned serious "Did you ask him out?" Ryuu rolled his eyes. Hana, Takashi and Emiko wanted him to find a boyfriend and were constantly pointing guys out to him.

"Of course I didn't ask him out! I didn't even say hi!" Emiko smiled from the doorway. "Sorry about that. Toya called to say he was missing me." Toya was away on holiday and was finding life hard without his loving girlfriend by his side. "So what were you guys talking about?" She asked settling down on a pillow. "Ryuu met a hot guy and didn't even speak to him." Hana informed.

"Plus he thinks the guy was a traveller, which means he'll never meet him again!" Takashi complained, taking a playful swipe at the blonde. Emiko tucked some of her red hair behind her ear and shifted slightly. "Where did you see him?" She asked curiously. "He was standing under a waterfall by this really pretty lake. But I completely freaked and ran away for no reason. When I went back to look for him he was gone…" Ryuu sighed.

"Hm. Do you think he could have been a water dweller? Some sources of water have not only a guardian but a water dweller as well." Emiko pointed the fact out helpfully, hoping it wouldn't upset Ryuu. Obviously no one knew about the lake, which usually meant that the dweller had refused to live in harmony with any kingdoms or clans. They were usually dangerous.

Ryuu looked down. "I hope not." He whispered. Hana's silver eyes lit up with an idea "I know! Why don't you take us there tomorrow? We can find out together." She smiled at the blue-eyed boy, hoping to brighten his spirits. "Okay, we'll go together." Ryuu's face softened "thanks guys."