"So, Yakanna, do you think Zoey will be alright?" "Mhm, if she can find my brother she'll be just fine." "Hm?" "Elliot, besides being here, at the cafe, the safest place for Zoey is with Dren." "Come again?" "Brother wont let anyone hurt her, he loves her too much," "Oh..."

It had been almost two months since Zoey had last contacted her friends, and everyone was getting worried. Yakanna was trying her best to navigate the cafe ship to where Zoey had sent her, her coordinates, but with several astroid storms, it wasn't easy.

"Man, Earth made a pretty big mess!" "Yeah, unfortunatlely, how's it coming Yaknna?" "I think we're close, but I can't tell for sure...whoa!" "Careful now," "Thank you...oh no!" "What?" "The navigational system has been damaged!" "Crap!" "Without that...we wont know where we're going!" Yakann shook her head, "I'm sorry, but its true, if my brother was here, he wouldn't need the system, but I'm not as experienced like he is." "Ha...its alright, no worries, we'll think of something...hm..." Larina came up to the two, "Kanna, what about the other girl's ships?" "Hm?" "Ah! I know what she means!" "Hm? What?" "The girl's ships have a seperrate navigational system!" "Thats wonderful!" "Mhm, I'll tell the girls to ready themselves and send them into their ships," "With their help we'll be able to find Zoey faster." "You're a smart girl Larina." The girl smiled, "Brother had to do the same thing when her was teaching Koji," "Ah ha..." "Thats right! You were watching that lesson were you?" "Mhm, Kanna was supposed to be given that lesson a year ago," "What lesson?" "We're taught to fly through these types of storms, when we turn 13, and I'm now 14." "Ah, that would have helped huh?" "Mhm, but lets get the girls into space, it'll be dangerous if they're doing that while in a storm." "Yeah, you're right, alright, I'll let you know when to start following them," "Right...Rina? You going too?" "Mhm."

"What a pretty place!" "Mhm, this is a secret place, that only I know of." "Hm...its really nice here..." "Glad you like it, though three years ago it wasn't like this." Zoey was sitting on a nice soft bit of grass, Dren beside her.

Her wounds had helaed from Ryoko's horrid treatment, and she was smiling more, and the thought of sitting with Dren was a good feeling now. Their battle was over, it had been fully over the day Deep Blue had been destroyed. She could never fight someone who did what dren did for her, never. Like he had said one night, the two of them had a specail relationship, and it was true, being there sitting beside him, she never even thought of Mark anymore.

"So, want to go swimming?" "How? We have no suits?" "So?" "Ah...are you implying we..." "Uh huh, thats the best way, hey!" "Sorry, but I'm not one for skiny dipping," "Hm? Oh, you're not huh?" "No, I'm...whoa! Hey!" "Lets just see about that," "Wait! No, no! Dren! Stop it!" Zoey was being carried to a pretty pond, "Put me down! I mean...ulp!" She was dropped into the water, clothes and all.

"Didn't think kitties liked to swim," "Argh!You are so going to...HEY!" "Ha! Can't get back at me if you're under water! Can you?" There was no answer and Zoey hadn't surfaced yet.

"Ah...Zoey?" "Uh oh...hey, honey! Okay, the game is over, you win," Still nothing, "SHIT!" In he went under the water just as Zoey, who'd been holding her breath for so long surfaced inside of an underwater cavern.

"Hm? Wow, this is cool, whew, didn't know I could hold my breath that long." "Hmph! He is so going to get it...man! My clothes are soaked!" She decided to strip and start a small fire to dry her clothes, then thought of trying to mew, but when she tried, nothing happened. She sighed and just sat there, naked, in front of the fire, "Hm...its so strange not being able to mew anymore...so strange, I'm so not used to it...ha."

Under the water, just inches from the cavern entrance was a strange type of creature, who could see the light of the fire inside and became curious and began to venture inside, while not far from it Dren searched for Zoey, and was amking sure to keep away from the creature.

"Damn, Girichos, always in the way," He thought to himself as he searched, not thinking that Zoey could be in the Giricho's path.

"Ha...well, these are pretty much dry, hm...I'd best get back, he'll be thinking that he killed me or something weird like that..." She stopped talking when she heard breathing behind her.

"Sorry, did I...AHH!" She screamed as she came face to face with the weirdest creature she'd ever seen. She clutched her clothes in her hands and backed uaway from the thing that moved closer to her.

"What...what are you?" She asked, half expecting it to be able to speak, then, "I am known as a Giricho, wht are you?" "Y...you can talk!" "I can, but we Girichos prefer not to," "Oh, I'm a human, from the planet Earth," "Earth? Hm, there are beings on this planet that speak of Earth quite a bit," "Mhm, I know, if I may, do you have a name?" "Hiruto," "Hiruto, I'm Zoey," "Pleasure to meet you Zoey...hm? Why is it that you have nothing on?" "My clothes got wet and I was drying them out..." "If you came in here through the water, wont they just get wet again?" "Mhm, yes they will, but not as much as they were," "I see...do you mind if I change?" "Change?" "Turn, then you shall see." "Alright." Zoey didn't know what the creature was going to change into, but she turned.

"You may turn back now," "Hm? Oh!" Zoey now looked at a handsome young man, with silver hair, and human ears. His eyes were the color of the golden sun and he had a lovely water symbol on his cheek.

"Are...are you the..." "Yes, I'm the Giricho that was just here a moment ago, I am Hiruto," Zoey stepped back a bit, "What is it?" "You...you look almost like a human!" "Mhm, I suppose I do, and you? What do you think?" "I...hm...you're very handsome, and I think you could pass for a human...can you live long out of the water?" "Only in this form, in the other form, I'd have died if I hadn't changed." "Hm...oh!" Zoey turned quickly, realizing that she was talking andfacing a man she;d just met, with no clothes on. "I'll turn while you put your clothes on." "Hm...Thank you."

"You're friend has been searching for you," "Oh! Right!" "I'll take you back to the surface." Hiruto changed back into his water form and moved towards Zoey. "Hop on, I'll carry you," Zoey was a bit hesitant, then climbed on Hiruto's back and after he told her to hold on tight, they were back in the open water of the pond.

"Thank you Hiruto," "You're welcome Zoey, lovely meeting you, come by here again sometime." "I shall thank you again." Zoey smiled and waved as Hiruto dove back under the water.

"Zoey!" "Hm? Hey," "Where were you?" "Hm...I was in an underwater cavern," "Oh...wait! You didn't run into that Giricho did you?" "You mean Hiruto?" "Whos Hiruto?" "A Giricho I met." "Oh...What!" "Hey, don't get so worked up," "I'm not getting worked up, its just those things are very vicious!" "Hiruto wasn't he even let me ride him up to the surface." "Thats doesn't sound like a Giricho, they hate..." "They hate your people right?" "Ah..." "Hiruto told me that they do, but he said that since I'm human, I didn't fall under their hate, so he brought me back up here," "Lets go back," "Hey, um...I'm sorry if I worried you," "Hm? Well, I'm just glad your alright, I mean, you did have me worried," "Hm, sorry, but I wanted to play a game with you," "Ha, ha, nice way of bringing that up," "Oh, hush." They headed back to Dren's house, not noticing that they were being watched by a set of sun gold eyes.