While they were in midflight, the boys looked about the ocean. There had been no signs of movement in the water after they left the domain, and things were strangely quiet. The storm which had taken effect a short while ago subsided, leaving behind a cool breeze and the strong scent of the acid sea.

Shippo sat in front of Link, who sat behind Miroku. Once again, Inuyasha hung off the side of Kirara as usual, seeing as how there wasn't any room for him on her back. But he was fine with it of course. He wasn't complaining.

"I wonder where we should start?" Shippo began. There was no telling where those creatures were, or where they would even find them, and he didn't feel up to another confrontation.

"First, we need to ask around," Miroku muttered. "I think we should ask the fisherman about their whereabouts, what about you three?"

"Fine by me," Inuyasha replied. "He probably knows something."

With that in mind, Kirara flew them in the direction of the small hut which belonged to the older man. The night was still upon them, and the group kept their eyes out. After a while of silence, they reached the shore safely and without any trouble. The hut was just a short distance away and there seemed to be no sign of life inside it.

Stepping inside the darkened room, the older boys peered into the room. There was not one bit of candlelight to light the way inside, so it made matters difficult to approach any further. The desolate room was void of any life, and seeing as how the fisherman was nowhere in sight, they left.

"Where'd he go?" Inuyasha complained.

"Seems he's not here." Perhaps he got frightened by the ever present night? Or maybe he was out doing something.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "I figured that out!"

Link, who had yet to step inside, turned his back to the hut and switched his attention directly ahead. A small hut rested above a platform which floated above the surface of the water. It was there that a crazy professor dwelled, and from what Link could remember, the old man was knowledgeable about the area and all inhabitants of the sea. Surely he would be of great assistance. If anyone knew of the disturbance as of late, it would be him.

"What are you looking at Link?" Shippo asked.

Barely giving the child a single glance, he pointed at the platform a small distance away. "You see that? There's an old man who lives there, and I'm sure he will aid us in seeking these fiends," He paused for a moment before adding. "For all we know, the fisherman might have already been taken." Or it could be that he fled for his life. Whatever the case, Link knew they had to get moving. He hated staying in one place for too long. Wasn't that obvious?

Shippo cringed at the last remark. "Taken? Y-you mean kidnapped?"

In his usual nonchalance façade, Link nodded. "Or worse," he replied. Of course it didn't surprise him in the least. When weren't people kidnapped or eaten by monsters? That was just an ordinary part of Link's life, but for others such as Shippo, perhaps it wasn't so normal. Link shook his head, letting his golden locks fall away from his head in a smooth motion.

With Inuyasha's attention focused elsewhere, Miroku sighed. "It's too bad Inuyasha can't sniff them out," he muttered suddenly with a puzzled expression gracing his countenance. But the monk did not seem disheartened; instead he seemed prepared to continue on in their search.

"Yeah, well it wouldn't matter anyway," Inuyasha's voice carried from right behind him. He was fed up with the searching, and the delay. Because he was not in his normal form, he was just like his friends, weak.

Because time was running out, Link spoke up. He didn't have all day, and he wanted to make some progress before morning came, if ever. "We should ask the professor living in the marine research lab over there. If anyone knows anything, it would be him," he explained.

Hearing this, Kirara transformed into her bigger form, and Miroku and Inuyasha took their seats. Before Link could settle himself on the feline's back, Shippo tugged at his pants. The boy glanced down to stare curiously at the youngster.

"I'll take you across!" Shippo declared. Before Link could protest such a demand, Shippo suddenly transformed.

Link accepted his offer, mostly because the child seemed so intent to offer him a ride across the water. He settled himself upon the newly transformed Shippo; he was in the form a giant pink pall with crazy eyes again. Miroku and Inuyasha didn't seem to care one bit, and just like that, they were up in the air, following behind Kirara. Honestly, he found it strange to ride on Kirara, only because she could fly; this was the same with Shippo, but it did not matter. Link preferred any other option, rather than taking the easier way, but since time was against them, he had no choice.

Within seconds, they arrived at the platform's bottom. Because the area above was narrow, Kirara touched ground on the bottom where the ladder led up to the small hut. On the other hand, Shippo had no problem reaching the door of the hut, and he returned to his normal form inches before he landed.

"What is this again?" Inuyasha asked as he made his way up the iron ladder.

"This is the Marine Research Lab," the youth replied from above. Link reached his hand out, brushing his fingers across the cool metal surface of the door, where bars decorated its exterior, before knocking. When there was no answer, he knocked again. Normally the professor inside would answer it, or he would yell in his shriek filled voice for them to enter, but there was nothing but silence. "Strange."

With his annoyance flaring, Inuyasha pushed the boy aside. "What's taking so long? Just open the door already!" The delay was starting to bother him, and with Link's persistence to knock, it only irritated him more. Although the strange metal resembled some of Kagome's futuristic devices, Inuyasha did not let it get to him. "Let me show you how it's really done!" Rather than take the time to knock, he grasped the knob, twisting it each way before pulling it with as much strength as he could force. When that failed, he decided to bring his fist down hard against the door, hoping to break it open, but it would not budge. "Damn it!"

As the seconds passed, his eyes fell on a circular window. Peering inside, all he saw was darkness. There was not a soul inside, and his shoulders nearly dropped in exasperation. He was beginning to dislike Great Bay and the strangeness that surrounded it. He resumed trying to break the door down.

To Link, the scene seemed almost comical, but still ignorant. The warrior was not at all fazed by his behavior. He was inching to push the man out of the way, but he kept himself passive. Was there not one decent trait about the half demon? Link did not understand how he and his friends got along together. By now, Link would have willingly left him behind, but because of the circumstances, he held himself back. "It's common courtesy to knock before entering, Inuyasha," Link remarked with a hint of displeasure dripping off his tongue. He made sure to stress 'courtesy.'

Of course Inuyasha ignored the youth, but his pounding did not cease. "Like I care! You and Kagome are the same with that damn 'courtesy' crap!" Inuyasha did not have all day to wait outside someone's door, and there was no way in hell he would knock; it wasn't in his character. "OPEN UP! WE WANT ANSWERS!"

From his loud bellowing in the quietness of the night, Shippo covered his ears. "Yeah, that's really showing us…" Shippo rolled his eyes. Who was Inuyasha kidding? There was no one there, so of course he wasn't going to get an answer.

Disappointed that there was yet an answer, Inuyasha turned and glared at the child nestled atop Miroku's shoulder. "What was that?"

Link sighed. Why couldn't he at least act the part of a civilized individual? Was it so difficult? He was sure, if the old man was inside, he was probably cowering in a corner or something of the nature.

"Whoever lives here has either retired for the night, or they are not home," Miroku mentioned before musing to himself. "Seems like we're on our own on this one."

Again, Inuyasha cursed. Nothing was going right, and he was not in any mood to search the entire beach for any hint of evidence pertaining to their whereabouts. If he had been in his half demon form, it wouldn't be a problem. "Well let's not stand here all day, let's—"

A soft whimper cried out in the night, and the sound was shocking to say the least; it captured everyone's attention. The cry was strangled with a dreadful sense of lament that the boys could not help but grow curious. It was close bye, yet the vicinity that they occupied was vacant. After a pause, an ear shrieking wail broke the once silent night, and followed after were repeated sobs. In-between those wails, a high pitched squeaky voice muttered incoherent words which were loud and strangely obnoxious.

Baffled by the cries and to whom it belonged to, the group searched around them, hoping to locate the source, but they couldn't find anyone. Concerned, Miroku searched behind the small hut, but to his dismay, there was nothing there but a few empty crates. Shippo on the other hand looked below the higher platform, but all he saw was Kirara at the bottom looking up at him.

As for Inuyasha, he covered his ears as the wailing increased tenfold. The noise was unbearably maddening, and it felt for a moment that his ears would bleed. "What the heck is that?" he asked. It was more almost as annoying as Shippo when he cried. In fact, the cry sounded like it came from a woman, an older one, but there was no female around that he could see.

Perplexed by the situation, Link didn't have to look too far. From his line of vision, he noticed a round shadow lingering before his feet. Turning his attention upwards, he found the source. "Tingle?" he voiced, easily gaining everyone's attention, including the small man.

Hearing the name 'Tingle,' Inuyasha felt a headache come on. Didn't he run into the little guy in Clock Town not long ago? Just yesterday that little pipsqueak tried to sell him maps, after claiming that he was a fairy or something of the sort. Why the heck was he all the way out here? "Oh great, not him."

Wiping away his tears, the little guy squinted so as to clear his vision. "Could it be…" he softly muttered to himself as he eyed the group. Tingle's mouth fell open with sudden delight. "It is!" He declared, and without any warning, he pulled the string to his balloon and gravity caught up to him.

"Who is this?" Miroku asked Inuyasha. The monk eyed the strange man, especially his strange sense of fashion. Out of all the folks he'd seen in Termina, none whatsoever resembled him.

Leaning in closer to Miroku, Inuyasha whispered, "Whatever you do, don't make eye contact." Before he could pull away, there was a tug at his pants, and he glanced down to see small arms wrapped around his leg affectionately…

"Oh, Tingle missed you!"

"Get off!" Inuyasha kicked the little man with the green tight fitted clothes away. If it was anyone who truly pissed him off, it was this guy. Heck even Kouga wasn't as annoying as this shrimp, and Inuyasha only met him once a while back.

Not at all put down by his words or actions, Tingle smiled regardless, overjoyed that his friend was still around. "Tingle cannot express just how happy he is to see you!"

Beyond perplexed, Miroku leaned in to whisper to Inuyasha. "You two have met?"

"Don't even ask. Tinkle here thinks he's a fairy," he explained.

Of course Inuyasha's reply did not help Miroku in the least. Instead, he just stared at the small man with the bushy eyebrows, the goatee, and strange point of his head, and so forth. 'Fairy?'

Shippo, who had remained silent, could not help but also stare at the small man. Although it was night, and it was somewhat difficult to see clearly as one does in the morning, he thought for sure that Tingle was around his age, but he was wrong. Since when did he and Inuyasha get acquainted? It seemed that not only did Serena know him but so did Link.

"My name is Tingle, sir," the tiny man corrected, pained that his new friend had forgotten. "Because we are friends, I must ask your name."

Inuyasha merely eyed the creature at his feet who stared up at him intently. "Don't you have somewhere else to be?"

He shook his head, before wiping the snot which was hanging down from his nose away. "No."

"You were crying a moment ago, does something trouble you?" Miroku asked, ignoring Inuyasha's glare to keep silent.

The smile fell away, and Tingle lowered his head almost shamefully. "Yes. You see, I was robbed a while ago…" He sniffed.

Instead of quietly ignoring him, Inuyasha looked at the guy with a hint of sympathy. Although he seemed annoying, and because Inuyasha had only met him briefly before, he felt bad. It occurred to him that bad things probably happen to Tinkle all the time; it wasn't surprising. "And so you're just going to cry? Did you try getting it back?"

Tingle shook his head. "No. I couldn't possibly anyway," he admitted.

"How come you're out here?" Shippo asked suddenly. "I thought you lived in Clock Town?"

Tingle, snapped out of his melancholy state and eyed the fox child standing at the monk's feet. "I don't live in town. I'm a seller of maps. Wherever the people are, that's where the business is," he explained.

"I saw you once before floating in the air…" Shippo explained thoughtfully. Whatever it was that was keeping the little guy in the air was a mystery to him.

Noticing the confusion in his eyes, Tingle turned around to show them his backpack upon his back. "There is a balloon that I control inside here. Whenever I want, I can take to the sky. My father created this contraption some years ago, and it comes in handy."

"For what?" Shippo asked.

Tingle placed his hands on either side of his waist, with his feet apart, and his expression consorted sternly. "Why to sell maps of course! Tingle is the best when it comes to drawing maps!" A thought passed over the man's face and he turned his eyes back up to Inuyasha. "Which reminds me, you never did buy one of Tingle's maps."

"Yeah, and I still don't want one."

"Really? Are you sure? Are you positively certain that you will not need one? Because Tingle's maps are still on sale," he reminded. The fairy man was hoping that his new friend would at least consider buying one of his maps. "Will you buy one?"

"Will you cut that out? I said I don't want one!"

Musing for a moment, Miroku stepped forward. "Maps? Actually, a map might be of some assistance to us. How much are they, by chance?" he asked.

Pausing briefly, Tingle nearly swooned with joy at the question. Someone actually wanted to buy his maps. "A map of Great Bay is ten rupees!"

The price seemed cheap to the monk, and he considered the amount. "Hmm, ten rupees. Sadly, I do not have any money on me, so maps are out of the question…"

While an awkward silenced passed over the group, Link calmly reached into his satchel, rummaging through his items in search of his wallet, but he could not find it. Baffled, he searched through his pockets, and when they too turned up empty, he wondered where he might have misplaced it. 'Strange, I know I had in my satchel…'

"Oh, well in that case I'll give you one for free!"

"Free?" Shippo asked. "Thanks!"

"Are you certain?" The monk asked. "We do not wish to trouble you…Tingle."

But it was no trouble to the little guy at all, in fact, he was overjoyed. Removing the bag from his back, he sat it down in front of their feet and began sorting it through it. "Let's see…which one was it?" After a moment or two, he retrieved what he had been looking for. Delighted, he handed the parchment to Miroku, who took it earnestly.

"Thank you very much. We shall repay you," Miroku promised while taking a gander at the worn piece of paper with multiple scribbles. The hand writing was written strangely, and most of the writing overlapped each other.

Delighted, Tingle danced in small circles, much to everyone's surprise, all except Inuyasha and Link; they'd seen his dance before. "Tingle, Tingle, Kooloo Limpah!" His twirling ended soon after it had begun, and unexpectedly to Miroku and Shippo, he jumped for joy, with many sparkles and confetti falling over his form. "Those were Tingle's magic words, do not steal them," he warned gleefully.

"…ok…" Shippo sweat dropped. He wasn't even going to ask. The man was weird in his opinion, but maybe he couldn't help it.

An awkward silence passed over them, and Miroku felt a forced smile graze his expression. The little guy was intriguing, that was for sure, but he didn't say anything, especially when the small man stared at them long and hard with that ever present smile glued to his face.

Fed up with the staring, Inuyasha made past them. "Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm outta here."

"Wait!"

Inuyasha sent a glare over his shoulder. "Now what? Listen, we don't have all day to be talking!"

Not the least bit offended, Tingle suddenly threw himself onto the half demon, with renewed tears falling from his bulging eyes, while also grasping his red shirt. "No! Tingle needs you! Please hear Tingle out!"

"Get off!" Inuyasha tried to push the 'thing' off him, but it was no use, the little guy had a strong grip. He sighed. "What?"

Sniffing back his sobs, Tingle began the sad story. "You see, Tingle was robbed. Last night," he began solemnly. "At least Tingle believes it was. The day and night have been strange," he muttered to himself. When he noticed Inuyasha's eye twitch, Tingle continued on. "Anyways, Tingle was selling his maps when these strange monsters appeared from the waters!" Fear took over the paunchy man's countenance. "Tingle was so frightened that Tingle escaped to the roof up there," he pointed up at the hut's roof before continuing on. "But, in the process of escaping, Tingle dropped something very important."

Inuyasha felt the little man clench his clothes too tightly, and he had the nerve to flick him off. "And? What was it?"

"A watch," Tingle replied. The tears and the sobs worsened. "You see, it fell right where you are standing. And one of those foul creatures took it. That watch belonged to my father."

Inuyasha glared. "And? Was there a point you were trying to get across?"

Tears sprang from Tingle's eyes, and he sobbed quite loudly. "I couldn't do anything! Father will be deeply upset!"

"Well it's not my problem," Inuyasha replied uncaring.

Deeply regretful for the little man, Miroku interrupted. "These creatures stole your father's watch?" The monk was a little perplexed the word watch, but it must have been something deeply important to upset Tingle. "Do you know the last you saw them leave?"

Rubbing his eyes furiously, Tingle nodded. "After they kidnapped the older man, they disappeared around the other side of the coast."

Surprised by this new information, Inuyasha removed the little man off his person, and dropped him. "And you just sat by and did nothing?

Tingle rubbed at his red eyes, though the tears remained. He lowered his eyes. "There was no way Tingle could possibly standup to them…there were too many," he hiccupped. The little guy appeared so distraught before the group.

"Well, is where in that direction did you see them heading?" Inuyasha asked the sitting man.

Blowing his nose, Tingle discarded the cloth and looked up at Inuyasha puzzled. "Why do you want to know where they went?" Could it be that his new friend was willing to go to extreme lengths to get his compass back? If that was so, then he couldn't be any more ecstatic.

"We're on a quest!" Shippo explained suddenly, baffling the little man further, but also gaining his interest.

Tingle's eyes sparkled at the word. All his life, he had always dreamed of going out on a grand adventure. Just like the heroes in the story books, he wanted to help someone, save a lamented princess, find the riches, and also to travel the seas. Not only that, but to find his fairy friend he longed to have. "A quest?" The little man stood up and faced the child, his buck teeth sparkled in the moonlight.

"Shippo, don't go telling random people we're on a quest!"

Shippo stared at Inuyasha questionably. "Why not? It's true."

Although the child didn't know, Miroku understood Inuyasha. "It's best to keep ourselves secretive. We've only told certain ones about our purpose here," he explained to the child.

Link nodded. "Yes, it's best that the wrong ears do hear such information. As we speak, we may be watched. So, it's best to say little or nothing at all, and to keep our guard up at all times. There's no telling who we can trust these days." So far, they have been secretive on their travels, and the only ones that knew of this this was the Great Fairy back in Clock Town. Kafei and Anju weren't completely sure of their journey, but Link knew that they could be trusted.

Finally understanding, Shippo nodded. "Oh sorry.

Inuyasha cursed. "Just what we need, more people knowing!" He crossed his arms. He wasn't mad at Shippo, just annoyed.

"I said I was sorry!"

After looking between the males, Tingle faced Inuyasha. "Do not worry. Tingle won't tell a soul!"

After calmly regarding the little man, Inuyasha shrugged. "Fine. Just don't spill this information to anyone," he warned.

"You have Tingle's trust!" Tingle found himself lost in thought. "Tingle has always dreamed of going on an adventure! Why are you on this quest? Tingle thought it was strange that there seemed to be some foreigners around lately."

Inuyasha felt a headache coming on. "Look, Tinkle, we don't have all day! Now just tell us where in that direction they were headed!"

Gasping, Tingle firmly planted his fists on either of his hips. "My name is Tingle! How could you forget?"

"Yeah, yeah, Tingle, Tinkle, whatever your name is." Inuyasha didn't care to learn what the little man's name was, and he was already annoyed that this delay was holding them up. But the green guy must have known what direction they left in.

"If you're Tingle's friend, the least you could do is remember Tingle's name," he retorted completely abashed by the misuse of his name.

"Who said I was your friend?" Inuyasha questioned, only upsetting Tingle further.

Gasping, Tingle felt his knees weaken. "You do not wish to be Tingle's friend?" A gush of tears suddenly fell from his eyes, and his sobs increased nearly ten times louder than before.

Seeing the dramatic scene play out before him, Link sighed. They really didn't have all day for any of this. And he'd seen Tingle like this plenty of times on his quest before. The little guy was always so emotional, but he always got over it after a while. Sometimes, Link just didn't know how to handle his sudden outbursts; that's why he preferred to keep his distance.

Shippo groaned. "Now you made the poor guy cry!"

Inuyasha nearly groaned at the sight. This was getting ridiculous. "If you're a man, then stop crying!" It was no wonder the guy didn't have any friends. Realizing that the situation wasn't going to get them anywhere, and because he knew what Kagome would say if she saw this happening, Inuyasha decided to do the one thing he dreaded. "Fine, I'm sorry!"

Tingle looked up, and wiped away his tears. "You are? Does that mean you are Tingle's friend?"

A twitch developed under Inuyasha's eye. But he said nothing in return.

With his arms crossed, Shippo turned toward Tingle. "Inuyasha's always like that. Don't take him seriously. Sometimes he just can't explain his feelings to others, and most of the time he acts like he doesn't care." Shippo hoped this was enough to cheer the little guy. "It's just who he is, and he needs to get over it."

"What was that?" Inuyasha glared at the child.

Sniffling, and rubbing the snot from his red nose, Tingle broke out into a grin. "Inuyasha? Tingle understands now," he replied and stared up at the irate man in front of him. He finally knew the name of his friend.

After a few seconds of strange silence, Inuyasha saw Tingle's continuous stare on him, and it was enough to make him want to growl. "What?"

"Inuyasha… Inuyasha…Inuyasha," At this point, Tingle appeared mesmerized by the sheer fact that he had finally figured out what his friend's name was. Although it sounded strange, Tingle did not mind. "Inuyasha…"

Growing irritated even further, Inuyasha restrained himself from hurting Tinkle. "Will you stop that!"

Without any warning, like usual, Tingle latched himself onto Inuyasha's leg. He rubbed his cheek against the red fabric, his eyes closed. "Tingle is so happy to know the name of his friend!"

"Get off!"

Link smirked at the sight. For all that Inuyasha's done, he deserved a little torment, and Tingle was just the kind of torment he needed. Inuyasha had no idea what he had just signed himself up for. There was only one way to truly get rid of Tingle, but Link wasn't feeling all that generous at the moment.

Removing himself from his leg, Tingle stepped a couple feet away, his smile never faltering. "If Tingle tells you the whereabouts of those beasts, will you do Tingle a favor?"

Miroku nodded. "But of course. After all, you've helped us greatly already. What do you need?"

"Tingle will reward you handsomely if you retrieve his stolen watch," he explained.

Inuyasha nearly rolled his eyes. If the guy was so desperate to get his father's watch back, then he could at least go get it himself. But Tingle was in no way, height or strength, not that he could see anyway, go against such monsters. The little guy would surely die. "Fine. But what would you have that would be of any value?"

Excited, Tingle hoped from one foot to the other. "Why my maps of course!"

Suddenly intrigued, Miroku stepped forward. "Are you saying that if we do return your watch, you would be willing to offer us free maps for our travels?" The thought seemed good enough for him. And they wouldn't have to worry about money either.

"But of course!"

"Then we accept!" Miroku declared joyously. Things were starting to look up.

Delighted, Tingle turned to Inuyasha. "Tingle saw them head for the giant wall. Tingle has never been there personally, and Tingle doesn't want to either. Bad things happen there. Tingle believes it's there that the black water came."

"The giant wall?" Miroku questioned. He was sure he hadn't missed a giant wall on their way around Great Bay, but then again, they had yet to search the entire island.

Knowing exactly what Tingle was talking about, Link spoke up. "I know where he means," he replied, earning everyone's attention. "I know the way there, and it's not far. Like Tingle said, it's a bad place, especially for men." But Link knew that they would be fine, if nothing went wrong. Personally, Link would rather go there alone and take care of the mess, but because of the group, he knew it would prove difficult. He could only imagine what might happen once they get there.

Tingle nodded earnestly. "I heard it's a dreadful place! There have been many bad rumors lately. So be extra careful."

Grateful for the information, and that someone in the group was pulling their weight, Inuyasha stalked toward the ladder leading down to where Kirara sat patiently waiting. "Well, let's not stand here all day talking. Let's go!"

As Inuyasha and Miroku took their places on Kirara, and Shippo carried Link toward back toward the coast, Tingle watched them leave. In all his life, Tingle never thought he'd ever come across such a group. Although they were foreigners, he found their presence a delight. Not only that, but he was able to make a friend.

"Inuyasha…" The name fell off his tongue nicely. With his eyes sparkling, he waved the group off. "Don't forget! Tingle will be waiting!"

With Shippo leading the way, Link pointed them in the direction of the wall. The destination was not far, and should take them ten minutes to get there.

"I thought we'd never get away!" Inuyasha complained.

Miroku chuckled at the man behind him. "You seem to have made friends so quickly, Inuyasha."

"Friends? With that annoying pipsqueak? I never agreed! He just assumed that I was his friend," Inuyasha recalled the time when he first met the little guy. It was not very pleasant.

Miroku laughed at his friend's behavior. "Well we are very fortunate to have run into Tingle. He has helped us, and we should return the favor."

"Yeah. I know," Inuyasha replied.

The giant wall soon came into view, and the men found their eyes clued to it as they slowly approached. The sooner they took care of the problem here in Great Bay, the sooner they could head out. It seemed that Great Bay was not the only region afflicted by such a dilemma. Surely other wrong doings were also transpiring in the last two regions of Termina.