`'`'`'`'`'`'

Luna sat at the fire with Bell, tired from a long day's work.

"Weren't you surprised how Mizu was good at all of that work?" Luna smiled.

"I guess so." Bell answered happily. "I thought that there might be wounds that would stop her from it. Yet the fields look great."

"Bell, I have a question…" Luna began nervously. "If it isn't too personal… you seemed to get a bit angry today. You're always so happy. Why is that?" Bell seemed to be in his own thoughts for awhile.

"Well," Bell began, as his smile faded away. "I just… don't want you to tell anyone, okay?" Luna nodded and let Bell continue. "I've always felt like I've let myself be pushed around by people. Howard wasn't even close to being the first one to doing so. And… I think that I just don't want it to happen again. Sorry if I made you guys worried."

"Oh, no, Bell!" Luna smiled encouragingly. "You are a very independent person. You can handle all of your problems by yourself and sometimes helps with others', independent of any orders you take or not." Bell smiled and Luna continued to roast the fish.

`'`'`'`'`'`'

"Mizu." Menori called out the other day, over what was now Luna's and Sharla's bed to Mizu's.

"Mm?" Mizu sat up, as if she hadn't slept all night, yet seemed very refreshed.

"Why don't you just take that dresspiece off?" Menori asked, knowing it was a question that everyone seeked an answer to.

"I don't have one." Mizu answered with a laugh.

"I mean the two cloths from your dress's back." Menori said, pointing to two grey/transparent cloth-like items that were attatched. "They get in the way of your work."

Mizu got up and started spinning in circles, looking to her back.

"The white one IS the dress." Mizu replied, confused.

"I mean the grey, Mizu."

"I don't have any grey dresspiece…"

"You know what? Forget it."

"But which dresspiece are you talking about?"

"No, nothing, Mizu."

Luna and Sharla awoke with the confusion and looked at the two.

"You're awake!" Luna said, still half asleep. "Menori… it would be nice if you could make Mizu a better dress. That dress is a bit fancy for work, don't you think?"

"When she comes back from fruit gathering it will be done." Menori answered, emotionless. Sharla put her shoes and glasses quietly on. On their way out, Mizu took Kaoru's spear (it was leaned against the wall) and began working on her dress.

What was before just a long piece of cloth that reached her toes became quite a pretty dress. She had cut the sleeves so that they tied behind her neck and had cut the bottom of her dress until it was on her knees. Yet the grey attachments still reached the ground.

The nine were surprised to see Mizu exiting in her "new dress", yet none understood why the grey extensions weren't cut as well.

"Ohaio, Mizu!" Adam said happily, as he embraced her warmly. To everyone's surprise, she simply returned the hug, as if they were just brothers greeting each other. She took him on a piggyback ride to the lake and told him that he could play with the fish and long as he didn't dive. Adam seemed very busy at it, and Mizu seemed like she knew everything Adam liked.

As she worked on the fields with Luna, there was absolute silence as Luna started feeling a small headache. She felt it that she was somewhat receiving that "telepathic communication", yet she saw and heard nothing. Her head ached slightly, yet it wasn't that bad.

"Can I ask a question?" Mizu spoke up. Luna wasn't the type to talk while she worked, yet she responded out of politeness.

"Sure, Mizu. What is it?"

"It's a bit personal…"

"It's okay."

"Well, I wanted to know. How can you be so happy?"

"What do you mean, silly?" Luna laughed.

"I've lost someone too. Yet it's really hard to be happy."

Luna froze. How did she know she had lost someone? They had barely met, and barely talked, much less about her parents' deaths.

"Mizu, your turn to gather food!" Howard yelled as he returned with Shingo and some limes, oranges and peaches.

"Bye, Luna!" Mizu waved, as if the conversation had never happened.

"Matte!" Luna called out, yet it was too late.

`'`'`'`'`'`'

Mizu roamed the forest with Kaoru, both keeping terribly quiet. Mizu seemed terribly uncomfortable all of a sudden. Kaoru had observed it, and he had a feeling he knew why, and after a few hours, he couldn't take it anymore.

"They told you, didn't you?" Kaoru asked, as he pulled some weeds to see if they had edible roots.

"They who?"

"Luna and Sharla. About Louis…"

"Not them."

Kaoru stabbed a tree with his spear.

"So they told other people…." Kaoru assumed.

"No. They didn't."

"How can you talk like that if you don't even know about Louis?"

"I never said I didn't."

Kaoru looked at her as if she was crazy. They continued walking for awhile as Kaoru sorted out his thoughts.

"Who told you?" he asked, ready to receive an answer that might not be satisfactory.

"You did."

"I never told you."

"Not verbally."

"So you're not telling me who told you."

"I am!"

Kaoru sighed, obviously annoyed.

"What are you gonna do?" Mizu mocked. "Kill me too?" Mizu should have kept quiet – Kaoru took this very seriously. He somewhat doubted her previous discomfort about it.Who knows? It could be insecurity. About losing someone as well…

`'`'`'`'`'`'