Deep in her dreams, Umeko was in Sonoto once more. Her clothes were the same as before when she had first entered the world. This time she wasn't falling, but sitting on the cool ground of the night in the Mishimo Forest. Uotani was asleep but her Dracon just woke up and looked at her.

"Huh? I'm still here? I thought that by now she'd leave..." said Umeko aloud. She saw Kuni shake his head slowly.

"So she waited til I came back?" asked Umeko. He nodded. Umeko understood and looked at the sleeping dragon tamer, wrapped in her cloak.

By looking up at the lowerin mon, Umeko guessed that it was in the dead of night by now. 'I wonder is time here is the same as in my world...'

"Stay here... I'll be back. I wanna check out the area a bit," she whispered. His attention was straight on her now, thinking of answer to give her. He then slowly nodded and in his eyes he told her not to go too far.

Umeko started off towards the sound of rushing water. Guided by the light of the low full moon, she reached an opening to where a small river ran. Across the river was vast grassy field... and it was dying. Tips were brown and large patches of dirt were everywhere.

'Dark times...' she thought. 'Who is doing this to the land?'

Walking to a boulder by the river, Umeko sat down, spreading her pearl trench coat over the boulder. Elbows on knees, chin on palms, Umeko sighed heavily staring off into the distance. Rustling sounds of bushes, Kuni walked silently towards her as he revealed himself.

"Hey, aren't you suppose to be watching after Uotani?" Umeko whispered.

He cocked his head to one side and nodded but sat by Umeko, staring into the river, looking concerned.

"Whatcha thinking about?" Umeko asked quietly.

To what looked like a sigh he at last smiled and looked straight into Umeko's eyes. Standing on all four, Kuni pressed his fluffy forehead onto hers.

His thoughts or rather pictures of his thought poured into her mind. Sending Umeko up the river, was an open lake. Within the middle of the lake, a certain shine from the moon's light glowed there. Kuni took her deeper into the lake where the light of the moon shone down. The mental field trip ended and he had a content smile and walked back to his master.

'Does he want me to go up there?' she thought to herself.

'All right, let's go!' with curiosity taking over, she leapt from her boulder and started up the river to see what's under the spot the light shone.

Uotani woke up to the sound of a loud fire crackle. She looked around only to see Kuni.

"Is she back yet...?" she asked languidly. He nodded. Uotani sat straight up and crawled to him like a kid.

"Where is she now? Is she on that mission I told you to give her?" the sentence in one breath.

He smiled, satisfied. He's done his job.

"Okies dokie! Let's go wait for her at Shine Lake's edge then," said Uotani. She packed her things and walked quietly with her Dracon.

Touching the temperature of the water with her wrist, it was cool but also warm from the soft light of the moon. She eyed the spot where the moon's light pointed at.

'So the thing's in the lake.. well duh, it's not going to be floating above the water,' she thought back to herself.

Taking off her boots, ribbons, trench coat, and only her shorts and top on, Umeko walked into the lake and breast stroked closer to the middle. The depth was not at all deep but Umeko still had to dive a bit to her destination.

Just before reaching the spot, something had dived into the lake and guarded the ground and glared at Umeko with a fierce gaze. Surprised and frightened, Umeko cried out and swam back up to the surface. Breaking it, she only saw a long white furry taip dip into the water, but the spikes of the thing stuck out. It remained at teh one spot.

Her heart calming down, she began to wonder why it was there and didn't attack her. Umeko gathere courage, took in a deep breath, and dove back down again. There she saw, a white Dracon with bright blue eyes like ice. She couldn't talk, but before signaling why it was there or what she was guarding, her tail lashed out for her.

Closing her eyes waiting for her end, she only felt a soft warmth against her forehead as the Dracon had only pulled her closer.

'Another mentl field-' Umeko saw in teh vision, bubbles: her air. Before she could protest, the Dracon nodded her head gently and Umeko felt as though she could trust this majestic beast.

Still afraid, Umeko let her air go and panicked that she was going to drown.

'Omg, omg omg omg omg omg...' was all she could think of at the moment.

The Dracon pressed her forehead closer and a light from the jewel of her forehead entered Umeko's body. She felt like she was breathing air now, but it was cool and smooth. She was breathing under water. (Sry.. I couldn't think of any other way to get Umeko to breathe under water ^-^")

'Is she doing this? She was just glaring at me a moment ago. So why is she looking all fluffy and cute now?' thought Umeko.

Continuing with her field trip, the only thing left for the majestic Dracon to show Umeko, is to uncover the dirt under her belly. The spot where the light shone on, where she's been guarding.

Pulling her head away, the Dracon gave Umeko a gentle departing smile and disappeared, as if into the light itself. Realizing she needed air again, Umeko quickly kicked the ground and jet for the surface. The cool air greeted her as Umeko looked around to see if anyone was near.

Uotani and her Dracon hid behind the foliage expertly. She smiled and place a finger to her lips to shush Kuni. Petting his head, the wait for Umeko to find her surprise.

Calm again, Umeko took a deep breath and dove back down into the shiny lake. She started to dig the eaerth the Dracon showed and her fingertips felt something smooth. Almost running out of breath, Umeko quickly dug the object out, took it and swam to fill her lungs with air again.

Most of the dirt had already come out from the object.

"Oh! It's an egg!" she said for the first time in a while.

It was an egg indeed with the color of pale white and bright blue spots. And as interesting as the whole egg was, in the middle of each blue spot there seems to be faint white lights glowing.

'It's just like my Gem...' thought Umeko.

With that, a cry from nowhere startled Umeko and Uotani. It wasn't a cry of help or fear, but a battle cry of excitement. Someone had swung from a rope of a Jinju tree. (Jinju trees are the tallest trees ever in Sonoto!) He swung expertly and snatched Umekos newly found egg away and landed on teh other side of the lake, kneeling.

"HEY!! GIMME BACK MY EGG, YOU, YOU!!" yelled Umeko, still in the middle of the lake.

Uotani stood up, behind a tree, and was about to do something about this. But something told her that this person wasn't bad at all.

The person laughed playfully and the voice belonged to a male.

"Oh come now, you have to be ut of the water to get your egg back!" he called.

Even from the pale light, Umeko can at least tell thast he had a hood/ cloak on. She knew he was on the other side of the lake.

"Yarg! You'd better stay there!!" she yelled at him.

"It's worth it!" he laughed.

"What is that supposed to mean..." she wondered as she began swimming back to her clothes.

By the time she was getting out of the water, she realized why he said it was worth it.

"You PERVERT!" she yelled from the other side of Shine Lake.

"Nonsense! I just know for a fact that you're wearing white and you're wet! Haha! Bad combo!" him laughing, Umeko began to not like this person.

"How did you know I was here?! Where did you come from?!" she called, not bothering to ask who he was as he grabbed her coat.

"I just happend to pass by a while ago and heard a splash and wonderd what it was. Later I then realized who you were... but I doubt you can figure who I am. At least, not that quickly," he said.

Umeko's always had a strong curiosity and always want to figure it out.

"Who are you?" she finally asked, putting her trench coat quickly on.

"Like I'm going to tell!" he chuckled.

"Oh you!" Umeko growled. She put her socks and boots on, stuffing her ribbons in her pocket, and squeezed her hair of water.

"Just wait until I get there, you!" she growled, stomping odd along the edge of the lake.

But as she was walking, though the opposite way, so was he. Umeko stopped and he stopped. She moved a bit forward and he moved a bit backward.

"What are you-"

"You want your egg back, you do it my way," he said, soundning amused.

"But you're the one who stole my egg!" Umeko said in a high childish voice.

"Gyea, but I wanna have fun for a bit. Wnat to kno an easier way to get your egg?" he asked.

Umeko eyed the roped still on Umeko's side of the lake.

"Grr... fine! What is it?"

"Boy you're grouchy in this world," he said.

"Well it's your fault!"

"No it's not. I'm just outgoing and love to have fun like a kid. It makes me feel free here!"

'... here? 'This world...?' she thought. Umeko was really starting to wonder who this guy was. She calmed down and hoped he won't crush her new and first treasure.

"What do you want me to do?" Umeko asked loudly but calm.

Egg under one arm, and spread on the other, he said, "Swing here."

It took a moment to get what the guy was talking about. She looked over to the rope again that he tied to a branch of the Jinju tree. She hoped that he broke it when he first swung and snatched her egg. But it was there... waiting for her.

"ARE YOU CRAZY?!"

"No, I'm sane. Look, if you're gonna keep coming into this world, you have to build up your strength!"  he sounded rather serious. "Cuzz times are dark now and I'm gonna break it!"

"My egg?! Dammit if you dare ta-"

"I'm saying I'm going to end the dark times..."

"Don't change the subject... (mumble) even though I heard what you said..."

Umeko walked over to the rope and took up the end. Climbing the lowest branch of the Jinju tree (still pretty high) she scaled it. She finally got the the branch about where the boy had swung.

'Okay, just give myself enough rope length so if I fall, I'll still have rop to hold on to.. yeegh, rope burn...'

Grimacing at the thought, Umeko pulled up her strength and got ready to swing. this was her second time swinging from a rope. The first time was in gym class one day. In one corner of the room there was an activity spot where you can swing from a rope freestyle. At the end of the rope was a loop where you can put your foot through it for support. It was Umeko's turn, and as clumsy as she is (was?) she lost her grip and ended up swinging while her foot was still in the loop and she swung as her back dragged. Mat burn. There were, of course, mats set up for safety. (sry for the bad explanation... and hmm. now that i think about it, it almost happened to me, heh ^-^")

'At least this one doesn't have a loop...' she thought.

"Well?" the boy called to her.

"Hold my egg! Just shush fer a minute!!" he sat down to watch this fun moment.

'She's taking her sweet time though,' the thought with a smile.

"Ugh this is taking too long. Kuni, use your wings to create a breeze from behind her," whispered Uotani.

With that, Kuni silently walked to the Jinju tree and flew silently. Camouflaged from the dark of the night, he used his wings to make a mini gust. It was strong enough to unbalance Umeko.

"Yeek!" she hung on tightly to the rope and her feet left the branch.

"Whooaaa!" Umeko looked like a Jungle Queen with her silhouette in front of the low pale moon.

Closing her eyes, she hid behind her tightly clutched hands, but opened her eyes to see that she was sailing across the water. The boy watched in awe.

"Wow, she's a natural!" he whispered to himself.

"Watch out!" Umeko cried.

The boy put her egg down safely and stood in front of where Umeko was about to crash.

"Wah!" the boy caught Umeko as he turned and fell on top of her.

With his hoodie completely shadowed his face he said, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."

'That voice...' her eyes wide, she realized who he was.

"Taka?!"