The morning sun rose over the horizon, its rays shining through the curtains of Hunter's room. Hunter sat up and blinked a couple of times to clear his vision. He stood up and walked over to the sliding glass doors.
"It looks nice out there." he said to himself, smiling. He walked over to his dresser and pulled one of the draws out. He changed out of his pajamas and into his usual dark clothes and gray visor on. A knock came at his door and he smiled, knowing who it was. He walked over to the door and opened it.
"Hello Hunter." Duna greeted. Alice ran in and jumped on him rubbing her head against his chest. “Hey Alice! Good morning! Hop in your medal, okay? Duna and I have plans.” Alice nodded and reverted to her medal.
"Good morning, you look great." He replied. Duna blushed slightly as he walked out the door and shut it behind him.
"So, what are we going to do today?" She asked.
"I'm not telling, it's a surprise!" Hunter said.
Hunter took Duna's hand in his and they both walked to the elevator. They reached the ground floor and strolled out into the morning air. Hunter took a deep breath, causing Duna to look over.
"I love this sea air. It makes you feel alive." Hunter responded to the question in her eyes. She took a deep breath as well and the smell of salt caused her to sigh in delight. Hunter smiled and gave her hand a slight squeeze.
"Come on, let's go." Hunter said.
Hunter and Duna walked over to a small diner for breakfast. Hunter ordered some pancakes with chocolate chips and blueberries with a side of bacon and a glass of orange juice. Duna ordered her favorite, an omelet with chorizo sausage, bell peppers, mushrooms, and small bits of bacon with a side of hash browns and a glass of orange juice.
"Oh, your breakfast looks good." Duna said.
"Would you like to try a bite?" Hunter asked.
"Yes, I would." She said happily.
"Here, say 'Ahh'." Hunter told her as he held his fork up. She closed her eyes and opened her mouth and let him put a piece of pancake in. She couldn't help but smile as the sweet taste permeated her tasted buds.
"It's so good." She cooed. She blushed when she heard him chuckle.
"I thought you would like it." He said. After they both finished, Hunter paid and they walked out of the diner together.
"Where to next?" Duna inquired. Hunter didn't respond, looking like he was thinking hard. Duna couldn't help but sigh.
"Hey, I know we've been hanging around Vivosaur City for a while now, and we're surrounded by buildings most of the time right?" Hunter asked, looking up suddenly. Duna nodded. Hunter gave a smile and took Duna's hand in his.
"Then, I have the perfect place in mind but first I need you to close your eyes." He continued.
"What? Why?" Duna asked, blushing.
"Just trust me." He said.
Duna took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Hunter slowly guided her until she felt them stop. Hunter let go for a second and walked over to a person. Duna could hear whispering but it was just soft enough that she couldn't make out what was being said, even with her enhanced hearing common to all Dinaurians. When she felt a hand touch hers, she jumped slightly until Hunter's voice calmed her down. She relaxed. He continued to guide her a couple more steps until they stopped a second time.
"Alright, you can open your eyes." Hunter told her.
Duna opened her eyes and found both of them standing in front a pathway that led into a garden of beautiful flowers and trees from all over the world. Duna's eyes widened as she took in the natural beauty she saw in front of her.
"Wha- Where are we?" She asked trying to find the words.
"We're at what's called a Botanical Garden. Dr. Diggins told me about it a few days ago." Hunter said.
Duna couldn't believe what she was seeing and she closed her eyes as tears started to form.
"This place reminds me of Dinauria." She finally said, her voice shaky.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…" He started to explain feeling that he brought up sadness and pain. He was taken by surprise when he heard Duna start to laugh.
"Oh, I'm not sad. In fact I'm happy. I never got to see what my planet looked like. It was only because of King Dynal's servants showing me what it looked like later that I realized what we had lost. You showing me this place..... it's like I have a piece of home right here. Thank you so much." Duna explained trying to hold back her tears again, however Hunter knew that these tears were of happiness and not sorrow.
Hunter wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into an embrace. His eyes were a little misty as well. He couldn't imagine how he would feel if Guhnash devoured Earth. Duna pulled away slightly and looked into Hunter's eyes. Hunter looked back at her and wiped a tear from her cheek. Duna smiled and they released from the embrace, joined hands, and walked into the garden.
Hunter and Duna walked around looking at the different plants. Duna stopped at one particular tree with pink buds on the branches.
"What tree is that?" she asked. Hunter looked at it with her.
"It's a Sakura Tree. He said.
"What's that? Duna asked curious.
"It's a cherry blossom tree, mostly native to the Himalayas and Japan. Their flowers start to bloom in January and last to at least the first couple weeks of April." Hunter explained.
"They're so beautiful." Duna responded in awe.
She was quickly distracted by a humming bird. Her eyes traced the movement of the bird as it zipped back and forth, looking at her. Instinctively, she reached out her hand and the humming bird fluttered just above her palm. The bird flew away and Duna let out a small giggle. Hunter chuckled to himself as he watched her.
They both stopped at a fountain filled with an array of brightly colored fish for a quick rest and a cup of tea. Duna looked down and saw some koi fish swimming around. She took a small piece of bread, broke it apart, and tossed the small crumbs into the water. The fish swam around and ate the pieces. The two quickly sipped the tea and continued exploring the garden.
The sun started to set, and the garden was closing up when Hunter and Duna went to a nice restaurant for dinner. After they left, Hunter and Duna decided to finish their date by walking in the fossil park and sitting on a bench to watch the stars. Hunter looked down at his watch. It read 9:36 P.M. He sat with his arm around Duna's shoulders and Duna rested her head on his shoulder.
"Today was wonderful. Thank you for inviting me out." Duna finally said.
"You're welcome." Hunter responded, then looked up and saw a shooting star. Duna noticed it too and gasped. One shooting star fell, then another, soon multiple meteors began to fall in the sky.
"Oh, wow..." Duna gasped, putting a hand over her mouth.
Hunter pulled out his phone and dialed Dr. Diggins. Dr. Diggins woke up at the sound of his cell phone.
"Hunter? What is it?" Dr. Diggins asked sleepishly in the middle of a yawn.
"Dr. Diggins, Duna and I are in the fossil park and were seeing a meteor shower." Hunter said.
"WHAT!?" Dr. Diggins exclaimed, then looked out his window. The meteor shower was continuing.
"Hunter, this meteor shower is recorded to appear only a few hundred years! There's a rumor that if you make a wish with your love, you'll remain together. If you believe in such things. He said.
"That's interesting, well I'm sorry to interrupt you tonight." Hunter said, hanging up the phone. He and Duna continued to watch the meteor shower. When it was finally over, Hunter stood up and offered a hand to Duna. She took it and they walked back to the hotel.
Outside of Duna's door, Hunter said good night. Duna smiled and bade him good night as well then leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. Hunter smiled and walked into his room, ultimately happy that Duna enjoyed the date.
