A/N: I do not own Inazuma Eleven.

This fic corresponds to the Monthly Special Days for July: World UFO Day (2 July).

Directions

"The stars sure are pretty tonight," said Midorikawa, leaning his head back against his arms as he stared up into the night sky. Hiroto smiled at his companion before turning his gaze upwards as well, nodding in agreement.

The pair was up on one of Sun Garden's many rooftops, stargazing. There was supposed to be a meteor shower that night and the night after, and while everyone else was sound asleep in their beds, they had decided to spend a few hours just watching the night sky and talking with each other.

In truth, Midorikawa was the one who had found Hiroto up on the roof by himself, lost in his thoughts. Since it turned out that both of them were unable to sleep that night, he had offered to keep the other company.

"Over there! Did you see that?"

Midorikawa's excited voice snapped Hiroto's attention towards the direction that his finger pointed in, where small white streaks had begun to flash in the sky. "They're beautiful, aren't they?" he sighed dreamily.

"Yeah…" Hiroto whispered in awe as a grin made its way onto his face.

It would be several hours later, when they had both returned to their rooms, when a particularly large and bright streak of light flashed in the sky and aimed for the ground not too far away from the main town. In the heart of the night, no one heard nor felt the faint tremor that shook the ground, but only for a few seconds.

Other than a flock of birds that scattered from the trees in the forest, all else was still.

Hiroto shifted nervously and jammed his hands into his pockets.

Last night hadn't gone exactly as planned. He had been up on the roof trying to think of what to do with Midorikawa on their date the next day. He wasn't expecting the other to join him "stargazing". It was not that he didn't appreciate his company. His mind just tends to lose focus on whatever it was thinking of when Midorikawa comes within three feet of him.

Today was their first date. It took Hiroto two weeks and five lectures from his friends to muster up the courage to ask Midorikawa out. He really liked that boy, but was unsure as to how to approach things with him and hopefully work it out. He had never been in a relationship before, and honestly speaking he was absolutely lost as to how to go about one with Midorikawa.

Said person chose that moment to burst out of the doors and out into the front garden. "Sorry to keep you waiting," he apologised. Flashing Hiroto a grin, he asked, "shall we get going?"

"Yeah, sure." Though the smile was easily returned, the redhead's calm reply masked the anxiety that was pounding inside his heart.

Do you feel it?

I do.

It is the signature of the Power Stone.

It is unmistakable.

The source is near.

There.

They are not one of us.

But the essence of the Power Stone comes from them.

Perhaps they have passed by the site.

We need to find our way back.

They may be able to help us.

Let us try.

Hiroto's POV

Step 1: Walk in the park

Step 2: Ice-cream and cake at the café

Step 3: Dinner and movie

Step 4: Back to the park for the meteor shower

Four simple steps. Even Endou could pull it off. So why was it that we're stuck at step one trying to help some lost kids?

I sighed in exasperation as Midorikawa bent down to talk to them. The two children, a boy and a girl, looked like foreigners. Their skin was unnaturally pale and their eyes were a mysterious deep purple. Just looking at them made me recall the Aliea meteorite. I hastily pushed the thought away.

We had been hesitantly approached, and it was only when the taller male tugged at my pants did I finally notice them. At the sight of their sad and confused expressions, I couldn't help but feel a little sorry for them. The irritation of being interrupted during my planned date faded away.

"Hiroto, I can't understand what they're saying. I think they're from out of the country. Can you give it a try?" Midorikawa stood up and turned towards me, gesturing towards the two children.

Shrugging, I made my way over to them. I didn't think I would do any better, but it was worth a shot. Bending down to their level, I managed a friendly smile. "Hi there, I'm Hiroto," I pointed at myself. "What are your names?" I asked, pointing to them.

The girl seemed to understand. She spoke to the boy in a different language, and he nodded. "Gren," he said, patting his chest.

"Rize!" she chirped, waving cutely at me.

I grinned at my success, but somewhere in my heart I shuddered at the similarities between their names and our previous alien ones. They sounded like Gran and Reize… it was so coincidental. Too coincidental. More memories of the Aliea Academy incident threatened to fill my mind, but I shook my head and focused on my current task.

"Where are your parents?" I asked. They looked at each other in puzzlement before turning questioning eyes towards me. Clearly they did not understand what I had just said. Unconsciously, I sighed. This was going to be tougher than I thought.

Then, Gren began to speak. "Ima… suna… C-City…" he said, closing his eyes and tilting his head as if deep in thought, trying to remember something. I took a while to process what he had said, but I was able to make a wild guess.

"Inazuma Town?" I tried. Rize's face lit up in a smile and she clapped her hands in joy. Score one for Genesi- Stop thinking about that already! Jumping in excitement, she pointed to a nearby tree before spreading her hands widely.

"A forest near Inazuma Town?" Midorikawa guessed from behind me. At the bright grins on both children's faces, I would say that was our best bet.

Midorikawa's POV

It took us a good hour and a half to get to Inazuma Town. Sun Garden was located in a rather secluded area, so practically getting anywhere from there would take quite some time. I didn't mind though. That just meant I got to spend more time with Hiroto, although he's a little busy trying to deal with the excited children at the moment.

I smiled at the sight. Hiroto was really good with children. He would make a great father one d-

My train of thought was quickly derailed as the thought sunk in. My face began to flush when I thought about the two of us starting a family. I had to admit, I really liked that possibility.

But would it ever happen? Taking another glance at Hiroto, I thought about our date.

Everyone could sense that there was something going on between us. Even Desarm had asked me about it! Didn't that guy know when to mind his own business? In any case, I waited patiently for Hiroto to make the first move. I was unsure about his feelings towards me, and things had been rather awkward between us for the past few weeks until he asked me out.

That move was pretty unexpected, but I was never happier to hear those words from him. Needless to say, I eagerly accepted and found myself here now. Our plans may have changed for today, but we were still spending time together. We may not be progressing quickly, but I think we're at least heading in the right direction.

Smiling, I walked a little faster to catch up with the three in front of me.

We are near.

I feel the energy of the Power stone.

It is time for us to lead.

That way.

Hiroto's POV

Mission accomplished. Smiling, I waved to Gren and Rize as they thanked us and disappeared into the woods.

As we neared the edge of the forest, they suddenly seemed to know where to go. I guess they have a house somewhere around here, so they were familiar with the area. Turning to Midorikawa, I was about to suggest that we head back to town for dinner, but then I noticed a concerned look on his face.

"I want to follow them, just to see where they go," he said thoughtfully. "I know they probably live around here, but I don't feel safe letting them just go off by themselves in such a big forest."

Midorikawa seemed pretty determined about this, and I'll admit I was also rather curious as to where Gren and Rize lived. I think we could afford a quick look.

"All right. Let's go then," I said.

Midorikawa's POV

This was a bad idea. And to make things worse, it was MY bad idea.

We weren't lost, and the forest wasn't dark and spooky, but I couldn't help but feel… afraid. I don't know what, but there's something in here that just sends chills down my spine. Walking in the direction that we last saw Gren and Rize heading towards, we finally found ourselves in a clearing.

The children were there along with two adults, a male and a female, most likely their parents. Hiroto and I hid behind some trees and bushes so they wouldn't notice us. We couldn't understand their language, but it seemed like Gren and Rize were getting a scolding for wandering off. Their pouts and apologetic looks confirmed that.

I looked around the area. There were no signs of a house or anything that hinted that they lived here. So what were they doing in a forest? Frowning, I chose to examine the adults instead.

As Hiroto mentioned, they were probably foreigners. Both had pale white skin, and while the father had blazing red hair that pointed skywards, the mother had straight sun-yellow hair that reached all the way to the back of her knees. The strange thing was, although Gren and Rize were wearing outdoor clothes, their parents were dressed in working attire: white buttoned-up long-sleeved tops and black pants. Who wears that kind of clothes in a forest?

Panic suddenly seized my heart. I let out a soft gasp and sank to my knees, trembling. Hiroto was immediately at my side, asking if I was okay. I shook my head.

What was this? Why am I so frightened? I didn't understand it, I haven't felt like this since…

Aliea Academy. Along with the other children, I had embraced the power of the meteorite. I hadn't liked that I had to turn into someone I was not, but I was willing to do it for Father. The power that was absorbed into my body made Reize feel strong and invincible, but my true self was terrified of it.

I recognised the fear now. But why am I feeling it here, of all places? I was so caught up in my thoughts that I didn't notice Hiroto's hands rubbing my back soothingly.

It was only after I had stopped shaking when he helped me up and guided me out of the forest. Through the haze of tears that clouded my eyes, I noticed that Gren, Rize and their parents were already gone.

We have made it back at last.

Yes, but Father and Mother were not pleased that we got lost.

It was our fault.

We should not have left the landing site to explore.

But we met two nice humans.

They were very kind and helpful.

We are grateful to them.

It is fortunate that we found our way back in time.

Investigations at Mount Fuji are complete.

They say other traces of the Power Stone were found there.

Sadly, that energy on this planet cannot be recovered anymore.

It is time for us to leave.

I hope we can come and visit again.

Earth is such an interesting place.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"For the last time, I'm fine!"

"Just checking."

Midorikawa huffed in annoyance and looked away, but he was inwardly smiling and blushing at Hiroto's concern. The two of them were currently lying on the grass in the park, staring up at the cloudless night sky as they waited for the meteor shower.

Needless to say, Hiroto has asked about the panic attack, but Midorikawa had waved it off, assuring him that it was nothing. He clearly didn't want to talk about it, so they left it at that.

A few minutes of silence later, Hiroto opened his mouth to ask again, but then the show started.

White streaks flashed across the sky, earning gasps of awe and other appreciative comments from the other people at the park. Midorikawa seemed content to watch quietly, so Hiroto was left to his own thoughts as he gazed at the stars and meteors.

He tilted his head to the side in confusion when a particularly large white streak cut across the sky in the opposite direction.

A/N: Earth's a small world, but in a very big universe. Happy World UFO Day.