I found myself staring at a vending machine outside of the police station. It hadn't taken all that long for us to find it. It was actually located in the center of town. Good thing too, as I probably wouldn't have made it over to the other side.

"You can get a drink if you'll like," Onami said as she walked passed me. "I'll go report to the cops."

"Wait, I should go with you. They'll probably need my testimony too," I said, reaching a hand out toward her after getting my drink. "Also, here you go."

Onami stared at the extra bottle of cherry cola I held. She smiled and took it from me. "Thanks."

"You've ever had cherry cola before?" I asked as we entered the station.

"I had a sip of one before. Nori really likes this stuff." She lowered her eyes. "I still need to save him and my sister."

"We'll find them," I said. "Like I said before, I'm sure we can get Dad to help out! He has connections!"

I smiled. "Thanks so much, Nao."

I grinned and laughed. "You're welcome."

The two of us walked over to the counter, where a skinny cop in white robes waited. He seemed nearly asleep as his eyes kept closing. Whenever he opened them, he would shake his head as if to snap out of his fatigue.

"Hello," Onami said, smiling at him.

"What's wrong kids? Lost your parents?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.

Onami nodded. "Yeah, my parents died some time ago."

The man frowned. "Poor girl. Well then, what brings you, kids, here today?"

"We were kidnapped and driven to this desert. We managed to escape," I said.

The cop's eyes widened. "A kidnapping? Where were you taken from, and how did the kidnappers look?"

"We were taken from Kaguya."

"Kaguya? The capital of Kuroriku? That's a great distance away."

"Where are we?" I asked.

"This is Saladit."

Then that meant that we were no longer in the continent of Danketsu, but in Jamilla.

I smiled. "Oh, then we're just south of Kuroriku then."

Except, this is the center of Saladit. It'll take several days to get back to Kaguya."

"Don't you have an airport nearby?"

"The closest city with one is a day away from here if you travel by vehicle."

We would need to find a way to get a ride. Sadly, I didn't have enough money on me to pay a taxi to drive us even to the border with Kuroriku.

"So, mind sharing the description of your kidnappers?"

"It doesn't matter," I said. "Our kidnappers are dead."

The cop gasped. "How did they die?"

I bit my lip. I probably shouldn't have said that.

"At least we think they are," Onami said. "We pushed them to the ground and ran off. For all we know, they might've just suffered a bad headache."

Nice save, Onami. Though, where did you learn to lie like that?

"In that case, mind describing them?"

"Not at all," Onami said. "The one who took me was a black-haired man dressed in a black leather coat, black pants, and leather shoes. Oh, yeah, he also wore shades."

So, the one who kidnapped her was the guy who opened the truck.

"I see," the man said. He gasped as he stared at Onami. The man even rubbed his eyes in disbelief as he stared at her ears. "Are you a tanuki?"

Onami stepped back. "Y-yes."

"No offense, kid, but you should keep your ears hidden. People in this town are generally friendly, but there's a huge fear of your kind. They might form a mob and try to kill you."

"No way," I blurted out, leaning toward the man. "Onami's not scary at all! She nice and cute!"

"Quiet down," the man said, looking over his shoulder. "My peers aren't fond of them either."

I tilted my head. "Then, why aren't you afraid?"

"That's because I actually met a tanuki once. Was a nice lady. Nothing like the stories of hideous monsters I grew up with."

Stories of hideous monsters?

"You did?" Onami asked.

"I think we should get going," I said, grabbing her by the shoulders. "We need to get you a hat."

"I'll be sure to file your report!" the cop said. He gasped and reached for something below the counter. "Wait, I got just the thing for your ears." He pulled up a blue cap. "Here you go. We give these to kids who like to play cop."

"Can I have one too?" I asked, shiny-eyed.

"Sure," he said, as he pulled up another one.

I smiled as I took both of them. I quickly put one over Onami. "There we go!"

Onami tugged on the hat a bit and smiled. "Thank you, sir. I appreciate all of the help."

"Well, it is my job." He furrowed his brow. "Though, I'm not sure if we'll be able to quickly arrange a return home for you two. Do you kids even have money to stay in a hotel? If not, then you can stay at my place. My wife would love to have you over. She's an elementary teacher, so she would love you."

"You would do that for us?" I asked.

"I'm not sure," Onami said. "I want to get home as soon as possible."

"I can help you," a voice called out. Standing by the entrance was a boy around our age. He had bright red hair like the Kasai no Ki.

Had he been there all along?

"Who are you?" Onami asked, taking a step back. She likely didn't trust the boy after what happened last time she relied on a stranger.

I dashed in front of her. "We don't need your help!" I snapped.

The boy sighed. "No need to be so rude. A simple 'no thank you' would do just fine."

"Why do you even want to help us?"

"Do I need a reason?" He grinned. "Anyway, I'm from Kuroriku too. You two can accompany us back home if you like."

Onami glanced around the otherwise empty police station. "Who else is with you?"

"My mom and brother. Though, I sort of lost them," he said, scratching the back of his head as he laughed.

I took a sip of my cherry cola. This guy seriously wants to help us when he can't even find his family?

"is that why you're here?" the cop asked. "I'll check to see if anyone reported a missing kid."

"No need. My mom will come here. I told her that if I end up getting separated from her and Hyo, that I would come here."

Onami laughed nervously. "This guy is untrustworthy," she mumbled.

I nodded.

"Hey, that's not true! I just tend to get sidetracked a lot is all. This place has a lot of things to offer. The swords here are different than the ones back home. I wonder if they're made the same way," he said, rubbing his chin.

Onami and I slowly backed away.

His cheeks flushed. "Ahh, I went ahead and did it again, didn't I?"

The two of us nodded.

The cop laughed. "What an odd boy. Wait, how exactly do you plan to help these two? Most people these days would be hard-pressed pay the expenses of two extra travelers. Then again, I did hear that Kuroriku is super-rich."

"It is, but it has its poor too. My dad actually came from a poor family."

"He isn't going to start giving us his life story, is he?" Onami asked.

"I don't know, but let's get out of here before he does."

The boy crossed his arms and grumbled. "You two are so rude, you know that?" He smiled. "Still, I want to help you."

"Why?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at him.

"I don't really know. I just feel that I should. You've ever felt that way before?"

"Hmm, I think I have."

Onami smiled. "You remind me of Nori, except he's less airheaded."

The boy grabbed hold of his heart and spun around. "Ouch, that hurt."

"This clown," I muttered as I tried not to smile.

The boy stopped and laughed. "Well, what do you say? Want to come with me and see if Mom will accept you joining us?"

"I'm not sure," Onami said.

"Nor am I," I said, scratching my right cheek. "You might get us lost."

"I promise that I won't, and a knight never fails a promise!" he said, raising a hand over his heart.

"Wait, you're a knight?" I asked. How did a kid my age become a knight? He must be a great fighter or an incredible strategist. Maybe even both.

"Yeah," he said, laughing. His smile gradually faded as he turned away from us. "Though, the circumstance of how I became one wasn't an ideal one."

Wait, did he inherit the title of knight from a relative? No, that can't be. Kuroriku knighthood can't be passed on to one's children, only the titles one gained during said service. Maybe his knighthood is a foreign one. Or perhaps it's an unusual case.

"You claim to be a knight, but just how strong are you?" I asked.

"I'm very strong!" he said, puffing his chest out proudly.

"There you are, Kohri!" a voice called out. We all turned to look at the entrance. Striding over to the strange kid was a raven-haired boy a few years older than us.

"Hyo!" the red-haired boy said, smiling. "You found me!"

Hyo sighed. "Didn't we tell you to stay close? Mom was worried about you. What if someone kidnapped you?"

"Were you worried too?"

The older brother turned away. "No, of course not."

"You liar," Kohri said, laughing.

"Whatever. Let's get going," he said, grabbing the red-haired boy's arm.

Kohri dug his heels into the floor. "Wait, I said that I would help these two! As a knight, I must keep my word."

The older brother sighed. "Why are you making promises to strangers?"

"Yeah, it's kind of stupid," I said. "What if we were bad guys?"

"But you aren't."

"How do you know that we aren't?"

"I can tell when someone is lying." Kohri glanced at Onami. "For example, I know that you were lying about the kidnappers hitting their heads."

Onami's eyes widened.

I gulped and looked over my shoulder. Thankfully, the cop had stopped paying attention to us. Actually, he looked like he was about to collapse from sleep deprivation.

I glanced back at the red-haired boy. How could he see through Onami's lie? It sounded convincing enough to me.

Kohri smiled. "Don't worry, I won't press you on it," he whispered. "Anyway, come with us. Mom will be able to help you."

I shivered. This boy was an odd one. I couldn't tell whether he was suspicious or naïve.

"Fine! We'll accompany you!" I said, holding my fist out.

Kohri stared at it and held out his own. He smiled as we bumped fists. "I'll be sure not to disappoint you! Uh, what's your name?"

Way to ruin the moment.

Onami snickered while Hyosetsu sighed.

"I'm Naoru, but everyone calls me Nao, and this is Onami," I said, pointing at my companion.

Kohri smiled. "I see. Nice to meet you, Nao, Onami. I'm Kohri and this is my big bro, Hyosetsu."

Hyosetsu turned around. "I'll be waiting for you outside."

"No need, we're heading out now," Kohri said, sprinting after him.

"What a strange guy," I said, not sure what to think of him.

Onami nodded. "Yup. And a very lively one too."

**Solar Note: Hope that you enjoyed the chapter ^^. Sorry for the late release (originally said that I would release this on the 20th of July). I'd been distracted with household stuff.**