"Phew!" Kanja said as she sat down in her bed.

"Tired?" Koukyuu asked.

The silver-haired girl hung her head back. "A bit. This is my first time on a boat, so I'm a little nervous."

"Same," Mira said.

I laughed. "This is also my first time, but I feel fine."

"Probably as you're a water mage," Koukyuu said.

"You didn't cross the sea when picking up Carter?" Kanja asked, sitting up.

I shook my head. "We took a mountain pass instead since we were in Harun."

"I see. Come to think of it, why didn't you stop by Hoin to pick up the guy we're going to get now?

"That's because he wanted to spend more time with his brother and parents since they didn't get to," Koukyuu said.

I lowered my head. Hal and his parents spent most of their Winter Vacation with us, trying to keep us alive. If only I were older and stronger, I might've been able to pull my own weight. But that's why I had to get into Nine Petal! My magic wasn't enough to protect my home or my family. I had to get stronger before H.E.H. expanded to the rest of the region. 

"You okay?" Mira asked.

I jumped up. "On second thought, think that I'll go join the boys!"

Koukyuu turned around. "I better go meet our new member too."

Just then, the door squeaked open. We gasped as silver eyes peered back at us. The owner of the eyes backed up, running off.

"Wrong door?" Kanja asked.

"Probably," I said.

Mira stood up. "Think it's more that we spooked her."

"I agree. Think that girl might be our newest member. I'll go talk to her."

I nodded. "Alright."

Kanja laid her back on the bed again. "Alright. I'll be taking a quick nap."

"It will be quick as we'll arrive very soon," Koukyuu said, staring at her watch.

She grumbled and stood back up. "Now that I've heard that, I don't think I'll be able to sleep anymore."

I snickered. "Want to go fetch the boys with me then? We should study for the exam while we can."

She rubbed her back. "Yeah, you're right. Let's go."

I glanced at the armored girl. "Are you coming too, Mira?"

Mira fidgeted. "I'm not sure if I should. Seems that I'm scaring people."

True, the people in the lobby seemed frightened by her. Some even asked if she was a soldier. She probably made people wonder if there was someone dangerous on board.

"You shouldn't care too much what people think of you," Kanja said, patting her shoulder. "That said, they will probably ease up the more they see you around. People are naturally frightened by the unfamiliar."

I nodded. "Yeah! It's like how we're scared of going to school as kindergartners because of the unfamiliar faces and setting."

Mira patted Kanja's arm. "It's fine. Go on ahead, you two."

Kanja frowned. "Alright, if you say so."

I sighed. Even if I couldn't see her face because of the helmet, I knew she was frowning.

The armored girl waved at us as Kanja joined me at the door. "Take care. See you in a bit."

"You too," I said, waving back. My heart broke as I slowly closed the door behind us. Who would curse someone like Mira?

Kanja grumbled as we headed back to the lobby.

"Annoyed?"

She furrowed her brow. "I wished that I knew what to say to make her come with us."

I thought about Huoyin when he was younger. Getting him out of the house was tough too, but that was more so because he feared the outside world. To some extent, he still did. One time, Sarah had to resort to dragging him out, but that didn't turn out well.

I smiled at Kanja. She kind of reminded me of the princess. Wonder why she didn't pull a Sarah on Mira. Hmm, maybe she had experienced it backfiring on her. The princess did stop after Huo reacted badly; thrashing like a fish trying to escape a hook.

"Why are you smiling?" Kanja said, raising an eyebrow as she turned to look at me.

I bit my lip. "Sorry, it's just that you reminded me of a friend."

"A friend?"

"Yeah, the princess. She's kind but also has a bit of a temper."

Kanja gasped. She turned away. "I have a temper?" she mumbled to herself.

I laughed nervously. "Yeah, but it's not that bad." It wasn't as bad as the princess and Huo's when someone pushed the wrong button. Wait. Carter was like Scarlett. Would Huo really be able to train with him effectively? Then again, Nate was with him. If Carter didn't work out then he could sub in or lend Cart a hand in teaching Huo.

She huffed. "If you say so."

Augh, I should've kept that to myself.

Once arriving at the now empty lobby, we followed the directions that Koukyuu gave the boys and arrived at the deck. Several onlookers watched as Huo tried to form a fireball.

"Is that boy really a beginner?" a man said as he stood near the door. He wore a black suit and fedora hat.

I smiled. "Yeah, he barely awakened his powers yesterday if you can believe it."

He raised his cane in amazement. "Seriously?"

I nodded. "Yup! Right, Kanja?" I gasped as I realized Kanja was gone. My eyes returned to the boys, but she wasn't with them. Where had she gone?

The man gasped. "Wait, did you say Kanja?"

"Huh? Yeah. Do you know a Kanja too?"

The man raised the cane to his chin. "I have a granddaughter by that name. Or at least I did." He lowered his head. "I heard that her father fell into a life of crime after the passing of my daughter. No, for all I know he might've already been in deep. My daughter was shot by suspicious men after all. He probably had a debt with them or was part of a rival gang." He sighed. "I'm a bad father for letting her go with that man. That ruffian took my granddaughter with him following the burial of my Lessie. For all I know, she might've ended up like that good for nothing!"

Crime? Then this man's granddaughter had to be the Kanja I knew. But, why would she run off? Was she embarrassed about what she had done? Or maybe he wasn't a good guy after all. Though, something told me it was the former.

"I think that she's alive," I said.

The man's eyes lit up. "You think so? I sure hope so." He removed his hat and pressed it against his chest. "I wouldn't be able to confront my daughter if any ill came her way."

I patted the man's shoulder. "Would you like to speak to Kanja?"

"Yes, of course!"

I smiled. "Then I'll try to find her."

He gasped. "Wait, you think it's your friend?"

"Yeah, she-" I stopped myself. It wasn't my place to tell him what Kanja had tried to pull. Nor did I wish to demolish his image of her.

He lowered his head. "If she is, she probably recognized me and ran off. She probably hates me for failing to take care of her."

I bit my lip. "I don't think that's it at all. Kanja, I think she feels guilty about some of the stuff she did."

His face contorted. "You're saying that she followed her father's footsteps, aren't you?"

I grimaced. Great, I went ahead and stepped on it.

"In a way, yes."

I gasped as the ship came to a stop. I turned to my left and saw a beautiful beach with a large city beyond it. We'd arrived.

Tears stained his cheeks. "I see. Even then, I still wish to speak to her." He took out a card and handed it to me. It had a phone number on it.

"Wait, you don't wish to speak to her now?"

He put back on his hat. "I do, but you must leave now, no?"

"H-how did you-"

He laughed. "It doesn't take a detective to figure out that face you're making. It's one that my daughter had whenever she ran late." He turned away. "Plus, I think this might be for the best. From what you've said, Kanja doesn't wish to speak to me. But, when she's ready, maybe she will."

I smiled. "Yeah!"

"H-hurry, Lidia!" Carter yelled as he rushed past me.

Huo grabbed me by the wrist.

"Hey!" I yelled.

Kanja's grandfather laughed as he watched us. "Take care, young lady! Please watch over little Kanja, know that she can be a bit of a difficult child."

"I will!" I yelled back.

"Did he just say Kanja?" Huo said, slowing down.

I gripped the card and huffed. "Yes. That man's Kanja's grandfather."

"Really? Kanja will probably be happy to see him." He lowered his head. "I know that I would."

As would I. Sadly, we no longer had grandparents.

"One would think so, but she ran off. Think that she's ashamed of her past," I said.

Nate scoffed. "She should be."

Carter narrowed his eyes at him. "Can't you forgive her? I did and I was the one who got kidnapped."

He sighed. "Part of me thinks that's only because she's a girl."

The blonde's face flushed. "T-that's not t-true!"

"What's not true?" a voice called out. It was Koukyuu. Standing beside her was the white-haired girl who had poked her head into our cabin.

"So, Mira was right!" I exclaimed.

Koukyuu laughed. "Yeah, she was. This here is Tamara."

The silver-haired girl lifted up a tablet. 'Nice to meet you,' the device read.

Huo tilted his head at the girl and rubbed his chin.

"Think she might be mute or extremely shy," I whispered into his ear.

"Not that. Don't you think she looks familiar?"

I stared back at her white hair, silver eyes, and dark skin. "Not really."

He sighed. "Maybe it's just me."

"Who does she remind you of?"

"I'm not sure, but I feel as if I've met someone who looks a bit like her."

"Maybe she's related to a celebrity."

He gave me a deadpan look. "I don't watch celebrity shows nor do I keep up with them."

"Yeah, but some of our siblings do."

"True, maybe I caught a glimpse of them when going downstairs to eat."

Tamara tilted her head at us. Her tablet asked us if we were okay.

Huo and I sighed. "Yeah, we are. Sorry for chatting while you were texting to us," we said.

She shook her head and smiled.

"T-think she's fine," Carter said as he lowered his head.

"If we get another girl, I think poor Cart might pass out," Aurelius whispered.

"Yeah, probably," Huo said, rolling his eyes at Carter.

"Be nice, Huo," I said, sighing.

"We're here! Let's get going!" Kanja said as she returned to the lobby with Mira. She rushed off.

I stared back at the card that her grandfather had given me. Genkei Gojo: Private Detective. I giggled. So that's what he meant by it didn't take a detective to figure me out. Though, why hadn't he found Kanja until now? Well, given how she nearly got away from us, the girl had to be slippery.

"What's her problem?" Huo asked.

"Hope that she didn't steal something," Nate said, chasing after her.

"Oh, come on, Nate!" Carter yelled, running after her.

"Nat's not going to trust her anytime soon, is he?" Aurelius asked.

"Nope," Huo said.

"It takes a while for those who commit crimes to recuperate society's trust," Koukyuu said.

I gripped the card. Poor Kanja probably thought that her grandfather would see her as Nate did. Taking a deep breath, I put away the card and ran after them.

A fierce wind flew past, blowing the card off of my coat. "No!"

"Got it!" Aurelius yelled, flying into the air. He smiled at me before handing it back.

I beamed back at him. "Thanks, Au. You're a lifesaver."

He chuckled. "It's nothing."

Huo grumbled as he approached us.

"What's wrong?"

He turned away. "Nothing!"

I blinked.

Aurelius chuckled. "Are you jealous?"

"What? O-of course I'm not! W-why would I be?" he snapped.

Mira giggled. "I think he is."

"Who asked you?" Huo stomped away.

I sighed. "Please forgive him, Mira. Huo can be a bit of a cranky-pants."

"It's fine. I became familiar with that temper of his on the way to the boat. Kanja helped me out."

I smiled. "That was nice of her." My eyes returned to the card. Now, if only we can help her. "Hey, Mira, can you hold on to this for me?"

Mira took the card. "Sure, but what is it for?" She glanced at the card. "A detective?"

"What do you need one for?" Koukyuu asked.

"I don't. That man is Kanja's grandfather," I said.

Mira gasped and put away the card in her armor. "There, nice and safe."

I smiled. "Thank you!"

"Now, let's go catch up with Huo and the others!" I yelled.

Koukyuu sighed. "Yeah, Kanja just ran off without knowing a thing about where we're going."

I gasped as I saw a familiar face talking to Kanja, Carter, and Nate.

"Hal!" Huo exclaimed.

The brown-haired youth turned to look at him. "Hey! Are you here to pick up my little bro?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

"Great! I'll go get him. He's probably in the library like usual." He raised the plastic bag in his hands. "Was just about to give him his strawberry milk too."

"What a nice big brother you turned out to be," Koukyuu said.

Hal chuckled. "Hey, there, teach! How are you liking Hoin?"

"It's fine, but sadly, we won't be able to see much of it. We have to get going. Hopefully, we'll be able to reach Mina before sunset."

"Then I better hurry too! Follow me!" he yelled, signaling for us to follow.

I sighed. Huo and I didn't get to thank him for keeping us safe. Well, we hadn't left yet, we still had a chance!

**Solar Note: Hope that you enjoyed the chapter, if you did then be sure to click on that star! Thoughts? Theories? Predictions?**