A/N: My way of apology for the long wait for the last chapter, I updated in less than a week. I'm not sure when the next one will be out because spring break is over and . . . ug . . . school is beginning again. (And I even made it longer than the other chapters!) I'm not the brightest, so school can get in the way, thank you for understanding. :)

Chapter 7: New Island, New City

It took a few day for thoughts and plans to be situated. But finally they—no,maybe it was Lana who had ordered that they go to the Mother of Waters convent. And since she would only accept the best, they had to go to one of the main islands.

With help from the maids Lana fastened a sort of sling for the baby. But somehow the thought of getting saddling her horse with the baby in the sling and then actually mounting didn't seem to foolproof. Flash looked at her expectantly, stamping his feet. Lana then saw her solution walking by.

"Zain!" He turned his head to her at the sound of his name. She pushed the baby cradled in her arms toward him. "Will you please carry her?"

He blinked. "I don't--"

"Oh, please!" She begged. "I just want to saddle my horse and mount then you can pass her to me again. I would give her to one of my brothers but they would only complain the whole time and tell me that I should be lucky they are so nice. Please?"

"W-what about Leon?" He asked, voice still as soft as ever and careful.

"Leon—well he doesn't seem like the kind. . ." She shook her head. "I think we both know that isn't going to happen."

One of the plus sides to have the small bundle of joy around was Leon seemed to avoid her with something much like disgust. He didn't seem to mind doing anything to make a child but the thought of an actual child set him off. Lana shook her head.

"Please?"

Zain flicked his gaze to hers for a moment before smiling grimly and setting off his dimple. He sighed. "Alright. It won't be my fault if it breaks."

"She! She, she, she!" Lana said, exasperated. "She has a gender and that gender just so happens to be female! SHE!"

That twitched a real smile out of him. "Hand her to me."

Lana settled her in Zain's arms, placing his hands in the correct spot for holding and supporting everything. Lana readied Flash in record time. She surprised herself so much that she had to be sure she had not done something wrong in her haste which ended up taking just as much time if she had just done it slowly.

She mounted. Finally ready she turned back to Zain. She caught him looking down at . . . at . . . saying 'the baby' didn't seem right. It felt too impersonal. But Damien had forbidden any other kind of name thinking Lana would get too attached. Which sadly, was probably true.

Tiny as she was, the baby gurgled and gooed loud while flailing her small arms. Zain put out one of his fingers which she grasped immediately. Lana had gotten a healer to look at the child. The healer said she was at least three months old, and healthy enough. Healthy enough because, as she said, babies are supposed to have plenty of baby fat and this one had used some of it for survival.

Three months? Who could keep a child for that long and then drop it off? But there had to have been something else, had to have been. A day or two isn't enough time to waste away a healthy amount of baby fat and by then she would have started crying loudly enough for someone to notice, surely. So . . . had she been malnourished to begin with?

Lana dropped the questions from her mind like hot burning coals. And just like hot burning coals she was sure they would start a fire, one of rage if she continued to dwell on them. So she didn't.

"Lana?" Zain's voice snapped her from her thoughts.

She refocused her eyes and threw on a smile. She unclenched her fist reminding herself she wouldn't let those thoughts bother her.

"Lana!" Vincent called. "If you actually plan on going through with this you better speed it up. The boat may just leave soon!"

Lana sighed and muttered something about 'brothers' before holding out her hands to Zain. He lifted the baby up carefully, causing her to squirm a little bit and cry out. Lana took hold and settled the baby against her own body in the sling. When Lana turned to try and thank Zain he was already walking away. Just as he stepped around the building Damien and Vincent pulled up beside her.

Zain reappeared with his horse, Nezumi. He was shaking his head and saying something to Leon, who was on the other side of him. He stopped talking and shook his head harder. Then Zain stopped all together and gave his full attention to Leon. Lana didn't know if he said anything because his head was turned away from her but whatever he did seemed to stop the conversation because he mounted Nezumi and rode up to meet the rest of the part. After a while so did Leon.

Lana turned to her brothers before Zain and Leon caught up with them. She opened her mouth to speak.

"Drop it." Damien said instantly, before she could get a word out.

Lana closed her mouth with a scowl. Then, "Drop what?"

"That is Zain and Leon's business, not ours." Vincent said in that swinging, sing-song voice he used for almost anything.

"And how do you know I was going to say anything about that?" She said in a harsh whisper because Zain and Leon had drawn closer.

"We know you." Both of them said as if it explained everything. And it probably did.

"Sometimes I think the two of you conspire against me." Lana stated.

Vincent grinned. "Always." At the look on her face he laughed.

With much joggling to the baby and crying on her part, they reached the very small boat dock on time. Just the thought of being on a boat, even for a maximum of two days, made Damien hesitate. Eventually they got him on the boat, but his face remained the same green color throughout their ride.

The captain was a man named Yoroi. He was a solidly built man with dark hair and beard with a dark tan from so much time in the sun. He told them the basic rules of his boat and then they set off. Usually with long speeches like that, Lana didn't bother to try and pay too close attention and translate word for word, even in her mind. She took the basic meaning by catching words and phrases. This worked nine out of ten times. It was usually very embarrassing when she hit that last one and she got the meaning wrong.

Lana hummed a tuneless song to the baby as she fed her warmed goat milk from a leather sack made especially for her. While she did that she let her mind wander.

The man Yoroi, she knew his name meant "armor" in Yamani. Wasn't it odd that he would be a sailor? Didn't armor sink in water? The name seemed to fit him, strong, but not what he had decided to be. She shrugged. She had never believed that names decided a future.

She hadn't noticed she had stopped her humming, but the child in her arms stayed quiet and content.

A rough voice, speaking Yamani sounded to her left. She jumped in surprise. Her Yamani wasn't so good as her Common or Karucian so the words didn't translate automatically when she wasn't paying any kind of attention.

"Pardon?" She said trying her hardest to be polite when she realized it was Captain Yoroi.

"I said, this one would make a fine sailor." It took a moment for Lana to realize he was talking about the baby.

"What makes you say that?" She asked pulling the leather feeder away

He reached a hand to the baby and put his forefinger near the little one's hand. She immediately grasped it with all her tiny fingers. "Good grasp," he said in his rough voice. "The young man in your party, he's got one of the weakest stomachs I have ever seen. Even this small one has a better one. Strong as steel, a good sign. And . . . the waves seem to calm him."

"Her," Lana corrected without thinking.

"I see." He said. "What's her name?"

Lana hesitated in answering. She decided on the truth. Telling the truth was often the simplest way to do things. Not always the most pleasant, but it got you where you needed to go more often than not. "I don't know. I found her abandoned."

"Abandoned." Yoroi repeated with a shake of his head.

He seemed to feel strongly for children or at least that was the vibe Lana received from him. So when she asked her next question she didn't feel bad or hesitant. "Do you have any children?"

Yoroi looked out onto the waves when he answered. "No. My wife and I have always wanted children but she has yet to be able to carry one to term."

Before Lana could even think of something to say one of the crew members was calling him. Yoroi nodded to Lana before returning to business.

Damien stayed below deck, refusing to come out. He swore up and down that if he didn't see the water, he'd manage. Lana could do nothing but accept his reasoning if only because he was stubborn enough not to care what she said anyways. Though she herself didn't think it helped him any.

Lana's necessity for only a few hours of sleep seemed to be a good trait when taking care of a child. Despite all of the energy she put into taking care of the baby girl Lana found herself filled with another kind of energy, the restless kind.

She made rounds about the boat, sometimes with the baby and sometimes not, in an attempt to keep the restlessness at bay. She had felt this way few enough times that it bothered her.

Due to some bad weather, they were forced to stay upon the boat for an extra day. When the news reached Damien he had been none to pleased. He had groaned loudly. No one had ever been entirely sure where Damien received his almost completely solitary and emotionless attitude from, but it was how he was. So for him to show so much emotion conveyed just how much it bothered him, though that was no great secret to begin with.

Leon succeeded in avoiding her in the duration of their time on the boat, but then again Lana made no real effort to seek him out.

At times, Lana would hand her small charge to someone to carry for a while who would in turn hand her to someone else. At one point, it reached Yoroi. Lana had caught sight of him. The light in his eyes was enough to tell her of his joy. It made Lana sad to think that someone would throw their child away when others, like Yoroi, wanted children so badly.

Even with his harsh looks and rough voice, Yoroi was a nice, softhearted man where children were concerned. Business was another matter.

Lana sighed. After putting the baby girl down for the night (though with babies it was hardly ever so final) Lana still wasn't tired. Well, her mind wasn't tired.

She walked out and looked up at the darkened night sky. It was cloudy, not a star to be seen. At the sight she sighed louder.

"Is there something the matter?" The suddenness of the voice surprised her, even as soft as his voice was.

Lana smiled to Zain. "No, I had just been hoping to see some stars but it seems my luck is no so good."

"Sometimes its the small things that make the day." Zain said. Lana smiled.

"Yes," She said. "Just as long as they don't forget about the big things too."

"What do you mean by that?" He seemed genuinely interested to know her answer.

Lana had never seen him in such a mood to talk without her asking questions or prodding him in some way. It didn't bother her in the least. "It takes a balance. Don't look too closely at the small things and don't get lost in the big ones. I think thats all I meant."

Zain nodded, but his silence seemed to have returned.

Lana walked a little more to the front of the boat. The islands had always been within view around them but the one they were headed to was closest now. "We'll be there in the morning." Lana remarked.

Vincent, who had been watching this encounter, turned back down into the cabin. "Damien, do you think we should worry about the other one?"

Damien was laying on one of the bunks, a thin pillow over his head.

"I don't know." Came the muffled reply.

Vincent didn't think much of his brother's answer. He knew Damien wasn't feeling well and that that was the only reason he wasn't more into protecting their sister. Any other day though . . .

"Well," Leon's voice interjected into the conversation. "I'm going to go out on a limb and say I'm the first one, because the two of you seem to keep a pretty keen eye on me."

"And for good reason." Vincent said seriously with a smile that was none too friendly. Leon smiled back as if they were old buddies.

"So, you must be referring to Zain as 'the other one'." He said entering the very small, already cramped cabin.

"I don't think the question was directed at you." Vincent said, the warning smile still present on his face.

But Leon ignored that. "And to answer the question: in all my time with Zain, I have never seen him at all attracted to anyone. At one time I thought maybe men was his way, but he isn't attracted to men or women. All in all, I don't think you should worry too much about 'the other one'."

"How long have you known Zain?" Vincent asked.

Leon smiled. "I thought I wasn't supposed to be part of the conversation." And with that he made his leave.

"I really don't like him." Damien's voice came from under the pillow.

"You and me both." Vincent said.

The baby—Lana still disliked referring to her as 'the baby'. She shook her head. The baby seemed to have picked up some of her restlessness. She fidgeted and squirmed and cried out.

"Shh, shh," Lana said as soothingly as she could. "Its all right, lovely, its okay."

"Lana," Vincent said over her shoulder. "Time to go. Damien's already off the boat. Last one on, first one off; go figure."

Lana laughed lightly. "I'll be there soon."

Stepping off the boat Lana was hit with the immediate differences between the smaller island and this larger, more mainstream one. Louder sounds, more people, more buildings, bigger structures.

Was she really going to leave a baby amidst all of this? Without parent-like figures? Only a convent? But the time it would take to find someone who wanted to take care of the child might make her brothers far more irritated with her.

With a sudden thought she wanted to smack herself. She turned back onto the boat. Vincent called after her but she kept on going.

"I'll be right back." She said before stepping back onto the boat. She stopped one of the crew members. "Excuse me, where can I find Captain Yoroi?"

The man told her where he was and she thanked him. She raced tot he opposite side of the boat still hearing Vincent and now Damien calling after her. Lana didn't bother answering them.

She found him. His back was facing her. That gave her enough time to compose herself before getting his attention. Lana cleared her throat, "Captain Yoroi?"

He turned around. "I thought you had to leave soon. Something urgent."

"My brother is the one who wanted to leave so soon. Him and his weak stomach." Lana paused. How to phrase her next thoughts? And without getting too personal? She'd only known him three days after all and from what she could tell (or maybe just what others said, she couldn't remember) Yamani were very private.

Blunt, go with blunt. Her thoughts told her and she understood the reasoning behind it. At worst, he'll be outraged, she would be chased off the boat and the baby would still be fine enough to go to the Mother of Waters convent.

"Do you like her?" Lana asked.

"Who? The little one?" Lana nodded. "She's a good one."

Lana paused. "I told you that I found her, thats true. But I can't take care of her, I'm too young. I'm probably going to leave her at the Mother of Waters convent."

Yoroi nodded. "Sounds reasonable, she isn't yours."

"B-but I want her to have a real family, with parents." Lana said. She swallowed. "I know its probably very forward of me but . . . would you like to be her family?"

Yoroi paused, froze was a better word. Then shook his head but Lana waited still. She would wait for him to give her an answer. "You foreigners."

Lana could handle a little name calling. And foreigner wasn't that bad, in fact it was what she was. "That isn't a no."

The captain nodded as if saying he knew it wasn't a no. "My wife would be thrilled."

Something like hope swelled in Lana's chest. But she had to be sure. No false understandings. "Are you saying you'll take her in, treat her like you would one of your own?"

Yoroi nodded slowly. "Yes, yes."

Lana wanted to jump for joy, hug the man, kiss him on the cheek . . . something! But she calmed herself. She looked him directly in the eye. "Please, don't ever hurt her."

"I wouldn't." And she believed him.

Lana handed him everything. The baby along with all of the things Lana had gathered to care for her. With her packs lighter she looked at the captain. He, however, was looking down at the bundle now in his arms. With one last kiss on the child's head Lana was about to walk away when Yoroi's voice stopped her momentarily.

"I live near the ocean on this island, the edge of town. Its the only house so far away from everyone, should be easy to find. Come visit any time."

Lana bowed with a bob of her head. "I will try."

Finally, she stepped off of the boat.

"Where's the runt?" Vincent asked.

"With her new family, or the start of it." Lana answered somewhat sadly. Yes, of course, she was happy but she would still miss 'the little runt' as Vincent so affectionately put it. She put on a smile. "Come on let's go see the city."

"What?" Damien asked. "Just like that? You've found a family for her? Do you mean we came all this way on that blasted boat for nothing?"

"No." Lana said, she wanted to snap but she knew her brother was cranky from the boat ride. "Without that boat ride I might not have met the man who would care for her."

Lana didn't say anything else as she took Flash's reins and walked into the city. Three of the four men exchanged glances. Zain being the only one who didn't as he looked after the young woman.

It seemed their adventures in this new city, this new island were going to begin.

A/N: I'm pretty sure there is going to be action in the next one. Joy! Now I know I'm not that great at action scenes, but I do my best. . And! Watch closely! Something important will begin in the next chapter . . . (Well if it turns out right).

I had wanted to make this one longer, but my sister was all like . . . go to sleep . . . I need my sleep . . .wah. So sorry about that. If it makes you feel any better, its still longer than the previous chapters.

Oh, and I do appreciate it when you REVIEW!