Koji learned early on just how protective Nori could be for those she cared for. A few months after they’d met the girls, they were all gathered on Onekahakaha beach again. He and Razor had almost missed the sugar train down to Hilo trying to clean up and look presentable. He wanted to make a good impression on Mariko, only for her to spend most of her time with Franklin. There’d been an anxious hum in the air, and Koji noticed that Leia sat quiet most of the afternoon, uncomfortably fidgeting with a piece of fishing line he later learned she used to string leis.

“Who wants to go swimming?” Franklin asked, with a sly grin Koji would later come to hate.

The girls stayed seated on the blanket as Franklin and Razor stood, already taking off their shirts.

“Not me,” Leia said, her voice distant, just above a whisper. It was the first time she’d spoken since they’d said their hellos.

“What’s wrong?” Franklin asked. “Water’s calm, yeah, nothing to be afraid of.”

“She doesn’t want to swim,” Nori said. “She isn’t afraid.”

“I’m not swimming either,” Mariko chimed in.

Koji watched Leia grow more agitated. “Me neither,” Koji said.

“Come on then,” Franklin nudged Razor. “It’s hot. We’ll just cool off, yeah.”

He and Razor laughed as they ran down to the water. Koji stayed sitting on the blanket, and it was then that Nori came over and sat by him, asking for his help with Leia. From that day on, they shared a trust that had never been broken.

* * *

Now that the harvest was over, the plantation would be quiet through the next month, and Koji was finally taking up Nori and Samuel’s offer to stay down in town with them. As the lava continued to flow toward Hilo, he knew the locals were growing more anxious with each passing day. This used to be his favorite time of the year, when he’d finish up the harvest and spend happy weeks with Mariko down in Hilo. With her gone, Koji had kept to himself the past two years, numb to everything. It had been much easier to hide away on the plantation, knowing Razor would come by. This year was different: not only did he want to wait out the lava flow along with the rest of the community, he also needed to clear the air with Daniel.