Chapter 5

Many hours had passed since Nathan and Lucy departed from the starting platform, and although their clothes looked fine, the same thing couldn't be said about themselves…

"Huu… huu… Nate, Naaate~ It's so hot out here. How do they expect a delicate lady such as me undertake such a harsh trial~?" Lucy whined for the first time, yet the light in her emerald green eyes didn't dampen a single bit.

Nathan took another sip from his bamboo tube and informed, "Well, at least I got my second piece of good news today. It seems like the space inside the bottle is about 20 to 25 times larger. Looks like you were right. The tube is spatially enlarged! Isn't that great?"

Nathan seemed really happy to have found a ray of hope in such desperate traits.

"Great!~ looks like our odds of survival just went up a few notches!" Lucy paused for a moment before asking curiously, "What is the first piece of good news then?"

"Oh? I found a beautiful teammate to accompany me on my travels, what else can it be?"

Lucy blushed lightly at the compliment, and replied smilingly "Oh? You're learning how to tease now?"

Nathan shrugged while walking through the unbearable heat, "Spend some time with the master and you pick up a few things, even if you don't want to."

"We will see about that, little ice cube~"

They were treating the banter as a way to distract themselves from the uncomfortable situation they were in, treating each other's voice as an oasis in the middle of this burning hell.

Nathan suddenly stopped and started looking around.

"What are you looking for, Nate?" Lucy was curious of his sudden change in behavior, as the past few hours had been quite monotonous. 

Nathan made sure there was finally no one in sight before turning to look at Lucy,

"We started this journey together, then we must finish it together as well…"

He pulled out nine, finger sized pointy pieces of stone. Nathan immediately felt his arm cool down. It was such a nice feeling, akin to drinking a nice and cool glass of water in a hot sunny day. It brought him some much needed comfort.

Lucy looked at him, stunned! "What a coincidence! I was planning on sharing them with you, but I guess you beat me to it…" Lucy also pulled out a few stones resembling the exact same ones in Nathan's hand. They numbered five, just 4 less than his.

"I was planning on taking more, but I guess my appearance drew some attention to me. I didn't want to expose myself and put create more dangers to face later on, so I could only stop…" Her explanation again, resonated with Nathan, causing him to find her even more attractive.

Few know of the joys of finding someone whose thought process is so similar to themselves, yet also very unique at the same time. No matter how much time you get to spend with such a person, you are always left desiring for more…

Nathan picked up two of his pieces and added it hers.

Seeing his gesture, Lucy felt touched, feeling butterflies in her stomach. One cannot underestimate the importance of these stones. It was like giving shoes to a barefoot man, trekking in the middle of a desert with no end in sight, but a hundred time more important.

Shoes could be found, but these stones? Impossible

"Let's secure these on different parts of our body so we can feel a semblance of comfort."

Nathan's voice pulled Lucy out of her thoughts, the way she looked at him also changed subtly, now, it held something more than just friendship, "Okay~"

They ended up putting 2 pieces on the two sides of their heads, a single piece on their waist, 2 pieces on their inner thighs, to which Nathan enjoyed the scene of Lucy securing the stones there very much, finding her smooth legs very tempting, and 2 pieces near their shoes, as their feet was literally walking on living flame, leaving them with a single piece of stone, each.

"Hey Nate! Help me secure the last one on my back, and I'll help you put on yours!~" Lucy turned around and pushed her amber colored hair to side. The hair and the orange colored dress really went along together, though what stunned Nathan was something else. 

The sole sight of her fair white neck looked very erotic, something Nathan didn't think possible.

"Nate?" seeing the lack of response, Lucy turned around, and saw Nathan staring at where she stood, his cheeks a bit flushed.

Connecting the dots, she suddenly grinned, "Did you find the view of my body interesting?~"

"Interesting indeed. 10 out of 10. Would pay to watch again." Having spent some time with her, Nathan was slowly getting bolder.

Lucy nodded to herself, very pleased with his response, "Well, All you had to do was ask~"

She turned around and said, "For now, the stone first."

"Wait, I have a better idea! Don't turn around."

Nathan got to work and tore the sash off his bag. He wrapped the string around the stone a couple of times, making sure the stone has no chance of falling out, and created a necklace!

He approached her put the necklace on her.

Feeling that he finished his task, Lucy let go of her hair, which stopped right in front of his face, hitting him with her rich scent of cherry blossoms. He couldn't help but take a deep breath, already addicted.

When Lucy looked down, and saw the simple crude stone necklace, she almost broke down crying. He made her a necklace! She was on cloud nine, feeling really happy at the moment.

"Do you like it?"

"I love it!~" Lucy seemed to like her gift very much!

"Well, for now, it's better to flip the necklace so the stone would cover your back."

Hearing his advice Lucy complied, albeit unwillingly. She wanted to look at her necklace all day!

Lucy turned around, "your turn~"

Nathan didn't think much and turned around, when Lucy suddenly hugged him from behind, bringing back the heavenly feeling of her breasts flattening across his broad back.

Lucy whispered to his ear with her soft voice, making him feel ticklish, "Do you like it?"

"I love it…" Nathan replied honestly. His voice starting to sound hoarse from all her teasing. She seemed like an expert, navigating her way into his heart. A place where nobody was able to get in so many years…

Lucy pushed her head deeper into his back, trying to hide her shyness. Turns out everything has a limit, even her boldness.

"Me too. Then let's do it more often in the future, okay?" Lucy muttered.

"If it's you, then anywhere, anytime."

Hearing his reply, Lucy smiled and stepped back and got started on making her gift. After their little moment together, they both felt closer to each other. Despite their previous experiences, they could both feel they could trust the person in front of them with their backs. It was the only thing helping them at moving forward in the harsh environment, when everything else seemed against them…

Lucy tore a piece of her dress and used it as a string to create his necklace. After she finished putting on his necklace, she patted his back, "you can't ever lose my gift, understand?~"

Nathan looked at his necklace and understood why she looked so happy. Truly, it's the small things that make a big difference. He could still smell a hint of her scent coming from the string, causing his brain to enter a sense of euphoria. 

After Lucy finished, they started walking once again with nothing but sand in sight, a new determination sprouted in both of them. To take on any challenge they face, side by side…

The pieces of stone immediately showed their effects. Their bodies instantly cooled down, and they no longer needed to drink so much water just to stay conscious. A single sip could last them up to half an hour. If they used it sparingly, they had enough water for a few days.

The sun was directly in the middle of the sky, a sign that it was barely midday. They had a long time till the sun set, where the transition to the night, would be the only break they get from the harsh weather.

They continued walking for a few more hours, yet nothing changed. Not a single hint of life to be seen. There was no sign of any death either, making Nathan all the more certain, that there was only sand in the desert.

Not a single piece of bone or a broken branch of a dead bush could be found…

Feeling slightly hungry, Nathan turned to Lucy, "Let's ration our food. We have 5 loaves of bread, so lets eat half a loaf per day, separating each half into 4 parts to eat during each time of the day. This way we can stay in top shape, and last up to ten days. I hope that is enough time for us to reach the end of this desert."

Lucy felt that his plan was logical, "Sure! Then let's do just that. Since this is a trial, there must be a way to finish it. As long as there is a way, we will find it!"

Nathan nodded, "Indeed. We'll take a short break before continuing then. Since there is no shade, let's just sit down."

They simply sat down and pulled out a piece of bread, enjoying their simple meal in the other's presence. The bread was dry, and a bit stale, having no flavor at all, but they had to make do with whatever they got.

After a quick sip of water, they didn't stay for a moment longer, as every second counted, and continued onward, until the sun was about to set. It seemed they had a new challenge ahead of them…

Many knew the harsh sun of the desert was not the most dangerous enemy they had to face. The worst had yet to come…

The night…