~ He wishes for what cannot be received - II ~

The next day I was surprised to find both Ser Vor and his disciple Hummer, accompanying us on our journey, although I had heard them talking about it, yet I couldn't really picture Xi Ken being a fun person to travel with.

Yes I was also travelling with Xi Ken on my own accord, although it wasn't the same, I had my own reasons to pursue Xi Ken and that was totally different from what the other scould come up with. I was also sure they did not know about Earth and unlike Xi Ken they would most probably get startled out of their wits if they had any inkling.

I myself couldn't get used to this.

The wind was strong and the sun was high up, marking the mid-day, as our shadows walked right beneath our feet while we journeyed across the sandy dunes.

It was a great anomaly, really alarming, because as soon as we left the chain of mountains, the green valleys and creeks morphed into rocky boulders and soon we were hit with a never ending desert ocean.

For once I did not believe that such magnificent change was possible, but features like, gritty sand, dry wind, mirage and that glaring heat, everything supported the change in scene.

I heaved with suffocation, my dress clinging to my body and the sweat pouring out in waves. I was pretty sure I was a view, a drenched rat who was dying to swim in a pool of cold water and drink continental refreshments.

But Xi Ken and the other two, they were not at all bothered with the change, not even in a slightest. They weren't even sweating!

What was more intriguing was the black robes that Xi Ken wore, I was very sure that such dark shade would make any wearer miserable if they were out under the sun for long. But he seems to be doing better than fine.

"Xi Zuen, what did you do to condition yourself to this heat?" I whispered to the man, who was following behind Ser Vor and Hummer.

"I am controlling my body's energy, the waves are constantly working with warding off the heat," he told me his secret without any fuzz, so did he want me to do the same? Could I even?

I spit out the sand that entered my mouth as soon as I opened it to reply, by now I was sure my whole face was dotted with fine sand grains and that even my feet was burning. It was painful to walk without any supporting footwear but I did not want to complain, wouldn't that just sound whiny and annoying to the rest?

"What happened?" Xi Ken asked me, his voice fading with the sudden strong gust, yet I heard it the same, since the man's face was turned towards me, and I hadn't figured it out before but his body had been shielding me for the most time so that the direct impact of the wind dust did not hit me straight on.

Now he might be aloof, but his actions were heart warming.

Feeling the warmth of his kindness, I shook my head, not wanting to complaint anymore, but he was still standing motionless, looking back at me with a frown on his lips, his tall figure completely shadowing mine, "You can tell me, I know you aren't used to this environment."

He was right, I wasn't used to this environment, someone like me who cherished indoor activities, I wasn't ready to be kicked out on a desert dune, where the struggle for survival was real.

'Although the scenes are perfect for Travel vlogs, I am not used to this.'

I shrugged childishly, as if being reprimanded by a silent spectator. And in the current scenario, it was Xi Ken who wanted me to confess my worries. So I did, "Well, my feet hurts and my whole body is getting boiled inside my suit, I really want to tear these shirts away and relax in some arctic lake, like freezing cold, or maybe drink chilled water straight from the cooler."

I knew he wouldn't understand the terms 'arctic' or 'cooler' but I was beyond sane, the threshold to my tolerance had been crossed the minute we stepped on the sand dunes.

I was sure after this journey was over, I would be permanently tan and my face, neck and feet would be sun burnt for a long while. Man, it would hurt like hell.

"I understand your problems, but endure it for a while longer, when we get to the resting inn, I will heal all your wounds." Xi Ken didn't appear as affected by my issues as I had expected him to be, he was taking my problems lightly. Maybe in this world they were used to travelling in such harsh conditions, but I was not, I was delicate.

Involuntarily, I found myself pouting at him, I was sure I never opted to using such indecent methods before ever in my life, for God's sake I was a young man, a university student, I was old enough to play mature, yet I was degrading each day since I had entered this world, because by now I was sure Xi Ken had become accustomed to my dramas.

"You want me to do something about it?"

I nodded, maintaining some look people usually called puppy face at my place, but my eyes weren't big or round, and neither was I little and cute, so I did not know what kind of a clown face I held onto. But the clown face seemed to be working when Xi Ken patted my head and turned towards his friend who I noticed had stopped as well, but a bit further ahead.

"You go ahead, we would catch up to you in a while."

Ser Vor didn't mind the request, and carried on with his disciple who trudged ahead quicker despite being short and weighting more than me. I envied his fitness, and also the strong front that made him who he was. He was the opposite of me.

But I couldn't keep my focus as a small leather pouch hindered my view, it was dark and solid, the tip corked with some wooden seal, screwed shut by a metal tip.

"Drink water, cleanse your mouth, you will feel better."

I carefully took the pouch and unscrewed it, as the cork hung below from a thin strand of jute thread. I could hear the sound of water inside as the container shook under my ministrations, and for me it was the best sound I had heard that day.

My whole body thirsted for a sip, but the nasty feel of sand grains inside my mouth made me choke. So taking a small sip just to mouthwash, I turned around and spit out the grainy water, taking in another big gulp to quench my thirst.

But being mindful of leaving some for Xi Ken, I drained more than half of my share.

Closing the tip and handing back the pouch, I wiped my mouth with the edge of my sleeves, already missing the cooling sensation of the water I just drank.

"I will give you some of my energy, try to circulate it well and maintain the circuit."

I nodded, raising my hand to take in the energy, but what I hadn't expected was for him to drag me closer to his body, and tilt his head down, just to kiss me.

My eyes remained open for a while, in shock maybe, but his warm fingers closed them as he tilted my head up and forced my lips to part with his tongue, the strong rush of cool breath easily making me give up any sort of resistance.

I opened my mouth a bit further to give him more freedom to do as he pleased, and the moving tongue tasted me as the cool breath swirled around inside, reaching deep, leaving behind a refreshing taste.

He let go, "Circulate the energy, don't just consume," he reminded, and came back to mingle with me.

I did not understand what he meant, but my body stiffened when his palm came up to cup around my chest pressing a palm there to indicate something, which I did not understand.

I parted from him in frustration, as the intensity of his kiss, and the touch, left me breathless, I was sure my eyes were in a daze, "Explain properly," I demanded as my hand came up to wrap around his neck to support myself, my feet tip toeing upwards to reach more height.

"Try to follow the same pattern of breathing as me," he explained, not at all bothered with how close I was to him, "and concentrated on how deep the energy goes once it leaves my mouth. The technique is called Respiratory dual, but don't try to do it with any other, you will only endanger your body with how much you share."

I nodded, a bit more clear headed on what to do, but the embarrassment was real, I wouldn't do this with anyone even if they were dying, it was a bit too intimate.

However, unlike before, I could feel the change in my body, it felt better than before and I wasn't nauseous anymore, and neither tired or in pain.

"We will do it once again," he told me as his lips came to capture mine and I closed my eyes to avoid the sun's glare directly above us.

His tongue was as teasing as before, unlike his own distant self, which was always frigid and emotionless.

I tilted my head to take him in better, my own tongue reaching for him as we tangled into a duel. My heartbeat quickened and his breath infused with mine on specified intervals.

I tried to breath normally as was instructed, but he kept on getting on my nerves as his tongue flicked in deeper and his reach became more intrusive.

For a quick second I thought he was taking it a bit far, the seriousness felt just an excuse to hide his own mischievous deeds, but then I never believed that someone as serious as Xi Ken would stoop that low to make advances on me, so I tried to calm down and match his breathing style.

The strive to achieve did the work as I started to feel a strange energy seeping around my skin, crawling from my neck to my chest, and spreading down from there with a stronger rush.

It was ticklish but also arousing, since the minute it reached below my torso, I breathed in a bit too sharply and the great concentration of mine broke.

"You were good," he said with a rasp and my attentive ears caught the slight breeziness in it which was new. Unlike me who was breathless and whose whole body was tingling all over from the refreshing coolness.

"But I think I broke the... circuit?" I was ashamed of the high pitched voice that came out of my lips, enough to make me flustered to a new degree.

"Try again, it will be easier this time," he made a promise and dived down to capture my lips for a third round... or maybe fourth? I was losing count.

I shamelessly craved for it, the sensation of his tongue, the caress and the dominance, over and over made my own mind shut down, going with the flow and instinctively working on maintaining the circuit this time.

Even he was trying not to distract me with less effort in his kissing and more effort in trying to supply me with energy.

The whole process was unexpected and very naughty, but I understood the breathing technique and how the whole energy thing worked.

By the time I was fluent with maintaining the circuit, we had already kissed long enough to remember the taste of each other, I was sure of it.

The burning sensation had lessened, and I didn't feel the dire need to shed clothes and dive in a pool, but now my mind was revolving around the images of our kiss and I was trying very hard to concentrate in keeping the circulation going as me and Xi Ken resumed our journey through the dunes.

We did not talk the entire time, not until we reached a small oasis, around which a collective of five mud huts sat, a row of fencing guarding the perimeter.

There in the shade beneath the small canopy just by the side of the oasis, both Ser Vor and Hummer sat, eating what looked like nuts and dry fruits.

"Pardon, for we started with the starter meal before you both could join us." Ser Vor did say he was apologetic, but his boisterous mood said otherwise.

"Welcome guests," a loud cheerful voice of a man in white robes came from inside the open reception hut, and as the man came out from under the shade I could more clearly see his wrinkled face and twinkling eyes, "please take a seat, until we get you some native dishes."

Xi Ken nodded, taking a seat on the threaded cot, the platform behind it decorated with green coconuts, that were stabbed with dry reed straws and kept upon stone holders.

"What is that?" I knew it was a coconut, the ones which had juice inside that could be drank, but I wasn't sure they were the same coconuts we got on earth or if they were some other random fruit. Because so far I hadn't seen anything resembling the same features as on Earth, except for the meat.

"They are called Nobe, a native to the deserts, you can sip on their juice and even peel the cover and eat the inside."

It was good that Xi Ken was so literate about everything present in this world, I was thankful for his detailed explanations, or else I would have been lost like always.

"You can even drink it if you want young master," the local tanned man who had greeted us earlier came to suggest, popping right next to me as if a ghost.

I almost gave a scream in fright but his friendly appearance kept me on my seat. He had really startled me.

"Is it really okay if I try one?"

He nodded, presenting the biggest Nobe to me, dipping in a large reed straw inside, the natural sweet scent escaping the hole in the shell.

I absently took to asking for permission from Xi Ken if it was safe to drink, and wasn't disappointed when I was given a green signal to go forward.

So I immediately tasted a sip, which to my delight was very sweet and aromatic, almost making me squeal. "This is great!" I chirped, and the white robed man was happy to receive the compliment.

"Good to know young master, please eat and drink until you are ready to burst, our humble abode is happy to have you visit."

The grateful welcome was a bit too biased, but I returned the sentiment with a gentle smile.

The man soon left us to our own devices and I happily wasted time on drinking from Nobe, the watery juice quenching my thirst. I sighed after a while, almost feeling full.

And not even a moment later, two more men came to us, carrying plates of dry fruits and nuts and even some main dish looking bluish in color.

There wasn't much talk between us but I echoed the same way Xi Ken ate his dishes, and by what order he ate.

I always did the same whenever we ate something new, but today I felt a bit unsettled as two set of eyes kept watching me. One belonged to Hummer and the other, surprisingly belonged to the same white robed man who attended to us.

"The blue Nago is full of seeds, but don't eat them, spit them out," Xi Ken cautioned me, which to my relief was good to know, since I had planned to swallow the entire thing.

But having received the lesson, I plucked out the seeds from the spoon, and ate a bite of the pulp.

At first the taste was sweet when I chewed it, but then the more I chewed the more it became spicy. In the end I was tearing up with how hot the taste was, and in the dessert heat it was almost unbearable.

"I forgot to tell you the more you chew it the more spicy it would be," Xi Ken reminded, but he was a bit too late, as I was already suffering.

"You did it on purpose," I whined, as my nose started to run and my tongue flamed up.

"Please drink from the Nobe young master, it would ease the spiciness." The attendant suggested me, because he could see just how much I was sniffling.

I sipped the sweet liquid and thankfully it reduced the burn.

"Here," Xi Ken offered, raising a spoon full of white grains, they smelled sweet, so I ate it immediately, the taste soothing my mouth.

"I am not eating that Blue Nugo anymore," I whimpered, feeling cheated.

Xi Ken briskly reminded me it was Nago and not Nugo, but I didn't care. What dish tasted sweet only to turn spicy by the end?

Acting a bit spoiled I opened my mouth and pointed, "More."

I wished Xi Ken would share more of that white grain with me, the soothing sweetness had been refreshing.

But Xi Ken acted as if he did not see me, so I huffed, choosing the quickest method to win his affection, "Xi Zuen, I want more. One more bite."

A loud coughing from Hummer really caught me off guard as even his master stopped eating only to look at Xi Ken and me.

I gulped, suddenly nervous, had I done something wrong?

"Here," Xi Ken shoved the spoon in my mouth and patted my head fondly as I ate the grains sincerely. He didn't look the least bothered that someone was choking on their food right then.

I wondered if Hummer's throat was going dry. It was just an assumption.