One Shots

72. [Sleepless Nights]

Somehow, today was even hotter than it was yesterday. No matter how much he fanned himself, the heat seared through and tried to burn him. Even Sayaka, who was so resilient, struggled to keep cool as she constantly wiped her forehead with a handkerchief, her kimono sleeves shrugged off her shoulders and tied around her waist.

    Doing anything in this heat was going to be near impossible without overheating.

    Sayaka staggered, and Gin grabbed her arm to steady her before she fell over. It was almost too bright to see her face.

    "Are you okay?" Gin asked.

    She mumbled something incoherent in response. She summoned some wind with the power of her Anemo Vision, which although it didn't last long, cooled them down just enough to get back on their feet. He pulled her into the shade, and they sat down for a while. Gin passed a canteen of water to Sayaka, who downed it without stopping. Her hair stuck to her face from moisture, her skin flushed red from heat.

    "Should we just rest today?" Gin mumbled, pulling his hair up into a higher knot so it didn't brush his neck: it was too stifling otherwise. "It's too hot to do any work today, and if we collapse on the road, thieves will come out."

    "But we're in the middle of villages, we haven't gotten anything done today, wouldn't it be bad to give in for the day?" Sayaka said, wiping her forehead again. "We should at least do something productive first, right?"

    "We can take the day to get out of the heat. There's no benefit in forcing ourselves."

    Sayaka didn't look convinced, but she didn't argue back. She sat in silence for a minute before she gasped in what Gin knew to be delight.

    "I know! Let's go swimming!" Sayaka exclaimed, tossing her hands into the air. "There should be a lakeshore nearby, we can swim the heat away! Who knows, maybe we can go fishing too!"

    Swimming? Oh, swimming...

    Despite uncertainties, Gin found himself smiling at the thought. He hadn't gone swimming in a long time...

    "Alright," he said. "Let's go."

***

    The lakeshore wasn't too far from where they had stopped. As soon as the water was close enough, Sayaka tossed her belongings onto the ground, peeled off her armor and shoes, and ran into the water.

    "Cold! Gin, it's cold!" She called out. "C'mon! Or I'll drag you in here myself!"

    He made sure that their belongings were safe from thieves before he followed Sayaka into the water. But he lingered closer to the shore, only his knees in the waves. Being any further in would bring back memories he would rather keep at the bay.

    They spent the entire day by the lakeshore: Sayaka ended up taking off her clothing until she was left in her undergarments, swimming around the entirety of the lake with glee. Gin took her discarded clothing and hung them on a line he strung to dry, and strung another line so that he could put his own clothing after he washed them. He started up a fire to begin cooking lunch, and while Sayaka ate, Gin fished for whatever was in the lake. There wasn't much, but the fish he caught tasted delicious once he roasted and seasoned them up.

    The day was bearable now, and was even more so now that the sun dipped low the horizon, making the sky a brilliant mix of gold and crimson. The heat had died down significantly, so Gin let his hair down against his shoulders to relax.

    "Hey, Gin?" Sayaka asked as she began to set up their camp for the night, unfurling their nighttime supplies. "Are you okay?"

    "Hm?"