The Way It's Done - YCM Sequel (BoyXBoy)

Chapter 7 - This way is Simpler

 The baked and arid dryness of the earth below their feet seemed to crunch with every step, the black sand crystals gleamed with the unnaturally dim light from overhead and gave an illusion of being soaked with moisture when in reality it would suck up every last drop it could. It was probably a good thing then that they decided to bring along a lot of extra water or else this place would drive them insane.

It's been about two hours since they entered this barren place and they haven't seen another intelligent soul since then. None of them had ever been this way before except for Ruki, and even he had a hard time with it because of how long it had been since he was last here. Though it seemed to bring back fond memories of the past he had before.

Ruki would notice small things about this place that he remembered well, like the small lizard like creatures peeking out of the sand to peer at them before scuttling back under because they were shy. Or the few hardy bushes sprouting out of the ground here and there in small patches. Even the one dead tree he remembered being here at the beginning was still there, still as dry and lifeless as before. But it was worse now, considering the lack of magical essence in the air. Creatures were struggling to find water because of the heat and dryness, and the above animals had to compete for whatever they could find.

The magical depletion was taking more of a toll on everything than he had anticipated and that made their mission all the more dire. Who knows what would happen should they fail?

"How much longer until we reach the rain forest?" Akira asked after dousing himself in water from a bottle he brought along. "This heat is really starting to irritate me."

Ruki smiles and drinks from another bottle, purring at the sweet relief it brought to his dry throat.

"Not very long with these horses helping us," he answers. "At this rate, we should be nearing the edges of my territory within the next eight hours or so if we hurry."

Eight hours? That sounded like torture to him. But to them it probably seemed normal to travel such a long time. These plodding horses moved at an average of about eight miles an hour, and if you were to multiply that by eight...

"So sixty four miles in eight hours?" He asks in disbelief. "If we had a car it would only take about one hour or so probably..."

Ruki rose an eyebrow and he looks over at Akira, his face amused as he examines the now pouting blonde. He chuckles and walks his horse closer to Akira's.

"Poor Akira. You're just not used to the way we do things down here yet. Don't worry you will be after a few days."

"Well... Can't these horses like fly or something? They got wings!"

It was Yutaka's turn to give a small laugh and he shakes his head.

"I'm afraid not. Their wings are very thick and rough, the lack of moisture in the air makes it hard for them to fly. Their skin would need to be constantly showered in water to maintain their flexibility and that would be a waste of precious water. The best we can do for now is walk them until there's more water around us."

Of all the things to be hindered by...

"So we can't fly until we reach the rain forest?" He asks.

"Afraid so Akira," Ruki says. "But don't worry. This way is simpler."

The teenager shivers at the feeling of Ruki's fingers against his leg and that alone makes him calmer. Perhaps this wasn't a bad thing. He and Ruki would have plenty of time together to 'bond' and such. The more he thought about it then the more the idea pleased him. He responded by putting a hand over Ruki's and keeping it there so he could quickly lean forward and kiss Ruki's forehead before putting a small distance between them and giving him a sly smile.