Chapter Two : Onwards To A New Home - part 2
The two headed out into the hot, dry desert hand in hand. The wind was whipping and picking up sand that would then blast their skin. The wind was leaving burn marks on Sora's exposed skin. The combination of high-speed wind and sun-exposed sand, made it feel like tiny hot coals were being thrown at you every time the wind picked up. Even though this hurt, Sora did her best not to make a big deal out of it and instead tried to hide her pain from Rio. But Rio had noticed what was happening and tried to help anyway. Rio took her coat off and wrapped it around Sora's waist in hopes that it might protect her legs even by a little bit. Rio had tied the sleeves behind Sora's back so that the coat would drape over the front of her legs. Rio also gave Sora her goggles in order to shield her eyes from the sand. Sora protested at first, but Rio forcefully stuck them on to Sora's head and told Sora that she could use her hat to get the same protection. Sora couldn't help but slightly blush with how much care Rio was giving her. At the same time, Sora felt terrible. Sora felt like she was really taking advantage of Rio at this point. Sora then decided she would do her best not to rely on Rio's kindness too much until she could return the kindness she has already received.
After walking for about 20 minutes they stopped under a large rock that stuck up high out of the sand. Calling it a rock was an understatement. It was more of a boulder than just an ordinary rock. Even though they had only been walking for 20 minutes, with the heat and wind continuously hammering down on to them, it felt like they had been walking for more than 2 hours. The two sat down on a smaller rock that was hiding in the boulder's shadow.
"We should rest up here for a bit. How are your feet doing?" Rio asked as she pulled out a flask from the small sack she was carrying.
"They are doing fine. The scarf you wrapped around my feet is keeping them safe." Sora lifted her feet into the air and wiggled her toes.
Rio couldn't help but giggle a bit. Rio found that being with Sora was not uncomfortable in the slightest. She felt rather relaxed with Sora . She did not feel nervous like she normally would after meeting someone for the first time. Rio took a drink of water from her flask and then passed it over to Sora.
"Here drink some. I'm sure you are thirsty." Rio said smiling.
"It's ok! I can't take your water. I will be fine!" Sora smiled as she politely pushed the flask away.
To Sora, she did not want to take away Rio's water. Rio has already done so much for her that she just couldn't bring herself to be so selfish. The flask that Rio had passed her was small. So Sora figured there was not much water in there. With so little water there was not going to be enough for the both of them. Even if the trip was a short one. With the difficulty of walking on the soft desert sand, along with the heat, and the dry air of this desert. This combination of events was able to dehydrate a person within minutes. Sora herself was already showing signs of dehydration. Not only has she been walking in the hot, dry desert air, but she has also been dealing with it for well over an hour now without a single drop of water. Not to mention she has been sweating nonstop due to these extreme conditions. The temperature was well over 50°C. Maybe even higher than that. Rio could see the signs of dehydration forming on Sora. Sora's lips were starting to dry up and crack. Sora's skin was also starting to look very dry as well. Rio was not going to watch Sora suffer like she was. Rio was sure that Sora was experiencing other signs of dehydration as well that were not visible to the eye.
Rio undid the top of the flask and turned it upside down. The water flowed from the flask on to the ground. Sora was surprised by Rio's actions as she watched the water splash on to the sand. Sora couldn't help but to lick her dry lips at the sight of the water. Sora was thirstier than she herself had thought. Sora quickly snapped out of her trance like state and looked up at Rio.
"W-Why are you doing that?" Sora asked. Sora was really perplexed by Rio's actions.
"This flask is an artifact from ancient times. It will never run out of water. See isn't it strange that I have held it upside down now for a while and yet the water still keeps flowing out?" Rio softly smiled at Sora.
"Now that you mention it." Sora's eyes widen in surprise.
"So please drink some water. I can tell that you are already showing signs of dehydration. If you don't drink something soon you might collapse and get sick." Rio said in a concerned tone. Rio then passed the flask over to Sora.
Sora hesitantly took the flask from Rio and pressed the mouth of the flask to her lips. As soon as the cold water hit her tongue, Sora couldn't help but to shamelessly chug the water. The water spilled out from the corners of Sora's mouth and down her cheeks as she continued to drink. Rio couldn't help but smile softly at Sora. Rio knew that Sora was trying her best to not impose on her. Even to the point that Sora would allow herself to suffer to this point. The reason why she turned the flask upside down in the first place was to show Sora that it would never run out of water. Because Rio knew if she told Sora the flask could produce unlimited water. That Sora might not have believed her and was just saying that in order to get her to drink, while still refusing the flask. With that in mind, Rio found it best to just prove it by tipping the flask upside down. After Sora had her fill of water she passed the flask back to Rio, slowly got down on her knees and pressed her head into the desert sand.
