"Wait over there."

"You're going down there!?"

With his finger, Ryuji pointed to a nearby rock that stood as high and wide as an adult. His voice was low and lenient, but any kindness that used to reside in it had vanished. The glare he held shared a similar fate which caused Ash to look at him with unease. But even with the sudden change in atmosphere, the young lad still managed to feel concerned.

"You need to go over to that rock and wait behind it. A kid shouldn't see what's about to happen."

Upon heeding his resolve, all he could do was nod as he walked down the dune and over to the rock. Once Ryuji saw Ash get behind it, he turned his attention to the mercenaries. What struck him immediately were their expressions. Their equipment and their exact number came next.

After a few more moments of observation, Ryuji breathed in deeply and then set off. He walked down the dune with his sheathed katana residing in his hand. As he approached, the people sitting around turned their attention toward him slowly. They shuffled around, some rising to their feet, others refusing to even get up and meet him.

"Uh, hello? Is there something you need, friend?"

The blonde man strode forward, leaving his captive sitting on the sand. Ryuji and her eyes locked. For a second, there was confusion and fear in them. Then with resolve, she shut them. Carefully she opened them before gazing off into the distant sands instead of him. As if she were ignoring his existence, she continued to blankly look.

"Yes, there is, actually. I need that girl over there to come with me."

The man's face scrunched up with obvious displeasure. "Look, if you think you're some hero saving a poor damsel, then you have the wrong idea. Buddy, this girl right here is a psychopath. You don't want anything to do with her. Hell, I can't even count the number of people she's killed, and I bet neither can she!" He raised his voice as if he was complimenting some kind of joke he just made that was sure to be funny.

"I have no delusions of saving an innocent girl. I'm doing this because I owe her one." Ryuji didn't stand amused and merely continued to grip his sword tight.

"You owe her one? You're going to go through all this trouble just because of a debt!? Man, swordsmen tend to be dumb, huh?"

"Yeah, I can't deny I'm a little dumb, which is why I'm going to ask this question of you. Will you let her go peacefully?"

All he got was a blank stare that radiated hostility. The wind blew, and sand kicked up in between them. When the dust settled, the shit-eating grin had reappeared on the blonde man's face.

"Well, guess you did preface it by saying how dumb it would be, so I can't be too angry, I suppose. Still, do you realize how much trouble we've gone through to get this cat? Three years! Three years of my fucking life and everyone else here's life down the drain! Not counting the guys who never made it here, to begin with! And now you want me to give that girl up? Without a fight?"

"Yeah, that pretty much sums it up nicely for me."

"Okay, big guy, let's say that you get her out of here, then what? You think she'll stop being hounded? She'll get chased to every corner of this damn world without rest. All you'll be doing is prolonging the inevitable."

The man signaled the others, and they began surrounding him. Ryuji was completely encircled, but he only continued to stare at the man in front of him.

"I only owe her one debt. It's not my problem what happens to her after this."

"Is that so?"

From the rock some distance away, Ash watched. He had peaked his head out from behind the cover and moved up so he had a better view. That was when he witnessed something spectacular. The men surrounding Ryuji had suddenly fallen to the ground, then without stopping, he severed their leader's head. Ash couldn't register what had just happened. He had never seen somebody die before. His head swirled, and something deep in his gut ached from the scene. He clutched his stomach while holding a hand over his mouth as if to stop what was coming up. That was when he heard a cry. At the sound of it, he forgot his own worries and looked back.

Ryuji stood with his sword drawn dripping blood. His left eye seemed unfocused, and his cheek under it was starting to get a bloody bruise. The man who should've been dead stood with his head in his hands before reaching it like it was nothing.

"That was pretty rude, you know. How come you just knocked out my subordinates but cut my head right off without any warning? If I was anybody else, you would have some blood on your hands."

The demeanor he carried did not match the words spilling from his mouth as he entered a fighter's stance. He appeared to be having fun.

He threw sand from his palm into Ryuji's face before fainting a right then throwing a left. But even with all his maneuvering, Ryuji merely sent both his arms falling to the ground.

"Not enough, friend!"

Without stopping, the man unleashed a roundhouse kick that landed squarely on Ryuji's jaw. The ground quaked as the swordsman flew through the air, landing on top of one of the unconscious men. The onslaught continued with an ax kick that was barely dodged. The man Ryuji was under suffered a fatal blow. A single slice separated the man into two halves that fell onto the ground in a pool of red.

"You can't kill me if you haven't figured that out yet. I'll just piece myself back together, no matter how many bits you slice me down into."

"I have to say you're pretty good; you're wasting yourself on a woman like her. All she's good for is killing."

Ryuji's eyes sharpened into a glare. "Is that what you think? I personally thought her singing voice was quite beautiful." His answer was playful, but the intention behind it was coated in malice.

"Oh yeah, her little stint she did while on the run. She would go to every tavern bar or showhouse that would let her in and perform. Pretty disgusting if you ask me. A piece of garbage like her trying to fit in with common folk. She should have left her dreams behind; maybe then she could have run for a little longer."

"Garbage?"

"Yeah, garbage like her doesn't deserve dreams. I should know; I'm garbage too."

"Oh, I see. People like her don't deserve happiness in your eyes, huh? I hate people like you. You think that just because you're trash, you can tell when someone else is a kindred spirit. Like you're some kind of god when it comes to judging character when in reality, you hate yourself and find solace in the thought that other people are just as hopeless as you are."

Debris kicked up as Ryuji launched forward, barreling with his blade toward his target. Even though the sand was slowing him down, his strike was still too fast for the immortal amateur. As the edge sank into his neck and started to sever his head once more, Ryuji spoke calmly and clearly, yet behind it was a swarm of pitch-black emotion.

"People like you don't deserve to live."

Ryuji didn't turn around as the head fell onto the earth, and blood spurted from the neck. Ash was about to yell out to Ryuji about being careless when he noticed something. The blonde man no longer moved; his body had gone limp with no sign of life.

"Alright, we're getting out of here."

The manacles that bound Nyanjo made an imprint in the sand after being severed by Ryuji's blade. The pink-haired girl absent-mindedly rubbed her wrists while looking to her savior. In her eyes was a mix of emotions that Ash couldn't decipher. It was as if she was happy, angry, sad, and relieved all that same time.

"I'm taking three people's worth of water and rations! Hope you don't mind. Although I think you guys are smart enough to not try anything. Oh yeah." With a pack of supplies now latched onto his back, the swordsman swiped at the sand and buried any evidence of a hard-fought battle. "You can come out now!"

"C-Coming!"

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Footsteps pattered against the cooling sand. No one had said a word since leaving the encampment. As the sun set, Ryuji stopped and stared at the twilight sky. He thought of his friends and what they might be doing at this very moment.

He imagined Dot telling everyone to calm down before asking if they wanted to play Rummy.

Marie would be keeping a level head while cooking dinner for everyone.

Then Rhea would probably be busy blaming herself for his disappearance.

And Jessy, she was probably nervously cleaning her guns so she had something to do.

A sigh escaped his mouth before he had a chance to stop it.

'Is sighing my new favorite thing to do?'

He tore his attention away from the sky and turned to his two traveling companions.

Her pink hair waving in the wind gave him a sense of wonder, but then again, he felt that way every time he focused on her cat-like ears. She was infinitely difficult for him to understand. Nyanjo had been a thorn in his side during the city loops. He could count on his fingers how many times she had killed him or lead him to his death. Yet during the last loop, she had healed him and was the reason he was standing here right now. She was a girl who wouldn't hesitate to stab you in the back but also apparently wouldn't hesitate to help either.

"There we go!"With some rocks that Ryuji assumed were fire starters, Ash crafted a flame that licked up some kindle Ryuji had stolen.

He had mixed feelings about the girl that was a boy. Ryuji thought Ash was too trusting. Either that or Ash felt like he didn't have much choice, which he supposed was right. He thought his story didn't exactly line up either. No kid is dumb enough to think they can survive in a desert alone, especially if it's one of the most inhospitable places in the world.

'Ah well. Can't have any more baggage following him than the cat.'

"Hey." Nyanjo's quiet voice brought him out of his thinking. When he turned his head and made a sound to indicate he was listening, she continued. "How do you do that earlier? I keep thinking about it, but it makes no sense how you could have killed him like that."

"Uh well..."

He thought back to that moment. The words her captor spoke to him caused a wave of deep-seated anger to rise out of him. It wasn't the fact that he was making fun of Nynajo but more due to the man's views. They were the same as his boss from Japan. That man only cared about climbing the corporate ladder; he would throw anyone under the bus if he could and would always justify it by saying they were the same as him. The memories of the man were enough to make him want to vomit, and the next thing he knew, a revamped power had ebbed into his blade. That was when a voice entered his head and whispered one word to him.

'How exciting.'

He snapped out of his memories and realized the cat was still eagerly waiting for hr explanation. "I have no idea."

"Really?" Seeming unsatisfied with the answer, she sat across from him and looked him in the eyes with a hardened stare. "I'm not going to thank you for what you did, and I'm not going to pay you back. I'm also not joining your merry group of friends. The second we get to civilization, I'm gone."

"Is that all you had on your chest?" Nyanjo's eyes narrowed before nodding. "Then let me make one thing clear. I meant every word I said earlier. This was a one-time I owe you sort of thing. I'm not going out of my way to save you again, and frankly, I wasn't going to invite you into our party anyway. If you want to leave, then leave. Hell, you can leave right now, if you want, I won't stop you."

Looking deflated, all Nyanjo could do was nod.

"Hey, Ash! The stars just came out, so can you get to mapping?"

The boy nearly jumped out of his skin when Ryuji addressed him.

"Y-Yeah! Of course."

With haste, he tore into the bag he was carrying around and took out a giant scroll. On it was the constellations and their relative positions.

"Which way is South Kevic?"

"It's that way."

"Alright. The first order of business is we make it to South Kevic, then we go to the town my party was headed to and wait. It might take a month or so, but eventually, they'll show up, and I'll be golden. Is that okay with everyone?"

The idol let out a hmph before turning her head in the opposite direction and huffing out, "Fine with me."

"Actually, I don't know about going to South Kevic; they don't exactly welcome people like me."

"People like you?"

"Yeah, Espers."

"A what now?"