Breakfast was dried foodstuffs, water, and a return to awkward silence. It wasn't, Yolei reasoned with herself, that she was ashamed or embarrassed about last night. It was just that she didn't know what to say after what had happened. She was sure he did feel ashamed or embarrassed about their spontaneous… display of affection the night before as he steadfastly refused to meet her eyes or speak to her in anything more than muttered monosyllables.
The morning was misty—strange, at the edge of a desert—and Yolei noticed with a touch of panic that she could see neither the stream that led to Infinity Mountain nor the peak itself. "Ken?" He glanced up at her and then hastily back to the ground. Man, if relationships were going to be like this for the rest of her life, Yolei thought she might seriously consider joining a convent.
She massaged her head in annoyance. "Ken, I have no idea which way we're supposed to go. The fog messes everything up."
He looked at her warily and then padded to the mouth of their little cave. Yolei rolled her eyes. What, did he think she was lying so she could trap him here for another amorous hour or two?
"Yeah, look, it really is foggy. So what do you think we should do?" Her voice was becoming sharper than she realized.
Ken glanced back at her. "I remember that we walked straight into this cave after we left the stream, so I'm facing east. Infinity Mountain should be that way," he said as he pointed in a vaguely northerly direction.
Ha! He obviously didn't want to be stuck here with her. He would even risk getting lost to avoid it. Well, that was just fine with Yolei Inoue. Boys. "Then that way it is." She slung her cloak around her shoulders and marched out the cave. "You coming?"
Yolei couldn't say that they had reverted back to their state when they'd first started this quest because he wasn't lording it up anymore. He just refused to talk to her. She was even more irritated with him now, though, because she knew that he could be halfway pleasant if he so deigned.
Her vexation boiled silently until they paused for a break about mid-morning. Surprisingly, Ken had been correct about the direction of their destination, so they hadn't had to turn around halfway through the day. They were eating their simple fare in dead silence until Yolei couldn't take it any longer.
At first, her words were jumbled bits of the thoughts that had circled round and round in her head all morning—nearly incomprehensible to a very bewildered Ken. "Ken, hello, teenagers! It happens! Gotta find the star and communication would probably help. It's not like we… I mean, come on! Get over it—if you'd been in high school for the past few years, you would know that this is pretty normal stuff. You're just mad because someone else—me!—figured out that you're just a normal… how old are? Seventeen year-old boy who's wandering around just as confused and conflicted as the rest of us. You know, gasp! that really takes away from the superiority complex you've been nursing like a grudge for the past several years. Why can't you just accept that you're as flawed and afraid as the rest of us??"
The teenage boy's eyes were wide and almost perfectly round in shock. He was speechless for a few seconds, and then he began haltingly to speak. "I… Yolei, that is not what I have…" He paused. "You were under the impression that I regretted our encounter?" He shook his head, dark hair brushing his pale forehead. "No, I was, confused and conflicted, as you said." His voice took on a defensive edge. "My perspective on everything has been tested, and you cannot expect me to be suddenly easy and friendly with you. I said things will change, and I still mean it, but you will have to give me time."
Yolei was still fuming from the sudden explosion of her rage, but she managed to keep her tone civil. "That—that sounds fair." And it really did sound reasonable; the girl was simply in no mood to be reasonable about this. "Well, we should get going." She looked up uneasily about the mountain that now loomed directly over them.
The morning was misty—strange, at the edge of a desert—and Yolei noticed with a touch of panic that she could see neither the stream that led to Infinity Mountain nor the peak itself. "Ken?" He glanced up at her and then hastily back to the ground. Man, if relationships were going to be like this for the rest of her life, Yolei thought she might seriously consider joining a convent.
She massaged her head in annoyance. "Ken, I have no idea which way we're supposed to go. The fog messes everything up."
He looked at her warily and then padded to the mouth of their little cave. Yolei rolled her eyes. What, did he think she was lying so she could trap him here for another amorous hour or two?
"Yeah, look, it really is foggy. So what do you think we should do?" Her voice was becoming sharper than she realized.
Ken glanced back at her. "I remember that we walked straight into this cave after we left the stream, so I'm facing east. Infinity Mountain should be that way," he said as he pointed in a vaguely northerly direction.
Ha! He obviously didn't want to be stuck here with her. He would even risk getting lost to avoid it. Well, that was just fine with Yolei Inoue. Boys. "Then that way it is." She slung her cloak around her shoulders and marched out the cave. "You coming?"
Yolei couldn't say that they had reverted back to their state when they'd first started this quest because he wasn't lording it up anymore. He just refused to talk to her. She was even more irritated with him now, though, because she knew that he could be halfway pleasant if he so deigned.
Her vexation boiled silently until they paused for a break about mid-morning. Surprisingly, Ken had been correct about the direction of their destination, so they hadn't had to turn around halfway through the day. They were eating their simple fare in dead silence until Yolei couldn't take it any longer.
At first, her words were jumbled bits of the thoughts that had circled round and round in her head all morning—nearly incomprehensible to a very bewildered Ken. "Ken, hello, teenagers! It happens! Gotta find the star and communication would probably help. It's not like we… I mean, come on! Get over it—if you'd been in high school for the past few years, you would know that this is pretty normal stuff. You're just mad because someone else—me!—figured out that you're just a normal… how old are? Seventeen year-old boy who's wandering around just as confused and conflicted as the rest of us. You know, gasp! that really takes away from the superiority complex you've been nursing like a grudge for the past several years. Why can't you just accept that you're as flawed and afraid as the rest of us??"
The teenage boy's eyes were wide and almost perfectly round in shock. He was speechless for a few seconds, and then he began haltingly to speak. "I… Yolei, that is not what I have…" He paused. "You were under the impression that I regretted our encounter?" He shook his head, dark hair brushing his pale forehead. "No, I was, confused and conflicted, as you said." His voice took on a defensive edge. "My perspective on everything has been tested, and you cannot expect me to be suddenly easy and friendly with you. I said things will change, and I still mean it, but you will have to give me time."
Yolei was still fuming from the sudden explosion of her rage, but she managed to keep her tone civil. "That—that sounds fair." And it really did sound reasonable; the girl was simply in no mood to be reasonable about this. "Well, we should get going." She looked up uneasily about the mountain that now loomed directly over them.