"Did I die? Is this the end?.." Kyoko thought after she got woken up by some weird rustling. She half opened her eyes and looked at endless sand. Then she slowly regained consciousness and rolled her head to the other side. There she saw a masked man in desert clothes looting Makoto and a camel standing next to them.
After Kirigiri realized that they were getting robbed she immediately opened her suitcase and grabbed her gun. "DON'T MOVE." She aimed at the bandit.
"Huh?" He gazed at her.
"Get up." Kyoko ordered.
The robber just kept staring at her.
"I said GET UP." She shot her pistol in the air as a warning.
He jumped away back to his camel.
"This twit doesn't seem to understand simple English." Kirigiri said in her mind. "Bring me that wineskin, now." She pointed at the item attached to the camel's saddle in case he didn't understand.
The outlaw stood up and threw her the wineskin.
Kyoko opened its lid and saw the life-giving liquid inside.
"Stay here." She placed her friend's head on her knees and began to pour water into his mouth.
Naegi slowly opened his eyes and choked after a few sips. "Kiri- what's- what's going on?" He said between coughs and sat next to her.
"This thief wanted to- damnit." She saw him fleeing on his camel. "He didn't have more water but we could have used his mount."
"Your lips are dry, why didn't you drink first? There's not much left in there is it? We were supposed to split water in half!" Makoto reminded worrying about his friend.
"I just wanted to wake you up." Kirigiri drank the rest.
"If your mindset is to prioritize my life like you did back in our last killing game, then you're wrong. We're equally important." He lied, knowing that he would sacrifice for her as well. "Why didn't you tell me about your forbidden action? We would have found a safer solution together!"
"You keep bringing this up. I'm tired of arguing about it, especially in the desert, so do me a favor and give it up already." Kyoko requested.
"How can I just give it up?! You didn't know if the pills would work! You recklessly risked your life for me!" Naegi shouted.
"No Makoto, it would be reckless if I told you about my forbidden action. You could've done something stupid and I couldn't take that risk. I did the only right thing, we both know it, you just don't want to admit it." She argued and looked away to show that she wanted to end this topic.
"..It's just that I often wonder, what if the pills didn't work? If something would have happened to you there I would never forgive myself. I- I even had nightmares long after it all happened.." Makoto confessed.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Kirigiri asked and looked back at him.
"There were times where I just wanted to bust out of my room at night and go see your face, but that would've been childish wouldn't it?.." He questioned.
"It's childish to bottle up your fears inside you. It's childish to act strong when you're actually weak. That's why your dreams keep hunting you. You have to accept that it's not your fault, the killing games, my forbidden action. Don't forget that you saved a lot of people, and by selling those devices and doing your speeches you continue to save more." Kyoko tried to cheer him up.
"No matter how hard I try, people around me still die..." Naegi pointed out and looked down.
"You can't save all of them and that's not your fault. You do your best and that's all you can do." She stated.
"...Alright, that's enough. Enough of my problems, I can't change the past. People are being tortured, robbed, and raped when I'm just wallowing in self-pity again. I can do better. I will do better than this! They're counting on me!" Makoto hyped himself up.
"I admire your empathy. It's your great advantage but also your huge weakness, never forget it." Kirigiri advised.
"I know Kiri there are bad people they'll try to use me, you told me countless times. I can take care of myself don't worry." He stood up and threw away a few empty bottles from his suitcase. "I'm sorry Mother Nature, we don't have space for them." Naegi packed the wineskin in the place of the plastic bottles.
"I see that your empathy works for the planet as well." Kyoko smirked and got up.
"Of course." He finally smiled after the tough talk with his former classmate which improved his mood.
The two Ultimates continued to head south-east with suits on their heads.
"I'm down bad for an iced coffee you know? With ice cubes, maybe cream, and some chocolate glaze on top." She said after they walked for a few hours.
"Yeah, sounds delicious. We could make some when-"
"Look, Makoto! There's a café! Ahead of us!" Kirigiri interrupted and pointed at a far away dune.
"Kiri uh, I- I see nothing but sand. I think that you're seeing a mirage." He chuckled nervously and stopped. "Can you look at me for a moment?"
"Sure." Kyoko halted and glanced into his eyes.
"Isn't your head swaying a little?" Naegi asked but got no response.
"Kiri? Are you-" He got interrupted by his friend falling on him. "WhOA-" Makoto caught his former classmate and barely kept his balance.
"Kiri talk to me." the Ultimate Hope sat down and laid her on the sand. After a few pats on her cheek without seeing her reaction, he opened her dry mouth by gently pulling her chin down. "This doesn't look good... But don't worry, I'll get us some water alright? Just wait a little more." Naegi grabbed the two suitcase handles and placed them on his cubital fossas. Then he picked up his unconscious friend and resumed their journey.
"I'll do this, I will save her no matter what it takes. We must be very close to some village, a few more steps and we're saved. You got this." He motivated himself in his thoughts.
An hour of the wander went by...
...
Then another one...
...
And another one...
...
...
...
At this point, Makoto was half conscious. His hands were swollen from carrying Kyoko and dragging their suitcases. He couldn't feel his lower limbs, yet on his last legs, he somehow managed to climb another dune, probably his last. When Naegi reached the top, he stood in the sunset and froze...
...
...
"PLANTS! KIRI I SEE PLANTS! WE'RE SAVED!" He yelled with his dry throat and ran down the sand hill, almost tripping many times.
After Makoto reached the lovegrass field, he fell to his knees feeling like he wants to cry from happiness but couldn't because of his extreme dehydration. Then he slowly put his friend down, quickly took out the wineskin from his suitcase, tore out some of the water-storing plants, and put its roots halfway in the lid. Next Naegi grabbed a nearby lying stone and started grinding the lovegrass with it, so the life-giving liquid would extract and pour down into the bota bag. He repeated the process unit the wineskin was half full.
"There Kiri!" Makoto laid her torso against a medium-sized rock, placed the lid in her mouth, and lifted the bota bag up releasing a water stream.
Afterward, he kept repeating the cycle by turns until they were both well-watered. Then after finishing the 9th turn, he just fell on his back from exhaustion and dropped off.
"Brrr.." Kyoko woke up and ground her teeth from a cool breeze that heralded another cold night. "I don't remember what happened.. Why am I sleeping on a rock, ow." She thought, sat up, slowly looked around and saw her former classmate lying with a pale face.
"Makoto?-" She crawled over to him, checked his pulse and opened his mouth. "What a relief.. He seems hydrated. But why did he just fall asleep on the ground?" Kirigiri said in her mind. "Makoto, wake up." She said out loud but didn't hear a response, nor saw a single move. "He must be exhausted." Kyoko thought and then prepared their imitated mattresses.
After she placed him on his makeshift bed, the Ultimate Detective started analyzing the scene. She grabbed the wineskin which had a dirty lid, glanced over at the torn out lovegrass that had its roots smashed and noticed a soiled small stone. Kirigiri briefly connected the dots and figured out what happened.
"I must've lost consciousness and he carried me all the way here..." She lied at her place and covered herself and her friend with her blanket.
"His determination is just incredible..." Kyoko rolled on her side and closed her eyes...
...
...
...
Something didn't let her sleep. "It's for keeping the heat propose, don't even try to bring this up Junko." She said in her mind, gently pushed Makoto so he would lie on his side and cuddled to him from the back...
