My tale with Kino didn't end just there. Rather like how a book has many chapters, I would say our story only got past the preface.
"Not yet. I'm not done with you," came her cool voice as we tore down an old dirt road leading away from the city.
The cluster of concrete and glass structures that slowly shrank and blended into the surrounding dry grassland bathed in evening sun. The wails of the police sirens slowly faded into low moans, and gradually only Hermes' steady exhaust was audible. The spectre of a bounty meant no return for at least a few decades. Until then...
"I have my finger on what you're thinking..." Kino muttered, hardly audible over Hermes' roar.
Instinctively my fingers tightened over my empty pistol and my arm around Kino loosened slightly. Even if her conduct was unnecessarily violent, I wouldn't doubt her uncanny ability to decipher me, nor her physical prowess in executing aforementioned violence.
"Tch. Spot on," Kino murmured deeply as we drove close to a meandering river. Kino surveyed the calm brown waters and the gradual bank, nodded, and brought Hermes to an abrupt stop. "Get off."
It'd be too much to ask for her to rescue me from the point of death over and over without being any use in return, wouldn't it? I got off Hermes and stretched. Unexpectedly, so did she. She lifted her driving goggles, revealing sullen, bitter eyes. Her relaxed stance lacked the threatening disposition from our previous interactions, so I took the opportunity to thank her.
"Thank you for taking care of me up to here. I guess this is where we part?"
I gave my best effort to cheerily neglect the tension, offering my hand to shake. Her head drooped slightly, the goggles obscuring the top of her face, but I could see her lips pursing. With a quick movement she drew out a spare pistol and pointed it at my head. I raised my hands instinctively, fearing the worst. Time's up for Joseph, at the hands of this enigmatic yet psychotic traveller.
"You're either very selfish, or can't see the forest for the trees. Perhaps both."
Her statements stung; she looked up now, revealing wide eyes, her dark green pupils filled with hate.
"I can't believe how stupid you are!"
Kino's left hand swiped at my face and I flew upwards, the pain not apparent as if my sensations detached from reality until I landed in the river. I briefly floundered and regained my senses. Her gun was pointed at me yet again. Once again I submitted, both hands raised out of the slow waters, and above my shoulders. Neither dared nurse my sore cheek, the wet scratch stinging.
"What is wrong with you?! Wh-what do you get from doing this to me, huh?!" Kino yelled out again.
I froze, unsure of what I had done wrong. She continued to holler unintelligibly, her mouth wide open with manic anger. Then the gun went off. I balled up, legs and arms protecting myself, but only felt a burst of hot air stream past my face. The bullet hit the water with a loud splash.
I slowly loosened my guard, peering at Kino through a gap between my arms. She had a teary expression on now, her gun pointed straight down. Wasn't she done...?
She screamed out loud; for the first time I saw her lose her composure entirely. She threw her gun at me (which my arms thankfully blocked), screamed incomprehensibly, and kicked up dirt at me. Her cries became sobs, and her standing figure crumbled into a loudly sobbing pile. Hermes twiddled its front towards Kino, but she vehemently screamed in response to its concerned enquiries.
I got up and waded to her crouched figure with a raised hand of concern. Her quick hand seized it, and forcefully dragged it down so I went tumbling onto the mud. Her face twisted with anger bore over me, its expression murderous. Her heavy breaths were violent, and her clenched teeth proclaimed abhorrence.
"Tell me. What have I not done for you? I've tried my best, and yet you could still think so lowly of my efforts! It's as if, you were born with some mental handicap. A handicap that caused you to leave your comfortable life, without any clue of what you're about to get into, and to be fleeced and killed in the wild!"
"... I-I'm sorry I'm so stupid, but did it ever occur to you that you never told me what I did wrong before you snap?!""Y-you! You're such an idiot that you need something so basic spelled out?!"
"Well, if it would save you from blowing up like this in the future and save me from imminent death I figure it's something worth the effort!"
Kino shrieked, tossing her arms up. I hurriedly got up, but I felt Kino's deathly grip on my right wrist. She spun me around to face her and grabbed, clawed even, at my white shirt, nearly lifting me up off the sticky bank, but her strength suddenly vanished and she collapsed back into a pile. This time she fell silent; she had passed out. Once more only the slow lapping of the river was all there was to hear.
"... I'll admit that this is a first for Kino," Hermes broke the awkward silence. "Though, you have realised that she had helped you?"
"I guess... I mean, I wouldn't be alive if it weren't for your assistance... But then she'd suddenly point the gun at me or do something else to push me closer off the edge anyway!"
"Hmmph. It's not only dumb, but also stupid to say things about Kino like that."
"What?! Wait, that statement sounds familiar... If you flip 'dumb' and 'stupid' around..."
"Let's go get Kino somewhere nice to rest first. Might as well set up camp soon. I'm sure she will appreciate some help out right now. Get your cheek cleaned too."
Hermes slowly moved up the mild grassy incline sloping into the river. I gently picked Kino up into my arms, thinking over what she could be trying to imply so forcefully. Even in her unconsciousness she emanated traces of her anger: her tense muscles, the stray twitch of the eyebrow betrayed the tranquil appearance she had now. I've never seen Kino sleep, come to think of it.
No use pondering over these matters for now. My turn to sleeplessly watch over the other.