“This oasis city is known for its fruits, we should head over to the fruit market”

Hikaru said, as he, Yuri and Helgi walked through the crowd of traders carrying goods from and to the city of Asur.

“I hope they have fruit jam pastries..”

Yuri gulped while they exited Asur.

Her appetite for sweets has been reawakened after not paying much attention to her sweet tooth for so long.

“Yuri, You'll get fat, you know, then you won't be able to run from your enemies like you usually do”

Helgi smirked at her.

“Haaah? Unlike you, I actually run and do physical work, worry about yourself, Mr. social lazy butterfly”

She retorted offhandedly.

“Hey, at least I know how to talk my way out of things, whenever you say things, it always makes the situation worse”

“Whaaat, that has never happened. Stop lying.”

They slowly walked out over the short strip of desert. The gigantic head of the living city was bent down, drinking deeply from the small lake surrounded by greenery in the middle of the dead sea of sand.

It migrated to different parts of the desert, because if it stayed in one place. It would likely drain the supply of water. So it had to travel to different sources to give them time to recharge.

“Oh come on. Surely you remember that one iconic time, right? Right? When you were so trapped and you so desperately relied on me.”

Helgi nudged her slightly.

“That never happened.”

“Oh come on.”

Hikaru was silently walking beside them. He was always the mute companion to the talkative Yuri. So seeing someone interacting with her so actively.

It made him feel as if he should say something as well. Although he was unsure why he cared about getting into their conversation. Something about not being part of it, made him feel uneasy.

“How did you two become acquainted..?”

Hikaru asked something that sounded like a question a father would ask a teenage couple.

Although he felt slightly awkward not having anything better to say, he felt satisfied that he managed to at the very least say something.

“Ohhh, he asked, this is such good timing. Now you can't deny it, when you relied on me!”

Helgi grinned mischievously.

“I didn't rely on you that much..”

She began to pout slightly.

“Are you kidding me, you were practically helpless until I lent a hand.”

Helgi rubbed his chin and looked at Hikaru.

“So listen to this, basically, Yuri was doing a heist on this military base in the middle of nowhere. Trying to get a controversial statue that was uncovered there...”

–

A man clad in full body tight black clothes ran down the stairs of a seemingly endless staircase.

He was breathing heavily, he had no idea how he could escape his pursuers, his only salvation being the brilliant guiding voice of his nameless companion-

–

BAM

“Ow! Hey I was telling a story!”

Helgi complained after being punched by Yuri.

“No. Story telling.”

She glared at Helgi, making him sigh in submission.

“Alright, alright. I won't tell it. Sorry Hikaru”

He gave an apologetic wink to Hikaru.

“It's alright, the past can be..difficult.”

He nodded, interpreting Yuri's embarrassment as something more serious than it was.

“By the way Hikaru, How did you and Yuri team up?”

“Well..I was serving as a body guard for an archbishop of Freiya. Who ended up taking Yuri in. Eventually Yuri revealed her agenda of wanting to collect all the relics of each god, and I decided to join her, to aid her in her goal in order to rid the world of these relics.”

Hikaru explained, nodding at Yuri with respect.

“I see..that certainly does sound like something Yuri would want to do..another grand scheme. Yuri do you ever just try and go for the easier routes”

Stolen story; please report.

Helgi smiled knowingly.

“The easy routes are boring and empty of fame”

She walked slowly, while observing the interaction of the two men, curious over how they would engage in conversation.

“Anyway Hikaru, you said you were a guard? What did you do before that? Did you train as a swordsman in order to become a guard or..?”

Helgi observed the sword hanging at Hikaru's side.

“No, I learned the way of the sword because I admired the brilliance of human ingenuity, and brilliant techniques to overcome the weaknesses of the human body. After that I joined a wandering order of knights to explore the world, while also making it a better place for humans.”

Hikaru explained while walking alongside Helgi, the oasis city slowly beginning to surround them.

“You're so funny Hikaru, you speak of humans as if you weren't one yourself” Helgi chuckled light heartedly, but his eyes carried a suspicious glint.

“Ah..right, It's because I really admire the people around me, that sometimes they seem more human than me, in their ingenuity and brilliance.”

Hikaru made a convenient sounding excuse.

“Well of course, there are so many amazing people after all, me being one of them!” Helgi grinned “But a wandering order of knights huh..that sounds just like a movie.”

“I know right, you should also see Hikaru fighting, it's like a martial arts movie, you can't even see his limbs moving!”

Yuri chimed in, bragging slightly about Hikaru.

“I see..you must be amazing Hikaru, I can see why Yuri would choose to travel with you”

Helgi smiled with squinted eyes.

“...What is a moo-vie..” Hikaru muttered to himself “Ah it's nothing much, I was watching your duel with Yuri, your movements were very impressive as well. You used moves I was not familiar with”

Hikaru praised him.

“The moves I used were common martial arts from my world. But most importantly, you watched without helping Yuri despite the grave condition she was in..?”

Helgi's eyes glinted red.

“Helgi stop. I told him not to interfere with our fight. Besides, you were the one who inflicted those supposedly grave injuries on me..!”

Yuri scolded Helgi, making him drop his head sadly.

“Come on Yuri, don't be so harsh on him..he was trying so hard to find you, going so far means he was desperate to find anything about you”

Hikaru took Helgi's side, mostly out of sympathy as a fellow man who was often at the receiving end of Yuri.

“Hikaru..! You're a good guy after all..!”

Helgi looked up at him with teary eyes.

“After all..? You didn't think I was before..?”

All Hikaru could do was give Helgi an awkward smile, while Helgi looked at him with teary eyes and grasping his hands.

“No, but you stood up against Yuri bullying me, no one has ever done that for me before! You must be the one!”

Helgi squeezed his hands and moved closer to Hikaru.

Hikaru stayed still while looking into Helgi's eyes, trying to determine what he was actually talking about.

Helgi's enthusiastic joker mood, and Hikaru's confused serious looking face made for an interesting scene.

Their more than above average looks and their current position made most of the women passing by them, cover their eyes and whisper among themselves.

“...What are you guys doing!”

Yuri jumped up and smacked both of their heads, to which she received a guilty grin from Helgi and a confused tilted head from Hikaru.

“Alright, first things first, All that fighting and exploding has left me really sore and dirty. I could use a nice hot bath.”

Yuri declared while heading onwards, with Helgi and Hikaru following her while rubbing the backs of their head where she hit them.

They were pointed to a bath house that had baths from the hot water coming from the oasis lake.

The bath house was an incredibly large building that was probably one of the largest buildings in the area.

Having paid for their bath, the three headed inside.

“Miss, The women's bath is to the left.”

One of the workers there told her.

“I'm not a woman. I'm a guy ..!”

Yuri complained.

“Yuri, I believe it would be dangerous to take a bath amongst men, no matter who you really are. You are currently a young beautiful girl. It would be..unwise to enter the men's bath.”

Hikaru commented with genuine worry.

Yuri blushed slightly.

“I'm not a girl..or...”

She shook her head.

“Why should I go to the women's bath, what if I lose control too huh, I'm a guy inside too!”

She complained again.

“Wait, why can't you just go in, no matter what you look like, as long as you show them the right parts, everything will be fine, no?”

Helgi looked at her with confusion.

“Ah...the right parts..ahaha...”

“Don't tell me...”

Helgi slowly realised.

Looking down Yuri tugged on her dress uncomfortably.

“Yeah..Lil Yuri Is gone..”

Helgi clapped his hands together in prayer.

“Rest in peace...”

“Hey! He's not gone for good! I will find some way to get him back! Eventually...after I finish my goal.”

She protested.

“Yuri, please enter the women's bath, it would make me feel less worried”

Hikaru said with slightly worried eyes.

“I mean..but...I want to bathe with you guys...”

She muttered unhappily.

“Yuri, do you really wish to be naked in front of us and other strangers? I always figured you were fairly modest..?”

Hikaru asked curiously, remembering her usually unwillingness to change in the same room as him.

“Wait..naked..?”

She blinked.

“Yes..? You can't wash yourself if you aren't naked..?”

He raised an eyebrow. While Helgi watched with an amused smile.

“I thought everyone wore swimming suits..?”

“Why would one wear a suit for swimming..?”

Hikaru asked with confusion.

“Ahaha...is that so..”

“As much as I know you want to see our amazing well built bodies, I think seeing us without trunks would be too much. I mean you wouldn't even change in the same room as me before..”

Helgi smiled awkwardly.

A sudden thought entered her mind. She hadn't thought of this. Even if they wore swimming suits. She would have to be in the same bath as a half naked Hikaru.

The strange feelings she felt when she had seen him bare chested flew through her mind for a moment.

And she made up her mind.

Slightly blushing, she nodded slowly.

“Ah...Y-yeah. Best if I just...go to the women's bath.”

She agreed obediently while avoiding looking at Hikaru.

“You're lucky, you get to see every man's dream, I'm jealous!”

Helgi shouted while she walked into the other dressing room.

Helgi glanced at Hikaru from the side of his view. Observing the calm oblivious man, who was watching Yuri's back disappear with a slight concern.

(Could it be...?)

Helgi shook his head and headed into the men's dressing room with Hikaru.