"Okay, Kiss...You know I'm trusting you a lot right now, huh? Coco isn't here, but he said it was no problem for me to have a lift when I wanted to visit..."

Both you and the Emperor Crow were standing on the cliff, just a few kilometers away from Coco's house. As usual, the small dome-shaped adobe was still located high-up on top of a very tall and thin rock formation near the cliff side. The only way to reach this isolated area was by flying on Kiss's back.

Albeit, you were a bit nervous on climbing the majestic bird's back on your own without his master close. While Kiss never showed you hostility before, you weren't too sure if it was really okay.

"Alright...Here we go..." you mumbled to yourself.

You walked up to the crow, and delicately placed your hands on his feathered body. Kiss cawed at the contact, and brought his beak close to your face. You thought he would rip your head off for touching him, but instead opted to nuzzle it against your collarbone, rubbing his own head affectionately on yours. A giggle was released from your lips, and you patted the dark and beautiful plumage. What you weren't expecting was the sudden movement of the crow's wings that encased your whole form.

"A-Are you giving me a hug?" you smiled, a bit puzzled at the strange actions of the Emperor Crow.

Kiss halted, before he lifted you over so you could sit on his back. You had little time to fully sit down when the beast took flight, eliciting a scream of surprise from you. He brought you to the house, and you almost kissed the ground once he landed just in front of Coco's home. It's not that you were scared of heights, you just had a preference with having your two feet planted on a solid surface. Legs wobbling a bit, you made your way to the door and knocked on it twice. It opened to reveal the Heavenly King behind, whose's face brightened up at the sight of you.

"(y/n)-chan! So I can guess you had no problem coming here with Kiss?" Coco wondered as he invited you inside.

"S-Still a bit too fast..." you stuttered.

It wasn't a rare occurrence for Coco and you to indulge yourselves in tea and small moments of quietness the both of you enjoyed greatly. When you weren't on a day to chase down a rare ingredient, you usually worked on short projects at the restaurant or passed some time with your partner when you were free. You left Dino under the care of Chief Mansam and the lab, since they wanted to pass more tests on him and his current state.

"Did you get more information on Atom?" you asked after you finished your cup.

"Unfortunately" sighed your partner with a shake of his head.

"What about your predictions? Any hint?"

"To be honest, my mind was preoccupied and thinking just about you"

Immediately, your mind and imagination went wild. Is this a confession? Where you really ready to hear such thing coming from this handsome man? Your cheeks flushed, and you thought you probably looked like on the verge of hyperventilating. The Heavenly King was clueless about your emotions, continuing his previous statement without even sending a look in your direction:

"Ever since Livebearer mentioned the Music Chefs, I've been wondering if your skills weren't attached to them" trailed Coco. "In fact, I wanted to dig deeper in the subject and made a small research. My fortune told me that I would find the answers in the Taj Desert...Are you okay?!"

Coco sweatdropped when he finally caught sight of the face you were making. You blinked a few times, exhaling and inhaling sharply, until your head slumped down. A dark cloud hovered you while you sulked, finding yourself a bit foolish. What were you thinking? Of course he wouldn't pull out a confession out of nowhere like that. As if your partner was interested in that manner in the first place. But, out of all the women he interacted with, you were the one he was much at ease with.

You thought of it as a sign, but reality hit hard in the face once more. You kept telling yourself that it was just a crush, and nothing more. Who wouldn't find him handsome and charismatic?

Taj Desert.

At the south of the Wak Continent where you once visited Sand Garden with Toriko, Komatsu and Zebra, there is another part of it that was unknown to most of the residents of the Human World. Unlike the Gourmet Deserts, this one was a natural wasteland and desert covered by a thick white sand, nicknamed the 'Opal Sand'. Its name was given for its supernatural characteristics, like the grains of the sand glowing and shining a green color at night. Many fanatics of the Opal Sand visited the region of the Taj Desert to witness this beautiful sight. For them, the whole desert was a sea of stars when darkness and night fall together.

Few wild beasts wandered there, and no ingredients could be found unless you knew exactly where to search. Rare exotic fruits and oasis that contained various types of spring water: soda, cola, red water, etc. But more importantly, it was a desert rumored to inhabit an old kingdom named Bilal. A kingdom that consists entirely of women.

"Just women?" you raised a brow when Coco mentioned this part. "And you say we'll find the information on the Music Chefs there?"

"Music Chefs first originated from there. To be exact, the tribe that leads this kingdom has many traditional customs on music and the women there are usually good musicians" explained the fortune teller. "While Bilal is associated with IGO, the kingdom doesn't allow many tourists in. Men, that is. Their officers are also considered fearsome warriors, and even the strongest couldn't rival in power with them"

"But if we're going to a place like that...How will you enter?" you wondered, worried about Coco's safety.

"Exceptions can be made. But I guess we'll eventually have to figure this out if it doesn't work..." the Heavenly King shrugged. "What's really important is that you learn a little bit more about your skills"

"You're right"

You had rented Reservoir Camels before leaving Sand Garden, and the old woman told you that you didn't have to return them. Another a rental shop in Bilal would take care of them, and send the camels back to the village once you reached the kingdom. Side by side, the camels strolled through the dunes of white sand and climbed long hills that stretched as far as the horizon could go.

"We should set up the camp" Coco informed when his Reservoir Camel made a sudden stop. "It's useless to move forward since a storm is coming our way"

Once done, you entered the small tent and took this time to remove the hood of your cloak. The temperature wasn't as hot as when you traveled in the Gourmet Deserts, the air was thick and humid. Your clothes easily stuck to your sweaty skin, and you were a bit jealous of Coco who didn't seem to sweat at all. Curse his awesome Gourmet Cells. The cloth was pulled aside for the Heavenly King to come in.

He let out an exhausted sigh as he took off his turban, letting his dark hair breath a little. Bullets of sweat were slowly trailing down the side of his forehead and temples, and yet never did you think this man could be more handsome-looking than he actually was. You passed a hand over your mouth just to make sure you weren't drooling. Not long after you set up the tent the sandstorm hit. The wind roared outside as it pushed against the cloth. You weren't sure how long it lasted, but when you took a look, the sun was about to disappear to let the night settle down over the Taj Desert. Now you felt like you were stuck inside a glacier. You knew the temperature in a desert can change drastically from day to night, since the air was too dry that the heat escapes rapidly once the sun is gone. But this was beyond ridiculous.

Your bones were literally shaking as you light up a lantern, a cloud escaping your lips as you exhaled. And since you were practically soaked in sweat beforehand, the cold hit you harder. Your trembling hand clutched around your cloak, sitting across Coco. Noticing your state, your partner threw a concerned look in your direction:

"Is your cloak providing you enough heat?"

"N-No..." you shook your head.

You were too focused on keeping as much as possible to see Coco standing and walking up to you. The man sat behind, and encircled his arms around your shivering form. Your whole body freeze up at the gesture, and you lifted your head to gaze inquisitively at the Heavenly King who smiled down at you with his eyes closed.

"I can't give you skin-on-skin contact because of my poison, but I will do my best to warm you up as much as I can" he said, and your whole face became a steaming volcano.

"Y-You r-r-really d-d-don't have t-t-to!" you stammered, mind going dizzy at his closeness.

"Oh, but I want to..."

It became useless to argue back, and it wasn't like you were complaining about your situation. You leaned back against his chest, and you felt your partner shift to spread his legs so you could be closer. His breath fanned on the side of your neck, and the pink on your cheeks blossomed to a redder color. You couldn't recall the moment you fell asleep in his arms, knowing that one second ago you were wide awake.

Coco must had laid you down at some point after putting a blanket to cover the ground. It was still dark outside when you opened your eyes, maybe somewhere in the early hours of morning. The cold sensation now long gone, you sighed contently. You were about to go back in the land of dreams, when something nipped your nose. (e/c) orbs shut open in disbelief, and you glared at the source of your disturbance who did the same. A cute fennec.

SUN FENNEC (MAMMAL) CAPTURE LEVEL - 2

That one had incredible blue eyes, long red ears twitching and folding behind its head. You blinked a few times, deadpanning at this creature. What is it doing here? You were about to wake Coco up and ask him when the fennec fox bit the tip of your nose once more. You cried out in pain as you clutched it, while the fennec released a happy chirp, laughing at the face you were making.

"W-Why you...!" you growled, leaping from your spot to catch this devious wild beast.

The fennec fox used its agility to bounce away, dodging your pathetic attempts of grabbing it without much effort. Hearing all the ruckus, Coco slowly woke up in turn and passed a hand over his tired eyes, a grunt leaving him. He only had the time to witness the sight of you chasing down the smaller creature before it made you trip and fall over the Heavenly King. The two of you landed back against the sand, with you straddling your partner's hips whose expression could rival an owl's.

But no time for you to get embarrassed. You whipped your head back at the fennec who was standing at the exit of the tent, a thick mark on your forehead:

"Come back here!!" you shouted, standing up and running after the fennec fox.

It was fast, that's one thing you were sure of when you tried to track it down. The red Sun Fennec had yellow designs across its fur, spiraling all the way to its fluffy tail, who was glowing in the darkness like two eyes who were staring back at you. You heard your name being called by Coco, but you completely ignored him and slid down the hill to not loose the fennec's trail. The creature suddenly made a stop, ears flopping back. It was staring ahead, looking terrified by something.

It moved under the sand, crawling and heading toward the Sun Fennec. A head similar to earthworm's filled with sharp teeth burst out from the ground, releasing a bloodcurdling shriek.

WHITESAND-SANDWORM (WORM) CAPTURE LEVEL - 65

The sandworm charged at the fennec fox, who cowered on itself in fear. Without even thinking, you threw yourself at the small beast to gather it in your arms. You jumped out of the way as the Whitesand-Sandworm passed through the ground where you were once standing. Not wasting time, you began to run with the wild beast on your tails. You suddenly stumbled forward when everything gave up under your feet, and you realized that you were now sliding in some sort of pit created by the sandworm. At the bottom, it had its mouth wide open, ready to swallow both you and the fennec.

Until it recoiled out of nowhere. The sandworm released a sound like a pitiful whine, before disappearing back into the ground. You blinked a few times, hugging closer the fennec. That's when you sensed it: Coco's Intimidation. Just a few feet away from your spot, the man was standing there with his skin completely purple, an aura of the same color surrounding him, before it was gone. Coco advanced toward you, expression firm and serious. For the first time in forever, you felt a bit uneasy by the way he stared at you:

"Coco-san..." you started, and flinched when your partner grabbed your shoulders roughly.

"What were you thinking?!" he shouted loudly. "One second too late and you'll be dead!"

"I-I'm sorry..." you stuttered, looking down in shame. "It's just...I saw this little guy, and I couldn't..."

"You should stop acting so recklessly! You didn't have the shadow of death over your head and yet-!..."

Coco closed his eyes, and let out a deep sigh. His hands traveled from your shoulders to your arms, his brown orbs falling on the curled form of the Sun Fennec. It was still trembling, spooked from this sudden encounter with a wild beast.

"You have a good heart, (y/n)-chan. But you need to be careful" Coco continued, smiling softly to reassure you when he noticed your teary eyes. "How would I feel if I lost my partner?"

"As hard as it would be on me loosing you..." you answered, sniffing.

"Let's keep going. The sun is about to come out at any minute..." he said, helping you to stand back up.

The fennec kept following you after you saved him. Coco told you that the beast was a male, and a young baby from what he could tell. Normally, Sun Fennecs were usually found around Bilal, and not so far in the Taj Desert as this one did. Their fur had the taste of honey when peeled off from their skin, and it takes between three to four weeks for a Sun Fennec to grow another pelt. Also, their tails can glow at night like a second sun, hence their name.

"Does it want food?" you inquired after a while, staring over your shoulder to see the fennec still following you. "Is he hungry?"

"Sun Fennecs feed themselves on the energy of the sun, and sometimes drink water to keep themselves hydrated" told Coco without looking at the creature. "I think he's mostly curious about us, and the reason why you saved his life. They are quite prideful, you see?"

You continued on your journey without paying too much mind on the Sun Fennec. It's not like it was bothering either of you in the first place. Around the middle of the afternoon, you soon began to hallucinate. You made the mistake of not drinking water at a regular pace, and now you were suffering the consequences.

"I swear Coco-san, that hill has eyes and it's looking straight at me!"

"Why does Sunny-san calls it 'beauty sleep' when he wakes up looking like a troll?"

"We call an orange an orange. Why isn't a lime called a green, or a lemon called a yellow?"

"Komatsu-kun has a big nose"

"I can hear Dino calling my name and I don't know what to do"

Coco could only watch in amusement as you became dumber with each second that passed. Of course, he handed over the water when your energy level was dangerously low, but most of time he would wait just to hear your stupid questions or your insignificant statements about pink elephants and how Toriko should eat through his nose instead of his mouth. That and your awkward gestures in doing your best to sit straight on your Reservoir Camel.

The man narrowed his eyes when he caught sight of an old caravan in the distance, stranding off the path. One wheel was broken, and when Coco took a look inside, it was met by the terrifying sight of dead bodies. Two men, who showed numerous bruises all over their skin and the corners of their eyes were slightly red. Expressions dazed, lips parted.

"They died from dehydration...And they seem to have inhaled something before that, but it's impossible to identify what" Coco said.

"Is that...some kind of powder?" you squinted your eyes at their lips. "Could it be toxic?"

"I sense nothing from that, but it could be" he frowned. "There's no electromagnetic waves that's telling me there are people still around here. And whatever they possessed was stolen, unless they traveled with nothing"

"That would be a bit stupid considering they are in a desert" you murmured, finishing the canteen of water. "They could have been attacked, but what wild beast would leave them there?"

"If it's not a wild beast, then we are certainly facing humans. Perhaps bandits aren't a rare occurrence in this area, we are far from civilization after all. Another reason to keep an eye open"

After you dug graves for the poor travelers and left the old caravan, you continued on the path the fortune teller decided for you to follow until you reached your destination. But soon enough, your path crossed with a woman's. Skin slightly dark and tanned, with blonde locks of hair falling over her back. She showed a bit of curves by wearing clothes that didn't leave much to the imagination. Her green eyes lighted up at the sight of you and Coco, and the woman waved a hand at you to gain your attention:

"Over here!" she called, running in Coco's direction. "Could you please help me? I'm a bit lost here..."

Her name was Aqila, from what she told you. Her Reservoir Camel had dumped her after an attack of a Whitesand-Sandworm, and she couldn't find her way back. She was searching for the nearest town when she stumbled upon you two.

"It's a miracle that I found you..." spoke Aqila, winking at Coco and you fumed silently in your corner. To no one's surprise, she decided to climb and sit with the man for a ride. "I was heading for my workplace"

"What kind of work do you do?" inquired Coco, oblivious to her flirting. Or, he simply didn't care and dismissed it with a wave of his hand.

"I am a waitress at a bar, the Sacred Opal" she told. "In fact, we should arrive there soon if we continue that way. It's also an inn if you wish to stay for the night"

"It could be good to sleep in a bed instead on the ground..." you scoffed, your back still hurting from last night.

"Say, you're not normal travelers, are you?" there was a glint in Aqila's eyes as she turned to face you.

You grew uncomfortable under her gaze. She was looking at you up and down, glare lingering a bit longer on your chest area and your stomach. You swore that she licked her lips for a moment.

"To answer simply, we are visiting. That's for sure" you replied carefully.

"Where are you heading exactly?" she asked once more.

"Bilal Kingdom" when you said that, something else flashed in her eyes and she narrowed them at you. Until a smirk slowly made its way on her pink lips, and she winked at you.

"What a coincidence!" she cooed, left hand lightly pressing against Coco's shoulder. "Bilal Kingdom is right after the Sacred Opal. I could give you a map once we get there"

"A generous offer. So much that I'm questioning your intentions behind that" your partner replied, sending her a cold look.

"You're my saviors. It's only normal for me to repay the favor" she retorted smoothly.

"Hm...I guess we could take a look..." hummed Coco.

You, on the other hand, didn't feel like it was a good idea. What exactly is waiting for you there?