Kairo's eyes focused on the figure before him. "You are that cat Konketsu!" he gasped, and a small ball of saliva slid down his throat, and that tingling feeling got stronger.

The young girl wiggled as though she needed to visit the toilet. Her golden eyes flickered around, and her head occasionally peeked out from between her shoulders with her hands behind her. The soft fur on her face turned crimson like a beetroot.

Arubi sneezed and shook his body, cleaning himself in the most rabbit way possible. The sand in his hair kept tickling him.

The boy stood up, letting his umbrella go, but the muscles in his body remained tense. Can this girl be a full package? He eyed her. Despite her athletic build, she wouldn't withstand sharp blows. I hate beating girls. Kairo groaned. "Um," he started, as her fur bristled. "Is everything okay?"

The redness in her face deepened. Kairo sighed, his eyebrows knitted, and moved forward. Only a few steps divided him from the cat girl when she pushed her hands forward.

"P-Please, ac-accept this-s," she stuttered with her eyes lowered to the ground.

Kairo examined the small package with squinted eyes. The content wrapped in a big, red shawl with fringes seemed innocent. Kairo's face furrowed as the tingling got stronger, reminding him of the Great Bell at noon.

He took it from the acrobat's hands and touched her fingers, making her arms lurch behind her back. She tucked her head between her shoulders, as her red ears flopped. Her tail turned into a twisted mess that kept tangling and untangling in an infinite loop.

Without paying her attention, Kairo unraveled the hidden object. The sun must have played tricks on him since the item shone once the last layer vanished. The boy shut his eyes as his face scowled. The light subdued after a short while, but, it took him a few seconds before he dared to peek from beyond his eyelids. Kairo's face froze as he glanced at the hand-knitted socks of seven colors with neon green dots with a fluffy, sweet pink hem lay inside.

"I put my heart into them," the Konketsu girl warbled, her hands pressing against her chest, and her fidgeting transferred to her fingers. With that speed she played with them, she could rival a senior ninja.

"Ah," Kairo muttered, unable to make a word, much less a sentence.

The Konketsu's eyes filled with hearts, covering her mouth with balled fists as her tail wagged. The sense of immediate danger grew stronger, and the bell in Kairo's head announced five seconds after twelve.

"Why don't you stay with us?" Her body jolted with the question as the words spurted from her muzzle. "We could be a couple on our show, performing awesome tricks!"

Kairo forced a smile as his lips twitched. Her words engulfed his mind in pink fluffiness, wool balls, and furry pillows. He wore a cute suit with wide hems, and an awkward smile accompanied his waving hand.

"Please, forget this stupid mission!" She grabbed his hand, pressing it against her soft chest. A slight blush found its way on Kairo's cheeks. "Stay with me! Be my partner! When I first set my eyes on you, I knew you were my chosen one. My heart turned hot like a forgotten teapot on a stove."

Her gentle voice tempted Kairo into saying yes, but he bit his tongue to remain silent.

She let him go, turned around, and walked a few paces before the sun disappeared. Only cones of light engulfed their bodies. The sakura petals floated through the air with silent music in the background.

"Oh, I'm an unlucky girl!" she moaned, putting the back of her hand on her forehead. "I have always dreamed about my prince charming, but am I ready to be his faithful wife?" She fell on all fours. "Fate is so cruel! It brought us together and tears us apart in the next moment!"

Kairo's cape fluttered in the breeze, and his white bangs hid his red eyes. While tucking the socks inside of his kimono, the electricity swirling in his body energized his brain into overdrive.

"No man," he said, and her wavering, cat eyes turned toward him. "No man who can't fulfill their promise deserves to hold you in his arms!" He tightened his left fist and placed it over his right shoulder. "I have already given my word to the Principal. I can not abandon it, for it would disgrace you!"

The Konketsu sat up, her hands covered her shivering lips, and tears poured from her eyes. Her destined love cared for her so much. "You are a noble soul."

Kairo sauntered, and a cone of light followed his every step. He stopped in front of her, slouched and offered her his hand. She accepted it with tears sparkling in her eyes, standing with his help.

"I'm sorry." His whisper kissed her twitching ears. "I have to fulfill my promise first."

She clasped her hands over her chest. Her heart fluttered with sadness and happiness at the same time. "You are so brave."

"Do not fret, I shall return." He made a step back, and with his clenched fist on his chest, he bowed. "I shall go now. My manly pride is calling me." He made his way past her.

"Be safe, my Donut."

Arubi, who watched the whole time, caught up to Kairo and leaped to his head. The rabbit then peeked over his shoulder and saw the cat girl waving them goodbye with a silk handkerchief. They left the cactus forest.

The sun hadn't set yet. The black walls which stagehands from the troupe erected blocked it. Two of them were responsible for the lights, and the unitaur with his partner made sure the music and sakura petals were in perfect sync. None of their eyes remained dry. This was the purest display of love they have witnessed and helped to stage from the backstage.

Arubi would have a cheeky note or two with Kairo, but the over-sweetness didn't allow him to say anything salty. When the circle of trailers was far behind them, Kairo covered his mouth as though he was about to barf. His legs weren't moving at the speed of sound, but they still carried him fast forward. Arubi clenched all of his paws to not make his stomach bounce more than he liked.

Only a stream of dust and cussing citizens remained behind dashing Kairo. After many street passings, they reached downtown, where the boy burst open the door of one pub.

In the gloomy atmosphere sat dangerous people taking lollipops from little kids. Only the dumbest of the dumb dared to steal from a bear-cub when mama-bear was close to give them a bear hug. The most dangerous ones were pandas. They loved to decorate other people's face with black eyes.

Kairo slammed his hand against the counter, and Arubi translated his order, "Gracious Lady, pronto!"

The traditional misshaped bar turtle moved fast to make the drink in the time limit. The atmosphere turned so thick it could be served as a dessert. Everybody stared on the bar turtle and the boy. When the shooter with red liquid was put on the counter, Kairo swallowed it without hesitation.

Everyone's eyes were on Kairo's throat, gulping in unison. The young hunter's cheeks inflated and from his ears burst dark smoke. His body collapsed on the desk, mumbling, "Pur... ged..." With the last syllable, his eyes closed.

A few men crossed in front of them the wrong way, but their gesture was sincere. Gracious Lady, also known as the Last Angel, was a drink only for the one who lost life's meaning in that star. A mere drop of this mixture of the spiciest and hottest ingredients could awake a dormant volcano.

The Guild of Suiciders attempted to add this drink to their official program, but this plan backfired when the building caught fire, sending half of the committee to a hospital.

The next attempt happened a few years later by a Neo-Suiciders Group. This time their plan ended with a considerable group of unsatisfied customers. The original mixture required expensive ingredients, and nobody could afford to buy, so, the Neo Group bought cheaper variants, but those often caused stomach problems at the worst.

The bandits in the pub reconciled with the fact they had to take care of the poor boy's belongings when Kairo awoke. His narrowed eyes pierced the bar turtle who sweated despite lacking that body function.

Kairo growled, "You watered it." He snorted with the last word, put the loose change on the bar desk and left with Arubi on his head. Outside Kairo aired out his tongue, and a thin stream of smoke escaped from his mouth.

"Love sweet Love, huh?" Arubi teased him.

"Shut up!" his partner scolded. "No way I'm returning here for her."

"But you've sworn on your manly pride." Arubi smirked, dragging the last two words.

"Just to get away from her." Kairo pulled out the poster from his pocket, checking it once more. "We are off this city once we get our paycheck."

Their target was Goro the Dessert Thief. The red ogre Oni posed on the picture, flexing his muscles, and his smile reminded Kairo of toothpaste ads. He'd gathered around himself a group of unintelligent minions since not many thieves finished basic school much less attended it.

Arubi's left ear twitched. Something was funny about this poster, but he couldn't put his paw on it.

Kairo grinned, for big groups meant more treasures to fill his pockets. Their headquarters lay in this desert, and if this magazine was accurate, it wasn't far from their current location.

Since traveling through the wastelands was tricky, they headed to a rental store to purchase one desert raccoon called araguma. There wasn't a better animal to fasten if you didn't count prehistorical camels and horses. The golden age of transportation ended when one radioactive sandstorm granted them superior intelligence, and they refused to pull vehicles.

Kairo leaned his head back to read the wooden sign hanging under a wooden gate. "Dental Core?" he murmured, quite sure somebody needed to check their spelling abilities. His eyes scanned the immediate surroundings; no one was there apart from a little guy standing in the porch's shade of a wooden building.

The boy headed there while Arubi jumped off Kairo, sure the sand still hid among his fine fur. He hopped across space between a barn, where the animals stayed over the night. It stood next to the main office and fenced area around the herd of aragumas.

The ninja rabbit jumped at the thick pole and started with a much-needed cleansing. The araguma's droopy eyes didn't bother to check the newcomer; they slinked, or stood in one place, staring into the distance. There was no feed in the manger, so they had no reason to get active.

Once finished cleaning, Arubi checked the animals while Kairo bargained with the owner. They were as big as teenage rhinoceros with a large, striped tail covered by tough fur at the end, earning them their nickname; Desert Raccoon.

Their beige fur helped them to hide from predators, and hard and widened paws made sure they wouldn't sink into the sand. They weren't the fastest, but their ability to navigate in sandstorms saved many lives. Their wide ears played a big part in that, protecting their whole muzzles to keep sand out during windy weather.

"Come on!" Kairo shouted, turning Arubi's attention to himself.

"I won't go any lower," the gnome replied. He had tons of wrinkles under his goggles. There wasn't a gnome that wouldn't wear them or didn't stand in an awkward position with knees bent, pointing in opposite directions.

The boy stared into his eyes that covered almost half of the gnome's face, but the old man remained unfazed. His race was famous for their toughness, pointy ears, a tool belt, and undeniable ability to break the unbreakable.

Once, rich people held big tournaments where companies presented their ultimate machines. The gnomes were the judges, and no machine survived their special skills. Many factories and companies went bankrupt as their champions failed. A lot of gnomes turned rich from winning the bets, but that lasted only for a short time since every match concluded the same way.

"It's still too much for a tiny trailer," Kairo tried to argue.

"That's the price. Take or leave. Your pick," the gnome deadpanned.

Kairo sighed through his nose, and a low noise rumbled in his throat. "Fine." The bounty hunter took a small pouch from his wide sleeve and paid. Arubi's ears twitched, but he didn't say a word.

"It was my pleasure to do business with you." The gnome rubbed his hands and went to prepare the trailer.

"Hai, hai," Kairo mumbled and headed away to wait with his partner for their transport.

The shop owner needed only ten minutes to fasten the animal into a two-wheeled trailer with a canvas roof.

"Please, return it in the next rental shop."

Kairo nodded and flicked the reins to control the araguma. The desert raccoon murmured and headed forward. The wind ruffled their hair, and neither of them had any idea what the next stop would bring them.

However, no adventure could be fun without a few problems along the way.

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