It was a clear day in the middle of a desert. The sand was smooth. The cacti laid bare for woodpeckers. It was quiet. Quiet, until three girls began screaming as they fell from the sky. They all fell kicking up hot sand around them.
Jack quickly jumped up looking around. "Light Guardians. Light Guardians," she muttered, but as she saw nothing but sand, she calmed down.
"Huh? Where are we?" Jack asked before she turned herself back.
Yune and Mary slowly got themselves up. "Ow," Mary said, "Why couldn't you just let me speak?"
Yune saw the empty desert and replied, "I didn't know he was going to bring us here. Why would he bring us here?"
"Because you said - ugh, nevermind. Let's just find our way back," Mary said trying to calm herself down. Then, she looked at Jack and asked, "Are you calm now, big girl?"
"Yeah, I'm calm. Sorry that happened. Something just came over me," Jack replied, but didn't actually feel remorse.
"You don't sound sorry!" Yune shouted, "It's like you were some kind of animal!"
She transformed back into human form, and as soon as she did, she held her mouth and ran away towards a cactus. She then proceeded to vomit all over it.
Mary looked away and said in disgust, "That's not what I want to see right now."
She transformed back and stretched and looked up to the clear sky. The rays of light turned the land into an oven. Jack didn't feel anything, but Mary felt completely overwhelmed with the heat.
After Yune finished throwing up, she came back to the other two and said, "Well, let's just try to find our way back to Janken City. I don't think the shopkeep would have sent us too far. Not for one coin, anyways."
Mary complained, "Yeah, sure. Do you know where to go?"
Yune analyzed the area and with no idea on where to go, she pointed to a direction and said, "That way."
"You can't be serious. Why there?"
"A good feeling."
"Oh, so you're guessing."
"Do you know where to go?" Yune said angrily.
"Uh, no."
Jack stayed silent as she needed time to process and rearrange her memories.
And so the three girls walked in one direction. They kept walking for hours until they finally reached a road.
As soon as Mary and Yune saw it, they began to cheer. But Jack stayed silent.
They looked to both sides, and Yune just decided to go right. Then, they began to follow the road.
They walked and walked.
Yune and Mary sweated all over themselves. And then, Yune looked over to Jack and noticed that she wasn't sweating at all. It was strange, but then she began to worry once she noticed that Jack's arm had bruises and burn marks. Yune hurried over to Jack and said, "You're hurt. Why didn't you say anything?"
Jack became confused and as soon as she saw her bruises, "Oh. I didn't notice. It's not so bad."
Yune became worried and bit her lips. "Damn it. When we get back home, I'll patch you up."
Mary looked over to them and asked, "Why do you care, Yune? She was throwing you around earlier."
But Yune didn't know why, either. She felt like it was her job to worry.
Jack said without any care for either of them, "It's alright. You don't need to do anything. I'll worry about myself. So, you worry about yourself."
"Good advice. I will be doing that," Mary said as she began to lose faith in working together with Yune and Jack.
But Yune couldn't. She felt like she had to keep everyone safe, but she didn't know why.
While they were on their trek, a bus started driving up the road. The sign on the bus said it's next stop was Janken City. It was pure luck.
Yune waved her hand trying to get the bus and luckily, it slowed down to a halt. It's doors slid open inviting the three.
"How did that metal thing open the doors?" Mary asked.
"It's automatic. Now, let's just go inside. It will give me some time to think," Jack said as she walked towards the bus.
"I hope this isn't some mirage. I've never experienced a mirage. Is it a mirage?" Yune asked.
"Well, we'll all see," Mary said.
They all entered the cool bus. There were other people on it, but it wasn't crowded. The back seats were empty and so the three girls sat there. The air conditioning relieved both Mary and Yune, but Jack didn't feel any different. She decided to take a nap.
"I love this new-age stuff," Mary commented.
The bus went off. It rode and rode. The wheels turned, but it felt like they were going nowhere. But the bus kept going. The driver silent. It's passengers silent. All while the three Night Guardians relaxed themselves. Outside their windows, the road moved. But nothing moved.