Day Two: Morning

[Android 17]

“Heh,” Seventeen muttered, his line of sight falling down to his muddied combat boots. After a short beat, he flashed a quick glance at the warrior with whom he had developed a bizarre, tense camaraderie with over the course of the last few hours. The konat’s declaration swirled within the twisted instabilities of the android’s mind, and just like that, the wall that had been existed there to bottle away Seventeen’s subconscious splintered.

You can’t argue the logic. The voice spoke up, sounding just as calm and complacent as it had since the arrival of Minoshia. The sickening glee in its words only solidified the machine-hybrid’s previously fledgling belief that the dark prince was some sort of catalyst in the plans that the voice had seemingly been plotting and planning for years. And despite the horror and gravity of the presence’s scheming, the android was powerless to stop it, and from time to time, he began to realize that he was slowly become acclimated to the insanity of it all.

“I…agree,” Seventeen whispered under his breath, his words a callow, sinister murmur that caused the konat to glance over his shoulder at the android. Although the android didn’t bother to return to look, part of him already knew what the expression of the mohawked warrior would convey to him. It would be that same sensation of confusion and satisfaction that Seventeen found himself overwhelmed by at times. It was the same strange stirring of emotions that accompanied the vengeful thoughts that swirled about the bleak madness of the android’s mind.

“That’s promising,” the konat snickered, a malign grin stretching across his sweat-stained face as the two continued their trek. It had been roughly a few hours and they had yet to stop for water or shade. After all, neither of them wanted to show any signs of weakness in front of the other, lest they would somehow come off as inferior in the eyes of the other. The smirk quickly faded into a characteristic frown, and with a faint sigh, Minoshia lifted his arm up to his head and wiped the sweat from his hairline.

“Yea,” Seventeen grumbled, placing a sweaty palm to his temple as he tried to ignore the mild ringing in his head. “…thanks, I guess,” he added as the duo’s march came to a halt in front of a small oasis. The android’s mouth dropped open into a small o as the two overheated warriors inched closer to the pond of spring water. Due to their nihilistic natures, neither of them wanted to believe that they weren’t just seeing things, and even worse, neither of them wanted to look like a moron in front of the other.

“Is it real?” Minoshia rasped softly, turning his fiery eyes to his cybernetic traveling partner. The android turned to face the konat and simply shrugged his shoulders—unable to discern a confident answer. With a faint growl, the dark prince lifted his palm and fire a small burst of ki at the sand that surrounded the small pool of water. As the two rivals watched, the ground exploded upward in a plume of smoke, sand, and dirt. Dropping his outstretched hand back to his side, Minoshia turned to the android and tilted his head ever so slightly.

“Well if it burns,” Seventeen muttered, smirking faintly as he wiped the sweat from his pale forehead. “I guess that means it’s real,” needing no further prodding, the two warriors jogged forward and calmly dropped to the ground in front of the diminutive pool of spring water. Beneath the cool shade of a pair of palm trees, the pair of rivals silently rehydrated themselves as the sun veered toward its apex.