BLISS part 5 by Mike Loader and Lara Bartram It was almost daylight by the time the swarm finally passed. Slowly, somewhat dazedly, they made their way out of the temple gates, and wandered down the barren, cleared swath of dirt that led to their house. Nothing had been left in the path the ants had taken. Except for an occasional stump, it could have been a man-made road. A stump, and the gleaming white skeletons of animals and birds, shining in the dawn's light. "I guess this is why there weren't many trees," Akane said numbly. Ukyo could only nod his head. They almost didn't recognize their homestead. The palisade had vanished, as if it had melted away like ice. The only sign that it had been there at all were the empty postholes. In the spot where their house had been was a scuffed patch of earth, a gravel-and-slate floor, the remains of a hearth, and metal nails and tools. And shattered pottery, worn as if by acid in places. The wooden walls, the woven rugs, the hides... all gone without a trace. Gone, as if it had never been. Ukyo's hands tightened at his side, and he felt his eyes sting. All the work, all the effort, something to call home... wiped out overnight. And it had only been luck that they hadn't died horribly along with it. Akane had walked over to a corner of the leveled yard and sat, staring, at the tiny white skeleton by the far side of the palisade. He swallowed, remembering the pain-wracked howls and yelps that had awoken them. If it hadn't been for that... If it hadn't been for that, they would have woken two minutes later as the ants stripped the flesh from their bodies. Ukyo slowly walked over, took Akane's arm, and led her away. She leaned against him slightly, and he fought down the stirring her touch evoked. This was not the time. "Sometimes I think this place is going to kill us," she said dully. "It tries so hard to." He sighed. "Sometimes I think so too." "I'm not gonna let it." Her voice was still numb, but an angry, determined edge was in it too. "It's gonna have to fight to get me." "It will," Ukyo said, looking back at the remains of their house. "It will fight. We just can't let it win." "The house is gone." It was more than just a simple statement of fact; they had put a lot of themselves into building their home. "I don't know about you, but I'm not building on this site again." He nodded. "I've been thinking... the river down by the southern part of the island offers fresh water, fish, and a bit of protection. Plus it's closer to some of the plantain groves, and farther away from that damn temple and Canis Mountain. " "The temple saved our lives, you know." "I'd still rather have it as far away as possible." Akane nodded, a slightly distant look in her eyes. "Ukyo... how did we get here?" He frowned. "You know I don't know that." "Yeah, but look at what we _do_ know. No memories. A creepy temple in a place with no humans and no stone for building it. That transport, with the log and the flutes and the dead men and whatever that was in the hold... I think that temple's important. I think it might be the key to all of this." Ukyo thought for a second. "Maybe. But do we really want to go poking around in it?" "A month ago I would have said yes. Now..." Akane sighed. "I just want to stay alive." "First things first, then. We need to build another palisade, and I have some ideas for outbuildings and the new house." "Yeah, me too. Somewhere to hang meat would be nice." They knelt in the remains of their house and began to pick up the precious nails and tools. A slight breeze rose, blowing leaves and dust through the near-empty courtyard. *** Akane looked at the river. "Pretty. And it'll be nice not having to walk half a mile for drinking water." "Bathing water, too," Ukyo said, smiling slightly. "I'd suggest making a bathhouse if he had the materials for a real tub. As it is, we'll just have to make due with using the river." "We don't have the room for another outbuilding anyway." "We would if we enlarged the palisade." She glared at him, wiping a rivulet of sweat away from her eyes. "We just got done building this thing, and you want to enlarge it?" One hand waved behind them. The structure that she was pointing to was impressive... well, impressive by island standards. It was nearly three times the size of the original palisade, arranged in a roughly rectangular shape. No buildings inside it, yet, but it was a safe place to sleep. They had debated whether to build the house in roughly the same design as the last one, or to try something new. The idea to go with a new layout had quickly been adopted; they had learned a lot since setting up their first dwelling. And, too, building something new made it feel like they were improving their lot, not just struggling to stay the same. "So," Ukyo continued, "now we just need to build our new home in a manner that doesn't collapse and kill us as we sleep." Akane nodded resignedly. "Whose bright idea was it to build the damn house in the air?" "Yours, as I recall." "Oh yeah. Damn. Okay, back to work." They had both been uneasy about the safety of the palisade. Sure it would keep the wild dogs out when it was up, but what if the gate came undone? What if something tunneled under it? What if... The fact was, taking anything regarding safety on this island for granted was a good way to get killed. So they had decided to elevate the house. Ten long posts, cut from the trunks of some of the taller trees, would form the legs upon which the structure would rest, a good eight feet above the ground. All in all, it was probably a lot more trouble than it was worth. But they did it on the off chance that it wasn't, because it was better to spend a little unnecessary effort than to have your throat ripped out as you slept. And so the rest of the day was spent digging the postholes. "&@%!^*&#!ing postholes!" "What you said."   The next day was also spent digging the postholes. "STRAIGHT, you moron!" "This is straight, you homicidal shrew!" *WHAM*   Day three was spent putting up the posts themselves. "Sorry about that." "urgh gah whoosh." "The log just slipped..." "aaaaaaaaagh." "Does it hurt?" "..." And, of course, after that came the difficult part. *** Ukyo stood on the floor, and cautiously walked across it. "Okay... come on up, Akane." Gingerly climbing up the rope ladder, Akane walked across the newly-placed floorboards. "Huh. Well, it looks like we did it." He grinned. "We sure did! Look at that view!" They stood for a second and drank in the sight of the trees, the palisade, and the river far below. "We need to stick a balcony on this thing," Akane murmured. Ukyo nodded. Somewhat hesitantly, her hand snuck out to take his. Ukyo gave it a slight squeeze. And then the floor collapsed.   "owwww. ukyo?" "urgh." "hey, ukyo?" "yeah?" "i think we need better floor bracing." "brilliant, akane. that's just brilliant." "it was just a thought." "we'll start just as soon as i can move my legs again." *** Ukyo finished jumping up and down, nodded, and waved to Akane. "Okay, this one should hold." Akane tossed a good-sized rock up to him. Blinking, he caught it. *CRASH*SPLINTER*WHAM* "I think we need a bit more bracing in the middle." "aaaaaaaaaugh." "Okay, THIS time it's fine!" "Yeah. Now how do we get the test boulder down?" "Good question." *** The walls went up. While not as easy as it would be in a house built entirely on the ground, it was still a refreshingly simple task. Brush, bamboo, and light woods attached to a sturdy frame was really all they needed, and the panels and posts went up with surprising speed. The roof was a bit more tricky. Should it be flat, or should it be curved? How sturdy should it be? Their first crude attempt blew away shortly after they had finished it. The wind was a bit stronger, up at their current height. Eventually they constructed a flat board roof, atop which a triangular rush-and-bamboo superstructure was set. The 'attic', as Ukyo dubbed it. One of the biggest troubles they had been presented with in their old camp was the lack of space, particularly dry space. So they put up several outbuildings; a long wooden structure to serve as a smokehouse, another building carefully set downwind for the curing of hides, and a bakehouse for the rather second-rate bread they had been experimenting with. A boulder, with cuts to the appropriate places was converted to a crude stone oven. Finally, right beside the house next to the wall, a storage shed was built. The roof was braced and double-braced, and then a small bridge was built from the main house to it. The result was a balcony large enough for two chairs and a small table. They carefully rigged an awning from brush and bamboo poles, and when it rained on the fourth week into their construction they sat under it, watched the drops patter through the leaves outside the palisade, and drank in the sight. *** "Akane?" "Yes, Ukyo?" He suddenly felt the blush in his cheeks as she looked at him. He shook his head quickly. "It's nothing," he said. She nodded and smiled at him. "Okay, Ukyo." She returned to breaking open the coconuts with her bare hands. He glanced over at her, her profile highlighted by the rays of the setting sun. His blush increased and he went back to working on the repair for the roof of their hut. Even as he wove the thick leaves together, forming a nice waterproof mat, he glanced over at her periodically. "You'll finish that faster if you keep your eyes on it," she said playfully, knowing he was watching her. He quickly locked his gaze on the mat he was weaving, more embarrassed than before. He should have known better. She was incredibly perceptive, much more so than he. Sometimes he felt positively stupid around her. But this... this wouldn't wait. "Akane?" he asked again, not looking at her this time. "Yes, Ukyo?" she replied, turning to face him. "If I tell you something, will you promise not to get upset at me?" he asked almost timidly. She smiled widely. "What would I get upset over? You can tell me anything." Her tone suddenly changed. "Are you starting to get any memories back?" she asked excitedly. "No," he answered slowly. "I don't think so." With an effort of supreme will, he looked at her, looked her in the eyes. "Akane, I think... I think... I... love you." She gasped. "I don't know if it's for the first time or all over again, but I think I'm definitely in love with you." Again he blushed and looked away. "I'm sorry." "Don't be sorry, Ukyo. I'm not mad." She set down the coconut and stood, looking at him. "Why would you think I'd be upset over something like that?" she asked, approaching him. "I don't know, but..." He abruptly stopped speaking when she sat down right next to him. Her mostly bare thigh brushed teasingly against his. "I didn't want to make things uncomfortable between us," he continued, far more slowly than before as she slipped an arm around him. Almost giggling, she squeezed him around the waist. "Ukyo... Ukyo-chan, you act like I might hate you. You know I won't. Things can only get more comfortable between the two of us." Her smile decreased in size, but increased in warmth. She just hoped he understood what she was hinting at. It was her turn to blush when he looked at her and there was such a strength of emotion in his eyes, directed at her. "I really do, Akane-chan," he said quietly and stroked the side of her head, his fingers running through her lengthening hair. "I do love you." "I know, Ukyo-chan, and I love you too." She brought her hand up and ran it through his hair, pulling some down in front of his eyes playfully. He pulled away and shook his head, getting the hair out of his face. He didn't know what further to say to her. He had told her the secret he had been holding for too long, and now... Instead of speaking, he took her hand in his and kissed it while gazing into her eyes. "Ukyo-chan?" "Yes, Akane-chan?" "Are we going to be here for the rest of our lives?" "I don't know, Akane-chan. We might be. We might never be rescued, and I don't think it's wise to risk our lives on a raft to float out into the ocean when we don't know where anything is. We could be hundreds of miles from the nearest island." She nodded at him, his thoughts mirroring her own fears. Really though, the island wasn't so bad. There were much worse places to be stranded, she was sure, and she had Ukyo. That helped a great deal. He looked away suddenly, pulling his lips away from her hand. "Akane-chan..." "Ukyo-chan," she breathed. She pulled her hand away from his and put it to his far cheek, gently trying to make him turn his head toward her. "Ukyo-chan," she said again as their eyes met. He watched her lean up, her eyes half closed, and as her lips neared his, he closed his own eyes. The moment seemed to last forever before their lips finally came into contact with each other. A single moment of bliss as they held the kiss, and then they broke apart, each somewhat breathless. "Akane-chan," he said quietly as his eyes fluttered open. "Ukyo-chan, please... don't talk," she replied, her eyes still closed. He looked down at her, unable to do anything except comply with her wish. She looked so beautiful with her eyes closed, the slight blush in her cheeks and the fading sunlight caressing her skin. He hoped she wouldn't think he was too forward. He stood, lifting her in his arms, and strode to their hut with her hanging on to him tightly. He stopped in the doorway, looking down at her face. "Forgive me, Akane-chan." "No. No, Ukyo-chan. I don't need to." She lifted her head to kiss him again, far less tentative than before. "I love you, Ukyo- chan," she said when the kiss ended. Looking at her for a moment more, he entered the hut. Ukyo carried Akane into the hut and laid her gently down on his padded mat. He leaned down slowly while she reached eagerly up to meet in a kiss. With hands on either side of Akane's head, he leaned down and kissed her again, each working aggressively at the mouth of the other. It had been too long that they had existed together with their feelings burning inside them. Ukyo pulled his head away slowly, his lips reluctant to leave Akane's. Looking into Akane's half-lidded eyes, he could see the unshed tears of happiness, and he felt himself begin to follow suit. "I love you, Akane," he whispered and ran one hand down her cheek gently. Akane smiled and covered his hand with hers. "Ukyo.. shut up." She took hold of his hand and moved it away from her cheek. Leaving his fingertips in contact with her skin, she moved his hand down her neck. Down her neck and lower to smooth skin of her chest. The look in his eyes told Akane that he knew exactly what to do. Still smiling, she took her hand away and touched him gently in the side. With that feathery touch, she ran her fingertips down his ribs and watched him squirm ticklishly. She giggled very briefly until she was again surprised by the look in his eyes. He was not joking around, and in an instant, neither was she. Akane leaned up once more and kissed Ukyo, briefly though, and softly. Ukyo's hand moved down a little to the simple top Akane was wearing and caressed her breast through it. It was, at the same time, fabulous and frightening. It was exactly what he had been wanting to do; it and all those other things, the thoughts that had plagued him endlessly at night. But then, he had almost been in love with her at first sight, and being near her for so long, really getting to know her had only made his love grow. His physical desires were a natural result of his feelings, and they had been entirely innocent. So now, it was like he had just been offered the forbidden fruit. It was his one desire, and while he had been assured it was fine to partake of, he still wasn't quite sure. "Ukyo-chan," Akane asked breathlessly, "what's wrong?" "Nothing, Akane-chan, I just don't want to... I want to make sure you..." Akane smiled knowingly and slowly reached up to her top. Ukyo stared first at her face, then at the destination of her hands, which made Akane's heart beat just a little faster. She undid the tie that kept her top together and her breasts covered. Pulling aside the first flap, and then the other, she bared her chest to him. "If you don't... like them, Ukyo-chan..." Ukyo gasped, but he wasn't sure if it was in denial of him not liking what he was looking at, or simple appreciation. "Akane- chan, I don't know what to say..." "Don't say anything then, you idiot." Her voice grew quiet. "I didn't think we came in here to talk anyway." This was it. A dagger of fear pierced her suddenly, made her want to flee from the situation, but she did not allow it to take hold. It was silly, irrational. It had been almost six months that they had spent on the island together and in that time, her thoughts hadn't always been chaste. She had even dreamed about it a few times, so there was no reason to be afraid. There had been a strangely surreal feeling to those dreams, but the way she felt when she had awakened was very real. Those feelings had finally come to a head and she would not hold them back. Akane took a big breath then leaned up and kissed Ukyo again. Her hands moved across his chest then down his arms until she was holding his hands. She took one hand and placed it first on her side, then moved it up slowly until it was covering her breast. The feeling was strange, but exciting, and she decided that for whatever reason she had been afraid, it was unnecessary. There was no pain, nothing to be afraid of, just a nebulous pleasure that she didn't know how to quantify. Akane just continued to breathe, trying not to give away just how much she was enjoying what he was doing. Not just yet. There was something of a standstill at that point. Ukyo was far too intimidated to try anything more, though he desperately wanted to. Akane was more important to him than that though, and he would not endanger... He squeaked, partially of fright, mostly of embarrassment as Akane took the initiative again and released the tie that kept his sloppily crafted shorts cinched up around his waist. His face glowed crimson as she pulled the shorts down a bit with her hands, then actually used her toes to yank them down the rest of the way. "Akane," he gasped. "I know, Ukyo, why..." she said, smiling. "I know why these instead of something else. I've known for a while now." Ukyo didn't think his face could possibly turn any more red than it had. "I just... didn't want to make you uncomfortable." "Stop, Ukyo-chan. There's no need to. I don't want to think about this, worry about it now. Right now, I don't want anything more than to just..." She didn't know how to express it. Or she was afraid to actually say it. It didn't matter. "I just want to be with you." The rest of it, the other things she wanted to say sounded too silly, too melodramatic even to her. Instead of words, she spoke with actions. The two kissed ferociously this time, their initial tenderness swept away in a tide of passion and desire. Tears were actually coming from Akane's eyes at the extreme need, want she was experiencing. Ukyo kicked off his shorts the rest of the way, tearing the seams in the process, and lay down fully on Akane, feeling her body press against his. He couldn't even figure out how, but they managed to get Akane's modest loincloth off, and leave the both of them naked with each other. "I don't want to hurt you," Ukyo panted, his entire body quivering. "I... I don't think you will," Akane answered, her eyes closed, her body seeming to move of its own will against Ukyo's. She groaned, her hips grinding upward against his. "I don't care." Ukyo attacked her neck and began to thrust gently with his hips, trying to find the proper spot. It took a bit, time that was enjoyable in its own way, where the two were able to feel each other with every misguided thrust. "Here, let me," Akane said, her voice low and sultry. She ran her hand down Ukyo's chest as he pulled away from her slightly. Her hand moved lower and paused. Again, something wanted her to stop, to not do this, but she would not listen. Grasping Ukyo gently in her hand, watching him shudder with the feel of it, she steered him to the proper point. "Now, Ukyo." He pushed forward slowly and entered her, drawing moans from both of them. "Ooh, Akane," Ukyo breathed as he penetrated her. Akane shuddered with pleasure at the feeling. She had been correct. There was no pain, only pleasure, and she couldn't imagine why she had ever hesitated. And Ukyo... She cared for him so deeply that there were tears in her eyes. It seemed like a lifetime and only a heartbeat at the same time before Ukyo stopped moving against her and only panted heavily in her ear as he lay atop her. "Ukyo?" Akane whispered, her entire body quivering with pleasure. "Are you all right?" She hoped so because she wanted him to keep going, the twisting in her stomach not at all unpleasant. "Yes, Akane," he answered, panting between words. "I... I... Wow." "What? You're done?" Akane asked, definitely missing something in the whole process. "Yeah. Couldn't you tell?" Akane snorted. "Not really. What about me?" Ukyo was slowly getting his breath back. "What about you? Didn't you..." "No," she answered briskly. "Well, I guess..." Ukyo shrugged. "I don't know what to do." "Then I suggest," Akane said, holding Ukyo's face in her hands, "that you figure something out quick. Before I get... forceful." Ukyo swallowed, his eyes wide. "Yes ma'am!" "You know, it just occurred to me, that we don't exactly have any sort of birth control," Akane said as she lay in Ukyo's arms. "Odds are pretty low," he mumbled in response, squeezing her. "Maybe, but they're high enough. I don't want this to be ruined every time by me worrying if I'm pregnant or not." "Ruined? I did my best." Akane giggled and shook her head. "I know, but that's not what I meant. I want to enjoy this moment with you, just laying here together." Akane considered things for a moment. "I think you're the perfect man for me." "I knew, the moment I saw you, that you were the only one I ever wanted." "The moment? What if we had been related? What if we _are_ related?" Ukyo sighed, sending a breath across Akane's neck and causing her to shiver. "If we are, then so what? We won't ever know for sure. And it doesn't change the way I feel about you. Just stop worrying, Akane." He propped himself up on one arm, looking down at her. "And it's all right for you to lust after me, but I'm not allowed to declare my love for you?" he asked, arching an eyebrow. "Hey, don't change the subject. That's not the point." "Oh? Then what is the point?" Ukyo countered. "The point is that I don't want this to be a bad experience." It was Akane's turn to sigh. "I do love you and I don't want things to change." A baby would definitely change things. Ukyo kissed her neck and settled down again. "They won't. Things won't change as long as we're together." *** "Well, I guess I don't need to worry about separate rooms any longer." Akane looked back at Ukyo. "Separate rooms? What would you want separate rooms for?" she asked. "Well, nothing now. Before though..." He shook his head, smiling a bit ruefully. "I was sure that one night I wouldn't be able to hold myself back. You tempted me every night." "Ah, well, sorry about that." Ukyo laughed a little. "Don't be sorry at all. I've never been so happy while I was so miserable." "Sweet talking will get you everywhere." She kissed him quickly on the lips. "If we keep this up, we won't accomplish anything." "We? My dear, I am only your willing partner. You are the mastermind of all this." Ukyo put his hands and Akane's hips and pulled her close to him. "Don't think that I will take the blame when we waste away from dehydration." He grinned lecherously at her. Akane pulled away and winked. "I'm going to gather some more wood for the fire. Keep it... lit for when I get back." "That won't be a problem," responded Ukyo, his eyes roaming over her bare skin. Akane smiled at him and left the house, not even bothering to use the ladder. He watched her go then poured himself a small cup of palm wine. He still got nervous with her and he didn't know why. The way they felt about each other was very clear, and it didn't appear that there was much that would change that. He downed the contents of the cup, hoping it would start working quickly. Akane returned a bit later with some wood. "This should be good. It's pretty hard, should burn for a good while." She deposited the wood in their crude stove, adding some smaller branches on top of them. "So what have you..." Akane trailed off when she saw the glassy look in Ukyo's eyes. "Jus' fine, 'Kane." Ukyo burped and Akane could smell his breath. "Ukyo!" "Was jus' a little' No hard done." Akane shook her head. "You can't even stand up straight." "Sure I can. See?" "I see you swaying back and forth like the drunken nitwit you are. I was only gone 15 minutes. How did you accomplish this so fast?" "'Kane, I love you," he said, sitting down on the floor, looking up at her. Akane gave her most annoyed sigh. "You're just lucky we don't have to do anything today, or I'd be really pissed." She stood with her hands on her hips, looking even more annoyed than she sounded. "I love you." Ukyo held his arms out for her. "You already said that. Lay down so I can try to sober you up. And I'm not cleaning it up if you puke." She watched him recline with a goofy smile on his face and shook her head. "Sometimes I wonder about you. Makes me surprised we even lived this long," Akane continued, turning her back on Ukyo and starting some soup and mentha tea. "I don't want you to make this a habit. If you start getting trashed every day..." "I only do it cuz I love you." "Right. Just lie there and don't talk. And when this is done you had better not argue with me. I'm not in the mood to deal with you." Akane continued to mumble under her breath, cursing the stupidity of men. It was ten minutes later, Akane trying to make Ukyo eat a little barely warmed soup and keep his hands to himself, when she smelled it. "Do you smell something?" she asked, looking around. "I love you," Ukyo repeated, resting his head in her lap. "And I love you too, but what's that smell?" It was kind of a sweet odor, heady, like strong perfume, but not overpowering. She inhaled deeply trying to figure out where it was coming from and was immediately dizzy. Vision spinning slightly, she could barely see the smoke hanging in the air, swirling out of the fire. "Ukyo, the smoke..." she said, pushing his head out of her lap and crawling across the floor. "'Kane, don't leave me!" Ukyo whined, waving his arms around, trying to find where she had gone off to. Coughing a little, Akane replied, "I'm not leaving you. I just want to find out what's up with this smoke." She coughed again and was finding it increasingly difficult to coordinate her arms and legs. She looked behind herself at Ukyo and it seemed that entire floor was sloping away. Akane clutched at the rough floor, afraid of sliding down it. She didn't know how long she'd be able to keep her grip since she could already feel her arms getting tired. "Ukyo, hold on!" "I think I'm gonna be sick." "I'm gonna fall! Try and grab me!" Her arms wobbled and she fell to the floor. She started screaming as gravity took hold of her. Ukyo stopped her though, catching her in his arms, and she kissed him gratefully for it. Ukyo responded in kind, finally getting some action, what he had been waiting for all morning. "Ukyooooo..." Ukyo could only murmur in response, too busy attacking Akane's neck and shoulders with his mouth. "When did your haiiiiir turn reeeed?" She stared up at him with a glazed look on her face, her hands holding on to his hair and shaking his head for emphasis. Pausing for a moment, Ukyo looked back at her, tongue hanging out of his mouth. "I think... I think when yours did..." That started him giggling, and she joined him. "Uk... Uk... Yo," Akane stuttered through her giggling, "have you ever thought what it would be like to me a ban?" Ukyo ignored her and removed her top. "I mean, me a ban." She began giggling all over again as Ukyo undressed them both totally. "Be a man..." "No, 'Kane," he answered, handling Akane as if she were a rag doll. She giggled the entire time. *** Dawn broke. More like it slammed over Akane's head and jabbed her eyes. Groaning, Akane started to sit up then decided against it and just covered her face with her arms. Whatever had happened, it had hit her hard, like being hung over, but five times worse. Eventually managing to open her eyes without her head exploding, she looked over at Ukyo. He looked positively dead, just about the same way she felt, except for the gentle rise and fall of his chest. "Ukyo..." Akane groaned, closing her eyes again. "What the hell happened last night?" She waited for a bit, listening to the jungle waking up, and tried again. "Ukyo?" "Do it again, Akane..." This got Akane to open her eyes and look at him. "Ukyo!" she yelled, immediately regretting it. She smacked his arm for emphasis, squinting her eyes as her head throbbed mercilessly. Ukyo's eyes opened slowly, staring up at the ceiling. "Akane, whatever you were doing, don't stop," he said dreamily. Akane was ready to pound on him and not stop, but settled for talking at him from between grit teeth. "You idiot. Don't you know what happened last night?" Ukyo turned his head slowly toward her and smiled. "Yeah. I love you for it." Akane rolled her eyes. "Not _that_. I remember that just fine, but that smoke... And you were drunk off your ass. What was that stuff?" she asked, holding her head. "I don't know, but can we do it again?" "No!" She winced, trying to teach herself not to yell like that when her head was in such a delicate state. "Akane?" "Don't tell me you're going to be sick." "OK, I won't." Getting very slowly to her feet, Akane walked over to the remains of their fire, long burned out and poked at the remains with another stick. The wood that she had gathered had been reduced to ash, but when she prodded at the dust, she could smell it again. That must have been it. "I think I figured out what happened." She turned only to see him out on the balcony, his head hanging over the side. She shook her head as he made various retching noises. *** "It was this." Akane and Ukyo were standing in front of a medium sized tree with several low branches that looked dead hanging off. "I just broke off some of these branches, the bigger ones, and tossed them on the fire." "And you think that is what caused... our behavior?" Ukyo asked, looking at the tiny leaves that adorned the branches. "It must have been. There's no other explanation for the way I started acting. Or why we were asleep for two days after that." She looked over at Ukyo just in time to see him put one of the leaves in his mouth and chew. "Stop!" Ukyo's eyes narrowed as the strangely sweet and bitter taste invaded his mouth and spit the leaf out. "What if that's poisoned!?" Akane yelled at him. "Akane, relax. It's not..." Ukyo's eyes bulged and he clutched his hands to his chest. Making strangled gurgling noises, he fell to the ground while Akane watched, horrified. "I told you to relax," he repeated and stood up, earning a deadly glare. "I don't know what it is exactly, but apparently it's some kind of hallucinogen. I don't feel any effects now so it's probably just the smoke." "But I just burned some branches. That seems kind of strange." Ukyo just looked at Akane. "Oh, right. Anyway, guess I'll try to avoid this next time." "You guess you'll try?" Ukyo asked. Akane smiled a little. "Sure. You heard me." *** "It just hit me. We must be somewhere near the equator." Ukyo, skinning an unlucky dog that had ventured too close, asked, "Why do you think that?" "Well, how long have we been here? A while now. It's been... almost nine months, and we haven't seen any big change in weather. No seasons, so we must be close to the equator." Ukyo nodded. "A wise deduction." Akane nodded too, not sure just what she was expecting. A gold star or something for figuring it out, but when it came right down to it, it just didn't matter. "Well, _I_ thought it was important." *** "Um, I don't want you to worry or anything because it could just be one of those things, but..." Akane toed the dirt a little, looking at Ukyo's back. "Is there something wrong?" he asked, not turning around. Well that would make it a little easier. "Just that... I haven't... I didn't..." "Didn't what, Akane?" "I didn't have my... time of the month." For some reason, she was expecting Ukyo to be upset about it. "Your... Oh. Is that a problem?" "I don't know. It might be. It could mean that I'm..." "Pregnant," Ukyo finished for her. "Right." The whole exchange sounded very cold to her. "You're not upset, are you?" Ukyo turned then and shook his head. "Of course not. Why would I be?" "I'm not sure, but..." She shrugged helplessly. "You're not sure yet?" Akane shook her head. "Then, I guess we should just wait to start panicking after you are." He smiled a little, which made her feel better. "Whether you are or not, there's not much we can do. If you are..." Home abortion? No way. And they couldn't just go and visit the doctor. "You're right. I just don't know about this." "Until we're sure, there's no use in worrying about it." Not openly at least. *** "Ukyo?" Ukyo swallowed. He knew that tone of voice. It looked like she was sure. "Again?" "Yeah. I think that's what it is. I think we screwed up." Ukyo's jaw clenched. "We did not screw up. We are simply being presented with a new challenge, and we will get through this. There is nothing wrong with what's happened. We should be happy." Akane shrank back from the look in his eyes. He was right, of course, but he wasn't the one that was pregnant either. This was something she was going to have to deal with, not him. Of course he'd be helpful and supportive, but she would still be taking the risk, dealing with the pain. "I'm afraid now, Ukyo." Taking care not to get cross with her for her reaction, he nodded. "That's fine, Akane. But this is something we will get through. No matter what." He bent down a little so they were eye to eye. "Don't forget that. And I'll be here whenever you need me. You won't be able to get rid of me." "Thanks, Ukyo." Akane hugged him, afraid to let go in case things got went horribly wrong. "If you ever need anything, just tell me. Now this is your time to relax; don't overdo things," he responded, holding her tightly. *** Akane woke up in the morning and staggered out to the balcony. Holding on tightly to the rails, she made her way out to the roof of the storage shed, leaned over the side of the palisade and threw up. This had been her normal schedule for the past two weeks, and it wasn't getting any better. Leaning on the flattened tops of the logs that formed the palisade, she closed her eyes and waited for the nausea to pass. Ukyo walked up behind her silently and set some water next to her. He knew she didn't like him to try and baby her, especially when it was "just a little morning sickness" even if she did end up drinking an entire gourd of water when she was done. He would wait on going to the river. It was always more pleasant with Akane along, and she liked to go after the vomiting passed. Instead, he decided to go for a little walk, follow the river for a bit upstream. When he returned, Akane would probably be ready to go. He took along a bag in case he found anything interesting, grabbed his stick on the way out and left. Trying not to be too cheerful for Akane's sake, he didn't start whistling until the house was out of sight. He followed the river until he reached the waterfall. This was one of the defining reasons they had moved to their current location, to enjoy to enjoy such a beautiful and picturesque spot. It was almost perfect, possibly too perfect, but Ukyo had long ceased caring about such things. He took in the sight for a few moments, then started his walk around to the top of the waterfall, and continued onward. There was a slight danger of the ground caving in, the same way it had before, but he wasn't going to be too worried about that unless he went higher up the mountain. He planned on keeping to the waterfall's plateau though and not going up the mountain. That was taking just a little too large of a risk, and he didn't want to do that to Akane. Ukyo didn't even want to think about the fact that there would eventually be a baby in their midst. Ukyo hadn't realized how far he had gone, using the opportunity to think about the way things were going to change fairly shortly. Akane had morning sickness, and who knew how long that would last. Then she'd start to show and be less mobile, and he'd have to do almost all the work to make up for it, leaving less time to care for her. The best they could do would be to store extra meat and fish, as much as possible, make sure they had plenty of skins for whatever they might need them, and... just be prepared. Not much of a comfort really. Sighing at the daunting time ahead of both of them, Ukyo stopped walking to drink some water, the sun beginning to acquire its midday heat. He sat in the shade of an immense palm and relaxed, trying not to think too hard about what the future would bring. It was too uncertain to do that. He leaned his head back against the trunk of the tree and closed his eyes. It was impossible not to consider the future. Akane... she was the only thing he had. If something happened to her, he didn't know what he'd do. Probably go mad. The sound of growling shattered his contemplation and caused him to open his eyes very slowly. Not more than three feet away stood the largest, ugliest wild dog he had seen. It was brutish, almost wolf-sized, and was completely unkempt. The other wild dogs were wild, but their coats were in fairly good condition. That was how they were able to make decent skins from them, but this one... The fur was long and matted, sticking in clumps, looking like it had tangled with something larger than itself and lost. What that could have been, Ukyo didn't want to know. He started to stand slowly, and the dog advanced, one half of its face mangled, the socket crushed and devoid of an eye. Ukyo froze. His stick was some protection, but unless he could get to his feet, he wouldn't have the speed or power to protect himself. It was the only thing he could do. If he could just stand up enough, just make the dog back off, then he could fight the thing off. Slow or fast, how should he do it? Whatever way would let him live. He started to rise again, bringing his stick up, but the dog seemed aware of what he was attempting and attacked. Launching itself at him, saliva flew from its gaping jaws, yellowing teeth gleaming in the light. Ukyo watched the beast come closer and closer, his arm seeming to move in slow motion to swing his stick. At the last moment, he put his other arm up and watched as the dog clamped its mouth down on it. Time seemed to speed back up as blood spurted out of the wounds and he screamed in pain as the teeth scraped against the bones of his arm. The weight of the animal slammed him back against the tree, smacking his head against the trunk. Ukyo fell to the ground with the dog still on top of him, tearing at his arm. He was dizzy, with the world swimming in and out of focus, but the fire in his arm and chest kept bringing things back to reality. Weakly, he batted against the ribs the dog with his stick and fist. He would have been dead if not for the fact that the dog was occupied stripping his arm of any muscle and wasn't going for the throat. Akane walked out slowly, still taking swigs from the gourd and spitting them out, trying to get the taste of stomach acid from her mouth. Same damn thing for two weeks and it was still almost debilitating. She should have been over the weakness bit. And Ukyo was probably already down at the river and she'd have to take care of things by herself while she felt like crap. Akane massaged one temple as she walked toward the river. Her head hurt too. "Ukyo?" she called out, expecting him to answer back as usual. There was none however, just the normal jungle noises. "Ukyo?" she called again, her pace beginning to pick up. This time she was answered, but it was a faint scream, echoing through the trees. Headache gone, Akane was instantly running, trying to find the source of that scream. She knew the source, of course, but wherever he was, she knew she had to get there quick. After that one short scream, there was nothing more, nothing else for her to follow, but something in her told her to just follow the river. Ukyo liked the river. Out walking, it would be the most natural way for him to go. He might have fallen, slipped, hit his head, hurt his ankle... Akane ran as fast as she could, careful not to kill herself in the process. Ukyo was being flayed alive. He was dying and very slowly, very painfully. He had never discovered who he was, but he had found love with Akane and he could almost die happy. Searing pain ripped through his arm and an enraged canine shriek rang in his ears. The weight was suddenly removed from his chest and he was allowed to lie still. It was the end. In fact, he was being lifted, floating, rising up... Then the voice of an angel... "You're gonna be fine, Ukyo. Just hang in there. Don't give up." Then the pain returned, his entire body bouncing violently, though he was in the embrace of someone. Was it true, that hell must be conquered to reach heaven? Maybe that's what it was. Ukyo only hoped he would not be deemed unacceptable for his weakness, and passed out. Akane was sucking in the air as she moved as fast as her feet would carry her with Ukyo's near dead weight in her arms. She would have shifted him to a fireman's carry, but there were some nasty wounds on his chest that she didn't want to take any chances with. The worst thing was definitely his arm though. That fucking dog had clamped down and wouldn't let go, like a toothed vise. Only after she had shattered its ribs and come close to breaking its neck had the thing let go. And then she had snapped its neck like a twig, crushing it under her foot, even as it had tried to bite her. Still, the empty socket seemed to burn with an unkillable fury, making Akane doubt her own sanity for a few moments. Ukyo's groans had snapped her from her confusion, and she had ended carrying him back. Back to the house... She changed direction, going for the river instead. The flowing water would help, or at least she thought it might. She set him down gently on the ground, watching the blood flowing freely from the wound in his arm. Sucking in a breath, nearly scared witless, she ran back to the house to grab some supplies that could be easily used for first aid if necessary. Oh how they had been hoping it would never be necessary. "I'm here, Ukyo. Hang on," Akane spoke breathlessly as she lifted him and carried him into the water. The water seemed to work, rouse Ukyo from semi-unconsciousness. "I'm gonna sew you up now, so hold still," she said soothingly. Akane grabbed the palm wine and held it over his arm. It would hurt like hell, but it had to be done. Gritting her teeth, Akane poured the wine over the open wounds. Ukyo's eyes snapped open and he howled in pain, struggling in Akane's grasp. She didn't let go, holding him tightly until she started to pour the alcohol over the claw marks on his chest. "I know it hurts, Ukyo. Just hold on. Just a little more..." she said calmly. It really wasn't going to be just a little more since those gouges wouldn't close up on their own... That was what she had brought the bone sliver and fishing line made of sinew for. "Hold still now, Ukyo. This is gonna hurt, but it has to be done," warned Akane, gripping his arm tightly. Whether he was listening or could even hear her, she didn't know, but it made her feel better. With shaking hands, she fixed the line to the sliver, normally used for hooks or traps to catch fish, and brought the point to the ripped open flesh. "Hold on, Ukyo," Akane repeated and pierced his skin with the needle. Ukyo's cries were weaker this time, and that worried Akane, but it had to be done, and there was no anesthetic on the island to be found. He would have to cope with it or... or not. But he was strong, he would make it. A few stitches wasn't anything. As efficiently as she could manage, Akane fixed up Ukyo's arm, pulling the skin back together as best she could, hoping it wouldn't tear. The last step for the moment was wrapping a thick leaf around the arm and tying it to hold it all in place. Hopefully. The wounds on his chest weren't bad, mostly deep scratches, but there were a couple puncture wounds where the dog's claws had dug in too deep. They'd do with some bandaging, but would heal with very little problem. No, the big worry was his arm. Would his arm hold up? Gathering Ukyo in her arms, his frame slightly bulky, but nothing she couldn't handle, Akane headed back to the house. For the moment, she needed to watch over him, make sure he simply had a torn up arm and not some disease from the dog. "Shit, Ukyo, why'd you have to go out? Why didn't you just wait for me?" They were questions she couldn't help but ask, feeling like she should have been there for him, kept him from going out. "Ukyo, you idiot, wake up..." She didn't even notice the tears rolling down her cheeks. *** His first sight was a welcomed one. Akane was standing, stretching, arms raised above her head, hip thrust out to one side, womanly attributes accentuated nicely. Especially since she was naked from her waist on up. "I couldn't think of anything better to wake up to," Ukyo weakly said, making an effort to sit up. "Don't do that," Akane warned and sat down next to him. "Just rest until you're strong enough. Don't try to force things." She pushed on his chest and forced him to lie back down. "My arm hurts," he said simply. "I'm not surprised. It's in pretty bad shape. I think it was luck that you didn't get killed by that thing." Akane toyed with the container of palm wine. She'd have to bathe his arm in it periodically, but she wouldn't be very happy doing it. "How bad?" There was so much unspoken in the one short question he asked. "Bad, but not too bad. Deep bites, to the bone. But that's all." If she took proper care of it, he would escape the encounter with only a scar on his arm and not a stump. "It hurts, Akane." "I know it does." She moved so that she was cradling his head while on her side, and ran her fingers through his hair. "I'll have to clean it again." Ukyo nodded and closed his eyes. "You want something to drink?" Akane asked. "To dull the pain?" "If that's what you want. I'll get a cup." Akane started to rise. "No, don't." "You're such a baby, Ukyo. I don't need to take care of you like this. You're not hurt that badly." "Maybe not, but I like this. I like having you close to me; it makes it hurt less." Akane shook her head, still running her fingers through his hair. "Oh does it now?" she asked quietly, lowering her nose to the top of his head and breathing in his scent. "Very much so. The only thing I can think of when you're so close is how much I wish all my limbs were functioning so I could carry you to the waterfall." Akane kissed the top of his head. "And then what would you do?" "I'm not sure yet, but just feeling your body in the water is enough." "Enough for what?" Ukyo tilted his head back a little, trying to see Akane's face. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?" "You bet," answered Akane, smiling. They stayed that way for a bit, just looking at each other, before Akane lifted the palm wine and took a drink. "Want some?" Ukyo nodded and drank when it was offered. It was strong, and in the shape he was in, it would probably knock him out in a little while if he continued drinking. "Akane, I love you. I don't think I can say that enough now." "Shut up and have another drink." *** "Akane!" "Hold still, damn it!" Akane poured the wine over his arm, trying to keep him still. "It's not that bad!" "Yes it is! It hurts!" Ukyo yelled back. "Get a grip on yourself! You want this to get infected? Is that it? I'll stop if you do." "Good! I don't care!" "Well, I do," she answered him and poured more of the stinging alcohol over the healing gash. "Act like this again and I'm gonna..." With an annoyed sigh, Akane shook her head. "Just don't make it this hard." "Akane..." "Don't even try, Ukyo. I'm not in any sort of mood to deal with you. I'm about at the end of my rope right now, and I know you don't want to make me upset." Ukyo shook his head sadly. "Good." Not quite shoving his arm away, Akane stood. "I'm going out." She sat at the edge of the water and tossed small rocks out into it. They sank beneath the slow moving current, even as Akane tried to follow their progress. A lot like the progress she felt: down. Sometimes she hated Ukyo, for no reason that she could put her finger on. She just wanted to hit him every time he opened his mouth, every word, every action... That frightened her. Why would she hate Ukyo? She loved him, and she knew why. She loved him and didn't ever want to be without him. Another rock sank in the water. So why did he infuriate her like that? Why? A question Akane couldn't answer. Another one to go along with all the others. Things she had no explanation for, things she had long given up on trying to figure out. And yet, still they haunted her. Questions of why and how, where, and even who... Questions she had no answers for. It was fitting. After all, her whole being was a person she had no answers for. No memories except what had transpired on the island over the past eleven months. For the first time since she had awakened on the island, Akane put her head down and cried for herself. *** "Are you gonna hold still, or do I need to knock you unconscious?" The look in Akane's eyes was absolute seriousness. She wasn't kidding. "Go," Ukyo replied, nodding his head once. Akane cut the end of the line with the knife and pinched it hard between two fingers. "Ready?" Her arm tensed. Ukyo started to nod, but before he could finish, Akane pulled on the line. He released a sound that resembled a squeal and immediately clamped his hand over the wound. "All done. That wasn't so bad, was it?" In one hand, Akane was holding the homemade suture. Ukyo's face slowly turned red and it was quite obvious he was trying to hold something in. "Gyaaahh!" he finally cried out. Walking away, Akane said, "I'll get the wine." "Gyaaahh!" *** Akane woke up early, Ukyo draped all over her, and expected the usual intestinal rumblings. Surprisingly enough, they weren't there. She removed Ukyo's arms from her and sat up. It felt good not to have to go out and throw up for once. She took a deep breath and was finally able to enjoy the morning air in a way she hadn't for a month. Maybe it was only a temporary relief, but she was going to take advantage of it. Trying not to wake Ukyo, she headed outside and soaked up the morning sun in a way she hadn't been able to for weeks. This time, her stomach gurgled, but not for the usual reasons. Akane looked down at her stomach then and noticed the change. It was slight, but it was there, a definite roundness she hadn't noticed before. Maybe it hadn't been there before and this was only the beginning. Her first step to becoming a water buffalo. Akane was, at the same time, excited and dismayed. She didn't want to get huge, but... "Akane?" Akane turned a dazzled Ukyo with her smile. "Good morning!" Ukyo looked confused, made even sillier by the mass of morning hair. "Why are you so happy?" "Because I don't feel sick this morning!" Ukyo scratched his head. "Well, that's good." Leaning up to kiss his cheek, Akane giggled. "Well it sure feels good to me. Finally I can look out at the sky in the morning instead of down at the ground." "Oh." It was obvious Ukyo wasn't awake yet. "And look at this." Akane took a step back and turned to show her profile to Ukyo. "See?" Ukyo looked at her. A little more. "No." "Look!" Akane pointed to her stomach. "You've gained weight." "Yeah! It should only..." "Maybe we should cut back on the red meat then." Ukyo looked down at himself to see if he could judge any weight gain. Akane sighed. "No, I've gained _weight_, you nitwit." Ukyo blinked at her and shook his head. "Idiot, the baby." Ukyo cocked his head to one side. "The baby? You mean that's the baby?" he asked, pointing to her stomach. "Somethin' like that." Akane looked down at herself again. "The beginnings of one anyway." Ukyo shook his head again. "It's too early in the morning for this."