This is an archive

From: Lara Bartram lara@emunix.emich.edu

Subject: [Ranma][FanFic] Bliss 1/5

FYI, to not scare people away from reading this effort, it’s been split up into 5 parts. When written, it was not split into parts, nor should it be assumed that the parts are broken into logical sections - it was simply split where it was most convenient. Yes, this is a 500k story - read all 5 parts.

Please send all comments and such to

mike@thekeep.org

lara@emunix.emich.edu

http://www.thekeep.org/~lara/bliss/bliss.html

{These characters are not property of us. We would never attempt to claim them as our own. This story may not be used without our permission, and may not be used to make money in any way, shape or form. Characters and certain situations were created by Rumiko Takahashi, so don’t try any funny stuff!}

“It begins now. And it’s pure and utter bliss”

• Kitt Gerrard

I

She woke up as another wave washed over her. Sitting up slowly, her entire body screamed at the effort, her muscles stiff, her skin dry. Opening her eyes brought its own agony as the light assaulted her vision and salt and sand stung her.

Another wave washed over her, splashing her gently in the face, causing her to sputter. Salt water. Ocean water. She looked out at what was in front of her and could only stare. Water. Lots of it. An ocean. And she was…

Looking around, she was nowhere. Some beach, somewhere, no place she recognized, seemingly sitting on the edge of forever, the limitless expanse of blue before her. Far off into the distance, the ocean and the sky seemed to merge, becoming a single massive entity, making her feel like she was the only person in a great blue void.

She felt… awful. She must have been passed out on the beach for days because exposed skin, and there was quite a bit of it, was angry red, sunburned; her lips felt dead, dried out, and she was intensely hungry. Possibly worse was how dry her mouth was. Water…

She desperately needed water.

Standing was a struggle. She felt weak all over and hoped that it was only temporary. If it wasn’t, she just might end up dying on the lonely beach and becoming nothing more than a dried-out husk. And she wouldn’t allow that to happen to herself.

Forcing herself to stand and to look away from the endless blue, she looked at the land behind her. Jungle. Alien. Green and lush, and it looked hot, while the blue had at least looked cool.

Maybe it would be better to just wander out into the blue and relax.

The green looked so much tougher to handle.

Yes, the blue looked better. She was about to turn and head into that blue, the cool, refreshing blue that would soothe her pain, when she heard it. A moan from somewhere nearby. At the edge of the green, hidden partially by shade and a fallen tree…

Stumbling as much as walking, she approached the mystery, unable to even care if there might be danger involved. The only thing she did care about was that she might not be alone. And indeed, waiting on the ground, moving feebly, was another person. A young man.

Somehow, she managed to drag him back among the green, but in the comforting shade. Sitting next to him, basking in the slight coolness of the shade, away from the killing sun, she knew she couldn’t allow herself to fall asleep. She might not wake up. But food… And water. And the young man.

When she opened her eyes again, there was darkness. Maybe she was dead, but she didn’t think so. There was still so much oppressive heat, and she was still hungry, and so thirsty.

“Drink this,” a tired-sounding voice said.

Something rough was placed at her lips and tilted, sending something wet and cold impacting with her lips. The sensation almost made her cry out, but she greedily began to slurp at the liquid.

“Not so fast,” the voice said. “You’ll get sick.”

She didn’t care. The feeling of that cold liquid was enough for the moment. Whether she could actually stomach it or not was not an issue. It felt good against her dried lips and washing over her parched gums and tongue. And down her throat… She had suddenly been transported to heaven.

Moments later, she was doubled over, retching it up, her

stomach refusing the offering as too much, too fast. The act of vomiting was almost too much for her to handle and it felt like she might faint again, but something wet and cold was placed against her forehead and that seemed to bring her back to reality.

After she recovered, the cold liquid was offered again, and this time, she sipped it. Her stomach gurgled ominously, but decided not to reject the liquid that was offered. Sighing with relief, she leaned back and relaxed as the cold cloth was passed across her forehead again. “Thank you,” she said weakly, her whole body feeling drained.

The cloth was removed, but the offered liquid remained.

“You’re welcome.”

She turned to see the face of the speaker and discovered the young man that she had found on the beach sitting behind her, supporting her. He was wiping his neck with the cloth he had torn from his shirt, his face looking as tired as she felt.

“Drink more if you think you can hold it,” he offered.

Nodding, she turned and looked at exactly what was being

offered. It was some sort of dried-out gourd maybe, or shell of something like a coconut. It was filled with cold, clear, sweet, refreshing water. Not pausing again, she drank the rest of it down, spilling some out of the sides. Once it was drained, she lowered the vessel and wiped her mouth on the back of her arm. “Where’d you get this water?” she asked.

“A river, not very far away. It empties into the ocean.” His answer was simple and concise.

She was about to wonder aloud why she hadn’t thought to look for anything, but then, she hadn’t been totally conscious. “I’m hungry,” she said instead. If he had found water, maybe he had food too.

“Now that you’re awake, I’ll look for something.” He draped the cloth over her shoulder and started to stand, so slowly like he was an old man, pulling away from the girl.

She started to stand as well, wondering if it was a mistake as her legs almost immediately collapsed beneath her.

“Don’t try to stand. Wait here. You’re not in shape to be wandering around like that. Rest. There’s more water if you need it.” His voice was so sincere, so serious.

She nodded. “I’ll wait here.” It was actually surprising that she could even speak at all, but that water had done all the wonder in the world for her. Even though her throat still hurt, she could at least manage words without sounding like she was part frog.

“I think I saw some sort of fruit by the river. I’ll see what I can find.”

She watched him move off into the darkness and wondered

absently who he was. Maybe she’d find that out once she could remember who she was.

She was asleep when he returned, though she looked peaceful this time, not the fitful half sleep she had been in before. He set the bananas he had managed to pull down in the sand and sat next to the sleeping girl.

He noted that she had finished off the water he had left and was clutching the still damp cloth to her chest. Thankfully she was breathing evenly, deeply, and her skin was cooler to the touch than it had been when he had awakened to find her sprawled out in the sand.

Whoever she was, she was strong. The condition she had been in… she probably should have been dead. The only thing that had saved him from death was the fact that he had been in some shade.

Some investigating had revealed where the girl had been, apparently unconscious on the beach, right out in the open. The print of her body hadn’t quite been washed away by the waves.

He couldn’t recall a name for her, but she must have been some sort of acquaintance. Maybe. Not that it mattered since they were the only two people around it seemed.

Gently moving the girl to an area he hoped would be shaded then sitting next to her again, he grabbed one of the green bananas and peeled it. Eating it slowly, he pondered what could have happened to put the two of them on the beach together. The fact that he couldn’t remember anything didn’t help either.

There had been no sign of wreckage, nothing that might reveal how they had gotten there, or gave any hope that there might be more people on the island. He hadn’t gone far from the beach to positively say that there was no other human life there, but he could guess.

Either way, once the girl was healthy enough, once he was for that matter, they would make sure to explore the island to their satisfaction. He didn’t want to live on a diet of bananas alone.

Finishing the banana and discarding the peel, he reclined in the sand and stared at the sky. The stars were familiar enough to see, but they looked strange otherwise. He knew one thing: he was very far away from home.

The images in her dream were vague, but unsettling. Lots of people with hazy faces and names she couldn’t remember were all around her. There was something huge, something evil there as well, and it caused her to tremble. Then there was brightness, a light of such strength she didn’t think possible. And then nothing.

Waking up was a nightmare in itself. All her memories were gone, simply vanished. She had no idea why, she had no idea where she was, she had no idea about anything except that she was pretty damn miserable.

Sitting up slowly, already sweating in the heat, she looked out from under the plants. Hoping to see something, anything, her meager hopes fell when she saw the blue staring back at her.

Nothing.

She wanted to cry, wanted to cry at the unfairness of the world and yell and scream her hatred out. But something inside her would not allow such a weak show of emotion. Something inside her prevented her from losing her control so utterly.

So instead, she closed her eyes and breathed deeply, trying to somehow flush the bitterness from her body. Surprisingly, it worked, and while she was still angry, she felt under control.

Exhaling heavily, she opened her eyes and prepared to…

A small smile made its way to her face when she saw the

dried-out gourd filled with water and a bunch of bananas. She would have to remember to thank her companion, whoever he was. And he was indeed her companion in this little adventure. Until she figured out what was going on, she would need to rely on him.

That was when her hunger reappeared in full force. Hands

suddenly shaking, she grabbed the bananas, even foregoing the water, and broke one off. She peeled it as quickly as she could, it almost falling from her hand, and once the peel was gone, practically shoved the entire thing into her mouth at once.

She didn’t taste it, didn’t need to because she was already peeling the second one. He had left her half a dozen, and within minutes, they were all gone. For the time, her hunger had been partially satisfied. She would need more food shortly, but for now…

She picked up the water and drank it down, appreciating it differently than the way she had last night. It had been life then, but now, it was a simple joy. Her body practically sang with health as she downed it, and she knew she wouldn’t need to consider wandering off into that field of blue again.

Her quest to stand wasn’t as bad this time, her legs had some strength to them, but she was still a bit wobbly. Yet, to be standing and not feel like her legs were rubber… She sighed with relief. For some reason, the idea that she might not be able to stand again had passed through her mind. That kind of weakness, she would rather die than live with.

“Good, you’re awake.”

She looked over and saw her companion walking out of the

greenery with an armful of fruit.

She waved at him tentatively, not sure what to say. She

didn’t know his name, what kind of person he was… The only thing she knew is that he had saved her with that water. “Hi,” she said simply.

“Are you still hungry?” he asked, noting the pile of banana peels.

“Yeah, I think I am. And I… Um…” She blushed, not sure how to put it delicately. Or at least so she wouldn’t embarrass herself.

He looked at her strangely for a moment, then understanding dawned on his face. “I will fetch more water until…” He trailed off, unsure how to finish. Instead of prolonging the awkward moment, he set down the different fruits he had collected, picked up the gourd and headed for the river.

Sighing with relief, not sure exactly what she was so nervous about, she went a bit into the trees to do her business.

“Here, you’ve got a cut on your arm.” She kneeled behind him as he was eating a fruit with red skin and sweet meat. It was on the back of his arm where he hadn’t noticed, and was already angry red.

There wasn’t anything she could do to help heal it, but she could bandage it just in case.

She tore one of the sleeves off her shirt and wrapped it

around his arm, then tied it snugly. “There. That should help a little.”

“Thank you. More water?” he offered.

She nodded and accepted the gourd, almost pulling her hand away when their fingers brushed against one another innocently. She blushed and took the gourd, avoiding looking in his eyes. Sipping the water, she looked out at the ocean, the waves lapping at the beach in a hypnotic rhythm.

“I think that we should make an effort to explore this island before we… give up. What if we sat here and there was some sort of resort on the other side?” he suggested, looking behind himself at the rather daunting looking jungle.

Nodding, she said, “Yeah. I don’t know how much longer I can look at this beach before…” And that hopeless blue void.

“Agreed. With no sign of wreckage, I can’t believe that any sort of rescue party will be out here looking for us.” He looked over at his companion, hoping he wasn’t being too nihilistic. “Are you feeling well enough to walk possibly a long distance?”

“I think so. I just needed some water and something to eat.

I’m feeling a lot better now.” She finished off the water in three large gulps and stood up abruptly. No, she couldn’t stand looking at that blue any longer. “Well?” she asked, looking down at the young man.

He looked up at her, rather surprised. “You mean… Now?”

She nodded, a confident smile on her face. “I want to get away from this beach, the ocean. I’m ready… Now.”

“Then, I guess we go.” He finished the piece of fruit he was eating and stood up, brushing the sand off his tattered clothing.

“It might be best to follow the river since we have no way of carrying fresh water,” he suggested.

“Good idea. We’ll probably see animals along the river too.

Maybe we can catch some.” As her body felt refreshed, her mind did too. It was quickly coping with the reality of the situation and trying to think of ways they could survive.

It was hot and humid, but the trees shaded the two from the sun. They were lucky in that respect as they were both without any sort of covering for their heads. That was the greatest danger now as they followed the river upstream, deeper into the jungle.

The two didn’t talk, the only noise coming from them was the heat-labored breathing as they made their way through the brush.

Footing was slippery with the muddy ground and fallen leaves, causing the two to often cling to trees to keep from falling or going into the river.

There was one point, a small waterfall, where the two were making their way up the large stones that made a natural stairway, that something… odd happened.

“Watch your footing. These rocks are slippery,” he warned as he slowly climbed onto the next rock. He looked back briefly.

“I know.” She was concentrating on her feet, the trees

overhead casting partial shadows on the wet rocks, making footing even more treacherous. She swore under her breath as her foot slipped and she momentarily lost her balance.

He looked back at her quickly. “Are you okay?” He took

another step, meaning to plant his foot on the next rock, but missed. His foot slid off the side, and he was suddenly teetering backwards, about to plunge to the shallow water and rocks below.

Looking up at the sudden movement of flailing arms, she was frozen. Frozen for a heartbeat while her mind determined just what she could do to save him. Her body acting on its own, her legs propelled her upward where her hand latched on to an overhanging branch. The momentum swung her forward where she was somehow able to grab her companion’s hand. She turned her body in mid-swing and let go of the branch, landing lightly on her feet on solid ground and pulling him with her.

He was jerked forward where he tripped over a protruding root of the same life-saving tree and tumbled into his savior. The two of them fell to the ground, chest to chest, him on top of her, their faces inches apart.

They stayed in that position, each of them genuinely

surprised, before it suddenly occurred to him what was pressing into his chest and he scrambled to remove himself.

Breathing heavily, but not because of the heat, he stood up and backed away. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…”

Standing up not as quickly, slightly winded from the fall, the hero of the moment brushed herself off even though there wasn’t anything on her. “It’s…” She started shaking her head. “No problem. Don’t worry about it.” She exhaled a bit shakily and laughed a little.

“Whoo. That was a close call, wasn’t it?” she said loudly, looking up and smiling.

“Yeah,” he answered, looking back at what he would have

landed on if she hadn’t caught him, “it was. Thanks again.”

Trembling a little, she tentatively patted his arm. “We’ve got to stick together, right? I didn’t want to lose you so soon.”

“I didn’t want to be lost so soon.” He was standing, but he wasn’t sure his feet would allow themselves to be lifted from the ground at the moment. One of the most surprising things, besides the amazing show of athleticism, was the way his companion, his…

friend? It was the confidence she was showing.

When she had first awakened, he had been so afraid that she would be helpless, useless, expecting to be catered to, but she was showing herself to be much different. She seemed more capable than him, only hindered by her injuries. There was no doubt that when she was recovered, he would be hard-pressed to find anything in which she needed his help.

“We should keep going,” she said, interrupting his thoughts.

She looked up the river, the path it was cutting partially obscured by trees, and nodded. “At the speed this water is traveling, there’s probably some pretty sizable hills at least.”

“You’re right. Maybe going to a higher elevation will get us out of this heat a little.” Thankfully, his body was convinced it was back on solid ground and was ready to get moving again. “Maybe we should keep a little farther from the river this time,” he offered.

“Yeah, the footing’ll be better, but the plants…”

He was already coming up with a minor solution. He broke off a sizable branch, the wood still moist and green, and pulled off the branches. “This’ll work a little. Better than nothing,” he said smiling, looking at the implement he was holding.

“Now we’ve got a plan… Some plan.” She snorted and kicked a rock into the river.

The pair followed the river, but this time, they were at a safer distance. The brush wasn’t as thick as they had feared, and only the occasional tall bush got in their way. The sturdy whiplike branch being used to clear such nuisance vegetation was working quite well.

“That was a pretty good move you did back there. Are you a gymnast or something?” he asked, whacking some leaves aside.

“I don’t know. It felt like my hand was going to slip off that branch the entire time.” It wasn’t saying much, but that was the most afraid she could remember being.

He shook his head, and she knew it was with disbelief, maybe a little awe. “Like I said, it was a good move. Great, actually…

Uh…”

“What is it?”

“I was just wondering… what should I call you? I feel kind of uncomfortable not even knowing your name,” he said, pausing for a moment.

“Oh.” She tried to dig up something, anything from her memory that might tell her who she was, but there was only a maddening blank. She growled with frustration. “I can’t remember!”

He blinked. “You too?”

Oh no. “Don’t tell me you can’t remember anything either…”

To her dismay, he shook his head. “I remember waking up on the beach, and smelling the ocean, and wondering why I was here.

Everything before that…” He shrugged. “I feel like a newborn babe, save that I can talk and walk.”

She sighed. “Damn. I was hoping that maybe you knew who I was, or what we’re doing here.” Again she tried to seize the memories, and again found only an unnatural hole, like a tongue probing a missing tooth. “I guess… well, I know what we’re speaking is Japanese, so that’s probably where we’re from.”

Frowning slightly, he stared at her. “I do think I know you.

There’s something just out of reach…”

…no! i won’t let it hurt aka…

He blinked, shook his head slightly.

…i lo…why does she hate me…no! akan…

“Akane?” he said, hesitantly. “Are you Akane?”

Her eyes widened. “Akane… Akane…” The word had meaning, it was important, it fit her…

…akane, teased a male voice, uncute tomboy…

“That must be me,” she said wonderingly. “I’m Akane.” The sound of the name was strangely comforting, and she repeated it again. “Akane. I have a name.”

“I’m happy for you,” the boy replied, amused. “It suits you.

Fiery.”

She stuck her tongue out at him. “So what do I call you, Mr.

Nameless?”

Shrugging, the boy slashed at another stand of vegetation with the stick. “I don’t know. But if I know who you are, it would stand to reason that you know who I am.”

That made sense. Frowning, she concentrated on his face, trying to fit the image to the hole in her mind, trying to call it back…

…why you! i’ll…

…ranm…

She shook her head, a wave of dizziness washing over her. “I think we were sorta friends, but we weren’t. You liked me, but you didn’t. I can’t… it’s hard to tell.”

He glanced back at her, slicing away more foliage as he did.

“If I was your friend, do you remember a name? Someone who was your friend, who was angry and not angry at you?”

…friends…

…uk…no! no!…

…no! don’t! not for me! no! my fault!…

…ukyo!….

“Ukyo,” she gasped, sweat streaming down her brow. “Ukyo, jumped in front of me, I fell, jumped in front of me…”

His eyes widened, the name echoing in his ears, the

description rising from his mind…

…no! hellthing, i won’t let you hurt aka…

…dived in front of her, weapon raised, burning searing flame pain screaming…

“Yes… yes… I jumped in… you didn’t want me to…”

“Ukyo…”

The name surfaced again, with some great feeling tied to it.

“I suppose I am. Ukyo. Yes.” It sounded good in his ears, now that he said it. “A fine name for a man.” He frowned, feeling something wrong with the statement, then shrugged. “I’m Ukyo, of the Ku…” He blinked, the word slipping away. “Of something,” he finished lamely.

They stared at each other for almost a minute, pale and shaking.

“There was some sort of fight,” Akane said slowly.

Ukyo nodded. “I don’t remember much.” He shuddered. “I do not really wish to, at the moment. I think perhaps we should continue exploring.”

She nodded. “Anything to get off this smelly rock. If I have to have no memory, I could at least be somewhere comfortable, damn it.”

Chuckling, Ukyo swung again, looking back at Akane as he did.

“This certainly is no…”

“Ukyo!”

He stopped, alarmed. “What?”

Akane said nothing, just pointed to the tree that was slowly toppling over. The tree he had just sliced in half. With a stick.

Slowly, Ukyo looked down at the branch he held.

“What… how did you…”

He shook his head. “I… I don’t know…”

“Whoa,” was all Akane said in response.

“Um…” The uncertainty in Ukyo’s voice was obvious. “Maybe we should… just keep going.” He was giving Akane a weak smile, but she was still staring at the stick in his hand.

Feeling suddenly self-conscious, he dropped the stick to his side, drawing her attention back up to his face. “Let’s go,” he said a little more harshly than he meant to. Turning, he ignored the fallen tree in his path and started walking.

“Whoa,” Akane said again quietly before following.

They followed the river until it started to get dark. Neither feat that had been performed earlier was repeated, and each of them was secretly happy at that. Something so… so freakish was unnerving.

Akane openly watched Ukyo to see if he might repeat whatever he had done before. He seemed to treat the incident like it hadn’t even happened, but Akane knew there was something more to him than what she could see.

Sometimes, when she was watching him, she would catch him looking back at her. When their eyes would meet, he would quickly look away, turning his attention back to the path they were cutting through the vegetation.

For some reason, this brought a small, secretive smile to Akane’s lips. She wasn’t sure why, but those stolen glances were things she found a little scandalous, a little daring, and quite…

exciting.

“I think we should stop for the night,” Ukyo said, leaning against a tree, the stick still held tightly in his hand, like it was fused with his flesh.

Looking around doubtfully, Akane shook her head slightly.

“Right here?” she asked.

“Unless you have a better suggestion.” It was evident that Ukyo was taken a bit aback at her rebelliousness.

Akane looked around, then eyed a tree. “I think I do.”

Ukyo’s knuckles turned white as he gripped the stick.

Whatever Akane was planning, it couldn’t be completely safe.

Tentatively hugging the tree’s trunk, Akane looked up, then with ability that seemed inherited from a double jointed monkey, she shimmied up the tree. At the top, she surveyed the area through the trees.

“There! A little bit up the river, it looks like a clearing or something,” she called down. Peering down at Ukyo, she continued, “I think it’d be better if we went to the clearing instead of stopping here.”

Barely able to see her face up in the tree, Ukyo nodded.

“okay. You can come down now,” he said nervously.

“Right.” Instead of climbing back down, Akane untangled her legs from the leaves and stubby branches so they were hanging in mid- air. Lowering herself slowly, gripping the same branches tightly, Akane began to drop from the tree.

Seeing this, Ukyo started waving his hands, actually setting the stick down. “Don’t do that! You’re going to…”

Akane released her hold and dropped down, almost landing right on Ukyo. She landed on her feet with a small grunt of exertion, but Ukyo crumpled to the ground, groaning.

“Oh… Oh crap.” Akane kneeled down next to Ukyo and patted his cheek “Ukyo? Ukyo, are you okay?”

“Yuh… yeah. I’m fine. Just caught me by surprise.” He sat up slowly, rubbing his head a little.

“Are you sure you’re not hurt?”

“No, really, I’m fine.” He got to his feet, Akane helping him, and grabbed his stick again. Receiving a curious look from Akane, he shrugged. “I just feel better with it.” He hefted it experimentally. “It doesn’t feel quite right, but a weapon in my hand…”

Akane nodded. At the moment, she was thinking how a weapon in her hand might feel better. “Why don’t we get going. I don’t feel comfortable in this jungle when it’s getting dark like this.”

Nodding and recovering his breath, his stick held comfortably if a tad awkwardly, Ukyo set out with Akane at his side.

They walked for 15 minutes more, the sky darkening overhead, stars taking the place of the glaring sun, until they reached the mysterious clearing. And mysterious it was. But maybe more like…

unnatural than mysterious.

There simply wasn’t any natural way for a clearing of the sort the two were standing at the edge of to exist and actually maintain itself in a jungle. It should have lasted for maybe a month before it was completely over grown, but here…

There was an easy way to tell that the strange clearing was considerably older than it should have been, and that was the large pillar that was sitting in the middle of it. Even from 75 feet away, it was obviously ancient, looking just like a prop from a movie.

It was formed from some sort of dark gray stone, one giant, unbroken piece, and it had been brutally weathered, that much was obvious. But the most telling thing about it, the one thing that told them the clearing was older than it should be was that the stone was bleached, sun bleached.

It was easy to tell the stone’s original tone had been very dark, but sitting in the sun, day after day, even it couldn’t resist and had lightened under the constant rays.

“What’s that?” Akane asked in a whisper. Why she was

whispering, she didn’t know, but it seemed appropriate.

“I don’t know. It’s… It’s…”

Akane nodded. It was eerie, the way it had such a dramatic presence even in the darkness. She had a weird feeling that the night was when its presence would be most powerful, only muted by the sun. “I’m not sure this was a good idea.” She was getting the weird feeling, like a wave of invisible goosebumps, that they were being watched, like the night was alive and watching them.

“It’ll be fine. There’s nothing to worry about.” And he knew it was the truth, but he sure didn’t feel that way.

The night did have eyes and it was most definitely watching the two. It watched them with multiple pairs of yellow, feral eyes that moved with the speed of the wind and with the same stealth.

Akane and Ukyo slept fitfully in the mooncast shadow of the pillar, unaware of the encroaching danger. If Ukyo hadn’t been a light sleeper, they possibly both would have been dead before they could have further considered their chances of rescue.

Upon waking, Ukyo’s hand went groping for his makeshift weapon automatically. It was only a moment after that he heard the noise, a soft growling. Instead of bolting upright, he moved his head slowly to look off to his right. The source of the growling was there.

And the smell, the smell of death and decay… Eyes that seemed to shine with their own inner fire, nearly glowing were not more than five feet away. There were others as well, all with the same ferocious glares of bloodlust.

Ukyo didn’t know how many there were, but he knew he had to fight them. If he didn’t, he and Akane would be little more the scraps of flesh in the morning. “Akane,” he whispered, hoping it was enough to wake her.

“I’m already up,” she answered. No doubt, she had already assessed the situation and knew it was dangerous.

“What do you think?” he asked.

“We don’t have a choice.” And then she was up like a shot, fighting, and he was hypnotized by the way she moved. “We kick ass!”

Ukyo was shaken from moment of admiration when several of the beasts next to him joined the fight against Akane. They charged over him, drawn by the motion of the girl. Without even bothering to check how Akane was, Ukyo rolled to his feet quickly and started swinging. Now he just had to hope the stick would be enough to scare the beasts away.

They seemed to ooze out of the darkness, with their slim, ragged bodies appearing to absorb any light that shone upon them.

Except for their eyes. Whether it was a trick by Ukyo’s mind or something supernatural, he was drawn to the yellow glow in their eyes. And so was his weapon.

When one moved in to attack, fangs bared and quite visible even in the dark, he swung downward and struck the beast on the top of the head. It let out an abbreviated howl of pain, then dropped to the ground.

There was no time to consider whether he had just killed it because the others were beginning to attack, and they in turn were joined by more forms from the dark.

It was about then that Akane wished she had something to start smacking the little monsters with. She was doing adequately with her fists and feet, but her reach was sorely lacking. The animals, wild dogs drawn by their scent, had to be almost upon her so she could take care of them effectively.

And the fighting was a necessity, but when her fist impacted with bone, and there was a crunching noise, like the sound of firecrackers, it made her almost sick. A weapon would have made it much more impersonal. The kick, even in bare feet, that snapped a head back and broke the neck…

Something seemed to fly at her, and her arm moved

automatically to swat it away, something wet showering her face on impact. But she couldn’t stop. They wouldn’t stop. She couldn’t die.

She wouldn’t allow it.

The tide of living darkness seemed to ebb, and then as

quickly as they had attacked, the dogs fled. Their prey hadn’t been as vulnerable as it had appeared, and it had hurt their numbers deeply. It might be a time before they returned in an attempt to taste of their flesh, but they would return.

Ukyo and Akane knew it.

“I think maybe a fire would help,” Akane said, panting

slightly. “At least, I don’t know… At least….”

Ukyo nodded and understood. It would be a comfort even if it didn’t serve any other purpose. He looked around in the night and had only one question. “How?”

Akane laughed a little. “That’s the sticker, isn’t it?” She walked around to the other side of the pillar, away from the bodies of the dogs and sat down heavily in the grass. If she never had to repeat a fight like that, it would be too soon for her.

“Akane, are you hurt?” Ukyo asked, crouching at her side and putting his hand on her shoulder. He leaned the stick up against the pillar and patted her knee.

“I’m fine, just a little tired. Just… tired.” She leaned her forehead against her knees and sighed heavily.

Ukyo looked at her, trying to determine if she was actually hurt, and when she seemed only… tired, he decided a fire was necessary. “Right, I’ll try and get a fire started for…

something.”

Try. That was the important word. Just how he planned on making a fire in the middle of the night, in the middle… well, kind of the middle of a humid jungle where everything around him was green, and when he had no idea where to even begin looking… The idea of a fire was starting to look like wishful thinking.

It took him one trip around the pillar in a wide circle to figure this out, and then he returned to Akane. “Um, I think the fire is going to have to wait,” he said sheepishly.

She laughed a little, not lifting her head. “I’m not

surprised. We don’t seem to be much into survival, do we?”

“I suppose not. Maybe we’ll do better in the daylight.” After they’d had a chance to recover from being attacked by a pack of wild dogs.

Smiling grimly, she glared out at the surrounding jungle.

From several places, pairs of red dots glared back.

“Get some sleep,” she said, suddenly feeling very tired. “If we’re going to be attacked, we might as well grab as much rest as possible in preparation. I’ll wake you when it’s your shift.”

Ukyo nodded. “Wise.”

He curled up in the shadow of the hideous column, and tried to sleep. It was a long time before he could.

---

Akane awoke to the smell of roast wild dog.

Yawning, she sat up, shaking the stiffness from her bones. In the back of her mind, the images of faces faded away into the dream they had emerged from, like mist in a harsh sun.

Ukyo sat hunched in the shelter of the monolith, roasting a haunch of canine steak over a crude stick spit. He smiled wanly at her as she yawned and wandered over.

“How’d you get the fire going?”

Ukyo smiled sheepishly. “I am a bit embarrassed. It wasn’t until almost morning that I noticed the huge stone pillar was, in fact, a huge flint pillar.”

Akane chuckled. “Whoops.”

“I broke off a fragment to use in a future camp,” he said, fumbling behind him to show her. “Staying here probably is not wise…”

“It’s stone. How did you break it off?”

He blinked, surprised by the flatness in her tone. “I took my stick and shattered…” Ukyo trailed off. “I shouldn’t be able to do that, should I?”

Akane slowly shook her head. “Nope. People don’t just shatter stone with…”

…bakusai ten-ket…

…focus, release….

…she lashed out, shattering the stone wall with the force of her blow…

“Akane? Akane, are you all right?”

She nodded, feeling a little nauseous. “I… I just

remembered a little. I can do that too, with my hands.” She stared at him helplessly, frustration welling up. “Damn it, we can smash rocks to powder and fight off rabid wolves with bare hands and branches, but we can’t remember our own last names. What the hell are we, and what are we going here?”

Ukyo frowned. “I don’t know. Perhaps we were in a shipwreck, and were washed ashore…” He shrugged helplessly. “There wasn’t any wreckage on the beach, but I suppose it could have been a small boat, far at sea…”

“And we both happened to have the exact same type of

amnesia?” Akane asked skeptically. “I don’t think so.”

Shrugging, the boy turned the haunch again, sending spatters of grease sizzling into the fire. “Then I don’t know. Perhaps we have been drugged, or brainwashed, and managed to escape.”

Akane shrugged. “Yeah, I guess. Maybe we’re secret agents or something.” She grinned, poking him. “Hey, Bond, when’s that gonna be done? I’m starving.”

“It should be finished soon.” Ukyo carefully poked the meat with a fire-cleansed stick, noting the result with satisfaction.

“I’m a good cook. You’ll like it. Wild Dog ala Stick.”

She smirked. “Good thing you’re the one cooking. I’m terrible at it, it’d be burnt and everything.”

Ukyo carefully turned the haunch again. “Who taught you?”

“Well, it was when I was little, and…”

…terrible, but will have to…

…cooking? you, akane this stuff is tox…

…akane, why can’t you make something edible for once? jeez, are you trying to poison…

A low scream ripped from her throat. Shaking, she turned on him, furious, her stomach churning. “Don’t you ever do that again.

Never. I’ll remember when I’m damn well ready, do you understand?

When I’m ready.” Her face had gone pale, and she could feel the fever-sweat dripping down her face, running into her eyes. That voice talking about her, saying those horrible things, damn it, damn it, go away…

“I’m sorry,” Ukyo said awkwardly, worried by the sudden

explosion. “I was just trying to help…”

“Well don’t. Please.” With an effort, she forced her

breathing and heart rate to slowly return to normal. “That kind of help I don’t need.”

“Very well.” He carefully removed the haunch from the spit, deftly tore it in two, and handed half to her. “Bon appetit.” The nausea quickly faded under the delicious aroma wafting from the steak, and she wolfed into it like a starving animal. It wasn’t half bad, she thought, pleasantly surprised. Ukyo actually did seem to be a decent cook.

“Hey, not bad. Best wild dog I can remember eating.” It was a pretty feeble joke, but he smiled anyway.

As they finished and wiped their mouths, Ukyo stood. “We...
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