88

Possession

There was only one way to describe a jungle, crowded. Sure, tacking on humid, hot and dangerous wouldn't be very far off, with the way trees, animals and foliage clung together. Professor Furuichi wondered how the native's could take a full breath without their ribs touching the vines. Sweat stung already sensitive eyes, but the silvernette refused to wipe his brow with dirty hands. The handkerchief he had been using prior fell somewhere along his journey, forever at the whim of the jungle's wishes.

Stopping to take a sip of his canteen, Furuichi reviewed the old map one more time. "Shouldn't be much farther to the ruins now," the professor said, tearing off a piece of cloth from an ex-boyfriend's shirt. Furuichi grimaced, the smell wasn't even worth letting the jungle eat it.

It took no longer than a few minutes before Furuichi felt like the jungle was trying to swallow him up. His heart drummed against his chest, breathing became a huge task until the jungle finally broke. Furuichi pressed past the dense jungle into a clearing revealing the ruins he sought. Gorgeous centuries old stone, stacked high above most trees surrounding it. The temple juxtaposed against the jungle, cool and albeit musty, dry, and the professor's calves sang to high heaven when finally treading on sollid, even ground. Although the flashlight helped, the echo of his footsteps caused Furuichi's flesh to rise into goosebumps. Every so often the light would sway toward the direction he came from because Furuichi had the most uneasy feeling of being followed. Each step further into the temple, Furuichi braced himself for booby traps to spring open like in the American movies, but after several more minutes, Furuichi felt a little cheated at the quiet.

Turning down a promising tunnel, Furuichi was met with the only Indiana Jones' scenario of the whole journey. A room filled with stones and circles. The circular paths carved into the floor seemed like ripples in a pond. Curious Furuichi lifted a dense stone, and watched water spring into the groves, but it didn't flow very far. Placing the stone back the water remained, but when Furuichi lifted the heavier rock next to it, the water sped down an outlining grove and continued to some place outside of the temple's walls. Following the circles with his inquisitive eyes, the converging path curled underneath a stone door, and two buckets on either side seemed to be the levers to open the stone door.

The ropes were flimsy, they didn't look like they could bear any weight. With his hands on his waist, The vines could work. Furuichi set himself to solving the puzzle in the temple, that's why he traveled to the ruins after all. For adventure. Taking each stone, watching the water get closer and closer to the door's edge, it was all very cathartic. Every ex-boyfriend was a rock, and the water flowing down each path were the stagnant feelings kept for too long in his heart about all the men who told him he was boring.

His stomach roared, he was tired and wanted nothing more than a shower, but when he heard that glorious creaky door lift, Furuichi grinned from ear to ear.

The water pooled into the center circle and acted as a weight, pushing up a small platform to reveal a beautiful golden statuette with eyes made of onyx. Professor Furuichi bit his lip, he'd seen enough movies to know what could happen next. Though it was beautiful, his fingers didn't itch.

"I came all the way down here to take possession of you," Furuichi talked to the statuette while moving to sit in front of it. "I was told that you could give you my greatest desires, but now that I'm here...I don't feel like you're mine for the taking. I do need to thank you; however. That little puzzle helped me get through a lot."

Furuichi sat and stared at the art piece until his strength returned. "Well," Furuichi grunted as he stood once more, "gotta tell everyone that nothing's here. A gift for a gift, I guess you can call us even."

"Congratulations," a deep voice rumbled as soon as the professor exited the statuette's room. "You've passed the test."

"Who's there?" Furuichi swung the flashlight about the cave, yet it didn't shine on anyone.

"You've just sat before me to speak to me, but it didn't occur to you that I talk back."

Furuichi whirled around and dropped his flashlight. Gone was the statuette and what replaced it was a dark- haired, dark-eyed man, naked.

"Er...d-don't come any closer!" Furuichi quickly retrieved his flashlight to wield it like a stubby sword. "This is heavy duty steel! It won't kill you, but it will hurt."

"You wound my pride," the man sighed as if put upon. "That puny object couldn't harm a creature like me."

"Just wait- I can't- ugh! Here." Furuichi rummaged into his pack, then threw a pair of jersey shorts at the man. "Put those on. I don't know where to look."

Rather I do but this is a potentially life threatening moment that shouldn't get me horny!

"...Very well."

"No that's not-haven't you put shorts on before? Tch, c'mere I'll help you."

"...These feel strange…"

Furuichi looked back into the room and still had no statue. Eyeing the strange man, Professor Furuichi couldn't deny the golden shimmer of the brunet's skin. I must be going crazy. "...Look, we'll talk, but not here. We'd better get back to the village. There's still enough light left."

"I cannot leave the temple."

This time Furuichi scrubbed a hand over his face, "Now why did I know you were gonna say something like that?"