Expedition into Nowhere
Chapter Three: Forest Trouble
By Apple from Mars
Pairings: Daisuke X Wallace X Ken, Takeru X Iori, Miyako X Hikari, Taichi X Yamato, Sora X Mimi, Koushiro X Jyou, Jun X Osamu
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
"You know, that wasn't a very nice thing to do Osamu." Ken muttered quietly to his brother as the commotion died down, and people began getting their packs strapped on. Takeru, Taichi, and Yamato, all of whom where very dry, found the whole thing rather funny. Osamu simply winked at Ken.
"Who said I was nice? See you later Kenny, don't let the jaguars eat you!" With a wave Osamu climbed back into the truck and leaned out the window to call to Daisuke and Wallace.
"Hey you two!"
"What two?" Daisuke asked, looking around in confusion. Wallace chuckled and leaned over to whisper something in Daisuke's ear. Daisuke blinked, and then turned to Osamu.
"Yeah? What are you waiting for, leave already!"
Osamu laughed. "No need to yell at me! Tsuyosa you three. Don't get yourselves killed: I don't want Jun murdering me. Ja ne!"
And with that he drove away.
The clearing was moderately large, and rested just on the other side of the creak they had driven through. From here on, huge trees and exotic plants sprouted to close together for a car to get through. It was humid and the air was hot and sticky already. Daisuke shouldered his pack and started off into the trees.
"Well, let's go." Wallace and Ken, their packs already strapped on, followed suit and there was nothing for everyone else to do except follow. The ground was relatively flat, with a slight upwards slope. The trees where covered in green moss and occasional hanging vines. The sky wasn't visible through the canopy above them, though sunlight filtered through the leaves in patches. There weren't many bushes or ground plants growing in this particular area either, so walking was almost pleasant, except for the heat and wet clothes.
"So where exactly are we headed?" Sora said, keeping pace with Wallace and Takeru, who where walking a few feet apart. Wallace gave her a cheerful smile.
"We're first going to an old burial site. A group we know is going to start excavating it in a few months." Wallace shrugged. "We have to pass through it anyway, and Yamato wanted to stop by and check it out. We might run into some friends of ours!" Wallace grinned.
"Are you rambling again?" Ken called from somewhere behind them. Wallace rolled his eyes heavenward.
"Well, she asked and it's not like we don't have the time." Wallace retorted. He turned his attention back to Sora and Takeru. "Anyway, we should get there tomorrow afternoon, and from there we go up to the river. After that it's only a day or so until we get too Megane Otera."
"So you know the city exists?" Takeru asked. Wallace shook his head. "We normally don't cross the river for.. various reasons. I've only been there a few times myself, and never in the exact area we're going to."
Miyako half listened to the conversation going on in front of her. Most of her attention however was on Hikari. For some odd reason the girl intrigued Miyako. She was a puzzle that was practically begging to be solved.
Moving so that she was walking next to Hikari, Miyako once again attempted conversation.
"So what are you doing here? Are you just here because of your brother, or are you a paleontologist as well?"
"I'm an artist." Miyako smiled slightly at the response. It was more than she had gotten out of the brown haired girl all day.
"Really? What kind of art do you do?"
"Various."
"Well, what do you work with most of the time?"
"Drawing."
"That's so cool! Do you do people or landscapes?"
With each question Hikari seemed to become more confused, but her answers where always said in the same emotionless tone, and her face didn't betray her feelings either. It was all in Hikari's eyes. Miyako decided that, no mater how much Hikari WANTED to hide her feelings, her eyes would always be the thing that gave her away. They where bright and sparkling, and soft and sharp all at once.
Jyou glanced sideways at Koushiro and then turned his attention back to the ground as he almost tripped over another tree root, which seemed to have walked right into his path on purpose.
The man was only a few years younger than Jyou was, but Jyou could tell that underestimating Koushiro was a huge mistake. He obviously was very skilled at his job; however he also seemed to be very skilled when it came to avoiding Jyou's eyes. What he had done to make Koushiro avoid looking at him was still a mystery to Jyou.
Shoving a low hanging vine out of his eyes, Jyou surveyed the group traveling ahead of him. He was one of the slowest people there, so he could see almost everyone without having to do much looking around.
Mimi was just ahead to his right. The pink haired woman had a small handheld camera out, Jyou noted with interest, and was fiddling with it while still managing not to fall flat on her face. Leading the way, Daisuke and Ken where almost out of site in the forest ahead. Sora, Takeru, and Wallace, walking just behind them, and where engaged in conversation about the trip ahead. Miyako and Hikari where talking or rather, Miyako was talking very fast and Hikari didn't seem to have the heart to tell the purple haired girl to go away. Taichi and Yamato where walking silently a few feet apart, with Iori trailing behind them. The brown haired boy was the youngest of the group, but he had hardly spoken at all since he had arrived. And Koushiro of course was still walking just to Jyou's left.
"Hey Wallace, did you take my compass again?"
"No, why do you ask?"
"Because I can't find it, and yes you DID take it. It's hanging off your backpack."
"That's not your compass Ken, it's mine!"
"Ha ha. Very funny, since you don't have a compass. Give it back Wallace."
"No! Use Daisuke's!"
A long sigh. "Wallace. Daisuke doesn't have a compass either. We share one. Now be nice and give the compass back to me."
"Have at thee, coward!" [1]
"Daisuke, has he been reading Shakespeare again?"
"How should I know? I don't keep track of what he reads!"
"What is this Shakespeare thou do speak of?"
"..He's been reading Shakespeare again."
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
"Taichi, how did we find these lunatics again?"
Taichi laughed lightly as Yamato put his head in his hands. "A friend of yours recommended them, remember? Come on, they're not that bad. I think they're funny."
The blond man rolled his eyes. "Yeah, a regular bunch of comedians." In the background, Wallace could be heard reciting various lines from, A Midsummer Night's Dream.
"They do seem to know there way around this place though." Yamato admitted grudgingly. Three times that day they had tried to go in the wrong direction without even realizing it, only to be quietly corrected by one of their guides.
"And they provide some interesting entertainment." Taichi added, and Yamato chuckled slightly.
"See? They're not that bad. Just a little.... Unprofessional, that's all."
Night had quickly settled in over the forest like a dark blanket, and the group of thirteen had only stopped when it got to dark to see where they where going. According to Ken they where making good progress, and would reach the burial ground tomorrow late morning if they kept up their good pace.
"Alright Wallace, you can shut up now. Some people are actually interested in going to SLEEP!" Daisuke grumbled from where he was curled up in a small two-person camping tent. "I'm sure everyone need there sleep for tomorrow."
The blond boy sulked for a moment as good nights where called across the tiny campgrounds. Finally Daisuke threw a pillow at Wallace's back, hissing something about buckets of hot water, and so Wallace flopped lightly back onto his sleeping bag, hearing Ken's soft breathing on his left, and Daisuke's muffled snores on his right.
As sleep crawled into the tent around him, his lips quirked for a second into a little smile, and a single stream of words fell from his lips before he shut his eyes.
"Four days will quickly steep themselves in night; four nights will quickly dream away the time; and then the moon, like to a silver bow, new-bent in heaven, shall behold the night of our solemnities." [2]
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Footnotes:
[1] - Quote from Tybalt in Act 1, Scene 1 of Romeo Juliet.
[2] - Quote from Hippolyta in Act 1, Scene 1 of A Midsummer Night's Dream.
A/N: Well, this chapter took a while, and while I was re-reading the previous chapters, I made a discovery. I am not a good writer. Eh, that's ok. As long as no one bluntly points it out to me, I should be fine. Both the quotes came from this awesome website - it in all it's glory. I love the second quote, and it fit this story so well I had to stick it in somehow. Chapter four will come out sometime.. Maybe..
Chapter Three: Forest Trouble
By Apple from Mars
Pairings: Daisuke X Wallace X Ken, Takeru X Iori, Miyako X Hikari, Taichi X Yamato, Sora X Mimi, Koushiro X Jyou, Jun X Osamu
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
"You know, that wasn't a very nice thing to do Osamu." Ken muttered quietly to his brother as the commotion died down, and people began getting their packs strapped on. Takeru, Taichi, and Yamato, all of whom where very dry, found the whole thing rather funny. Osamu simply winked at Ken.
"Who said I was nice? See you later Kenny, don't let the jaguars eat you!" With a wave Osamu climbed back into the truck and leaned out the window to call to Daisuke and Wallace.
"Hey you two!"
"What two?" Daisuke asked, looking around in confusion. Wallace chuckled and leaned over to whisper something in Daisuke's ear. Daisuke blinked, and then turned to Osamu.
"Yeah? What are you waiting for, leave already!"
Osamu laughed. "No need to yell at me! Tsuyosa you three. Don't get yourselves killed: I don't want Jun murdering me. Ja ne!"
And with that he drove away.
The clearing was moderately large, and rested just on the other side of the creak they had driven through. From here on, huge trees and exotic plants sprouted to close together for a car to get through. It was humid and the air was hot and sticky already. Daisuke shouldered his pack and started off into the trees.
"Well, let's go." Wallace and Ken, their packs already strapped on, followed suit and there was nothing for everyone else to do except follow. The ground was relatively flat, with a slight upwards slope. The trees where covered in green moss and occasional hanging vines. The sky wasn't visible through the canopy above them, though sunlight filtered through the leaves in patches. There weren't many bushes or ground plants growing in this particular area either, so walking was almost pleasant, except for the heat and wet clothes.
"So where exactly are we headed?" Sora said, keeping pace with Wallace and Takeru, who where walking a few feet apart. Wallace gave her a cheerful smile.
"We're first going to an old burial site. A group we know is going to start excavating it in a few months." Wallace shrugged. "We have to pass through it anyway, and Yamato wanted to stop by and check it out. We might run into some friends of ours!" Wallace grinned.
"Are you rambling again?" Ken called from somewhere behind them. Wallace rolled his eyes heavenward.
"Well, she asked and it's not like we don't have the time." Wallace retorted. He turned his attention back to Sora and Takeru. "Anyway, we should get there tomorrow afternoon, and from there we go up to the river. After that it's only a day or so until we get too Megane Otera."
"So you know the city exists?" Takeru asked. Wallace shook his head. "We normally don't cross the river for.. various reasons. I've only been there a few times myself, and never in the exact area we're going to."
Miyako half listened to the conversation going on in front of her. Most of her attention however was on Hikari. For some odd reason the girl intrigued Miyako. She was a puzzle that was practically begging to be solved.
Moving so that she was walking next to Hikari, Miyako once again attempted conversation.
"So what are you doing here? Are you just here because of your brother, or are you a paleontologist as well?"
"I'm an artist." Miyako smiled slightly at the response. It was more than she had gotten out of the brown haired girl all day.
"Really? What kind of art do you do?"
"Various."
"Well, what do you work with most of the time?"
"Drawing."
"That's so cool! Do you do people or landscapes?"
With each question Hikari seemed to become more confused, but her answers where always said in the same emotionless tone, and her face didn't betray her feelings either. It was all in Hikari's eyes. Miyako decided that, no mater how much Hikari WANTED to hide her feelings, her eyes would always be the thing that gave her away. They where bright and sparkling, and soft and sharp all at once.
Jyou glanced sideways at Koushiro and then turned his attention back to the ground as he almost tripped over another tree root, which seemed to have walked right into his path on purpose.
The man was only a few years younger than Jyou was, but Jyou could tell that underestimating Koushiro was a huge mistake. He obviously was very skilled at his job; however he also seemed to be very skilled when it came to avoiding Jyou's eyes. What he had done to make Koushiro avoid looking at him was still a mystery to Jyou.
Shoving a low hanging vine out of his eyes, Jyou surveyed the group traveling ahead of him. He was one of the slowest people there, so he could see almost everyone without having to do much looking around.
Mimi was just ahead to his right. The pink haired woman had a small handheld camera out, Jyou noted with interest, and was fiddling with it while still managing not to fall flat on her face. Leading the way, Daisuke and Ken where almost out of site in the forest ahead. Sora, Takeru, and Wallace, walking just behind them, and where engaged in conversation about the trip ahead. Miyako and Hikari where talking or rather, Miyako was talking very fast and Hikari didn't seem to have the heart to tell the purple haired girl to go away. Taichi and Yamato where walking silently a few feet apart, with Iori trailing behind them. The brown haired boy was the youngest of the group, but he had hardly spoken at all since he had arrived. And Koushiro of course was still walking just to Jyou's left.
"Hey Wallace, did you take my compass again?"
"No, why do you ask?"
"Because I can't find it, and yes you DID take it. It's hanging off your backpack."
"That's not your compass Ken, it's mine!"
"Ha ha. Very funny, since you don't have a compass. Give it back Wallace."
"No! Use Daisuke's!"
A long sigh. "Wallace. Daisuke doesn't have a compass either. We share one. Now be nice and give the compass back to me."
"Have at thee, coward!" [1]
"Daisuke, has he been reading Shakespeare again?"
"How should I know? I don't keep track of what he reads!"
"What is this Shakespeare thou do speak of?"
"..He's been reading Shakespeare again."
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
"Taichi, how did we find these lunatics again?"
Taichi laughed lightly as Yamato put his head in his hands. "A friend of yours recommended them, remember? Come on, they're not that bad. I think they're funny."
The blond man rolled his eyes. "Yeah, a regular bunch of comedians." In the background, Wallace could be heard reciting various lines from, A Midsummer Night's Dream.
"They do seem to know there way around this place though." Yamato admitted grudgingly. Three times that day they had tried to go in the wrong direction without even realizing it, only to be quietly corrected by one of their guides.
"And they provide some interesting entertainment." Taichi added, and Yamato chuckled slightly.
"See? They're not that bad. Just a little.... Unprofessional, that's all."
Night had quickly settled in over the forest like a dark blanket, and the group of thirteen had only stopped when it got to dark to see where they where going. According to Ken they where making good progress, and would reach the burial ground tomorrow late morning if they kept up their good pace.
"Alright Wallace, you can shut up now. Some people are actually interested in going to SLEEP!" Daisuke grumbled from where he was curled up in a small two-person camping tent. "I'm sure everyone need there sleep for tomorrow."
The blond boy sulked for a moment as good nights where called across the tiny campgrounds. Finally Daisuke threw a pillow at Wallace's back, hissing something about buckets of hot water, and so Wallace flopped lightly back onto his sleeping bag, hearing Ken's soft breathing on his left, and Daisuke's muffled snores on his right.
As sleep crawled into the tent around him, his lips quirked for a second into a little smile, and a single stream of words fell from his lips before he shut his eyes.
"Four days will quickly steep themselves in night; four nights will quickly dream away the time; and then the moon, like to a silver bow, new-bent in heaven, shall behold the night of our solemnities." [2]
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Footnotes:
[1] - Quote from Tybalt in Act 1, Scene 1 of Romeo Juliet.
[2] - Quote from Hippolyta in Act 1, Scene 1 of A Midsummer Night's Dream.
A/N: Well, this chapter took a while, and while I was re-reading the previous chapters, I made a discovery. I am not a good writer. Eh, that's ok. As long as no one bluntly points it out to me, I should be fine. Both the quotes came from this awesome website - it in all it's glory. I love the second quote, and it fit this story so well I had to stick it in somehow. Chapter four will come out sometime.. Maybe..
