Author: Kinoko1

Title: Rescued by the Fire

Summary: The all popular: "The boat never came and it never will come." Theme. JackXRalph (later chaps)---Really bad summary, I know... but... What are you going to do... just read it

Warnings: slash and I suck at grammar...

Disclaimer: I don't own any of Will's work... damn. DAMN, DAMN, DAMN! Goes and cries so please don't sue me. I don't make any money...

A fair-haired boy leaned against a large rock, breathing fast, and stopping only to cough or choke up gray saliva.

Ralph had been running and hiding for about fifteen minuets. The other boys- /no. Not boys... savages. / He thought, were close behind but having difficulty navigating through the labyrinth of flames.

Streaks from tears reviled surprisingly pale skin underneath the coats of dry ash as Ralph's burning eyes turned their attention to the sea. From what he gathered, back in 'civilization' the war was still continuing.

/At least I'm safe from all that. / He thought, but was immediately interrupted by the chant that even he had joined in once.

"Kill the pig!"

/Why.../ Ralph uncoiled from his feeble position. /Why is Jack doing this? He's lost it, hasn't he/ He frowned figuring that he wasn't far behind.

Cut his throat!"

Suddenly Ralph's heart took a violent turn and in a rage he grabbed a burning branch from a tree and started up the large boulder.

"Spill his blood!"

He felt so betrayed, and yet somewhere deep, deep down in the hearts of those children, Ralph believed they still regarded him as their true leader. But blinded by adrenaline and driven by Jacks powerful voice they failed to acknowledge any feelings except those of a primitive beast... that was hungry.

/I was the first to make rules, and I will be the last to break them. They all voted for me... I was the first one they followed/

With a final effort he hauled himself onto the top of the boulder, leaving a trail of fresh blood where he had been climbing, he looked up through the smoke to the sky, his arms extended, one hand clenched tight, the other holding the flaming torch. He jerked his head back and screamed as loud as he could through the blood red sunset to the heavens:

"I was the first one you called chief!"

His words echoed across the island and Jacks figure emerged from the creepers, followed by the rest of the savages. Their eyes searched through the thick air and finally came upon a black-silhouetted figure surrounded by flames, fuzzy in some places from patches of heavy ash.

Jacks faint grin was lost in the malice of his gaze.

"Come down Ralph and we promise we won't hurt you." His singsong shout mocked the old chief as he idly twirled his spear between his slender fingers.

"NO!" This was all Ralph could manage to retrieve from his voice box. Taking a deep breath the boy could feel the ash dancing around in his lungs and started to violently hack.

"Surrender and join my hunters!" Jack pressed on.

Ralph felt angry; he had been deprived of food, sleep, love and freedom. But he wasn't about to surrender his pride, and most of all... his honor.

Honor had always been a foreign concept for Ralph. He had only regarded it as some non-physical thing. But now, for the first time he could remember on the island, (or from his memories of his old life in the real world) he felt like he had to defend himself, not just for the sake of survival but for the sake of his pride...

After this enlightening discovery, Ralph narrowed his eyes and let out a maniacal laugh, and with one swift movement, cast down his burning stick. The savages dogged out of the way, narrowly missing the fire. Jack pointed his sharpened stick at Ralph, a murderous glint growing in his pupils.

"I will kill you."

"You'll have to catch me first you make-up wearing bastard!"

And with that he leapt down the other side of the boulder and forced his way into the opposing water.

/If they kill me I'll at least die fighting. / Ralph thought as he started to swim farther out and around, keeping himself parallel to the shore.

Ralph figured if he made Jack swim after him he had the advantage of A.) Being taught to swim by a navy officer (his father) and B.) A respectable head start. Also, if Jack ever wanted to catch him he would need both of his hands, thus he would discard the spear.

And this is exactly what he did...

"Don't come with me." Jack addressed his tribe; even shaking his head when Roger, his right hand man, had taken another step forward. "Go back to the fort and prepare for a celebration! I will be the one to deal with Ralph..." He turned to Roger. "And I believe you also have some twins to take care of?"

The dark boy smirked and ran off, leading the hunters back to their fort.

"Roger!" Jack called after them. Roger stopped and turned. "Give 'em nightmares." Jack chuckled and dove into the ocean.

Ralph had been swimming for what seemed an eternity when he finally stopped and found a rock under the water to kneel on, grabbing at the cliff beside him. He looked up the towering cliff. It was vertical and lined the ocean like a giant wall. Ralph estimated it to be at least 60ft high.

Out of breath, he sat, small, weak; he had nowhere to go...

/Honor. / His thoughts were cold and criticizing. /Honor doesn't exist on this god-forsaken island/ Speaking, he said:

"Only devils and the dammed remain here. And the only way to escape is to die!" He pounded his fists against the wet stone and cried. He didn't want any of this.

Ralph remembered back to when he first boarded that plane. An innocent child in a school uniform. But now...

He opened his eyes to see his hands bleeding. At this, Ralph examined the rest of his body. The ash and must had been washed away by the salty water of the ocean. His bare skin was covered with cuts and gashes.

"Maybe I can just bleed to death before Jack gets here." Ralph sighed but his heart stopped when Jacks voice sounded behind him.

"Well unless you do in the next three seconds, you can just forget about that idea."

Ralph whipped around.

"Jack!" He exclaimed, but saw no one, except a disturbed part in the water where someone had just been. The fair-haired boy glanced nervously around before a powerful hand grabbed his ankle and yanked him under the oceans surface.

TBC... (obviously)

Kinoko: Well that's chapter one... I've been meaning to write some LotF FF for a long time but... well, you know how it is. You say you will the next day, but then the 'next day' you find yourself shoving paintballs in a toaster to see if they explode and you forget about the whole thing... oh well (it's 10:37 p.m. on a school night... maybe I just won't sleep.)

Anyway, I'm hungry so I think I'll make something to eat. Oh yeah, review