Jungle Fever – By ashford2ashford
AKA: The Mini Arkana
Disclaimer: I'm sure you're all fully aware that I don't own any of these characters, so I can just skip this part!
Pairing(s): This even I don't know! I think it's got a slight hint of Strings/Arkana but also a touch of Arkana/Seeker. . .shrugs try to enjoy!
Dedications: This is dedicated to Knupfel, and also my little Pookie Drew! Without them, this idea would have never formed in my head!
Other Notes: This is a Rare Hunters fiction. This is the first of hopefully many chapters! I'd say there was hardly any yaoi in it, but I can't make that kind of promise for later chapters. This is my first YuGiOh Fic for fanfiction.net, and I only want to make Rare Hunter fans happy! Well. . .even if you're not a Rare Hunter fan, you'd be glad to know that Mariku, Malik, Rishido, and Ishizu make it into later chapters (Probably chapter four if I get good press for this ) so there you go! I seek to please everyone!
Without Further Ado, Please Enjoy!
DAY THREE – Madness Beginning
(Lumis)
Arkana mumbling and complaining about something awakened me early this morning. It must have been hard for him to cope. We were on our third day; at least I assumed we were.
Sitting up, I glanced over at the thin, gangly character beside me, watching as he pulled up his shorts, staggering and falling against a tree.
"You ought to watch yourself." I spoke softly. He jumped, as if not expecting me to even be there, let alone speak to him. I eyes seemed to be darting around and the tan on his skin had faded to a sickly pale colour.
"Watch? Watch myself? Oh yes. Yes. I think I will." He seemed to be further into the madness that was being brought on by the fever within him, but I vowed to myself there and then, I would not let Arkana go into the cold state of death. Umbra may have died because of me, but that didn't mean that anyone else had to!
"Here." I stood from my makeshift bed and then supported him by his shoulders, hooking my arms under his. I recall him uttering words of thanks, but he was obviously too ill to even move his lips properly now. Shoulder limp under my hands, and his heels dragging along the ground, I carried the sick Magician back to our makeshift 'camp'; feeling his skin burning under my own touch.
It hurt me to look at him, but I knew he wasn't giving up. He was ill, and possibly closer to death than I had ever been, and I respected the fact that he had gotten this far on his own.
He seemed to relax as I laid him back down in his 'bed' and even murmured another "Thank you" as he closed his eyes. I smiled, and then returned to my own, deciding that the best course of action for today would be that of sitting tight and doing nothing.
DAY FOUR – The Death of a Friend
(Arkana)
Drifting in and out of consciousness, the only thing I could hear was Lumis' voice. Although the voice was distant and faint, it was reassuring. He was still there. I was going to be okay.
I had long since been in agony, and was slowly feeling my strength being sapped away by whatever fevers the bug gave me. I was hearing voices, seeing things, crying even though I wasn't upset, and constantly drifting in and out of a state of consciousness.
It was getting harder and harder to move and then I realised that neither of us had eaten or drank in two days. With my last ounce of strength, I sat bolt upright and then coughed gently.
"We. . .need. . .food. . ." I choked out, staring at the blurred figure in front of me. Lumis nodded in my swimming vision and then stood, moving harshly as soon as he did. I looked up with bloodshot eyes and saw what I prayed was just a hallucination.
Seeker stood in all his glory, a double barrel shotgun in one hand, a revolver in the other, a sniper rifle slung over his shoulder, a grin plastered on his face, and worst of all, the darkened mask of Umbra hung on his belt.
Lumis staggered back, bumping into me, causing pain to shoot up and down my entire body. I uttered a harsh squeal, which sounded like that of a trapped animal, and then tried to pull away.
Instead of getting away, I felt pressure of Lumis, which in turn pressed on me. I heard the snap and click of a shotgun being loaded, two shells being placed into their barrels before being clicked into place. My fever subsided somewhat with the increases of my fear, and then I suddenly saw everything clearly.
The heavy boot of Seeker pushed down on Lumis' chest, holding the small duellist's body down over my legs, pinning me as well as him. A shotgun was being aimed straight at my head, my eyes focusing on the twin barrels, my heart beginning to speed up.
This is it., My mind whispered, I'm. . .going to die. . .
I closed my eyes and waited for the shells to burst my skull apart, waited to feel the moment of pain before the darkness of death, but then a harsh broken cry came forth from Lumis' throat, and with what must have been his whole strength, he lunged forwards and knocked the hunter down, grabbing my arm and pulling me at his running pace deeper into the jungle, the shots going wide behind us.
"That. . .that was amazing!" I breathed, my eyes wide with shock, still being pulled by Lumis' hand.
"We're not out of the woods yet!" Lumis breathed, "Keep running – AGH!"
I felt myself being pushed forwards into a clump of bushes and then I lay there for a while, breathing heavily, wondering what had just happened. My head was spinning with my fever, and I only just managed to find the strength to look out of the undergrowth at Lumis.
"Oh gods!"
Lumis was stuck, waist-deep in some form of quicksand. . .another one of Seeker's traps. He was sinking rapidly, he face raised to me in a pained grin of amusement.
"This is where I get off this ride." He murmured, smiling, "Stay down, stay strong, Arkana. I don't think I'm going to be here for much longer."
"Don't give up!" I whimpered, reaching out to him, "Please. Don't leave me alone with this illness!"
There was movement in the jungle around us, and Lumis turned to me, the most peaceful smile on his face. For that moment, he looked almost holy, accepting whatever fate lay beyond death. I was crying at that point. Crying and reaching out in a pitiful manner.
Time seemed to slow for all but the two of us, my eyes watery and red. I recall that I was whimpering, slowly choking with sobs, but he stayed there, calm and accepting.
"Don't cry. Seeker is coming. Just stay low. And then run when he's gone." Lumis moved a little, his arm jerking as he threw something in my direction. I caught it and looked at a card sleeve, a plastic sleeve sealed with a duel monsters card inside.
My heart wrenched when I saw which one.
"My Body As A Shield." I murmured, wiping my eyes with my arm, "This was our card. The GHOULS card. We always watched out for one another."
Lumis nodded and then turned to look up as Seeker smashed through the undergrowth, his grin wide and manic. I lay still, the card clutched in dirty hands. The fever was making my head spin, and all I heard was the dialogue between them.
"So. . .you're at an end it seems."
"Bite me."
"Oh no. I'd rather shoot you, but it would seem I have no need."
"I'd rather die than be your prey."
"I know you would. And that's exactly what your brother said before he died."
"Damn. . .you. . ."
"Brothers united by death. This is most amusing if you are looking at it from my point of view."
"Shut up and shoot me."
"Oh no. I don't think I will. I will watch you sink. . .and I shall take a trophy."
"What? Let go! What are you – "
"There you go."
"Monster."
Instinct dared me to look and what I saw was Lumis, his face revealed, and Seeker, holding the light mask in his hand. I bit my lip and then watched, falling into a dizzy, nightmare filled sleep as the last chokes and drowns of Lumis' death were overrun by Seeker's maniacal laughter.
Disclaimer: I'm sure you're all fully aware that I don't own any of these characters, so I can just skip this part!
Pairing(s): This even I don't know! I think it's got a slight hint of Strings/Arkana but also a touch of Arkana/Seeker. . .shrugs try to enjoy!
Dedications: This is dedicated to Knupfel, and also my little Pookie Drew! Without them, this idea would have never formed in my head!
Other Notes: This is a Rare Hunters fiction. This is the first of hopefully many chapters! I'd say there was hardly any yaoi in it, but I can't make that kind of promise for later chapters. This is my first YuGiOh Fic for fanfiction.net, and I only want to make Rare Hunter fans happy! Well. . .even if you're not a Rare Hunter fan, you'd be glad to know that Mariku, Malik, Rishido, and Ishizu make it into later chapters (Probably chapter four if I get good press for this ) so there you go! I seek to please everyone!
Without Further Ado, Please Enjoy!
DAY THREE – Madness Beginning
(Lumis)
Arkana mumbling and complaining about something awakened me early this morning. It must have been hard for him to cope. We were on our third day; at least I assumed we were.
Sitting up, I glanced over at the thin, gangly character beside me, watching as he pulled up his shorts, staggering and falling against a tree.
"You ought to watch yourself." I spoke softly. He jumped, as if not expecting me to even be there, let alone speak to him. I eyes seemed to be darting around and the tan on his skin had faded to a sickly pale colour.
"Watch? Watch myself? Oh yes. Yes. I think I will." He seemed to be further into the madness that was being brought on by the fever within him, but I vowed to myself there and then, I would not let Arkana go into the cold state of death. Umbra may have died because of me, but that didn't mean that anyone else had to!
"Here." I stood from my makeshift bed and then supported him by his shoulders, hooking my arms under his. I recall him uttering words of thanks, but he was obviously too ill to even move his lips properly now. Shoulder limp under my hands, and his heels dragging along the ground, I carried the sick Magician back to our makeshift 'camp'; feeling his skin burning under my own touch.
It hurt me to look at him, but I knew he wasn't giving up. He was ill, and possibly closer to death than I had ever been, and I respected the fact that he had gotten this far on his own.
He seemed to relax as I laid him back down in his 'bed' and even murmured another "Thank you" as he closed his eyes. I smiled, and then returned to my own, deciding that the best course of action for today would be that of sitting tight and doing nothing.
DAY FOUR – The Death of a Friend
(Arkana)
Drifting in and out of consciousness, the only thing I could hear was Lumis' voice. Although the voice was distant and faint, it was reassuring. He was still there. I was going to be okay.
I had long since been in agony, and was slowly feeling my strength being sapped away by whatever fevers the bug gave me. I was hearing voices, seeing things, crying even though I wasn't upset, and constantly drifting in and out of a state of consciousness.
It was getting harder and harder to move and then I realised that neither of us had eaten or drank in two days. With my last ounce of strength, I sat bolt upright and then coughed gently.
"We. . .need. . .food. . ." I choked out, staring at the blurred figure in front of me. Lumis nodded in my swimming vision and then stood, moving harshly as soon as he did. I looked up with bloodshot eyes and saw what I prayed was just a hallucination.
Seeker stood in all his glory, a double barrel shotgun in one hand, a revolver in the other, a sniper rifle slung over his shoulder, a grin plastered on his face, and worst of all, the darkened mask of Umbra hung on his belt.
Lumis staggered back, bumping into me, causing pain to shoot up and down my entire body. I uttered a harsh squeal, which sounded like that of a trapped animal, and then tried to pull away.
Instead of getting away, I felt pressure of Lumis, which in turn pressed on me. I heard the snap and click of a shotgun being loaded, two shells being placed into their barrels before being clicked into place. My fever subsided somewhat with the increases of my fear, and then I suddenly saw everything clearly.
The heavy boot of Seeker pushed down on Lumis' chest, holding the small duellist's body down over my legs, pinning me as well as him. A shotgun was being aimed straight at my head, my eyes focusing on the twin barrels, my heart beginning to speed up.
This is it., My mind whispered, I'm. . .going to die. . .
I closed my eyes and waited for the shells to burst my skull apart, waited to feel the moment of pain before the darkness of death, but then a harsh broken cry came forth from Lumis' throat, and with what must have been his whole strength, he lunged forwards and knocked the hunter down, grabbing my arm and pulling me at his running pace deeper into the jungle, the shots going wide behind us.
"That. . .that was amazing!" I breathed, my eyes wide with shock, still being pulled by Lumis' hand.
"We're not out of the woods yet!" Lumis breathed, "Keep running – AGH!"
I felt myself being pushed forwards into a clump of bushes and then I lay there for a while, breathing heavily, wondering what had just happened. My head was spinning with my fever, and I only just managed to find the strength to look out of the undergrowth at Lumis.
"Oh gods!"
Lumis was stuck, waist-deep in some form of quicksand. . .another one of Seeker's traps. He was sinking rapidly, he face raised to me in a pained grin of amusement.
"This is where I get off this ride." He murmured, smiling, "Stay down, stay strong, Arkana. I don't think I'm going to be here for much longer."
"Don't give up!" I whimpered, reaching out to him, "Please. Don't leave me alone with this illness!"
There was movement in the jungle around us, and Lumis turned to me, the most peaceful smile on his face. For that moment, he looked almost holy, accepting whatever fate lay beyond death. I was crying at that point. Crying and reaching out in a pitiful manner.
Time seemed to slow for all but the two of us, my eyes watery and red. I recall that I was whimpering, slowly choking with sobs, but he stayed there, calm and accepting.
"Don't cry. Seeker is coming. Just stay low. And then run when he's gone." Lumis moved a little, his arm jerking as he threw something in my direction. I caught it and looked at a card sleeve, a plastic sleeve sealed with a duel monsters card inside.
My heart wrenched when I saw which one.
"My Body As A Shield." I murmured, wiping my eyes with my arm, "This was our card. The GHOULS card. We always watched out for one another."
Lumis nodded and then turned to look up as Seeker smashed through the undergrowth, his grin wide and manic. I lay still, the card clutched in dirty hands. The fever was making my head spin, and all I heard was the dialogue between them.
"So. . .you're at an end it seems."
"Bite me."
"Oh no. I'd rather shoot you, but it would seem I have no need."
"I'd rather die than be your prey."
"I know you would. And that's exactly what your brother said before he died."
"Damn. . .you. . ."
"Brothers united by death. This is most amusing if you are looking at it from my point of view."
"Shut up and shoot me."
"Oh no. I don't think I will. I will watch you sink. . .and I shall take a trophy."
"What? Let go! What are you – "
"There you go."
"Monster."
Instinct dared me to look and what I saw was Lumis, his face revealed, and Seeker, holding the light mask in his hand. I bit my lip and then watched, falling into a dizzy, nightmare filled sleep as the last chokes and drowns of Lumis' death were overrun by Seeker's maniacal laughter.
