Chapter 11

Month: December (Christmas Day)

Chirp!

Grey eyes fluttered open and a smile came to a set of pink lips...Redwing was here. Hiro didn't have to move to see K sitting up next to him, a pleasant grin on his face, the Macaw sitting on the blond's bare shoulder. What was he up to?

"Merry Christmas Hiroshi," K said softly and opened Hiro's hand. In it he placed something that clinked and tinkled delightfully to his ears.

Hiro sat up and looked in his hand. In it was a sea shell necklace. He looked up at K, surprised and speechless. The string K used was material from the parachute that was braided together tightly. The decoration hung only on his chest, which was an arrangement of beautiful glossy sea shells, ones like that of small snail shells. They increased in size until in the middle was a clam like shell; it wasn't too big or gaudy. It was perfect.

"This is beautiful," Hiro breathed and slipped it over his head.

"I'm glad you like it. It took a few days to make…I'm not really an artist or anything," K said with a shrug.

So that's what he was doing all this time. Hiro suddenly felt foolish. "That doesn't matter; you made something beautiful to me. Thank you," Hiro offered genuinely. But then the thought, "I didn't make you anything…I'm sorry."

K shook his head, "Don't worry your pretty head. This isn't just a gift, it's my way of saying I'm sorry for acting like a tool."

Hiro looked up at K's face; the man truly surprised him sometimes. "Forget about it, its ok I forgave you already."

"I know but you're a good guy, you're…all I have," K said honestly, his own words surprising himself. "I'm such a different man out here and I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not. But suddenly everything that seemed so important once just isn't anymore. You know?"

Hiro knew exactly what K meant and he was shocked to hear K talk so openly. "This place really has changed us hmm?" he wondered.

"It has," K offered.

"Hmm"

Both became silent as they thought of their families that were celebrating Christmas without them. It was another reminder of how alone they were and made them wonder what everyone back home was thinking. A dim look settled on their faces for a long while. But K broke the silence.

"Come on I have an idea for catching a pig," said the blond and stood up. Redwing was still perched on his shoulder like a member of the family.

Hiro tried not to think sad thoughts and smiled at the sight before him, "You know you look like a pirate with him on your shoulder."

K laughed, "I never had a pet before."

"He seems to like you though."

Redwing at that moment flew over to sit on Hiro's shoulder.

"He seems to like you too Hiro. Now let's go get Christmas dinner," K insisted.

Hiro made a face, "You want to kill one of those boars?"

"Why not?"

Until he'd been stranded, Hiro never thought he could kill an animal with his own hands. But seeing how K wanted to go, he realized that he wanted to join him in the hunt. Maybe some inner hunter lived inside of him as well. This was survival of the fittest. He got up and grabbed his spear.

"Let's go then," Hiro said.

"Wait, we don't need spears. I thought we'd build a Burmese tiger trap," K explained.

"Why build a trap when…" Hiro took a coconut and place it on a rock a few yards away. He came back and threw his spear and hit the coconut dead on. "…I can do that?"

K mouth dropped open, "Holy shit! Why didn't you show me this before?"

Hiro shrugged.

"You've been practicing while fishing...geez at best I can spear a fish but nothing like that. Now with a gun, that is a different story," K said with a chuckle. Not only was Hiro's spear talent paragon, it also turned him on! He had to admit an armed Hiro was a really sexy one.

"Well I say we go hunting then," the redhead suggested.

"Are you sure you can do this?" K questioned, suddenly concerned.

Hiro nodded.

Off they went to catch themselves one of those wild pigs. Skulking through the brush, they watched for movement. The wild boars were in here but they could be hard to find. The best place to track was where there was water. Animals needed to drink, so they hung around the watering holes.

K paused, squatting to scoop up some black mud with his fingers. With a serious look he used his thumbs and smeared dark lines under his eyes. Dipping his fingers into the mud again K drew lines under Hiro's eyes gently.

Hiro didn't mind, K's fingers were so tender and the cool mud felt nice. It made him feel so primitive and he watched the other mans face carefully. They stood so close, both looking so primal. The act was very intimate in a way and he couldn't stop the heat that filled his cheeks.

"You look like a warrior with a painted face," K said tenuously, breaking the moment. But then maybe they both looked like warriors, K thought. Neither wore shoes, their hair was tied back with string, bodies bear except their shorts which were so rugged and grungy.

"So do you," Hiro said, casting his eyes away from K's cerulean blue orbs.

"Come on"

Putting on their game faces, they gripped their spears tightly and read the forest for animal evidence.

Without realizing it, they had lost some behaviour of living like civilized beings. The solitude, the wilderness around them constantly was having an effect. Too live in the wild, one had to become a little uncultivated, untamed. They lived in their own world now and invented their own rules.

Kneeling to the ground Hiro spotted tracks. Wordlessly he pointed ahead of himself, indicating the animal had gone south. They followed the tracks, feet padding silently over the dirt, aimlessly stepping over bugs and stones that once they'd avoided. On the way a snake slithered down over their heads in a branch above their heads. Instincts much more acute, K sensed it and in flash grabbed the snake out of the tree by the neck. They didn't run from the snakes anymore. Without remorse he held it to the ground a stabbed it through the head with the tip of his spear. Hiro grabbed his cutting stone from his pocket and cut its head off.

The head removed guaranteed the poison in the snake was gone. He dug a small hole and buried it. K put the snake in a pouch they carried for later.

Finally an hour later they spotted a wild boar, the feral animal was drinking from a tiny stream. Hiro was about to throw his spear but halted when two baby pigs trotted up next to its mother. He glanced at K hesitantly. Thinking that he'd been so ready to kill a wild animal was now a roaring debate in Hiro's mind. The animal had babies; he lifted the spear once more with a shaky hand.

But just then a hand came and pushed down his weapon. "Don't do it Hiro," K said.

The redhead looked curiously at K.

"Killing is easy, but if you have regrets, it can chew at you for a long time," the blond advised softly. K bent and picked up a rock, he threw it at the animals, "Get out of here. Go on!"

The boars, startled, ran off into the thicket.

Hiro felt immediate relief. Maybe he was a good hunter but his morality still counted for something. He couldn't kill a warm blooded animal. But what surprised him more was how K couldn't either. Maybe people were easier to shoot?

"Let's go back then," Hiro offered quietly.

Patting Hiro's shoulder, K nodded, "We have the snake though."

"I wonder if it tastes any good," Hiro thought out loud.

"I bet it tastes like chicken," K said.

"Mmm, chicken," Hiro murmured.

"Or beer."

"Snake that tastes like beer? Or are you just daydreaming again?"

"Daydreaming…" K sighed.

"Yes beer or fresh bread."

"Mmm, bread," the blonde went and feeling his mouth water.

The whole way back they named off all the delicious things that they missed; once more talking like everything between them was okay again. Today had taught them a lesson about each other and it humbled past grievances.

"Do I look like I belong in a tribe now?" Hiro asked once they were back at camp.

"Because of the necklace?" K wondered.

"Yeah"

K laughed and dug into his pocket. "If it makes you feel any better I made one for myself too. Of course it's not as fabulous as yours but what the hell." He slipped it over his head, "Merry Christmas to me."

Hiro studied the necklace K had designed for himself. Indeed it was very simple, the same braided string and one sea shell. The snail like shell hung just under his collarbone on K's tanned chest. He cast K a smile and asked, "So what do we do now? We have no Christmas dinner fellow tribesman."

The blonde wondered about that for a minute and look contemplatively at Hiro, "Fish or snake?"

"How very creative of you," Hiro groaned sarcastically.

K guffawed, "Well let me see…" He looked through their belongings and thought. They had rice, crab, snake, smoked fish and coconut. Hmm, maybe with a little salt and some of that seaweed he could make a stew. "I have an idea."

"Oh? I'm not sure I like the sound of your "ideas" concerning food," the redhead teased and received an indignant look from K.

"Just you wait Hiro it'll be a meal fit for kings!" K declared enthusiastically and picked up Hiro's new bowl. "You know I never did tell you how cool this was, you're a true craftsman Hiroshi," K said, pausing to watch Hiro smile.

"Thanks K," Hiro offered modestly. He watched K firstly add the rice to coconut filled with water to soak. Helping to shell some crab, he added the meat to the bowl he made filled with water. K was going to make a stock he noticed. In went some fish and salt and seaweed, even some crab shell, then he set the bowl near the fire to simmer. Hiro was intrigued to see what this would taste like.

It took at least two hours before everything was ready. The rice had taken the longest to cook and when it was done the crab shell was removed and rice poured into the stew. It was hot and chunky, filled with seafood and K handed Hiro a coconut halve full of it.

"Go ahead, taste test it," K told him.

Hiro was hungry but hesitant.

K only grinned, amused. "Be brave Hiro."

The redhead laughed nervously, "You're enjoying this aren't you?"

"Yup"

What did he have to lose? Hiro sipped from the coconut. He looked up at K, "You know this is really good…it's great!" After eating the same things for so long, this was excellent compared.

"Maybe it only seems great because we're not so picky anymore," K said with a chuckle.

Laughing a little Hiro shook his head, "Don't be so hard on yourself, it really is good."

K beamed, he felt really pleased with himself at the moment. He watched Hiro enjoying his food while he ate as well. And as he ate he thought about in the woods earlier with the mud and face painting, which they both still had on. That had been very erotic, K decided. And Hiro had responded like a flower drinking up the sun. Silently and casually K found himself observing Hiro's nearly naked body. He looked at Hiro and thought of all the places he wanted to press his lips too, which dips and curves he would taste. K wasn't denying it; he couldn't stop feeling this way towards Hiro. But if Hiro didn't want to act on it, then K wasn't going to press him. For now he would just enjoy the beauty of the other man. But when Hiro changed his mind, he'd be ready.

Reviewers: Thank you Dejichan4444, GreeneyedFloozy, Mortenavida(Suguru my honey, too bad I don't have those bad bananas here :P No worries my sweet the good stuff is coming and you'll enjoy it I'm sure --grins--), Lauryn R, and Lances!