I do not own the right to Wild Rock, it is the property of Takashima Kazusa and Libre Publishing. Man…30-plus fanfics posted to this website across 22 years. What can I say, I cannot stay away from writing. Specifically fanfiction writing. I've gone through periods of dry spells with my writing, and real life tends to interfere quite frequently, but I hope to continue publishing here for awhile.

Anyways, I have always loved Wild Rock. It's a one-shot story that has always put a smile on my face, and I recently found my English translation of the manga and reread it again. I also had the pleasure of hearing the Drama CD for this, and would recommend it to any fans who love this story as much as I do. I just wish I had access to the Libre Edition, which had one more sequel. But as much as I love Yuuen and Emba I've always been intrigued by the tragic relationship between Yuni and Selem. I like that Takashima kept their situation open-ended in the end, and I've thought about this idea since I found my manga. This story obviously takes place years before the start of the manga based on trivia and headcanon.

Anyways, enough rambling. I hope you enjoy this story.

Deep Silent Complete

Selem

"Chief."

Ani had finally stopped crying, and Kaya was putting her to rest. I moved towards the main room of my hut as the warrior knelt down before me. "Tokala," I greeted him. "What news do you bring?"

"It has been confirmed, Chief," Tokala said, his head hanging low. "The East Forest Tribe—their chief's wife has birthed their second child."

The twinge of discomfort inside of me came and passed quickly. I remained outwardly calm. "You are certain of this?" I asked him. "Has it not been reported that she had two moons left before giving birth?"

"Yes, Chief," Tokala said. He looked up then, his expression stoic. "There have been reports that the babe is small, too small for him to have been ready to greet the world, and he is apparently sickly. Whispers from the East Forest Tribe fears that the babe may not survive the night."

I nodded to this, keeping my expression calm despite the cold sensation that started to form inside of me. "The babe is a boy?" I asked. "And he will not live?"

Tokala nodded. "They say it would be a great miracle for the babe to see tomorrow."

I hesitated before asking the next question, to give myself time to maintain a steady voice. "And the mother—the East Forest Tribe's wife. How fares her health?"

Tokala answered without hesitation, but with his answer the numbing coldness inside of me grew. A shake of his head no. "The wife of their chief is dead."

"Dead?" I hadn't meant to say it out loud, but I could not help myself.

"The reports say that when the babe came, so did a river of blood. A river that none of the healers of the East Forest Tribe could stop. She died in the arms of her husband, the chief."

The coldness reached my throat, paralyzing my words briefly. Yuni…he's lost his wife. And he may lose his baby, too.

"Thank you," I said after a long moment of silence. "That is all, Tokala. Please keep me informed of any new developments."

"I will, sir." Tokala rose and quickly departed.

I slowly rubbed a hand over my face and exhaled sharply. Pain was starting to mingle with the cold inside of me. "…I need to show respect," I murmured aloud, pressing the heel of my hand over my eyes. "I should send an offering—"

"Selem."

I stiffened when I heard this voice and I dropped my hand away from my face. The pain swelled greater inside of me, as did a twinge of anger when I saw the familiar face approach me. "Father," I said. My tone was respect but short for the former chief of the Lakeside Tribe.

"Selem," Father said again. He was frowning at me. "The East Forest Tribe is preoccupied with the death of their chief's wife. This is not an opportunity that we can waste. There will be no hunters from that Tribe out hunting today—you should take this opportunity to send our hunters into the forest to claim game."

"Father, that would be a horrible response to such a tragedy!" I exclaimed. "Entering the hunting grounds of the East Forest Tribe to rob from them when their Tribe is mourning?! The gods and spirits would never forgive such a disrespect!"

"The gods and spirits wish for us to survive," Father responded. "It is the time of year where the game in their grounds is more bountiful than ours. We must do what we can to ensure the survival of—"

"Father, their chief just lost his wife and he may lose his son!" I protested, gesturing with my arm angrily. "To steal from them when they are at their lowest is unforgivable!"

"The East Forest Chief has a healthy son already. His bloodline will not die with the death of his spouse and second son. We must act now."

"Father, the respectful thing to do—"

"Is their tribe our friend or our foe, Selem?!" Father said, his voice finally rising. "Answer me, Selem! Is the East Forest Tribe our ally?!"

I ducked my head forward and locked my jaw. "...No," I answered after a moment.

"Then we don't need to make any gestures towards them," Father said sharply. "They showed us no compassion when your mother died! In fact, we caught many East Forest hunters fishing on our shores the very day we were to bury her! They have never shown us compassion for our tragedies, so we will respond in kind!"

I was breathing heavily and sharply through my nose. I knew that Father had a point. I knew that the East Forest Tribe was our foe, not our ally, and they had acted disrespectfully towards us in the past. Our tribal feud had gone on for so long, longer than I had been alive. No one who had started it, but those who had were long gone.

I knew that I needed to do what was necessary for the preservation and wellbeing of my people...but to steal game from the East Forest Tribe while they were in mourning? To take advantage of the fact that Yuni was no doubt in a state of great distress—losing his wife and about to lose his newborn son—it seemed so despicable to me.

"If you will not give the order then I will," Father said.

"No," I snapped, glaring at him. My chest was aching fiercely and my breathing was unsteady, but I swallowed my unease and nodded. "If you are insisting that I do this, I will give the order."

Father relaxed. "Good—"

"Only for today," I interjected sharply. "I will tell our hunters to enter the East Forest only today. That is all. I will not tolerate more."

Father shrugged. "I disapprove but I will not argue with you. I will summon the elders and the hunters." Then he swiftly left my hut.

My knees were unsteady, but I forced myself to calm down. I hadn't wanted to give the order, but if I had allowed Father to do it then it would have been detrimental overall. It would have shown weakness, that the people of the Lakeside Tribe could not rely on their chief to give orders. That he would pass responsibility to the former chief in such a matter.

I cannot show weakness when my people rely on me.

"Selem?" My wife's voice floated over to me and I relaxed and forced a smile over my shoulder. "It is all right, Kaya."

"The East Forest's chief lost his wife in childbirth?" Kaya asked me. Her dark hair was loose and her usually gentle expression further put me at ease.

I nodded in solemn confirmation. "Yes, Kaya. She—"

"We have returned," Father announced as he swept into the hut, followed by our elders and some of the hunters.

The unease and anger rose inside of me again, but I didn't let it show on my face as I turned to greet them.

It was less than an hour later that I stood on our shores and watched a small group of hunters travel into the East Forest. There was a hum on the breeze, faint. I could have sworn that the sound...was distant wailing from the direction of the settlement of the East Forest Tribe. I felt violently ill watching them go, and the unease and self-loathing rose inside of me once more. I had given the order so Father would not do it...but I did not feel good about it.

I'm sorry, Yuni. Please forgive me for this disgrace...

I felt a tug on my left sleeve and I glanced down. The negative emotions inside of me faded in an instant when I stared down at the wide-eyed child who stared up at me. "Emba."

My son smiled as I picked him up into my arms. He clung to my shoulders, nonsense words babbling from his mouth as I slowly walked the shoreline. He had been born two years prior, but he was a strong and capable child already. It hadn't taken him long to learn to walk, and already he was learning how to fish. Kaya was teaching him words, and though he was babbling now we knew that it would not be long before he was speaking.

"Emba, can you say "Papa"?" I asked him amusedly. ""Papa". "Papa"."

Emba responded with gurgles, and I couldn't help but laugh. At that moment though, the last of the hunters entered the East Forest. I stopped in my tracks as the laughter quickly died. I glanced around us to ensure that there was no one nearby, and I looked at Emba. "Emba, can you keep a secret?"

Emba stared back at me plainly. I knew that he didn't really understand my question but I took comfort from his silence regardless. "Someone...who was very dear to your papa suffered a tragedy today," I told him quietly. Confessing this secret out loud was more liberating than I expected, even as my throat tightened. "His name is Yuni," I continued. "And his wife died today."

Emba continued to look back at me, still babbling as a baby would do. I looked away from him then. "She died to give their son life," I continued. "But the babe was not born healthy. The babe may end up joining his mother's spirit by this time tomorrow.

"Papa...is very sad for them." I kept my voice low, even though we were alone. "Yuni—he was someone Papa loved very much. While Papa still loves Mama very much, a part of Papa's heart will always be with Yuni. And now Papa is adding to Yuni's pain by hunting where he shouldn't hunt, when he could—" my voice broke off and I felt tears sting my eyes. The feelings of regret and sorrow rose inside of me again, that I knew I should have buried. I had made my choice long ago, as had Yuni. The choice I made gave me Kaya, Emba, and Ani. I would not trade my wife, my son, or my daughter for anything in the world.

But I knew—I knew the small, selfish part of me longed for what could have been. For if I had decided to forsake the Lakeside Tribe and run away with Yuni. But I didn't. We separated, returned to our clans, became chiefs and married, and we continue the feud that had been going on for so long.

"Papa is very sad," I said quietly, closing my eyes. "Papa is sad for Yuni, and for his wife and his babe. Yuni has already lost his wife and I pray to the gods and spirits that he doesn't lose his babe. There are many who are not concerned because Yuni has his firstborn son, who is the same age as you Emba. But Papa's heart aches because he knows Yuni is in pain, and if he were to lose his second-born son...if the babe his wife died to give life died..."

I shook my head and looked towards the sky. "Gods and spirits," I said, still keeping my voice low. "Please spare Yuni's child and allow the babe to live. Please do not let the sacrifice of Yuni's wife be wasted. I know I have no rights to demand mercy when I am sinfully abusing their tragedy, but I ask mercy for this innocent babe. I pray that he may live and thrive. The babe deserves to live—"

"Babe."

A jolt of shock filled my body and I quickly looked at Emba with my mouth hanging open. I heard it. I knew I had heard it. "Emba," I gasped, shifting my son in my arms and holding him in front of me. "Emba, what did you say?"

"Babe," Emba responded bluntly. His small voice was surprisingly clear.

"Emba—you spoke!" I hugged him tight in my arms. "Your first word! Say that again, "Babe"!"

"Babe."

I almost laughed but it choked off as tears stung my eyes. "Emba, you're speaking! You said a full word!" I held him away from me again. "Say "Papa". "Papa"."

"Babe," Emba said instead. This time the laugh fully came out as I hugged him again. "Come, let's go back home! Mama should hear your first word, too!"

I felt awful that I felt such joy on such a sad day, knowing that there would be many more sad days for Yuni. I was powerless to truly do anything though for his sake. All I could do was focus on my family, on my people, and try to overwhelm the pain inside of me with the sheer joy of seeing my child thrive.

I pray for the best for you, Yuni. I pray that your pain will eventually fade, and you will find joy again. And I hope your children will be there with you to see it. Both of them.

Yuni

The commotion that had occurred earlier had been loud enough to reach our settlement. The screaming and wailing, all coming from the direction of the Lakeside. My stomach knotted in discomfort as I waited in my hut for the news from the scouts. Knowing that the news would surely not be good, I sent Yuuli away with Yuuen to visit their mother Poloma's grave. Whatever had happened, I did not want my children to hear about it.

I was sitting in the center of the main room when one of the scouts, Bira, burst inside. He knelt down in front of me. "Chief Yuni, there was an incident at the Lakeside!"

"I gathered as much," I said, though I tried not to sound too sarcastic. "What have you found out?"

I had been expecting bad news, but what Bira told me shook me to the core of my being.

"The Chief of the Lakeside Tribe...his wife was slain."

"Slain?!" I burst out, quicker and harsher than I intended. "She was murdered?! Are they saying that it was one of us?!"

Bira shook his head. "Not murdered by the hand of man. From what we have heard the Lakeside Tribe sent out a foraging party this morning, and their chief's wife was in the group. The group was ambushed by a pack of animals, and their chief's wife was dragged off by the pack. They searched for her for hours, and found her a short while ago, but..." Bira shook his head.

I rubbed a hand over my mouth and looked away. Selem...you've lost your wife? You have lost your wife in such a horrible manner?

I looked back at Bira then. "There's something else, isn't there?" I asked. "I feel as though there's something else that you want to tell me."

"It is only whispers, I have no confirmation," Bira said. "But there are reports—people have said that it was the chief's own son who found his mother's body."

I felt a growing sickness inside of me. I slowly dropped my hand away from my face. "Their...boy found her?" My voice was low. "Isn't that child but five years old? The Lakeside Tribe allowed a five-year-old to go out and look for their mother when she was last seen in the jaws of an animal?!"

I cannot believe it. Selem would never have allowed any of his children to be put into such a position!

But that also meant that the boy went off by himself to find his mother...and he found her alone, in undoubtedly the most horrifying state a child could ever see their parent in, without Selem or another adult to shield him or help him.

"...All right," I said after a long moment of silence. "Thank you, Bira. If you hear anything else, please let me know."

"Of course." Bira stood up and bowed before departing.

I slowly stood up, my stomach churning. With Yuuli and Yuuen out the silence was almost deafening. I could hear my heart pounding in my ears. Selem...Selem...

I knew the pain he was suffering, as three years prior I had lost Poloma when she birthed Yuuen. The moment he came Poloma had bled, and no matter how hard we worked we could not stop the bleeding. She died as I held her, her soft voice pleading to see our baby.

Poloma had died in my arms, surrounded by love...but Selem's wife died alone, surrounded by beasts who feasted upon her as a meal.

"I'll send an offering," I decided aloud, speaking to no one in particular. I nodded to this. "I can send—"

"Yuni."

I flinched, and I remembered that I wasn't alone in the hut. My throat tightened even more but I turned to face the woman who came into the main room. "Mother." My jaw was tense and my teeth were locked.

"Yuni," Mother said again, her expression hard. "The Lakeside Tribe will be busy. They will be out hunting the pack that killed their chief's wife. You should act quickly. While the hunters and scouts are away from the shores—send some of our hunters down there to claim game."

"Mother, have you lost your mind?!" I shouted at her. "Invading the lands of the Lakeside Tribe to steal their game while they try to avenge such a grievous loss?! We would be cursed for such an act of disgrace!"

"We would not be cursed because we do not own the animals we hunt," Mother retorted. "They belong to the gods and spirits, and if they are available we must take them. The Lakeside has been getting more food than us this year, we cannot—"

"Mother, do you realize that the Lakeside Chief lost his wife?!" I snapped, swinging my fists angrily. "And their young son found her mutilated body! The further trauma we would be inflicting upon them is unnecessary and cruel!"

"The boy may have a wounded heart, but he lives. Both of the children of the Lakeside Chief live. Only his wife is dead. Now, make the call and gather the hunters."

"Mother, if I make any call, it would be out of respect to their loss!"

"Respect, Yuni?!" Mother exclaimed. Her scream rattled in my ears. "We owe no respect to our sworn enemies, Yuni! We do not mourn with them and will will not mourn with them! Do you understand?!"

I scoffed and looked away from her. I didn't respond because I knew I would say something I would regret.

"They deserve nothing from us, " Mother continued. "Or have you forgotten what they did when Poloma died?! While her body lay cold in this very hut, the Lakeside Tribe sent hunters into OUR forest to steal our game! That was how they showed compassion to us, so they should receive none from us!"

My jaw was starting to ache from the grinding of my teeth. Mother was right, in a way. The Lakeside Tribe was our enemy as they had been for a long time, and they took advantage of the tragedy of my wife's death to hunt in our territory. But...I also knew that my father had done the same when Selem's mother had died. We were all part of the same cycle our predecessors started and we were continuing.

I was the Chief, and I had made a vow in my coronation to watch over my people and to never betray them. But...stealing from the Lakeside Tribe after such a horrible event? Knowing that Selem was mourning his wife—and not only had to help his children in mourning but also give further aid to the child who found her—I couldn't stand the thought of bringing them further pain, no matter what happened in the past.

"I will call the elders if you won't," Mother sighed in resignation. "But this must be done—"

"You will not, Mother!" I shouted at her. But I saw from her hard expression that she was determined to do this. She was a stubborn woman and would be dissuaded. I certainly got my own stubbornness from somewhere. "I'm not going to be embarrassed by you, Mother. If you want to force my hand, I'll give the order."

Mother's shoulders relaxed, and she finally smiled. "I'm glad to see you see reason for once, Yuni."

"Tonight only," I snapped. "The hunters will only go to the lakeside tonight. That's it. If you try to push for more I will have you punished."

Mother. "I don't need to threaten me, Yuni. Wait here while I gather everyone." She quickly headed toward the door and was gone.

I collapsed to my knees and buried my face into my face. I felt disgusting for agreeing to this, but if I had Mother giving orders in my stead then the people of the East Forest Tribe would lose their faith in me. They stood by me in so much after I lost Poloma, and supported me while I exhausted resources to save Yuuen. I could not let them down.

I have to be strong. If they all want this, then I must do what is right by my people.

"Papa!" Yuuli loudly announced myself when he entered the hut. I quickly looked up at my five-year-old son, who looked at me in confusion. "Papa, what are you doing?"

I grabbed Yuuli in my arms and held him tight. I took the moment to cherish my oldest son, and sent a silent prayer to the gods and spirits that he would never suffer what Selem's son was suffering.

I let him go and realized that he was alone. "Where is Yuuen—"

"Yuni." Mother returned with the elders and some of the hunters, and I sighed softly as I stood to greet him.

It was Yuuli who broke the tension as people moved to take seats around the hut. "Yuuen's outside.

An hour later that I sat alone on a large rock and watched a small group of hunters heading towards the shores. There was no longer the sounds of screams that we had heard earlier, but the silence was not comforting. I was angry and anguish, and I could not help but hate myself for my weakness. It was my fault, I gave the order, and thus I only had myself to blame for all of this.

Selem...I don't like continuing this cycle, but I keep doing so. Please forgive me for this.

Something small fell against my back. I quickly turned and my heart became at ease when I saw the little child who clung to my back, tiny little fists digging into my robe. "Yuuen."

Yuuen was wide-eyed and smiling as I picked him up and set him on my lap. He laughed like a jovial child and sucked on his fingers as sounds bubbled out of his throat. He was three years old, but he was small for his age. My small sweet child, so small that he barely fit into both of my hands the moment he was born. He had been slow to walk and even now struggled with talking, but we were patient with him and loved and cherished him. Poloma gave her life to give him life, and I did everything I could to keep him alive. No one had believed that he would make it to three, but he had. And he was getting stronger with each passing year.

"Yuuen, let's work on your words again," I told him. "I want you to say "Papa". Papa". Can you do that?"

Yuuen now had both of his hands in his mouth, and the sight me made me throw back my head and laugh. When my head tilted down though, I realized that I could no longer see our hunters. I quickly sobered up, and the amusement died inside of me. I looked over my shoulder to make sure Mother was not nearby, and then I looked at Yuuen. "Yuuen, Papa wants to tell you something."

Yuuen pulled both of his hands out of his mouth simultaneously, but then stared with confusion at the saliva sticking to his fingers. He didn't know what I was talking about, which made it better for me. "There was a sad event today," I whispered to him. My throat started to tighten but I pressed on. "There is a man named Selem at the Lakeside. He was someone special to Papa. And today...he lost his wife."

Yuuen glanced at me as he waved his hands up and down. I looked back towards the Lakeside again. "She was attacked and eaten by animals," I said. "And their son...their little boy, who is the same age as Yuuli, was the one who found his mama afterwards.

"Papa has done a bad thing," I mumbled bitterly. "Selem—he was your Papa's first love. I loved your mother Yuuen, don't ever doubt it, but Selem has a permanent piece of Papa's heart. But Papa did a bad thing and is kicking them while they're down." My vision blurred with the tears. Feelings and wishes that I had wanted to wither away and die were coming back. I was the one who had pushed for this. I had the choice between my Tribe and Selem, and I chose my Tribe. My choice gave me Poloma, Yuuli, and Yuuen. My choice gave me a family I never knew I wanted, and I wouldn't trade them for anything.

But I wasn't a perfect man, and there were times when the...longing was there. Especially after Poloma died and I was despairing over Yuuen wondering if he would live or die. In those moments I wished that I had Selem, and that he was by my side. In other moments I wondered if it would have been better if we had run away together. But then the moment would pass and I would see clarity. Selem and I did not choose each other. We chose our Tribes and we left each other, became Chiefs, had our own families, and now we fought each other as many other before us had.

"Your papa feels awful," I said, wiping at my face. "Papa feels so awful for that family, Yuuen. For that boy who found his mother. Selem has lost his wife and I pray to the gods and spirits that he knows how to help that boy. I am certain that people will believe that he will be fine, because he is a boy and the son of a Chief. But Papa is in pain because he knows Selem is in pain, and that boy is in pain. For all of these terrible things to happen to them...and I am adding to their suffering..."

I hugged Yuuen tighter to me and looked skywards. "Gods and spirits," I said, still keeping my voice low. "Please guide Selem's wife to the beyond. Please help that boy after what he suffered today. I sit here as a hypocrite because I am taking advantage of them, but I ask mercy for this innocent boy. I pray that he heal from this tragedy. The boy should not suffer more—"

"Boy."

My head snapped down and I gaped at Yuuen in shock. I heard it. I knew I had heard it. "Yuuen," I almost shouted, holding Yuuen in front of me. "Yuuen, what did you say?!"

"Boy!" Yuuen shouted. His bright blue eyes were shining and he had a big smile on his face.

"Yuuen, yes! Finally!" I hugged him tight in my arms. "You finally spoke! You said "boy"! Say it again, say "boy"!"

"Boy!"

I burst into laughter, but the laughter quickly ebbed off into short sobs. "Yuuen, you're finally speaking! You said a full word!" I held him away from me again. "Try another word! "Papa". "Papa"."

"Boy!" Yuuen screamed into my face. But I couldn't help but laugh in response.

"Yuuen!" I heard thunderous footsteps behind us and Yuuli slammed into my right side. "Yuuen spoke?!"

"Boy!" Yuuen shouted again.

"Yuuen spoke!" Yuuli cheered, pumping his fists. "Quick Yuuen, say my name!"

"Now now, let's not rush him," I laughed, pulling Yuuli into a hug as well. "Oh...I am so glad to have you both!"

The Lakeside Tribe was in mourning, and I knew that Selem had many dark and hard days ahead of him. I was powerless to truly do anything though for his sake, and I felt terrible that I was feeling so happy in this moment. But Yuuli and Yuuen were my family and my priority, as were my people. I had to forget the pain and heartache I felt for Selem and focus on what I had in my arms...my two boys.

I pray that you get through this though, Selem. I pray that your pain will eventually fade, and you will find joy again. And I hope your children will be there with you to see it. Both of them.

Paired

Two old men said beside the fire, sitting across from each other smoking from their individual pipes in silence. The silence was nice. The company was better.

"Your wife," Yuni said, looking up at the man sitting across from him. "Her name was Kaya, right?"

"Yes," Selem responded, taking a long draw from his pipe.

"I heard she died in an animal attack."

"You heard correctly."

Yuni drew from his own pipe and let out a long stream of smoke before he pressed on. "I heard that it was Emba who found her."

"...You heard correctly," Selem repeated himself. His demeanor was still serene.

"I sent hunters into your territory the day she died," Yuni quickly blurted out. "We stole your game."

"I know," Selem responded. Anger did not radiate from him, either. Yuni relaxed only slightly and smoked from his pipe again.

"Your wife," Selem said. His gaze held Yuni's. "Her name was Poloma, right?"

"Yes," Yuni said.

"I heard she died in childbirth."

"...You heard correctly," Yuni responded cautiously.

Selem took the moment to draw from his pipe and let out a long stream of smoke before he spoke again. "I heard that Yuuen nearly died in the same childbirth."

Yuni nodded stiffly. "You heard correctly."

"I also sent hunters into your territory the day she died," Selem said. "We stole your game."

"I know," Yuni said.

Silence lingered between them again, only punctuated by the sounds of them drawing from their pipes and exhaling into the darkness that surrounded them.

"I never had hard feelings towards you," Selem said finally.

Yuni nodded. "I also never had any hard feelings towards you, either."

Silence came again.

"Our children are good together," Selem said suddenly.

"I agree," Yuni said.

Selem smiled. "No matter what we have suffered...our children have made it worth it."

Yuni only smiled in return.

The fate of Emba's mother was revealed by Takashima, but the fate of Yuuen's mother has yet to be revealed. Because of her absence in the story, and because of Yuuen's physical limitations I headcanoned that Yuuen's mother died in childbirth and Yuuen was born premature. I headcanoned that it was Emba who had found his mother because his stoicism seemed to clash with Selem's personality. Most of the names listed here are fanon named.

Thanks for reading!