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Nov 20, 2014

Mysteries in the Jungle 5

Author: Lucicelo

Pairings: Junjou Egoist, startings of Romantica

Rating: K

Characters in this chapter: Hiroki Kamijou, Misaki Takahashi, Aki(hiko) Usami, Mama Kamijou, Papa Kamijou, Nowaki Kusama, and background characters.

Summary: AU: Nowaki's trip to New York was supposed to be simple. This changed when a simple alert of high turbulence sent the plane down into the ocean. The few that survived, managed to get onto a life raft and spotted an island in the horizon. What should have brought them relief, only caused questions of what exactly resided through the dense forest.

Warnings: None.

After all of the passengers were formally introduced to Fauna, one of the many villagers who gathered the fruit from the trees, they were shocked when she introduced herself in broken Japanese. The surprise of the reveal wore off after spending a few days helping her and the group who usually grabbed the fruit for the tribe. She directed them to the proper areas to gather the right wood to build a fire in their shared cabin and knowing which vegetation was edible. There were days they just observed what everyone else did in their daily lives while they got a rare visit from Hiroki showing them the surrounding area. He never ventured too far in the forest, his explanation that they have anywhere else to go annoyed them but they knew he had a point. They would get lost without anyone leading them around or memorizing the safe areas. Although, they were told the safe areas changed often.

The women tried not to openly ogle at the men who either wore loincloths or walked around the buff. Some couldn't help but stare at Hiroki when he lead them around in his impromptu tour. He was right in front of them, it was not like he knew they stared at him but their giggling might have given them away. The men also glanced at Hiroki but tried paying attention to what he told them, they still had hope in escaping and they needed all the possible information to plan their escape. Nowaki averted his eyes from Hiroki throughout the tour, ever since he realized he checked him out in the beginning, he tried hard not to stare at his assets.

When Hiroki gave them an icy glare at the end of the tour before he dismissed himself, they realized he had knowledge of their stares from the very beginning. Before the man left, a wild boar charged out of the trees which freaked everyone out. The moment they saw Hiroki tackle down a full grown wild pig, they were glad Hiroki didn't retaliate against their disrespectful glances. Nowaki was in awe of Hiroki's grace even when he was wrestling that animal to the ground.

The second leader, Fuyumi, discussed how the weather grew hotter as the seasons passed. So, it would be to their benefit to get used to the lack of clothes of everyone on the island because their clothing didn't suit the tropical weather. They all placed their old clothing in one corner of the hut so they wouldn't get tempted to wear it out again. Their bags were also in the same spot.

Nowaki always caught Hiroki glancing over at him when he walked past him. Although, he made it seem like he didn't notice. He didn't want to assume why the leaders son stared at him. Hopefully it was because of something good and not out of something horrible.

At times, he wondered if anyone realized he had gone missing before making it to the United States. The flight and the passenger list might have gotten released already after such a short time it was missing. He knew the university which had his spot for the medical program was replaced with someone else. They wouldn't retain it in hopes of him returning back in time, he was way past the deadline to make it there in person. There were other students who wanted that spot more than anything. He wasn't mad about it.

He regretted not having started the program to begin with and completing his doctrine. So many hours he spent working part time jobs to help pay for tuition and the sleepless nights trying to memorize the human body. At first, anger filled his body when he pondered about this at night. He thought he did everything right in life to not have anything horrible happen to him. After such a hard life, he only wanted to live comfortable in a nice house away from the city between the times in between his job. He had no chance of attaining this anymore.

All of that hard work went to waste on this island. There was no modern medicine or equipment to do anything he had trained in his classes. His first aid kit would only last them for so long. He already noticed his bandages were running low after he replaced his own bandages when he bathed.

Eventually, the leaders might ask him and Kana to train under the Shaman since they knew a lot about medicine. It wouldn't surprise him. Leader Fuyumi was impressed that two of them knew a lot about modern medicine to help them out when anyone was sick. She understood how they had to conform to the limited methods of medicine on the island but it was always a good thing to have more people who knew medicinal practices.

He noticed how happy she looked when she spoke Japanese. She probably still missed home after so many decades, he felt selfish for wanting to leave immediately when she remained undetected for so long. There was a slim chance they would all get found. All of them still retained with this desire but they couldn't rely on it too much. Their spirits broke even more with every single sunrise coming up in the sky. Not much time passed and they knew the search parties had given up on finding the ship or anyone else.

Yet, they were quick to settle in the swing of thing in the tribe. Everyone was helpful in getting them to understand how to do a chore for the tribe and didn't get angry when they messed up. Half of them went to the big group for fruits while the other half went to fish since hunting actual game was dangerous for them. They saw teenagers with spears, killing small game, leaving the bigger ones to the full grown adults. Really, they were out of their league if they attempted to do it.

The realization of their permanent stay slowly sunk in. Their destiny was to remain on this island until their deaths.

Misaki's eyes widened, he quickly jumped back when two big wild boars were dumped in the middle of the village. The other passengers stared in shock while they saw some of the people already gutting the dead animals while the younger people brought in fruits, vegetables and many herbs in their baskets. Their knives easily cut through the flesh without any effort and Misaki almost turned green in the face. He was used to getting fresh meat from the supermarket, seeing it cut in front of his eyes, just made him sick. All he wanted to do was run off and vomit what was left of his breakfast onto the ground.

Covering his mouth with his hand, he averted his eyes to chase the feeling away. He heard the other passengers pulled in different directions to help them out with the preparations of the food. Peeking to the side, he saw the head leader walking through the middle of the tribe. He tried his best not to seem useless in front of this man. Leader Soshi scared all of the passengers, the stern face and multiple scars boosted up the intimidation factor. Even Nowaki was afraid to talk to the man on his own.

Misaki snatched up a left over basket that was left on the ground. He took a few steps forward and bumped into someone. Jumping in fear for a brief moment, Misaki looked up and as relieved to see Nowaki staring back down at him.

"Misaki, why are you looking so scared?" Nowaki bemused.

"No reason!" Misaki answered as he took a few steps closer to Nowaki while he peeked over his shoulder.

He let out a sigh of relief when Leader Soshi wasn't in sight. Holding his basket close to his chest, he pouted, he couldn't believe he let himself get scared.

Nowaki shook his head in amusement. He fixed up the bandages on his head, he thought about taking them off, the bruise must have healed already. Later on in the day, he would ask Kana to check everything to make sure nothing was off. With how squeamish Misaki seemed after seeing those dead boar, he didn't know if he would be up to checking his head for the wounds.

Fuyumi held her own basket full of what seemed like sweet potatoes as she stopped in front of Nowaki and Misaki. "I suggest helping everyone out, you won't get anything to eat if you don't bring in something or help to cook the food." Her long brown hair was held together with a piece of ripped cloth, she wore a knee-length dress which provided more movement. "My husband just left toward the ocean with Hiroki and some other gatherers for some fish."

Nowaki nodded his head when he commented. "Oh...so we put the work in and we get rewarded with food right?" Fuyumi nodded her head while some kids ran past her with some sticks for the fire. "I thought leaders didn't have to work...well you are technically royalty aren't you?"

She grinned. "I can't very well sit and watch everyone work and I don't mind. It works up an appetite at the end of the day." Fuyumi told them as she placed the basket on the ground, her arms were starting to ache from the strain of carrying the whole thing.

Hiroki appeared beside her out of nowhere when he informed her, "Mother, I have invited Aki to come welcome our new guests. I don't know if he will come, you know how selective he is when he leaves his home."

Nowaki stood there and listened to Hiroki's smooth voice saying those foreign words. The language sounded so amazing when it came from Hiroki's lips. He glanced down at Misaki and saw the same mesmerized look on his face.

Fuyumi grinned. "I know he will come, we haven't had a party in such a long time. We are all long due to having a good time. Although, I can't say the same for the rest of his tribe though. Did you tell him his tribe was invited if they behaved right?"

"I did. I know he won't tell them about the invitation, you know how much he doesn't associate with them anymore. This status they gave him due to his coloring has made him get a big head over the attention the women are throwing at him." Hiroki explained as he rolled his eyes. "He should get a wife to settle whatever is going on over there."

"Getting married doesn't settle a person down if they don't chose to do it themselves." Fuyumi saw Nowaki and Misaki standing beside her in silence, she grinned sheepishly. "Sorry about that, we don't tend to speak Japanese very often so we are still getting used to speaking it with you all."

Nowaki shook his head with a reassuring smile. "It's no problem at all." He turned to Hiroki. "Hiroki-san, Fuyumi-san told us you were in the ocean for the day."

Hiroki shrugged his shoulders. "Father sent me back, he has enough people to help him out so I can help with the heavy baskets." He crouched down and grabbed his mother's basket.

"Hiroki, I am not that old yet." Fuyumi sighed. "Your father needs to stop sending you to me so I don't have to lift anything. Give it to me." Hiroki's face turned red, his mother hit his reasons right on point, he handed her the basket. "Honestly, stay here to help or go back to your father."

Hiroki pouted as he averted his eyes from his mother, she always brought out his childish side. "I'll...go back in a little bit."

Fuyumi grinned as she ruffled his hair and noticed the tangles. "Hiroki, you need to untangle your hair. It's all over the place. What happened to that nice braid you had the other day?"

"I am going in the ocean anyway, the water would only make it worse if I fixed it now." Hiroki told her as he avoided Nowaki and Misaki's gaze, he would see them later at the party anyway. "I'll see you later."

"Alright, sweetheart." Fuyumi saw him hurry out of their sight, she turned to Misaki and handed him the basket. "Now, go hand those to the people cooking the food. I'll go back to gather more myself."

Misaki almost fell to the ground at the weight of the basket as Fuyumi walked past him and snatched the basket that fell on the ground. Nowaki held Misaki to stabilize him on his feet and Misaki pouted. He didn't think he was that weak but he was proved wrong. Someone as dainty as Fuyumi carried this like it was nothing. He had to exercise to grow big and strong like the rest of the men in the village.

Nowaki saw his facial expression as he patted his head. "It's okay Misaki, we'll both grow strong in now time."

Misaki harrumphed. "Yeah right, you are a tower. You can probably knock down a tree."

Nowaki snorted in amusement as he walked away from him. "I'll be over here if you need me."

Misaki stood there, his arms gripped the basket hard as he waddled over to a young woman. He almost groaned out loud when the girl took it from him and gently placed it to the side like it was no big deal. It seemed everyone on this island were just insanely strong.

Misaki poked his bicep with a pout. He was going to exercise immediately.

Nowaki watched everyone else as they danced and had a good time. He ate and savored the food he picked from the piles of food. At first, he couldn't believe all of the varieties which came as a result from all of the help everyone did to make this all possible. Even the other passengers were enjoying themselves and danced along with someone who motioned in lieu of asking. The language barrier did stifle some conversations but a good portion of the villagers knew some words in Japanese. Which prompted the passengers to quit their stubbornness and tried learning more of the language on the island, Nowaki wasn't surprised when he saw Misaki and Kana asking the head gatherer how to translate some words.

There were different size drums which made different sounds for the music. Some of the women were singing songs which sounded so beautiful to Nowaki. The songs transitioned to slow to fast but it settled into a pace for slow dancing between people. Couples were dancing with each other with smiles on their faces, some had their children clinging to their legs as they danced. The ones who were single rapidly went to the crowd to pick someone out for a quick dance.

Nowaki shook his head when some of the woman stood in front of him. He already knew they wanted him to dance with them but he was still enjoying the food. Maybe later he would dance with someone. Flashbacks of his own attempts to dance appeared in his mind as he sighed. He knew he danced like a tall and stiff scarecrow.

Picking one of the ripest fruit he could find from the pile, he took a huge bite, the juice trickled down his chin. He sat back and watched the ones dancing near the big pyre in the middle.

Hiroki stood right in front of Nowaki with his arms across his chest. "Why are you not dancing?"

Nowaki wiped his mouth with the back of his hand as he smiled lightly. "I am enjoying the food too much to get up and dance. Do you dance, Hiroki-san?"

Hiroki shrugged his shoulders. "On occasion, I am only asking because the rest of the people who came with you are out there dancing with everyone."

Nowaki searched the area and noticed that he was the only one sitting down. He scratched the back of his head. His dancing left anything to be desired, he didn't want to embarrass himself in front of the tribe.

Hiroki sighed as he put his hand out. "Dance with me."

Nowaki stared at Hiroki's hand when he said. "I can't dance."

"Doesn't matter, no one is looking over here. They are too busy having fun." Hiroki softly took hold of Nowaki's hand and pulled him up on his feet.

It still took a while for Nowaki to grow accustomed to the fact that Hiroki was seriously strong for his size. "O-Okay, just don't complain that I am stepping on your feet."

Nowaki moved his hips side to side while he cringed at how awkward he moved. He was relieved when he saw Hiroki didn't mind much as he pulled him closer to him and they held hands as they danced. His eyes caught onto a messy looking braid and he had to laugh a bit, Hiroki glared up at him.

"Hiroki-san, do you know how to do a braid?" Nowaki snickered as he twirled them around in a circle.

Hiroki snapped. "Yes I can, I just had too many things to do today." He moved his head to the side so the braid slid over his shoulder and onto his back. "You have no room to talk, your hair is always in disarray."

Nowaki grinned as he placed his hand on Hiroki's lower back and dipped him. "Well, I like my messy hair, Hiroki-san."

Hiroki gripped Nowaki's arms as he rolled his eyes. "Grow your hair out and then we'll see how messy you keep it."

Nowaki made sure Hiroki was in an upright position as they slowed down their dance. "But I like my short hair."

"Everyone in this tribe grows out their hair, if you want to fit in even more you have to grow it long." Hiroki said in a bemused matter. "And you have not stepped on my feet once throughout this dance." Nowaki stared down at their feet in surprise as they settled down in a slower dance.

They were interrupted when a young woman asked Hiroki to dance and he excused himself from Nowaki. The taller man sat back down on his spot as he went back to eating the food while processing what just happened. He felt so at ease with these people and he didn't miss home at all.

Nowaki sipped some coconut water from the fruit. Placing it in the middle of his lap, he realized he didn't want anyone to find them anymore. He wanted to stay on the island.

A purple eyed man carefully moved the leaves from in front of his face, his eye of vision locked on Misaki's smiling face. Those long lashes, pink tinted cheeks, green eyes, short brown hair which curled in the bottom and those full lips. He didn't mind that she had a flat chest, it didn't diminish her beauty which just blew him away. The perfect image of the type of wife that he desired. All of the women who voiced their desire for him in his tribe were not the ones he wanted. He felt nothing for them. There were many attempts, more to appease his father, the leader of the tribe, to leave him alone in the sanctity of his own home.

None of them worked to his favor or his satisfaction. The small fraction of desire he had for any of them didn't last long. He wasn't about to marry them if they shared a bed. He made certain their interactions were in public and not in his home, everyone would get the wrong idea otherwise. They might get the impression that they had entered an engagement and they moved in together.

Besides, his older half-brother already married a very suitable wife, this satisfied their father. So the spotlight had left him for a while. It returned after his half-brother announced there was a child on the way, now the pressure was back on him to marry a woman to carry out the family name and this pissed him off.

The lovely young woman in front of him danced with another woman awkwardly, she kept tripping over her own floor length dress. Despite the clothing mishap, she seemed to have the best time of her life. He heard the woman call him by her name, Misaki. This stuck inside of his brain.

He wasn't about to forget the name of his future spouse. She was so beautiful and he wanted to hear her sweet voice

His hands clenched into fists when a man started dancing with her. Their hands were conjoined while they twirled around in some circles while they smiled at each other. Wanting nothing more than to snatch her away from him, he held himself back. No, he wasn't about to kidnap the girl and start their marriage on the wrong foot. His own parents marriage failed due to her own kidnapping and she never showed him any affection after he grew old enough to realize her rejection.

Not that he cared, she left the village for the other one they sent their rejects. He discovered she had another family which children she loved. His hollow heart had no feelings for the woman who left him on his own.

Letting out a deep breath, he was relieved when he saw Misaki transitioning from dancing to drinking some water. After all that dancing, no wonder she was tired. Pushing back his silver hair over his shoulder, he stood up on his feet. He needed to find a way to approach her properly.

He was not going to let his new wife get snatched away from him.

Nowaki opened an oyster without staring the contents as he got up on his feet and walked to where the leaders resided. Fuyumi greeted him with a smile, Soshi glanced at him with a stern and scary expression on his face. A shiver went down Nowaki's spine at those eyes. He didn't know what exactly got Fuyumi to marry him, maybe there was something he only showed in private that no one else knew about. Not that he would try to ask her, for some reason, he knew that man was never too far from his wife.

He stopped right in front of Fuyumi as she greeted him with warmness. Noting her different attire, he saw a lot more trinkets and her hair was pinned up in a very intricate style which displayed her light brown hair. Her clothing was still much more modest than the rest of the tribe, her dresses covered enough that she didn't overheat herself in the hot weather.

"How are you enjoying the party?" Fuyumi asked with a smile.

Nowaki averted his eyes from Soshi, who he knew was giving him a hard look, "I'm really enjoying myself. I never expected to have so much fun after so much work."

Fuyumi laughed. "Well, the party is supposed to celebrate your arrival and inclusion into this village. Honestly, it took much longer for me to get accepted. Decades ago, this place was much stricter than it is now."

Nowaki nodded his head as he gripped the oyster in his hands. "That's good to know...why don't you come down to dance with everyone, Fuyumi-san?"

Fuyumi waved her hand with a smile. "I don't dance without my husband," She turned to him and winked at Soshi. "After so many years, he doesn't know how to dance properly." Soshi averted his eyes from her and Nowaki tried not to laugh.

Nowaki handed her the oyster in his hands as he inquired. "You like oysters right?"

"Thank you," She held it in her hands. "These are one of my favorites, well right behind the fish that swim in these waters." She fiddled with the oyster and noticed it was already opened, she took a peek inside and her eyes widened.

Soshi turned back his gaze and a disbelieved expression appeared on his face. "Is he...proposing to our son?"

"I..I don't know,"

Nowaki bowed his head as a sign of respect. He stood upright, his smile never left his face. Although, he noticed both of the leaders were staring at the contents of the oyster with perplexed faces. He didn't understand, it was just a simple oyster.

Hiroki's eyes widened the moment Nowaki bowed his head to his mother. Then, he noticed the oyster in his mother's hands and the looks his father sent at his direction. He dropped the piece of meat he was in the process of eating. It hit the ground as the music stopped immediately. His jaw slacked, he didn't dare stare at the other people in the crowd. He didn't want to see their reactions at this outsider proposing to their leaders only son. Although, a marriage in their village was celebrated without a care in the world.

Fuyumi turned to her husband whose face transfixed into a glare. Reaching out her hand, she placed it on his shoulder but didn't say a word. What Nowaki was displaying was something that was not taken lightly. To propose in his village meant that they were serious. She wasn't sure if she remembered telling their new inhabitants on all of the laws that they had in their village.

She held the oyster in her hands while she locked eyes with Nowaki. "This is for me?"

Nowaki nodded his head. "Of course, who else would it be for?" He smiled big. "I hope you like how it tastes!"

Fuyumi felt her husband's arm flex underneath her hand. "Thank you so much..." She briefly stared at the pearl in the middle of the oyster.

Did he not know that there was a pearl in this oyster?

"Fuyumi," Fuyumi turned to her husband. "Why is he telling you to eat that pearl? Is he out of his mind?"

"Dearest, I think he means to eat the meat underneath the oyster." Fuyumi noticed Nowaki had not moved from in front of her. "Did you have anything else to give us?"

Nowaki panicked for a brief moment before he reached down and handed her some ripe fruit he noticed she eyed earlier in the night. He didn't know why she didn't move from her spot but he assumed she had to stay near her husband's side, just like he didn't stay away from her.

Fuyumi blinked as she handed the oyster to Soshi, who gripped it hard enough that his hand trembled. "Thank you...um..." She turned to Soshi. "Do you have anything to say? I accept his proposal for our son's hand but...you have agree to this too."

"Nowaki," The taller man jumped when he heard the first leader's gruff voice address for the first time that day.

"Y-Yes, sir?"

"Come closer."

Hiroki snapped out of his stupor as walked toward them when he said. "Father, don't tell me you are actually accepting what he is offering you?"

"Yes, he better not disappoint." Soshi told him as Nowaki stood in front of the man, confusion clean on his face. "Are you serious in what you are offering?" He presented him the open oyster with the pearl inside of it Nowaki's eyes widened.

Nowaki didn't want to seem disrespectful if he recalled his mistake, he nodded his head and bowed to him. "Yes, it is yours to keep." He had no use for the pearl, he wondered what the people in the tribe used it for.

The matter the leaders and Hiroki reacted, it seemed this item was a rarity for them on the island.

"Alright then," Soshi turned to Hiroki as he arched a brow. "What about you, do you accept this gift of his?"

Hiroki's face warmed up at the sudden question. Honestly, he never expected anyone to hand in a dowry for his hand, he always assumed he would do it when the time came around. He hid his embarrassment through nodding his head and then looked the other way.

The tribe cheered out loud as the music resumed again. The passengers were confused throughout the whole thing. Misaki noticed the warriors saying something to Hiroki in their native language which made the man snap right back at them. The men were not deterred as they kept on their comments, Nowaki sat in between them trying to wordlessly stop any fights.

Fuyumi sighed in relief. For a moment, she thought Soshi would dismiss Nowaki from the tribe after such a bold proposal and in front of the tribe. Soshi handed her the oyster, she closed the shell shut to prevent the pearl from getting lost in the ground. A smile etched on her face. It was rare for her son to show any interest in anyone. The shyness and red face meant he had wanted Nowaki for some time.

Gripping her husband's hand, he turned and stared at her with a quirked brow. Fuyumi smiled up at him and placed her head on his shoulder, she heard him cough as a result of his shyness. Decades of marriage, Soshi still had not gotten used to some public displays of affection. Not that she went too overboard with him.

"Dearest...what do you think of Hiroki's new husband?"

"He won't be his husband until I see he is suitable for him on the day of their joining." Soshi told her as he watched her interlace their fingers. "And when shaman marries them. Until then, he is just going to be the person living with Hiroki tomorrow."

"Ah..don't scare him off. Hiroki actually likes someone for once." Fuyumi teased her husband with a grin.

Soshi rolled his eyes. "I'll stay clear of him if that's what you are implying."

"Don't do that, he will think you hate him." Fuyumi laughed as she took her head off of his shoulder.

She saw a group of guards patting Nowaki and Hiroki on the back. Nowaki looked incredibly confused at the attention while Hiroki's face was beet red. In the morning, everything would change and she wondered how Nowaki would take these new developments.

TBC

#junjou egoist #lucicelo's fanfics #i fucking finally update something #holy shit this is long #tribal!au

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