BLISS

                               part 5

	Akane had walked over to a corner of the leveled yard and 
sat, staring, at the tiny white skeleton by the far side of the 
palisade. He swallowed, remembering the pain-wracked howls and 
yelps that had awoken them. If it hadn't been for that...
	If it hadn't been for that, they would have woken two 
minutes later as the ants stripped the flesh from their bodies.

*Great.  Now I've got to try and keep my co-workers from seeing my 
watering eyes.*

	Day three was spent putting up the posts themselves.
	"Sorry about that."
	"urgh gah whoosh."
	"The log just slipped..."
	"aaaaaaaaagh."
	"Does it hurt?"
	"..."

*You know, I really think I'm glad I don't know exactly what happened 
here....*

	Somewhat hesitantly, her hand snuck out to take his.
	Ukyo gave it a slight squeeze.
	And then the floor collapsed.

*You'd think they'd learn....*

	One of the biggest troubles they had been presented with in 
their old camp was the lack of space, particularly dry space. So 
they put up several outbuildings; a long wooden structure to serve 
as a smokehouse, another building carefully set downwind for the 
curing of hides, and a bakehouse for the rather second-rate bread 
they had been experimenting with. A boulder, with cuts to the 
appropriate places was converted to a crude stone oven.

*This is starting to remind me of a MAD Magazine parody of Robinson 
Crusoe, where he eventually builds a palatial resort hotel, and uses 
Friday's brain to construct a wife, Frankenstein-style, all with "the 
simplest of tools".*

	"No," he answered slowly. "I don't think so." With an effort 
of supreme will, he looked at her, looked her in the eyes. "Akane, 
I think... I think... I... love you."
	She gasped.

*[ducks, looking around frantically]  "Well, whaddya know....&sniff&".*

	It was her turn to blush when he looked at her and there was 
such a strength of emotion in his eyes, directed at her.

*Awkward.  Suggest: "... at her and she saw the strength of emotion in 
his eyes,".*

	"Ukyo-chan," she breathed. She pulled her hand away from his 
and put it to his far cheek,

*"Hmmm... now let's see, that would be the one dow--@BAP!!"*

 gently trying to make him turn his 

head toward her. "Ukyo-chan," she said again as their eyes met.

	It was silly, irrational. It had been almost six months that 
they had spent on the island together and in that time, her 
thoughts hadn't always been chaste. She had even dreamed about it 
a few times, so there was no reason to be afraid.

*Yay!  Timeline info!*

	The two kissed ferociously this time, their initial 
tenderness swept away in a tide of passion and desire. Tears were 
actually coming from Akane's eyes at the extreme need, want she 

*I think you might want to swap "want" and "need"--the stronger word 
should go second, as it displaces the first.*

was experiencing.

	"Then I suggest," Akane said, holding Ukyo's face in her 
hands, "that you figure something out quick. Before I get... 
forceful."
	Ukyo swallowed, his eyes wide. "Yes ma'am!"

*The world would be a better place if more ladies did that....*

	"Well, nothing now. Before though..." He shook his head, 
smiling a bit ruefully. "I was sure that one night I wouldn't be 
able to hold myself back. You tempted me every night."
	"Ah, well, sorry about that."
	Ukyo laughed a little. "Don't be sorry at all. I've never 
been so happy while I was so miserable."

*Favorite line thus far.  Has an impeccable ring of truth.*

	"We? My dear, I am only your willing partner. You are the 
mastermind of all this." Ukyo put his hands and Akane's hips and 

*Typo?:  "on Akane's hips".*

pulled her close to him. "Don't think that I will take the blame 
when we waste away from dehydration." He grinned lecherously at 
her.

	"It was this." Akane and Ukyo were standing in front of a 
medium sized tree with several low branches that looked dead 
hanging off. "I just broke off some of these branches, the bigger 
ones, and tossed them on the fire."
	"And you think that is what caused... our behavior?" Ukyo 
asked, looking at the tiny leaves that adorned the branches.
	"It must have been. There's no other explanation for the way 
I started acting. Or why we were asleep for two days after that." 
She looked over at Ukyo just in time to see him put one of the 
leaves in his mouth and chew. "Stop!"

*This whole sequence was very well done.  You actually had me afraid 
that they'd get burned out of house and home again.*

	He would wait on going to the river. It was always more 
pleasant with Akane along, and she liked to go after the vomiting 
passed. Instead, he decided to go for a little walk, follow the 
river for a bit upstream. When he returned, Akane would probably 
be ready to go.

*Huh?  He waited on going to the river and so he decided to go along the 
river?*

	Sometimes she hated Ukyo, for no reason that she could put 
her finger on. She just wanted to hit him every time he opened his 
mouth, every word, every action... That frightened her. Why would 
she hate Ukyo? She loved him, and she knew why. She loved him and 
didn't ever want to be without him.

*Heh.  Seen this one in action.  My fellow men, when you're in this 
spot, be very tolerant, or you'll wind up wearing one of those 
bowling-ball harnesses.*

Right.  I will probably get one more out tonight, I hope.  Since this is 
the first one that didn't have too much detail editing to do, I'm 
posting it to the list proper.

This is definitely the best technical job I've seen in the series so 
far.  And the lull in hard action (one mad dog attack, compared to 
horrors unnamable) was a welcome respite.  Although I am slightly 
concerned about what a child born on this island's gonna turn out 
like....

--Freemage


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