The Jungle Part 6

The Jungle Part 6

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Slowly flipping through the book Ami had brought me, I looked up at the small knock on the door, "Yes?"

The door to my hospital room opened up and the beautiful young black haired girl walked in, "Jacob."

"Ah, hello Rei."

The ten year old girl was in her usual nice miko's outfit, nice quality cloth and such. But she was also carrying a basket under her arm…? I set the book down on my stomach, the body cast beneath my hospital gown before folding my arms across my stomach and looking over at her.

Neither of us spoke as she approached and set the basket on the end table beside me. She pulled the nearby chair over and daintily sat down. Pulling the basket into her lap, she opened it serenely and pulled out a little tray, holding it out with two hands, "Please accept my humble gift."

"Ah, I would be honored to accept." I said with a little nod of my head from my reclined position. It was a bit of a weird thing to use formal language, but thankfully Ami had helped me learn it. I was far more used to pirates who used basically the opposite of polite language.

Thankfully, the black haired girl didn't try to hand it to me, with the damage to my pectoral muscles I had some serious trouble with picking things up right now. While, astoundingly, there had actually been some progress over the course of the week I'd been in here so far, it wasn't enough to let me really lift my arms. Instead, she set the box on the bed beside me before easing back into her chair and folding her hands in her lap.

With a bit of effort, I pulled the box sideways up into my lap and cracked it open, revealing some nice but basic little biscuits, glazed with something?

My eyebrows went up and I looked over at her, "Can I ask what the occasion is?"

Her lips quirked upwards and she said simply, "No."

That made my eyebrows go even higher, "Oh? Huh…" I looked at them for a moment, trying to puzzle out why they might have been given to me. She wasn't acting anything like how I'd expect her to if she was crushing on me, though I could just be misinterpreting her reactions, I didn't find that likely. And I would've thought she'd be open about the nature of a get-well present… and I didn't think she really baked much either…

"Any trouble with me partaking now?" I asked, turning my head to look at her.

She gave a small shake of her head, a subtle but bemused smile on her face, "No, they are yours."

Curious and confused, I picked up one of the little biscuits and lifted it to my mouth, taking a bite.

…

Well I'm not dying, and her smile hasn't really changed. I chewed, it was still a bit doughy, not exactly good to be honest, though the glaze was a sort of honey. They were really sweet but basic. So... why had she...?

… why do I feel a sudden sense of dread?

I blinked a few times as the hair on the back of my neck stood up and I looked around. Rei seemed to be smiling wider but I wasn't getting the feeling from her so where...?

… oh.

I looked at the green eyes peering over the lip of the windowsill, glaring at Rei and I, knuckles gripping the windowsill tightly. The young, brown haired girl was doing her best Kilroy impression.

The bite of biscuit was swallowed, "Ah... Makoto."

The feeling intensified briefly before she disappeared beneath the windowsill. I blinked a few times before looking over at Rei, "… you did this on purpose didn't you?"

Her smile widened fractionally, "Yes."

I made my best 'Son I am Disappoint' face, "And why is that?"

Instead of answering, the ten year old simply smiled some, her gaze falling to the floor briefly before she stood. Calmly and quietly, she gathered up the basket she'd brought the biscuits in, straightened her outfit, and began moving towards the door. I frowned just a bit as I looked after her, but she paused as her hand rested on the handle of the door. She hesitated for a long moment before looking over her shoulder and giving me a small smile as she softly said, "She needed a excuse."

My eyebrow rose in confusion as I closed the box and she opened the door... to reveal Makoto there with dirty shoes, chest heaving and a box slung under her arm as she fumed, "You-!"

"Welcome and good day Makoto, it is a pleasure to see you," Rei said politely with a small bow towards the taller girl, "I'm terribly sorry to impose, but would you do us the honor of joining us?"

"Ah-" Makoto's tirade stumbled and she bowed back just a bit, almost reflexively, "I would be honored."

Rei stepped aside, holding the door open for Makoto to walk in, the brunnette blinked a few times as she came to a stop in the middle of the room before scowling some, "Hey-…"

The black haired shrine girl bowed slightly, "Please forgive my haste, but I must take my leave. I'm going out."

"Ah- please be safe." Makoto said with a small bow in return as Rei stepped outside and closed the door.

'… that sneaky bitch.' I thought with impressed bemusement at Rei's skill with politeness jujitsu even as Makoto straightened and then blinked a few more times.

My taller friend opened her mouth once, closed it, then opened it again, "Damnit."

I smiled just a bit, and rasped out, "You really shouldn't say that."

"That's rich coming from you," she grumbled good naturedly, almost on reflex before stiffening... then slumping, her back still to me.

Silence hung in the room, Makoto facing the doorway at my left. Her hand on the long box she carried was starting to clench and tremble... and so I took the effort to stick my foot right into my mouth, saying softly, "Hey."

Makoto's shoulders slumped, "Hey..."

"Want to take a seat?" I offered.

"Yeah..." She said, turning around, biting her lip briefly before almost hesitantly sitting down in the chair that Rei had just vacated, laying the box across her lap.

She refused to meet my green eyes with her own and I watched her almost sadly. I didn't really want to force this, but she seemed a lot calmer and... and I wanted my friend back. Ami had visited me a few times already, as had my momma and a good bit of the crew but... I hadn't seen Makoto until just now.

With some effort, I extended my left arm towards her as I carefully used my right with the morphine needle still in it to shift Rei's box off of my lap and to the other side of me, hiding it behind my blanket. Makoto's emerald eyes jerked up to my face as I held out my hand towards her, almost loosely, I smiled just a bit, "Friends...?" I... I wanted to say I was sure, that I was positive we were... but there was always that niggling little fear, that terrible little dread in my chest... I wanted my friend back.

Makoto's face softened and she reached out, taking my hand and giving it a squeeze, "Of course you ass..." Relief surged in my chest and I beamed at her, giving her hand a squeeze in return.

"I just..." I started in spite of myself, hot tears starting to gather in my eyes. I hesitated briefly before steamrolling on, "I just don't want you to hate me..."

Her breathing hitched and Makoto's hand clenched around mine, "I can't hate you, you ass. I'm mad, and I was so super crazy mad before... but I'm mad about you not telling me!"

I cringed, "I'm sorry..." I slowly ran my thumb over her knuckles, "But I didn't know you wouldn't hate me... I was terrified of that... you're one of the few friends I have that isn't a pirate."

That made her pause, her mouth working silently for a moment before she frowned and with a quick motion, the box in her lap was lifted and brought down on my head with a bop, "You ass."

It was a little forced, but I grinned, "It's true, I have one of those–"

*Bop!*

"Oh shut up... I'm still mad at you."

"… I know... I'm still sorry."

Makoto huffed before she leaned back into the chair, giving my hand a squeeze before pulling hers away. With some effort, I pulled my hand back to my side, relieved at the small smile on her face. A frustrated smile for sure, but a smile. So, with a bit more of a grin, I asked, "What's in the box...?"

Her cheeks turned just a bit pink as she looked down at the long box, "Ah... donuts."

"Donuts...?"

"Yeah, I've... been baking." She fiddled with the edges of the box momentarily before looking up at me, saying almost defensively, "I was angry and needed to do something."

My mind flashed back to the old, retired marine, "… yeah… I can get that…"

-oOo-​

So metal. Much wow. Such steel.

It was much nicer than trying to fight my way through thorns and brambles and poisonous man eating plants.

Only two of the latter so far, which was nice. I'd made note of their size and composition and color and such, but things were slow going. Partially because I was trying to avoid just smashing through all of the trees and underbrush for a variety of reasons. That and Claude and Wallace weren't made of metal.

I dropped lightly onto a branch above the two of them, Wallace lifting a low branch up to avoid clocking himself as he hauled Claude up by the scruff of his collar, both of them wearing long sleeved shirts to avoid brambles and such, "How you two holdin' up?"

"Quite well~" the heavily tattoo'd man said cheerfully, not caring as he was hauled up, "Though I'm curious why this fallen log is so much bigger than the surrounding trees…?"

"Ah… um…" I blinked, trying to figure out how to tell them…

The jungle was dimly lit here, mottled sunlight peeking through the thick canopy above our heads, the trees around us often being several feet thick as the wound their way up to the sky. Wallace helping Claude over the nearly six foot wide cylinder that lay across the rough path we'd been following through the underbrush.

"That's… not a log."

Wallace grunted as he dropped Claude on the other side before dropping down himself, "Then what is it?" He was grumpy, but Wallace had actually been helping Claude along without offering or being asked. It was actually quite sweet.

"Hissssssss…"

The two of them froze, paling, "That's a really big snake… probably an anaconda honestly."

With the rustling of trees and the snapping of branches, a massive head reared up over the canopy, visible through the few openings in the foliage. Wallace drew his claymore and I rolled my eyes, "Come on, it's not gonna attack us, it's too big and we're too small, barely snacks."

"Hissssssss…!" The big snake's yellow eyes focused on us as its head turned, there was an old wound along its face, a sword scar maybe that stretched along the length of its broad head.

"You're sure about that?!" Wallace squeaked even as I scowled up at the nearly hundred foot long anaconda.

"Yes. I am sure about that," I growled out, glaring up at it, "Because if it does try it, I'm going to punch a hole through its head!"

The large anaconda seemed to consider its options for a moment and I narrowed my eyes, the glinting silver of metal slowly creeping up my neck and out from my eyes. Then the snake decided we weren't worth the effort, turning and slithering off into the jungle.

Nodding to myself in satisfaction, I looked down at my two companions and found Claude hiding behind Wallace, who was holding out his claymore to ward off the big mass slithering beside him, both of them pale. I rolled my eyes and gave a small shake of my head, "Guys, come on, we should try to find somewhere decent to set up camp, don't want another Army Ant problem now do we?"

Last night had not been fun considering that we'd stopped too close to a fire ant mound. And they were definitely Army ants, the little helmets and spears had confirmed that much.

"No," Wallace grunted unhappily, still warily watching the body of the snake going past him. To be honest, after tossing Claude to me he'd done pretty well against the army ants given that he hadn't gotten the sword equivalent to Rankyaku down yet and was far more a strength based fighter than a speed based one.

Of course I'd helped him out with some vacuum blades, but my main concern at the time had been keeping Claude out of the range of the army ants rather than being a Rankyaku artillery.

"Then we should find somewhere to set down for the night sooner rather than later," I pointed out as I dropped down beside them. We'd gotten out of it with only some minor scratches and cuts on Wallace's part, but still… we hadn't gotten a whole lot of rest last night. I jerked my head, indicating further down the path that we were following, "I think I saw a good spot further down this path."

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The Jungle Part 6 End