Jungle Rot (2/?)

[Wildfire Sky]

Jungle Rot
By: Wildfire Sky

Well, people seem to be happy with my fic so far, and I?m glad that you all are. I was worried I?d be called a copy cat, which is the most insulting thing that could be said to an author. Anyways, without further ado, I present chapter two of ?Jungle Rot? and the forgotten disclaimer.
Disclaimer: I don?t own Gundam Wing or any of its characters.

Jungle Rot
Chapter Two
********************************************************
It was the smell of smoke and the feel of heat that awoke Heero from his unconscious slumber, and an instant a sense of dread fell over him. As he slowly opened his eyes, he was bombarded with images of destruction. The first thing that registered was that everything seemed to be upside down, the second being that everything was on fire. His memory gradually returned, images of the plane crash flashing through his mind...the explosion, the screaming, the feel of the plane shattering, the propeller...it came in rapid succession, one after the other.

He glanced around, taking in the flames that licked throughout the downed plane, searching around for any clue as to where they might be. He glanced over to his left, his chest constricting at the sight of the limp body next to him. He shifted in his seat, reaching up to the belt release. With a heavy thump he collapsed to the floor that at one time had been the roof of the plane, grunting in pain as his shoulder connected to the head of the chair in front of him, a wet popping sound reaching his ears. Heero closed his eyes against the pain, trying to ignore it and focus his attention on the blood slicked Relena.

?Relena...? he whispered hoarsely, his throat burned raw and his ears ringing from the explosive landing. ?Relena...talk to me...?

A tiny moan escaped her lips, but still her eyes remained closed. Her arms hung limply on either side of her face, a trickle of blood running down from her mouth, merging with the cut across her forehead and finally dripping to the ground in a growing crimson pool. The way her body was bent over the seatbelt couldn?t have been comfortable, but he was thankful that it managed to keep her in her seat instead of flinging her across the plane. He wanted to reach out to her, touch her bloodied face, but the enormous propeller blade embedded inches from where he?d once sat separated her from his reach.

He reached up, gingerly touching the cut that ran from his temple down and across his cheek, evidence of how close that blade had actually come to decapitating him. Of course, there were numerous cuts and bruises decorating his features, and half his body was covered in burns, but he had to move into action if he wanted to save both their lives. Ducking down and sliding under the blade, he suppressed a cry of pain as the searing metal touched his sensitive skin, rising back up to stare at Relena.

She?s losing too much blood...and the fuel could ignite at any moment. I have to get her out of here.

Relena groaned again, her eyes twitching this time. ?...Hee...ro...??

?Relena!? Thank God... ?Relena, I?m going to unbuckle you, alright? Don?t move.? She mumbled something that vaguely sounded like a protest, but he moved anyways, reaching up and unbuckling her. Arms outstretched, he quickly caught her before she could fall to the ground, forcing him down on one knee from the pain that laced through his arm. Now the problem was getting both of them beneath the propeller. Going under together was out of the question, there just wasn?t enough room, and pushing her through without knowledge of her injuries could be fatal.

Relena sat cradled in his arms, her breathing labored. From the length of time they?d probably been trapped in the plane there was a distinct possibility that they could die from smoke inhalation. Choices limited, Heero gently shook really, trying to wake her up. She groaned, slapping at him weakly. At least she was recovering enough to make an attempt at mobility.

Heero put her on the floor, tapping at her cheeks. ?Relena? Relena I need you to focus on me, can you do that?? Relena blinked open her eyes, her gaze unfocused but responding. ?Relena, I have to get you off the plane and in order to do that, I need you to do something for me, alright??

She nodded numbly. ?Ok...?

Heero smirked. He was right for admiring her strength. Had he been in her position, he would be confused, cranky, and probably uncooperative with whatever party was preventing his body from recovering properly. ?I?m going to go underneath the propeller first. Then you?re going to follow me...I?ll help you. Do you understand??

Relena blinked with another nod. ?...follow you out...got it...?

Heero decided that if she was able to move her head and arms around, the extent of the damage must not be as bad as he?d previously thought. Sliding under the propeller once again, he was careful not to get too close, almost completely flattening his body and moving beneath in a snake-like movement. He reached back, grabbing Relena?s hand and reminding her to keep her head down as he pulled her through. Heero winced guiltily as she cried out from the heat of the metal. Once she was through, he swept her up into his arms once more, stepping out of the plane from where the side had been torn off. Despite the darkness of the night and rain, he had to move them away from the aircraft in case of a fuel fire.

The sounds of the jungle startled him. Even though it was obviously night, the jungle was alive with the sounds of insects, bats, and predators. It seemed that the crash had awoken everything within a two-mile radius, causing the once silent jungle to erupt in activity again. Spying a large shape close by, Heero quickly moved in the direction and found the mangled cockpit. It must have separated from the rest of the aircraft during the crash. An alien sensation of nausea suddenly overpowered him; the smell of burned flesh reached his nostrils when he discovered the fate of the pilot. Half his body was strapped in the seat, the other half leaning through the shattered windshield.

Setting Relena on the ground, Heero moved into the cockpit, searching for the headset. He pulled to top half of the captain?s corpse back through the windshield, frowning at the severed wire of his headset. The other headset was nowhere to be found.

?Shit...? he grumbled to himself, crouching down and gazing at his surroundings. The rain was coming down harder and as far as he knew, this was the safest place to find shelter. Thankfully, the rain would make it harder for any nearby predators to catch a whiff of the blood, but the moment it stopped, he would have to leave and find better shelter until rescue could arrive. Depositing Relena in the co-pilot?s chair, he took off his tattered Preventers jacket and draped it over her body in an attempt to keep her as warm as possible. He stared at her a moment longer, brushing aside the soaked bangs that covered her face so he could better look at the features that remained beautiful, despite the smudges.

?Amazing...? he said to himself with a small shake of his head. I come out with hundreds of scrapes and bruises, but her only visible injury is the cut on her forehead. She obviously had a knack for directing her injuries onto his welcoming body. He?d gladly take any extent of pain in order the keep her beautiful...and that included the trek back to the plane?s cabin to find supplies.

Standing up with renewed resolve, Heero glanced around one last time for any predators that might be lurking before limping back to the downed remains. He would have to depend on luck that nothing would kill her, or him, while he was gone. Death was a killer in survival.
******************************************************************************

Relena woke up to the smell of a mixture of flesh, blood, and rainwater. Not mention a raging headache that seemed to broadcast throughout her entire body. The sun was streaking through the broken windshield, casting everything in an eerie green glow. She blinked her eyes rapidly, gazing up at the expansive canopy that lined the sky. Sounds of screeching animals and birdcalls bombarded her sense of hearing, grating on her sensitive eardrums. She let out a tiny moan, sitting up in the seat. It was then she noticed the jacket wrapped around her shoulders.

?Heero!? she cried, snapping to attention. She turned towards the back of what remained of the cockpit, spying the face down body in front of her. The brown hair registered in her mind around the same time she realized that half his body was gone. She let out a horrified cry, climbing up from her seat to walk over to him. Suddenly her knees gave out and she collapsed to the forest floor, only an arm reach away from him. She got up on her hands and knees crawling over to him, tears streaking down her face.

?Oh God, Heero...? she whispered, reaching out but too afraid to learn the truth. Instead, she sat back on her heels and began to weep, her sniffles loud to her. ?No...no, please Heero...?

Suddenly the entire body surged up and Relena let out a piercing scream, stumbling back and dropping Heero?s jacket as the body began to jerk and move as what looked like miniature beetles rushed out from beneath him, covering his body. A clicking noise filled the air as Relena moved away, the beetles spreading out. She watched in horrified fascination as a group of the creatures turned towards her, clicking their mandibles angrily as they advanced.

?Relena!?

She was suddenly swept off her feet and hefted into the strong arms of some stranger, the jacket around her again. She looked up, staring into the deep blue eyes of her savior. ?Heero? Is that really you??

He frowned, glancing between her and the creatures as he backed away. ?What?s the matter with you? Why were you just sitting there??

Instantly, Relena?s surprised was replaced with frustration. ?Well excuse me for my legs not working!?

?Don?t you know what those are?? he gave her a look as if he expected a person with a standing like hers to know everything.

Relena huffed at him but did not relax the grip around his neck as they walked. She was too tired and in too much pain to deal with his jabs at the moment, so she settled for shrugging her shoulders in a signal that no, she didn?t know what the hell they were and no, she didn?t know what was going on...

?Those are warrior ants, Relena.? He snarled, unsure of whether to be angry or not, ?They?re carnivorous and bad tempered.?

Relena scowled at his stern tone. ?Sounds like you?d be great friends.?

Suddenly Heero stopped and deposited her on the ground, pressing a bottle of water into her hands. ?Here. Drink this.?

Recovering from the shock of being dumped so ungraciously onto the dirty forest soil, her thirst overrode her irritation and she gulped greedily at the bottle, clasping it in her hands as if it was gold. As she drank her fill, Heero moved away, reaching for the duffle bag behind him. Relena stopped drinking as he pulled out his Preventers issued pistol from inside.

?What?s that for?? She inquired, the water and rest settling her headache. ?I don?t think there are assassins anywhere near us.?

?How do you know??

?What?? she blinked, staring at him in disbelief, ?Heero, please, now is not the time for your over-protectiveness.?

Heero stared at her irritably before motioning to her shoes. ?Are those the only shoes you have??

Relena glanced down at her heeled business shoes, letting out a small groan as she dropped her head in her hands. ?My walking shoes were on the plane in my bag...? She felt like crying, miserable at the thought of trudging through the jungle in such an uncomfortable outfit.

Heero moved closer to her, squatting down and lifting her chin to look eye to eye. She tried to turn away, but his grip was firm and unmoving, enforcing the obvious notion that he wanted her to listen to him. As her struggles stopped, he released her face with a tight nod.

?You can?t cry, Relena. Neither of us can afford it.? He stood up, glancing around until his gaze settled on the dismembered cockpit. When he?d gone back to the plane, he?d searched for her bag of belongings as well as his own, hoping that by some miracle they?d seen no harm, especially his bag. Not only did it have fresh clothing and socks, but an emergency kit that he?d packed for just such an event, although, at the moment, all he really wanted was the little black box stuffed inside his missing duffle...the tracking device that could have saved their lives.

Heero wanted to kick himself for being so blind and confident in his skills. He?d secured his bag, and well, but unfortunately, his bag had gone with the other side of the plane. No doubt it was stuck in some tree in the middle of the Amazon, with enough food, water, and first aid to last them. At this point, he had to depend on the other pilots to figure out what had happened...

?Heero?? Relena asked, interrupting his thoughts, ?How long until the search party arrives??

The ex-pilot frowned deeply, glanced back at her before returning his attention to scanning the jungle. ?The plane won?t be reported late for another five hours, and then it will take another six before it?s reported missing.?

Relena shivered slightly in her damp clothing. ?Nine hours...doesn?t seem that bad, right??

Heero closed his eyes momentarily, debating whether or not he should truly explain the situation to her. Nine hours was long enough to get them both killed. No doubt with the slackened rain, the smell of blood would be more pronounced and the keen smelling senses of predators would easily pick up on it. He could feel the jungle heating up now, the humidity increasing as the evaporating water was trapped by the thick canopy, and once that happened, the bugs would come out. She knew this wouldn?t be pleasant...but she didn?t know just how unpleasant.

?We need to get moving.? He stated instead, shouldering the duffle bag and turning towards her, ?I?ll find you something more comfortable than that, wait here.?

Relena picked herself up, clasping her hands in front of her as she watched Heero disappear into the darkness. The small amount of comfort she?d felt disappeared with each step he took away from her. As the minutes passed, Relena began to wring her hands, flinching at every sound the jungle made. With every rustle of a bush or the feel of wind brushing, she would jump and spin around, looking for its source, her eyes as dangerous as she could make them.

?What are you doing??

Relena bit back a scream, her rapid spin sending dirty, gold tresses flying towards Heero?s unprepared face. Luckily, for them both, he was able to duck before he was blinded by them. Throwing a heated glare in Relena?s direction, he handed her a soiled pile of clothing.

?Put these on. They might be a little big but they?ll have to do.? Then, as a bashful after thought: ?I?d give you mine, but...?

Seeing the heat starting to rise on his cheeks, Relena saved him the embarrassment of a full blown blush by taking the cloths and stepped off into the woods, never giving a second thought to where they came from. He was being too considerate and cooperative at the moment. Heero watched her for a moment, his eyes tracing her body before he called out: ?Stay close!?

Relena turned slightly and threw a wave of acknowledgement as she partially disappeared behind a large bush, shaking out the clothing. She giggled lightly at the thought of Heero?s bashful look, an expression she found adorable for a soldier like him, a self-proclaimed unemotional perfect soldier. Her own blush heated her cheeks as the thought also brought on the realization that he was willing to give up his own comfort in order to make this better on her. Perhaps he wasn?t as mean hearted as he seemed...

She flapped open the clothing. For a moment, she blinked...unsure of what to make of it...and then it hit her like a freight train.

Oh my God....
******************************************************************************
Huzzah!! I updated!! And quickly too. I like fics like these where you can use your imagination. Makes things more interesting. All right. Do your thing. Review. Be kind, please rewind...all that jazz under the sun. And pray for me. I?m going to become...A DIRECTOR!!
Oh, and uh, if you see too many spelling/grammar errors, please tell me. They irritate me as a reader and I?d hate to do such injustice to you.

[takisha16]

I have definitely read this before, but it's still a kickass story!
I hope you update the chapters you posted on FF.net soon and then make
new one's!
Stranded in a jungle with Heero Yuy.. .. might not be entirely so
bad....
update soon!

[Kari]

I agree with Takisha. But please don't let Heero die.Please??

[perfectpeach]

what?!? what his her like a feight train? WHAT I SAY??!

[KPGUNDAM]

MORE MORE MORE MORE!!!!!

[Aristale Wolf]

YAYAYAYAY!!!!!!!!!!!!! u updated.... cant wait for the next tid-bit and i hope its as great as this one and the one before that.....hehehehe ....cya next time......

[lilac310]

I wanna read more of this...UPDATE SOON!!!..PLEASE!!!

[GundamVixen]

I take it she just realized that Heero pulled the clothes out of a dead a person? maybe? lol

Good job! I want to read more of this!

[epyon]

Death was a killer in survival.

there's truth in them there words

[heaven'sgirl]

i'm really sorry... i didn't really notice that you have this story in ff.net... i'm sooo sorry...

but still, this story is good.... and i'm planning to read more in ff.net, or probably here... but right now, i think ff.net is not working...

sorry again!