The story below is based off of Bakuretsu Hunters. I own none of the characters portrayed in this story. They belong to the person who created them. This story was written for my own personal enjoyment. It is not meant to infringe on anyone's copyright.
Warning!! This story has a Male/Male relationship as well as sexual content. In anime terms this is a Yaoi story with a very lemony scene. If you are under age please do not read this story. Otherwise I hope you enjoy it. If you have any constructive criticisms or praise I would love to hear from you. Feel free to drop me a note at shara47379@aol.com!
Taking Chances
Chapter 1
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The sky was bright and clear; a few fluffy clouds floated along with the breeze. Only a small amount of light managed to seep its way into the great canopy of the forest below. With soft steps, five people walked swiftly along the narrow path through the thick forest. "Are we nearly there yet?" One of the travelers asked his companions as he ran a hand through his short spiky black hair. He walked, shoulders slouched, in front of the two women of the group, looking at another in the group of five. The two redheads grinned at each other over Carrot's resigned look.
Sweeping the dark hair away from his eyes, Marron Glace sighed to himself, then spoke, his voice soft but carried far enough that the whole party heard him," We are looking for a person, Carrot, not a location. I don't know how long it will take." In the midst of his reply, his back stiffened. Marron raked a gaze over the lush plant life that surrounded the path. Lowering his voice even more, he lifted a long finger to his lips indicating silence. "Hush, I think I just heard something."
Shaking his head Carrot made a face at his sibling. " That was me you heard." Carrot scoffed at his brother, sounding exasperated. "No," Tira exclaimed shaking her head as her eyes followed the direction Marron was looking," I thought I heard something too."
Just then a soft murmuring became apparent. Everyone focused on the sound. Everything seemed to happen at once. Carrot called out in surprise;" The Sorcerer!" Tira and her sister took up a defensive stance on either side of Carrot. Marron pulled out a small ornate card while murmuring a defensive spell. The sorcerer's words were too quiet for Marron to know exactly what the creature planed to do. He did know however that the Sorcerer had a head start on his spell.
"I guess we're here," Gateau said under his breath. The tall, well built blond shook his head at Carrot's antics. He turned away from Carrot to face their target. 'If he had stayed quiet, we might have been able to surprise the dark magic user.' Gateau thought to himself. Clearing his mind Gateau prepared himself for the fight.
Trusting his teammates to ready themselves, Marron concentrated on focusing his power into the ornate magic card that was more commonly known as a ward. With a twist of his power, Marron used the ward to set a shield in front of his friends, rather surprised that the enemy had yet to cast his spell. Seconds later, all his breath was forced from his body as something heavy hit him from behind, pinning him to the ground.
The world blinked out for a second as a blinding flash of pain overcame him. Unable to move, he heard someone scream, not recognizing the sound as his own voice. Marron closed his eyes quickly as opening them had caused the forest to spin around him like a child's top. Taking a deep breath he cautiously opened his eyes a second time. This time the trees swayed only a little. Forcing the golden orbs to focus he saw two big muscled legs running toward him. "Gateau," he thought numbly, identifying the legs as belonging to that team member as he ran past him to land on something just behind Marron with a dull thud.
Gateau made an inarticulate sound as he watched his friend go down under the weight of the boulder, growling at the creature who had thrown the stone. It was a misshapen monster that looked as if it had been made out of clay by a 5-year-old in art class. The short blunt limbs were covered by a bumpy purple hide. Without pausing to think, Gateau charged the bulky thing, leaping neatly over Marron to reach it. Grabbing an arm in each hand, he tore at the creature bellowing in rage.
The Sorcerer wobbled as his puppet was torn apart by Gateau. Tira, Chocolate, and Carrot were about to descend on him when Chocolate, closest to Marron heard the familiar sound of a fire spell. Hastily, she stepped out of the way; seeing her graceful dodge, the others followed her example. A large ball of fire spun away from Marron toward the Sorcerer. Still weak from losing his monster, the Sorcerer was quickly devoured by Marron's ball of flame.
Dropping what remained of the now dead Sorcerer's puppet, Gateau ran to Marron's side. The pale skinned magic user seemed even more translucent than was the norm, his breath coming in slow gasps. The boulder would have to be removed very carefully or Marron might be hurt even worse that he was already. Bending at the knees, Gateau gently lifted the big rock off of his friend's back as if it had no weight at all- he tossed it aside like a child might toss a ball. Turning his attention back to Marron, his breath hissed through his teeth as he looked down at his friend's back. What could be seen of the man's back through rents in the shirt was covered with tiny lacerations the whole surface starting to purple in a massive bruise. The others winced in sympathy as they joined Gateau, having ascertained the Sorcerer was nothing more than smoldering remains.
Marron glanced up at his brother, a tiny smile tilted up the corner of his mouth despite the pain racing through his body. He could almost see the battle raging in his brother's mind. Carrot was standing away from the rest of the group trying to look as though he wasn't concerned about what had happened to his brother, but he was worried despite himself. 'Weirdo or not he is my only brother,' Carrot thought to himself as his friends sized up Marron's wounds. 'That is all that matters.'
Leaning forwards, Gateau looked into his friend's pain fogged eyes. "Marron, this is going to hurt you. I am sorry, but we need to make sure nothing is broken." Marron grimaced slightly, nodding his understanding. As gently as he could, Gateau ran his hands over the abused skin, feeling the magic user shiver in pain but remaining silent. "Nothing seems broken. Can you push yourself up?"
"Marron?" Carrot asked when he finally came close enough to see the state of his brother's back. "Are you all right?"
Marron nodded again, pushing himself upwards. When he got to the point where he could tuck his legs underneath himself he paused, eyes widening in shock.
"What's wrong?" all four friends chorused at once.
"My legs," Marron winced as he willed his disobedient legs to obey, "I can't get them to work." Carrot drew a harsh breath in worry while Chocolate and Tira looked at each other with fear for their friend. Gateau was the only person who seemed to be able to move. Gently he picked the magic user up in his arms careful of Marron's tender back. "We should get back to camp It's going to be night soon. We can try to work out what's wrong once your wounds have been seen to."
With Marron and Gateau gone, the others were freed of their paralysis. Exchanging looks of pleasure at having completed their mission mingled with the pain they felt for Marron they started off after Gateau. The trip back to camp was a somber one. No one spoke. The only noises were the occasional mews of pain Marron inadvertently let out when Gateau would accidentally jostle him.
It was past dark when they reached their camp. Carrot grabbed a water jug as he headed over to the small stream near the campsite. Chocolate and Tira went to gather firewood, leaving Gateau the unpleasant task of removing what was left of the ruined clothes from the now nearly dry wounds on Marron's back.
"Marron, I'm sorry, about this but it's going to hurt -- a lot. I'll try to go as quickly as I can and get it over with." Gateau made a face when he saw the extent of the bruise. It went from the shoulders all the way down to the back of Marron's legs, livid scarlet and vicious even in the dim light of the camp. Luckily, most of the cuts themselves were centered on the upper back. Sharp pain exploded and Marron let out a strangled groan as the shirt was ripped free in one motion.
Walking back, Carrot poked his head into the tent, offering the jug he carried to Gateau. "Here's the water." Carrot looked down at his brother as he entered the tent, wincing at the extent of his brother's injury. It had seemed bad before he could see the whole thing; now with most of his brother's back exposed, he could see the true extent of the dark purple mottling.
"I think it probably looks worse than it is." Gateau tipped his head to Carrot to include him in the conversation. "We will know the extent of the damage tomorrow when you've had a chance to rest Marron." He poured some of the water into a bowl, and after dipping a clean rag into the water, Gateau ran it lightly over the cuts and abrasions. Marron hissed in pain as the other worked. None of the cuts were very deep, but the skin was very sensitive due to the bruises. By the time the strong but ever so gentle fingers had finished their work Marron's eyes were watering. Carrot went in search of some bandages while Gateau smeared a sweet smelling salve over Marron's tattered back.
Marron closed his eyes, enjoying the sensation of strong fingers on his back and shoulders. Now that the salve was taking the pain away the touch felt soothing. He was careful not to let any of his pleasure show; Gateau had enough boldness towards him without being encouraged. His feelings for the handsome strongman staggered him. It frightened him, this depth of emotion. No matter how hard he tried he could not control it; what he feared the most was that he would one day give in to those feelings, that his careful mask of control would fracture like glass.
People fear that which they do not understand. The power he used was not an easy thing to understand. So he hid it from them, using it only when it was necessary. He had learned quickly the art of self depreciation and good manners as a way to combat the hostilities that came his way because of his power and beauty. "If I give in to Gateau... When he gets to know me he might fear me; I couldn't bear that. Acknowledging him would only leave me open and defenseless. So I resist when Gateau presses the subject. Refusing every advance. Even though deep inside I yearned to pull him close and never let him go." Marron closed his eyes from a pain far deeper than his bruised back. Two familiar voices interrupted his musing as Tira and Chocolate called out," Food's done. We caught a few fish while you were boys were lazing about."
Blinking, Marron realized Carrot had already left the tent and Gateau was holding out a loose fitting robe of a light material. "Put this on; it won't stick to your wounds but it will let them breathe the way bandages wouldn't." Slipping a hand under his friend, Gateau eased Marron over so he was in a seated position. He let go of the magic user, ready to catch Marron if the magic user couldn't keep upright by himself.
Marron smiled up at Gateau in thanks. "That feels much better, thank you." He said as he slipped the robe around himself tying it tightly about his thin waist. Clenching his teeth he tried to move his legs. When he opened his eyes again his forehead was covered with sweat and Gateau was looking down at him with something deeper than sympathy in his eyes. "Still can't get your legs to move? We can try again later. You've probably just bruised your back so badly the muscles are refusing to respond. Right now our food is getting cold." Leaning forward allowed Marron to wrap his arms around Gateau's neck.
Resting his head against Gateau's chest he considered the man's words. "We," he thought to himself, "he said we; whatever happens, at least I am not alone." Shifting slightly in Gateau's arms, Marron tightened his grip on his friend. Lifting the magic user in one easy motion the pair headed for their dinner.
Gateau set Marron down in front of the fire. Tira already had a steaming cup of tea ready for him. Taking a deep breath to inhale the scent of the tea, his eyes opened wide in surprise. Tira nodded in confirmation. "We added a few herbs to help you sleep. That salve of Gateau's will probably wear off sometime in the middle of the night and you need your rest." Without comment, Marron sipped the tea slowly so he wouldn't burn his tongue. In between sips, he nibbled on his fish. The gentle murmur of his friend's familiar voices was as comforting as the bright fire he couldn't help but stare into. The drug lulled him into a fuzzy state where he couldn't concentrate enough to know what the others were saying. He simply mulled his own termoiled thoughts over as he watched the dancing flames.
'How badly was I injured?' He wondered, 'Could I really be permanently paralyzed?' An awful dread filled him as he considered that possibility. What would he do? Marron felt his eyes start to burn with unshed tears. Shaking himself to clear his mind, he pressed the back of his hands to his eyes. He didn't cry often. He normally had no reason to. 'The drug must be affecting me,' he decided, 'what am I thinking; I will do what I have to. Whether I am afraid or not, as I always do.' His face determined, Marron looked up just in time to catch Gateau staring at him. Flushing hotly he realized what he had just said to himself. Dropping his eyes the magic user whispered," Always."
"Are you all right Marron? Marron?" Gateau looked over his shoulder at the others,"I think the drug has taken hold of him." A warm hand lifted his chin. Suddenly he was gazing into Gateau's eyes. "Say it now," some inner voice pleaded. "Tell him how you really feel." Obliging Marron opened his mouth but only a squeak came out. He blushed in embarrassment as the laughter of his friends somehow managed to pierce the fog shrouding his mind.
"I think its time for you to go to bed." Gateau spoke in a firm gentle tone. Marron nodded blankly. 'There is something I am forgetting.' he thought as a mist rolled across his mind. Strong arms lifted him up. He snuggled close to Gateau clinging tightly too his big friend. Gateau looked down at the man nestled in his arms; his eyes were sad as he set Marron down. Reaching to the end of the mat Gateau tugged the blanket up so that it covered Marron.
Marron curled up onto his side, already asleep. Gateau watched him sleeping a tiny smile on his face. "Even battered and rumpled, you still manage to look beautiful enough to make my heart ache; I wish I knew how you do that." He whispered to the darkness before he slipped over to his own matt.
End of Chapter 1