And then there were none...[OPEN]

[Mizusawa Taku]

ooc: COOKIES ALL AROUND! *hands out cookies*

ic:

The first to respond was Hino, and his words were as sharp as usual. Mizusawa actually felt slightly stung by them, even though he'd long since become accustomed to Hino saying what he wanted to say, when he wanted to say it. Maybe it was just because of the close proximity between them.

“You don’t think I tried that when I was lost by myself?” Hino replied sternly, instantly wishing he’d been a little more kind considering Mizusawa was currently his walking rock. “I don’t know about any of you, but I lost reception as soon as we got here.”

Mizusawa looked to Ryosuke and watched the Yankee confirm that his situation was much the same.

Hino heaved a sigh, before moving a bit closer to him. It took him a moment to realize this was because Hino was trying to get a more comfortable position, now that he was being propped up by Mizusawa. Mizusawa didn't say anything to Hino, but bent his knees slightly, hoping that shortening his height just a little might be more comfortable for Hino, if nothing else.

“I’ve been told that in situations such as these, the best thing to do is to wait where you are for someone to find you” He said making sure to have the others fickle attention. “Unless of course, any of you remember the direct way back…?” Hino was looking around as he continued to speak. “I’m afraid I don’t even remember how I got here.”

Mizusawa knew that Hino was right. In any situation where there was a chance of getting lost--his teachers, his parents, whoever--always said to stay put until someone came for you. But considering they were up on a mountain right now, surrounded by who-knew-what in these woods and this far up...He wasn't sure if staying put was still the best idea. Not that going somewhere was actually any better.

Ryosuke was next to propose an idea. "Uh.....do you think, maybe if we went as a group to try out each of the paths...? Like, if one didn't work out, we could just go back and try another? We would have to mark it along the way or something so we don't get lost, but...."

He felt Hino slipping a little, and quickly re-adjusted his hold around the other boy's waist, trying to keep him sufficiently propped up.

At that moment, Kiyama had turned to look at them. Mizusawa met his gaze for a moment and quickly looked away. He had absolutely no clue what Kiyama thought about all this. The quieter Yankee was so good at keeping his cool and not showing how he really felt. That was something Mizusawa admired about him--how cool he was. It seemed like nothing could really faze Kiyama. Mizusawa often wished he could be that strong.

As if on cue, Kiyama actually began speaking to them. And judging by his words, he really was just as concerned as they were.

"Well we have two options… I think that’s obvious. Stay, or go. We can try and find the others, but even if we try going backwards, there’s no guarantee that we won’t find ourselves getting more lost than we already are. Marking our paths is a good idea, but there’s a chance we won’t catch up with them before dark, and…"

Having a reason for it now, Mizusawa had gone back to watching Kiyama, waiting patiently for him to finish what he had to say, and in the meantime trying to see if he could read how the other was really feeling just from his expression alone.

"Or we can stay put, and hope that the others will come for us… that’s assuming that they know where they’re going too… but Kashiwagi just moved here, right? There’s no guarantee that even he knows where he’s going."

Mizusawa bit his lip again. That was very true. Kashiwagi Sensei was a nice guy, but he was also a bit naive. He seemed to always think everything would work out. And while that was a great attitude to have, it could also prove pretty dangerous in situations like this, if Sensei really had no clue what he was doing. At this thought, a feeling of slight panic washed over him, but he tried not to let it show. At least they were together...And surely they wouldn't be left here for too long.

He'd been so wrapped up in his own thoughts, that he had forgotten all about focusing on Kiyama, or the younger boy he was still trying to support. But once again, he was re-awoken from his thoughts as Kiyama's strong voice spoke once more. He sounded very much like the voice of reason at the moment, their "unofficial leader." Mizusawa was completely fine with that, because he knew he wouldn't be able to fill the leadership role properly, and they definitely needed one person to take charge right now.

"I think this calls for a vote. " Democracy was a great thing, especially when you didn’t want to make the important decision on your own. He paused a moment before adding something else.

"Whatever we do, we stay together, understood?"

Mizusawa nodded in response. He agreed with that wholeheartedly. Nothing good ever came of splitting up, he was sure of it. "Well..." He looked at the others, between Hino and Ryosuke, wondering what they would choose.

There was a pause. But not wanting to leave an awkward feeling between the four of them, Mizusawa decided to speak first, even if he wasn't completely sure about his decision. "I guess..." he began, focusing his gaze on a small pebble that he was slowly burying into the dirt with his shoe, "...I guess I'm for trying one of the paths..." He paused again, considering what he was saying. After all, he didn't want Hino to be hurt any worse if they had to walk. And if Ryosuke still felt sick, they might have to stop anyway. "And if anyone starts to feel bad...If Ryosuke feels sick or Hino can't go any further, then I guess we could stop whereever we are...Maybe..." He lowered his head, knowing he wasn't being all that helpful right now. Damn, why did this have to happen?

"Yeah, well...Anyway..." he cleared his throat and kept his eyes on the ground. "...Sorry, guys."

[Hino Tetsuya]

As he had expected, Kiyama was the one to bring out the opinion poll.

"Well we have two options… I think that’s obvious. Stay, or go. We can try and find the others, but even if we try going backwards, there’s no guarantee that we won’t find ourselves getting more lost than we already are. Marking our paths is a good idea, but there’s a chance we won’t catch up with them before dark, and…"

Hino frowned; he didn’t like the sound of the morbid truth. He didn’t really like anything at that moment. His adverseness to nature having tripled in the last half an hour due to this extremely unfortunate outing.

"Or we can stay put, and hope that the others will come for us…”

Hino rolled his eyes and scoffed slightly. Despite the fact that this was exactly what needed to happen, he highly doubted it’s probability considering that groups combined brain capacity probably couldn’t work it’s way out of a box. Though, he momentarily though, he was probably undervaluing Yuta’s good sense… however his opinion of the others remained unchanged.

“that’s assuming that they know where they’re going too… but Kashiwagi just moved here, right? There’s no guarantee that even he knows where he’s going."

Hino pulled his bottom lip between his teeth. The truth behind the situation wasn’t helping his inner turmoil.

"I think this calls for a vote."

Hino knew exactly how he was voting. The last thing he wanted to do was get even more lost.

"Whatever we do, we stay together, understood?"

Hino was about to voice his opinion when Mizusawa spoke up. With a tentative ‘Well…’ and then proceeded share searching glances with himself and Ryosuke.

"...I guess I'm for trying one of the paths..." Mizusawa’s pause was calculating. Seeming to weigh up his decision and reasoning it in his mind. Hino kept his eyes on the other as he thought.

“And if anyone starts to feel bad...If Ryosuke feels sick or Hino can't go any further, then I guess we could stop wherever we are...Maybe..."

He followed his decision with an apologetic look.

"Yeah, well...Anyway...Sorry, guys."

Hino waited a short moment to see if anyone else would speak, upon their short silence and spoke.

“I think we should stay.” He motioned calmly keeping his eyes focused and level. “I’m not in the mood to get more lost than we already are this late in the day.” He paused to consider more ways to promote his preference.

“If we chose the wrong path and end up wondering for an hour or so, that’s a whole hour the other’s may come back through here looking for us” He spared a look around their current spot. “In the very least we know they’ve been here, and can only assume they’ll have to come back this way too”

Hino realized that he was officially saying to was placing their fate in the rest of their group finding them. May not be the best of plans, but it was the only thing he felt was possible.

“I for one want to be here waiting when they do” If he were being logical, he should have said ‘if’ instead of ‘when’. But their situation was already bleak enough, he didn’t feel the need to add to it.

[Tsukimori Ryosuke]

ooc: *munches on cookie* Do you think they could encounter some kind of wild animal or something? I'd say a bear, but I imagine that's probably 99.9% unlikely in Japanese wilderness. ^_^;; Maybe something like the Japanese Serow instead...But I also really like Kiyama's Haunted Forest idea....ooohhhhhhh. ^_^


"Well we have two options… I think that’s obvious. Stay, or go. We can try and find the others, but even if we try going backwards, there’s no guarantee that we won’t find ourselves getting more lost than we already are. Marking our paths is a good idea, but there’s a chance we won’t catch up with them before dark, and…"

Ryosuke had been about to argue his case about progressing forward up the mountain, but Kiyama had a point about the dark. Too bad we don't have glow sticks or something, he couldn't help thinking. He resigned himself back to top of the large rock he'd been on before, where he began to pick at the burs stuck to what had been his brand new sweatshirt.

"Or we can stay put, and hope that the others will come for us… that’s assuming that they know where they’re going too… but Kashiwagi just moved here, right? There’s no guarantee that even he knows where he’s going."

Ryosuke looked up and at the others--they seemed just as phased by Kiyama's words as Kiyama himself did--and he ran a hand through his hair, anxious. "Oi, Kiyama...let's pretend Kashiwagi's at least a little more competent than we know his is, eh?"

"I think this calls for a vote. Whatever we do, we stay together, understood?"

Ryosuke rolled his eyes, but waited for the tally anyway. He didn't know how he was going to vote. He tended to be the guy who waited to see what both parties thought, then decided last minute...

It was a bit surprising, but Mizusawa was the first to speak up. He seemed as shy as usual to explain his case, but Ryosuke was actually pretty grateful. Mizusawa sounded just as unsure about everything as Ryosuke himself, but it was obvious that he was at least trying to get some kind of group consensus going.

"And if anyone starts to feel bad.." Mizusawa continued, "If Ryosuke feels sick or Hino can't go any further, then I guess we could stop whereever we are...Maybe..."

Ryosuke nodded. It seemed a fair idea.

“I think we should stay.”

Hino.

“I’m not in the mood to get more lost than we already are this late in the day. If we chose the wrong path and end up wondering for an hour or so, that’s a whole hour the other’s may come back through here looking for us. In the very least we know they’ve been here, and can only assume they’ll have to come back this way too”

Another valid point.

“I for one want to be here waiting when they do”

Ryosuke slid back down from his rock perch to move back towards where Hino and the others were gathered. He gave Hino a look, but moved past him and Mizusawa for where Kiyama was standing, so that he could get another look at the paths. Yes, there were three, yes they seemed to head in totally different directions. But it seemed very unlikely that Kashiwagi was going to lead the guys in the same exact direction they'd come from on the way back down the mountain. That was assuming no one was smart enough to notice that Ryosuke and his fellow comrades weren't still around, of course...but even then, even if the others did realize they were missing, would they even be able to get back to this same spot? It wasn't like it particularly stood out or anything...
Ryosuke sighed. As much as he wanted to keep going, it dawned on him that maybe he was only so adamant to do so so that he would be constantly on the move, therefore hopefully taking his mind off all that possibly lurked in this jungle mess and his unhappy stomach. Maybe Hino did have a point...maybe sitting around was best.

Damn, he'd never been very good at making decisions.

"I guess Sourpu--I mean..." Ryosuke looked a Hino, with his best apologetic grin, laughing slightly, then continued, "...Hino's got a point. I'd really rather not hang out in one place so I can get eaten alive by.......mini-snakes, but..." He shrugged. "It is getting dark and I guess there's more of a chance someone will notice we're gone and come back for us."

He glanced at Mizusawa, offering another apologetic smile. "Thanks for agreeing with me, though." Then he turned his attention to Kiyama to see if the other Yankee had any good ideas, considering he seemed to be the most level-headed and at home here of the four of them.

"Oh!" Ryosuke had another thought. "Thing is...it's gonna be night before long, and it's already starting to get colder." Ryosuke realized that it was probably the same temperature it had been all along--they'd all just stopped moving, and so they weren't as hot or sweaty as they'd been before. But considering they seemed to be planning to sit here and wait, that could only mean it would grow colder. He really wished he could start up a fire of sorts, but it just seemed too risky.

As if mocking his thoughts, all of a sudden, there was a loud SNAP! from the group's left. Despite the sun still up in the sky, the shadows cast by the trees did nothing to illuminate just what had made the sound.

Ryosuke jumped and turned in the direction of the noise, scanning the trees for what he hoped would be the source. Kashiwagi, maybe? Wataru? It wasn't beyond Wataru or Nippori to play jokes like that, he knew. Especially if they were aware how badly he the City Boy was doing in this place. But the direction the sound had come from was opposite the way the others had gone, so it seemed almost impossible that they would have been able to circle around like that. And besides, Ryosuke couldn't see anyone in the brush...

"What the hell?" He looked at the three around him, then back in the direction of the trees. "Okay guys, seriously? Ahhhhhh'm gonna do a complete 180 and opt that we start walking...actually. Screw the dark and screw sitting here." He moved back for the main path, waiting for the others, but keeping his line of vision on where he was sure the sound had come from. "I know the snake was small, but I don't think small animals make that kind of sound."

[Kiyama Ryuichiro]

OOC: Link on the fauna of the area (because IRL me HATES outisde and I know jack about it...) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wildlife_of_Japan... I'm all for ghosts and goblins too. Bring it on!

"Well..."

The first to voice his opinion was Mizusawa… although in that painfully shy, reluctant way of his. What was up with that kid anyway?

"I guess... I guess I'm for trying one of the paths... And if anyone starts to feel bad...If Ryosuke feels sick or Hino can't go any further, then I guess we could stop whereever we are...Maybe... Yeah, well...Anyway... Sorry, guys."

After waiting a minute to see if the boy had another stilted addition to his response, he nodded. One for go.

“I think we should stay. I’m not in the mood to get more lost than we already are this late in the day. If we chose the wrong path and end up wondering for an hour or so, that’s a whole hour the other’s may come back through here looking for us. In the very least we know they’ve been here, and can only assume they’ll have to come back this way too. I for one want to be here waiting when they do.”

Hino’s reasoning made sense as well, particularly if one considered he could barely walk at that point. One for stay. In his roundabout way, Ryosuke ultimately ended up agreeing with the second-year.

So, the people had chosen to stay. Kiyama looked skyward, noting the quickly yellowing hues above. The dark would be a problem. It seemed less and less likely that the others would return before the sun fell which meant they might have to camp there… He had begun rummaging through his bag when he heard it. The noise was abrupt and loud, like some kind of branch snapping.

Ryosuke was immediately spooked. "What the hell? Okay guys, seriously? Ahhhhhh'm gonna do a complete 180 and opt that we start walking...actually. Screw the dark and screw sitting here." He retreated to the path before making a slightly worrying conjecture. "I know the snake was small, but I don't think small animals make that kind of sound."

Okay. Kiyama had absolutely no idea what the hell could have made that sound, but he’d be damned if he let the others see his uncertainty. He turned to the road and called to the blonde.

“Tsukimori!” He knew that even if Ryosuke didn’t want to stay there was no way he’d go off on his own. “Trees rot, branches fall, noise happens. We’re in a forest.” Even if Kiyama didn’t know what it was, he seriously doubted that it was anything that threatening. They weren’t that far from town.

It was then when he’d finally found it. Pulling the water bottle of out his knapsack, he couldn’t help but sigh when he saw it was empty.

Between walking all day in the sun, and talking more in the last ten minutes than he did in some entire days, he’d gotten absolutely parched. Clearing his throat, which was growing sore, he was reminded of another problem. He had packed for a day trip, as he was under the impression he’d be back at home and sleeping in his own bed that evening. He didn’t have the rations or materials to stay the night in the middle of nowhere.

Kiyama had to admit that he wasn’t too keen on just waiting for someone to come and save them, but at this point, really, he had to agree with Hino. There was no where they could expect get to before it got dark.

He shoved the bottle back in his bag and looked to the three surrounding him before speaking again. “We voted ‘stay’ so we’re staying. There isn’t a creature that's here that can’t also get to us a little down the road, is there?”

Kiyama crossed his arms and waited for a response he knew wouldn’t come. After the pause, he rolled up sleeves and moved towards the middle of the clearing, looking to start and gather all the potential tinder he could find.

“Let’s see what we can do about a camp before the sun goes down."

[Mizusawa Taku]

Mizusawa felt some relief when he saw Kiyama nod in response to his suggestion. He met the other boy's eyes for a moment, before nodding himself and looking back down.

Beside him, he could tell that Hino was enjoying this situation about as much as he was. The younger boy really didn't look all that enthused about their options, and Mizusawa couldn't blame him. Hell, they were all tired, frustrated by the way things had turned out. But Hino had it pretty bad, what with his bad ankle and everything.

“I think we should stay.” He motioned calmly keeping his eyes focused and level. “I’m not in the mood to get more lost than we already are this late in the day.” He paused to consider more ways to promote his preference. “If we chose the wrong path and end up wondering for an hour or so, that’s a whole hour the other’s may come back through here looking for us” He spared a look around their current spot. “In the very least we know they’ve been here, and can only assume they’ll have to come back this way too. I for one want to be here waiting when they do.”

Mizusawa bit his lip, feeling very much as though he'd just been pawned by Hino's well-thought-out explanation of why staying in place was better than trying one of the paths. And in fact, he had to agree with his kohei. Hino had a very valid point, in that staying in one place was much better than getting lost. Mizusawa had to admit to himself that the only reason why he'd chosen going in the first place was because just sitting here was making him feel restless, worried, and even more tense. Of course, none of those were good reasons for them all to go and potentially get lost.

Yeah, it's about time you just keep your mouth shut, Taku, he told himself, sub-consciously leaning a little more into Hino to support the boy better. He looked for a moment at Kiyama, wondering what decision the other boy preferred, but of course he still could not read Kiyama's expression. Instead, he turned to look at Ryosuke. Ryosuke would probably be the deciding factor in this one.

Ryosuke had now left his rock to join them once more, looking at the paths as if trying to make his decision. Mizusawa watched the Yankee sigh, as if unsure of what to think.

There was a slightly awkward moment's pause, before he spoke up.

"I guess Sourpu--I mean..." Ryosuke looked a Hino, with his best apologetic grin, laughing slightly, then continued, "...Hino's got a point. I'd really rather not hang out in one place so I can get eaten alive by.......mini-snakes, but..." He shrugged. "It is getting dark and I guess there's more of a chance someone will notice we're gone and come back for us." He glanced at Mizusawa, offering another apologetic smile. "Thanks for agreeing with me, though."

Mizusawa had not been expecting the smile, but he quickly returned the smile with a pained one of his own. Smiling sure wasn't in him at the moment. As much as he was trying to keep his cool on the outside, inside he was very, very concerned about their safety. All of them, big, tough Yankee Ryosuke included. He might be over-thinking things, but he couldn't remember a single story when being stranded in a forest on a mountain had not resulted in something bad, like being eaten alive by some giant animal, or falling off a hidden ledge in the dark and plunging to one's death. Yeah, he was being paranoid, probably. But knowing that they were lost right now made all of these thing seem much more possible.

He shivered, despite the fact that it wasn't too cold out just yet.

As if reading his mind, Ryosuke spoke again regarding the temperature.

"Oh!" Ryosuke had another thought. "Thing is...it's gonna be night before long, and it's already starting to get colder."

Mizusawa glanced at Kiyama, nodding. This was the undeniable truth. But whether they were moving or not, they were going to freeze unless they set up some sort of camp fire, or...

SNAP!

Mizusawa jumped, his head swiveling in the direction of the sound. What was that?

"What the hell?" He looked at the three around him, then back in the direction of the trees. "Okay guys, seriously? Ahhhhhh'm gonna do a complete 180 and opt that we start walking...actually. Screw the dark and screw sitting here." He moved back for the main path, waiting for the others, but keeping his line of vision on where he was sure the sound had come from. "I know the snake was small, but I don't think small animals make that kind of sound."

Mizusawa, though not quite as scared as Ryosuke seemed to be, agreed with him. Whatever had made that sound, it sounded pretty big. That wasn't just a tiny branch that had snapped.

“Tsukimori!” It was Kiyama speaking now, calling out to Ryosuke to make him come back. “Trees rot, branches fall, noise happens. We’re in a forest.” Even if Kiyama didn’t know what it was, he seriously doubted that it was anything that threatening. They weren’t that far from town.

"But maybe it's one of them..." Mizusawa said softly, though doubtfully, not taking his eyes away from the spot where the noise had come from. His grip on Hino's waist tightened, in case they had to make a run for it.

Meanwhile, Kiyama had been digging in his bag for something, and eventually pulled out a water bottle, checked its contents, and then put it back. “We voted ‘stay’ so we’re staying. There isn’t a creature that's here that can’t also get to us a little down the road, is there?”

That was true, Mizusawa had to agree. But he didn't respond, instead kept his head bowed, occasionally looking back at the spot where he'd heard the branch snap.

“Let’s see what we can do about a camp before the sun goes down."

Mizusawa watched as Kiyama, sleeves now rolled up and looking particularly set on whatever plan he had in mind, headed towards the spot where the branch had snapped.

"Wait--!" he called out, reaching out with his free hand, unable to stop himself. He froze when he realized...he was now speaking to Kiyama, and only Kiyama. It wasn't like he could just turn to Ryosuke and pretend that had been directed at him.

"Aaah...." he paused, letting his hand fall back to his side.

Stop being dumb, he scolded himself.

"Ano..." he began again, his eyes lingering somewhere at Kiyama's nose, rather than meeting his eyes. "Maybe we should go together, if we're setting up camp here? You know, stick together, like you said." He shivered and looked at the spot where the snapping noise had come from. "Just in case, that might be for the best."

[Hino Tetsuya]

ooc: I'm sorry my posts have been so short today >.<

Hino ignored the ruckus the others were creating about noises and what-not, they were staying, and that’s what mattered. Ryosuke had been right, it was getting cold. Very cold, or was it just him. He cringed, he hated the cold, he hated the outdoors and he hated that he was ultimately stuck with both. Most likely, for an extended amount of time.

“Let’s see what we can do about a camp before the sun goes down." Kiyama said seemingly already able to take charge of the situation. Lucky someone was, and Hino was happy it was him and not Ryosuke who seemed to be as jumpy as a three year old, or Mizusawa who seem incredibly nervous and babbly from what Hino would consider his ‘usual’ self.

As if completely aware of his thoughts Mizusawa proceeded to nervously redeem himself for something Hino must have missed.

"Maybe we should go together, if we're setting up camp here? You know, stick together, like you said. Just in case, that might be for the best."

Hino ignored the awkwardness, and instead raised his eyebrow at the statement. He hadn’t been aware that anyone was going anywhere if they were setting up camp where they stood. He pursed his lips.

Oh… He thought to himself. They couldn’t very tell sleep there as is, he could only assume Kiyama and Mizusawa were planning on gathering… camping...things.

Hino untangled himself from Mizusawa’s grasp and hobbled slightly to sit on rock close by. He pulled his backpack from his shoulders and unzipped it.

He’d packed considerably lightly considering they were only on a day trip though luck for him, his version of lightly was a little different to your average person. He pulled out a couple of shrink wrapped cotton blankets, and a deposable rain jacket. He checked to see what else could be useful. He had a small flashlight attached to his house keys that they could use if they needed, water (which he hoped everyone else had had the forethought to bring also), pre packeted assorted breads and biscuits and radio, which he doubted would have any use considering they didn’t have any phone reception.

“Did anyone bring anything… you know, camping wise?” Hino asked, not knowing how else to phrase his question.
Sticks and branches they can gather may be able to provide shelter. But what about warmth? He had two blankets, but they were small and not all that thick. Would it be too much to consider lighting a fire if it got late?

He sighed heavily.

Stupid nature!

[Tsukimori Ryosuke]

ooc: YOSHI! I's gots an ideas. Thanks for that link about the fauna, kinolee!

“Tsukimori!”

Ryosuke immediately looked Kiyama's way at the sound of his name, but he was frowning. He was becoming increasingly frustrated at being patronized like this, even if it was because he had a serious lack of experience in a place like a forest. He was positive now that his coming here at all had been a huge mistake, one that he would be sure never to make again.

“Trees rot, branches fall, noise happens. We’re in a forest.”

Mizusawa murmured something, but Ryosuke didn't quite catch it. Instead, he was focused, watching the other Yankee cautiously. He didn't seem all that phased by the sound--more annoyed in the way Ryosuke himself was acting, and that just made Ryosuke feel even more agitated. Damn Kiyama...sometimes he just didn't get the guy. And then there were the other two...

Ryosuke looked up at Hino and Mizusawa, still holding onto each other. They at least looked a little more spooked about the sound, but he couldn't help wondering if they were looking down on him as much as Kiyama seemed to be. He suddenly really wished he'd just walked through the stomach pain and kept up with his two best friends from the beginning. Wataru might be making fun of him for whining, and in that case, Nippori might have been joining in as well, but he knew he certainly wouldn't feel like the outcast these three were making him feel like.

“We voted ‘stay’ so we’re staying. There isn’t a creature that's here that can’t also get to us a little down the road, is there?” There was a pause, then Kiyama was moving again. “Let’s see what we can do about a camp before the sun goes down."

Ryosuke was still frowning. In any case, he knew he had to stop himself from becoming too hot-headed. Instead, he looked up at the split paths longingly, then kicked a large chunk of dirt in the direction the noise had come from, not only in an attempt to blow off some steam, but to scare away whatever might possible be creeping around there too.

He waited for Kiyama to pass, moving into a greener area to presumably gather the firewood necessary for a camp, then slunk after him, tossing his own bag onto the ground. He'd been pondering a campfire before, hadn't he? He'd only refrained from bringing it up because he hadn't thought it would be a good idea in such a tree-ridden area. See, he wasn't completely hopeless....

Ryosuke brushed his bangs out of his eyes as he crouched down to gather some pathetic-looking twigs, but found himself turning sharply again when Mizusawa cried out. His classmate had his eyes trained on the dark-haired Yankee. Ryosuke side-glanced at Kiyama, wondering if maybe the guy was about to walk into a tree or something like that, then frowned deeper. Kiyama was just fine, why was Mizusawa yelling like that?

"Aaah....Ano..."

Ryosuke threw a measly-looking pile of twigs near the rock he'd been sitting on before, thinking he would make this his little collection zone, then started grumbling to himself. "Are you ever going to spit it out?" he babbled under his breath.

"Maybe we should go together, if we're setting up camp here? You know, stick together, like you said. Just in case, that might be for the best."

Ryosuke found himself glancing up once more, again at Mizusawa, and was actually a little surprised to find that the boy actually looked pretty worried about something. Ryosuke felt some hope in that maybe this meant he wasn't the only one who'd been spooked.

At the same time, Hino seemed to deem himself fit to move again. He unraveled himself from his teammate and moved for the rock Ryosuke had put to use earlier, where he began digging through his own bag. Ryosuke stopped in his meager twig-gathering to see what the little guy had brought, admittedly curious. He hadn't been too sure how to pack himself.

Needless to say, Hino once again didn't fail to impress. Ryosuke watched, wide-eyed, as a whole host of camping tools made their way out of the boy's bag, including a few packs of snacks that Ryosuke wished he'd been thoughtful enough to bring from the get-go...maybe he would have avoided the mountain-berry munchies otherwise.

“Did anyone bring anything… you know, camping wise?”

Ryosuke hesitated for a moment. Did he even want to show what he'd brought at this point? He'd rather spare getting himself laughed at any further--he didn't take well to embarrassment. Still....

He crawled over to the bag he'd dropped to the ground and sat, plopping the thing down into his lap before opening it up, peering inside, and....sighing.
"Cigarettes, half-eaten lunch, pretty much empty water canteen, sunglasses, sunscreen....Look, I didn't pack anything for a sleepover in the mountains because I thought I'd be on the bus home some time around now, sleeping off a long walk."

He hesitated.

"Go ahead, laugh it off. I'm glad you guys have someone to call stupid while you're here. Must make you feel really great."

[Kiyama Ryuichiro]

Kiyama met Ryosuke's glare with his own.

Ryosuke was probably pissed at him, but Kiyama couldn't let it bother him. Shouting and running in circles would do nothing to help the situation... no matter how freaky and unnerving it might be. He mentally shrugged away the other yankee's pretension and resumed what he was doing, when--

"Wait--!"

Kiyama had barely taken another two steps when he heard the shout. It honestly surprised him more than the mysterious snapping that occurred a few minutes prior, spurring him to inspect his surroundings a closer than he had before, something he found irritating. Finally, he looked to the source of the outburst, Mizusawa.

The boy faltered, and averted his eyes. "Ano... Maybe we should go together, if we're setting up camp here? You know, stick together, like you said. He shivered and looked at the spot where the snapping noise had come from. Just in case, that might be for the best."

So, it was nothing. Nothing. Kiyama chewed on his bottom lip. Yes, despite his high tolerance for stress, he was getting frustrated, and quickly. Yet, he knew that if he was getting to that point, most of the others had been there for a long time. Mizusawa looked as though he was trying his best to get it keep himself in one piece, while Ryosuke could make no effort to hide the fact he was a hop and skip from freaking out. Only Hino seemed to be holding it together, but Kiyama found himself wondering if it was taking his junior as much effort to appear that way as it was taking him.

That train of thought left Kiyama feeling rather defeated. He shoved his hands in his pockets, deciding not to move... talk... breathe... until his companions had composed themselves.

About then, Hino broke free of Mizusawa and found a place to sit. He began taking his supplies out of his bag, and there were a lot of them. Kiyama raised an eyebrow... for the preppy type that would get himself as horribly lost as he did earlier that day, it seemed odd that he would be so prepared. Or perhaps that's why it wasn't that odd at all.

After finishing his mountain trips supply exhibition, Hino turned to the others and prompted, “Did anyone bring anything… you know, camping wise?”

Ryosuke retrieved his bag and looked inside to report his share. "Cigarettes, half-eaten lunch, pretty much empty water canteen, sunglasses, sunscreen....Look, I didn't pack anything for a sleepover in the mountains because I thought I'd be on the bus home some time around now, sleeping off a long walk." After a pause, he added, "Go ahead, laugh it off. I'm glad you guys have someone to call stupid while you're here. Must make you feel really great."

Kiyama had figured the blonde was frustrated, but not that much so. He suddenly felt bad, not just for him, but the others, too. How leader-types like Yuuta and Wataru managed to keep everyone in good spirits and focused was well beyond him; Kiyama was doing poorly at both... he hadn't even been trying for that long and that headache had been getting mighty bad...

Getting back to task, he followed suit. He hunched down and opened his bag again to inspect the contents. Unfortunately, it resembled Ryosuke's collection a lot more than Hino's... He sighed and began to empty it, placing everything on the ground for the others to see: two water bottles... completely dry, his wallet, an empty lunchbox, two of those snack bar things, cigarettes and a lighter, and finally, a thin sweater.

He looked to his fellow yankee, then to Mizusawa and Hino. "It is what it is. No use getting upset at this point; we just have to make do with what we've got." He tried to finish with a genuine, morale-building smile, but what ended up on his face was a short-lived, tired-looking and obviously forced excuse for a grin. Yes, he would have to get some advice from Yuuta or Wataru one of those days. After they stopped being lost, that is.

[Mizusawa Taku]

A moment after the words left Mizusawa's mouth, he regretted them. As much as he really wanted to protect Kiyama, he knew Kiyama was hardly the type of guy that needed saving. The look on Kiyama's face was further proof of that, and one that made Mizusawa's heart skip a few beats.

At that moment, he felt Hino pull away from him and, subconsciously, he wilted a little. He watched as the other boy started hobbling over to the nearby rock and felt the sudden need to help Hino over, but he could see that Hino was doing fine on his own--and maybe he didn't want Mizusawa's help.

That was when he saw the other boy was doing, pulling different items out of his backpack. Blankets, a rain jacket, a radio, water, and even some packs of food. Mizusawa nearly whistled his amazement--Hino sure had come packed for the trip!

“Did anyone bring anything… you know, camping wise?” Hino asked, not knowing how else to phrase his question.

For a moment, he forgot about the tense atmosphere he'd just caused between himself and Kiyama. This was a great idea! Checking what they had first before venturing off to gather firewood. That, and, maybe whatever had made the noise in the trees would leave if they stayed here and paid it no mind.

Next to open his pack was Ryosuke. The tall Yankee sat down on the ground and began digging through his bag, pulling out items Mizusawa really wasn't all that surprised to see.

"Cigarettes, half-eaten lunch, pretty much empty water canteen, sunglasses, sunscreen....Look, I didn't pack anything for a sleepover in the mountains because I thought I'd be on the bus home some time around now, sleeping off a long walk."

There was something of a short, awkward pause, before the blonde spoke again.

"Go ahead, laugh it off. I'm glad you guys have someone to call stupid while you're here. Must make you feel really great."

Mizusawa looked away from him. Why was Ryosuke acting this way? He didn't think it was stupid at all. Actually, this was kinda what he'd been expecting Ryosuke to carry--not because he was stupid, but because it was just the way Ryosuke was. He shrugged, trying to show Ryosuke that it really wasn't that big of a deal. "Don't worry about it, Ryosuke," he said quietly. "I don't think any of us thought this would happen, not enough to be well-prepared for it...not even Sensei could have expected it." He tried to give Ryosuke a half-smile in order to cheer him up a bit--that and, again, it gave him an entirely different face to look at other than Kiyama's.

At that moment, Kiyama had crouched down over his own pack and seemed to sigh at the contents of it. Mizusawa's attention was drawn back to the other Yankee, as he pulled out his bag's contents. Mizusawa couldn't help noting that, like Hino, Kiyama had packed fairly intelligently. Despite the cigarettes and lighter (neither of which Mizusawa liked, but couldn't help thinking Kiyama kinda made look cool--plus a lighter would come in handy to make a fire), Kiyama had brought two water bottles, some snacks, and a sweater too. Definitely would come in handy.

And the sweater looks big enough for two people too... This thought popped into his mind before he could process it fully, but when he realized what he was thinking, he blushed outwardly and looked away again.

"It is what it is. No use getting upset at this point; we just have to make do with what we've got."

At the sound of Kiyama's voice, Mizusawa looked up again. He was surprised to see something like a smile on Kiyama's face, then felt even worse when he realized Kiyama was probably trying to be strong and optimistic for the rest of them. He tried to smile back too.

"Uh...I brought stuff too," he began, reaching for his own messenger bag and opening the flap to dig out its contents. "Let's see..." He pulled out his water bottle, still mostly full, as he had refilled the thing when they'd stopped near a stream on the way up, as well as a manga book he'd brought for the bus ride, his iPod, and some whole grain snack bars, trail mix, and yes, a few green tea Kit Kat bars he'd been saving as a pat-on-the-back for the team to split once they'd finished clearing the mountain (although the coating on the Kit Kats was probably all melted by this point).

Setting his stuff down on the ground in front of him, he bit the inside of his cheek, wondering what exactly they could possibly do next. Go get firewood? Ration their food appropriately? All of this seriously seemed unreal, as though none of it was actually necessary--just something all four of them were just imagining.

There was a moment of silence, in which Mizusawa was sure everyone else was thinking something similar. Knowing he couldn't keep avoiding Kiyama the way he'd been trying, he steeled himself on the inside and again met Kiyama's gaze. It was hard not to stutter, being met by a gaze as piercing as the other boy's. Choking back his slight nervousness again, he spoke quietly. "Should we gather firewood now? Or just use the blankets and sweater? If there's enough...Sorry I didn't bring any."

[Hino Tetsuya]

Hino watched patiently as the blonde was the first to rattle off his belongings. Hino frowned, Tsukimori’s collection sounded a lot more like the rubbish one would find deep in the depths of an abandoned locker.

That was no help.

Next was Kiyama...

Hino would have crossed his fingers if he’d been so inclined. Hino hadn’t really had any faith in Tsukimori’s forethought, though he hoped that Kiyama had decided to come a little more prepared.

Though Hino’s faith was dashed when the second yankee’s just about mirrored the first.

“It is what it is. No use getting upset at this point; we just have to make do with what we've got."

Kiyama almost defended his belongings.

Hino sighed, it was one of those times when he really had to admit that it wasn’t that people weren’t ever as prepared or as prudent as he was, and that may be he was the one that was overly so. He should never have even considered putting his own level of expectation on to these people he barely cared to know. None of them could have predicted that they would get separated so close to nightfall from the others, let alone completely lost and considering the thought that they would have to camp out for the night.

Not even he himself had prepared himself for such a situation, only trying to prepare for the possibility of rain, cold and darkness. He was just lucky those things bought him at least the barest of necessities.

"Uh...I brought stuff too, let’s see…"

Mizusawa interrupted his thoughts, and rekindled his hopes. Though he wasn’t surprised to find that Mizusawa’s collection resembled a twelve years olds travel pack for a long car trip. But Hino tried not to think negatively about the situation.

Thinking negatively in a negative situation was not something that would enlighten his own, or any of their spirits. And as much as he wanted to curse their friends, curse the forest and curse the terrible circumstances, he kept it in.

After a long, somewhat awkward silence. Mizusawa spoke up again.

"Should we gather firewood now? Or just use the blankets and sweater? If there's enough...Sorry I didn't bring any."

Hino released a heavy breath, there was no point in procrastinating. They needed to get cracking if they were planning on camping there. And if that was going to happen they were going to need a fire and shelter. The last thing they wanted was hypothermia is it began to rain. He wasn’t sure about the others, but his body was not so good at creating and retaining it’s own heat. Without heat, he would surely make himself sick.

“You two…” Hino looked pointedly to Kiyama and Mizusawa. “Should collect whatever you can find for firewood. Nothing damp, and also enough smaller twigs to use for kindling”

He then looked to Tsukimori to grab the yankee’s fickle attention. “We will try and see what we can manage for shelter, bark… leaves… anything big and light. As long as we have heat and shelter, we should be fine”

Hino didn’t like the thought of passing any kinds of orders in a situation he wasn’t familiar with or at all comfortable in. But he also knew they needed to get a move on. He forced himself to stand, ignoring the pang of pain when his weight was placed on his feet, he shifted slightly to avert it.

“…ok?”

[Tsukimori Ryosuke]

No laughs came. Ryosuke was fairly grateful for that, though he couldn't help tossing his bag aside slightly anyway. It was just as embarrassing not being able to provide anything worthwhile for the group. "I guess you could......smoke....if you get really frustrated or something." The words were in a barely audible mutter.

"Don't worry about it, Ryosuke." Mizusawa was speaking. "I don't think any of us thought this would happen, not enough to be well-prepared for it...not even Sensei could have expected it."

Ryosuke nodded. That was true.....if only he'd thought of that before agreeing to come along. Kashiwagi Sensei was never all that "prepared", was he?

Then Kiyama opened his bag, and he began to feel a bit better. Kiyama's collection of goods wasn't much different from his own, though the dark-haired Yankee had at least been smart enough to bring a few snacks and an extra sweater. The chill really was settling in on the mountain. The thought of it swept another round of chills through Ryosuke's fairly large frame, and he sighed. Why hadn't he thought to bring extra clothes?

"It is what it is." Ryosuke met Kiyama's gaze. "No use getting upset at this point; we just have to make do with what we've got." He grinned--Ryosuke knew the other Yankee was trying to be encouraging--but he looked away. His anger was beginning to ebb a bit, but it was always embarrassing apologizing, so he planned on avoiding it for as long as he could manage.

Mizusawa thankfully interrupted what could have been an awkward silence. "Uh...I brought stuff too. Let's see..."

Within a minute, Ryosuke's classmate had produced what might as well have been an emergency pack of food to feed 400 families. Granted, that was a gross over-exaggeration, but the blonde Yankee had officially decided that anything involving green tea Kit-Kats amounted to all kinds of miracles. He certainly wouldn't have minded having one just then.

"Should we gather firewood now? Or just use the blankets and sweater? If there's enough...Sorry I didn't bring any."

Oh yeah. Back to reality. Ryosuke grabbed his bag again and looked inside. Too bad he liked the bag so much....otherwise he would cut holes on the inside for his arms, make himself his own extra sweater or something.

“You two…” Hino looked pointedly to Kiyama and Mizusawa. “Should collect whatever you can find for firewood. Nothing damp, and also enough smaller twigs to use for kindling”

Ryosuke found himself glancing at Mizusawa and Kiyama as Hino spoke. They got to look for twigs....How fun. Then his kohei turned his way, still as serious as usual. “We will try and see what we can manage for shelter, bark… leaves… anything big and light. As long as we have heat and shelter, we should be fine”

"Oi." Ryosuke glanced up in time to meet Hino's gaze. The little guy was serious. Serious about Ryosuke hunting for crap with him, serious about bossing them all around. "What if I don't want to go hunting for leaves with you, huh?"

“…ok?”

Ryosuke sighed. He was only moaning because he had a stupid stomachache, a nice bout of humiliation from another Yankee, and the inability to feel helpful. Maybe it was about time he started doing something right....Frowning, Ryosuke got up again and tossed his bag back onto his shoulders, glancing around the area again for some kind of shelter materials. He had no idea how they were going to build what he imagined would be something big, if it was to house all of them, but he figured he'd find a way.....He didn't much like the idea of having to tag along with someone injured, though. Especially Hino, who was probably going to be just as anal about being stuck with a city boy.

Ryosuke rubbed his hands together to get off some of the dirt they'd accrued while he'd been sitting. "What we do, then? Where to?"

[Kiyama Ryuichiro]

Kiyama looked at the supplies in the middle of the group. Food, water, blankets... and about a day's worth of smokes for the yankees the way they were stressing out. Not bad at all, considering all of the probably expected to be on the way home by now.

His attention was stolen by a shifting to his side; he turned to Mizusawa. The boy still looked anxious, or scared, or... something, speaking in a barely audible voice. "Should we gather firewood now? Or just use the blankets and sweater? If there's enough...Sorry I didn't bring any."

“You two…” Hino started, looking to... well, him and Mizusawa. “Should collect whatever you can find for firewood. Nothing damp, and also enough smaller twigs to use for kindling”

Kiyama nodded. He wasn't particularly offended by Hino's initiative; he was glad to take a breather, and the second-year was the only wan he'd really trust at that point to pick up his slack.

Hino continued, this time looking to Ryosuke. “We will try and see what we can manage for shelter, bark… leaves… anything big and light. As long as we have heat and shelter, we should be fine”

The boy stood, and Kiyama wondered just how uncomfortable he was with that leg... but Hino was keeping it together, and the needed everyone to pitch in to get everything done in the letter time they had left.

“…ok?” Hino asked, almost if he'd not been confident about anything he'd just said... but it was good. Kiyama nodded, also hearing Ryosuke pipe in with an "Oi." of his own.

Kiyama turned to the blonde, who was coming to a stand. He then stood himself, and wiped off his own palms before peering up towards the sky. The warm yellows and pinks were quickly giving way toa gradient of cerulean; they hand very little sunlight left. Glancing over what he supposed would be their campsite, he noted that there certainly would not be many usable materials close by. They would have to venture into the woods to get them.

Rupping his chin, he considered how much he really, really didn't like the idea of splitting up in the wood, especially as late as it was. But he knew that as their time grew shorter, their options became fewer,and splitting up did give them the opportunity to cover more ground.

He exhaled, finally clear on what he though they should do. As if on cue, he heard Ryosuke ask, "What we do, then? Where to?"

"Well," Kiyama started, "three things. First everyone make sure to bring your things, especially if you have food. We don't want woodland creatures eating dinner before we do. Next..."

He spun around pointing two directions on opposite sides of the path. Honestly, he felt stupid. They were completely arbitrary; he could think of no good reason to pick any particular way to go, though he figured that was because his knowledge of the area -- and the outdoors in general -- was so lacking.

"We'll go this way, you guys go that way," he said made sure that the Ryosuke team wasn't going in the direction of the snakes and sounds of earlier in the day. "We'll find more in the forest, but don't go too far."

Kiyama then reached in to his pocket to pull out his cell phone. Still no reception, but he wouldn't need it. He held it high before continuing again. "We all have one of these, right? Check the time. We meet here in half an hour. We only have about that much sunlight left, anyway. If you're late, we'll assume something happened to you."

He paused, not exactly sure what that would mean, but he figured they'd cross that bridge when they'd come to it. Wait... he he lowered his phone and pressed a few buttons before raising it again. This time, it emitted a loud, high pitched ring that almost made him recoil. He regrouped and looked to the others again.

"Get lost, and make your phone go off like this. The sound carries, so it'll attract us and scare away any animals..." I think, he added mentally. Kiyama was only pretending that he knew how animals work, or how any of this worked.

Trying not to get frustrated, Kiyama quickly silenced his phone and pocketed it again. "We good?" he asked the others, while kneeling down to shove his things back in his bag. "We need to get a move on; it'll be dark before we know it..."

He came to a stand again, shouldering his things and looking to the others for the okay.

[Mizusawa Taku]

“You two…” Hino looked pointedly to Kiyama and Mizusawa. “Should collect whatever you can find for firewood. Nothing damp, and also enough smaller twigs to use for kindling”

Mizusawa was startled when Hino suddenly took charge. He had been looking at Kiyama expectantly, assuming the Yankee was going to continue being their leader. He felt safe when Kiyama was their leader. He certainly had not expected Hino to suddenly jump in and take the reins. Although, now that he thought about it, whether Hino was younger or not, he'd at least make sure things were getting done.

It took a moment for Hino's command to process, but when he realized who he had been paired with, his face paled. Finding that he had suddenly and at an untimely moment lost his voice, he merely nodded, shoving his stuff back into his pack to busy himself. Besides, if they were going to go looking for firewood, he'd want all his belongings with him, in case a bear happened across their new campsite while they were away, or something.

“We will try and see what we can manage for shelter, bark… leaves… anything big and light. As long as we have heat and shelter, we should be fine”

For some reason, Mizusawa felt a pang of jealousy that Ryosuke had been paired with Hino. He was afraid to be paired with Kiyama, because he knew he wouldn't be able to talk around the other. He certainly wasn't going to be able to come up with anything decent to say, and he'd be damned lucky if he could even answer the other boy. Things really seemed to not be going his way today, he couldn't help thinking bitterly, chewing on the inside of his lip. But he didn't say a word about it, only looked up at the sound of Ryosuke's somewhat annoyed voice.

"Oi." Ryosuke glanced up in time to meet Hino's gaze. "What if I don't want to go hunting for leaves with you, huh?"

Mizusawa watched as Hino painfully got to his feet to test it out. He was actually considering asking if Ryosuke wanted to trade, but thought against it. He definitely didn't want to hurt Kiyama's feelings. Hell, he didn't want to hurt Kiyama at all. He just...couldn't be alone with him...Not right now.

“…ok?”

Instead of continuing to fight with Hino--Mizusawa had never before wanted so much for Ryosuke to fight with the little guy--Ryosuke sighed and seemed to give in to Hino's demands. Mizusawa felt his shoulders slump in defeat. What was going to happen would happen. There was nothing he could do about it. He was going to be with Kiyama. He felt a knot reforming in his stomach.

Ryosuke was already getting up and getting ready to gather what he and Hino needed to build a shelter. "What we do, then? Where to?"

It was Kiyama's husky voice that spoke next. Mizusawa didn't look at him when he began speaking, instead began toying with the strap of his bag, busying himself with it as his head became clouded with thoughts.

"Well," Kiyama started, "three things. First everyone make sure to bring your things, especially if you have food. We don't want woodland creatures eating dinner before we do. Next..."

"We'll go this way, you guys go that way," he said made sure that the Ryosuke team wasn't going in the direction of the snakes and sounds of earlier in the day. "We'll find more in the forest, but don't go too far."

Now Mizusawa knew he had to look up. Which way were they going? He saw Kiyama pointing in the completely opposite direction of Hino and Ryosuke, and again his heart felt faint. He knew it was a good idea, but felt it was a pretty rotten twist of fate that they didn't even have the chance of bumping into the other group while they worked.

Kiyama then reached in to his pocket to pull out his cell phone. Still no reception, but he wouldn't need it. He held it high before continuing again. "We all have one of these, right? Check the time. We meet here in half an hour. We only have about that much sunlight left, anyway. If you're late, we'll assume something happened to you."

Mizusawa reached into his back pocket, producing his cell phone. He stared at it blankly, as if almost forgetting why he had pulled it out in the first place. The phone's background was a picture of him, Yuuta, Kaneko, and Aoyama making tongue-faces at the camera--back at the beginning of the school term, when their hopes had been high that they'd finally do well as a team. For a moment, he actually wondered how Aoyama had been doing, since he had quit.

"Get lost, and make your phone go off like this. The sound carries, so it'll attract us and scare away any animals..."

The sound of Kiyama's voice once again penetrated his thoughts, but he continued to stare at his phone. He'd had it on manner mode the entire time, something he'd just become accustomed to for when he took bus rides to school. Switching modes so that his phone was no longer silent, he stowed it back into his pocket and got back to his feet. He dusted off his pants, keeping his eyes on the ground and waiting for Kiyama to give them the okay to go.

"We good?" he asked the others, while kneeling down to shove his things back in his bag. "We need to get a move on; it'll be dark before we know it..."

There was a moment of silence, one that was a little too long and too uncomfortable for Mizusawa, who had already been feeling anxious with what he knew was coming. But now that everyone was just standing here...

His hands squeezing tightly into fists, he took a deep breath. They just needed to get this done with, and as soon as possible.

"Come on," he suddenly said, sounding a lot more confident than he had only a moment before. He gritted his teeth, avoiding Kiyama's gaze as he started heading for the woods in the direction Kiyama had said they would go. "Don't take too long, okay, guys?" He called back to Hino and Ryosuke. "Be careful." Then, with a sideways look in Kiyama's direction--without meeting Kiyama's eyes--he added, "Let's go."

Even though he wasn't feeling particularly brave today, he took the lead into the forest. He didn't want to be behind Kiyama anyway, didn't want Kiyama to suddenly turn around and be able to read his emotions all over his face. His stomach was already flip-flopping like crazy, as it was. He was beginning to feel as sick as Ryosuke had not too long before.

As he moved, he crunched over dead twigs and leaves, stopping to pick up the thicker pieces of wood and making sure they weren't wet. He was trying to fill his arms and bag with as much wood as possible, as fast as possible, so they could get back to the campsite quickly. It wasn't that he didn't want to talk to Kiyama--it was actually something of a blessing that he was getting this kind of opportunity. But there was no way he could tell the other how he felt, and even worse, this situation had so completely thrown him for a loop that he was now finding it near impossible to even look at the other, let alone talk to him.

So, keeping himself busy with searching the ground for more wood, he tried to avoid looking over in Kiyama's direction at all. As long as he heard the sound of the boy's footsteps behind him, the sound of him breathing, he would know they were still together.

ooc: So sorry this is such a boring post, kinolee. >< I was trying to get them both in the forest without making Mizusawa sound pushy and out-of-character and without making us all stand there for another three posts. XD So sorry!

[Hino Tetsuya]

Hino felt a strange sense of relief when Tsukimori’s reaction to his taking charge, was to infact not to lash out and refuse. In stead the Yankee stood brushed himself off and offered his help.

"What we do, then? Where to?"

Hino wasn’t one to often call himself as wrong in any sense, as quite frankly, it wasn’t something that happened often. But in this case, and it may be the severity of the situation slightly deceiving his judgement, he felt like he could have misjudge the Yankee’s personality. Maybe he had undervalued his common sense.

Yes, this was something he would debate internally but it was certainly it was not something he would share aloud.

Kiyama spoke up before Hino had given Ryosuke’s last words much thought.

"Well, three things. First everyone make sure to bring your things, especially if you have food. We don't want woodland creatures eating dinner before we do. Next..."

Hino let Kiyama continue, he seemed to sound like he knew what he was doing. And definitely seemed closer to the type of person to be good in a situation such as this than Hino himself was. He felt so incredibly out of his depth as if the weight of well being had been on his shoulders.

Dramatic?

…yes

Sometimes he couldn’t help but feel like the worst could occur even when he knew he should be thinking like that.

"We'll go this way, you guys go that way. We'll find more in the forest, but don't go too far."

Kiyama pointed out directions for them split up towards, Hino was a little relieved to see they had been assigned the slightly less frightening area, the bush a little less brutal looking and darkness a little less menacing. Kiyama then removed his cell phone from his pocket.

"We all have one of these, right? Check the time. We meet here in half an hour. We only have about that much sunlight left, anyway. If you're late, we'll assume something happened to you."

Hino did the same, reaching for his own cell phone, flipping it open and checking it’s battery life.

"Get lost, and make your phone go off like this. The sound carries, so it'll attract us and scare away any animals..."

Hino nodded in response. That was a good idea. He placed his phone back in his pocket, content that 3 bars of battery life we make it through the night and likely even longer.

"We good? We need to get a move on; it'll be dark before we know it..."

Hino nodded, all he could do was nod. He had to put his faith what knowledge Kiyama may or may not have about their plight, and hope that his direction would be their best chance and making it out safe.

His eyes drew up to the sky. It surely was getting dark, but not only that it also looked more than a little grey. They needed to prepare for the chance of rain. He hadn’t remembered hearing of it in the forecast, though it was not something they could rule out as a possibility.

"Come on," Mizusawa voiced with surprising assertiveness

"Don't take too long, okay, guys? Be careful."

Mizusawa then turned his attention to Kiyama, and Hino chose that moment to look to Ryosuke his eyebrows draw together and serious.

“We’re going to be looking for anything big for shelter. Maybe wide pieced of back, logs and branches we can push together… things like that.” He began to head for the rout Kiyama had assigned waiting for the other, keeping the weight off his sore foot as best he could.

“That alone won’t be entirely waterproof, but it will at least give us a whether barrier.” He let his thought processes pour from his mouth, his eyes lit up. “We can then tear my waterproof jacket in half and weigh it down on top of that to keep the rain off…” He bit his lip lightly. “That’s if it does in fact rain.” Hino corrected realising he had been speaking aloud.

“We should get going”

Hino finally said before pushing a light branch out of way and heading into the forest once again with his bag safely on his shoulders, and knowing Ryosuke wouldn’t be too far behind him if something were to go wrong.

[Tsukimori Ryosuke]

"Well," Kiyama started, "three things. First everyone make sure to bring your things, especially if you have food. We don't want woodland creatures eating dinner before we do. Next..."

Ryosuke shrugged. That was easy enough. He had nothing really that was going to help them in this trek--or presumably any forest animals, for that matter--but he was at least grateful that he was with the only member of their group who had splurged on snacks.

"We'll go this way, you guys go that way--"

Ryosuke glanced in the direction Kiyama was pointing and rolled his eyes. "Great..."

"We'll find more in the forest, but don't go too far."

Then he mentioned about the cell phones, and Ryosuke nodded. Assuming the battery hadn't self-destructed in the realization of how useless the phone was now, high up on this mountain, the blonde was sure his phone would be working all right. If it kept foreign animals away, he was good. In fact, for the extra comfort, he hoisted his bag back onto his shoulders and reached a hand into his pocket to hold tightly onto his phone.

Yet Ryosuke hadn't been too thrilled, seeing Mizusawa and Kiyama moving in the opposite direction of him and Hino. Still, he tried to accept it. How bad could things go? It would be good for him to move around rather than just standing in that same damned spot that had been the location of their "getting lost" to begin with. He just really didn't want to venture anywhere into the forest that wasn't in the direction of their classmates and teacher.

“We’re going to be looking for anything big for shelter."

Ryosuke recognized Hino's voice and looked the other's way again, one hand still thrust in his pocket.

"Maybe wide pieced of back, logs and branches we can push together… things like that.”

Ryosuke nodded, preferring to keep silent. He watched Hino begin to move off through the trees, his walk slightly stunted with the trouble his ankle was giving him.
Despite how much he didn't quite "adore" the 2nd year, Ryosuke did feel bad seeing him injured like that. He made a mental note to keep an eye out for the younger boy, though he wondered if maybe, bad leg and all, Hino was ultimately even more capable than him on this forsaken mountain.

“That alone won’t be entirely waterproof, but it will at least give us a whether barrier. We can then tear my waterproof jacket in half and weigh it down on top of that to keep the rain off…That’s if it does in fact rain.”

Ryosuke maintained his silence just because the look on Hino's face--one, perhaps, of slight embarrassment that he'd gone on and on in his explanation--was totally worth it.

“We should get going”

"No kidding," Ryosuke finally responded, restraining a laugh. "Let's just get this over with."

He started moving forward the same time as Hino, holding back the same branch the younger, smaller boy had moved aside as they made their way through. The path ahead looked incredibly like the path everywhere around them. As they moved through the brush, trying to find things appropriate for their shelter, Ryosuke continued to turn around to ensure he could still see their meeting area.

The rock. He just needed to keep an eye out for the rock.

As Ryosuke bent down to pick up a large plank of wood that had come off of what appeared to be a very rotten tree, he felt the first drop of water hit his face.

He paused, praying inside that maybe he'd just shaken some water droplets loose from a nearby branch or something, but moments later, when what appeared to be buckets and buckets of water came pouring down, he knew his prayers had not, in fact, been answered.

"Damn it!" The Yankee threw up his hands, sending all that he'd gathered so far flying, which he then quickly scurried to pick up all over again. "Son of a.....this is ridiculous. Who sent the revenge God after us today? Frigging...."

As he said this, Ryosuke noticed that the entire area they were trekking now sloped downward in a delicious little hill, guaranteed to send them toppling if they slipped even the slightest, which now seemed more than 90% possible with the rain pouring down on them. Ryosuke tried to find Hino through the downpour, blinking madly to get the water out of his eyes. It was even harder to hear around him, too.

"Hino?" Ryosuke took one step forward, just one, and fell into one of the probably many little traps fate had decided to set up for him and his classmates today. His foot went sideways as he slipped on some of the now soaked leaves, and everything in his arms went sailing backwards as he tumbled to the ground. In fact, Ryosuke reached to try to grab hold of something before he went full tilt down the hill, and though he did latch onto something, whether some kind of log or Hino's leg, he didn't know, whatever it was wasn't stable enough to keep him in place.

The next thing Ryosuke knew, he was tumbling. Not across mats, but down the awkward slope, stray branches and brambles scratching his face and tearing at his clothes as he went. And Ryosuke knew he wasn't alone, as something or someone he guessed was Hino, followed him down.