And then there were none...[OPEN]

[Kiyama Ryuichiro]

OOC: Okay, I won't say that this is a crap post, but I will say that I'm not too satisfied with it... ^^;;

"Come on." Mizusawa was the first to respond, his voice loud and much more assertive than Kiyama was used to hearing from him.

The boy stepped a few pases in the direction they would be going in before turning around. "Don't take too long, okay, guys?" Be careful, he called back to the others before resuming his path. That's when Mizusawa shot him a look. Or at least, he tried to. The other boy's eyes didn't quite meet their mark, but Kiyama would have guessed that they would have looked about as cold as he sounded.

"Let's go."

Kiyama watched as he started off into the forest. He furrowed his brow; he honestly didn't mind the others taking the lead (he'd been seriously doubting his his own leadership skills in the past few hours)... but this was just... really unexpected. It was obvious to see the difference in how Mizusawa addressed Ryosuke and Hino, compared to him.

He sighed before reminding himself that it could be just stress or something, looking briefly to Ryosuke and Hino before he followed Mizusawa into the wood.

The going was slow -- the trees and brush were thicker than he'd expected -- and he realized very quickly that he had no idea what tinder looked like. He ended up just tossing anything that looked and felt dry into his bag. Hey, some of it had to be usable.

It also quickly became apparent that Mizusawa was either utterly engrossed in pick-up sticks, or he was intentionally avoiding Kiyama. The other boy didn't talk, didn't look back, and seemed to be keeping so many paces ahead of him on purpose. The few glimpses he'd caught of his teammate's face weren't all too comforting. He was obviously uncomfortable, though he was trying to be focused on the task at hand.

It wasn't anything new. The two had been in the same class for a while, and his few interactions with Mizusawa had been pretty cold. But that happened a lot. Kiyama knew that he was in fact a "big scary yankee". But after he joined the team and he got to know everyone and they got to know him... after the yankees turned it down a few notches and everyone seemed to reach this level of mutual respect and understanding... Mizusawa, well, still treated him like that.

Because of who he was, and the things he'd gotten mixed up in, he got treated like this all the time. But this time it seemed strangely personal.

Plop.

His thoughts were interrupted by a drop of liquid falling on his nose. He scrunched up his face, instinctively reaching up and touching it while hoping it wasn't something that had just come out of a bird's rear. A few more drops fell on his hands, and his head... and then everywhere else.

Rain? Kiyama bit his lip. He certainly hadn't expected for it to start raining... He suddenly felt very bad for not paying enough attention to the weather and taking it into account. It would definitely cut the tinder-gathering journey short. With a groan, he closed his bag and held it as tightly to his chest as possible, hoping that he could keep its contents dry should they need to be used later.

By then -- within seconds, really, the rain was coming down in sheets. It hit Kiyama that he hadn't heard or seen Mizusawa since his attention had been turned to the rain. It really hadn't been that long, so he couldn't have gotten that far. He squinted, turning in the direction he'd last seen the boy walking in, but he couldn't make anything out more than a meter in front of him. Everything beyond that was a mess of wet blurs.

"Mizusawa?" he called, but he heard nothing but the sound of falling water in response. It was loud; he'd forgotten how loud rain could get.

Oh yeah, the phone thing...

Kiyama whipped his cell out of his pocket and flipped it open in one motion. One motion that was so quick that the phone flew out of his hand and onto the ground. The lighted screen allowed him to follow it as it rolled and flipped across the forest floor.

Notgoodnotgoodnotgood-- Without thinking, he dove for it, reaching out to grab it, before he saw it suddenly bounce out of view. It had fallen over something. Kiyama pushed off the ground to see that it had fallen off a ledge. A ledge.

"Ah." They were on a mountain.

In fact, he suddenly found himself sliding down the ground as well. The incline was more than he'd thought, and the suddenly wet ground was only making it more dangerous. He quickly stumbled to his feet -- not all too gracefully, and he was pretty much completely wet, but he had his footing.

Unsettled, he trudged over to the nearest tree, where most of the rain was being diverted by leaves and boughs and the protruding roots gave him something stable to stand on. Let's assess. So now they were lost on a mountain, separated, and facing what was going to be a cold and wet night. His thoughts immediately flashed to Ryosuke, Hino, and Mizusawa... who it felt like was standing in front of him seconds ago. Those thoughts quickly transformed, becoming images of them careening down the mountain...

Kiyama shook his head in an attempt to shake away that thought pattern. It was then that he noticed that with his free hand, he'd been tugging at that bracelet again...

He closed his eyes a moment to compose himself, before setting off again. There wasn't any doubt about it. Despite how he felt about them and how they felt about him, he could not stop until he found Mizusawa and the others.

[Mizusawa Taku]

ooc: Just so everyone remembers, Mizu's Outfit!

Gathering wood felt like a very boring and pain-staking task, in Mizusawa's opinion. Normally he wouldn't complain about something that had to be done, but this time he quickly became frustrated--given the circumstances--that this particular job seemed to be taking so long. Or maybe that was just him. But still...it felt as though it had been hours since he'd seen Ryosuke and Hino, since he'd felt the comfort of knowing he had them around. Knowing he had them to hide behind when he didn't want to face Kiyama alone.

Because he knew that was the bitter truth. The only reason why he was regretting this task so much was because Kiyama was with him. Kiyama, who he had such strong feelings for, and yet whom he could barely speak a word too without seeming angry or somehow upset with the other boy. He couldn't help it. The cool front he put on when talking to Kiyama--when he could talk to Kiyama--wasn't him talking. That was just...him trying to deny his feelings. Or conceal them well enough so that Kiyama wouldn't hate him forever. Although, judging by the way, the other boy had not attempted to speak to him the entire time they'd been picking up twigs, Mizusawa had begun to get a sinking feeling in his heart, that Kiyama already hated him.

He'd become so lost in this thought, that the task Hino had set him began to become automatic--picking up wood, making sure it was dry, putting it in his bag, and beginning the search again. Though his arms were slowly but surely getting tired, he was no longer paying attention to what he was doing. He didn't need to.

A new thought crept into his mind, the further on he ventured, this time insisting that he come up with something to say to Kiyama. Not only was his heart weighed down at the moment by the thought that Kiyama might dislike him enough to the point of hate, but now he was starting to feel guilty that he really hadn't said a word to the other boy.

And so, he began to gather up his courage, mentally fighting with himself over something good to say, though nothing was coming to mind. In the end, he decided that whatever came out of his mouth would have to do--he just wouldn't let his true feelings show, was all.

Reaching down to pick up a pile of more dry twigs, he took a deep breath. "Kiyama?" He began, finally turning in the direction of the other boy, "I--"

He stopped. Kiyama was not behind him. No one was behind him. Even as far back as he could see, the way he'd come, there was no one. Nothing but the greens and browns of the forest. He frowned, concerned. Had he somehow left Kiyama behind without realizing it? Or--

And then a worse thought hit him. Had Kiyama ditched him? That wasn't entirely out of the realm of possibility. Kiyama didn't seem like that kind of person, but he was a Yankee, and if Mizusawa had upset him in any way...

Mizusawa felt his heart sink, the same time that fear began to take over. It was bad enough that he might have unintentionally hurt Kiyama, but that wasn't even his only problem. He was now lost...and by himself too. What had Kiyama told them all to do? Set off their cell phone alarms if they got separated?

"Kiyama?" he called, his voice hesitant. Then, he spoke again, louder, more frantically. "Kiyama?" He waited, but there was no answer.

He was just reaching into his bag for his cellphone, when it began. The rain. Lots and lots of rain. So much rain that, Mizusawa felt his heart skip a beat at the realization that he could barely see four or five feet in front of him. This was bad.

He knew there was nothing for it. He needed to start heading back. Hugging his bag to his chest, to keep its contents dry, he kept his head down when he could and pushed forward, squinting to see past the sheet of rain at what was ahead of him. Twice he nearly walked right into a tree, and he tripped several times, once over a tree root that sent him landing right on top of his bag of sticks. Several of the sticks poked sharply into his chest, and he felt a few snap under his weight.

Argh, this was ridiculous. Getting back to his feet and shaking the water out of his eyes, he reached into his bag again, hoping to find his cell phone. If he could use it without it getting too wet, then maybe he could send off the alarm sound to get help--if anyone could even hear that over the thundering of this rain.

He was so busy trying to get the phone and keeping it from getting wet, that he didn't see what appeared several feet away from him.

Until he heard it snort.

Even above the rain, he'd heard that sound. It wasn't coming from very far away, after all. What had most confused him was that it had sounded an awful lot like a pig...But then he realized, as he looked in its direction...The thing that had been making that noise...It was a pig. Only, it was a pig with two very large, dangerous-looking tusks protruding from its mouth, and a not-so-nice, ominous look on its face. And right now, it was pawing at the ground like it was about to--

Mizusawa barely got out of the way in time. Eyes widening as he realized what was about to happen, he threw himself to the left, hitting his elbow hard against a stone as the pig charged past the spot he'd been standing in only a moment before. He cried out in pain, as a feeling like electric fire blazed up and down his arm, generated from the place in which he'd hit his elbow.

But he had to move. Because he realized now, the pig--boar--was not going to give up so easily. It had already turned around, to take another stab at the poor boy who'd only just managed to get out of the way the first time.

Stumbling to his feet, Mizusawa began to run. He couldn't see too far ahead of him, had no idea if he was even going in the right direction anymore, but he knew this could mean the difference between life and death. There wasn't even time for him to try and get his cell phone out now, especially when his soaked clothes were now beginning to weigh him down.

This had to have been the creature Ryosuke had heard, the thing that had made that noise from before. Mizusawa was suddenly sure of it. Unless there were more of them...But he didn't even want to think of that as a possibility right now.

He heard louder, more frantic grunts now from behind him, and realized the boar was somehow gaining on him. He'd had a head-start, but the animal was still catching up. Mizusawa knew he had to act quick, so he did the first thing that came to mind. He was wearing two layers on top, a T-shirt and an open button-down shirt too. With the two of them on, he was feeling even more weighed down in the rain. And neither were doing anything for him, considering he was already drenched to the skin. Reaching out with both hands, he fumbled with the two buttons that were still clasped on his shirt, tearing at them to make them open. He managed to open one but couldn't do the other the proper way--so instead, he ripped it open, not all that concerned that he'd ruined a perfectly good shirt, especially considering he wasn't likely to see it again with what he was about to do.

He didn't stop, only turned slight while still running, throwing his arm back and tossing the soaked shirt at the boar.

SMACK.

It was a direct hit over the boar's face. The animal stopped for a moment, tossing its head in different directions wildly as it tried to life the shirt off so it could see again. But it seemed to be failing.

Mizusawa only stopped for a moment to watch, before turning to run again. The more distance he had on the animal, the better. It was only a matter of time before it would be able to see again.

He pushed his bangs out of his eyes, trying to keep the water from dripping into them so he could see ahead of him, and pressed onwards.

What he hadn't been expecting was the sudden force that collided with him from the side, sending him reeling to the ground into a large puddle, groaning as whatever had hit him landed on top of him too. At first he was stunned, thinking somehow the boar had caught up with him again, and had somehow managed to attack him from the side.

But then he heard it...the grunts, from not too far away. Close enough that he could hear it over the rain. The boar. And the sound wasn't coming from whatever was now on top of him.

His heart skipped several beats, and he somehow found the courage to open his eyes and see what new wild animal was now sitting on him and planning to attack him. He couldn't believe how wrong things had gone--how he had lost the tumbling team and their teacher, lost Kiyama, hurt Kiyama, then gotten lost himself, ran into a rainstorm, and now these wild animals...This was so all too much. He heard a small whimpering sound, and realized with some surprise that it was coming from himself.

[Hino Tetsuya]

“No kidding, Let's just get this over with." Hino heard Ryosuke reply rather bitterly from behind him. He didn’t let the others stifled laughter bother him, knowing the intensity of the situation was the main cause for the backlash.

He could hear the footsteps through broken sticks as proof that Ryosuke had been following rather closely behind him. This made Hino feel a little less worried knowing he had back so close if he needed it. Hino knew that when they split into teams of two, it would be best to have a yankee in each group, it was obviously Ryosuke and Kiyama were both far strong physically than both he and Mizusawa. Sending Kiyama with Mizusawa was for a different reason, Mizusawa seems so deeply distracted and unlike himself on this trip and he knew Kiyama would be able to take charge if he needed to. Though he was unsure Ryosuke would be able to step up to the same platform. In the very least he Reysouke would be a lot of help in carrying supplies back to camp.

He spotted a large based tree with a loosely fitting sheet of bark. He stepped over to it and slipped his fingers underneath the sheet to see just how loose it was. Next to him Ryosuke was bending down to pick up a rather large log that could be used for similar purposes.

He pulled his hand back with a start, he’d felt something crawl against his finger tips and he had to suppress the urge to shriek. He checked briefly over his shoulder to make sure Ryosuke hadn’t seen his weakness.

He picked up a stick from the messy forest floor that he could use to wedge between the trunk and the bark. But before he had a chance to begin he looked to his hand to see a single drop of rain perched on his thumb. He looked up to the sky, to see that grey clouds stretched as far as he could see beyond the tips of the high trees.

Another drop fell on his nose, and another on his cheek. Then another and another.

Only a moment later, and there was a downpour heavy enough to block out a good deal of his hearing. He heard Ryosuke curse loudly over his shoulder, or at least he heard him shout and from the tone assumed it was a curse.

With a hand above his eyes he tried to clear his vision through the heavy rain, only managing to stop it from beading upon his eyelashes. He turned around to where he thought Ryosuke had been, and was shocked to see he wasn’t. He knew they had travelled close to the embankment he’d passed when he’d been miserably lost. He hoped Ryosuke hadn’t gone over the edge. He turned around to check only to hear his name called closely over his shoulder.

“Tsukimori?” He answered, but he received nothing more in response.

In fact what he received would be sooner considered abuse.

An unexpected hand about his ankle pulled his legs from beneath him, causing his back to his the wet ground with a sharp crack. His mouth gaped open in a mixture of both shock and pain, though he barely had time to shout out or react to the sudden movement when he felt himself falling down the embankment fast and completely out of control. His limbs flailing about wildly when his body would just about become airborne in the erratic movement. His arms and legs taking out branches and bushes on his way down the steep vale, as the forest tried desperately to take out his clothing in return, feeling shreds being ripped from his pants and jacket and the skin beneath.

He kept his eyes squinted tightly closed hoping to protect them from debris, though this didn’t save the rest of face from scratches and bruises.

He felt like they’d been falling forever until the speed of his fall began to decrease and as the ground levelled out to eventually become flat. Though it was not this that stopped him completely, it was the thick stump of a tree he managed to crash into, at thankfully s slower pace. But it was still enough to feel like the air had been knocked from his lunges for the rest of his life and his ribs wouldn’t be the same for a while.

He could safely say that he wouldn’t be to worried about the fact that he’d twisted his ankle earlier, instead he felt like every inch of his body was in agony.

“Ahh…Oww” He moaned out with what little voice he could manage.

He pushed himself away from the tree trunk, his body almost wrapped about its base and rolled over. He knew Ryosuke had come down that fall with him, now he had to find him and make sure he was ok. Though unfortunately the rain had not slowed and deterred his vision and ability to stand. The ground he lay on could almost be considered a muddy puddle and not a solid surface. He squinted through the rain, in hopes he may see the other while he regained his breath.

“Tsu-Tsukimori-ri…” He stammered out, though he knew his voice had come out to quiet for anyone more than a few feet away to be able to hear. But he didn’t have enough air in his lunges or energy in his body to speak much louder.

Despite the rain, the cold and the pain.

All Hino wanted to do at that moment was close his eyes and slip into to nothingness. He blinked slowly, getting his hands beneath his chest to try and push himself off the ground. But for the now it was futile.

He lowered himself back down.

And closed his eyes…

…just for a moment.



ooc: gosh I'm sorry Marysa, I'm not very sure where we want this to go. If theres something you want me to change I can. Just tell me!

[Tsukimori Ryosuke]

Ryosuke felt as though he might fall forever, stray branches and brambles ripping away at clothes and skin until there was nothing left, before he finally fell with a solid THUNK to the wet ground. He felt a nice wave of pain pass though his whole body, and his face went into a pile of dead, wet leaves as if it was some kind of final mockery.

All things considered, and despite the cold, numbing pain he was now feeling, Ryosuke sighed with some relief. He took a long moment to just lie there on the ground, catch the breath which had been knocked from him.
There had always been the possibility that he could have slipped off the side of a cliff. And if that had been the case, he was sure it would have been a far worse injury than whatever he had now to cry over.

And he was lucky he was as big as he was. It hadn't made the landing any less painful--in fact, it had probably worsened it--but his body was tough enough that it had been able to handle the worst of the bumps and scrapes without too much of a problem. The only thing Ryosuke really had to gripe about now was the chill, the wet, torn clothes, and the other pains he'd picked up on his fun roll down the mountainside.

But that was when he heard the twisted, pained sounds. Somewhere over the pounding of the rain. And he knew he wasn't alone.

“Tsu-Tsukimori-ri…”

Ryosuke bit his lip. Damn...damn damn damn, he had pulled Hino down. It hadn't been a log at all! But...he hadn't done it on purpose! It had been sort of first instinct and he'd just been trying to grab onto something to keep him steady and....damn, what if he'd killed the poor bastard?

"Hino?" Ryosuke forced himself to his knees slowly, coughing. His arms felt weak beneath him, supporting his weight as he sat up. "H-Hino?"

Turning his head, even despite the thick curtain of rain, Ryosuke could see Hino's small frame on the ground. He was up against what looked like a pretty solid tree stump, and Ryosuke was suddenly praying with all his heart that the other boy hadn't collided with it or landed on it and impaled himself on a stray branch or something. The way he was just lying there, the way he'd spoken....it was scary.

"Hino, are you okay?" Ryosuke found a bit more strength in him at his determination to check up on the other boy. If his mind hadn't been so bothered with the sight before him and just about every other piece of bad luck he'd encountered on this trip, he might have been surprised at how quickly his attitude toward the second year had changed.

Damn. He was lying face-down too. That was never a good sign.

"Hey, Hino, stay with me..." Ryosuke crawled for one side of the boy, reaching out to try to flip him over. "Don't pass out, come on."

He shifted slightly, so that he was holding onto Hino's torso, allowing the other boy's head to rest on his arm, and shook him slightly. "Don't pass out yet, Hino. You have to tell me what's wrong...I...I can't do anything if I don't know what's wrong. Is something broken? Can you even see me? Hear me?"

Ryosuke closed his eyes, suddenly numb to the pain. He'd never felt this way. He'd only ever worried about his friends, and in combat. And even then, to worry about anyone in Wataru's gang was pretty much pointless, considering how capable they all were.

But then it dawned on him.

Hino was his friend. At the end of the day, no matter how much they argued or pretended to dislike each other, they were friends. And this mountain? This was probably worse than any other combat Ryosuke had ever had...Ever.

"I'm....sorry Hino."

[Kiyama Ryuichiro]

OOC: Oh. My. God. I can't believe you actually brought in a PIG. OMGWTFBBQ. LOLZ.

Kiyama hadn't been walking long when he heard a faint noise; something that wasn't the unrelenting rain or the tree branches it made shake and shiver.

"Mizusawa?" he asked, much too quietly for the other to hear him, had he actually been near. Kiyama looked around, trying to make out the direction from which the sound came. The dim twilight, downpour, and the sheer amount of stress he was under at the moment really didn't help his senses. Still, he found that every muscle in his body tensed, as if it would really help him hear better.

But then came another sound, louder than the first. He still couldn't make out exactly what it was, but he could tell where it came from. Without a second thought, he began to move in that direction.

After about a minute of walking, right when he was beginning to doubt himself, he heard it again. It was a distinctive, animal-like cry. In fact, it sounded like a--

He didn't get a chance to complete his thought; immediately afterwards came the cry of a person. Wait, it wasn't just any person...

"Mizusawa?" he asked again, running forward before he could get any answer.

He finally reached them. Mizusawa was standing there, looking at... Kiyama followed the other boy's line of sight to see it. Something about the size of a dog with a patterned piece of cloth over its head.

And it didn't seem too happy about that.

Oh God...

Kiyama charged at Mizusawa, before the thing charged at him. He caught the other boy in the side, sending the two flying a few meters before hitting the ground. It took Kiyama a few moments to catch his breath, and to realize he was heaving, essentially in Mizusawa's lap.

He looked up into the boy's face, still breathing heavily. Mizusawa looked stunned, but... okay? He was making nervous, helpless noises, so he had to be alive. But was he hurt? Before Kiyama got the chance to make sure, he heard it again. That angry animal wasn't too far off.

Kiyama pushed himself off of Mizusawa, almost immediately falling over from a combination of vertigo, the disorienting environment and--

He looked down to see that his track pants had been torn around the knee, down to his foot. He hadn't noticed that it hurt yet, thanks to the adrenaline, but he could feel that what was trailing down his leg wasn't just he cold rain, but a warm, sticky liquid.

Before he could think much about it, or before he would let himself think much about it, he looked up to the animal dashing about no too far away. It moved in short bursts, unable to see as that pesky cloth still clung to its head. From under the fabric twisted two long, sharp-looking tusks, one of which he guessed just caught him in the leg.

It was a wild boar. Damn.

Kiyama took a step towards the creature; instantly, its ears perked and it turned in his direction. He grabbed the strap of his bag tightly; this would have to be quick.

He took one step, and then another, when the boar charged at him. But Kiyama stopped moving forward, instead twisting his body, raising the bag. He knew he would have only get one shot at this...

This strike hit true, with enough power to knock the boar off its feet. By some miraculous force the boys seriously needed, the cloth was still clung to its face, and it was flailing around. Kiyama dashed forward -- his bag was too light, it wouldn't be enough -- and scanned the area in front of him to find that a fallen bough was on the ground by his feet. He picked it up, and swung down with all his might.

A piercing squeal echoed through every corner of the forest. He wouldn't wait for it to stop moving. He swung the stick again. And again.

...and again and again and again.

He didn't stop until he heard the sharp crack of the bough, some of the splinters flying in his face, and felt that he was swinging at nothing but dead air. In front of him lay the remains of the boar, motionless, silent, the checked cloth that stuck to its face lightly stained with the blood that stuck to it despite the rain.

Kiyama stood there for a while.

He had to catch his breath, and to calm down a little. His heart was pounding so quickly, his head was pounding, and he was sweating in spite of the chilling precipitation pouring down. He also had to convince himself it was dead and that it was no longer a threat. He also tried to convince himself that it was okay, that what he just did was okay. It was a dangerous animal, and he'd done a very necessary thing. It was okay that he killed it; otherwise it could've killed him. It was okay.

Right?

He shivered, maybe because of the cold rain... maybe because he was disgusted with himself.

Oh...

He turned to look behind him. Mizusawa was still on the ground, staring at him with wide eyes.

Dropping what was left of the stick, he ran over the boy, grabbing him up and pulling him to the base of the nearest tree where he wouldn't get as soaked by the rain. That particular one was tall and wide, and the denseness of its branches and leaves deflected most of the precipitation from its base.

Kiyama dropped his bag, then dropped to his knees in front of Mizusawa. He couldn't read the other boy's face... he could've been in pain, or scared, or anything...

Suddenly scared himself, Kiyama grabbed Misuzawa by his shoulders, and looked him in his eyes.

"Mizusawa, are you okay? Mizusawa?"

There was no answer. Was he in shock?

"Mizusawa? Are you hurt?" Was Mizusawa mad at him? As unrealistic as it might have been, Kiyama was utterly disappointed in himself for letting the circumstances reach what they had. He'd completely failed at the one most important thing, watching over his teammate, when he was the one so insistent on everyone staying together...

"I'm sorry I knocked you down, okay? Sorry I lost--" The train of thought Kiyama had earlier that afternoon began again with a start, completely taking over his mind. He knew it, it was obvious, Mizusawa didn't like him. Was he scared of him? Did he think he was crazy? Heartless? Disgusting? Were there even any questions considering that he did what he just did?

Kiyama was overwhelmed by a sinking feeling in his chest. It was something that happened a lot, yes... But he had to consider how Mizusawa had become somewhat friendly with all the other yankees, even Wataru, as explosive and as violent as he used to be. But why--

Azuma Wataru never killed anyone.

Slowly, Kiyama let go of Mizusawa's shoulders. He immediately put them in his lap so the other boy couldn't see how they'd begun to tremble.

In any other circumstance, he would've just walked away, but there was no where for him to go. The prospect of being responsible for anything else happening to Mizusawa, who was practically in his care, was paralyzing. So he picked up his bag, got back to his feet, and made his way to the other side of the tree. Exhausted, he slumped to the ground.

Kiyama's next words were very quiet. He wasn't even sure if Mizusawa would hear them over the rain, but he couldn't will himself to speak any louder.

"Just tell me if you're hurt or anything. For now... for now we'll just rest here, okay?"

He sighed. That was all they could do at the moment, right? He didn't dare to think what might've happened to Ryosuke and Hino by then... he couldn't. Yet there was no possible way they could search for them, not with any delusions of success... not with the waning light and the pouring rain. He brought his hands to his chin, and suddenly noticed that beaded bracelet had made its way from his wrists to his fingers. Clenching it, he stared out into the rain.

Kiyama shivered again, and this time, he knew exactly why.

It was getting mighty cold out.

OOC: So I know I totally godplayed a bit there. Tell me if it's too much and I'll gladly change it~~

[Mizusawa Taku]

He should have known, right away, that it had been a person that had saved him from the boar. Should have known from the hands that he could finally feel wrapped tightly around his waist, from the heavy, human breathing of the person on top of him. Yes, a person. Not an animal.

He looked down at the person, panting himself, and as if he had thought he could be shocked no further this day, he found himself shivering even more when he realized who it was who had landed on top of him.

Kiyama.

Kiyama, rang the voice in his head.

Kiyama had saved him from the boar. He saw the other boy's big, beautiful brown eyes searching his own now very wide eyes, perhaps actually worrying if he was okay. But he could not respond. Words had officially escaped him, as had any means of conveying to the other boy that he was just shaken, that was all. This was Kiyama...

But there wasn't time anyway, because a second later, and the sound of the boar shattered that moment between them. Mizusawa watched helplessly as the bigger boy extricated himself, getting to his feet and turning clumsily in the boar's direction. A sudden realization hit Mizusawa, though in his still-stunned state, it was impossible for him to get his body to move to do anything about it.

Kiyama was going to take on the boar all by himself. To protect...

To protect you, a voice finished in his head.

What happened next, Mizusawa had not quite expected. He'd seen the other boy lifting his bag threateningly, then taking a few steps forward...and then, bringing it crashing down--onto what?

He didn't have to wait long to find out. Kiyama moved quickly to pick up something off the ground, and Mizusawa finally could see what the boy had hit. Some kind of patterned yellow cloth...He froze. The boar. There was now a large stick in Kiyama's hand, more like a fallen branch, and he was bringing it down on--

Mizusawa didn't hear anything at first, not over the rain, until there was suddenly a piercing squeal, the sound of which seemed to tear through Mizusawa's body, shattering any calmness he had left. He watched, mouth open, eyes wide, unable to move a damn muscle, as Kiyama destroyed the boar, repeatedly smashing it over the head with the tree branch, until the branch broke.

And all for him.

Then... silence. Dead silence, all except for the rain. Kiyama was no longer moving, just staring down at what had to be the dead carcass of the boar. Mizusawa felt himself beginning to shiver uncontrollably, a combination caused by the wet and cold, and what he had just seen Kiyama do. He couldn't look away, was almost more horrified than he had been when the boar had been chasing him down. He couldn't get the piercing, dying squeal of the animal out of his ears, couldn't help but think that an innocent animal had just been murdered, in its own territory. He wasn't exactly an animal lover, but he did respect when he was in an animal's rightful territory. And yet, he knew, he had to remind himself--Kiyama had only done it to protect them. He'd done it to save Mizusawa's life. He owed Kiyama.

The other boy turned around, but Mizusawa couldn't look away, and couldn't stop shivering. Even though he understood why Kiyama had done what he'd done, understood the necessity of it, he was shocked. Shocked by everything that had happened up to this point. The rain, the boar, Kiyama knocking him out of danger's way, and then Kiyama saving him again, by killing the boar that had been chasing him. It was all...too much.

Kiyama seemed to be able to read something into his expression, because a look of realization plagued his face, and he dropped the broken stick, running over to Mizusawa with the ultimate look of concern on his face. Mizusawa's eyes remained on the spot where Kiyama had last been standing, now finally seeing the still form of the boar. His button-down shirt was still over its face--and now, he could see--it was stained with blood.

He would have thrown up at the sight of it, but he felt himself suddenly in Kiyama's arms again, being pulled not too far away, under a large tree. A sharp pain ran up his arm from where he'd hit his elbow earlier, but he didn't have the capability to cry out at this point. Even though some water was still raining down on him, the tree's thick leaves and branches seemed to block most of it. Not that that was stopping him from shivering like mad.

Kiyama had dropped his bag to the ground now, kneeling in front of him and searching his face again, for some trace of recognition. But Mizusawa was still stunned by what he had seen, and even at Kiyama's touch--at the sound of his voice, and their eyes meeting--he couldn't find it in himself to react just yet, to respond in some way. It was just as bad as when they'd first set out together.

"Mizusawa? Are you hurt? I'm sorry I knocked you down, okay? Sorry I lost--"

But again, Mizusawa didn't answer. He wasn't sure why he was acting like this, why he couldn't seem to talk. Maybe it was because this was Kiyama he was talking to, who he hadn't even been able to strike up a conversation with before all this. Or maybe it was because of what he'd just seen Kiyama do. Maybe both. Either way, he couldn't respond, couldn't find the strength within himself to even open his mouth. Instead, he trained his eyes on the ground, his heart still pounding, his whole body shaking uncontrollably. A moment later and he felt Kiyama's hands leave his shoulders.

The other boy grabbed his bag, got to his feet, and wordlessly left. That was what finally registered in his mind--Kiyama's leaving. As if waking up from out of a trance, he watched the other boy round the tree, heard the sound of him setting his bag down again, and knew Kiyama had settled himself down on the opposite side of the tree. Suddenly feeling even more cold and alone than before, but knowing it was all his own fault, Mizusawa brought his knees up to his chest and tried to hug himself for warmth. He had no idea where his bag had gone, was sure his cellphone was as good as useless by this point. And he was shivering, badly. It felt as though he had just jumped into an ice cold ocean repeatedly, over and over again, until his skin had become numb. He felt sure of it...he was probably catching pneumonia, and maybe Kiyama was too.

"Just tell me if you're hurt or anything. For now... for now we'll just rest here, okay?"

The voice was soft, but surprisingly, Mizusawa could hear it over the rainfall. He buried his face into his knees, closing his eyes and willing himself to be anywhere but here. It was as if some unseen force was testing him, insisting that he have to talk to Kiyama. And after what had happened.

He looked up again, biting his lip to keep from crying. He'd become something of a crybaby recently, but certain situations called for a way to relieve stress, and this was certainly one of those times. As for his constant crying, maybe he was overly stressed at school--he wasn't sure of the exact reason for it. But it was happening.

As he pondered this thought, he looked down at the ground where Kiyama had been standing a moment before.

And saw red.

A very small puddle of red, right where Kiyama had been kneeling.

At first, Mizusawa's stomach revolted at the sight of it. He'd mistaken it for the pig's blood, thinking some of it had gotten on Kiyama's clothes. But looking around, trying to keep the shivers from wracking his body too much, he saw that there was something like a trail of blood--very thin, but winding it's way around the tree, to where Kiyama had gone.

And then it occurred to him. ...Was Kiyama hurt? Had he been freaking out over a minor elbow injury and what Kiyama had done, while this entire time, the other boy had been hurt?

Fear beginning to take over, fear for Kiyama, Mizusawa fell out of his huddled position, crawling on all fours slowly around to the other side of the tree. He saw Kiyama's legs first, splayed out in front of him. And that was when he noticed the gash, deep in the boy's leg, near his knee. He paled.

"K-Kiyama?" His voice cracked, now more scared for Kiyama's life than for his own. He moved forward until he was finally able to see Kiyama's face, staring out at the sea of forest around them. Looking away, Mizusawa moved closer to the boy's wounded leg, taking a closer look at the gash. It was deep. And it looked bad. Why hadn't Kiyama said anything about it?

"...You're hurt," Mizusawa spoke breathlessly, shocked at the horrible realization. "By the boar...weren't you?" He looked at the wound again, afraid for the other boy, and horrified that after all Kiyama had done to save him, he had done so little to protect Kiyama.

Well, he had nothing that could really help ease any pain Kiyama was feeling, nor did he have the right tools to fix the wound up properly. But the least he could do was apply some kind of pressure, some kind of dressing...stop it from bleeding.

His T-shirt was already torn, so it would work just fine. Tearing off a long strip of material from the hem of his shirt with his good arm, he began to wrap it around Kiyama's injured leg, making sure to keep it tight and preventing too much blood from coming out. Now that he was out from the base of the tree, the rain began to plunge back down all over him again, water streaming over his eyelashes and some into his eyes, making it hard to see, and therefore making the process seem very slow and challenging.

When he'd finally finished that, he turned to Kiyama, shivering even more than before. It was beginning to feel like his body couldn't function without the shivering. He was becoming used to it, but not used to it in a way that he was comfortable with it. He was freezing to death, and he was sure Kiyama was too.

"K-K-Kiyama...?" he began, inching backwards until his back was pressed against the tree. He felt their drenched arms make contact, their soaked skin sticking together for a moment. He suddenly felt ashamed at what he was about to say. "...M-Maybe...maybe we should..." He paused again, unsure how he could possibly say this to Kiyama when he couldn't even strike up a normal conversation with the Yankee boy. But he had to press on. He knew it was important. "...Can you hug me, Kiyama?" His voice shivered as much as his body, so that his words were distorted amidst the sound of the falling rain.

[Kiyama Ryuichiro]

OOC: So I ended up writing this early, and was urged to go on and post it to facilitate someone joining the thread. Sorry for going out of turn! Hopefully, it doesn't mess up anything in the Hino/Ryosuke subplot here!

Kiyama was growing numb.

Had he been thinking clearly, he would've contemplated the reason, but his mind was becoming as unfeeling as his body. He was buried in fuzzy half-notions of how crazy the day had been and what he should've done different and other big mistakes he'd made in the past. The slow blinking of eyes trained on nothing really and his increasingly frequent fits of shivers reminded him that he was still there, and not just a cold bundle of incomplete ideas.

He didn't notice that Mizusawa had approached until he heard him stutter something. Kiyama looked to see the boy on his hands and knees, looking to him strangely. A little weirded out, but back with the program, his eyes darted back and forth as he tried to regain his bearings.

Woods. Rain. Bracelet.

With a tinge of embarrassment, he slipped the strand of beads back onto his wrist, and returned his gaze to Mizusawa.

The other boy was closer now, a worried expression on his face. "...You're hurt. By the boar...weren't you?"

Kiyama looked down, where Mizusawa's eyes lay to find the torn fabric of his pants, the deep wound in pale flesh, and the dark red blood that suddenly seemed to be everywhere the rain wasn't. When did that happen? The sight looked vaguely familiar, though Mizusawa's words had brought it home for him, like a newsflash... sans the upbeat orchestral fanfare. "You're hurt, by the boar. Full story at eleven."

"Ah," Kiyama whispered, not really able to put together a complete thought.

It did hurt, he finally noticed, although it was closer to a deep, sore, vestigial pain than he'd expected. Kiyama was no stranger to injury, so perhaps that played a part in it, as did the waning adrenaline and the overwhelming cold. That familiarity with injury primed him to notice that it was definitely in need of serious attention. A little-known fact about yankees was that nearly all of them were proficient in first aid (for obvious reasons), but it wasn't like he had anything to work with--

But Mizusawa was starting anyway. He ripped a strip of cloth from his shirt. Kiyama watched as the boy wrapped it around his leg, and flinched when he pulled it tight. Damn, it really was starting to hurt. Still, from what the taller boy saw, Mizusawa was doing well, or was well as he could without any proper materials.

This was when a very urgent question struck Kiyama. Why was Mizusawa doing this? Mizusawa Taku, the boy who would barely speak to, or even look at him, and what little contact they had was usually in the form of a curt mumble or stilted rambling. The first answer Kiyama came up with struck him as the most reasonable. They were under dire circumstances, and depending on each other was their only way to survive. Tit-for-tat.

He bit his lip as his watched Mizusawa continue; his leg had really begun to hurt by then... it was some hell of a delayed response. The shorter boy seemed in over his head, armed only with his little piece of his shirt, but stayed diligent. Despite whatever animosity they had, Kiyama felt bad. Mizusawa was getting soaked again trying to accomplish this impossible task to stop his bleeding. More than anything else, Kiyama should've been paying attention to his own well-being; he couldn't help anyone if he wouldn't be able to even walk...

But his teammate finally decided his work was finished, and looked up at him. He looked to Kiyama as if he were freezing; his body was quivering almost nonstop.

"K-K-Kiyama...?"

He was surprised when Mizusawa didn't return to his spot on the other side of the tree, but sat beside him... so close that they were touching. Again came that urgent question, why?, but the answer was clearly that the situation had gotten that bad. It was a "desperate times call for desperate measures" kind of thing; he was keeping his enemy closer because he happened to omit body heat... a little, anyway.

Mizusawa was freezing, or at least, he felt like it. Kiyama couldn't help but shiver, a bit harder than he had been, at that touch. It was cold. Everything was cold. It was so early in the evening, too... it would only get colder. The prospect of it getting worse was something that Kiyama found ridiculously alarming, but he simply couldn't think of anything else he could do right now. He felt... slow. His brain didn't seem like it could keep up with this mounting primal anxiety that was growing inside him. Something had to be done for them, for Mizusawa, for Ryosuke and Hino wherever they might be... for himself.

Why couldn't he think straight?

"...M-Maybe...maybe we should..." Mizusawa was stammering again, but it was so damn cold that Kiyama was sure that he couldn't do much better at the moment. Maybe his brain was working better. Maybe he had some grand idea that would save them all.

"...Can you hug me, Kiyama?"

Kiyama turned his head to Mizusawa so fast he could've given himself whiplash. If there was any color left in his face, between the probable hypothermia and the blood loss, well, it was gone then.

Why? Oh, yeah. Desperate times. Closer enemies. Tit-for-tat, and it was Kiyama's turn.

Still, Kiyama couldn't push the overwhelming strangeness of Mizusawa's request out of his mind. If his thinking wasn't so damn fuzzy, he certainly would've been recalling that realization he had earlier that day on the sheer extent of his classmate's disdain, how weird and awkward the boy always seemed, and the fact that Kiyama himself really didn't care for being too close to others in any sense of the word.

But it was time his "tat". Slowly... carefully, he put his arm around the other boy. It rested there for a moment, barely touching Mizusawa's back and shoulder, when he figured that probably wasn't enough. That wasn't the point. And he pulled Mizusawa closer to him.

Weird. In the bitter cold and the dampness that didn't help, despite Mizusawa's icy skin... As cold as they both probably were, he felt warmer being that close to him. It wasn't enough to completely counter the harshness of the environment, but it was something.

There was a brief moment of clarity. Kiyama realized it was the first time he'd been that close to another person... that he could remember, anyway. His current... "friends", he guessed, would do the fist-bumps and the overjoyed tackles after the end of a successful practice. And back with -- Kiyama sighed, for even in his thoughts, it was hard mentioning his name -- but with him, there had been the playful slaps and side-hugs as they walked down the streets. Finally, his parents had always been so distant, and since... that happened, it was like they couldn't stand to be in the same room with him.

It was certainly odd, being this close to another person, particularly when that other person was another guy, and especially when that other guy hated your guts.

Desperate times.

But he was warm, and the warmth was comforting... enough to offset that discomfort of the boy's touch, and how it wasn't right, not for them, and definitely not for him. And definitely not that nagging feeling inside his brain wasn't equipped to contemplate. Still, the closer he held the boy, the warmer he got. He took his other arm, and reached across to grab Mizusawa, and pulled him closer. Kiyama lay his cheek against the top of Mizusawa's head, the wet hair sticking to his face. But he was warm.

And he found himself genuinely hoping that the Mizusawa was warm, too.

Perhaps holding another person wasn't too bad, at least, not when you're freezing to death.

That thought lingered in Kiyama's head as he looked past his teammate's fringe, his eyes resting on the soaked ground not too far off. As little as it was in the grand scheme of things, the heat from the other boy was intoxicating, and he soon found the call of sleep inescapable. He held Mizusawa a little more tightly as he felt his eyelids begin to droop. It had been a long, hard day and if it was going to end there, Kiyama would be fine with it.

[Hino Tetsuya]

“Hino”

Inhale… exhale….

“Hino?”

A voice in the darkness called to him. He looked about desperately for the source. But saw none, no … nothing. Calm, still, blackness … an expanse of it.

"Hino, are you okay?" The voice was still quiet, distant. But he could make it out now. It was Ryosuke. Why was Ryosuke here? Where was here? Hino looked through the emptiness to see anything in relation to a situation, but nothing came. He bit his lower lip and scrunched his eyebrows together. He must be dreaming, it was too surreal to be real.

"Hey, Hino, stay with me... Don't pass out, come on."

Ryosuke’s voice echoed again, this time louder and completely clear, as if he were right there beside him. Hino tried to remember, anything. Maybe the last thing he could remember would explain…

Oww…

He received a stab of pain in his side, as he felt his world shake; he tried to steady himself for a moment, as to not fall over through the turbulence.

He remembered!

They’d been on the trip, they were separated, it was raining… they fell.

Another stab of pain shot down his side.

"Don't pass out yet, Hino. You have to tell me what's wrong...I...I can't do anything if I don't know what's wrong. Is something broken? Can you even see me? Hear me?"

I can hear you…

He considered saying, but realised it would have been futile speaking to a voice coming from nowhere visible.

He so wanted Ryosuke’s voice to bring him back, but there was something keeping him there, a part of him didn’t want to return to such a horrible predicament, one he couldn’t do anything to save. After all it had been he who had suggested they split up and find essentials. Maybe if they’d stayed together they wouldn’t have fallen.

They were in danger, and it was his fault.

For all he knew Kiyama and Mizusawa were just as bad off.

These people… his friends.

Because they were his friends.


"I'm....sorry Hino."

Ryosuke was his friend…




Rain, cold... wet

A cough and gag attacked his body and he lurched forward in what he soon discovered was Ryosuke’s arms. The sudden movement forward brought forth another stab of pain from his side. He realised the impact with the tree trunk must have done a lot more than he’d thought originally. His hand reached across and clutched at the source of the pain.

“...ahh” He choked out at the touch. He hoped that he hadn’t bruised a rib, because he had done that in the past in a training accident and it was something that had taken a long time to recover from.

Though, he considered, this was not the time to be thinking about deterring his training due to injury.

“Ryosuke…” He forced his voice to work; it was hard, his throat burned as he did so.

He looked up at the other through the rain, they were just as wet as each other, and apparently just as dishevelled. Ryosuke must have been trying to wake him up; it was his voice that brought him back.

“…thankyou” He breathed.

He wasn’t sure what he was saying thank you for, but he knew there was more than one thing to be thankful for. Despite his resentful attitude toward the yankee, he was here, helping him despite his own current state.

“We need…” Hino started, and mentally debated which of the many things they needed was the most important. “We need… to get out of the rain”

He knew his voice was quiet, he only hoped Ryosuke didn’t have any problem hearing it. He tried to lift himself from the other’s grasp with one arm keeping the other secure about his waist. But he had trouble mustering the strength, only managing to make it up a little before dropping down again.

“I think I’m going to need you to help me up”

He stated giving into the inevitable. Sure, he could keep trying, though he knew his efforts were futile.

[Tsuchiya Satoshi]

ooc: So, everyone said to just go ahead and post. I hope I didn't overdo anything.

The trek through the mountains was a great idea, when they first started out anyway. The path was decent enough to begin with, and Satoshi was sure he wouldn't have any problems along the way. Still, when his mother heard about the impromptu field trip, she insisted he bring precautionary measures, forcing him to check the weather and loading his bag with water bottles, protein bars and some of those plastic sheets used when it's raining.

"I don't want you to get sick, I'm only looking out for you."

The bag wasn't very heavy, it was kind of bulky, so when he showed up at the meet up spot, everyone joked, wondering just what their manager had brought. He passed around some water bottles, instantly lightening his load but keeping the protein bars and plastic sheets in case they were needed later.

And as the team's trek continued, Satoshi taken in by the scenery, his eyes spotted a dark looming cloud in a distance, nearly hidden by the nearby foliage. He glanced around at the rest of the team, Yuta and Kashiwagi-sensei discussing getting more access to the gym, Kaneko and Wataru in a mock fight...

Satoshi slowed down his pace, the lack of his teammates suddenly donning on him. He vaguely recalled Tsukimori taking a break... The path had broken up into three separate trails a while back, Kashiwagi-sensei making them take the middle path. The teacher didn't seem to really know what he was doing, the map in his hands rolled up by his side, but he was their teacher, and they had to trust him.

But half the team wasn't even here. And the storm cloud started to draw closer, sucking up any light from the sun. Satoshi gulped, suddenly worried. Kiyama-san and the others might be lost, or hurt, or worse. Tsukimori didn't look like an outdoor-type of person, and they had been walking an awful long time... Satoshi opened his mouth, ready to notify the teacher when the older man clapped his hands together, calling for a short break before heading back down.

Satoshi closed his mouth, looking back at the trail behind them. "Kashiwagi-sensei..." He began, ready to voice his worry when there was a clap and then the rain started. There was a huddle as everyone tried to shield themselves from the downpour when Satoshi remembered the plastic covers he brought along, quickly taking them out and handing them out, slipping one on himself.

"Kashiwagi-sensei!" He called over the rain, "I'm going back to find Kiyama-san and the others!"

--

It was hard to see, the plastic sheet keeping him mostly dry but it didn't stop the rain from hitting his face. Satoshi backtracked the trail, finding the original path that split up into three different ways. From there, Nippori went in one direction, the two already agreeing with the others to meet up at the base of the mountain.

Satoshi only hoped he could find the others before it got too dark. His mother packed a bunch of items, including the trusty first-aid kit, but a flashlight was not one of them. It was slowly getting darker, and suddenly Satoshi shivered. There was a chill in the air, accented by the rain. He passed by some trees, wiping his forehead of excess water that tried to get into his eyes before cupping the same hand near his mouth.

"Kiyama-san? Mizusawa-senpai? Tsukimori-senpai? Hino-senpai! Can you hear me?"

There was a sound in the distance, faint, but it was there. It sounded like... squealing?

Satoshi picked up his pace, focusing on the sound and heading in that direction. He pushed away stray branches, nearly falling over as his foot landed in a puddle. He shivered again, resting a bit against a tree. It was getting harder to see. Worry settled in his stomach, growing more and more as he thought about the others, the rain, the cold... that sound he was following that was gone. He could very well be getting lost himself. Wiping at his eyes once again, Satoshi backed off of the tree, now more determined than before to find his fellow teammates.

He trudged along, slowly making his way towards... wherever that sound came from, his eyes squinted as he found himself near a small clearing. What looked like Mizusawa's overshirt on top of.. something, stained with something dark, lay a distance from a tree. Under the tree he could see two figures huddled together, their arms wrapped around each other. Satoshi looked around, expecting to see at least two more people around, but his search turned up empty. He made his way towards the tree, the two figures becoming more clear to his eyes, despite the rain.

Satoshi's eyes widened at the sight of Kiyama's leg, the makeshift bandage dark red, his line of vision finding Mizusawa's shirt mostly torn and could only guess that was what was used for Kiyama's leg.

He shivered again, "Mizusawa-senpai...?" He drew closer, finding both boys' eyes shut. Were they...? He made it under the tree, the branches keeping most of the rain at bay, and fell to his knees next to the two, "Kiyama-san? Kiyama-san, are you okay?"

Fearing for the worse, Satoshi quickly opened his bag, taking out a plastic cover and putting it over the two, taking a spot next to Kiyama. He brought out a protein bar, his stomach growling, and as he stared at the two huddled together, he would bet they were also hungry, taking out two more bars in case they woke up. He took a bite, chewing slowly as he stared at the rain.

He didn't know what happened before his arrival, but as he glanced at the two out of the corner of his eye, he couldn't help but feel a little happy for Mizusawa. Ever since he accidentally found his senpai's school ID, and by extension found out about his little crush, he was always worried how the two would get along. He knew Mizusawa was still nervous around the other boy, he only hoped the two would find some common ground and become friends in the end.

[Tsukimori Ryosuke]

For a moment, Ryosuke was almost positive that he'd lost Hino, that the smaller boy had conked out for at least a good long while, and that scared him more than anything else. He'd been in fights where, while rare, he or one of his comrades had been knocked out, but there had always been enough other people around to help him out. Sitting there freezing as the rain poured down over them, with small Hino in his arms, Ryosuke felt pretty pathetic and helpless. He'd taken a beating coming down the hill, and his body was still feeling it, but he had also been lucky enough to land on normal ground, not up against a tree trunk like Hino. Plus, being a Yankee meant that he was more or less used to hard blows to his body.

Then Hino started moving. Slowly, almost blindly, but moving nonetheless. Ryosuke waited for something more, hoping that wasn't it, hoping Hino hadn't lose his sense of self or something, like gone blind, but suddenly a harsh-sounding cough erupted from the small boy's mouth. His whole frame lurched forward. It actually took some effort for Ryosuke to keep his hold on him.

Hino put a hand to his side, gasping in evident pain.

Ryosuke followed the boy's hand, his eyes wide. "Did you break a rib...?"

“Ryosuke…” Hino sounded as weak and pained as he looked. He had his head angled back, he was looking up, probably trying to see past the suddenly dagger-like rain drops cascading one by one onto his face. "…thankyou”

Ryosuke remained silent for a moment, stunned. He hadn't been expecting that. In fact, it was totally uncharacteristic of Hino. Maybe not something to worry about now, except in that Ryosuke got the feeling the harsh 2nd year would only express his gratitude in a time of dire need.

The blonde Yankee shook his head, trying his best to keep the feeling of bleakness from crossing his face. Hino didn't need that. Hino needed support. Hino needed hope. "It's nothing...I'm just....just glad you're okay, I guess."

“We need…We need… to get out of the rain”

"I know."

At his words, Ryosuke realized Hino was trying to get himself up, and attempt which ultimately failed when his arms seemed to give out on him. Whatever injuries he'd sustained, he was really weak now. He was beat. That was scarier than anything else, maybe, because Ryosuke didn't even know what he could do to help the younger boy.

“I think I’m going to need you to help me up”

A minute or two later, and Ryosuke had somehow found the strength to get to his feet and heave Hino over his shoulder.

He shifted slightly under Hino's weight. All things considered, the other boy was much smaller in size compared to Ryosuke, but with the beating he himself had taken and the cold and his still rather queasy stomach, Ryosuke didn't think he had quite as much strength as he normally did. But he knew there was no choice. There was no way Hino could move on his own.

With Hino over his shoulder now, Ryosuke leaned forward slightly to counter-balance himself. He couldn't really see through the thick blanket of rain, but he was almost positive they wouldn't be going back up the steep slope they'd just come down. Yet he also knew that going any other way would mean risking getting lost or possibly falling off another steep drop. No possibility seemed like a good one. And more than that, as much as it didn't really appeal to his masculinity, Ryosuke knew Hino had been right about getting out of the rain. And while he may not have known very much about country life and nature, he did know that in a situation like this, sharing body warmth could end up being crucial. And that meant....

Let's not get ahead of ourselves, Ryosuke chastised himself, trying to keep his overactive imagination from overcoming all sense of reason.

Thinking maybe it would be a good idea to head back toward where he assumed the main path would be, Ryosuke began to make his way forward, though very slowly. The trees seemed adamant to keep him and Hino from progressing forward, their branches waving threateningly in the breeze and clogging the uneven path ahead. Ryosuke even ended up stumbling through a patch of brambles, though Hino's legs luckily just missed an attack from the bitter plants.

And then....it happened.

He tripped.

There was that moment of the bleak unknown, where Ryosuke was sort of just sailing blindly through the air, Hino still over his shoulder, until the ground rose up to meet them both.

Another wet leaf, another misstep. Ryosuke only realized the fall hadn't hurt quite as much as it could have when he discovered Hino had plopped right off his shoulder and provided a nice landing for him. If things weren't quite so serious and the two of them weren't doing so badly, he might have laughed. In fact, putting it all together and considering the fact that at any other time he might have leaped off Hino at the speed of light and took off running like a proper homophobe (though he didn't like to think he was that intolerant), he did laugh. He just allowed himself to lay there on top of the other guy, soaking up the rest of the falling rain with his already ruined sweatshirt, his face buried in Hino's chest and muffling the sound of his laughter. If Hino didn't die from the chill and whatever injuries he'd gotten already, he was obviously going to die by Ryosuke's stupidity.

"You know," Ryosuke called through the rain, finally taking note of the poor other boy's face. "You picked the wrong partner to look for a shelter with....I'm probably just going to end up......"

The Yankee stopped in that train of thought.

With the way they were currently lying on top of each other, even though the injury Hino had accrued in his side couldn't possibly be feeling very good, the younger boy was actually somewhat protected from the rain. Ryosuke wasn't feeling all that great having it pour relentlessly on his back, but at the least, his front half was a little warmer, pressed this close to the 2nd year's body, and if he wasn't moving, he wasn't sending either of them flying or anything like that.

Damn clumsiness, the Yankee thought, grumbling to himself.

He didn't quite like the idea of lying there, unmoving, but maybe there was a chance someone would help them. If he called out for help or kept playing his ringtone full volume, maybe someone would hear them. It seemed too dangerous to move on. Ryosuke recalled all the cliff edges and steep drops they'd passed on the way up the mountain. One more mistake on his part while carrying Hino, and the two of them might end up dead, not even injured or looking.....slightly...gay together. And while the latter was pretty bad, in Ryosuke's mind, he'd ultimately decided that he'd much rather be alive and later be able to explain exactly why he wasn't gay than have people think he'd had some fight with Hino or something and tossed them both over the edge.

"Hey, uh..." Ryosuke hesitated. This even sounded gay. "I'm gonna stay here. It'll keep us both warm, kind of, and this way neither of us can get any more hurt. And I'm gonna try calling out and using my phone to get help, okay? Just...."

Ryosuke suddenly felt the need to explain himself a bit more. "Just don't get any ideas about this, yeah? You're lucky I give even half a damn about you, because I wouldn't do this for anyone I liked any less. Now just.........get better, I guess."

Looking for something to distract himself with, Ryosuke reached a hand into his pocket and pulled out the phone that perhaps had started the mayhem. Thankfully, it had survived both falls its owner had made, and flipping it open, Ryosuke was happy to see everything was functioning all right, including the volume and ringtone options. He would have kissed the damned thing if his arms weren't so busy.

Grunting slightly at his own pains, Ryosuke set the volume to the max, picked the worst, most noticeable ringtone, and began hitting the "preview this ringtone" button again and again. Hopefully someone would hear it. Hopefully someone would help them.

[Nippori Keiji]

Nippori could admit that this wouldn’t have been his first place of choice for a trip, but it had been quite enjoyable so far. He’d spent just about the whole time messing about with Aniki and bickering with Kaneko, so the only thing that was different to normal was the scenery. He was thankful though that the trip hadn’t been scheduled to be on a day when he was working. He liked to take every chance he could to be with his friends, but sometimes had to turn them down when he was working.

Wataru and Yuuta were babbling about something with Kashiwagi-sensei, and he and Kaneko were ignoring each other for the moment after their last bicker. He slowed his pace a little so that Kaneko got a little ahead. That was when he noticed that it was maybe too quiet compared to what it should be, and he looked around behind him to see who was missing. Ryosuke, Kiyama, Mizusawa and Hino.

A frown down-turned his lips as he stopped for a second, looking back along the path they came but seeing no sight of any of them whatsoever, barely registering Kashiwagi-sensei calling a break before they headed back down. Where were the others? Were they just a little bit behind them and would reach them soon? Or had they gotten lost? Thinking of the latter, worry began to make Nippori feel nervous. What if something had happened?

Before he could even open his mouth, it started to rain. Hard. His frown only increased as he was now wet on top of being worried. He was grateful when Satoshi brought out the rain covers and handed them out, saying his thanks and he covered himself with his. “We should really start heading back now…” he said, though more to himself than anyone else.

Satoshi was next to speak. “Kashiwagi-sensei! I’m going back to find Kiyama-san and the others!” Nippori straightened up and looked at Satoshi. “I’ll go with you,” he said, feeling like unless he done something to try and find the others the worry might drive him crazy.

So he followed Satoshi back along the path through the trees until they reached the fork in the path they had been faced with earlier. From there, he and Satoshi parted ways, each of them taking one of the other paths, hoping to find their friends - and soon. The ground squelched slightly underfoot as he walked, making. Just about the only useful thing he had packed was a small, but powerful, flashlight, which shone its bright beam around the surroundings.

He was about to start panicking again when he heard it. A cell phone.

Spinning around, Nippori realised the noise was coming from just a little ways behind him on the path and down the slope. Dashing back along, he approached the edge, being very careful about not slipping down it himself, so he gripped onto a tree before he leaned forward a little to see if he could see anything down the slope. At first he didn’t see anything, but then he spotted a bit of blond hair and immediately panicked.

“Ryosuke-san!” he called out. Glancing at the slope, he could spot a relatively safe way to get down without slipping. Gripping onto the tree a little tighter, he lowered himself down slightly, slowly making his way down the rest of the decline. When he was about halfway down to where Ryosuke was, he realised that there was someone else there too. Hino. Thank god, he’d found two of them. Hopefully Satoshi would be able to find Mizusawa and Kiyama alright…

When he got level with them, he scampered over. “Are you alright?” he cried, kneeling beside them. The could-be awkward position Ryosuke and Hino were in didn’t even cross his mind, as he noticed the state Hino was in. He looked like he was in pain and maybe about to pass out. “What’s wrong?” he asked, though he directed the question at both of them, considering he wasn’t sure if Hino was in any state to say much.

“Everyone’s heading back to the base of the mountain,” he said, not caring that his jeans were soaking up the dirt and water. It was true he didn’t want to get ill, but that was furthest from the most important thing right now. His friend’s came before himself, as far as he was concerned.

Pulling off the plastic rain cover from over himself, Nippori suppressed the urge to shiver as the cold rain water hit him, beginning to soak his hoody. “Help me get this over him,” he said to Ryosuke, jerking his head in Hino’s direction. Hino was the worst off, and needed the rain cover more than Nippori did. So what if he got sick? He was helping a friend.



((ooc - I hope this was okay!))

[Hino Tetsuya]

The rain continued its relentless assault upon them with no let up. The sheer intensity itself was draining. It wasn’t only his physical injuries that gave Hino such a bleak look on their near future, but also the horrid weather. Rain, Hino could deal with, but what they were currently dealing with was more closely analysed as standing beneath a waterfall.

He tried his best to help Tsukimori, he could tell the yankee was struggling just as he was but hoped that his pain threshold was far higher that Hino’s own was. As they moved through the heavy forest Hino kept his eyes peeled for anything that they could pass as shelter for at least a short while. But nothing stood out as such. The surroundings looking as useless as he himself felt. He looked briefly to Ryosuke he seemed to battle with some kind of plant attacking his leg.

Hino’s features softened despite the rotten feeling deep in his gut. It felt nice to have someone looking out for him the way Tsukimori was, with the other’s arms keeping him tightly in place Hino felt almost warm.

And then he was flying.

For the third time that evening Hino was completely unsure where he was going to land, and how much more pain he would be in when he did so. A second later, which felt more like a millennium, and Hino came into sharp impact with the ground. He had somehow fallen from the other’s shoulder during the fall but wasn’t aware of that fact until Ryosuke’s body fell flat on top of his own.

His mouth gaped and sucked in a sharp breath from the pain in his side. He had closed his eyes and let the water fall upon his face, for that moment it was almost soothing. The pain was there, the wet was there and they were still lost. But, with Ryosuke’s body blanketing his own, he could feel the other’s face in his chest, Hino was almost content. Though, he considered dryly, maybe he was just delirious. A lot had happened in the last few hours, one bad thing after another, seemingly getting progressively worse. And now that he was just laying there, with his hair against the dirty forest floor and his face under mother nature’s constant attack, he pretended it was ok. That the situation were different, and if he concentrated hard enough and listened through the sound of water hitting trees, ground and flesh, he could almost hear the city, the school and their friends.

He sighed heavily, exhaustedly.

He really was losing it. Delirious.

And then Ryosuke’s was laughing. Hino smiled into the rain. They were both delirious.


"You know, you picked the wrong partner to look for a shelter with....I'm probably just going to end up......" Ryosuke was looking at him now. Hino’s smile dissipated, he didn’t want to tell Tsukimori that his choice hadn’t been random, but instead calculated. As far as he was concerned at the time, there had been no other way for them to split up aside from their pairs he forced. He knew Kiyama and Tsukimori out muscled both he and Mizusawa, and thus he would need to split them up. He also knew Mizusawa seemed to be in the wrong state of mind to be doing any ‘leading’ as such. And Hino trusted Kiyama enough to take charge if he needed, Hino also knew someone needed to control the blonde yankee, and he knew Mizusawa would not do that.

But as it turned out, none of that really mattered anymore. He didn’t like to say or think just how bleak that their position was, because thinking negative in a negative situation could only manage to make things worse than they truly were.

Hino sighed heavily.

Things couldn’t possibly get any worse… could they?

"Hey, uh..." Ryosuke’s voice was almost nervous. "I'm gonna stay here. It'll keep us both warm, kind of, and this way neither of us can get any more hurt. And I'm gonna try calling out and using my phone to get help, okay? Just...."

Hino wouldn’t lie, he was a little relieved that they weren’t going to move. He wasn’t sure he could, nor did he think he wanted to. Ryosuke’s body was blocking most of the elements from him, and while he was still cold, wet and sore. That was a start.

"Just don't get any ideas about this, yeah? You're lucky I give even half a damn about you, because I wouldn't do this for anyone I liked any less. Now just.........get better, I guess."

Hino smiled. For Tsukimori, Hino knew those words were in kindness, and a giddiness stirred in his belly because of it.

When Ryosuke pulled out his phone and had it play loud music, reality set in once again. Hino squinted and his eyebrows furrowed, if no one heard this and came for them, he wasn’t sure what would happen. Then he remembered the pain, how he had managed to push it so far back into his mind he couldn’t be sure, but it was there and it was insistent. He tried to shift slightly beneath the other to see if he could get more comfort at another angle but his effort was futile.

He twisted a little.

The pain worsened, something was seriously wrong with his side, he bit his lip he knew he hadn’t just bruised himself. Though at this moment he didn’t think he’d cracked a rib either. It was something else. There was an extra dampness forming in the area the pain came from. Was he bleeding? He couldn’t see from where he was, nor was he sure would be able to see it with his clothes there.

Twisting like he had must have opened a wound further.

His eyes suddenly shot open. He’d heard something, no, someone. A voice and it was close. He couldn’t look about to see exactly where it had come from, he only knew it was behind him, somewhere up the crevasse they’d just fallen down.

His breathing rapidly increased, overcome by a mixture of excitement worry. His mind spun, he could feel himself getting dizzier. Was it from his injury? A sharp stab in his side.

Yes, it was.

He felt movement by his side, a person he quickly confirmed as being Nippori, joined them.

“Are you alright?” The newcomer asked in a panic. “What’s wrong?”

He would have said something, anything, if he could have been sure it wouldn’t come out as a sob. But he wasn’t sure if he could control it or his body trying desperately to voice his pain.

“Everyone’s heading back to the base of the mountain,” Nippori removed his jacket and gestured toward him. He suddenly wished he weren’t so uselessly injured, it was coming to light just how much of a burden he was in their situation. He bit his lip and squeezed his eyes shut as Ryosuke’s body was lifted from his own, and he was suddenly very aware of how much warmer he had been with the other above him.

“Help me get this over him,”

Distracted briefly from the happenings, Hino used one of his now free hands to touch at the area giving him so much grief on his other side of the two Yankees. He forced himself through a twinge of pain, opening his eyes to bring his hand up into his vision.

His nails were painted crimson, the rest that had been upon his fingers diluted by the rain to fall with it onto his jacket. He took in a heavy gulp and sniffed.

He was suddenly very faint.

“Umm...” He choked out softly. He tried to steady his breathing.

“I – I don’t feel… so good”



ooc: Sorry I god played Ryosuke getting up. I hope that's ok!! SORRY it took me so long, and sorry it's soooo crap >.<

[Tsukimori Ryosuke]

ooc: Boe, that's fiinnneeee!

Something sort of lulling seemed to cover over Ryosuke as he lay there on top of Hino, soaking up cold bullets of water on one side, and gathering some kind of awkward warmth from the other. He'd begun to subconsciously jab his thumb into the button which would play the ringtone, over and over again as though it had suddenly become an unconscious and everyday routine for his body.

Just keep pressing, he told himself, jamming his thumb into the cell phone key and waiting expectantly for each loud song sample. Just keep on pressing...

At one point, Ryosuke thought he might have actually been going to sleep. His head had gradually been lowered until finally it met with Hino's chest again and remained there. Even though the Yankee was aware of the rain pounding against the side of his face which was facing up, and his back as well, and even though he was continuing to press the ringtone button, his eyes were closed, his breathing was beginning to even, and the warmth he was feeling seemed to be overcoming him. Somewhere in the haze of it all, Ryosuke wondered if this was what it was like when a person was trapped in a blizzard. When they felt that odd need to sleep. To fall asleep into that kind of dream they would never wake up from.

Maybe that wasn't the situation here, but sleeping, closing his eyes and forgetting everything, seemed so much more of a comfort to Ryosuke than waiting for help, aware of all the cold and hurt and trouble....

And then Hino began twisting beneath him.

Ryosuke's eyes shot open from his half-sleeping state, and that was when he heard his name being called. By a voice he knew very well. He momentarily wondered if he was still in that dream-like state, maybe hearing things, until the coldness of the pouring rain reminded him otherwise.

Nippori emerged somewhat wildly from around one of the trees, his eyes wide and fearful as he tore through the rain towards Ryosuke and Hino. The blonde Yankee's eyes became just as wide at the sight, almost in disbelief that they had finally been found.

“Ryosuke-san!”

"Nippori!" Ryosuke choked back, though he remained where he was on top of Hino. It didn't dawn on him how the situation probably looked. "Careful down the slope..."

“Are you alright?” Finally at their sides, Nippori knelt down so that he was more level with them. “What’s wrong? Everyone’s heading back to the base of the mountain."

Ryosuke felt his heart sink. If Nippori was the only person who'd come looking for them and everyone else was heading back, then that meant that Kashiwagi Sensei was getting further away with each second that passed, and with him went the first aid kit.

Ryosuke found the strength to climb off of the other boy and back to his feet, stumbling a little when he got to his full height. Somewhere along the way, he lost hold of his cell phone. The gesture went unnoticed, though, as he stumbled trying to keep his balance.

"Nippori...."

“Help me get this over him."

Ryosuke looked from Nippori's jacket to where the other boy was lying. Something was still bothering him. Like the fact that all the other students were just heading back to the bus, preparing to go home. So no one really had noticed that he and the other guys had gone missing. Did anyone even care?

"Nippori, wait, wait..." Ryosuke followed his fellow Yankee's lead in putting the jacket over Hino, but the other issues that had suddenly come to light were eating at him now. "Kashiwagi Sensei's just leaving? Didn't anyone even notice we were gone?"

And now that he thought about it, Ryosuke had fared he had been doing the majority of the warming with Hino, being bigger and all, because he felt a noticeable difference in temperature now that he was up and about. For a moment, he felt as though he wanted to go back to lying on top of Hino, maybe stay that way until either the rain stopped and someone offered him a jacket, or perhaps if Kashiwagi Sensei appeared with a portable heater or something. He was freezing. All of his limbs were shaking from it.

But despite all his pains and discomfort, Ryosuke could see that Hino was worse off. He wasn't as wet as he could have been, since the blonde Yankee had made himself into a human shield of sorts, but he was looking pretty pale, and on a part of the shirt he'd worn there was a....dark stain?

As if on cue to his thoughts, Hino moved, feeling around him now, and this was when Ryosuke saw the red on the other boy's hands. So it really was blood.

“Umm..." Hino's voice was barely a whisper. “I – I don’t feel… so good”

"Dammit..." Ryosuke breathed, his eyes widening as he studied the dark spot. Looking down at his own jacket, he was almost unsurprised that it too was officially ruined. The dark spot had spread onto the light blue material, and a quick scan of his own body revealed to Ryosuke that the blood was not coming from him. It had to be coming from Hino. And now Kashiwagi Sensei was carrying the first aid kit farther and farther from where it needed to be...

Ryosuke rushed over to Hino's side again and sunk to the ground, hefting the boy's torso up into his arms. His mind was racing now. Why hadn't Hino told him before that he was so seriously hurt? And what, the Yankee wondered, had become of Kiyama and Mizusawa? Had they been found by the others? Ryosuke was praying that was the answer. This trip had become a nightmare, and even the people more used to this kind of rural setting had become a victim of it.

"Nippori, come on, come on...help me get him up! We gotta find Kashiwagi Sensei...he has the first aid pack, right?"

ooc: Okay...so...I just finished cleaning up cat barf around the same time I was finishing this post. I'm not sure which was more disgusting. The barf, or my post.

[Mizusawa Taku]

He hadn't expected a "yes" from the other boy. Even despite the situation they were stuck in, the fact that they now had only each other to depend on, he had never expected Kiyama to actually hug him. That would be asking too much, and Kiyama had already risked his life once to save him. Which was why he had not been shocked when the other boy had quickly turned to stare at him the moment he made his request. Mizusawa had not returned that stare. He'd kept his eyes on the ground by his feet, feeling tears welling up in them. He'd never expected that he would die like this, sitting so close to Kiyama and yet still so very far away from him on an emotional level. He would never be able to get the other boy to open up to him. It was just impossible.

And then, despite the icy layer of rain water that had left his body slick and freezing, he felt a slight warmth. He didn't realize what it was, at first.

But then he felt it--an arm, wrapped around him, pulling him closer to...

Kiyama.

Mizusawa was far too numb now to register the shock of what was happening. Kiyama...had actually accepted his request for a hug. The feeling of the boy's arm wrapped around him, the way he'd pulled him in closer...suddenly Mizusawa felt himself flooded with a warmth of a different kind. But it didn't stop there. As he struggled to find the words to thank Kiyama properly for his kindness--because this was definitely a kindness, he had requested that Kiyama do this, right?--the boy's other arm was wrapped around him, holding him tight, pulling him even closer. He felt a slight pressure on the top of his head, and realized that the other boy had rested his own head there.

The need to cry from everything that had happened up to this point hit Mizusawa like a wall of bricks, but he managed to refrain, keeping his eyes trained on the ground despite the fact that his heart was now going a mile a minute, that he was still shivering from the inescapable cold of the rain, but that he had somehow found such a good warmth that despite everything, he finally felt content--nervous and sick and hopeless, but content.

They hadn't said anything to each other, just held onto one another. But words weren't necessary at a time like this, and Mizusawa wasn't sure he'd be able to speak anyway, even if he wanted to. Instead, to show his gratitude, he'd leaned a little more into Kiyama, burying his face into the other boy's shirt, wrapping his own arms protectively around Kiyama's waist. Hopefully it would be enough to warm Kiyama as much as Kiyama was warming him.

* * *

He didn't remember falling asleep in Kiyama's arms. But it made sense, considering how warm and safe he felt there--how loved. He hadn't really been dreaming about anything, just fallen into some kind of black sleep. A black sleep in which he'd heard his own name called at least once, and Kiyama's too.

It had taken a few minutes after that for some part of him that wasn't resting to sense something different about the atmosphere around him and Kiyama. They were no longer alone.

Mizusawa woke up slowly, blinking back tiredness as he opened his eyes to find his own face still buried into Kiyama's shirt, the clean scent of the other boy still prominent despite the rain and the running and everything else they had been through. He looked in front of them for a moment, his eyes still adjusting. He didn't see anything other than trees and more trees. Maybe his imagination had been making it up, hoping for someone to save them--or perhaps regretting that someone would find them, when he was hoping they could stay like this a little longer.

Thinking they were still alone, he wrapped his arms a little tighter around Kiyama's sleeping form, nestling back into the bigger boy for a moment.

But that was when he saw the plastic sheet that had been spread out over him and Kiyama. A sheet that had definitely not been there when they'd first gone to sleep. Sitting up, but still not letting go of his teammate, he looked around again, this time more thoroughly.

And that was when he saw him. Satoshi. Satoshi was here, sitting beside Kiyama and eating quietly, as though he didn't want to disturb them.

Mizusawa suddenly felt embarrassed, despite the cold and the fact that this was a life or death situation. Satoshi was the only one who knew about his crush on Kiyama. The other boy had been gracious enough not to say anything to anybody else, but that didn't make this situation any less shameful. Gently letting go of Kiyama and pulling out of the other boy's arms--and sending a wave of shivers coursing through his body from the lack of contact--he scooted forward a bit, to see Satoshi.

"Sa-sa--" He paused, wrapping his arms around himself for a moment against the cold. "Satoshi...What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice hoarse, concerned that the other boy had joined them in this, rather than staying with Kashiwagi Sensei, who at least must have been keeping the rest of the team safe and warm. He sneezed, and knew he had at least caught a very bad cold. Despite every instinct that was telling him to go back into Kiyama's arms, he refrained, not once looking at the Yankee while he spoke to Satoshi.

[Tsuchiya Satoshi]

Satoshi continued to chew on his protein bar, his eyes staring out into the rain. If he listened close enough, he could hear a steady rhythm the rain made against the ground, the ripples caused in puddle keeping the beat. He let his head rest against the bark of the tree, his eyes beginning to shut when he heard a rustle somewhere past Kiyama. Satoshi sat up straight, finding Mizusawa staring at him, the boy's arms no longer around Kiyama.

Mizusawa moved forward, his body shivering so soon after, "Sa-sa--" He paused, wrapping his arms around himself for a moment against the cold. "Satoshi...What are you doing here?"

Satoshi frowned at the hoarseness of Mizusawa's voice, he swallowed his food. "We noticed you, Kiyama-san, Hino-san and Tsukimori-senpai were missing. Nippori-san and I went to look for you while everyone else agreed to meet back up at the base of the mountain. We didn't want to risk more people getting lost." He moved closer to Kiyama's sleeping form, "Mizusawa-senpai, are you hurt?" His eyes darted towards Kiyama's leg, "What happened?"

A crinkle of plastic sounded in his hand, and Satoshi let out a noise, "Oh! Here," handing Mizusawa a protein bar, "in case you're hungry." He let Mizusawa reach over to take the piece of food, Satoshi settling back against the tree and Kiyama.

The yankee was giving off just the right amount of heat to combat the cold and Satoshi could almost feel himself started to nod off again when he realized something... odd. Kiyama was feeling a little... too hot. He frowned, pitching forward, raising a hand to the older boy's forehead. His eyes widened as he looked back at Mizusawa, a worried expression covering his face.

"Mizusawa-senpai, Kiyama-san is burning up!" Without waiting for a response, he turned back to Kiyama, his hands on the yankee's shoulders. "Kiyama-san! Kiyama-san wake up! Can you hear me? Kiyama-san!"