Authoress here.

I'm so sorry! I haven't quite gotten around to updating this lately, even though I've had this chapter half-written for awhile now.

Here it is!

No Mountain High Enough
Chapter Three: Ready, Steady, Go

Hana-Kimi

The principal looked over the assembled student body, looking as grim as always. He cleared his throat into the microphone.

"Out of the seven sophomore teams submitted, the teachers and I have looked at the capability and qualifications of each with great attention to detail. After an extensive discussion and thorough examination of past school records, we've decided to elect Team Nakatsu as the team to represent Osaka High School at the annual mountain race."

Out of a mass of disappointed groans, six excited voices rose in a triumphant celebration. Mizuki gave a high-pitched squeal that, under any other circumstance, would have given her gender away immediately. Suspicion passed quickly, due to Sekime and Noe giving answering squeals of comparable volume and pitch. Nakatsu punched the air, while Kayashima merely gave an indulgent smile. Sano found himself unable to give much of a response to the good news owing to Mizuki giving him a sudden and tight hug.

"We're in, Sano!"

Sano gave the excitable girl a return hug before quickly releasing her. "Did you think we weren't going to be the representative team?"

"Well, Kayashima said, but you know-" Mizuki grinned.

Nakatsu had gotten up and clambered over their legs to hurry down to the front of the auditorium, amid the reluctant applause from the other students. The Junk Boys had voted him to be team leader, mostly because the team had been his idea in the first place. The principal shook his hand, and then handed him a thick folder. With a grin, Nakatsu bounded back to his seat.

"All we gotta do is fill out some forms, like medical crap and media release, and then we're good to go!"

Two Days Later

The little egg-shaped alarm clock rose as it played its simple melody. Mizuki wearily opened an eye at it and groaned loudly at the time it read. "Four 'o' clock! No one gets up this early!"

A sudden flood of light made her squint. Once her eyes adjusted, Mizuki saw Sano, fully showered and dressed, brushing his teeth in the bathroom. He peered around the half-opened door, and saw Mizuki still in bed. Rinsing his mouth of toothpaste, he called to her; "Hurry up, Ashiya! We've got to be on the bus in an hour, and you were too tired to pack last night!"

"Fine, y'crazy person." Mizuki flung off the cozy blankets and shimmied down the ladder. "Almost done with the bathroom?"

"Yeah. Scoot!" Sano let her run by, clutching a set of clothes. That girl.

He looked at his neatly packed school-commissioned hiking backpack left near the door, and then to Mizuki's haphazard pile of hiking boots, windbreakers, tee shirts, shorts and jeans. Poking out from underneath the mess was her backpack.

"Hurry up, Ashiya!" Sano called again. "We want to get breakfast before we gotta leave!"

Mizuki showered and dressed in top speed, not even bothering to dry her hair. Running to her backpack, she began to fling things inside at top speed.

Sano watched her for a few seconds, before intervening. "Ashiya, you'll never fit everything in if you pack it that way."

Mizuki opened her mouth to argue, but Sano tugged the zipper on the backpack. Although only half of her supplies were inside, the zipper strained to shut.

"Fine. How would you pack it?"

"Ashiya, you're a terror." Sano dumped everything back out, and began to fold. "You'd think packing to come to Japan would teach you!"

"My mother helped me." Mizuki admitted, turning a little pink. A rivulet of water coursed down her forehead from her damp hair, and Sano frowned.

"Go dry your hair, please. I'll finish this."

Mizuki got even pinker, and attempted to wrest the shirt Sano was folding away from him. "I'm fine. I'll do it."

"We can't have you catching cold before we leave. Go dry it." Sano said firmly.

"Sano-"

"No excuses. C'mon Ashiya, or…" Sano's face broke into a grin. "Must I torture you?"

Mizuki bravely stuck out her chin. "I can take whatever you dish out."

Without warning Sano launched himself at his roommate, fingers tickling her sides. Doubled up in silent, gasping laughter, Mizuki fought to get away.

"I give! I give! Lemmie go!"

Sano relented, and Mizuki hurried to the bathroom. Once the door was closed, Sano returned his attention to folding Mizuki's traveling clothes. Something slid out of one of the baggier pairs of pants she had selected and Sano absentmindedly picked it up to return to its place. Once he realized what he held he blanched, almost dropping it.

So that's what these things look like, Sano surveyed the thing in distaste. He hastily shoved it back inside the pants, and continued to fold the clothes, until everything was neatly tucked away. When Mizuki emerged, fully dry, Sano was reading on his bed.

"Took ya long enough."

"Be quiet." Mizuki checked her bag, peeking inside. Everything was folded nicely, with room to spare.

Sneakily, Mizuki chanced a look at Sano. He was reading his book, looking completely normal.

So he must have missed it. Mizuki thought, a wave of relief passing through her. Thank God I hid it last night. That alone would have blown everything! The one time I decide to try to smuggle a tampon or two, Sano insists on packing!

Half an hour later

"I couldn't sleep at all last night," Nakatsu yawned, "I kept tossing and turning."

"He's telling the truth. He really was tossing and rolling all night." Kayashima grimaced slightly. "And grunting. Don't forget the grunting."

The group was seated at their regular table in the large cafeteria, voices echoing weirdly in the emptiness. The kitchens had been opened early for them, so they could eat before they took the three hour long bus ride to the race's starting point. All teams were to be assembled there at ten 'o' clock for an overview of the rules and to pick up the food for the first leg of the race.

Noe glanced out the window at the gloomy gray morning outside. "I heard it'll be like this almost all day in the mountains."

"That's not true," Sano swallowed before continuing. "It gets really sunny, and really hot, around midday."

"Good, 'cause I packed sunscreen."

"Then you can share with me. All I got in by backpack are some clothes and my pillow."

"You can share with me too, Sekime, I didn't bring sunscreen either!"

The vice principal strode into the cafeteria, looking very out-of-place in a crisp suit in the run-of-the-mill cafeteria. "Okay, boys, time to go. Your things are loaded; let's leave on schedule!"

"I call seat next to Ashiya!" Nakatsu sang, jumping from his seat. The rest of the group followed, bickering about seating arrangements.

Junk Boys were on their way.

End Chapter

Authoress here.

I really, really do apologize about my non-posting in awhile.

Tell me what you think!