Authoress here.
I apologize about the fluke chapter update a few days ago. It was a chapter for another fic, and I wasn't paying the utmost attention as I was trying to load it.
Okay, folks, here's chapter seven of No Mountain High Enough. Be prepared for light, almost unintelligible fluff.
No Mountain High Enough
Chapter Seven: Rain
As if the weather knew that danger had come calling, the rain started about twenty minutes after Mizuki could no longer see the unobtrusive rift. The previously sunny skies were covered with thick, threatening storm clouds that slowly began to release a torrent of water on Sano and Mizuki.
Mizuki, glad once again for Sano's packing, had found her poncho easily and gratefully donned it while Sano did the same. Even with the protective plastic material, it was a matter of minutes before the hikers' socks and shoes were soaked. Mizuki freverently wished she had worn long pants instead of her shorts; the rain brought out a mountainous chill that raised goose-bumps all over her flesh.
Another unfortunate side effect of the downpour was that the trail became harder to see. Even with Sano's high-powered flashlight, the path disappeared a few feet into the gloom.
"This is probably making it worse." Sano sighed, flicking his flashlight off. "The light is bouncing off of the rain and making it harder to see."
Mizuki squinted in the absence of the powerful beam, noting with surprise that Sano was right. But, to add to the awful conditions, the loose gravel and dust that coated the trail was mixing with the rainwater to become a slippery, runny mess of mud.
"I hope the others made a proper shelter for Sekime." Mizuki voiced aloud, uncomfortable of the tense silence. "Though I don't know how we're going to make it to the checkpoint in time with this crappy weather."
"Helicopters can still fly in the rain," Sano mused. "And now I'm thinking we ought to turn around."
"What?" Mizuki slipped a little on the treacherous footing, catching herself in time. "Why would we turn around?"
"Another team may have caught up by now, and their walkie-talkie is bound to work." Sano looked at Mizuki, a worried frown on his fair face. "But then again, we could be on a route all by ourselves, or we could be last, and then by turning around we could be killing Sekime."
The finality of the statement sent a shudder through the cross dresser that was unassociated with the wind and cold rain.
"Then we've gotta go on." Mizuki looked at Sano, who nodded.
The rain hadn't abated in the next hour they spent walking. If anything, it had gotten worse. The trail conditions had gotten more dangerous as well, skating close to the edges of a cliff, before dropping down into the pit about fifteen feet. The path was once again chipped from the mountainside, about twelve feet across before an abrupt drop. The rain made the edge all the more menacing; it looked like an endless abyss, the shower falling forever into a black pit.
Sano kept glancing worriedly at Mizuki whenever he thought her not to be looking. She trudged on doggedly, watching her feet cautiously, sometimes sparing the cliff-drop a nervous look before returning her eyes to the path.
Brambles grew right up to one side of the path, ripping at their ponchos occasionally. Mizuki's was overly large for her, and it wasn't long before a particularly sharp branch caught the thin plastic. When Mizuki continued forewords, the material jerked, and one seam tore nearly three-fourths of the way up. Mizuki was jerked backwards, and Sano instinctively put out his arms to catch her.
The rain kept up its endless pounding. The wind still whistled around the cliff face. But Mizuki and Sano's hearts were now pounding a rhythm that seemed to drown all other noises out.
"Uh… t-thanks." Mizuki quickly righted herself, ducking her face is if to inspect her poncho to hide her brilliant blush.
"Yeah. No sweat." Sano's voice had dropped a decibel, low and barely audible over the wind. The moment only last for an eye blink; then Mizuki busied herself with the poncho again.
"Aw, great." Mizuki frowned at her ruined poncho. "Figures. Everything else is going wrong!"
The poncho hung awkwardly from one shoulder, making it useless to cover her effectively. Mizuki shrugged off her backpack with a sigh, and took it off. She slid it over the top of the backpack, to keep the contents dry. Then she reshouldered the pack and gave Sano a grim smile.
"Onward ho, right?"
Sano was about to reply when a loud, all-too-familiar voice rang out in the gloom.
"Saannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnooooooooooooo! Ashiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiya!"
Mizuki whirled around, almost losing her balance in the process. "Tell me that wasn't-?"
"Kagurazaka?" Sano squinted at the rapidly-approaching figure though the rain.
"The one, the only." Kagurazaka, slowed down as he caught up with the Osaka students. "That liar, Nakatsu, said you only left a half hour ago. I would have caught up to you a lot faster, then."
"What?" Sano frowned. "Your team was with Nakatsu and the others?"
Kagurazaka nodded, shaking the wet hair from his forehead. "Our team was maybe twenty minutes behind yours, and we stopped at the gorge when we heard voices from inside. We climbed down, and when your teammate's situation was explained, we radioed for a helicopter."
"So what're you doing here?" Mizuki asked bluntly.
Kagurazaka gave her a half-grin. "You two decided to play hero, and since there's no need, I volunteered to run you guys down and take you back. Then the whole Osaka team woulda been picked up, and my team could have jetted." He shrugged. "But you guys made tracks, and I don't think we can make it back in time for the helicopter."
Mizuki had to retrain herself from hugging Kagurazaka in relief. "So Sekime's gonna be okay!"
"Yeah." The Tokyo boy nodded. "He was awake when we got there."
"Thank God," Sano muttered.
"But I gotta go back for my team." Kagurazaka added. "I told 'em to wait for me, I didn't think you guys would go very far."
Sano looked quickly at his rival. "Thanks, Kagurazaka. Means a lot that you guys stayed to help." And then, as if the action was somewhat painful, Sano extended his hand.
Kagurazaka looked at it briefly, and then gripped it in return. "Sure, man. I know you'd do the same."
Mizuki looked between the high-jumpers with a growing smile on her face. Even though Kagurazaka was a callous and obnoxious person, she couldn't help feeling very amiable towards him. He and his team had probably sacrificed a shot at first place in order to help another team that had shown nothing but animosity before.
"Well, let's g-"
A noise like the earth was crumbling in on itself shook the skies, and Mizuki, Sano, and Kagurazaka dived towards the ground as a cascade of rocks began to roll and bounce angrily from overhead. Loosened gravel turned to mud caused the boulders to shift, and come tumbling down the path.
"Get moving!" Sano shouted, grabbing Mizuki around the middle and forcing her to her feet. "We gotta get out of this!"
Heeding his advice, both Mizuki and Kagurazaka began to charge away from the rockslide, going as quickly as possible without falling. The bramble to their left thickened, forcing the trio towards the edge. Mizuki slowed slightly nervous about the close proximity to the drop.
When the rockslide finally stopped, the path behind them was blocked by the resulting rubble. Breathing heavily, the three looked at it, and then wordlessly turned around and continued moving ahead.
Their path back to the others blocked, they had no choice but to continue towards the next check point in the thundering rain.
End Chapter
Authoress here.
See? The fluff wasn't so bad!
More action in the next chapter. I promise.
Review if you do so desire, off to study chem for me!
Authoress out.