Tridon and Yuri drove along the outskirts of the town with a certain type of equipment in his trunk.
"So explain to me what we're doing again Yuri." Tridon asked.
"We have to take pictures and draw the Autumn Sunset." Yuri answered, "You're taking the pictures and I'm drawing."
"Okay, but why now?" He asked again, "Why on the coldest day it's been so far."
"I brought some hot chocolate and tea in our thermoses." Yuri responded, "And if we get any colder, I bought some heavier winter jackets and a blanket so we won't be too cold."
"Whatever." Tridon sighed and looked out his side window while driving, "At least we're going to a nice area."
"You know this is our final big project before Finals." Yuri interrupted, "I don't want you to screw it up like you did the last project."
"Need I remind you that you turned in late which caused the teacher to deduct more points, right?"
"N-No..."
"You're lucky she was lenient and only gave us a 93 on it." Tridon added, "This time though, we gotta go for a hundred."
"Yes and I found the perfect spot earlier today while in the library. Hopefully it doesn't rain and ruins our project."
"I'd hate to get to get stuck in this cold while wet." Tridon stopped the car as they approached the forest entrance, "Well, we're here." Tridon started, "Let's start getting out gear our, then we'll make the trek to the spot."
"Alright."
The two of them eventually got their hiking bags and other equipment on their persons before making their way up the trail.
"So how far is this spot Yuri?"
"My directions say that it's 10 minutes from the entrance." Yuri answered, "Not too far."
"Cool." Tridon shivered slightly and blew into his hands, "I get cold easily and we're heading into high elevation. It's going to be colder and harder to breath the higher we go."
"Are you going to be fine Tridon?"
"I'll be more than fine." Tridon responded slowly, "I've hiked here a few times before. Well, just not when it's sub-30 degrees." Tridon paused and added, "Fahrenheit. Not Celsius."
"I figured some would understand what you meant." Yuri stated, "I don't think you needed to clarify which measurement of temperature you meant."
"Yeah, but I just wanted to make it clear as to which measurement I was talking about." Tridon sighed and looked up the path, "Still. It's cold."
"Do you want one of the heavier jackets?"
"No." Tridon declined as he snuggled more into his current jacket, "I'll tell you if I need it."
After travelling further up the path, they eventually met a short divergence in the path and Yuri stopped.
"It's this way. This path should lead to a end where we get a perfect few of the forest and the sunset."
"Alright," Tridon nodded and walked ahead, "let's get moving so we're not out here late."
"Sure."
After travelling a little further down the path, they approached the end and were met with the sun just peaking above the trees.
"Here we are." Yuri started, "Just set up the camera wherever you need to and I'll start drawing."
"Alright." Tridon put his bag down and took out many different cameras, "Do you need a chair or something to sit on?"
"No." Yuri sat down on a nearby rock and took out some art supplies, "I'll be fine."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure Tridon." Yuri took off her gloves and got to work drawing, "This view is beautiful isn't it?"
"It sure is." Tridon sighed as he finished setting up the final camera, "I can't take any pictures with some of these cameras yet, but I think this one could be ready."
"Really?"
"I would ask you to come look, but you're in the middle of drawing. I'll take some and we'll look at 'em afterwards."
"Alrighty."
There was an air of silence around them. Tridon periodically observed each camera while Yuri drew the view. She sighed in bliss and stared at Tridon.
"Yes Yuri?"
"I just love nature." Yuri started, "Even if it's chilly right now, I love the view." Yuri placed her pad down and stood up, "Look at this view. It's just extremely great to take in."
"No doubt about that." Tridon looked down at Yuri who's eyes were glistening brightly, "You look adorable right now."
"H-Huh?" Yuri stumbled on her words and twirled her hair around, "I uh..."
"Sorry. Just thought that seeing you so enthralled with nature made you look cute. With your eyes glistening and that cute smile on that face just..." Tridon chuckled and scratched the back of his head, "It makes you look absolutely adorable."
"Haha..." Yuri shied away from Tridon while she walked back to her rock, "Thank you Tridon."
"No problem." Tridon took some more pictures of forest and turned to Yuri, "How's the drawing coming along?"
"It's coming along well." Yuri showed Tridon the picture of the forest and Tridon was taken aback by the picture, "Holy sh..." Tridon stopped himself and said, "That's beautiful Yuri. I'd buy that picture if I saw it somewhere."
"Thank you Tridon." Yuri chuckled and drew a little more, "I'm just about done."
"I think I have enough pictures for our project. So we're good here too." Tridon's phone went off and he took it out, "Yuri, we have a storm on the way."
"Well, I can finish the rest at home. We can get going now if you want."
"Yeah. Help me get these cameras back in the bags." Tridon quickly broke down each camera and tripod while Yuri helped him. Distant thundering and lightning strikes could be seen and heard as they moved quickly.
"Do we have everything?" Yuri asked.
"We should." Tridon looked around and nodded, "That's everything. Let's get going."
Tridon and Yuri quickly made their way down the path just as the storm got over them. The light sprinkles quickly turned to a downpour. Yuri quickly got in the car, but Tridon stopped.
"Tridon!" Yuri shouted, "What's wrong?"
"The... cold..." Tridon shook his head and slowly walked to the driver side. He opened the door and sat inside.
Yuri watched as Tridon visibly shook, "Tridon?"
"I-I'll be fine when the heater is on..." Tridon put the keys in the car and turned it. However, the car didn't start. Nothing came on. Tridon repeatedly tried to start the car to no avail, "I-I think..." Tridon paused and continued, "The, the battery is dead."
"Tridon," Yuri worriedly started, "you don't look very good."
"C-Call.. Sayori..." Tridon eyes slowly shut as he fell onto his steering wheel.
"Tridon!" Yuri quickly took off her own jacket and placed it around Tridon, "Oh no..." Yuri took out her phone and proceeded calling Sayori, "Come on pick up."
"Yeah Yuri?" Sayori started, "What's up?"
"Sayori. I need your help!"
"What's wrong?" Sayori walked out towards her window and noticed Tridon's car gone, "Are you guys still at the mountain pass?!"
"Yes and we're stuck here! Tridon's car isn't starting and he's out."
"Oh no." Sayori scratched her head and quickly grabbed a jacket and pants from her closet, "I'll get some help. Just keep him warm. Do whatever you can. Cover him in jackets, blankets, whatever you have. Cuddle with him if you have to! Just keep him warm."
"B-But Sayori..." Yuri couldn't even say anything else before she hung up, "Keep him warm?" Yuri looked in the back and dug through the bags she brought. She took out some jackets and placed them around Tridon, "I can't keep him warm enough because this place is getting colder by the second."
"Y-Yuri..." Tridon weekly started, "You need... to stay w-warm..."
Yuri gritted her teeth and shook her head, "You're worse than me. You need to stay warm." Yuri crawled to the backseat and searched through the trunk, "I'm going to keep you warm even if it kills me."
"No Y-Yuri..."
"Hush." Yuri demanded as she brought a blanket out. She grabbed Tridon and asked, "Can you move?"
"Not very much. The, the cold is m-making it hard..."
"Come on." Yuri helped Tridon move to the backseats, "I'll have to warm us both up." Yuri placed the blanket around the both of them and she started to hug Tridon, "Maybe uh..."
"W-What are you...?"
"I'm sorry." Yuri started to unzip the jackets on Tridon and cuddled with him harder. She placed the jackets around them, followed by the blanket, "I have to get direct body heat to you. I'm sorry."
"A-As long as y-youre warm. I'll be f-f-fine."
"Please don't go Tridon..." Yuri hugged Tridon harder while Tridon shivered more aggressively, "Please Tridon..."
"Y-Yuri..." Tridon stuttered, "Th-Thank you..." Tridon's eyes shut slowly causing Yuri to worry.
"No. Tridon!" Yuri shook Tridon fiercely to wake him up, "Don't go on me! Don't you go on me!" Yuri teared up and cuddled Tridon harder, "No..." She shook head and fell silent. She gripped the blanket around them and muttered, "My body heat... is dropping too..."
Yuri felt her eyes grow heavy until she heard the distant sound of a car horn. Her eyes jolted open when she saw the car lights rise over the horizon. She looked over to Tridon and held him tight.
"We have help... now..."
Yuri's eyes shot open and she looked around. Although confused at first, she quickly distinguished that she was indeed in a hospital room.
"I'm in the hospital." She muttered to herself, "Did we...?"
"Yuri!" She heard Sayori shout, "You're okay!" Sayori tackled Yuri with a hug while she was still initially confused, "We're so glad you're okay."
"Don't worry again like that you two." Natsuki muttered, "Didn't you two check the weather before you went?"
"W-We checked..." Yuri responded, "Where's Tridon?"
"He's next to you." Monika answered as she stepped out the way to show Tridon waving at her.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine now Yuri." Tridon answered, "But what about you? You still seem a little out of it."
"It's just it looked like we almost lost you." Yuri muttered, "You just weren't there. You were shivering violently and you were..."
"Yuri," Sayori stopped Yuri before she could go on and on to say, "while it's true that Tridon was bad, you were just as worse as him. The both of you were in pretty bad shape."
"Our teacher is also giving us a free grade for what happened, so we pretty much did that for nothing." Tridon sighed while he nodded to Monika, "But who says we still can't keep the pictures we got."
Monika handed Yuri the pictures Tridon took, "They're absolutely beautiful." Monika commented, "Even with the storm clouds in the background."
"They do look gorgeous."
"This looks gorgeous too." Tridon handed Yuri's drawing to Monika who then handed it Yuri, "I put the finishing touches on it."
Yuri's mouth held agape when she saw that Tridon added her drawing and admiring the same landscape she was amazed by earlier.
"Tridon," Yuri teared up, "if I could get up, I would hug you right now."
"We're still getting our pictures put on display at school." Tridon moved to stand up and was supported by Monika, "We're getting the top spot."
"I don't know what to say except," Yuri hugged the painting and looked at Tridon with a bright smile, "thank you Tridon."
"No problem."
"We want to thank you too." Everyone turned towards the door to see Lucy along with an older woman.
"Mom?" Tridon started.
"Y-Your mother?" Yuri, Monika, and Natsuki all stutter in unison.
"We want to thank you so much for helping our son." Tridon's mom started, "We always warned him about going into cold weather and being sure to check the weather before doing anything outdoors."
"Mom..." Tridon groaned, "I checked multiple times and it said that it would be clear."
"We're just glad you're safe now little bro." Lucy pushed Monika out the way and bear hugged Tridon, "I was so worried."
"Stop hugging me woman!" Tridon tried to push Lucy off, but the two fell back onto his hospital bed and proceeded to cuddle even more.
"So I understand that my son will make a choice on who he will officially date, right?"
"That's right Mrs. Pierce." Sayori smiled, "We're all pretty anxious about who he'll choose."
"Oh," Tridon's mom chuckled, "I already know. A mother always knows."
"What?!" The girls exclaim, "Who?!"
"Why would I tell all of you?" She chuckled, "It would ruin the surprise." She turned around and said, "Come on Lucy, leave your brother to rest and be with his friends."
"Oh fine." Lucy gave Tridon one massive smooch on his cheek before hopping up, "Good luck figuring out who he's asking?" Lucy winked and left with her mom.
"Geez." Tridon wiped his cheek and sighed, "It's been a while since my sis has seen me, so I'll allow all that." Tridon looked up and looked at the girls who were all blushing, "Did I miss something?"
-Epilogue-
Erica sat in a booth of a restaurant while sipping a glass of water. Behind her in the other booth, a man dropped something next to her before standing up and leaving.
She looked down at it and saw a phone number on it. She scoffed as took out her phone and proceeded to call said number. Above the number were the initials E.C.
Jen watched from outside the restaurant with Tiffany at her side. Jen looked up at Tiffany who nodded at her. Jen nodded back before running off.
"So that's your game huh?" Tiffany scoffed and flipped her hair before walking off in the opposite direction of where Jen ran off to.
A/N: 2 more chapters before the official finale! I haven't done an epilogue in a while. Just thought it'd cover up where Erica and Jen were during this chapter. Anyway, enjoy as things will get interesting over the next few chapters. Especially the finale. There will be some intense drama. Like really intense. Have fun with that!
