Enough Adventure for One Day

"Okay, we have to figure who�s going with who, bro," Kasaragi noted. Hayami nodded.

"I�ll pull the back. Let�s see�Dark, you can go with Kasaragi since you�re about the same age, and Cass with Kaumi. That works out great."

Dark looked at the rugged Kasaragi who smiled at her and then shrugged. She sighed. Cass was a little disappointed; she�d rather be partnered with Hayami.

"Let�s move then." Dark had begun walking to the mountain. The others caught up.

Kasaragi walked by her and tried to make conversation. "So, you been climbing before?"

"Once�"

"Where?"

"Mount Narshe."

"NARSHE?! But that�s unreal! It doesn�t exist!"

Dark gave him a sharp look. "You wanna question me?" Her intimidating aura didn�t work very well on him; he only shrugged her off. "Cass and Kaumi were there too. We�re not liars."

The partners got attached around the waist by thick, durable ropes. Hayami stayed at the back end and made sure the whole party was together before ascending. "Alright, listen up. We�ve got a long way to go before sunset. See that cave?" He pointed up to a hole in the mountainside far up the way, and everyone gave him an affirmative. "We�ll be camping there tonight. Some friends and I made that on one of our first trips. It�s a safe place, and you don�t need to worry about collapse." He pointed ahead, and the party began moving, Kasaragi and Dark at the lead, Cass and Kaumi in the middle, and Hayami at the end.

In the beginning, the climb was trails. The sun began to turn a shimmering gold across the way, as it was setting. The group got nearer and nearer to the cave. They approached an area with a brittle path that certainly would allow no more than one person at a time to cross. Dark and Kasaragi unhooked themselves from each other, but not from the main rope that kept them on Hayami. She crossed, then Kasaragi, reconnecting their line. Cass and Kaumi followed the same procedure. Kaumi crossed. Cass was about halfway when the stone bridge began to crack. Hayami saw it but Cass did not.

"Cass, watch it!" He ran toward her and shoved her hard. Having two people on the crossing would surely make it fail. Cass made it to the other side and landed against Kaumi. The group watched in fright as the bridge gave way. Hayami vanished, and the rope from the group was quickly being pulled down with him.

"Oh God�" Cass clapped a hand over her mouth. Suddenly, the party was jerked a few steps toward the collapsed crossing. The rope had no more slack.

"Kasaragi, help me out," Kaumi said as he grabbed their rope. He nodded and took hold as well. Dark and Cass got a grip on the mountainside to hold them there if something didn�t work out. The boys strained, and finally, Hayami was tugged over the edge and in front of them. He caught his breath and stood as Cass made her way to him. To his surprise, she threw her arms around him.

"You saved me�"

Hayami, arms out, gave Kaumi a weird look. Kaumi nodded to him, and he put his arms around Cass. She broke away not long after. "Okay, let�s calm down and get back together. I�m fine, no need to worry." They all hooked back up to the ropes and headed upwards for about twenty minutes when they reached the cave.

Everyone was lounging back on their sleeping bags, warming by an exceptionally large fire Kasaragi had built.

"�So anyway," Hayami spoke, telling a story about an adventure. "My partner, and there was only one man with me, fell down below because of the avalanche. I grabbed onto the rope, but we�d left too much slack�he hit the rock before I could haul him up." There was a sad groan from the girls. Kaumi still sat, listening but not so emotionally involved. Kasaragi wasn�t facing them at all, having heard the story dozens of times.
"I cut off the rope and kept going; it was the only thing I knew to do. The avalanche hadn�t caught me, but I knew I�d be soon dead anyway because there was no possible way to get down. A week later the snow melted. I�d eaten all my food and had run out the day before. Well, I later heard the rescue crews had to turn back at the huge snow deposit. I got myself back down. It was a trip to remember."

"Wow," the intrigued Cass commented.

Dark scoffed and Hayami looked baffled. "Wanna hear one of my adventures?"