Girls' Next Tour (A Girls' Last Tour fan-sequel)

Chapter 3: Desperation

As the second day on the mysterious layer went by, the weather changed for the worse. Dark clouds engulfed the vast horizon bringing a heavy blizzard down on Chito and Yuuri, who were still trying with extreme difficulty to keep on their path to the last goal. In just a few moments the whole world seemed to have changed into white, as thick snow piled up taking every corner of the last layer. The snowflakes felt like sharp needles piercing their skin as the wind swept them across.

Hiking most of the day Chito and Yuuri with all their might kept pushing through. Starving and exhausted, hand in hand leading her unwell friend towards their new goal. They had to hold on for just a bit longer, the wall felt so close in the gloomy distance. Barely noticeable, the blue ninth light was still shimmering on the horizon.

"I won't give up for Yuu - I won't! I won't give up!" Chito kept repeating those words in her mind like a mantra holding Yuuri's grenade pin tightly in her free hand. She felt like she would lose Yuuri in the blizzard the second she let go of her. Chito made a promise not long ago that she would stay strong for Yuuri no matter what the circumstances were. In this situation, she had to give the best for her, as Yuuri got queasy from the extreme weather change and needed her help to keep pushing forward until they find shelter. Not even exhaustion and the harsh cold weather would bring her will to live down. She had to stay alive for Yuuri.

"Chii-chan - I am so sorry that I am dragging you behind.." exclaimed Yuuri, shivering and coughing as she kept covering herself with the blanket.

"It's not your fault Yuu, the fan stopped pumping out air and we were sweating all night. You must have caught a cold." Chito felt that they probably made a huge mistake the night before, allowing them to sweat from the warm exhaust of the fan. They had no premonition that the fans would eventually stop pumping out warm air while they were asleep, and the freezing cold just made everything worse.

"I am so cold Chii-chan..."

Yuuri snuggled closer to her, Chito could feel her shivering body pressed against hers and there was nothing else that she could do to keep her warm.

"Hold on - Chii-chan ... I want to eat some snow," Yuuri said stopping for a moment. "I am so thirsty and hungry!"

"Yuu - please don't eat the snow, you will only feel worse." reaching around her backpack, she pulled out the flask and handed it to Yuuri. "I hope it's still warm from earlier. Drink everything if you want Yuuri, don't worry about me."

With a few gulps, Yuuri finished the warm contents of the flask and that was all of the warm water they managed to boil earlier this morning. All they could rely upon was snow to keep hydrated, but eating snow in this cold weather could easily accelerate the process of hypothermia.

Chito was concerned for Yuuri, she read a survival book about the effects of hypothermia and was wondering if Yuuri was actually coming down with it since the morning. The signs were there, but she wanted to be in denial. "It's probably just a cold" She couldn't imagine that she only had little time left with Yuuri before she would pass away from this horrible condition. "I can't think about that now! We have to keep pushing forward and find a shelter"

They had lost track of time earlier in the day, the clouds were obstructing the sun above them. It could have been way late in the evening, but they had no way of knowing for sure.

"Chii-chan - I am so sleepy..." Yuuri said as they kept walking forward, snuggling into Chito for what little warmth they could share.

"Yuu, please hold on a bit longer. you can't fall asleep. It's really dangerous, We will be there soon, we will find shelter and I'll make fire from something to keep you warm, even if I have to burn all my clothes - Please just hold on a little longer."