It's probably been a week or two since you and Mika have begun your climb on the great Akatsuki mountain. At first, you were pushing ahead of one another, trying to get to the summit before the other, even if it was just by a few steps. Now, things were still the same, although you were getting so much closer to your goal of reaching the summit. It'd just take one more day, and there you would be. Surely, nothing could stop you two, right?

Well, you didn't think about it initially. You turned out to be suffering from some illness, and you weren't even aware of how bad it could get. Little did you know, each step you took to reach the summit; every time you over exerted your body's power, your illness began to get worse. Even now, as you and Mika stopped by a safe spot to rest, your condition began to deteriorate. You had occasional fevers, and constantly had to stop every now and then after becoming dizzy from overexertion. Of course, Mika occasionally experienced this as well, but no illness was weighing on her like it was for you.

As you and Mika leaned against a jagged rock, catching your breath, you felt the cold stone against your heated skin. The mountain air was thin and crisp, stinging your cheeks with each inhale. Mika touched her own head, feeling it burn a bit from exertion. You coughed heavily, the sound echoing slightly against the rock face, and Mika turned over to you, giving you a weak grin mixed with exhaustion.

"Tiring... right? But... we're pretty close to the summit now... what do you wanna do for now?"

Now, your illness weighed heavily on your shoulders, making each breath feel like a struggle. The wind picked up slightly, carrying the faint scent of pine trees from lower on the mountain. It became somewhat hard to carry on from this point. But you and Mika had already made it so far... It was either turn back and find help, or continue on, no matter what the cost.