When Love Fades

Chapter 24 - Life Goes On III

There was a small building at the base of the mountain where they would be able to leave any gear that would not be specifically required on the climb. There were bamboo pallets for sleeping if the weather delayed their climb. It was referred to as a cabin, but to Naruto it looked more like a small shed.

"My bag is already packed," Fuu said. "Get your gear sorted. I can lock the cabin to hold anything you don't need for the climb. While you do that, I'll go check the base trail to see if other hikers or pilgrims have been here recently that could give us info on the state of the trail further up-mountain."

Naruto nodded as she left, quickly unzipping his backpack and two duffel bags. This was going to be a difficult climb. Sure, it wasn't like they were going after Mt. Everest, but pretty much anything in the Himalayas was no joke. He needed to pack only the essentials. Water purifying filter. Insulating layers that would be required as they went higher. His three favorite lenses. Tripod. Camera and battery pack. Dried food packs that could be reconstituted on the way. It would be two days up and two days back. Depending on the weather, it could be three days for the actual shoot.

Naruto had done some rock climbing for fun in the past, but he was nervous about how technical this climb would be. It would depend on how eroded the original trail was. They might not need any serious climbing gear at all. But either way, the hike alone would be brutal at these altitudes. He couldn't help the spike of excitement that went through him at the thought. He loved the physical challenge of this kind of work. As long as he didn't fuck it up and get all the camera equipment smashed. Or himself.

Naruto finished packing and realized he still needed to change. He assumed Fuu was doing the same. He pulled off his cotton shirt and dug through his pack, changing into a pair of rugged climbing pants, unzipping the vents in the lower part of the leg so they wouldn't be too hot when they began their trek. It was still warm enough at the base that he didn't want to put on a long sleeved base layer, but he was having trouble finding his short-sleeved climbing shirt.

He was rummaging through his suitcase, still shirtless, when he heard the door open behind him.

"Oh, excuse me!" Fuu breathed out. Naruto jerked up and turned around, his face heating slightly when he saw her wide eyes snapping back up to his face.

"I was just having trouble finding the base layer I wanted to wear," Naruto gestured to his now thoroughly ransacked duffel bag. "I know it's in there somewhere but..." He gave her a lopsided grin, hoping that this wasn't going to be awkward, and thanking god he'd already gotten his pants on. He had been in the company of basically all men for months and he had sort of forgotten to worry too much about modesty. Fuu had already changed and looked ready to go.

"I can help you look," Fuu said calmly, walking over and crouching down by Naruto's other bag. "What does it look like?"

"Uh... white and thin with short sleeves. Slippery feeling."

"Reflective?" she asked, her small, nimble hands quickly searching through his bag in the low light of the room.

"Yeah."

It was under a minute before she found it, pulling it out of the bag she'd been searching (somehow all the clothes were still neatly folded, as opposed to the bag Naruto had been digging through which looked like it had been packed by a tornado). "Is this it?"

"Yeah, perfect. Thanks," Naruto said, taking the shirt from her and pulling it over his head. He noticed the way her gaze slid to his left shoulder.

"That looks Samoan."

Naruto's eyebrows raised. "Um... yeah, it is, actually. You know a lot about tattoos?

"Yes, actually," she said. "I did a project on them in one of my Art and Culture classes. Would you mind if I looked at it?"