Chapter 36: The Greatest Camper

-7 hours Earlier-

The clock read 0630.

"You're going to take them out and do WHAT to them?"

Ms. Ezzy was alarmed, frantically tapping her finger on a desk.

"I know what you are thinking, but there's something about them. It would be good to just push them a little, you know, find out what they are capable of. The boy wants nothing more than to be strong enough to protect his sister. I could mold Aku into the perfect protector."

Tarin stood in front of Ms. Ezzy's desk in her office.

"What do you mean by mold? For Christ's sake, he's just a boy."

"He's a boy who wants to become stronger. I can help him. He's perfect-'

"Perfect? Prefect for what Tarin? Perfect for the Higher ups? You know exactly what they would want from him if he became even half as strong as you. Is it that he's perfect for us? Why do you have this obsession with finding someone stronger or as strong as you for what? To fight? To die? If this kid dies in the process child, then that is on you Tarin. You and no one else, so tell me please…tell me what exactly he is perfect for?"

Her eyes beamed down towards Tarin's direction.

"He's perfect…he is perfect for me. I can take care of him. When I see that look in his eyes, I see him myself when I was younger, he yearns to be strong. If I teach him, if I am there, I can make sure that his goal of protecting his sister never hinders. Think about it Delilah...What do people with power in this world do? I can keep him from becoming something his father would've hated."

Tarin looked back at Ms. Ezzy. She stood up and walked around her desk, approaching him slowly, looking down at the floor. She slowly looked up at him with teary eyes.

"I don't want it to happen again..."

"I'll never let that happen again."

Ms. Ezzy stood still, a rare sight. She looked back at the ground as tears began to fall.

"Ta…Tarin."

Tarin suddenly held her close to his chest.

"I can't bear to see another child's life be taken for them."

"Don't worry, I won't let that happen, Delilah."

She looks up to him as she puts her hand on the back of his head under his long white hair.

"Do you promise Tarin?"

Her eyes were teary but ablaze as they looked deep into each other's eyes. She was slow with her movement as she slowly scratched the back of his head. Tarin breathed heavily as his eyes looked down at her, but he looked as if she was above him.

"I prom-"

Their lips touched as they made contact as a spark in their heads went off. Tarin lifted her body off the floor, setting her on the desk, their hands exploring well-known territories on each other's bodies. A moment past as they stopped kissing and looked at each other.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

Tarin waved his hand, closing Ms. Ezzy's office door as he silenced the room using his shiryoku.

***

-7 Hours Later-

A couple of hours of packing led to the siblings waiting outside their home.

"What do you think he meant by "we leave past dawn"?"

"Uhhh I don't know to be honest."

Aku counted the time in his head, but it didn't make sense.

"Wait isn't it Dawn when the sun comes up…shouldn't that have been hours ago?"

Aku thought of Yaki's question.

"Well it's 1335. Maybe he meant past afternoon?"

"Yeah maybe…"

They both fell in silence for a moment.

"He could just be an idiot too."

Yaki laughed at Aku's comment.

"Yeah, that is definitely possible."

***

"Hey, what are you guys doing?"

The siblings turned their heads to Tarin's voice.

"I was waiting for you two at my house."

Tarin was still in his ridiculous fishing gear.

"Thanks for telling us where to meet you."

Aku was annoyed as this wasn't the first time Tarin had not been clear about his instructions.

"I thought I said so."

Tarin put his hand on his chin, thinking back to when he left.

"Hm…guess I didn't. Well, it's best we get going. We don't want to lose the sun while it's still with us."

'This guy is weird.'

Yaki looked at Tarin strangely.

"Anyway, while I was waiting for the two of you I picked out our spot!"

"Where exactly are you taking me and my sister Tarin?"

"Well, that's a surprise, Aku. Besides, I promise both of you that you'll never be in safer hands than mine."

Aku and Yaki looked at each other.

"You two ready then?"

Tarin had an old man's smile as he was the most excited.

"I warn ya it's a bit of a walk."

"You ready, Yaki?"

Yaki nodded her head.

"What could go wrong?"

She added as she walked towards Tarin, who had already started walking.

'This will be something then. Yaki hasn't slept outside since she was a baby. How odd things have turned out.'

Aku followed after Yaki and Tarin.

***

"Can we take a break? I'm Tired."

Yaki groggily said as she followed behind Aku and Tarin. The surrounding woods were vast as the trees were as tall as skyscrapers, and it seemed the farther they went, the trees got taller.

"We've only been walking for an hour now."

Yaki's smart remark was something Aku could get behind as he smiled slightly at his sister's complaining.

'Feels like normal.'

"No, not until we are at the PERFECT spot!"

Tarin's silly nature seemed to overpower the surrounding forest.

"What do you mean perfect spot?"

"I thought you already had a sight picked out?"

Yaki and Aku's questions ran over each other simultaneously.

"Huh? I do."

Tarin stated with a smile that the forest behind him was deep, so deep that there was a dark spot just due to the sun not getting past some of the trees. The scenery was beautiful and majestic, being full of all sorts of nature.

Tarin then jumped, causing a gust of wind to span out from where he had launched.

"What the hell???"

Yaki yelled in shock.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Tarin stood on top of the tree as he looked out into the beautiful setting that had masked Aku's question.

"AHA…I found it!"

Tarin's face was filled with excitement as he looked around what he felt was heaven.

*Skif*

Aku and Yaki felt a tug at their collars. They looked back as Tarin held the collars of the shirts with a bright smile.

'What the hell?'

*Skif*

Aku found himself with Yaki on top of the tree being held by Tarin. They looked at the vast amount of forest with many bodies of water, and the sun was bright, brighter than anything the two of them had ever seen. It was single-handedly the best view either of them had seen.

"Wow!"

Yaki was in awe.

"They don't call me the greatest camper in the town for nothing. We are far away from Toyo and Aubu. We are in the state of Salan, the largest forest known to man."