Chapter 38: A Healthy Breakfast

"Rise and Shine!"

Tarin's loud good morning

"Ehhh it's too early."

Yaki said as she groggily opened her tent. She walked out with an oversize t-shirt and long shorts. Aku opened his tent with a long sleeve and sweatpants still on. He stretched his back as the sun beamed down on him, but something was in the air, something tasty.

*Pans Clanking*

*Sizzling*

Yaki and Aku stood in front of their tents in awe as they saw a sight that almost looked impossible.

'That beautiful smell? Bacon. Toast with eggs as well. What is that? It all looks too good to be true.'

Aku scoured the long table of breakfast food.

'Orange juice and Toast! Is this heaven?'

Yaki's mouth foamed at the sight. In the blink of an eye, Yaki sat at the table eagerly.

"How did you manage this old man?"

Tarin frowned at Yaki's question.

"What did I say about "old man"…Anyways, I brought it with me. You two eat up."

He looked away with a slight, mysterious smile. Aku looked down at the food as Yaki started grabbing everything she could.

'Something is off about the smell of the food. It doesn't smell like normal bacon?'

"Something wrong, Aku?"

Aku looked over as Tarin ate some of the bacon and sausage at the end of the table.

"No."

Tarin smiled at him.

'Maybe I'm paranoid.'

***

Aku used a napkin to wipe his face as he finished some bacon, toast, and a cup of coffee.

"So Tarin, what exactly are we doing here?"

Yaki stopped eating as the question seemed to freeze time.

'Oh shit.'

Yaki looked over at Tarin's now serious demeanor.

"Well, Aku…I'm glad you asked."

Tarin stood up as he turned around and walked over to a bag.

*Plop*

He dropped it on the table as the two watched him. The air tensed as his serious face seriously reached into the bag, seriously going in seriously deep.

"The truth is…"

*FWIP*

"WE'RE GOING FISHING!"

"Huh?"

Yaki was puzzled as she looked at Tarin, who brought out 3 fishing poles and a bait box.

'This guy is anything but serious.'

Yaki sipped some orange juice as she burped silently.

"You brought us out to fish with you?"

Aku looked at Tarin with a confused look.

"What else did you think we were gonna do?"

'Maybe I'm over worrying.'

Aku picked up his cup of coffee.

*Mug Breaks*

Yaki looked over at Aku, who seemed to be stunned as he had just dropped his cup of coffee.

"Aku? Are you o-"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"

Aku's screams echoed throughout the forest, causing Yaki to cover her ears.

'What's going on with Aku?'

She looked over at Tarin. He seemed unbothered or uninterested.

"Ta…..AHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Yaki's and Aku's screams were fighting each other as they twitched and felt immense pain all over their bodies.

'My body feels like it's about to explode, every pore feels like it's closed up, and my blood is trying to boil out of my skin!'

Yaki cried to herself as all she could do out loud was scream in agony.

"You both just consumed what is called Monster Meat. Your Shiryoku's are pulling 120% more than the normal amount of energy from your Aspect, than normal causing your Aspects to go into overdrive,"

Tarin walked over to Aku, who squirmed on the ground in agony, tears, and sweat. He couldn't think let alone mutter a word, but he did lock eyes with Tarin.

"You see Aku, from my understanding, is with your sister's current state, her Demon's Aspect will completely take over her body to keep her alive. You, however…"

Aku struggled to stay conscious but saw Tarin's swirling perpetual Shiryoku.

"You will die if you don't find a way to harness your Demon's Aspect."

Aku blinked as Tarin disappeared. He started to lose consciousness from the agonizing pain, until.

"AKUUU…IT HURTS!"

Yaki's cries opened Aku's eyes again as he pushed his pain aside for a moment to think.

'I can't….'

Aku thought back to the night his sister became a monster.

'I can't let that happen again!'

*Rumbles*

Yaki's screams started to shake the ground beneath them, she did nothing but focus on holding her right eye as all the pressure and build up seemed to focus on her Shiryoku.

'What the hell is he thinking…I need to save her, come on, come on!'

Aku's Shiryoku burned out of his left eye as he tried to focus all of his energy there. Its dark emptiness flowed out farther than ever. The pain was slightly relieved as he forced himself to stand.

'Wait…'

Aku listened to the now silent area around him.

'She stopped screaming?'

He turned slowly as Yaki was nowhere to be seen.

*Bones Cracking*

It was too fast for Aku to process as he was sent flying through the campsite and two trees.

'No…No, what do I do?'

Aku coughed up some blood as he looked up to see his sister's body floating in front of him. Her eye patch was now off as her fierce, almost burning, Shiryoku was on display. Aku looked at his sister Shiryoku and froze.

'Who's going to stop her?'