Chapter Text
When Izumi and his squad was deciding on their squad trip for the month, going camping had not been at the top of his favorite places to go. Sure, nature was nice, reading a book and curling up next to an open fire was relaxing, and watching Tachikawa try (and fail) to catch a fish was hilarious, but having to do all that with Yuiga and the Tamakoma-2 kids was making his leg bounce uncontrollably in the car.
He honestly didn’t understand how his captain was fine with spending a night with six teenagers, or how he convinced the other squad to come with them without any other adults being present. The music blared in the car, Tachikawa humming to the tune and tapping against the steering wheel rhythmically. Yuiga sat in the backseat cramped into the side door by their camping gear; it was far too much gear to justify for just a weekend, but they weren’t sure how much Reiji had brought for the kids.
Izumi himself sat in the passenger seat chewing a candy bar with his feet on the dashboard. Tachikawa had tried to shoo his feet off once before, but seeing the state of the rest of his car, he shrugged it off.
“When are we getting to the campsite?” Yuiga asked, his body barely able to inch forward over the middle console. He sounded like a kid whining to his parents, complete with a pout and earbuds around his neck.
“Soon. We just need to park, and we’ll walk to our campsite from there,” Izumi retorts. Yuiga rolls his eyes when he hears ‘walking’.
“Couldn’t we have just gone to the more normal campsites? That have our cars parked close enough for us to see?” Yuiga asked. It was a good question and Izumi looked to Tachikawa for an answer. His captain shrugs.
“There are too many people around those areas. Besides, Azuma told me of this campsite next to a river. It’s a great fishing spot.” It was Izumi’s turn to roll his eyes.
“So, we’re just going up here so you can show off your fishing skills?” He asked Tachikawa, his shoulders hunched over towards him. Tachikawa shakes his head, lips curling upwards.
“No, I’m terrible at fishing. I couldn’t even catch a fish even if we needed to. I thought we could just disconnect for a day, have a good bonding moment.” Tachikawa responded, unusually excited about everything. He smiles as he looks over towards Izumi, who raises an eyebrow.
“I’ve never heard those words come out of your mouth before.” Izumi comments. Tachikawa leans back.
“What? I like bonding, I just usually use alcohol to do that.” On cue, his six-pack rattles in the back when the car rolls over a feisty bump. He smiles, a bead of sweat rolling down his face as Izumi sends a glare his way.
“Don’t worry, I’m not planning on drinking too much. I just needed something to relax with.” Tachikawa says. Izumi huffs and leans back in his seat again. The road up to the parking area was treacherous, the car bumping uncontrollably on the gravel. The equipment rattled in the back and Yuiga’s groans echoed over it. Finally, they spot the clearing that the rest of the group was unloading from.
They spot Tachikawa’s car approaching and give them a wave for them to park. Reiji is with them unloading most of their gear while the others fix their backpacks and supplies.
They roll to a stop and Tachikawa steps out of the car to greet them.
“Reiji! Did everyone get here okay?” He nodded, taking out the last of their tents. He flicks the sweat off his forehead.
“They’re all set. I got everything ready for them, so you shouldn’t be missing anything.” Reiji said.
Osamu and Yuma were chatting across the clearing, Yuma eyeing his backpack suspiciously with multiple metal appendages sticking out of it. Chika stood with her back to the car, a camera perched in her hands and a shine in her eyes. Next to her Hyuse fanned himself with a sketchbook tight in his hands, Chika basking in the cool air next to him.
“Hey guys!” Izumi said as he bounded up to them. He had his own backpack strapped to his back, a small keychain of their squad emblem dangling off it. Yuiga slowly trails behind him, carrying a big duffle bag that looks like it weighs at least fifty pounds. He was the work horse of this trip – or donkey as Izumi would describe him.
“Ah, Izumi!” Osamu said as he meets Izumi by the jeep. They share a fist bump. “How was your ride over here?” Osamu asks.
“Not bad, there were a few bumps but nothing this one couldn’t handle.” He elbows Yuiga’s arm, who winces.
“I can’t believe you two stuck me in the back with all the equipment.” He muttered. Izumi ignored him and continued his conversation with Osamu.
“So, I’m going to assume you guys have never been camping as a group?” Izumi asks. Osamu shakes his head.
“Nope, I’ve never been the outdoorsy type. I’m sure that comes as a big shock.” He says sarcastically. Just then Yuma bounds up, acting as if he’s not carrying a huge backpack on his shoulders. It just shows how much a trion body can do in terms of physical strength.
“Have you been camping before Kuga?” Izumi asks him. Yuma thinks for a moment, his finger tapping against his lips.
“Kind of? When Replica and I were travelling across the neighborhood we had to sleep in dangerous areas sometimes. Although, that seems a lot more intensive than this.” Yuma explains.
“Sounds like it. Well you won’t be seeing any neighbors up here. At least, I hope not.” They chuckle together and continued their conversation while Reiji and Tachikawa continue to unload their things. Tachikawa unloads a small cooler for them and straps his backpack to it, most of their heavier things being carried by Yuiga.
He slams the trunk of his car closed and Reiji joins his side.
“Call me if anything goes wrong, especially with Hyuse and Yuma.” He eyes them from across the clearing. Tachikawa nods and waves off his thoughts.
“I won’t need to call you, I have everything under control. I even made Izumi check off on everything before we left.” Reiji still narrows his eyes, looking suspiciously at him.
“If you say so. Still, don’t hesitate to call me.” Reiji says before he turns towards the two hermits in the car.
“Alright you two, time to get some sun. I’ll be back tomorrow to pick you four up.” Chika simply nods and steps out into the clearing while Hyuse flips up the hood on his jacket. He still wasn’t used to the heat and sun in Mikado; in contrast to Aftokrator, which was a surprisingly cold state, the muddy atmosphere that enveloped Mikado during the summertime made him appreciate air conditioning a lot more than he used to.
“Thank you for inviting us Mr. Tachikawa.” Chika said, her smile casting a ray of sunshine towards Tachikawa. He was never used to the kids at Border speaking towards him with such respect, especially considering his own squad’s lax nature. He couldn’t stop the smile that crept along his mouth.
Her genuine gratitude meant more to him than he cared to admit, and she hadn’t even said anything else to him yet.
“Well, thank you for coming kiddo.” He reached out to ruffle her hair and everyone gathered around the center of the plaza to trek together towards their campsite.
As the two squads made their way through the forest, guided by a well-worn trail, a sense of excitement flowed through them. The rhythmic crunch of leaves beneath their feet was soothing to their ears.
Chika skipped ahead on the trail, her camera shuttering as she immersed herself in the natural beauty around them. Hyuse and Yuma walked side by side, engaged in a quiet conversation about the neighborhood, while Osamu and Izumi talked about shooter strategies.
Tachikawa walked alongside Yuiga who stayed quiet, simply enjoying the mid-afternoon rays. Chika bounced towards the campsite first and turned towards the rest of the squads to beckon them towards the campsite.
When they approached, Tachikawa put his hands on his hips in pride. It was a gorgeous campsite; a small stream rushed nearby, winding its way through the lush greenery. Tall trees provided some much-needed shade, while patches of wildflowers added vibrant pops of color to the landscape. The air carried a refreshing scent of pine, filling their lungs with an easing scent.
It was much different compared to Mikado where the sounds of cars rushing by were constant and the chatter of people was overwhelming. Out in the woods, the cicadas chirping and birds singing was enough to wipe away the memories of any buildings.
“Azuma really came through with this recommendation.” Tachikawa instantly went towards the stream, checking to see if any fish were swimming around in it. Sure enough there were and his eyes beamed.
“Maybe you’ll have a chance to catch up on your fishing skills.” Izumi said from behind him. True to his nature, Tachikawa couldn’t resist pulling out his fishing rod to set aside for later.
Chika couldn’t help but takes pictures of anything and everything she saw, from the leaves on trees to the small bugs that she saw crawling all over the ground. Hyuse had never seen her so excited for something and followed her around to see what she would do next. As much as Hyuse wanted to crack open his own sketchbook, he was much more interested in what she had to find. Chika checked under rocks for various beetles and centipedes that made Hyuse crawl in his skin. Taking pictures of the bugs, she smiled, her expression shifting between fascination and surprise.
She looked up at Hyuse who was a couple feet away, creeped out by the centipede she had just found.
“Why does it have so many legs?” Hyuse asks, trying to hide his fear.
“They use them to hunt or run away.” Chika simply said, Hyuse leaning back at the mention of ‘hunting’.
“These things hunt other animals?” He asks. She nods, leaning down to take a picture before the centipede burrows away. Hyuse backs off and walks quickly towards the rest of the group. Yuma and Osamu and setting up an area for their tent, Izumi and Tachikawa are setting up an area for themselves as well on the other side of the camp.
Yuiga starts to set up the campfire in the center of the campfire between both of the tents and he struggles to build an area. His father had taken him camping once before, but that was when he was twelve, and everything had been done for them by their assistants. He hears his stomach growling, and he opens up the cooler Tachikawa brought.
Surprisingly, it doesn’t have much in it. Only a few protein bars are scattered across the bottom with water bottles stacked on top of them haphazardly. He rummages towards the bottom for one of the protein bars and shoves it into his mouth, savoring the taste.
He turns back towards the group and smiles.
“Does anyone else want a protein bar?” He asks to the group. Izumi scoffs.
“You’re offering other people my snacks? How dare you.” He puts Yuiga in a headlock while the Tamakoma kids laugh awkwardly at the sight.
“I am getting pretty hungry. What’s on the menu, Tachikawa?” Osamu says towards the older man. His eyebrow twitches.
“I was wondering just the same thing…” Tachikawa’s voice lowered. The others in the group hushed for a moment, the pair realizing what had happened.
“Did you think we we’re bring food today?” Osamu asked Tachikawa. The older man’s body curled into itself.
“I thought Reiji had said something like that when we went out drinking last week…” Tachikawa commented back, shielding himself from the prying eyes of the others. He tried to figure out a solution for them in his mind.
He figured that driving down the mountain to grab some food for them wouldn’t be a good idea. They were about thirty minutes away from the nearest town, and he wasn’t about to leave a group of teenagers alone on the top of a mountain. He wasn’t that stupid.
However, the hunger that gnawed at his stomach was growing stronger by the second, and it both helped and hindered his thoughts that tried to come up with a solution.
“Yuiga, how many protein bars does Izumi have in there?” Tachikawa asked, eliciting a ‘hey!’ from Izumi.
“One for each of us.” He points out. Tachikawa bounds over and divvies the packets among the group.
“We at least have these.” He says, Izumi frowns as he gets thrown one of his bars.
“This won’t last us very long. What else are we going to do?” Izumi asked. Everyone looked at Tachikawa for an answer again and he gulped. He felt the staring eyes of the group on him and he pulled out his phone.
“Let me ask Kazama. He always knows what to do.” Tachikawa says, turning his back to the group. Izumi rolls his eyes and follows Tachikawa.
“You always do this, leave that poor man alone for one weekend.” Izumi tries to reason with Tachikawa, but Tachikawa had already dialed his number. He held the phone to his ear and instead of hearing Kazama’s voice on the other end, a dial tone rang.
“I told you there was no service up here before we left.” Izumi said. Tachikawa falls to his knees, defeated.
“Osamu, Hyuse, you two go try to fish up something. I need to find some cell service around here.” Tachikawa jumps to his feet again and stalks around the campsite with his phone in the air. Osamu and Hyuse obey his pseudo-captain’s orders while the others go about setting up the camp.
Back in Mikado, Kazama stopped drinking his beer to glance at his phone. He narrowed his eyes, awaiting a phone call, text, or anything to pop-up.
“You expecting someone?” Suwa asks, leaning across the table to glance at Kazama’s phone. Kazama tucks his phone into his pocket, away from Suwa’s prying eyes.
“Tachikawa hasn’t called me yet this weekend. That’s rare.” He takes another sip, an ounce of suspicion perched in his mind. Either Tachikawa was having a very boring weekend, or he was having an exciting one; neither option seemed particularly good in Kazama’s eyes. Reiji shifted his head towards Kazama from the table, eyes blinking awake from the cat nap he just took.
“He’s out on a camping trip with the kids and his squad. I don’t think there’s any service out there.” He struggles to grab his drink from his position, not wanting to move his head up from the table. While he strains himself, Kazama processes the information in his head.
“You let Tachikawa go out on a camping trip with a bunch of teenagers? Alone?” Reiji finally grabbed his drink and half-heartedly sipped it. From across the table, Raizou and Suwa also let the situation run in their minds.
“He’s not that incompetent. He got some camping tips from Azuma before he left, that was a condition Jin set to let them go.” Reiji gulps, trying to soothe Kazama away from any worrying thoughts. Kazama’s eyebrow twitches and Raizou watches as a torment of scenarios flashes through Kazama’s mind.
“Tachikawa has made a lot of progress on himself, Kazama. He’s not the baby you think he is.” Raizou points out. Again, Kazama’s eyebrow twitches. Suddenly, he reaches towards his cup to chug his beer, slamming it on the table when he’s done. The other three jump, their backs straightened.
“I think you three overestimate him. I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear this conversation and get really drunk, so I don’t have to think about how Tachikawa might start a wildfire. If he calls, don’t let me answer.” He tosses Suwa his phone and takes Suwa’s drink to chug as well. If Tachikawa was causing some horrible travesty, he wouldn’t be involved this time.
It wasn’t Tachikawa causing the scene that took place on the mountain at that moment. Yuiga has an axe (which Tachikawa brought, that was probably his mistake) and was fruitlessly hacking down brushes nearby for firewood, despite them bringing logs with them from the car. Across the clearing and into the stream, Osamu and Hyuse are still trying to fish, spending most of their bait in the process.
Yuma and Izumi are starting a fire in the middle of the clearing and luckily, they both brought a lighter for them to use. Chika sat in the corner putting up their tents while Tachikawa stood trying to get any cell service on his phone. As he took a glance up and into the sky, he saw gray clouds rolling overhead and he cursed to himself.
“Any luck?” Izumi yelled at him.
“No. I’m going to try to see if there’s a signal near the car, I’ll be back.” As much as Izumi disliked the idea of Tachikawa wandering off on his own, the trail back to his car was straightforward and he didn’t doubt Tachikawa could walk a bit too far on his own. He continued to set up the campfire with Yuma, teaching him how to start one.
Over by the river, Osamu and Hyuse sat in silence, looking out towards their fishing bob. It was a bit awkward, Osamu’s hand dancing around his neck and arms. He still didn’t really know much about Hyuse and what he liked. He was very cagey about anything he liked or did on Aftokrator.
He gulped, preparing to ask Hyuse a question.
“Does Aftokrator have any events like this?” He asked. Hyuse glances at him before returning his eyes to the fishing rod.
“We have hunting events every season, but nothing like this.” He tugs on the fishing rod, letting his hand fall dramatically in his lap. Osamu could tell he was bored, and to be fair, so was he. It didn’t help that both of their stomachs grumbled, a rumble so loud it was probably driving the fish away from them.
Just then, they see their line tug and fishing bob move. They both tense up, Osamu slowly grabbing the fishing rod and clenching it between his hand. He reels it in slowly and all at once lifts it up above his head in one dramatic motion. Their eyes sparkle and as the water clears from the air they see… nothing.
The bob clatters onto the shoreline and Osamu sighs. He can see the disappointment in Hyuse’s eyes, and he stands up to walk back towards the camp.
“Fuck this. I’m going to find Chika.” Osamu wanted to say something about watching his language, but Osamu himself felt like screaming into the forest as well. Hyuse found Chika huddled around the campfire with Yuma and Izumi, feeling its warmth through their fingertips.
He huddles next to Chika and seeing how dead he looks, assumes their fishing ordeal didn’t go well. They had already ran through all of their snacks from Tachikawa’s cooler and there’s no way in hell any of them are going to eat any suspicious berries laying around the area. Yuiga comes back with more needless firewood, pooling it all into a pile next to the group.
“Well at least you guys got the fire going while I went out to grab all this.” Yuiga said, wearing his pride pompously on his shoulders. Izumi rolls his eyes.
“We didn’t need any more firewood, dumbass. Maybe you could have helped Osamu and Hyuse fish since your dad is so good at it.” He holds his hands on his hips, lips tipped down into a frown.
“Just because my dad is good at fishing, that doesn’t mean that I am.” He says. Izumi shrugs again and turns back towards the fire with the others. It didn’t help their situation when they heard thunder and saw clouds rolling in the distance, moving too fast for comfort. Osamu frowns and turns to Chika.
“Our tents are set up, right?” She nods a few times and the group chats in as the sun dips past the horizon. They almost forgot for a moment that they had nothing to eat, and that the thunderstorm was now rolling overhead, threatening to pour all over them.
On cue, a small sprinkle hits their heads, then a downpour starts just a few minutes later, the teens fleeing into their tents.
Yuiga is the first to flee into the tent with Izumi close behind him. “Jesus, where did that storm come from? The forecast said that there wouldn’t be any rain today.” Yuiga fixes his hair and Izumi sighs as he peaks his head outside towards the other group. They two were holed up in their tent, a small light emanating from their lamp. He saw rustling from the other group’s tent and a light lit the inside of their tent as well.
The storm had caught Tachikawa out in the open and he struggled to make it to the car for safety. The storm had soaked his clothes and although the heater in the car was nice, his body still shivered. He hoped everyone at the camp had made it into their tents alright, and he flinched as a branch hit the car window.
There was still no service in the car and he cursed everything. Luckily for him he had left his beer in the car, and he eagerly tipped his head back to let the golden liquid flow into his mouth.
The storm raged on, the downpour increasing with each passing minutes. As much as Tachikawa wanted to stay inside the car until the storm passed, he knew Izumi would kill him if he was left alone with Yuiga for too long. He prepared himself for the pelting rain and just when it had seemed like the storm let up, he shoved himself out of the car to sprint towards the campsite.
In the growing darkness, he worried over every set he took, careful not to twist his ankles as he ran. He saw just a few light illuminating the darkness and he flew himself inside one of them. He opened his eyes in the tent and came face-to-face with the edge of an axe.
“Put that down, it’s just me!” Yuiga held out the axe and didn’t immediately retract it away from Tachikawa. They were both trembling; Tachikawa from his clothes being soaked through, and Yuiga from being scared shitless.
“Don’t just come in here so quickly! I thought you were a bear or something else!” Tachikawa and Izumi rolled their eyes and Yuiga finally moved to hold the axe tight to his body.
“No luck on the signal, and I’m not letting you guys sit here alone in this storm. Reiji said he was coming back tomorrow morning anyway so we just need to wait.”
Their stomachs growl in unison, unsatisfied with the outcome. Inside the tent, they played card games while the storm kept up in the background. In the other tent, the Tamakoma squad were chatting and getting sleepier as they chat. They were close together. Hyuse had already deactivated his trigger so his horns were visible in the tent. He quietly snored near the other three, who were still up and chatting with each other.
“I know this trip hasn’t been the best, but thanks for coming with me.” Osamu said to the other two. They nodded and prepared to go to sleep.
In the morning, the storm had subsided and all the inhabitants of the campsite were hellbent on packing and getting out of there. It didn’t take long to gather their things together and head back towards the cars, careful to not muddy their shoes on the soft ground.
Reiji was surprised to see the kids already lined up to go, even when he arrived about half an hour earlier than they had agreed on. They file in quietly, Reiji stepping out to talk to Tachikawa.
“I heard it rained out here last night. Everything okay?” He asks Tachikawa. The attacker threw his bag into the back with a heavy sigh.
“I’m soaked and hungry and I just want to go back to Mikado.” He smiles and Izumi clears his throat.
“Maybe we should take Mr. Azuma the next time do this. He seems to know what to do a bit more than us.” He comments before throwing himself into the passengers seat. Tachikawa shrugs.
“The kids had a semi-good time, so that’s all that matters.” Tachikawa gives a salute to Reiji.
“See you later man. Tell Karasuma I said hey.” With that Tachikawa jumps into the car and speeds off with Izumi and Yuiga. Reiji gets into his own car and turns around to face the four.
“So, how did everything go?” He receives nothing in return, just the hum of the air conditioning in the car. Finally, Chika speaks up.
“What are we having for lunch?”