Akari was jumping up and down in the car, clearly excited about where he and his friends were headed. It was something he'd been looking forward to the entire school year. No more books and boring cement environments, he would be headed straight to the mountains, the very peak of nature! He couldn't control his utter excitement, staring out the window as the trees rushed by, no sign of civilization.

In the car with him were all of his friends in addition to Haru and Takuya's fathers, quite eager about spending time with the boys. Their mothers were at home, making it an all-boy outing and they were planning on living it up, having a party. It was just the young boys, barely the age of 7, Takuya and Shota being 6, of course, the babies of the group, and the group fathers. Most everybody else was excited about the outing, except for a particular brunette fascinated with a new game his father had just bought for him.

Rei was poking Yamato, making the brunette growl in irritated rage, but he did nothing about it, just clutched his katana, waiting to exit the car to give him a thorough pummeling. Shota and Takuya were asleep in the backseats, weary from the journey even if it was only a hundred miles or so from the city. They slept on one another, Takuya's head on the red-haired boy's shoulder and Shota resting on the white-haired boy's head. Neither had any qualms with that, being fairly close with one another anyway.

When at last the car had stopped, the two boys gave groggy yawns, the redhead adverse to wake up until Takuya raised his head, prompting him to give a whimper of protest that his pillow was moving. However, the sun shone on his eyes, refusing to let him fall asleep again. So he simply dealt with it, tiredly moving out of the car with the rest of the boys.

Akari had already bolted out of the vehicle, running around with joy, giggling happily as he climbed trees and jumped on branches via his normal wild child persona. Yamato moved out at much the same pace, trying to get away from Rei who gave a sadistic smirk at his actions. The two fathers exited the front seats of the RV, giving smiles to see the boys so excited about the trip. They were filled with pride at the sight though the youngest blonde quickly vanished from their sight, likely rushing into the forest.

While any other parental figure would have worried about him getting hurt or lost in the dangerous area, they didn't sweat it. After all, Akari was the only one they didn't have to worry about. He was most at home in nature, able to both thrive in it as well as enjoying himself. They could have left him there and he would have been just fine, really, even if his parents would have worried just a bit.

"Père," Haru said, tugging on his father's shirt to grab his attention, "I want to go fishing."

"Obviously," his father chuckled, picking up his son and carrying him on his back, making the brunette squeal in delight, "You're your father's son, after all, huh?"

As everyone finally caught a glimpse of the beautiful sight they were visiting, their eyes shimmered with delight, especially Akari, jumping up and down on a branch. At that point, he was higher than both the adults accompanying them, but he swiftly vanished back into the forest, doing whatever it was he did. Regardless, everyone enjoyed the sight of nature before them, one that Takuya only thought existed in fairy tales.

Surrounded by forest, there was an opening that contained a small lake with glistening light blue water filling a decent area, swelling around in almost a perfect oval shape that it was surreal. Perching it was a cliff not too far from the ground, sprinkling the same perfect blue water with a waterfall that crashed into the water below it and made white foam and bubbles that floated off. Fish swam around in the area, different shapes, sizes, and colors, enough to thoroughly fascinate Shota who seemed to have woken up at that point, still just a bit groggy, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

"Alright, boys, you know the drill," Takuya's father chuckled, beginning to unload what Rei seemed intent on bringing in a king's ransom. Well, a little duke's anyway.

Haru tapped on his father's back, prompting the man to place the small brunette on the ground. Though he rarely did work, the gamer began helping unload what he could which wasn't much. He had little muscle and even little tolerance for doing menial work, especially labor. But he wanted to help his father, carrying fishing rods and bait close to the lake. He made multiple trips to do so, eagerly moving his hands in a grabby manner when he wanted to carry something his father had.

"Don't overwork yourself," the man chuckled, petting his son's head lovingly.

The brunette nodded his head once or twice in an enthusiastic manner before waddling back to place a hat on the ground near the fishing gear. Yamato, lifting an eyebrow, grabbed the hat and placed it down onto the younger boy's head. Knowing him, Haru didn't recognize that hats were made to be worn on heads. At least, that was Yamato's speculation. He didn't have much faith in the younger boy.

When everything was unloaded, Haru rocked back and forth on his sole, waiting for his father to join him in catching colorful fish. He'd put aside his game, something rather unusual for him, showing everyone how excited he was about spending quality time with the people he loved the most. He only wished his mother could have joined him, but she was still sick at home. That being said, he wanted to bring back a fish or two to put in her room. His hope was that she would enjoy its presence, having a pet she didn't have to worry too much about.

On the other hand, Rei was looking at the portable stove that Takuya's father unloaded for him, his eyes gleaming. He'd never cooked for things in the wild, but Akari assured him he'd gather plenty of wild herbs to make it taste perfectly nature-esque. Rei was excited, but as he couldn't cook at that moment, he waded into the water in his pink swim trunks with white polka dots and enjoyed the cool feeling of the water under the hot summer sun.

Shota and Takuya weren't ones to go swimming or fish, so they opted to sit under a tree with some shade next to one another. The white-haired boy had insisted on reading his favorite fairy tale, one he read almost daily at that point. While Shota would have argued, he did love a good story and began to read out loud to the excited boy, having a better grasp on language than him.

Yamato was wading into the water, the same as Rei, but made sure to go in the other direction. Masaru followed him, doggy paddling as best as he could which was very well. The german shepherd quite enjoyed the feel of water, especially in summer, something that the other dogs wouldn't have agreed with. Still, even if he was swimming, the brunette didn't let go of his precious katana, having it right by his side as always. But he saw the waterfall and his eyes shone with excitement. The brunette perched under it, letting it hit his shoulders. He felt so cool like he was practicing misogi for an upcoming aikido tournament.

It was then that a war cry came from Akari, standing on the cliff just above Yamato. He had changed his attire completely. Instead of clothes, he made himself a skirt of long and bright green leaves, accompanied by a matching headpiece. He seemed to have painted his face with red and white war paint, made from berries he'd found in the forest. Truly, he was revoking his civil lifestyle and basking in the glorious nature he was able to enjoy.

At the sight, Rei snickered and cheered his best friend on, encouraging him to jump off the cliff into the lake below with some impressive stunt. Shota only rolled his eyes and went right back to reading to Takuya who had yet to take his eyes off of the book in the redhead's hands, his eyes twinkling with hope. Haru grinned at Akari's attire, watching as the blonde backed away, disappearing from his view before appearing again, running off the cliff and splashing into the lake below him. The brunette was surprised to see the fish swim away after that, frowning at his father.

"Père!" he whined, pointing at the absence of fish, "I want to catch them! They're running away, they're running away! See? Tell them they can't do that until I catch them for mère!"

The brunette's father snickered as the young boy began scolding the fish, kneeling down to the water and pointing at a fish swimming by him. He was overcome with surprise when it splashed water at him with its tail, sending him to fall on his butt and begin crying, rushing back to his father. Haru began jumping up and down in front of his father, making grabby gestures with his hands as he began rattling about the fish being cruel and mean. And when his father finally did pick him up, he began to crawl up until he got onto his father's shoulders, still shivering. He wasn't so sure he wanted to bring it to his mother anymore.

In the meantime, Akari and Rei were splashing one another in the water, tackling each other and squealing when a fish swam by their feet. The older of the two tried to catch a fish, but was unsuccessful, making Shota laugh before being shaken by Takuya who wanted him to continue the story. Rei gave a pout before trying again, grabbing it before it slimed out of his grasp, continuing to swim away from him at a vigorous rate.

"That's not fair! You can't run away! Akari, catch it! Catch it!" he whined.

The younger boy had no problem rushing to his friend's aid, giving a war cry before pounding on his chest and giggling afterward. With minimal effort, he held up two colorful fish and gave a proud grin as he presented them to the blonde. Rei gave an ecstatic gasp and hugged Akari, grabbing the fish from him and wading through the water to place them on his portable stove. He seemed very happy about having the fish, giving the younger boy plenty of praise for it.

"I love you," he said, jumping up and down with him, "I'll give you the best part of the fish when I'm done cooking it! Can you pretty please get me some herbs and berries?"

"Yes, sir!" Akari said, saluting before climbing up a tree and disappearing back into the forest as per usual.

Yamato gave a chuckle as he came out from under the waterfall, shaking himself off in much the same way a dog would, water flying around. He seemed fully satisfied with his little ritual and even seemed refreshed, beaming wide as he began to walk out of the water and back onto dry ground. Masaru followed suit, wagging his tail afterward, prancing around the ground before barking up at Haru.

The younger brunette seemed to have gotten his fear of the fish done with, seeming as Rei was harshly dissecting it, blood oozing out from it. He came down onto the ground and began sitting down while petting Masaru, chuckling as the dog licked him with great love. They seemed close to one another, probably due to the number of times he was at Yamato's house, getting close with the other dogs as well.

"Takuya!" the white-haired boy's father called, "Stop making poor Shota read to you and come pick some flowers with me. You like those, don't you?"

"Papa...the prince was just about to marry the princess."

"Then won't she need some flowers for her bouquet?" his father chuckled, putting his hands on his hips and leaning forward just slightly, raising his eyebrows.

Takuya's eyes lit up and he grabbed his book from Shota and rushed over to his father, the man messing up his hair as he rubbed the top of his head. The little boy jumped into the RV and panicked, looking from side to side, trying to find a perfect place to place his book where it wouldn't be harmed. When he finally stashed it in a secure location, he rushed back to his father and began to pick flowers with him.

It didn't matter which ones he spotted, his eyes lit up all the same and his smile would not fade. His father would point out different flowers, and the white-haired boy would bolt over, admire it, and then pick it, placing it gently in his father's hands for safe-keeping. He continued his gathering of flowers, hoping to find the perfect one. No matter what, he would preserve it and give it to someone he held close to him, preferably a princess of his own. How he loved the romance.

When he left the redhead to gather flowers, Shota began to grin, seeing him run around with great enthusiasm for the task he was enjoying, especially when it was with his father. As he had nothing to occupy himself, the red-haired male began to sketch the scene before him. He was in awe of the color and natural beauty, and while he may not have been able to do it justice with his drawing, it would remind him of the gorgeous sight he saw, perhaps revoking memories of the day he was experiencing.

"Rei, Rei," Akari beamed, jumping down from a tree branch and presenting two handfuls of different herbs, "I got what you wanted! I got different herbs! I got ginger and mint and fennel and sagebrush and garlic!"

The blonde then began sorting the different herbs he got into piles that Rei could notably remember. After the older boy beamed wide at the number and variety he was given, Akari continued by pulling out different berries from what appeared to be a small weaved basket made by the same leaves he was wearing. Knowing him, it was likely made by his hands just for the purpose of gathering different things.

"And I got some elderberry, cloudberry, huckleberry, and mulberry, too," he grinned, "Oh, and some yew berries. Ha, just kidding, they're poisonous!"

Rei got to work right away, cooking with great delight. The fish, the herbs, and the berries were all his to play around with in terms of flavor, making for a meal straight from nature fit for a king. Akari sat by, watching the older boy at work, before getting bored and splashing around in the water again, driving the fish over to where Haru and his father were fishing. Though it was not the blonde's intention, he was helping them get more fish to bite at their hooks.

The brunette was quite ecstatic about the amount of fish biting at his hook, overcoming his distaste for them quickly. His father was better at pulling up the fish and keeping the fishing rod still, but Haru was quite proud to be able to do something his father praised him for. He was too excited to keep his rod still, pouting when they didn't come to bite his hook-like they did with his father's.

Thus, his father assisted him, holding his fishing rod and guiding the boy to do it the way he was supposed to. Not too long after, a fish bit, and Haru's face turned into one of sheer excitement, tugging at it to bring the fish to him. While he wasn't very strong, with the help of his father, he could easily pull it in. When it was on land, he picked it up and placed it in a bucket of water, gleaming down at it with curious verdant eyes. Even if he had a temporary spat with the water creatures, it was truly beautiful. He was going to bring it to his mother, after all. She'd love it!

Yamato smiled at the younger brunette's joy, turning to do his own thing. While the others were busy with their own hobbies, he decided to do his own as well. After meditating under the waterfall like an aikido master, he felt a great urge to practice like one as well. However, he didn't have anyone to practice holds with, so he turned to practice with his katana, going through his moves and striking the air with great precision. Masaru seemed to cheer him on, barking here and there as he wagged his tail.

"Looking good there, Kage," Haru's father chuckled.

"I told you not to call me that, sir," the brunette tensed, looking around with unease.

Haru's father winked and snickered again, turning back to his son who was about to drown, looking so close into the bucket filled with water. He picked him up and sat him back down, giving him a chance to fish by himself that time. The brunette struggled greatly with trying to reel the fish in, eventually, managing to grab one of the small ones. When he realized he did it himself, he showed it to his father and was granted great praise and encouragement.

"Well done!"

The time seemed to fly by the boys in addition to the two adults, many things for them to do on the summer day. It was hot, but they had a lake and they swam whenever they so pleased, turning to splashing one another with great glee. They didn't have a moment of boredom, especially Akari, who was overjoyed by anything and everything that crossed his path. Swinging from the tree branches and studying the animals in the forest thoroughly fascinated him, giving entertainment for those that watched him, as well.

When Rei finished cooking the feast made from everything only found in the forest, he plated it and called everyone to enjoy what he'd created. He'd made roasted fish seasoned with natural herbs with a side of berry salad. As for Masaru, he'd made his homemade dog treats, grinning when the german shepherd scarfed them down. To drink, they had water they'd brought from their homes, but everything else would have been purely from that area of the mountain's forest and lake. As everyone sat down together, Takuya placed the flowers he'd gathered in a vase, making for a lovely natural centerpiece to their meal.

"Thank you for this meal, Rei, and you, Akari, for collecting our food," Takuya's father said, praising the two boys enough to make them beam.

"Thank you very much!" Takuya said with enthusiasm, following after his father's example.

"Thank you," Haru and his father sang, the former sitting in the latter's lap, refusing to sit on his own seat.

Yamato and Shota gave their own thanks as well, Masaru adding a bark in with them to show his gratitude for the delicious treats the blonde made for him. They then proceeded to dig in, stuffing their faces. The only ones that ate at a leisurely pace were the two adults and Shota, who had the decency to hold himself up to adult standards. Perhaps if there were no berries, Yamato would have done the same, but he found them to be delicious, popping one after another in his mouth and savoring the delicious juices.

All in all, their day topped all of their previous trips, hoping to be surpassed by the next mind-blowing trip. Akari enjoyed his preferred wild-child lifestyle, Shota enjoyed sketching the beautiful area, Haru learned how to fish and caught a fish for his mother, Takuya gathered flowers, Yamato got to feel like an aikido master, and Rei got to cook perfectly fresh and natural foods. They couldn't wait for their next trip.