Atem watched as some people started arriving at the cabin. He checked his watch; not quite six o'clock. The sun was still up, though getting closer to the setting mark. He was anxious to get the final head count and get moving before dusk. It would be completely dark by eight, maybe earlier, and he wanted everyone to reach the camping site while they could still see where they were going.

"Looks like a decent crowd." Jou said, coming up beside him.

"Seems so." Atem nodded. "Our last count was around thirty-three, but we'll see how many people actually show up. I don't think it'll be quite that many."

"I think the less people we have to keep track of, the better."

"Come on, Jou. Their donating their time to help out when they don't have to. You should appreciate that."

"I can appreciate her." Jou let out a low whistle and Atem turned in the direction his friend was looking. He clenched his jaw; Mana was stepping out of a little green car. Catching himself, he took a deep breath - he couldn't really do anything about Jou's comment... It wasn't like he had any claim on Mana. Then, when Mai stepped into view, Jou's smile widened and Atem visibly relaxed.

"There's a woman I wouldn't mind sharing a sleeping bag with."

Atem had to laugh.
"Easy there, killer. You don't know her."

"Yet."

"Be nice to me, Katsuya. Because I know her."

Jou's eyes widened.
"No shit? Introduce me!"

Atem pretended to concider it.
"Fill out paperwork for me this week and I will."

"Fine. But no putting me down when you do the instructions."

"All right. Deal."

Atem had hoped to get over to the two women and say hello as soon as possible, perhaps even get Mana's phone number, but Vivian got to him first. By the time they were done speaking, he had to round up the volunteers. Once completed, the final head count was 36 - a few more people than they had been expecting, surprisingly.

"Okay, everyone!" He called out to the group, and they all stopped talking and looked at him. "My name is Atem, and I'm the guy in charge." There was a whistle from somewhere in the crowd, and most of the women laughed. "These guys behind me are my fellow rangers." As he introduced them down the line, each ranger rose their hand.

"We're going to divide up into five groups. When your name is called, please go over to the table and grab a T-shirt. They're just a little thank you from us for all your help these next couple days. The shirts are color coded to help us keep each group together. After all the names have been called, your group leaders will explain the rest of the trip to you. Thanks again for volunteering your time. We really appreciate the effort you all are putting into keeping our park clean. We also hope you have a good time."

Atem began calling out the names. Exercising what might have been a small abuse of his power, he made sure he assigned both Mana and Mai to his group. Then, after a pause, he added Vivian as well. Worker or not, she had tried hard to organize recruits for them, and he had to respect her for that. After splitting up the people into the seperate groups - red, orange, green, blue, and white - he stepped down from the bench.

"Atem, I'm so excited to be in your group." Vivian said, smiling brightly. "I bet I'll feel a lot safer with you in charge."

"Oh, um...Thank you?" Atem cleared his throat. "Why don't you go ahead and join the rest of the Blue's? I need to do a few things and I'll be right over."

"No problem." She said, giving him a coy look.

Jou jogged up to his friend as she left.
"What you did - thanks."

"Of course. Just don't forget that paperwork. I'll introduce you to her, but the charming and ensnaring is up to you."

"But that's the hardest part." He whined. Atem laughed and clapped Jou on the shoulder. When he turned around so they both could address their group, he got a face full of clipboard when he bumped into someone.

"Oh! Oh, sorry!" A feminine voice said. "I wasn't expecing you to turn around."

Atem lowered his clipboard, smiling when he saw Mana.
"Hey. Don't worry about it. Accidents happen."

"I was just trying to get this bag, but you were standing on the strap, so I just..." She frowned, looking annoyed. "I'm actually not this much of a klutz usually. I swear."

"So it's just around me?" He teased.

"Coincidence, I guess." She shrugged. Atem picked up the bag beside them and handed it to her and together they walked over to the rest of the Blue Group.

"All right, guys." He called out. "Again, my name is Atem. THis man next to me is my good friend Jou. We will be your group leaders and guides for the next two exciting days. Today, we'll be heading over to a campsite that's not too far away. We should get there by dark, and once there, we'll set up our tents, make some dinner, and go to sleep. Tomorrow we'll clean up around the park, working our way back to the campsite. Then, the next day, we'll pack up and work our way back here. There's no real schedule, so feel free to take pictures or video."

"Of you two?" Mai suggested, and there was more laughter.

"If you must." Atem replied, hoping the jokes would stop sooner than later. "Anyway, we do ask that you try not to mess with the wildlife too much. Don't feed the animals, don't move the plants. Any questions?" The group shook their heads, and Atem was pleased. They all seemed eager, and since no one had voiced any complaints about sleeping outside, he figured they all were off to a good start.


"It's so beautiful." Mana looked up at the canopy of trees as they hiked and smiled. The sun was setting, and the gold light filtered through the leaves softly. "I'm so glad we did this, Mai."

"Me, too." Her friend looked around. "Spring is just my absolute favorite. The flowers are coming out, and the trees are so green. Maybe I should become a ranger."

"Yeah, okay." She tried not to snort. "Says the woman who wants to plug in an electric blanket in the middle of the forest." Before Mai could voice her smart-ass reply, Atem came up to the two.

"You guys doing all right?"

"Oh, perfect." Mana replied. "We were just talking about how Mai would never be able to live outside."

"Why not?"

"No air conditioning!" Mana stage whispered in mock horror, and she was rewarded with Atem's laughter.

"Oh, crap. I think Vivian is about to meet Batman." Mai suddenly said, pointing up ahead. Atem looked and immediately began running to catch up with Vivian, stopping her in her tracks.

"Batman?" Mana wondered.

"Poison Ivy." Mai explained, and Mana squinted to see the patch Vivian has almost walked into. "She's wearing those silly crop pants. Hopefully Atem got her in time, or else this whole trip is going to be miserable."

"What a doof." Mana sighed. "Poison Ivy is terrible."

After another half an hour of walking, the sun was lowering down over the horizon and Atem called a halt to the group when they came upon a clearing. "Okay, everybody! This is where we'll make camp. Go ahead and get started setting up your tents. Jou and I will start a fire."

Mai and Mana dug out their tent and began assembling it. Mana was glad she had read the instructions before the trip; she and Mai had very little trouble setting it up. As they worked, a dismayed cry made them look at each other and shake their heads.

"Atem!" Vivian wailed. "It's not going like it says in the instructions!"

"Hold on a moment." Atem replied. He exchanged a few more words with another volunteer before heading over to Vivian, who sat on the ground with a tent pole in each hand. She would have been the epitome of dejection if it were not for the fluttering of her eyelashes. Mai and Mana somehow managed not to laugh as they finished up lifting their own tent.

A little later, the temporary shelters were up, a fire was going, and everyone was sitting around it, chatting. Atem was relieved that all the volunteers got along, although Vivian seemed to want to get along with him more than the other members of the group. She had sat next to him and was inching closer to him with every passing minute. By reflex, he moved away from her each time, and now he realized he had scooted so close to Mana that he soon would practically be in her lap. Whereas Jou, he noted, had found more than one excuse to talk to Mai.

As everyone held discussions about the next day, one woman raised her hand tentatively. "Um...I'm sorry, but what do we do about bathrooms? I mean, I know animals shit in the woods, but I'd rather not." There was an echoing of laughter.

"Don't worry. We're not going to make you guys be that uncivilized." Atem replied. "There's a pathway behind where you're sitting. Follow it for a few yards, and you'll see some porta-johns that you all can use. Just make sure you take a buddy with you."

"Hold on, I'll go." Mai said, dusting off her jeans and grabbing her flashlight. "Anyone else need to come along?" A few more people got up and the group headed off.

"You know, Atem..." Vivian began, face dreamy, "this is so romantic." Atem had to bite his lip to keep from reacting to the outrageous line, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mana hide a smile with a fake yawn. "An open fire...out under the stars...I don't know why I don't do this more often."

"You may not think that tomorrow after you've been cleaning and walking all day." He said, taking a swing of his water. "A bed inside the A/C might look pretty attractive."

"Only if you were in it with me." Vivian said coyly, and Atem nearly choked. Spluttering, he wiped his mouth, mortified when he saw Mana laughing behind her hand.

"Wow, Vivian - um..." Feeling his ears catch fire, not sure how to respond to her blunt come-on, he turned to Mana. "So, you've been quiet. Are you having a good time?"

"What?" She coughed to clear her throat and gave into one last giggle before composing herself. "Oh, yes. Thanks. It's a lovely park. I know once the trip is over, I'll go home and get right on my computer - but it's nice to get away from it all for a while."

The bathroom group returned and took their seats once more, and a few of them chimed in with their own wishes to be outside more. Atem found himself appreciating his job anew. Sure he had paperwork and issues like everyone else, but at least he could get out and take a walk on the path through the woods when he wanted.

"So..." Mana looked sheepish. "Anyone else need a bathroom break?"

"We just went!" Mai began, indignant. "Why didn't you go?"

"I didn't need to go then!" Mana bemoaned, kicking her legs a bit.

"I guess I need to go." Vivian stood up.

"Oh, good." Mana got up and turned on her flashlight, looking relieved. "Thanks. Let's go."

Atem noticed Mai stare after the two women with concern.
"You okay?" He asked, leaning toward her a little.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Mai shrugged. "I'm just worried for Mana. She's really scared about being lost in the dark, and I don't trust Vivian worth a lick." She rubbed her head. "I should've gone with her."

"I'm sure she'll be okay." He tried to reassure her. "Mana's tough. And it's not too far away." Mai nodded and turned back to Jou, asking why he had chosen to become a park ranger. But Atem noticed that her eyes kept darting back to the path, and he couldn't stop his from doing the same. After a few minutes, Vivian came back alone.

"Where's Mana?" Mai asked instantly.

"In one of the johns." Vivian answered, furrowing her eyebrows. "Are you two joined at the hip?"

"Why didn't you wait for her?"

"She's a big girl. What, are you her mother?"

Mai stomped off toward the path with her flashlight, muttering obscenities under her breath.

"She's being ridiculous." Vivian huffed, sitting back down next to Atem. "It's not like the johns were another country away."

"Regardless, it's not smart to leave someone out there alone like that." Jou interjected. "You gotta watch out for each other when you're camping."

Vivian's voice was tight.
"It's barely three yards away. What could happen?"

Atem resisted the urge to argue with her. As he got to his feet, about to head off after Mai, he saw the two girls returning from the woods. He breathed a sigh of relief, sinking back down. Mai gave Vivian a nasty glare as she and her friend retook their seats. Mana wrapped her hands around her arms, not speaking. Ignoring Vivian, Atem got up and sat down on the other side of Mana.

"Are you okay? See a bear?" He tried to keep his tone light.

"No, no bears." Mana said, giving him a wan smile. "Maybe a moose."

Atem appreciated her playing along. He placed a hand on her shoulder, ignoring the heat coming from her skin, and said, "Listen, if anything like that happens again, don't be afraid to yell for help. Just stay where you are and call out. Sound carries pretty well out here. Someone will find you."

"Yeah." Mana looked a bit better. "Thank you."

I would find you, he thought, and he stayed next to her until everyone headed to bed.