Baby Stone.
Chapter Eleven: Drama in the Stone World.
Kohaku woke up with a start, suddenly feeling the urge that her baby needed her, for some strange reason. However, she barely managed to sit on the bed when she froze in place.
There was Senku lying asleep next to her in bed, nothing unusual since lately they slept together in the same bed practically every day, but today, he was BARE and it was then she realized that she too, was naked.
She started to panic, when all of a sudden, she remembered the event that transpired last night.
Senku came home drunk, her sister, Yuzuriha and Francois took Tsukiku away, and then… Kohaku also remembered everything that happened the night they conceived their daughter. They kissed and then…
She stifled a groan of frustration and buried her face in her hands, cursing everything she could curse. She quickly and quietly got up from the bed and began to dress, trying to calm her rapid breathing.
"Are you leaving me so quickly?" She froze when she heard Senku's voice in the middle of putting on one of her comfortable breastfeeding dresses that Yuzuriha had made for her. "That hurts me." She turned to look at him, noticing that he just woke up, rubbing his eyes and head. "Am I that bad in bed?" Senku smiled sarcastically.
"Go to hell, Senku!" Kohaku yelled at him with a red face.
He hissed, holding his head. "Shit, lioness, calm down. The hangover is killing me." He massaged his temple.
"You deserve it," she said spitefully, though without screaming this time. After a moment, she spoke again. "You remember everything, right?" He nodded dryly, not even looking at her. "And now what will happen to us?" She asked fearfully.
Senku tensed and stopped from massaging his head to look at her seriously for a moment.
"Are you talking about… our relationship?" he asked in a low voice.
Kohaku looked at him strangely, before shaking her head. "No! I'm talking about what happened last night, you idiot. I'm not going to get pregnant again, am I?" Her face paled just by the thought of it.
"Ah..." Senku seemed to be speechless for a moment, before taking a deep breath and shrugging. "Well, it's unlikely," he sighed. "Right now you are going through the puerperium, which is a period that takes place for your reproductive system to recover after childbirth. It's the least fertile period of a woman's reproductive age, although there's still a possibility," he grimaced. "We will have to wait a couple of weeks and I'll do a home pregnancy test, although it will not be ten billion percent effective, but we can try. Anyway, the probability is low and it will be noticed over time in the same way." He sighed again. "Could you get me some water? The hangover is really killing me." He rubbed his forehead anxiously.
Deciding that she needed to get out of here, Kohaku didn't give it much thought and went to get him water. She pondered everything that had happened while her body went on autopilot, still unable to believe that there was a possibility that she would go through something like that again.
She loved her daughter, of course she did, but being pregnant was horrible! And she had just recovered from it! Kohaku hoped she wouldn't have to go through that again for a long, long time, or better yet, never. One daughter was enough for her.
"Here you go." She handed Senku the glass of water abruptly, spilling a few drops.
"Easy, lioness." He took the glass with a scowl on his face. "I told you that it's very unlikely that you'll get pregnant. There's a fifteen percent chance out of one hundred, maybe less considering you have irregular periods. In reality, it varies from woman to woman, but this time the odds are against you being positive for human chorionic gonadotropin," he assured her.
"Positive go-what-thing?" She gaped at him, then shook her head. "Never mind, I hope that's not the case then." She crossed her arms, looking away from him. "Because I planned to start training tomorrow..."
Senku choked on his glass of water. "What do you mean?" Once he stopped coughing, he looked at her with wide eyes. "Are you…"
"Yes," Kohaku answered his unspoken question. "I've decided that I'll be going with you to the boat," she informed him with a very serious face.
They were silent for a moment, studying each other. Until finally he smiled softly, looking away from her.
"I will not argue with you, if that's your final decision, but I want you to know that I do not share it." Kohaku looked at him in surprise. Why would he not appreciate more manpower and his best warrior by his side on the journey? "I would honestly prefer you to stay with our daughter, but like I said, I'm not going to argue with you. If you change your mind at any time even when the ship is ready and we're ready to board, I will not mind if you stay."
Kohaku didn't quite understand his words, but she nodded anyway.
"Agreed. Although I am not going to retract, I thought about it a lot," she assured. "I'll start training soon and regain my strength. Then I can protect you, the future of humanity, and the future of our daughter as well."
"Let's see if you can still say that when we really have to go," he laughed dryly. "Heh, now I almost wish you really got pregnant, so you couldn't leave even if you wanted to." Although he was obviously joking, Kohaku couldn't help but glare at him.
"Don't even joke about that! Last night shouldn't have happened and you know it!" She snarled a little too defensively.
"Of course I know." He rolled his eyes. "Although you were the sober one and the one who should have tried to stop the situation, but hey, it's totally understandable that you can't resist your dear husband." Before she could yell at him for making another of his bad jokes, he stood on his feet, completely naked.
"AHHH! You bastard, get dressed!" She covered her eyes with her hands.
"Why are you embarrassed?" He laughed mockingly. "Yesterday, you did more than just stare at me all night, you know."
"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Her face was practically smoking now. "I never want to talk about it again!"
"Of course. Before, you had the excuse that we were both drunk, now what excuse would you make?" He continued teasing her while he put on his underwear. "Just admit that you like me. There's nothing wrong with that, we're married – consummate and all." Senku laughed more when he heard her growl and saw her blush even more.
"You shut up! You're the one who said you started it all, both times! " She uncovered her face and pointed at him accusingly.
"Well, I can't deny that," he murmured as he put on his favorite outfit. "Although, unlike you, I can assure you that I will never sleep with you unless I'm drowning drunk." As soon as he said that, they both froze.
Kohaku gasped and looked at him with wide eyes. He clenched his jaw and put a hand to his forehead, sighing deeply.
"Get out," she said in a whisper, trying to stay calm and not hit him.
Why did he have to tell her something like that after what they did?
"Kohaku…"
"Go away, Senku!" She demanded hugging herself.
"I did not mean that…"
"Go away!" She slammed a fist into the wall, piercing the wood and leaving a small hole.
After hesitating for a moment, he finally left her alone in her room, closing the door behind him.
As soon as he left, Kohaku felt her eyes flood with tears.
Why did hearing that affect her so much? She already knew what Senku was like, his words weren't a surprise to anyone who knew him, but ... seriously... Why did he have to be so cruel? He was telling the truth, obviously, but at least he should've tried not to sound so cheeky about it. He could at least be a little considerate and not make her feel like a worthless whore.
Kohaku sobbed, squeezing her eyes tightly so as not to shed a single tear. She wasn't going to cry for that bastard, even if she was right.
She struggled to calm down and went to the bathroom to throw water in her face and be as decent as possible. She felt that her daughter needed her again, and even if she had to put up with Tsukiku's bastard of a father, Kohaku's little girl was going to go with her no matter what.
"The little girl won't stop crying, at this point, even I can't calm her down," Francois informed Ruri who sighed deeply and took the baby in her arms, not surprised when she still didn't calm down.
"She must've been looking for her parents and wants to be with them now, it would be better to take her with them," she decided.
"At least they managed to sleep in this time, it's already past ten in the morning," Yuzuriha commented happily.
"Yes, I hope so." Ruri smiled as she wrapped her little niece in a thin blanket to cover her from the sun as they walked to the house where her parents should be waiting for her if they weren't still asleep.
Ruri walked carrying the baby, rocking her to soothe her cries a little as they arrived in front of the house. Yuzuriha knocked on the door for her and Senku quickly opened it for them.
"Oh, here she is," he sighed in relief. "I was about to go for her." He held out his arms for her to be handed over.
"Same here," Kohaku exclaimed coming down the stairs. "Give her to me." She ran to take her daughter before her father could hold her. He grimaced, but didn't say anything about it. "Thank you for taking care of her." He bowed at the three.
Tsukiku finally stopped whining as she was in her mother's arms again.
"It was nothing," Francois assured.
"Did you guys have a good rest?" Yuzuriha asked.
The two of them completely tensed, causing the three to look at them strangely and a bit worriedly. The dark circles underneath their eyes weren't as pronounced as before, but somehow they still looked exhausted. And Kohaku's eyes were red and puffy as if… as if she had been crying.
Ruri immediately entered the house and placed her hands on her sister's cheeks, examining her carefully. Kohaku tensed under her grasp and looked away from her, but she couldn't hide from her older sister. Kohaku definitely cried.
But why? The only reason she could think of was ...
She looked suspiciously at Senku, who flinched and looked away from her. Yes, this was definitely his fault one way or another.
"Senku-san," she smiled a little too sweetly. She honestly had a hard time being nice to those who obviously hurt her little sister's feelings. "Chrome mentioned they needed more help with the ship. Why don't you go to work today and I'll stay with Kohaku and the baby?" She proposed, trying to sound as innocent as possible.
"But…" He looked at her daughter, obviously wishing he could spend time with her after many hours of not seeing her. Ruri frowned. She understood him, but right now, things seemed tense between him and her sister, and she would always go to her sister's side.
"I insist, Senku-san," Ruri said with a serious face.
Senku frowned and looked at his wife, but Kohaku avoided his gaze. Finally, he let out a sigh and nodded.
"Alright then. But I'll be back before sunset," he murmured, fetching his plans before leaving the door, but not before staring back at his daughter who seemed very content to drink from her mother's breast. "Goodbye," he said before closing the door.
Yuzuriha and Francois also said their farewells, leaving the sisters and the baby alone in the house.
Ruri waited for Tsukiku to fall asleep and her mother to place her in the basket before asking her questions.
"Kohaku… did something happen between you and Senku?" She asked, looking at her worriedly.
"Huh?" Kohaku flinched immediately. "W-why do you say that, Ruri-nee? N-nothing happened, n-nothing… " She rubbed her arms.
"You can tell me anything, you know," Ruri spoke softly. "I won't tell anyone and I will never judge you." She walked over to Kohaku and wrapped her in a hug. "Sorry if I seem so nosy… I just don't like seeing you sad." She ran a hand down her back.
"It's okay, Ruri-nee, it's just…" Kohaku stopped, her voice shaking. "I don't want to talk about it ..." Her eyes watered.
"I understand," Ruri assured, letting her sister's head rest on her shoulder. "Don't worry, you don't have to say anything," she assured.
After a few minutes of hugging each other, Kohaku finally spoke.
"Senku and I…" Ruri looked at her curiously, seeing her hesitating a lot. "He and I ... we went back to ..." She blushed deeply.
And Ruri understood everything.
Oh.
"Did you make love?" She asked in a whisper, also flushing a bit.
Red as tomato, Kohaku nodded.
"And that's why you're sad? Wait… did he… hurt you or something? "
No, Senku wouldn't do something so horrible would he? Even if Kohaku was much stronger than him, he could still hurt her in other ways like something as delicate as intimate relationship. But he wouldn't, would he?
"Of course not. How could he… " Kohaku pulled away from her, rolling her eyes. Ruri decided to keep to herself the fact that he could actually do something like that.
"It's just ... this morning ..." Kohaku took a deep breath. "We were arguing, more or less, and he said…" She lowered her head, looking back up with clenched fists. Suddenly her sadness died to give way to complete anger. "He treated me like I'm a woman without honor! He told me that he would never touch me if he was sober! And he didn't even apologize!" Kohaku began pacing back and forth in the room, ranting furiously albeit in whispers to prevent waking her baby. "And he said I was the one running after him! He practically called me a whore! He only needs to spit in my face to finish insulting me in the worst way possible!" She gritted her teeth.
Ruri listened to her with wide eyes, trying to get a clear picture of what exactly happened. Her little sister tended to exaggerate things when she was very upset, but whatever it was, it seemed that Senku made a joke that was out of the line, which he did very often without caring, but Kohaku was now his wife and they lived together plus they were both new to this kind of relationships, so… Yeah, this was a disaster.
Ruri put a hand to her forehead, shaking her head.
"Kohaku, come here." She motioned for her to sit next to her on the bed, trying not to think about why the sheets were so messy. Still fuming, Kohaku sat down beside her. "Did you try to talk to Senku after you argued?"
"Of course not. I can barely resist the urge to kill him." She crossed her arms, sulking.
"Maybe you should try talking to him later." Ruri rubbed her back to try to appease her. "It's not like you can ignore him or be mad at him forever, you have a daughter after all."
"I know…" Kohaku sighed, her gaze finally softening a little. "It's just that...I don't know why this bothers me so much." Her expression fell again.
"It's normal," Ruri assured her sister, rubbing her shoulder. "You're his wife, you want him to respect you and treat you as such."
"O-of course not!" Kohaku flinched. "I don't care about him!" She insisted a little too loudly, then covered her mouth as they both looked at the baby's basket, but Tsukiku remained asleep. "I don't care," she continued speaking. "I know this marriage is not real, we only got married to please dad. I do not want to be his wife nor does he want to be my husband," she wrinkled her nose, "Surely in a few years we will divorce, when Tsukiku is older. So I really don't care." She looked away.
Ruri looked at her worriedly. Kohaku was in a deeper stage of denial even worse than she thought.
"Well, if you say so." It was not the time to talk about that. "But that doesn't mean you shouldn't try to get along while raising your daughter, she can't grow up in an environment where her parents hate each other, you know."
"Yes, I know." Kohaku lowered her gaze. "But… Can I stay with you and Dad for today? I really don't want to sleep under the same roof as Senku." She rubbed her arms frantically. "I can also start training with dad and Jasper while you take care of my baby," she added excitedly.
Ruri made a worried face. Of course she had no problem and her father would be delighted, but she felt a little sorry for Senku. She was pretty sure that he didn't plan to hurt Kohaku's feelings on purpose.
"No problem for us, but you should talk to Senku, he is Tsukiku-chan's father after all," she recommended.
"I'll leave him a note," Kohaku shrugged, her tone dry and bitter.
The priestess sighed. She only hoped she hadn't made things worse, but it was probably better to separate them at the moment while her little sister's temperament hadn't calmed down yet or the physical health of the current village chief would be in jeopardy.
Taiju was in the middle of helping to build the greenhouse when he saw Senku return to the ship's construction area with a face of someone who had just been hit even though he looked physically unharmed. Taiju was surprised to see him again so soon, since only half an hour ago Senku said that he would return to his house and that he would not return until tomorrow.
"Hello, Senku!" Despite Taiju's confusion, he greeted his friend cheerfully.
"Hi, big guy," Senku retorted dryly.
"Oh, you're back." Chrome approached them looking as confused as Taiju. "You forgot something?"
"Nah." Senku sat down in front of one of the tables full of plans and took out his own, which was a lot more than what was originally laid on the table. "The lioness kidnapped my daughter and left the house, she's supposed to come back tomorrow so I'll take advantage of that and work instead."
"What about kidnapping?" Ryusui approached them accompanied by Francois and Gen.
"Hey? The gorilla kidnapped her own daughter?! Is that possible?!" Chrome jolted.
"It's a way of saying, idiot." Senku looked at him extremely annoyed. "I mean she took the girl and left without consulting me, just left a note behind. She said she'll be back tomorrow and that I shouldn't try to look for them." He grimaced. "That's why I'll stay here to make up for the lost time. That is all you need to know. Now go back to work and don't ask any more questions," he practically growled, in the worst mood Taiju had ever seen him in a long time.
They all looked at him in surprise, and of course they started asking questions left and right.
"Wait wait wait! Why the hell did she do that?" asked Chrome.
"She sounded like a lady who's resentful of her unfaithful husband! What did you do to upset her so much?" Ryusui started laughing.
"I hope the baby is okay, she missed you both this morning," Francois muttered, making the irritated Senku look depressed.
"Umm…" Gen began to sweat. "This has nothing to do with the vodka incident, does it?" he asked nervously.
"Don't even talk to me, Mentalist." Senku looked at him darkly. "You better go find something to do before I send you to pick up all the wheat yourself." Gen quickly screeched and took off almost running. He turned to look at everyone else. "And I told all of you to go back to work."
Despite the orders, Taiju decided not to leave and waited until they were left alone before speaking.
"Senku, did something bad happen?" Ignoring Senku's obvious attempt to ignore the problem, Taiju sat on a bench near his best friend's work table. "Do you have problems with your wife?"
"I don't see why I should talk about that to someone who has spent eight years in love with the same girl without saying anything to her," Senku muttered cruelly.
Taiju felt the blow like a kick to the stomach, but he took a deep breath and smiled. He already knew Senku for a long time, he knew that he didn't really mean to offend him. And Senku should already know that he wouldn't drop the subject so easily, he would need more than that.
"It's really incredible that I still don't have a girlfriend and you're already a father...I always thought it would be the other way around." Taiju laughed.
Senku flinched, obviously taking the hit where it hurt, but he too quickly pulled himself together and smirked.
"At this rate I think I'm going to have grandchildren before you have a girlfriend." Another blow, but Taiju barely felt it this time.
"I never thought you would say that, I think you wouldn't have time for science anymore." Senku obviously felt that, and this time so much that he growled through his teeth and all.
While they had their prank-swapping bar discussion, Taiju paid attention to his friend's attitude. He took much longer than usual to respond to his teasing, seeming at a loss for words. And that was worrisome. Senku losing an argument against HIM of all people? Whatever he had was affecting him a lot, and he certainly had to do with his family.
Taiju wasn't very smart, but he knew Senku more than anyone, at least that he could boast of.
"I may not have much time, but at least I'm not wasting it drooling over a girl without saying a damn word to her." He finally answered his joke after almost a full minute.
"Senku." Taiju frowned. "Are you okay?" He asked seriously.
Senku stared at him in silence, putting his interest with the plans aside for a moment, before sighed his head. But what surprised Taiju was the expression on his friend's face when he stared at him. He looked lonely…tired.
"It's nothing, big guy." He smiled without a hint of humor in his eyes. "Only that for once, I have no idea how to act in a situation where I'm unfamiliar with, an unexplored territory, where the laws of science are useless." He chuckled. "It's completely illogical. Normally, I avoid getting myself into this kind of trouble, but this time I'm tied both hands and feet, with no way out. And even if I had one, I don't want it, I just want to…" Senku stopped, frowning. "I want to know what I'm doing," he murmured.
Taiju tilted his head, understanding less and less of what his friend was talking about.
"What ... are you doing? And what are you doing?" he asked, puzzled.
"That's exactly my problem, big guy." Senku sighed again. "I have no idea what the hell I'm doing." He looked away.
To say that Taiju was flabbergasted was an understatement, he had never imagined that there would be a day when Senku ... would not know what to do, that was usually Taiju. However, even though he was clueless at times and didn't know where to start doing what he wanted to do, he never gave up until he achieved his goal, and neither did Senku! In that sense they were both the same.
However, this was a problem with his wife, even though Senku did not say it out right, and although Taiju had been in love with his beloved Yuzuriha for many years, he didn't have a wife, much less a girlfriend. He didn't even remember how his parents interacted with each other, so he wouldn't know how to advise his best friend on this matter, but there was something he was ten billion percent sure of.
"I don't know what happened between you and your wife," Taiju started, catching the scientist's attention. "But be that as it may. It's best to face the situation without fear," he assured, crossing his arms. "Instead of avoiding her, face her and do something about it as soon as possible, that's my advice to you," Taiju nodded, pleased by his own words. "You'll realize it's not that bad." He smiled at him sincerely.
The few times he and Yuzuriha had problems, whether it was because he was afraid to take the next step or was hesitant to reveal his feelings. All those times, he was always trying to avoid the subject, and at the end of the day, he would find that it was much easier to just face the problem head on. It's not like she was going to stop talking to him because of a little misunderstanding, and they always ended up solving everything so easily anyway, it even made him laugh everytime he remembers those stupid problems.
"Pff… " Senku snorted. "As if I'm afraid…" He rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. "Get back to work, big guy, don't try to use someone else's misfortune as an excuse to laze around." He practically kicked Taiju out, waving a hand as he looked at his plans again. Although upon looking at Senku more closely, Taiju noticed that he wasn't really reading them.
Taiju smiled, knowing that Senku must be thinking about what he said. That made him feel like he managed to help him in some way.
"Very well, I'll go back to work! " He quickly yelled and ran back to continue working in the ship's construction area, mentally wishing Senku the best of luck in solving all of his problems.
Ninety-seven laps around the small island where the tournaments were organized and Kohaku was already dying of exhaustion. In fact, she was only on her eighteen laps before she felt like she couldn't take it anymore, but she still forced herself to keep going. And she wasn't going to give up for another hundred laps!
Ahh alright I'll look for it but ah it's better for me to finish all of these so you can check if this recorrections are fine.
"Kohaku, don't you think that's enough?" Her sister looked at her worriedly as she held Tsukiku, who was half asleep sucking her thumb. "You can barely stand." Ruri pointed to the way she was almost on all fours, yet, still trying to complete lap ninety-eight. "And I think Tsukiku will continue to refuse going to sleep until you breastfeed her." She smiled at her little niece.
"Just give me a few… minutes…" Kohaku said, panting heavily. "I'm almost done…"
"You're almost done killing yourself." Turquoise crossed her arms, disapproval clearly in her voice. "Come here at once and take care of your baby," she ordered sternly.
It's true, the young mother thought with a frown. 'My baby needs me, and I told myself that I would finish these hundred laps, but …'
Sitting up straight on her two feet, Kohaku took a deep breath and sprinted off at high speed, completing the last three remaining laps in a blink from sheer force of will, her sister and the guards' jaws dropped.
"Re-ready…" She collapsed facedown on the ground in front of Ruri, extending an arm pathetically. "Give her to me …"
"You're really amazing, Kohaku…" Jasper shook his head, smiling resignedly. "I'll go get you some water so you can at least catch your breath."
When Jasper brought her the fresh, fresh water, Kohaku drank half of the bottle and the other half of it she dosed on herself, sighing in relief as she felt the burning of her skin subsided a bit. Shaking her head, Turquoise went to get a towel, telling Kohaku that she better dry off before they returned her daughter to her.
Finally dry and not feeling close to dying, she was able to breastfeed her daughter. However, Tsukiku still couldn't fall asleep despite her tired eyes, which was rare since she normally loved to sleep with her breast in her mouth.
"How about you sing to her?" Ruri suggested.
"Me? Singing?" Kohaku flinched immediately. "No way," she shook her head.
"At least hum," Ruri insisted. "Like what mother did to you, you remember?"
"I suppose I can try ..." Kohaku grimaced, not really liking the idea.
She mulled it over for a moment, trying to remember the tune her mother hummed to her when she was a little girl. But as much as she tried to recall the memory, she simply couldn't put a tune on it, she only remembered that it was something very sweet and relaxing.
Sweet and relaxing… Oh! Then maybe a slower version of the song left by the astronauts would do! She remembered that song perfectly, so she wouldn't have a problem humming it. However, for some reason, Kohaku was uncomfortable doing it, she wasn't one… to sing. She had made a band with Chrome and Suika once, but playing improvised drums and at a fast beat was an entirely different notion. Would her daughter really like to hear her hum?
Kohaku lowered her gaze and there she saw Tsukiku in her arms, with her mouth around her breast, sucking halfheartedly, her eyelids drooping. She was so cute looking like that that it took Kohaku's breath away more than running a hundred laps around the village, yet, it also brought her immense peace.
Taking another deep breath, Kohaku decided that she was relaxed enough to at least try that humming thing.
While she was in the middle of contemplating the beginning of the song, Kohaku belatedly realized that she was already humming the tune unconsciously, and when she finally registered what she was doing, she thought that it wasn't so bad afterall. Kohaku smiled, gazing at her daughter whose eyelids were slowly fluttering to a close. Encouraged by this, she continued her humming, barely realizing that the other three had already left her alone. Her attention was solely on her baby girl, watching tenderly as she slowly fell asleep. Even then, she didn't stop humming, she continued to lull Tsukiku until she felt her throat get a little sore, only then did she stop and walk with her into the house to get away from the morning sun.
Kohaku placed her little girl in her basket and motioned for Ruri to keep an eye on her because she wanted to go downstairs to exercise a little more. Her sister didn't seem on board with the idea, but she eventually relented and Kohaku was able to go down quietly.
However, she was barely on the last step when she came face to face with Senku and all the tranquility inside of her died instantly. Kohaku froze, both of them looking directly into each other's eyes.
"Hi." Kohaku flinched upon hearing him speak and then she felt silly about it. Not that he bites or anything! Why the hell was she so tense in his presence?
"H-hi…" she greeted awkwardly, hugging herself.
"Did you have a good night's sleep here?" he asked casually, tilting his head with a calm smile. Kohaku just nodded, a little doubtful. "And when were you planning to come back? We're a few hours before noon, and it wouldn't be good to take the baby out when the sun rises in intensity."
"I… I was planning to come back in the afternoon." Damn, she thought he would be busy working and wouldn't notice the difference.
"So you lied when you said in your letter that you'd be back early, huh?" He raised an eyebrow.
"N-no, I didn't! ...I just didn't r-realize the t-time."
"Aha," Senku didn't seem to believe her. "Then tell me… are you still upset with me?" At that question, Kohaku's jaw dropped, not because of the question itself, but because of the seriousness in his voice and face when he asked it.
She never thought that he would broach the subject, or at least not in a way where it wasn't worded in his usual cruel joke. However, here he was and Kohaku couldn't understand why in the hell he cared.
She took a deep breath before answering, deciding to act like the mature woman that she was supposed to be.
"No," Kohaku answered in a low voice. "I'm sorry I left so hastily, it won't happen again." Or so she hoped. "I don't even know why I reacted that way," she continued, a little flustered by his gaze. "It was stupid and I don't really care now." Her smile was tight as she met his gaze.
"So you don't mind, huh?" He raised his eyebrows slightly.
"Ha. No, not at all." She crossed her arms, looking away from him.
"Aha, then I guess you aren't planning on kicking me out of your room and sending me to sleep in the guest room, right?"
Kohaku stared at him open-mouthed. That was exactly what she planned to do! How did he know? Did he just seriously read minds?
"Y-You ... uh ... I-I have no idea what you're talking about!" She stomped her foot, not wanting to acknowledge that he was absolutely right. "But now that you said it, it's actually a good idea. You'll still be close to Tsukiku when she cries and I'll be able to call you easily if something comes up. There's no reason for us to continue sharing a room, don't you think?" She made one last attempt to get away with it.
"There's no concrete reason not to continue sharing a room." Senku rolled his eyes, getting a little closer to her. "Unless of course ... my presence bothers you." He placed himself just a few inches from her, with their noses almost brushing.
"Of course not!" She stiffened immediately, squaring her shoulders. Senku smirked and Kohaku resisted the urge to hit him, taking deep breaths to calm herself a bit and not let him get over her nerves so easily. "I'm sure I shouldn't need to worry about you in the slightest, unless you're drunk. Since you said so yourself, you would never touch me when sober." He grimaced and she smiled victoriously knowing that for once, her words managed to affect him.
Kohaku would make him regret treating her like a woman without honor. Or at least that's what she thought when she suddenly felt his hand on her cheek.
She gasped.
"Well… it looks like I'm touching you right now." Senku smirked at her. "And I didn't have a drink, I spent the whole morning repairing the damage to the house that you've caused before coming here. You can smell my breath if you want." He moved closer, only for her to jerk her head back without breaking his grip on her cheek.
"Sorry about the wall," Kohaku barely managed to whisper, confused as to what the hell Senku wanted to do now. "It won't happen again."
"You know, I've noticed something funny about us." He was too close for comfort again. "We always say that there are things that will never happen again or that will never happen and yet things still happen." He chuckled. "Maybe we'd have better luck keeping our mouths shut, don't you think?" He moved even closer to her.
Kohaku frowned, barely registering what he said, more focused on how close her mouth was to his, and unable to stop thinking about all the kisses they shared two nights ago.
"I have no idea what the hell you're talking about, Senku." She made an effort to only look into his eyes and not his lips, only to freeze in place when she saw that he wasn't actually paying attention to anything else other than her mouth.
"How curious ... I also don't have any idea what the hell I am doing," he murmured absently, before brushing his lips with hers and ...
"Kohaku!" Ruri peeked out from the house, only to scream loudly at the sight of them almost glued together with their mouths. At the sudden rise of her voice, Tsukiku screeched in her aunt's arms.
In the blink of an eye, Senku found himself face down on the ground from losing his balance when Kohaku jerked away from him as if he were sulfuric acid itself. Kohaku moved in a flash and was already halfway up the stairs to take her baby in her arms, rocking her and cooing things to her to try and calm her down after she took her from her flustered older sister.
"Shit," Senku groaned after he lifted his face off the ground, a trickle of blood running down his chin probably from accidentally cutting his lower lip. Ruri quickly went to get a wet cloth and handed it to him by the time Senku reached the top of the stairs where his wife was rocking their baby.
"Thank you," Senku murmured dryly, leaning the damp piece of cloth against his small but painful wound.
"I-I'm sorry I interrupted you," the older woman said sadly (Senku's extra three thousand seven hundred years were not counted). "It's just that Tsukiku-chan woke up and…"
"You didn't interrupt anything," they both growled through gritted teeth with their faces full of bitterness.
Sweatdropping, Ruri decided it was better to drop the subject. "And… are you going back home?" she asked, trying to break the silence while Senku was busy tending to his wound and Kohaku was breastfeeding her little daughter.
"We should, before the heat of the sun intensifies," Senku muttered. "However, I wanted to talk to you first, Ruri." That quickly caught the attention of both sisters. "Tell me… did Kohaku already tell you about that?" he asked seriously.
The two blondes reddened.
'Is he talking about… their nightly "meeting"?! But why the hell would he want THAT to me?!'
"Uh… y-you mean…" Seeing his sister-in-law's incredibly red face, Senku rolled his eyes.
"No, I don't mean the fact that Kohaku and I had sex." His bluntness made the two sisters blush more. "I mean the fact that Kohaku decided that she would go to the ship with me and the others as soon as it's ready." That immediately killed all embarrassment and Ruri quickly looked at Kohaku, who lowered her gaze immediately.
"Are you serious?" Ruri asked in a whisper. Reluctantly, Kohaku nodded. "Oh, but… but… What about Tsukiku? Don't tell me you'll take her with you." Ruri looked at them worriedly.
"Absolutely impossible." Both parents shook their heads. "I will not take my daughter to a possible war zone, and Kohaku made the decision that she prefers to come. And although I do not agree with her decision, I respect her," Senku paused for a moment before he continued. "That's why, our first option among the other qualified people to entrust our daughter with, is you, Ruri."
"Me?" Ruri looked at them with wide eyes. "But ... what about the old women, the midwife or even dad? I don't have much experience with babies, even though it really wouldn't bother me." She was obviously insecure.
"It's very likely that dad will be with us, Ruri-nee," Kohaku murmured. "Despite his age, he's still one of our most talented warriors. Although Senku did not talk to me about this, I was also thinking that the best person to take care of our baby is you." Kohaku looked at her sister with a bit of pity for having to leave her such a great responsibility.
"And although the old women and the midwife would be a great help, I don't know them well enough." Senku continued. "It's my daughter we're talking about, I can't leave her with anyone, I would force Kohaku to stay first or damn the trip to hell." Both sisters looked at him in surprise at his words. "I'm going to be very frank with you, Ruri, if you do not swear to me with your life that you'll take care of her ... either Kohaku stays, or we delay the trip until I feel like it." He crossed his arms. "I'm aware that I'm asking too much from you. We were both irresponsible and now it seems that we're passing our daughter to you, in fact not knowing that you would stay would not even have given Kohaku the option to come, but I know that you are the only one where I could entrust our daughter, your niece." He took a step closer to her, looking at her dead serious. "Will you accept, Ruri?"
As her sister returned Senku's serious gaze, Kohaku couldn't help staring at him with wide eyes. Had he really thought about all that even before he had given her the option to stay? He already had everything premeditated, despite wanting her to stay with their daughter, he had already thought of all the possible outcomes and scenarios.
Kohaku hugged her daughter to her chest, feeling a new wave of guilt for taking her without notifying Senku. He was willing to do so much for their child, trying and giving his very best to her without neglecting his other responsibilities, and Kohaku had no right to take her away from him no matter how angry she was.
"I accept." When her sister spoke, Kohaku turned to look at her in surprise. Would she really accept such a great responsibility so quickly? "You don't have to feel guilty for me," Ruri smiled at them, making them both look at her with wide eyes. "I will gladly do it, she's my beloved niece." She put a hand to her chest. "Besides, I know this will be difficult for both of you too. It must be very hard ... having to be away from your daughter to ensure the future of everyone, apart from hers." She looked at them with a bittersweet smile. "You can rest assured… I'll do my best. I swear on my life." She made a small bow.
Senku sighed heavily, looking like a great weight was lifted off his shoulders. Kohaku, on the other hand, gazed at her sister with tear-filled eyes. Taking advantage of the fact that Tsukiku had left her chest to stare at her father when she heard him speak, Kohaku gave her to him and ran to hug her sister.
"Ruri-nee…" Kohaku murmured so gratefully, not knowing where to start thanking her.
"It's okay," Ruri rubbed her back lovingly. "I completely understand, you're very important, you make a difference between victory and defeat for the kingdom of science. Although, I would also prefer for you to stay, I will respect your decision and take care of Tsukiku for you."
After they both thanked Ruri and arranged a meeting to delve into the subject later, they finally returned to their house with Tsukiku still awake, but happily snuggled against her father's chest.
"She missed you so much," Kohaku whispered with a guilty smile while she watched her little girl as they crossed the bridge to leave the village.
"I missed her too," he admitted quietly. That would have surprised her if it weren't for the fact that he said more surprising things just a couple of minutes ago.
"Senku… were you serious?" Kohaku couldn't help but ask him as they continued their treak to their house. "When you said you would delay the trip for Tsukiku… Were you serious?" She gave him a puzzled look.
"Well, obviously I'd rather not do it, but… yes, I would," Senku muttered nonchalantly. "If she got sick a few days before leaving, for example, no one would be able to drag me out of here until she recovered completely." Senku gave a dry laugh. "Everyone's hard work and hopes weigh on my shoulders, and I'd send them to hell in a second for the sake of this little brat." He looked down at their daughter in his arms, who looked back at him with her sleepy little eyes. Raising a little arm and touching his face curiously as he lowered it a little to give her better access. "Right now I would like to find a way to convince you to stay, and know I would succeed if I really tried, but I also know that, depending on the threat we face, we probably won't have any chance if a key piece like you is missing." They reached their home and crossed the fence. "That's why I left the decision to you, and now that you've decided I'll keep my mouth shut even if I don't like it." Just as he said that, Tsukiku captured his injured lip and pulled. "Ouch! Hey, don't do that, mini-lioness."
Kohaku laughed softly, approaching them to stop their baby torturing her father. While she was at it, she brushed her fingertips over Senku's lips and they both stared at each other.
Almost without realizing it, the two began to get closer, slowly, doubtfully. They closed their eyes and then… a horrible scent reached their nostrils.
They both looked down, seeing their daughter smile at them almost mischievously, as if she knew exactly what she had just interrupted.
"You change her." Laughing, already in a much better mood around Senku, Kohaku quickly fled from there.
The two of them unconsciously chose not to think about what had just happened between them. It was better this way.
To be Continued…
Author Note: Hi! :D
Im sorry for the long way but chapters are getting longer and translation is not an easy thing!
All thanks to SyrinxSilenus for this chapter!
SyrinxSilenus also translate Kiss of Logic, a one-shot lemon that is the night that Senku and Kohaku have together between chapter 10 and 11! I already post it so you can find the fanfic in my perfil!
SyrinxSilenus, thank you very much for your hard work!
We hope you enjoy the chapter! Thanks for reading! :D
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