A new day. Another day with just the two of them...

Except there will probably be a new member or two in their small team. Kohaku woke up feeling more excited than ever.

This is the most excited I've ever felt since I finished my last exams of high school! Kohaku thought as she got off her makeshift futon, which is mostly just hay stuffed inside some poorly stitched hide. Her and Senku weren't exactly the best in crafts. But it was better than the leaves she had slept on months ago so she was content.

She looked beside her and noticed that Senku had woken up earlier than her as usual and was not on his own futon.

"What an early bird..." Kohaku murmured, stretching the last amounts of sleep in her body and putting her shoes on. She walked to their small window and looked down. She saw the man himself working in his lab and preparing to go on another supply hunt, or he probably just came back from one. She couldn't tell. Kohaku tied her hair up quickly before practically jumping down the steps of the tree heading towards the lab.

"Good morning Senku!" Kohaku chirped as she approached Senku. Senku looked at her, then murmured a quick "sup." before focusing back onto a piece of bark. Kohaku pouted slightly and stood in front of him and looked down at the bark he was holding. There were names of individuals (at least that what she could tell, she couldn't really tell reading it upside down) along with random question marks and smudges of the charcoal he had been using to write.

"I'm guessing these are names of potential people we will be reviving?" Kohaku asked, rubbing her chin as she turned towards Senku's direction to read the names better.

"Mhm." Senku said, setting the bark down on the table and getting the revival fluid from a shelf not far from them.

Once again Kohaku pouted. She knows Senku was usually dismissive, but not this much. He would usually say his responses in a more complex way. But she knows and understands why he is acting this way. She practically tackled the poor guy to the ground, went past his comfort zone by hugging him, (which she knows he is usually invasive about) and poured him her heartfelt emotions right on his face. She kinda felt sorry for doing all that to him, but she was kinda in the spur of the moment. Kohaku continued to go through her thoughts until Senku snapped her out of it.

"Have anyone in mind that you want to revive?" He said, suddenly standing next to her and taking her by surprise. She looked at him then at the bark on the table. She suddenly thought of her family.

"W-well I was t-thinking- n-no! It's not in my place to be the one to choose you know? You did most of the work and you discovered the formula yourself so you should-" She was cut off to Senku chuckling.

"I forgot to tell you this yesterday when you were thanking me, but you know pretty damn well I wouldn't be able to make this all possible without you. I would've dropped dead the moment I had begun building the house itself, or collecting the materials or making tools. So don't think so little of yourself. You did as much work as I did. Probably even more. So... Thank you very much for your help and that's why I'm giving you the option to use the fluid first. Yeah." He. awkwardly said, rubbing the back of his head, looking... sheepish?

Kohaku blinked.

THE Senku Ishigami, ex-CEO of the company who made the most advanced technologies and the man who solved global warming and pollution, was awkward and embarrassed to say a simple thank you? She wished her sister could see this.

She smiled, considering his words. She then looked at the bark, recognizing some of the names and bit her lip.

"Thank you for your offer and all... but I think the fluid should be used on someone who would be useful to us and not be wasted on a selfish wish of mine." She grabbed the cup of revival fluid and handed it to Senku.

"I would not want to risk the lives of anyone precious to me just because I wanted to see them again. This world is harsher than the last one we lived in. I wouldn't want to burden them with the risk of surviving in the wild. I know that this is selfish of me to think that, but, I know that the people you'd choose would better adapt to this new environment than the ones I would choose." She stepped away from him and walked to the other side of the table, awaiting his answer.

It was silent. The only thing heard between the two of them was the chirping of the birds and the soft rustling of the leaves outside.

"Alright." Senku finally said.

"I'll use it then." He grabbed the bark and walked outside to start their journey. Kohaku followed him.

"Sorry if I'm inflicting such a heavy burden like this on you Senku, I know that some of the people in the list you had were precious to you too." Kohaku fidgeted.

"I get it, I also wouldn't want to throw people who I find precious into this new environment, and you are right about the people I chose to adapt better into this new world." Senku said, walking to a spot where he keeps his stuff.

"Oh, so who will be the lucky person?" She asked, grabbing her tools, deciding her weapons wouldn't be needed for their hopefully quick trip.

"I've been thinking of reviving Taiju first. We could use more people to make the fluid making process slightly quicker." Senku said, re-filling his belt pouches with more materials for the road.

"Ah right, I remember him, he's Yuzuriha's boyfriend if I remember right." Kohaku said, rubbing her chin. She then thought of something.

"How will we find him? I remember mentioning something about both him and Yuzuriha being nearby where the cave was but I doubt it," She said, wondering. Senku didn't answer her.

They began their journey, passing by various different statues, and Kohaku recognized one of the statues being her boxer idol Shishio Tsukasa, but did not comment on it. They walked up hills and kept idle chat between them. Senku then looked at the sky, distracted.

"About your earlier question, before we left. Knowing that big oaf, he would've stayed with Yuzuriha before getting petrified." Senku said, nodding to his own words, "and, if they are near the cave like you said," Senku looked at her then, amused.

Kohaku knew that look too well.

That look of incoming hard labour.

"We'll just have to work our asses off to find them!" He finished, making a digging motion.

"...Great."

.

.

.

.

They arrived near the cave, and after what felt like months for Kohaku, they dug as best as they could before they found the couple.

And to no surprise,

"Of course the big oaf and Yuzuriha would do this as their last moment." Senku chuckled as he stared down at the couple.

They were embracing each other, lips locked, holding each other like they would never feel or see their other half again.

It would be endearing to look at, Kohaku thought, if it weren't for the fact that they were both naked. She carefully dragged them out of the hole, ignoring their lack of clothing, and laid them down onto the lush green ground. She wiped her forehead, exhaling the breath she had been holding.

"Well, at least we found them in good condition, but please do tell me Senku." Kohaku turned to where Senku was taking out the reviving formula from his pouch.

"How are we going to revive them without them freaking out about being naked? They may not be as adapting as you were." She asked, looking at the couple then back at him. Senku shook the bottle he held and looked at them.

"We'll just cover their privacy with leaves." He nonchalantly said, opening the bottle and walking over to them.

"You're so right Senku! We can definitely cover them both up while they embrace each other like this!" Kohaku cheerfully said, her sarcasm dripping out.

"Guess we'll take them back to our camp and they can freak out inside the lab." Senku rubbed the back of his head, taking notice of her sarcasm. He closed the bottle and put it back in his pouch, and went to the side where Taiju and Yuzuriha's head was at.

"I'll hold them from this side, you can hold them from their legs." He said, taking hold of the couple's heads.

"You sure? I'm pretty sure I can carry them both myself." Kohaku suggested, and went to the middle to try to carry them by their waists.

Kohaku struggled holding the both of them up. She placed them back down. "I guess the two of us can take them, it's harder to carry two people at the same time." She said bashfully. Senku smirked and held the couple's heads again. Kohaku followed suit and took hold of the legs, looking behind her to watch for any rocks or tree roots.

"I may be weak but I at least know my limit, Lioness." Senku teased, looking at her with half-lidded eyes, smiling. Kohaku's face lit up red.

"S-shut up! I just thought that I could p-perhaps hold them by myself!" She stuttered, looking away from his teasing eyes. She always got flustered whenever he teased her. She should've gotten used to it now. Damn him and his attractive crimson eyes!

The teasing abruptly stopped when the two of them heard a rustle and a growl. They both looked to their left towards the forest. The growling started getting louder and louder.

Before they could react, a giant lion appeared before them, roaring at them. Kohaku and Senku dropped the couple in surprise.

"Don't. Move." Senku said in a hushed tone.

Kohaku stood still as her life depended on it.

The lion, while growling in warning, did not step any closer. Instead, it observed them, trying to figure out what type of species they were. Kohaku gave a panicked face towards Senku.

His eyes were pointing to the other direction, signaling her to make a run for it. Her brows furrowed, but followed his orders. Without speaking any words of affirmation, they ran towards the forest, Kohaku quickly held the couple on her back with her newfound adrenaline.

"Why the hell are there lions in Japan?!" Kohaku cried, running as fast as she could. She looked behind her and saw the lion following suit.

"What else?! They are from a zoo!" Senku replied, who ran ahead from her.

"How come they just took notice of us?!" She screamed, trying to keep her breathing even.

I really should've brought my weapons! She screamed in her head, regretting not bringing her stuff.

"They probably have but were too cautious to approach! We are the only humans on Earth!" Senku screamed back, they were approaching a cliff, and had no choice but to jump off.

So they jumped, yelling in fear as gravity pulled them down towards more forest and ground. Once they landed they groaned in pain, Kohaku looked up and saw the lion, now with more of its lion friends, steadily hopping their way down onto them.

"We need to go!" Senku yelled out, grabbing her hand and pulling her up. Kohaku nodded and held the couple behind her back again.

"How are we going to lose them Senku?!" She yelled as she ran behind Senku, keeping her tight grip on the statues.

"We'll have to distract them with something! I'm thinking of something right now!" Senku replied, looking around him to find something that could possibly ward off the beasts. Kohaku looked at the ground, thinking of something a little too crazy for the moment.

She threw the petrified couple towards a bush and faced her body in the direction of the incoming lions.

"You go on ahead Senku! You're the one who needs to survive!" She screamed, looking the the far approaching lions with a fierce glare, she was scared to die, of course, but she knows that the one who needs to survive is Senku-

"Are you crazy?! I am not going anywhere if you don't come with me! If we are running, we are running together!" Senku yelled, pulling her body to face him. He looked at her with an unreadable expression, but she knew that she wouldn't be able to convince him. She grit her teeth.

"Fine. If somehow, we aren't able to outrun them. We do have a trump card on our side. Earlier, on our way here, I saw the strongest boxer who once ruled over the world of boxing. His name is Shishio Tsukasa. Use the fluid on him, I'm not sure if he will be able to hold them off, but I'm going to hold on to the thought that he'll defeat them. He's not that far from here, probably a few feet away from us. He is easily recognizable, with long hair, hard expression." Kohaku explained as quickly as she could. She looked back at the lions, who were slowly getting closer.

"Quick Senku! I'll lead you to him!" She cried out, grabbing the couple again and passing Senku to lead him to Tsukasa.

They found him, and Senku wasted no time to open the bottle and pour the fluid over Tsukasa. The lions were now surrounding them.

Crack.

More cracks.

Brown eyes stared back at crimson ones. Tsukasa understood the panic in Senku's eyes and calmly said, "what's the situation?"

Senku then started to explain as calmly as he could.

"Your whole body is covered in stone. Lions from nine o'clock to two o'clock." Senku then waited for him to respond.

"Okay." Tsukasa said. The rest of the stone on his body continued to break off and as the female lions ran to attack, Tsukasa launched the stones onto the lions. He quickly got to the male lion and threw a punch straight to its ribs, throwing the yelping lion onto the trunk of a tree. Tsukasa watched as the lion writhed in pain, before falling limp onto the ground. He turned to look at the other lions, who looked in fear, before running away.

Both Kohaku and Senku released a breath they didn't know they were holding. Kohaku moved a step forward before stopping, hearing Tsukasa start speaking.

"From now on, I'll do the fighting." He said, as he looked back to look at both Senku and Kohaku.