Tsukasa had only let the deer live because he now hoped it would fall into one of the traps. He had every intention of taking the beast back to the empire as much needed meat for the rapidly expanding army. But a few kilometers back, the deer happened to wander from the path for a moment; lured off by the sweet smell of nearly over-ripe berries. It then circled back to the path in a half-moon, managing to circumvent a trap by pure dumb luck.
The trap itself was so elegantly laid that Tsukasa briefly entertained the thought that if he'd been running he might not have noticed the finely wound cord pulled taut across the game path. Though he hadn't touched it to confirm, the shine of the string almost seemed like silk. Well hidden in the brush was the rest of the complicated trap, in three different places stakes had been driven into the soft forest floor. One to the left of the path and the two others lined up on the right. While the left side only held the far end of the cord the right side was far more complicated. Four stakes were driven into the ground with a much thicker rope weaving back and forth between them holding a single bamboo pole in place. This piece of bamboo was bent so tightly Tsukasa was surprised the stress was held off by the other pilon, another piece of bamboo tied to a single stake, a much smaller piece just barely placed inside a rope stake to hold the tense bamboo back, keeping it from snapping to the trail path and impaling whatever animal tripped the wire with a finely sharpened wooden spearhead.
The delicate work that had to go into the trap, not to mention the cleverness to harvest silk and the mathematical skill that must have been used to calculate the upper limits of the bamboo; it had to be Senku.
And so, Tsukasa was now stalking the deer, curious to see if it would fall into another trap eventually leading a member of the Kingdom of Science out to check only to fall into a trap themselves. Or perhaps, he would find more traps and eventually stumble among an encampment, farther into the woods than he thought they would settle.
The deer's head jerked up and looked into the distance. Tsukasa didn't sense anything, no bloodlust or even a breath. The deer also seemed to find nothing, because it continued on its way, meandering somewhat, completely unaware that with Tsukasa nearby it was in its final moments. The deer stopped in a circle of light that broke through the treetops above, its head rising to look into the gentle green-tinted glow and then an arrow whistled briefly and shot through the neck of the great beast.
It was poetically brutal. One short strangled cry and the animal dropped, gasping from its injury. Tsukasa could hear someone approaching from ahead. He could hear the twang of a bowstring, another arrow nocking to put the poor creature out of its misery. Before this loan hunter could finish the job, Tsukasa rushed forward, dragged his knife across the tawny and white throat before him, and then the forest fell into an unnerving silence.
Umeka was frozen, laying down under a group of saplings at the base of the tree she'd taken her shot from. She'd dropped to the damp forest floor the moment the man had rushed forward. Her stomach hurt from the tension, the man on the path was gigantic, as tall as a young tree, and every exposed piece of skin was tightly framed over muscles. He stood, possessively hovering over the deer—her deer—as he cleaned its blood from his crude stone knife. It had been so long since she'd seen another human the sight of tan skin instead of stone was jarring, it almost didn't feel real. Her head rushed from the adrenaline, no matter how exciting it was to see a person alive and moving she couldn't ignore her gut. Her feet were tingling, her heart seemed to be pounding out of time, all of her senses were working at their maximum capacity. A full-blown panic from an overwhelming threat before her. A message to run.
Umeka didn't move. She barely breathed, trying to force her body to calm down. Though her instincts demanded her to try and escape she knew, logically, that wasn't the right choice. The deer was a large healthy looking buck and fall was setting in fast. If she lost this deer she'd lose weeks and weeks of dried meat, a pelt for warmth, organs, and bones that could replace worn tools. More worryingly, the way the man stood, long brown hair obscuring his face from view he clearly wasn't looking for her. This meant he either didn't care, which the hair standing on her neck indicated was doubtful, or he was waiting. Waiting for her to either come out or to run. And given her fear and the speed he'd fallen on the deer with, she was sure it wouldn't be a very long chase.
Umeka tried to swallow, rasping her dry throat. Slowly she drew her legs in, getting on her knees and crawling around the back of the tree. She stood, breathing hard, and listened. It was still eerily silent, but she could feel it. A sensation of being looked at, she was sure when she came out from behind the tree her eyes would lock with this mysterious stranger. She pulled her shoulders up tightly and then dropped them back down, trying to shake some tension from her body. Then she nocked a fresh arrow in her bow and quickly stepped from behind the tree.
She was right. As soon as she turned her eyes locked with the man's own. His eyes were large and brown but they almost looked red in the halo of sunlight. Two jagged black cracks ran diagonally across his surprisingly delicate face, one cutting down his forehead and through his right eye, the other running from the inner corner of his left eye across his nose. She resisted the urge to touch her own, a crack that ran from her hairline to the inner corner of her left eye and then extended from the outer corner down to her jaw and down to the crux of her neck. Some painful stigma from waking up from the stone.
The man pulled his shoulders back eyebrows raising in surprise, "I haven't seen you before," he stated simply, before his eyes darkened again, "tell me, who woke you up?"
Umeka could barely process what he said. She was too distracted by her urge to run, confused by the warmth of his voice and the beauty of his long eyelashes compared to the intense air of danger and the way he subtly adjusted his grip on the knife.
"That's my deer," Umeka blurted. She blinked, surprised at herself. The first thing she'd said to another person in eons. The first thing she said to a clearly dangerous person, a man that stood at least thirty centimeters over her, probably more if she got close enough to really judge it.
He laughed. A genuine warm laugh. Obviously amused—offensively amused, Umeka thought.
Her lips pursed, cheeks puffing slightly, "It's not funny. I took it down. I was going to kill it you can't just poach-"
And suddenly he was right in front of her. His large hand gripping her arrow-holding arm at the wrist. She stared at it in shock noticing how swollen his knuckles were. She pressed her lips together firmly to stop their shaking before looking up into his face.
Tsukasa had a million questions. How had Senku revived someone? Did he have more miracle fluid on hand than he'd thought? Or did he maybe find another cave? If so that would have to be his first objective. If Senku could revive more people, especially if he did so haphazardly, it would quickly become nearly impossible for the perfect society to be maintained. Despite his frustration at her attempt to change the subject, it was amusing. She was surprisingly petulant for a hunter of her skill, even assuming Senku had built the traps. But when she looked up at him, he couldn't shake the feeling that the fear dancing in her dark amber eyes wasn't fueled by concern for her compatriots but rather confusion.
He stared down at her silently, her hands were rough and calloused, her skin was obviously tanned from working outside from how it seemed deeper on the bridge of her nose and the height of her cheeks. The most noticeable feature, however, was her hair. It was deep black and incredibly long, a single strand hung in front of her shoulder decorated with beads, and the rest was in a thick braid down her back stopping mere centimeters from the ground.
"Let go," She tried to demand, but there was a slight quiver in her voice. One maybe someone else wouldn't have noticed.
"Enough of this," Tsukasa said, surprising himself with his frustration, "Where is Senku? How did he wake you up?"
"I don't know who that is," she snapped, tugging her captured arm, "let me go!"
Tsukasa kept a hold of her easily, "There's no use trying to protect him now. Just tell me where he is and this can all be over."
"I don't know where he is," she huffed, scowling up at him, "because I don't know who he is!"
Tsukasa leaned down, she was a slight, sinewy woman who appeared strong for her size and age but also as if her body had only received the most baseline nutrition it needed for a long time. The confusion in her eyes deepened, setting off a panic.
"If Senku didn't wake you up who did?"
"I don't know what you mean, no one woke me up. I wake up on my own every mor-"
"From. the. stone."
"...what?" she stopped wiggling. Suddenly her fear and confusion seemed overtaken by curiosity. "What do you mean waking up from the stone? Someone else got you out?"
Tsukasa's hand suddenly slid from her arm. He stayed close, able to grab her at the slightest movement. But instead of trying to shoot him or run, she stayed as still as he was. Staring back at him.
"...yes," Tsukasa finally breathed, "Someone else woke me up. But that someone…" He couldn't believe it. Senku and Taiju had woken up themselves, so it wasn't impossible. But if he was now meeting a third person who'd woken on their own...how many were there like that?
"...that someone?" she echoed, raising a thin eyebrow.
"Woke up on their own. Like you did," now it seemed like an obvious fact as impossible it had seemed moments ago.
"That's right," She said, seeming to regret it immediately after by the way her eyes briefly widened.
Tsukasa looked back at the deer, and then at the girl, who's arrow, while still nocked, was now held very loosely. He moved toward the beast.
"H-hey!" she called, shuffling after him slightly as she pulled the arrow back. But Tsukasa could tell she wouldn't shoot. He bent down and quickly hauled the limp creature to his shoulders and when he turned he was met with a blank, shocked stare and an arrow once again sitting loose against the bow. She must have figured out there was no use shooting at him, surprisingly wise for someone who'd spent most of their interaction pouting.
"Where do you live?" He asked, adjusting the deer on his shoulders.
"W-what?" she sputtered, sliding one foot back.
"We can take the deer there and break it down. I'll take half and you can keep half. We can share it evenly. I want to know more about you," he said simply because it was going to happen one way or another.
"...I killed it!" she yelled, her cheeks puffing up again.
"Technically, I did," Tsukasa said, stepping in so he loomed over her once more, "And if you don't want to share it, do you think you could take it from me?"
She looked at him defiantly. Somewhere to his left, he felt a presence, a wave of sudden anger. A predator. The girl must have noticed it too because she pulled a thin wooden whistle from her shirt and blew it sharply before dropping it back around her neck. The noise was high and loud, so high Tsukasa felt like he was only just able to hear it. The presence faded as fast as it appeared. It made sense she wouldn't be hunting alone, there's no way she could carry the deer by herself. But he was fine letting the teammate stay hidden for now, he was sure whoever they were he could handle himself.
"No. You know I couldn't," she grumbled, turning and heading back toward the tree she'd hidden behind, "Fine we can split it where I stay."
The walk wasn't too long, but Umeka was still so tense and unhappy it felt as though it was taking eons. The man beside her seemed comfortable, in fact, it seemed like he was trying his best to be pleasant even though he'd been all but threatening her mere moments ago.
"What's your name?" he asked.
Umeka looked over her shoulder at him, frowning.
He laughed, "What? I need to know what to call you."
Her frown deepened which made him laugh even harder, "You'll take me to where you live but don't want to tell me your name?"
"I'm not taking you to where I live because I want to, remember?" She wished the edge in her voice didn't sound so childish but she was annoyed, disappointed, and still a little scared.
He was quiet for a moment and Umeka turned back around. "My name is Shishiou Tsukasa," he said just as Umeka had settled into the quiet of their walk.
She didn't turn this time, instead choosing to look ahead and slightly to the right of the path where she could see Saiyan. His muzzle had grayed somewhat since she met him, but beyond that, the large dog didn't look too different. His thick upturned ears twisted as she and Tsukasa walked, his mouth hanging open to show long yellowed teeth. He was a large and fluffy dog by nature but she could tell his patchwork black and tan coat was on end. Earlier she'd almost thought he wasn't going to heed her whistled command. But now, almost as soon as their eyes met he turned and disappeared into the woods ahead, staying just far enough that he might avoid Tsukasa's keen senses.
"...still not gonna share your name?" Tsukasa probed.
She groaned loudly, fading it into, "Yamaguchi Umeka."
"Thank you, Umeka," he said, seemingly unbothered by her complaining, "I'm sorry if I seemed overly gruff before. It's just...that man I was talking about he's very dangerous and I was worried you might be working with him."
Though she hadn't known him for very long it was hard to believe there were many people scarier than Tsukasa. If he was afraid of this Senku guy she definitely didn't want to meet him. She could feel him edge closer, he drew a breath like he was going to try and speak but then he stopped. They were nearing her home now. She glanced over her shoulder at him trying to gauge his expression as they stepped into the clearing and looked forward to her house built high in the trees.
"...How…?" managed to escape past Tsukasa's lips before he stopped himself, sinking back into silence to take in Umeka's home. It was built on stilts and trees it appeared she'd cut flat. Other trees grew around it, ropes tied to stabilize the house. All around the bottom of the house was a garden, some crops still holding on or waiting to be harvested. Under the shadow of her home were stacks of firewood, something that looked like a water collection system, and a chest he assumed must hold her tools. None of this could have been done in the months since he'd been awake, even Senku hadn't been awake long enough to cultivate that full of a garden. "You've...how long have you been awake?" He finally asked.
Umeka paused, squinting across the field to a pack of dogs that were slowly approaching hackles up and bodies gliding low in the grass. She shook her head briefly and they all stopped. Then she turned and looked at him, he smiled gently. He genuinely did feel bad for how he'd behaved. He couldn't imagine what it must have been like for her, to have woken up alone and been alone for all these years and then be grabbed and questioned by the next waking person she met. She seemed to search his face for a moment, maybe trying to figure out his intentions. He could feel blood from the deer dripping down his back.
"...a long time," she said, quietly. Her eyebrows furrowing as her gaze dropped to the ground, "it's been a long time."
Tsukasa nodded, no wonder she was so defensive of her food. It must be enormously tough to live out here alone. Physical labor aside, having no companions, no one to talk to. It was amazing she was as balanced as she was.
The dogs had drawn closer now. There were seven in total, all large and wolf-like but beyond that their shape and color varied wildly.
"And...who are these?" he looked around the circle, they all seemed distrustful. As though one word from Umeka was all it would take for them to fall on him. Not that he wasn't confident he could handle it. Umeka must have figured that much out because she didn't release the dogs. Instead, she waved her hand to them and, reluctantly, they seemed too lax their defensive stances.
"The dogs," she said, calmly petting the head of a grey female with a black muzzle and black-tipped ears whose orange eyes gazed affectionately into Umeka's, "and I have worked together for a long time. They're a family. This is Sailor, she's the mother." Umeka scratched the dog affectionately before straightening up to gesture to the others. "The one that was near us earlier is the father; Saiyan," she said, pointing to the dog with a familiar presence.
She paused, long enough to draw Tsukasa's attention, and when he looked at her he saw her staring at him intently. She must have wanted him to confirm he'd noticed the large dog and while he had, he feigned innocence, "Was he?"
Umeka expression flatted, she huffed dismissively and waved her hands towards the dogs, "the long-legged black one with the white chest is Suit. The big fluffy orange one is Sueno, the one with fur like his dad but a build like his mom is Sentai. The long-haired tan and brown one is named Sazae, and that bluish-gray one is Saint."
Tsukasa blinked, "Are those...all from kid's shows?"
Umeka's face flushed a light pink scattering over her cheeks and the tips of her ears. Her mouth quivered into a wobbly sort of smile, "Well...I liked them...so...it's just what I thought of I guess. Come on."
She avoided looking at him as she marched off under her house where she'd built a frame to clean big game on. Tsukasa stifled a laugh as he followed her, smiling at the gathering redness he could still see on the tips of her ears. He lowered the deer to the ground before carefully lifting it to the top of the frame, watching Umeka's face as she worked to tie it up. She gathered a knife from her box, a finely polished one that had clearly taken far longer than his jagged tool. When he held his hand out she squinted at him suspiciously, "It's just the least I could do. You did take it down, after all."
She rolled her eyes but let him take the knife, and he set about dressing down the deer. Umeka worked beside him quickly; gathering organs into pots to clean later, cutting off sections of muscle, and carefully laying half on a table and wrapping the other half in a nearby skin. She seemed to have calmed down greatly, but maybe she was just focused on her work. Though her fingers were calloused and her fingernails worn short, her fingers were long and deft at the work giving them an air of elegance despite all the labor she must do with them. As Tsukasa continued to steal glances, he felt she was the ideal person to live in the world he wanted to make. She worked hard to provide for herself and the dogs from the land around her. And just as she tended to the plants they tended to her, making use of every part of the animal seemed second nature to her. She seemed at peace with nature and herself and that peace reflected in her face making her seem even more beautiful. The thought surprised Tsukasa and he paused in his work long enough to draw a confused look from Umeka.
"I have a group. A group of people living not far off, I think you would do well with us. More than that I think...we need someone like you. A hunter familiar with the land," He spoke earnestly, but Umeka's eyes widened once more in confusion.
"A group? How have so many people woken up and I've never met anyone until today?" there was an edge to her voice, a suspicion.
"I know a way to free people from the stone, I've been able to slowly awaken people that could help me, for now. I want to awaken more people later of course, but I can't do that until we have resources and until Senku is dealt with. I don't want children or people who can't fight to be in danger," it wasn't a lie, not really, though he thought it best to share the extent of his ideals with her later on. Once she understood she could trust him and that having a group would be better for her.
Umeka frowned into the distance, looking off into the woods, and then to the dogs lounging in the grass nearby, "I-"
One word and Tsukasa could read her answer, "Think about it. I know you have all this built here, and I'm sure if you've been alone for a long time the thought of a large group is intimidating but if you joined us you wouldn't have to work so hard. You could teach my people how you hunt and how you built this garden. Then you would have people to rely on. I'm sure you've gotten sick and found it hard to hunt, what happened then?"
Umeka looked up at him, her eyebrows furrowing deeply. She bit her lip, "...I'll think about it."
Tsukasa smiled, "I'm glad you'll consider."
With the deer now fully dressed. Tsukasa watched as Umeka began to tie the skins she collected his portions onto a pole for him to carry back. He took a hold of her hand gently before she cold tie the pack closed. Her hand was dwarfed by his own and though he'd initiated the contact Tsukasa paused, looking at their hands for a moment before she drew hers away and set him with another quizzical look, "What is it?"
"Here," he said, lifting a large portion, "it's late. Would you mind if we ate this together?"
She felt like she was losing her mind. Every time she thought they might be close to parting ways he'd found a way to extend it. Maybe it was just a discriminatory fear from how intimidating he'd been before, but, she couldn't bring herself to trust him. She wondered if she'd feel this way with anyone she'd met. Maybe intense gut-wrenching suspicion was just her reality after years on her own. But her instincts told her that wasn't the case, that despite his now-gentle voice and the help he was offering there was something she couldn't trust.
The sky was a dusty purple and they sat across a fire from each other, Umeka gently turning her portion of the meat Tsukasa had pulled from the pack, "Did you learn all of this through trial and error?"
She frowned a little, unsure of what he meant, "What?"
He seemed surprised, but spoke again, "I mean...did you just keep trying things out until you learned all this?"
"Oh...no," Umeka said, "My grandparents taught me. I stayed with them a lot as a kid, they lived in a rural area and liked to live in a more traditional way. They raised little animals like ducks and chickens and had a big garden I would help in during the summer. They built most of their structures and tools themselves in the traditional ways, they weaved cloth and wove baskets and all sorts of old school things. So when I stayed with them they taught me so I could help."
She wasn't sure why she was sharing so much. She didn't want to be. But as she spoke about them, she saw the deeply wrinkled tan face of her grandmother and the stark white hair of her grandfather. She'd never found their statues, but that wasn't a surprise. They lived far outside of Tokyo after all, unlike her and her mother. Suddenly Umeka thought of her mom and her stone form and the way to wake people Tsukasa had mentioned but when she raised her face to ask her breath caught in her throat. For a brief moment, Tsukasa didn't notice she was looking at him and she saw it. The dark anger on his face as he stared into the fire.
She didn't understand. There's no way Tsukasa knew her grandparents. She hadn't even shared much about them, and what she had was good. In fact, there was nothing bad to say. By all accounts, they'd been wonderful people, people she deeply missed. He shut his eyes for a moment and when he opened them again his expression was much softer. But Umeka decided not to talk about her family anymore. Her stomach hurt. She wanted to go to bed. She wanted to think over what Tsukasa said to try and figure out why she felt so unsure about him.
He gazed up at the underside of her house. To the middle right there was a latch, the door currently closed but Tsukasa followed the ladder made of wood and rope to where it was secured to the inside of one of the trees; tied off to keep it from flailing in the wind and breaking a rung. "So you climb all the way up? Why a rope ladder?"
"So I can pull it in at night," Umeka answered, perhaps too short.
Tsukasa's eyes met her own, "Why? If there's no one else out there?"
"It makes me feel better. And, obviously, I was wrong. I just didn't know about you and all the others yet," She felt strangely defensive of her home now.
It felt like the inside of her home was the only secret she had left from this man even though she'd only just met him. So when he lightly asked, "Can I see what it's like?"
She barked out, "No," too fast and a tense silence settled over them.
Tsukasa's expression was of genuine surprise; he even looked maybe a little hurt, "I'm sorry if that was too forward," he said though there was a tenseness to his voice.
Umeka shook her head, feeling embarrassed though she didn't know why, "No it's. I think this has just been a lot for me to take in. It's late you should go back to your camp. Here."
She was up in a flurry, tying off his packs to the bamboo pole for him to carry. He stood and took it from her when she offered, "I am sorry. I'm just so impressed with you I was curious what it was like in there. I wasn't thinking about how shocking this must be for you."
He seemed so sincere and yet, again her instincts set pangs off in her body. Something was wrong or, she forced herself to think, he was simply a man that loomed some forty-five centimeters above her and his physical strength alone was sending her into an animalistic fight or flight. If that was the case it was hardly fair. She just needed time, she needed to think back over the day. She wanted to think more about that intense expression that overcame him when she mentioned her grandparents, and the soft glances she'd noticed him taking while they dressed the buck.
"Yeah," she found herself saying, "I just…" she trailed off, unsure how to finish her sentence without coming off even ruder.
He seemed to understand. He nodded and took the pole up to his shoulders. He tilted his head towards where the sun had disappeared an hour or so ago, "My group is over there on a cliffside, I'm sure you and your dogs could find it if you wanted."
She nodded, maybe that was it, maybe it was an offer and she could be done with this. Go back to living as though she was the only person alive like she had been that very morning, "Okay...thanks."
"I'll come back by sometime, to check on you and see how you feel about joining us then," Tsukasa spoke, waiting until she met eyes with him. He spoke gently, kindly in fact, but there was no hint of a question so Umeka couldn't think of anything to do but nod again.
"Be safe...on your way," she said, feeling strange and stupid for blurting out such an old-sounding goodbye, but Tsukasa smiled.
"I will, I'm glad we met, Umeka," he said, and then he walked away from the orange glow of the campfire and off into the woods without looking back.
Umeka collapsed back on to the ground, holding her arms out until Sazae walked over and laid into her. Burying her face into the fine tan fur, Umeka couldn't say she felt the same.