Author's Note: Hello everyone, just wanted to say hello and ask for a bit of help. Writing a story that pretty much involves science is a bit hard, so if there are thing that don't seem right, please tell me in the reviews, that will help me a lot in the coming chapters. Also please leave your thoughts on the story as well, your reviews will also help me make the story as interesting as possible. Anyways, hope you enjoy the story.
8 a.m (A few days before the Petrification) …
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Looking at the large poster that hung in front of the shoe locker isle, a girl noticed a name and had begun to smile. Trying her best to contain her excitement, the girl walked away. After walking into the school garden, where she thought no eyes would see her, the girl had begun to break into a smile.
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"Hahaha!" The girl had begun to cheer, and dance around in excitement. "I placed in the top 5 of the school!"
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Cheering without restraint had caused a couple of other students to look her way and begin to giggle. Hearing their giggles, caused the girl to blush and hide from their sights.
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"You know, I have to hand it to Ayane." Another girl, who had short, brown hair, clipped together by a rose colored ribbon on the back of her head. "She really did give it all she had."
"You shouldn't be praising her. You know her aunt just told the school to give her that rank, Sara." A boy spoke, as he began to point directly at Ayane, who at this point was hiding behind a tree from pure embarrassment.
"Well, to be perfectly honest, I didn't see Ms. Fukushima at all during the exam week." Sara spoke, as she smiled. "Let's just let the girl enjoy her victory. I'll beat her next time."
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And with that the two left, Ayane looked from behind the tree she hid behind, she noticed the kids gone and had sighed a huge sigh of relief. Looking down at her clothes, she took note of her uniform. She wore a tiered skirts in navy and just reveal her calves. It is also paired with striped socks and toe cap shoes colored in bronze and navy respectively. She also wore a long sleeved shirt, which she usually like to leave it somewhat messily hanging (Not big on appearances) over her skirt and covered with a fairly long jacket.
Smiling sadly, Ayane closed her eyes and opened them, only to feel the wind blow roughly. As it began to blow, her long black hair, with a band of hair which loosely hung just above her right eye, which reached to just above her lower back, had begun to sway due to the wind. Her body was also slim, showing itself even under all the heavy clothing.
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"It's barely Spring, and the winds already blowing this hard." Ayane Mochizuki spoke as she began to walk away. "But I guess that's middle school life for you."
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The day went uneventfully, some of the kids in Ayane's class had ignored the teacher just to watch several Japanese astronauts launch themselves into space. Ayane, was of course some of those kids watching the news on their phones.
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"This is so cool!" One of the kids spoke as he looked at his phone.
"Hey, let me see." Ayane spoke as she pulled the kid back to get a better look.
"Geez, Ayane." The boy giggled a little as he leaned back and held his phone so he and Ayane can see the what was happening, only to get a big surprise.
"Hey, Senku!" One of the astronauts yelled into the microphone provided to him. "Knowing you, you probably aren't watching the broadcast, but just in case…" As the man got closer to the camera, he said with a smile spread across his face… "I'll be sure to bring a ton of scientific gifts back for you! So, just wait."
"I wonder who this Senku guy is?" Ayane spoke softly only to get a response she didn't need.
"Probably this guy's friend or something?" The boy responded.
"I was talking to myself." Ayane began to blush as she pushed the boy back forward and continued to focus on the class that was currently in session.
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As the day came to an end, and after listening to Diva Lillian before leaving the school, Ayane noticed something out of the corner of her eye. As she stopped in her tracks, she began to backtrack her steps and noticed a life-like stone bird atop of a bush just before her school gate. Curious as to what that may be, Ayane began to creep forward, ever so slowly, until she was able to get a good look at the frozen bird.
Seeing it up close, the statue of the bird looked more life-like than she had anticipated. Astounded beyond words, Ayane picked up the bird, removed her jacket, and gently wrapped the stone bird in between to prevent it from breaking. As she left the school in a hurry, she didn't realize the giant man that had begun to walk right next to her. After a slight bump, Ayane was pushed to her right, and nearly fell to the ground, if not for the giant man to move and catch her at the last minute.
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"Are you alright?" The giant's man gentle voice spoke.
"Yes, thank you." Ayane spoke as she looked up to the man, to see his tall, muscular skin. His wild brown hair, and his slight pale skin. But what stood out the most was his gentle smile. As he began to wrap his arm around Ayane's slim body, she felt her body heat begin to increase. Finally snapping out of her fantasy, she pushed slightly to let the man know the situation. "I'm sorry for that. I didn't mean to bump into you." Ayane apologized profusely.
"It's alright. Might I know your name?" The man's gentle voice never wavered as he continued to speak.
"Oh, it's Ayane. Ayane Mochizuki." Ayane introduced herself without a second thought.
"Ayane. I'll be sure to keep that in mind. Well, be careful." And with that the man had begun to leave, only for Ayane to speak up before he was out of earshot.
"You're Tsukasa Shishio, aren't you?!" As the Tsukasa turned around, he smiled once more, almost as if to answer her question, and left without another word. "He's so cool."
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The Day of the Petrification…
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Just before her time to leave for school, Ayane was seen sleeping on her desk with a model of a ship she had just completed. As the sun began to shine ever so dimly in her room, the light woke Ayane up and she began to prepare for school.
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"See you later, Perseus." Ayane spoke to the ship as she ran out her room after getting changed.
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Later in the afternoon…
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As Ayane began to walk the school ground by herself, she looked up to noticed something odd about the afternoon she was walking in. Mostly something this simple wasn't enough to put anyone on edge, but it was enough of an indicator to say something was amiss.
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"Where are the birds?" Ayane spoke to herself as she noticed that there weren't many birds chirping, which was odd to her since it was still in the early part of spring. "As Ayane began to look around, she noticed her shadow begin to shrink, and noticed another shadow begin to grow, curious as to what was happening, she turned her attention to the mysterious light that was causing the new shadow, only to see a green light rushing towards her like a tsunami.
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Scared out of her mind, Ayane began to shiver, and out of instinct held onto the tree next to her. Everything that she thought of had begun to fit into place, the life-like stone birds, the silence of the animals that should've been making noise in the early afternoon. It was because they felt some type of danger coming and decided to run away. But by the time she had pieced it all together, Ayane felt herself unable to move.
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"What's going on? I can't move!" As Ayane tried to scream for help, she noticed she couldn't move her lips either. And to top it all off, she realized that her world had become pitch black. Calming her mind, Ayane had begun to think rationally. "Okay, in times like these, what do you do again? Oh right! You start counting!" And Ayane had done just that, she had begun to count. "1…2…3…" And she counted and counted and counted.
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3700 Years Later…
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"The year 5734, It been roughly 3700 year, I think...1...2...3...How much more counting do I have to do?" Ayane thought to herself, as she felt herself begin to black out. "No, don't black out, just yet. If you do, you're as good as dead, Ayane. Come on, keep counting." But as she was about to, Ayane realized something. "This isn't good…I forgot where I stopped at. I wanted to try and wake up in the spring, but if I count now, I'll have to start over. I have to get out now." Now in a desperate situation, Ayane, using what willpower she had, tried to move, only to see it as futile. "I can't…No, don't give up. I'm just scared of waking up in the winter, I have to move. If I don't, who knows how long I'll be in here. So…move. Move! I…" As cracks began to appear on her petrified statue, it began from her foot, and began to travel up to her face. As it did, Ayane felt herself beginning to move. "Come on! MOVE! MOVE!" And within seconds, Ayane fell forward, and onto the ground with a hard thump. "Ow, that hurt. Wait, that hurt?" As she sat on her knees, Ayane looked at her hands, and had begun to shake. Not due to the immense cold she felt, but from the relief she felt upon seeing her hands once more. "I'm…free. I'm…FREE!" Ayane yelled with glee as she looked up toward the night sky. "I did it. I'm free…" But her joy was short lived as she sneezed and had begun to shiver. "I knew it. It is winter."
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Getting up and walking around, Ayane had begun to shiver more and more. It got to the point to where she couldn't even walk due to her immense shivering. But also due to the odd terrain she saw before her.
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"What's…w-w-with this forest?" Ayane spoke to herself as she looked around to try and find a landmark she could recognize. "I don't recognize anything. This…this is bad. But first…" Then before Ayane realized, she had begun to spin a stick on a plank of wood. Spinning and spinning the stick as fast as she could with both her cold frozen hand, Ayane continued even when she had begun to freeze to her bones. Then after five minutes, fate rained down upon her, as she saw a spark, then a small flame, to which she began placing leaves and small twigs down upon it as she blew on the flame. As it expanded, Ayane began to add more and more twigs to the fire, until the flame was large enough to reach just above her mid-thigh. As she sat on her legs, Ayane rubbed her hands together and placed them near the flame to warm up. "Well, at least I got the fire situated, now, I need clothes. The best option would be… leaves and vines."
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But as she tried to move, her legs gave up and she fell to her side. Looking at her legs, Ayane noticed how hard they had begun to shiver. Huddling herself near the flame, Ayane looked up to see something that gave her hope once more. Its arched handle, and boxed form in the beginning giving the shape of a plough. Even though its light was faint, she was still able to make out what the constellation was. Taking a breath out, Ayane smiled and said in a whisper voice.
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"It's the Ursa Major." Ayane whispered to herself. "I know exactly what month I'm in. I'm in the transition week of school. Meaning, it's the beginning of March."
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Grabbing onto the tree behind her, Ayane began to feel around on the ground around for something to write with. Feeling something sharp prick her hand, Ayane picked up what pricked her, and noticed it to be a sharp rock. As she did, a bright light shined in her right eye, indicating to her that a new day was beginning. Getting up with the last of her strength, Ayane grabbed hold of the tree that was behind her and began to scratch at it. Going by what she saw, Ayane predicted what the day would be, not that it mattered, since no one kept track of the days or months in almost…
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"Oh right." Ayane said to herself as she began to scratch numbers into the tree. "Today is March 1st… um…If I remember correctly, I left off on…Oh, right…according to my numbers, it has roughly been 3700 years, meaning it's the year 5734." She spoke to herself disconcertingly as she wasn't confident in her answer. "But this is good, I for sure thought that I was somewhere in mid-December." And just as she was about to walk off, a cold breeze blew between her legs, as if it was trying to inform her about her current predicament. "Oh, right. First, clothes. Next, adventure."
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After putting out the fire and grabbing as much vine as she could from the tree branches above her, Ayane cut each vine as best as she could with her own arm strength and tied each and every one together as closely as possible. As she finished, she tied the quick made vine skirt, and a vine-made bra, Ayane began her search for a suitable place to sleep.
Searching east, searching west, looking at the weird formation of trees. Seeing odd plants growing in places she would've never thought, the new views of the world she was now a part of excited her to no end. Even when she looked in the water to see herself and noticed a band of white hair streaking in front of her right eye, as well as the petrified mark that encircled her right eye as well. Then, seeing a group of monkeys looking at her with the same curiosity she had, Ayane smiled at them and continued to walk along the path of the river she was currently next to. But as reality began to sink in, her stomach began to growl.
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"I'm hungry." Looking around, she noticed a berry bush and began to inspect it carefully. "Nothing seems to be wrong with it. There are no other odd plants near it, so I guess its fine." And with that, Ayane picked up one berry and threw it in her mouth, only to get sour response. "Wow! That's sour. But, it's the only thing I have." Grabbing a few at a time, Ayane threw berry after berry in her mouth, until she could take it no more. Then drinking water from the river, Ayane continued on her expedition.
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Her luck seemed to have run out as the day had begun to end, and she still nowhere near finding a good place to sleep or make camp for that matter. And to make matters worse, she ran into a group of lions, and narrowly escaped death. But as the sun began to set, she continued to wander aimlessly. Thinking she'd never find a good spot, the young girl couldn't quite make out what she saw, but her face instantly lit up when she saw an opening in the mountain.
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"A cave!" As she ran toward the cave, Ayane, not being able to see clearly in the dark, tripped on something that felt as hard as a rock. "Ow, that hurt." As she looked to see what she tripped on, she noticed a boy, whose age looked to be about 5 years older than her, with spiked up hair and his hand extended outward, almost as if he had something in his hand when he was petrified. "Sorry about that. I didn't see you." And with that Ayane ran into the cave for shelter.
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The Next Day…
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After waking up in the humid, warm cave due to the small fire she started, Ayane began her day again. But not wanting to leave the sanctuary she found, she tried to stay nearby, by all means necessary. Finding a nearby lake solved one of her problems, but she knew she needed other supplies as well.
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"I've solved the clothes problems for now. But I need to find something more suitable, and weapons." Looking up, Ayane continued to think until she came to her answer. "Oh, that's right. The first humans used rocks I believe."
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After breaking a thin branch from a nearby tree, Ayane began her best to try and strip the bark that laid on top with the sharp rock she had earlier.
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Several Hours Later…
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As her hands shook from the excess movements she had to use in order to peel the bark, Ayane had successfully peeled every last inch. Looking at her hands she began to notice blisters beginning to form, as well as seeing the moon beginning to rise over the mountain, Ayane returned to her cave.
Spending the remainder of the night sanding down the large pieces of bark she had into thinly made, bendable slabs. Ayane then placed the rock down and the piece of wood she was working on and looked out into the distance of the cave. As the weather began to warm ever so slightly, each day seemed to last longer than the previous. Thinking she was going to be alone for the remainder of her life, Ayane had begun to tear up, only to shake her head and focus on what was in front of her.
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"I can't lose hope just yet. I have to keep going." After taking a deep breath in, Ayane smelled something odd. She couldn't quite make it out since she had never smelled it before. Out of morbid curiosity, Ayane rose to her feet and went to check the mysterious smell. It didn't take long to find the source, due to the cave being rather small at the entrance, and only expanding just enough at the back to have the cave ceiling being just several feet above Ayane's head. As she looked up, Ayane noticed bats hanging from the top of the cave, and as she got closer, she began to smell the odor she smelled at the entrance more strongly. Covering her nose due to its putrid smell, Ayane saw something dripping down into the ground on a pile that looked to be… "Crap." Ayane spoke silently as she didn't want to be attacked, nor die, by the hand of bats. "And what's that liquid dripping from the ceiling?" Placing her hand underneath, she began to let it pile on her hand, but soon came to regret it, as it began to burn her hand. Shaking off the liquid, Ayane looked at her hand to noticed a small blister forming. "This stuff is corrosive…" But before she could finish her sentence she noticed a bit of metal as well as water droplets running in the same direction to where she stood. "Metal, and water…It is also corrosive, meaning it has to be an acid. But what?" Thinking as best as she could, her middle school mind was being put to the test. Looking at what was around her, she began to try and put all that she saw together, but in the end she couldn't figure out what the mysterious liquid was.
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Leaving it alone for the time being, Ayane returned to what she was originally doing. Sanding the piece of wood, then beginning to wrap it into a thin, semi-flat basket. Satisfied with her work, she lifted the newly created basket in the air and smiled.
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"This is great. Now, I just need to find a bunch of rocks that can be used to create spears. The best rocks for the job would be any, but the rock I need in order to make them were… Oh, right. Hammerstones." As she began to think, she looked off into the distance, Ayane noticed the moon disappearing from her sight. Breathing in then out to calm her nerves, Ayane set out for a new day. As she took the rock she had on her, and began to scratch at the cave wall. "Day 3 has begun. Let's do this." Ayane said with conviction as she held the newly made basket to her right and walked out of the cave and onto the new dangers ahead.