2 years later…
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"Congratulations!" Ayane cheered as she looked at both Taiju and Yuzuriha, hand in hand with each other.
"You finally did it, you big oaf." Senku answered from behind Ayane as he approached the two teens. "After 3700 years, you finally got the chance to tell her." Then Senku walked away. "Ayane, let's leave. This moment is for them."
"Oh, right." Ayane replied as she walked up to the two teen couple. "Enjoy your time." Ayane winked with joy as she rushed after Senku, leaving the couple behind.
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Even with time moving slowly, the days began to speed up once more for young Ayane. But even with everything that has happened to her, the young girl decided to return to the spot from where it all started.
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"So, this is the spot?" Senku asked as he noticed a trial of stone leading towards both him and Ayane.
"Yup. I believe so?" Ayane wasn't confident with her response, mostly due to the fact that the only thing on her mind was survival and not the stone that surrounded her. "All I remember is that I was able to see the Ursa Major from a certain gap in the treetops."
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Looking up, Ayane began to use her memory as best as she could in order to answer the question that has pegged her mind since her awakening: Who woke me up?
For her, there was no reason to wake someone like her up, "It would've been more beneficial to wake up someone like Senku." These were just some of the thought that always plagued her mind since her awakening and these question pegged her mind once more when she de-petrified Senku.
Gathering the piece that laid on the ground in a perfect line, the two scientist began to retrace the steps Ayane took when she first woke up. Then remembering everything around her, Ayane bolted off, leaving Senku to chase her.
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"Did you remember something?!" Senku yelled.
"It's this way!" Ayane yelled back as she began to climb what looked to be a very steep hill.
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After an hour of climbing, due to Senku giving up a quarter of the way, and having Ayane carry him to the top, the two reached the spot where Ayane first woke up.
And there before her, was a tree that sat by its lonesome self with other trees surrounding it with their mighty height.
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"This is the tree I held onto when I saw that light." Ayane answered trying her best to hold back her tears.
"Then, why were there pieced down there?" Senku asked, to which Ayane also curiously began to question where she actually woke up.
"Could it be that…" Then almost as if coming to the same conclusion, the two scientist look at each other.
"Someone moved me/you?" Senku and Ayane spoke at the same time.
"Then is there someone who is awake?" Senku began to think of several different possibilities, but each possibility always ended up creating more questions. Finally realizing what each question meant, Senku turned to the young raven haired girl. "Ayane, are you hiding something from me?" Seeing Ayane jump slightly was enough of an answer for Senku. "You are, aren't you?"
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Ayane remained silent for several seconds before breathing in deeply and exhaling roughly. As she turned her attention to Senku, the young girl stared with eyes Senku was not used to seeing.
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"Remember when you told me that I have to always think for every situation I'm in?" Ayane forced Senku to recall a past he had never forgotten. "Well, because of that I've always been able to predict certain outcomes. One such outcome was when I met a certain high schooler."
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Remembering the past, forced Ayane to hold her arms and shiver a bit. After shivering for another several seconds, she looked toward her head scientist.
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"Ever since I met a certain man and looked him up, I've been terrified of him, but at the same time I've been thinking of many things, but sadly the answer I was searching for never came until after I saw that light." Ayane confessed about the actions she took. "And when I woke up in this world, a new and bizarre world that looked nothing like the world I was used to, my answer was even clearer." Approaching Senku, she placed her hands on his shoulder and pleaded. "Please just give up creating my revival fluid! I'll continue to make until you find a different way creating it! This is all I ask!"
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Seeing the girl before him beg so hard left Senku speechless. He knows her to be a cunning strategist and has known her better than he ever did in the modern world but seeing her like this caused him to freeze.
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"Alright." Senku replied to Ayane's pleas as he turned his eyes in another direction. "Burt I'm going to need more of an explanation later on, alright?" Senku placed his hand on Ayane's head to comfort her.
"Alright. When that day comes, I'll be sure to explain everything." Ayane answered as she embraced Senku tightly.
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Ayane held onto the days that came after close to her chest, for each passing day was different then the last, but Ayane was happier as Senku stopped his attempts at recreating the revival fluid. But the happy days the four teens had would come crashing down only two months later.
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2 months later…
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"Well I'll be off." Ayane spoke to her group as she rushed off with a large basket on her back. "I should be back by nightfall." Ayane added.
"Alright." Senku responded as waved his hand without looking back.
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Ayane left without another word as she disappeared behind the tall grass. Seeing how Senku was treating Ayane, Yuzuriha spoke up.
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"Senku?" Yuzuriha questioned to the young scientist. "Why are you acting cold towards Ayane?"
"So you've noticed?" Senku replied as he left his back face toward Yuzuriha. "I'm only treating her coldly because she has something planned. I need to figure out what that is."
"You're saying that like she's a villain?" Yuzuriha was thoroughly confused as she looked towards her friend.
"Yeah. A villain that I created." Senku answered as he put whatever he had in his hand down on the makeshift table.
"A villain that you created?" Yuzuriha repeated before realizing something. "Where's Taiju?"
"Hmm?" Now also realizing that the big oaf hadn't returned for some time, Senku was concerned. "I'll be back. The big oaf probably got in over his head."
"I'm coming too." Yuzuriha replied as she rose to her feet. "He is my boyfriend after all."
"In this Stone World, he's actually your husband, you know." This was enough to make the calm Yuzuriha turn beet red. "Come on, or I'll leave you behind." Rushing behind Senku, the leek colored hair teen grabbed a bottle of the ready revival formula created by Ayane and walked on ahead to find his friend.
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As Senku and Yuzuriha find Taiju, the said boy…
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Was wondering around, trying to figure out how he got lost when the path he usually takes was simple, easy and straight-forward.
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"Well…Now I've done it." Taiju spoke to himself as he looked around the forest in front of him. "I can't believe I got lost after…after…how many years has it been?" Taiju began to count his fingers. "Oh, right! Two years!" He spoke excitedly. "But now…where to go?"
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As he decided to walk the path in front of him, he walked calmly and without rush. As he did, he looked around the new, possibly unexplored, parts of the forest. And there he noticed someone he recognized easily.
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"Wait…is that?" Taiju walked closer to the man that sat down with a tree at his back and his long, messy hair hanging in front of his face. "I guess even you were caught by the light, huh?" Taiju questioned the stone man that sat in front of him. "Well, don't worry, once Senku figures out a different way of creating the revival formula, we'll free you from that stone prison." Taiju spoke with confidence as he turned around and began walk away from the stone man.
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Taiju continued walking for a good 5 minutes, only to then run into Senku and Yuzuriha.
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"Oh, it you two. What are you doing out here?" Taiju asked as he approached a worried Yuzuriha.
"Looking for you, dummy." Yuzuriha replied as she rubbed the tears that rubbed her eyes to prevent the tears from streaming.
"Sorry about that. I got lost for a while." Taiju answered.
"How can you get lost, big oaf?" Senku spoke condescendingly as he walked towards a tree near Taiju's left and placed his hand on it. "Don't you see this big X here?" Senku slapped his hand on the tree several times to prove his point.
"So, that's what you were doing?" Yuzuriha responded surprised at the fact that there was a sign of sorts near them.
"Even you didn't know?" Now it was Senku's turn to be surprised.
"Mm." Both Taiju and Yuzuriha replied simultaneously.
"Are you serious?" Senku questioned their answer, only to then hear a growl come from behind him. Looking back slightly, Senku saw something he never expected.
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Meanwhile…
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Looking back like she felt something off, Ayane couldn't help but worry about everyone back at the camp. Throwing the last few things she had in hand, the young raven haired girl rushed back.
She didn't know what the feeling was or what it was about, but she believed something awful had happened. As she began to see the camp within sight, she just rushed past her house and dropped her basket as she continued forward. But much to her surprise, as she tried to leave she, once again ran into a man she thought she'd never see again.
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"Whoa!" Ayane exclaimed as she ran into the tall, muscular man, only to then feel his arm wrap around her as they both fell forward. "Huh?" Looking up, her eyes widened with shock upon who she saw. "Shishio Tsukasa?"
"Do I know you?" Tsukasa questioned as he continued holding the young raven in his arms, before feeling her push away.
"Why…" But before Ayane could finish her question, Senku spoke up.
"I see you two have already met." Senku barged in as Ayane turned to him quickly.
"Are you ok?" Ayane quickly changed her attention to Senku as she walked up to him.
"Yeah, we're fine. Ran into a bit of trouble, is all." Senku answered to the worried Ayane. "Had to wake him up in order to get out of the situation."
"I…I see." Ayane response did raise a flag in Senku, but ultimately he didn't bother pressing further.
"So anyways this is…" But Senku was never able to finish his sentence as Ayane spoke up.
"Shishio Tsukasa, I know." Ayane replied.
"I guess my name will be infamous among high schoolers." Tsukasa replied calmly as he rose to his feet. "You seemed to have known my name, but may I ask what's yours?" Freezing for a moment, Ayane looked over her shoulder and pleaded for Senku not to speak.
"My name is Saki." Ayane smiled embarrassingly.
"Saki, huh?" Hearing a different name after approaching, both Taiju and Yuzuriha were about to speak up, only to for Senku to look back and shake his head ever so slightly that Tsukasa never took note.
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Later that night…
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Chipping away at the block that now had four points sticking out, Ayane continued working on it completely ignoring the stares that she received from Tsukasa.
As the High School Primate continued looking at Ayane, Senku approached him from behind.
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"Senku…About Saki…" As Senku looked down at Tsukasa, he noticed the androgynous man never took his eyes off of Ayane. "How long has she been awake?"
"9 months." Senku answered.
"How did she wake up?" Tsukasa asked.
"Same way Taiju and I did." Senku was vague as he answered.
"How did you wake up?" Senku froze at the question. Not knowing how to answer, Senku remained silent but not for long, as Ayane answered for him.
"I woke up near a cave just down the stream. Apparently, that cave had something that allowed the stone around me to crack and free me." Then, looking up at Senku she smiled sweetly. "That sound about right?"
"Yup, same way as Taiju and myself." Senku replied as he looked back at Ayane, only to see her stretch.
"Well, I'm tired I'm going to turn in for the night." Waving the men off, Ayane was about to leave, but was stopped as Tsukasa spoke.
"Just remember this…" Looking back at the High School Primate, everyone stopped what they were doing to look. "From now on as long as I'm with you, you four will never be in danger again."