A third and final chapter was added, because I enjoy writing this short. It was intended to be a two part OS, but it works better this way.
The inspiration for this short is based around the lyrics of Afterlife by Amaranthe and the lyrics of Rolling Star - the Amalee version.
Why did it have to be so awkward? All she had to do was make an apology. The hard part was over; she found him at last.
An hour up river from where she had been revived he constructed a base camp, to which the dark haired teen located by following deliberate clues he placed along the riverside. Nozomi knew that he'd be expecting survivors, but the real surprise came after she wandered passed the tree line – stark naked and rather hungry.
Senkuu was not the least bit alarmed; he had been waiting for her. Though his face reddened at the state of her being; embarrassed and trying desperately to keep her assets hidden from him.
He hurried to get her something to wear, and though it was too large on her shapely body, she didn't seem to mind. Her only concern was on what had happened and where she was. Senkuu offered her some wine berries to sate her hunger, then explained to her what she wanted to know.
It was a lot to take in; she was a little confused. From what he revealed to her, she had woken up a week after him over three hundred decades into the future – the Stone World was the term he used to describe it. Senkuu promised that in time her mind would clear and she'd be able to better understand the future they had woken up in.
But in the meantime he was in need of her services; culinary, that is.
Once Nozomi found out about his gracious dream, she more than agreed to do the cooking. She promised to do everything she could to make sure his dream became a reality. As a result, she never got around to atoning for her mistake back in the past.
Alas, she thought. Three months have passed since then and I still haven't found the time to say anything to him.
At this time, Nozomi was sitting near the fire as she stared off into nothing. Had it been that long? She thought by now he'd ask about it, but he hadn't. Didn't he want to know? Wasn't he even a little bit curious about her strange behavior towards him?
She knew this wasn't right; she knew that letting him go was the moral thing to do. His goal was more important than her emotional state when it came to him; irrational and prone to mistake.
Like at this moment, for instance.
Feeling the heat before she noticed it, the withdrawn teen let out a yelp of alarm as her shoe caught fire. How did she not realize her foot was so close to the fire pit? The cloth ignited so effortlessly. As she fought to put it out she didn't notice that Senkuu had heard and was hastily moving her way. He made it in time and poured a skin of water over the small flame, dowsing it.
Nozomi sighed in relief and let herself collapse onto the ground. She wasn't sure where her mind was.
"Be careful if you plan to sit next to the fire in those clothes," Senkuu articulated. His face heated up with embarrassment once he noticed that her dress had risen up and exposed her upper thighs to him. Before he continued to explain, he averted his eyes. "Cotton is one of the easiest fabrics to ignite because its texture is lightweight; I advised you before making clothing with it to be cautious."
She knew; home economics taught her a lot of noteworthy facts, but she didn't expect to one day have to use them.
"Is it too early to make flame retardant chemicals yet? I have a feeling I'm going to need it."
Senkuu laughed – a lovely noise that brought a smile to her face. "Yeah … it's a little early for that."
"Maybe it's best if you do the cooking for now on. It is a science after all," Nozomi teased. She leaned up on her elbows and glanced over at him; he was gorgeous.
"A skill I have no experience in," he confessed without shame. "But then, I don't need to know how if someone like you exists in this world."
Someone like me? She didn't understand. "There are hundreds of people like me; hundreds of cooks more proficient in the art. Senkuu … once you figure out how to save everyone, you can have as many people as you want."
Sure she loved home economics, but she was only valuable to Senkuu as long as someone else didn't take her place. This thought alone brought her to tears. Nozomi cared so much for him; it was unfortunate that she was the one to revive.
Her love for Senkuu kept her conscious while inside the stone, and now it brought her so much pain.
"Look at it this way," Senkuu began. He wasn't at ease with sentimental people, but while living with Nozomi for almost three months, he realized that the best way to keep her from lapsing into her thoughts was to soothe her with reassurance. She was a kind hearted person; words often destroyed her. "There were over 120 million people living in Japan before the strange light petrified them; more than ½ of them have perished. Out of those 60 million people left – give or take – you are the only one I want."
Her eyes widened in surprise.
"Are you certain?"
Senkuu offered a brief smile. Her charming face was red with embarrassment. "Ten billion percent sure. With your help – along with Taiju and Yuzuriha – we are going to rebuild civilization with the use of science. There's no one I trust more."
A sudden sense of melancholy filled her.
You trust me because we're friends. But––
"I've been a terrible friend to you."
Terrible? Senkuu picked at his ear. "Eh! I don't think I heard you clear enough."
She pressed her lips together. Now would be the best time to say it; the best time to apologize. But she couldn't.
"It's not important. I … I need to patch my shoe."
She needed to be alone. Nozomi rose, brushed the dirt off her dress, and headed back to the fort. But, his voice stopped her before she got too far away from the fire pit.
"Nozomi … you need to tell me if there's something on your mind. At this point secrets are not something we need to keep from one another," he explained.
All these years I've carried this weight on my shoulders; all these years I have loved you as much more than a friend. Had he forgotten? She thought that wasn't possible for someone like him; someone who memorized the proper names of all the stars in sky. Maybe it wasn't as complex as she was making it seem; maybe he just didn't hear her that day.
Forcing a smile, Nozomi looked back at the wiry haired genius. Tears filled her eyes. "It's better for me if you have forgotten. I can manage with just that."
She turned around just as the tears began to fall, and climbed up the ladder that led up to the tree fort.
Senkuu looked into the fire, wearing a look of concern on his otherwise serene face. Forgotten? What gave you that idea?