Angel: So a guest asked why am I using the dub when according to them, it sucks. Look, I know that there's a whole dub vs sub debate with anime. Particularly with voice acting, if my research is correct. Just because I am using the dub, doesn't mean there needs to be a whole 'oh, this version is better' debacle for whatever reason people give me. Plus, I prefer to be able to hear English voices rather than reading text. It is still roughly the same story, just with different dialogue. If you like the subbed version, that's perfectly fine and dandy. Just don't come for me over a version I prefer to watch. I'm perfectly able to write out whichever one I want, thank you very much. There are other stories out there using the subbed version if that's your choice of watching this anime.
Yuzuriha reached out to the tree to tie a broken branch. Taiju stepped up from behind. "Yuzuriha!" He called out to her, ready to confess his love for her. "Sorry I'm late!" She glanced behind her and turned around with a smile.
"It's fine. So what's going on, Taiju?" She stepped out of the shadows. "You wanted to talk to me?" She then smiled at him.
'All this time, I've been so scared that if I tell her how I really feel about her, she could not want to be my friend anymore," He looked towards the ground in fear. He then looked up at her bravely. "It's like this, Yuzuriha!" She gasped at his sudden words, and blushed. 'Alright. No turning back now!' Her blush got deeper as she continued staring at him. "I've kept this inside me for five years, and..."
From the corner of their eyes, both their friends Sumi and Senku looked up at the same time outside. Taiju was about to speak when a green light suddenly appeared. 'Hold up, what's that weird light?' It engulfed the entire area, and everyone stopped what they were doing to look at it. Senku ran towards Sumi while his eyes widened in worry.
"SUMIRE! GET BEHIND ME, NOW!" He grabbed her by the shoulders and threw her behind him. She gasped as she fell towards the ground.
On that day, every man, woman, and child on Earth...instantly turned to stone.
Taiju, who had just woken up from his long slumber, noticed all the petrified people, whether full bodies or in pieces. He looked up at all the cliffs and then once he was clothed, he came to a stop. He panted while looking up at his friends standing on a branch. Senku chuckled while Sumi smiled down at him.
"Well, look who's finally awake. Good morning, ya big oaf," He greeted and smirked at Taiju.
"Nice to finally see you again, Taiju," Sumi greeted him with a smile.
Senku rubbed the back of his neck. "It's October 5th, in the year 5738. It has been thirty-seven hundred years," He informed Taiju, who gasped and looked up.
"How do you know what day it is? You got some kinda calendar or what?"
"Huh? I figured it out by counting. It was the logical thing to do," Senku answered him plain and simple.
"I counted as well, but sometimes I'd lose consciousness for a bit, therefore I'd lose track," Sumi explained with a sheepish smile.
"It took humanity over two million years to crawl out of the stone age to the modern age," Senku stated as Taiju looked at the shelter the two shared. "We need to do that in a sprint." The duo walked over to their treehouse.
They all tested the modified miracle fluid on some swallows. When they thought it didn't work, Senku kicked an empty jar as the three looked defeated. "I swear, Sumi and I are going to take back the world." Sumi sniffed something and looked up, gasping happily. "Through science, we'll figure out what happened to us, and how we broke free." Senku looked down at the feather that emerged out of the stone.
Taiju slammed his hand while looking at a petrified Yuzuriha. "I swear on my life, I'll save you!"
The trio watched as their miracle fluid freed a swallow. Taiju let out a shout of amazement as they looked up at the bird flying around them. Senku then sat down, looking up at the sky. "Sumi, you and I are gonna beat fantasy with science as our only weapon," He smiled as he looked at her and she beamed slowly at him declaring that they were in this together. "Oh, hell yeah. Get excited."
"What do you think, guys?" Taiju asked the two of them seriously. "Who are we gonna bring back first?"
"Hmm," Senku gave the question a thought. Sumi rubbed her chin, humming. "Well, we're gonna revive everybody sooner or later, so it doesn't matter all that much who we start with," He then let out a chuckle. "Although I suppose it would suck if we happened to wake up a murderer first."
"Ahh!" Sumi flinched a little in alarm. "You know, I didn't even consider that, but now that you said it, I'm a little worried..."
"Oh, relax, would ya? No need to fuss over it," Senku remarked while cracking his neck, smirking at her. "Since when have you been scared of a murderer, anyway? You could just kick their ass for us no problem, Sumi."
"I'm not prepared to deal with a murderer! Are you crazy?!" She shouted to him and he just laughed. She puckered up her lips in a pout while that stupid smug smirk was still on his face. "Why do you always do that?"
"Because your mental capacity equals that of a toddler sometimes," He laughed as she silently glared at him. And he knew she was, but he wasn't really bothered by it at all. Meanwhile, Taiju thought about what they said, frowning. They wouldn't know just by first glance if they could trust just about anyone when bringing them back. So it was best to trudge this on carefully, but he didn't want to think of what would happen if they did bring back a murderer.
"I get ya..."
The two turned their attention towards him, glancing at each other. Senku then stood up, dusting off his clothes. "I don't particularly feel like choosing who we revive first. What about you, Sumi?"
"Nah, not really," She gave a small smile towards Taiju. "I don't think I could choose either. Though if we're gonna revive someone, let it be someone who's not gonna turn around and kill us all. Or at least, don't have it be anyone who's as crude as Senku."
Senku grunted from her comment, deciding to ignore it. He then pointed at their friend, smirking. "So, Taiju. It's all on you, my friend." Taiju's eyes widened and he smiled back at them.
"I appreciate that, you two. I know who I'll pick. I mean, it's obvious," He answered and they both knew it as well. And that first pick would be Yuzuriha, who was still at the tree where Taiju wanted to confess to her. Sumi smiled at him knowingly, admiring him for his dedication to her.
The three arrived at the camphor tree, seeing Yuzuriha up ahead. Senku had a jar of miracle fluid in his hand. Sumi stared at the stone body, not surprised at all that the tree preserved her body in a way. After all, it was the last place she was seen, and the flora grew massively in the past 3,700 years. "Alright, I'm ready," Taiju spoke up to his friends. "It's go time!" He then turned to the two excitedly. "Let's pour that miracle water! It's gonna turn her back to normal again, right?"
"Yeah," Senku answered while looking at the jar. "I believe that it will," He then had a dark look in his eyes. "I tried it on a piece of broken stone and it turned into a hunk of dead flesh," He swirled the jar a little with an evil look on his face, alarming Taiju. Sumi sweated nervously at Senku, laughing slowly.
"Try and have a little respect for the dead, would ya?!" Taiju exclaimed at him.
"That was right around when we met again, I almost got sick that day," Sumi murmured with a huge sweat drop over the ribbon in her hair. "Definitely don't want a repeat of that…"
"We did make the effort to put them back together first, obviously," Senku explained even more, although it wasn't gonna make it better. "But it seems that once someone has died, reviving them is not an option. I value their sacrifice. Perhaps you should pray for them."
"Oh, right!" Taiju held his hands together. "Rest in peace, rest in peace, rest in peace, rest in peace..."
After doing so, they decided to finally do it. Taiju grabbed a branch to climb to her while Senku held out the jar of revival fluid. I'm sorry, Yuzuriha. I didn't mean to keep you waiting for thousands of years. But now...I'm gonna bring you back to life! This was it, he was finally going to be able to save her. A whole year of experiments, both the failures and the success, would all be worth it once she was out of the stone.
Senku smiled while reaching out the jar. Sumi gave a look of encouragement from behind. She hoped that it would actually work on her this time, considering that this would be their first test of it on an actual person. But then again, this was Senku. Plus she was really rooting for the two, she loved a good romance. Taiju then realized something, glancing back at Senku with a defensive look in his eyes. "Hold on, Senku, she's naked! Don't look at her!" He whipped around and stabbed two fingers into Senku's eyes, and he flew backwards. Senku let out a yelp as Sumi caught him from behind, helping him stand up.
"Taiju! Did you have to do that? You could've just said so," Sumi frowned up at her friend. "You didn't need to prick his eyes, good lord." Taiju just felt like if Yuzuriha was naked, she'd be really embarrassed, and then he'd be a mess. Plus he didn't want to do that to her if Senku stared at her...attributes the whole time, he felt it would be disrespectful. And Sumi would agree that yes, she didn't need to see it either, but for Senku he couldn't care less.
"We gotta wait! We can't wake her up like this!" Taiju shouted at the green-haired scientist.
Senku straightened up while his eyes were covered. "I know it's tough, but would it kill you to try and use some logic for once?!" He removed his hands, tears in the corner of his eyes from the pricking. "I think the stone world's kind of a special situation. There's absolutely nobody around to give a damn if your butt's showing. Or even if your dick's hanging out."
"AHHH!" Sumi's face turned red, clenching her fists. "Why'd you put that image in my head?" She complained at him; she really didn't wanna have to see it the next time they revived a man.
"Oh, come on, Sumi, not again," Senku placed a hand on his forehead at her insistence.
"Yuzuriha does not have a dick!" Taiju yelled while pointing at the scientist.
"You're missing the point, you idiot!" Senku screamed back while gritting his teeth, his eyes wide. Sumi sighed while rubbing the top of her head. They sometimes would argue, but at this point in time, they needed to move on with this. Not because she didn't care, but because they had more work to do, and it was kind of hard to do that when both of them were arguing. Taiju picked up Yuzuriha's stoned body and held her over his head.
"Alright, I have a suggestion. I don't carry my materials for sewing on me," Sumi pinched her nose, a bit irritated. "They're all back at the shelter, so I'll have to make her clothes when we get back. Would that make you feel better, Taiju?"
"Yeah! Thanks, Sumi," He smiled at her and she nodded. "Then it's settled, we're taking her back to camp so Sumi can sew Yuzuriha some clothes to wear," Taiju insisted while looking at the duo.
"Okay, but how heavy is that statue, anyway?" Senku couldn't help but wonder. Sumi groaned at the question, dragging her hand down her face. She really wished he didn't answer that question since Taiju didn't have a problem with any of the other grunt work.
"No...why would you ask this? How can you be so smart and yet so damn stupid with this stuff?" She muttered under her breath and closing her eyes.
"You'd better not be calling her fat!" Taiju screamed in defense once again. Sumi opened up an eye, exasperated with her hand still over her face. At least they're not fighting anymore, but at what cost at this rate?
Senku sighed while hanging his arms. "Way to completely miss the point again..." Taiju then started to walk off.
"Well, if you revived Sumi, and she was naked, would that still be how you see it?" He pointed out while glancing over his shoulder. Both Sumi and Senku froze at his question, Sumi yelling in embarrassment. Imagine if she had been naked still when they ran into each other—she would be mortified if that happened. She didn't even look at him as she patted the sides of her head to calm herself down.
"What the hell, Taiju?! Why are you asking me-" Senku grunted as that was a question he didn't want to answer. "It's not important! What I mean, is wouldn't it be like ten billion times more efficient to just wake her up and have her walk there with us?" He winced a little, placing a hand on his head. "I can't deal with all this illogical thinking."
"W-Well, for Taiju, it's logical for him, and that's all I need in my life," The black-haired girl spoke up, waving her hands nervously. Anybody being naked just bothered her in general, therefore she wouldn't be able to make it home in one piece. And if Senku had woken her up while she was petrified, she'd be an absolute mess. A new scent hit her nose and she froze. "Sen...we've got trouble," She glanced up at the trees behind them. He looked confused and then a loud roar was heard. Senku gasped as he turned around in alarm, Sumi fully facing his direction. They both heard faint growls as they stared up ahead. He raised an arm to be in front of Sumi.
"Hey! Wait, you big oaf!" Senku exclaimed and Taiju turned around to see what they were looking at. They continued looking straight ahead, and Sumi sweated nervously, trying to keep calm. She just knew that whatever it was, it wasn't good. Another growl was heard and Taiju gasped, just as alert as the two scientists. Senku gritted his teeth and Sumi let out a small breath of fear.
Then suddenly, a lion popped out of the bushes, which was the source of the roar. It then roared at the trio, and they immediately turned around to RUN. Like hell. Taiju looked behind him, now majorly freaked out. "Why is there a lion walking around Japan?!" He held up Yuzuriha in the air as more of them appeared.
"Why do you think?! It's gotta be descended from a zoo animal, obviously!" Senku shouted at the top of his lungs. "The door must've been open when the zookeeper was turned to stone! And without humans to contain them, all the herbivores were likely on the menu! Plus once they got out into the city, it probably was a pet buffet! So that means they're literally the king of beasts! The stone world is brutal, and we can't let ourselves forget: humans aren't at the top of the food chain anymore!"
"Anything can attack us now!" Sumi looked over her shoulder at Taiju. "We have to expect the unexpected."
"Can't you hold them off? I thought you were training to fight!" Taiju turned to Sumi, who looked at him in disbelief.
"Are you serious right now?! You are NOT sending me to fight a bunch of hungry lions! You think I could hold myself against animals that could tear me to shreds?!" She shouted angrily while running to Senku's left. She almost tripped over a rock, but Senku grabbed her wrist to keep her steady. She panted while keeping up with him. "We gotta throw them off somehow!" She looked up ahead to see a difference in the weather. "This way!" She pointed and they all reached the edge of the cliff. Without hesitation, they all jumped off because if they didn't, they'd get eaten alive. Taiju carried Yuzuriha on his back. They all screamed as they fell. Senku looked at Sumi, grabbing her waist and pulling her close. He put his hand over her head, and they fell through vines, tree branches, and leaves. A couple of vines caught them before they got loose, releasing them. They landed roughly on the grass, leaving behind dust.
Sumi let out a small groan, the others struggling to get up. Yuzuriha had landed over Taiju while Sumi had landed over Senku with her back facing him. He released her and she slowly got up. "You guys okay?" She grunted while stretching her arms to pop them back into place. They heard another roar, which prompted them into running again.
"Why haven't the lions actually attacked us yet?" Taiju asked the duo of scientists.
Senku let out a chuckle in response. "They've probably never seen bipeds before. I bet we look creepy as hell to them, running on two legs," He responded as he was now behind Sumi and Taiju. She glanced back at him, grabbing his wrist so that she could help him. He stared at the back of her head in surprise as she ran faster so that he was now at her side.
"Yeah, we are the only humans in the world," Taiju agreed with him, the lions hot on their trail.
"That doesn't mean they're not gonna kill us if we don't keep moving. Lions eat humans in certain conditions, and to them, we're moving prey right about now! They still consider us a threat to chase us down," She panted out to the two, and Senku knew she was already getting tired. Keeping both of them safe was going to kill her stamina in minutes. She took a deep breath and willed herself to keep running.
"We definitely spooked 'em. But they'll go in for the kill soon. Even if we get super lucky and make it back to camp in time, all we've got to fight them with is spears," Senku panted out, Taiju looking at him nervously. "Unfortunately, this was game over from the very beginning!"
"We can't risk leading them back to camp. They'll tear everything apart after us!" Sumi turned to him with narrowed eyes. Taiju squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to think. He needed to do something to get them out of this, without leading them back to camp. And there was only one way, knowing that Senku couldn't keep himself up for much longer. Taking a quick glance at Sumi, she was running out of energy by the minute. Taiju then slid to a stop, yelling and tossing Yuzuriha into Senku's arms, who yelped in alarm and caught her. At the same time, Sumi fell to the ground in exhaustion with a grunt, and Senku fell back as well from the weight of the stoned body. Both of them looked up in shock to see Taiju standing in front of them protectively.
"You two dying now is not an option, Senku and Sumi! Your big science-filled brains are humanity's last hope! Even if I gotta be lion food, I'll save ya!" He declared in determination and Sumi's eyes softened as she let out a soft gasp. She couldn't believe he was willing to sacrifice himself to a cruel fate just to save everyone on Earth, but it was also crazy! Risking one life for the world?
"No way!" Both of them screamed and Taiju froze. He turned around to his friends.
"Use some logic for once, Taiju," Senku spoke up seriously, this time not calling him a big oaf. "Sumi and I are the brains, and obviously you're the brawn. If humanity is gonna live on, we all need to as well! If we're gonna make a run for it, it's imperative we do it together!"
"He's right," Sumi narrowed her eyes in determination. "What would Yuzuriha say if she found out you died for her? You really think she wouldn't feel any remorse or guilt? We're all humanity has left right now, and we all need to stick together for us to restore it! Because that's what society needs!" She clenched an angry fist. Taiju closed his eyes, taking in their words. He wanted to protect all of them, not wanting to let them die. But at the same time, they couldn't restore humanity without him. He looked back at them.
"Yeah. I got it!"
Three older children were destroying Senku's machine, to his horror. Sumi ran up to them, screaming as she tried to pull them away. One of them pushed her a bit too hard and she fell onto the grass. Senku was about to run up to her, when Taiju came charging in. "Besides, we know you've never actually hit anyone!" When the bullies started attacking Taiju, it actually sent the two flying backwards. "That's been true ever since we were little."
Senku and Taiju looked down to Sumi still on the ground. "Come on, Sumi, get up! You can keep going!" Taiju told her as she clenched a fist, trying to will herself into standing up. "That's it, you can do it! You've gotta go on!"
"I know you're exhausted, but we've all gotta survive this together!" Senku shouted down at her. "We're not a team without you! You gotta get up!" He narrowed his eyes, staring at her hopefully as she slowly lifted up her arms, her body shaking. They stared until she fell back down, grunting.
"I can't! I'm too tired, I can't help it. My legs!" They felt like jelly at this point.
"And we're gonna get out of this if you just get up, I swear it!" Senku told the girl in determination. They all knew that if Senku tried carrying her, it'd only slow him down. "Stand up and hold on, for humanity! For science! Like you said, science has no limits! So test your own and prove you have what it takes to survive!"
She grunted and slammed down a fist as she felt like her body was heating up. She then let out a yell as she finally got up, pumping her fists. This shocked the both of them, but then they both smiled at her for her willpower.
"Yeah!" Taiju cheered and they took off again. Sumi was a bit slower now, though. Senku reached out to grasp her hand to get her moving better. She stared at the back of his head, blushing from his tight grip. He looked up ahead, not even glancing at her. Her heart raced as he kept his pace so that she wouldn't fall again. She slowly beamed at Senku, deciding not to comment.
"You may be an athlete, and strong as an ox, but you're not a fighter! And Sumi can't fight off lions without getting massacred!" Senku called out, and Sumi wasn't struggling anymore. Instead, she just felt her cheeks getting warm as he never let go.
"Hey, if we can't outrun them, I thought of something we can do instead!" Taiju suggested to the two of them. "I found this guy earlier. He was called the strongest primate high schooler. Shishio Tsukasa," He explained and Sumi gasped silently, her eyes widening.
Shishio...Tsukasa? For some reason, the surname and title felt very familiar to her all of a sudden. Almost as if she had seen it somewhere before, though she couldn't recall where at the moment. But she had no time to focus on that now, so she'd put a pin in it.
Taiju gently put Yuzuriha's stoned body against the tree. "Sorry about this," He apologized gently to her. "But right now, we need somebody who can fight to help us. If we can make our way through this in one piece, I promise we'll wake you up real-"
"Don't waste your breath. Let's just pour it on him," Senku interrupted while holding up the jar of miracle fluid. He then poured it over the petrified body, and the liquid flowed down. A roar came from behind and they whipped around to see that they were completely surrounded by the lions.
"Crap! We're surrounded!" Taiju shouted in a panic. Meanwhile, nothing was happening with Tsukasa. Senku held up his axe.
"This is it!" He snarled, the three preparing themselves while looking at the lions. All of them were sweating as they stared the animals down. A crack was then heard behind them, getting their attention. Going down diagonally, the stone started to break, and the stone around the eye removed itself. Tsukasa opened it slowly, Taiju staring down at him.
"Sorry. I know this isn't what you wanna wake up to after sleeping a few thousand years," Taiju tried to explain to the man, but he just glanced up instead.
"What's the situation?"
Senku's eyes widened while glancing back at him. He then turned to the front. "Your whole body is covered in stone. Lions from your nine o'clock to your two."
"We've heard you're the strongest primate high schooler. Time to live up to the name," Sumi briefly looked over her shoulder.
"Yeah, okay," Tsukasa simply went along with it. The stone from his back broke off, before spreading to his arms. The lions all charged forward, who braced themselves. Tsukasa then broke free, using the remaining pieces of stone on his arms to throw all of them at the lions at rapid speed. Taiju got hit with them as well since he was nearby. A lion landed safely and ran forward, mouth open.
"He's not backing down!" Sumi exclaimed at the man, but Tsukasa ran towards it. He lunged forward a fist and hit the lion with just one punch. The lion flew backwards, shocking the three. It hit the tree, causing its bones to snap, and it died right then and there. Tsukasa then looked towards the pride with a death glare. They backed away, knowing that he'd do the same to them, and retreated. "W-Wow..." Sumi murmured in awe from his incredible strength—he just took out a lion that was bigger than him! He walked up to the lion, speaking up before they could.
"You can fill me in on all the details later. But...I owe you," He stated as leaves fell from the sky. "So I'll make you this promise," His hair blew in the wind while staring at the lion. "As long as we're together, the three of you will not be in danger again." He then turned to them with a small smile. "From now on, I'll take care of all the fighting." He then gave a small chuckle.
"Yeah!" Taiju let out a loud cheer, smiling widely at Senku and Sumi. And speaking of the latter, her face turned red upon staring at the naked man, looking at his muscles. She then looked at his abs, smoke coming from her head. Right now, there were a lot of things going on in her head just looking at him...she just couldn't focus when his everything was showing.
"Uh," He noticed her expression and she flinched from him speaking to her. "Are you-"
"Ah!" Sumi cried out with wide white eyes from him speaking, finally registering that he had no clothes on. "Naked!" She then fell backwards, blood squirting out of her nose. Senku and Taiju looked towards her with wide eyes. Tsukasa blinked at her in confusion. Senku sighed and bent down to the girl, poking her forehead as her eyes swirled around. Blood trickled down her nose.
His nakedness is just too much for me...
"I...don't understand," Tsukasa blinked rapidly at her. "Is something the matter?"
"Oh! You didn't know," Taiju scratched the side of his head. "She's got a sensitivity to your...looks right about now. Because you don't have any clothes on."
"Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't realize it'd be an issue for the lovely young woman."
The scientist let out a grunt from the last three words, already not a fan of hearing him say that about Sumi. "Yeah, and it's getting to be a little annoying," Senku poked her forehead excessively. "Wake up, you dummy. You could just make him some clothes at the treehouse." He then flicked her forehead and she sat up, whining and rubbing it.
"But did you hear that, guys? We had brains and brawn, but now we've also got brutal force on the team! We're just like the four musketeers!" Taiju said happily as Senku helped her stand up. He removed one of his bandages to give to her.
"Here, you big baby," He told her and she put it around her eyes. "That way it won't slow us down going back to camp."
"Easy for you to say," She grumbled and he noticed her nose. "And stop calling me childish!" She huffed at him in annoyance.
"Huh? Hold still," He took off another bandage to wipe her nose. She then flinched from his gentle movements as he dabbed at the blood until it was gone. "There." She softly smiled, as she remembered why exactly she liked him. Because even though he got on her nerves sometimes, he still showed he cared.
He then let out a chuckle. "I suppose we are the four musketeers." The scientist then set his eyes on Tsukasa, who was looking back at the dead lion again. "But I have a nagging feeling that the new guy may be a little bit too strong." He glanced between Tsukasa and Sumi, and thankfully she couldn't see his expression. Not that anyone could tell what was on his mind regarding the two. He couldn't help but feel just a bit cautious of Tsukasa's behavior regarding her.
Taiju dropped his smile while staring at his friends. "How could that be a bad thing? Don't we need that kind of help?"
"What if it turns out he's actually some evil homicidal, sex-crazed, wannabe tyrant?" Senku pointed out while raising a finger.
"Ah!" Sumi's hair stood on end a little at the possibility. "Well...we can't exactly rule that out. It's just as we discussed earlier when bringing people back," She rubbed her chin.
"Dude's so overpowered, he just killed a lion with his bare hands," Tsukasa was stroking the lion gently. "In a world where guns haven't been invented, he's ten billion percent unstoppable," Senku continued explaining and Sumi held her arm. She didn't want to automatically assume every single person they revived would be that way. But she couldn't exactly argue Senku's point either.
Tsukasa sat on a throne, surrounded by women tending to him. "Wow!" Yuzuriha exclaimed while standing in front of him. Sumi was right next to her, both of them in awe.
"Come to the primate, Yuzuriha," He coaxed the both of them.
"Oh, no way!" Taiju rapidly shook his head so he could stop imagining it. "We can't let that happen!"
"Hey, guys," Tsukasa, who had been silent, finally spoke up. They all turned to him, even though Sumi still couldn't see him. She would not lift up the blindfold because she knew he was still naked and she'd faint again. "You have anything I could use to butcher this with? A knife, or...at least something sharp if that's all we've got."
Taiju flinched as Sumi patted herself for a knife. "Are you thinking about eating that thing? That's nasty!"
Senku just let out a chuckle. Sumi let out a laugh as well while pulling out a knife made out of stone and wood. "Well, it's not poisonous. But it's super tough and reeks of ammonia. Not to mention it tastes bad."
"It's perfectly safe to eat, but you've gotta season it well. If you do that, it'll taste like pork, but richer. But some people say it's like beef and chicken. Then it'd be a bit tougher while only having a mild taste," Sumi held up a finger.
"When the hell did you guys eat lion?!" Taiju screamed in disbelief, his eyes wide.
Senku just gave a small shrug, smiling. "When we were in Africa, doing research on Ebola."
"Technically, Sen was leading the search, but it was also just too tempting to not pass up. I've got a connection to medicine, you know? Just felt right," Sumi smiled while gripping the knife.
"What kind of high school kids are you?!" Taiju yelled at the two, earning a laugh from the black-haired scientist.
"Although it was attacking us, I took this noble creature's life. So...I wanna give back to the circle of life by putting all of it to use," His eyes softened while looking at the animal. To him, he still needed to give respect because it was a living creature just like them. "I owe it that much."
Sumi gasped as she almost dropped the knife. She couldn't believe what she heard. She never thought that someone would give that much sympathy to a lion. It was admirable, honestly, and she placed a hand on her heart. She let out a soft sigh as she could sympathize with him. Taiju let out another yell, causing her to snap out of it. Senku stared at her in alarm, wondering just what was on her mind. He then averted his eyes before she could comment. She could tell by close proximity of anyone she had a scent of no problem. So she couldn't mistake his scent at all.
"That's so cool!" Taiju screamed at the top of his lungs. "How about that, Senku, Sumi? We just woke up a legendary warrior, and he's like actually a solid dude, too!"
Tsukasa glanced over his shoulder, noticing what she was holding. "Ah. I see you've got the knife. Excellent. Would you be able to hand it to me, please?" He spoke up softly and Senku stepped up, holding out his hand.
"I can-"
"Oh, it's okay," Sumi assured, Senku blinking at her. "Even if I can't see, I have a keen sense of smell," She stepped forward and without needing to look or tripping, she stopped in front of Tsukasa. She then held it out to him.
"Really?" He asked in interest, reaching out his hand. Once he took the knife, Tsukasa glanced up at her. "So tell me, what do I smell like to you?"
"U-Um..." She stammered a little, Senku crossing his arms while looking annoyed. "Well...there's a primary odor of the minerals you woke up out of. That's one of them. And the other is...resinous, but very faint. Like you had done something with either grain or wood before petrification. Even though it's been a very long time, it's still evident somewhere, maybe your hand." Although at the back of her mind, she couldn't help but notice that she had smelled the wood from his hands before. However, it was such a long time ago that she'd need to really think back on it another day.
Tsukasa blinked at her answer. He then smiled and grabbed her hand, shocking her. He then held it up to his lips. "I have to say, I'm impressed with what I've seen and heard about you so far. A brilliant mind and a strong sense of smell? Truly wonderful," He then kissed her hand and she gasped, a faint blush on her cheeks. "I look forward to learning more about you."
"Whoa! He's really upfront, huh?" Taiju commented in shock while looking at them.
Senku had his eyes narrowed while watching them, his arms crossed. He let out a tch and turned away so that he wouldn't have to look. She then felt shy as no one had treated her like this before. She was popular back in school, but no guy had ever been such a gentleman.
"O-oh, me?" She stammered while releasing her hand, rubbing her neck. "Ha, my mind's not that great."
"Anyone in your presence would agree, but suit yourself," He told her sincerely, turning back to the lion. Sumi fidgeted with her hands, turning around quickly while still feeling flushed. She really needed to calm down...
"I hope you're right on this, Taiju," Senku mumbled and then glanced back at Tsukasa. "Well, the circle of life thing doesn't move me one millimeter. But I have to agree about not wasting meat or resources." Tsukasa opened his eyes, raising the knife and slaughtering the lion. He then looked back at Sumi, smiling gently.
"Do you happen to have a needle? I would not wish to make you uncomfortable on the way back. You can use the lion fur to make me clothing," He suggested and she gasped sharply from him suggesting it just so she wouldn't be squeamish. Sumi nodded and he turned back to use the fur to get her material. Senku glanced between the two of them, the girl unable to see his furrowed eyebrows.
The four made it back to the treehouse, Tsukasa now wearing clothes made out of the lion skin and fur. He came to a stop once he saw where they were living. "Interesting..." He mused while looking at their shelter. "The three of you built this?" He watched Senku walk up to the ladder.
"Sure did," Senku responded while Sumi was in front of him to go get her spare material for Yuzuriha. Taiju placed her against the tree. Senku went inside while Sumi stepped out, holding some skins in her hands.
"I've got the material, Taiju!" She called out while starting to climb down. "Time to get started on-" She however, stepped too soon onto the next step, causing her to lose her footing. She gasped sharply while heading towards the ground, Taiju and Senku looking back in alarm. Tsukasa, however, immediately lunged forward to catch her into his arms, landing safely near the ladder. Sumi opened her eyes, twitching while looking flushed from his strong arms around her. After a few seconds, he looked down at her in concern.
"Are you alright?" He asked her seriously and she flinched.
"Y-Yeah," She responded timidly, Senku looking down at them with his arms crossed. Tsukasa put her down onto the grass and she dusted herself off.
"You need to be careful. We wouldn't want anything to happen to you, would we?"
She laughed sheepishly while rubbing the back of her head. Her heart was racing from both his concern and gentleness for her. "Right. Thank you, Tsukasa." He smiled and she turned around, walking up to Taiju. He looked back at her with a smile as she held the materials up. "I should have a dress for Yuzuriha in no time with these."
"Thanks, Sumi!" He then turned around to the statue of Yuzuriha. "Just hang in there a little while longer, okay?" Taiju told her gently, staring at her. "But I promise, we'll get you fixed up. We just need miracle water and your clothes."
Sumi laid down the material on her lap as she sat down, picking up a needle and red thread. Tsukasa turned to the lab nearby. He blinked in surprise and then read the sign above the door. "You've got a laboratory?" The four then went in the treehouse. "Anyway, I'm Shishio Tsukasa. Just call me Tsukasa," He extended his hand to Senku, who kept his back turned. Sumi looked up from hemming the skin together, smiling.
"My full name is Sumire, but you can call me Sumi," The girl gave him a polite smile.
"Sumire?" Tsukasa smiled down at her gently. "Meaning violet flower. A fitting name for a beautiful woman like yourself," She gasped while blushing at his statement. Senku glowered at the two of them, turning around to find something to take his mind off it.
"Heh...t-thank you..." She stammered shyly; Senku knew that himself, but he never said anything like that to her. She felt like he was so kind, and she wished the green-haired scientist would do that for her. But he wouldn't; and she had to remember that she didn't know if she could fully trust Tsukasa, like Senku warned about earlier. It was hard to not react when Tsukasa was giving her this kind of attention, though...
"I suppose family names don't really mean much in this world," He looked back at Tsukasa blankly, but only for a brief moment. "I'm Senku, one of two brainy ones behind our scientific advancements. The other would be Sumi, who also cooks and hunts for food. Taiju, the simple one, handles all of the grunt work." Taiju and Tsukasa shared a handshake.
"I'm Taiju, the simple one. It's true, the two of them do the thinking around here."
Tsukasa glanced over to Sumi. "Sumi?" She looked up in confusion from her work. "What have you been surviving on?"
"Mostly wild greens and mushrooms," Senku started off to him.
"Once in a while, I bag a rabbit for meat. And normally I wouldn't do that to an animal, but we don't have much of a choice," She rubbed the back of her neck. Senku had to eventually convince her to start hunting down animals, because surviving on just greens wasn't cutting it for them...her eating lion she was a bit squeamish during the whole thing in Africa and still had reservations then.
"Oh man, lately I've been dreaming about eating so much meat my belly explodes!" Taiju laughed and then gestured to Sumi. "You've gotta try Sumi's cooking. It's really amazing!"
"Taiju!" She exclaimed in embarrassment, looking back at the dress. "It's not that amazing. But I wish I could find more meat. I don't come across animals that often when I go hunting," She made a criss-cross pattern on the sides with the red thread.
"Well...you three won't have to survive on just that anymore. I'm here now," He stepped up to Sumi, causing her to look up. He then placed a gentle hand on her head. "I'm sure Sumi has worked hard to help you survive, so if she doesn't mind, we should let someone else take over," He stared into her eyes and they softened. "Would that be alright? After all, I myself am curious to see how your food tastes."
She blushed again, looking away. He was making her way too nervous... "Y-Yes, I think that's a good idea," She murmured and he smiled. Senku grimaced, feeling something itching at his heart while watching the two of them. He then frowned, glancing down and wondering if that needed to be checked out. He didn't know what was going on, but what he knew was that the way they were interacting, he was not enthusiastic about it…
Wild boars were running around and Tsukasa chased them down in the forest. He managed to catch up with them, even passing them in speed. He then turned around and grabbed one, kicking them down to kill them. A pelican flew around, Tsukasa staring at it from a tree. He ran off the branch and jumped up, grabbing the bird by the neck and hanging onto another branch from a tree across from him. Then he used a spear to hunt down fish.
"While Sumi finishes up her sewing, I'll take on all the fighting and the hunting."
The three of them stood in front of Tsukasa, Sumi and Taiju in awe. "Oh wow! This is awesome!" He exclaimed while Sumi eyed the haul. He had fish, birds, and boars. He slammed down the spear full of fish, though Sumi noticed he wasn't wearing clothes. She shrieked and turned around, her face red. She hoped that she wouldn't have to see him again like this. She instead focused on what she could cook with them.
"Now that you have me on your side, you won't have to just dream about filling your bellies," He spoke up and Sumi held her cheeks.
"Not that I'm not happy about not having to pile on more work, but clothes, please, now," She covered her eyes while smoke came from her ears. Senku the whole time just had his arms crossed, being silent with no expression on his face. Tsukasa stared at her hiding behind Senku and blinked. He then realized why she was doing so.
"Ah, I'm sorry," He chuckled a little, leaving behind the spear to go get his clothes. "I forgot that I'm in proximity of a sensitive young woman."
Sumi sat in front of a fire pit, smoke surrounding the fish. She used a stick to control the fire. "Oh, I get it," Taiju commented as he watched. "So if we just go ahead and cook the food, we won't need a fridge to keep it in."
"We're not cooking these fish," Senku explained to him. "We're using the aldehydes in the smoke to kill the microbes. In words that your feeble brain can understand, we're smoking them."
"When it comes to meat, I have to smoke them at the right temperature depending on which ones I find. Plus by smoking them, you get rid of all the bacteria that can cause diseases. Then we can save them if we have leftovers. You could cook them immediately once they're edible." Sumi explained while keeping an eye on the fire.
"Exactly," Senku smirked at her, pinching her ear and dragging it back and forth. "See what happens when you listen to me?"
He chuckled as she whined from him doing so. "When have I not done that? On second thought, don't answer that." He stared at her for a few seconds, knowing that she meant well, even if they could get on each other's nerves from time to time.
"Nah, you're right. Ten billion points for you," He then rubbed the top of her head and she smiled. As much as she...got attention from Tsukasa and he made her flush several times, Senku's was more of a reaction from her heart. Because whenever he praised her, she enjoyed the feeling that she had actually helped him—when he wasn't scolding her for her child-like behavior. Unlike with Tsukasa, where he just made her flattered but that was it. Not to mention she still had that nagging feeling that she knew him from somewhere.
"With me, Sumi, and Senku working together, we should have plenty of preserved food," Tsukasa spoke up while Taiju sniffed the fish happily. Although the long-haired man was not happy with the way Senku and Sumi interacted…Senku stood up, cracking his neck from right to left.
"We can take the first step towards civilization now," He said, Taiju looking at him in alarm. Tsukasa walked away from the trio.
"So we're still on step zero?!" He exclaimed and Sumi looked up at their friend.
"Well, Senku and I getting adjusted to this world took a long time, and so did bringing back Tsukasa. So even though we've been making progress, it's not enough. It'll take more than what we've done so far to even get to step one," She sifted through the fire again to get one side of fish she wasn't hitting with smoke. Tsukasa came to a stop in front of a rock. They all turned to him as he was silent.
"Hey Tsukasa, what's wrong?" Taiju spoke up, and Tsukasa let out a yell while holding up a fist. He then punched the rock in half, right down the middle. The three looked at him in alarm from what just happened. Sumi's hair flew back and she yelped while her arms were in front of her eyes. Once the smoke cleared, a stone body was revealed, which had been underneath the rock the whole time. All of them looked at the body in shock, Sumi blinking at him. He then picked it up in his arms, turning away to walk off.
"Sorry if I startled you," He laid the body against another rock. "Just noticed this person under that rock." The black-haired girl couldn't help but notice that despite his fighting and how strong he was, underneath that he could be gentle. Though she still had to remember what Senku said about him. This could be all just to play them.
"I said he was a solid dude!" Taiju cheered happily, his suspicions going away at the very least. But Senku wasn't that convinced, though he couldn't prove it. And while Sumi remembered to follow his advice, she was more hesitant on either side. So getting her to see it wasn't going to work, either. He shrugged it off as he needed to wait still for a slip-up.
"It's like having a superhero on our team, huh?" He let out a chuckle.
The sky was filled with pinks, oranges, and reds as night was approaching. A pile of fish bones were between the four. Taiju groaned while holding his full stomach of fish. "Man, my belly's so full! Thanks, Sumi. It was delicious."
"Indeed," Tsukasa looked to her with a gentle smile. "It was full of flavor, and seasoned well. I thank you for allowing me eat your fantastic cooking."
Sumi's face turned red as she looked up at him. "It's just really salt since spices aren't easy to get ingredients for. But you're welcome, I'm glad you liked it so much," She placed a hand on her cheek, flattered.
"Mm...talking isn't enough to express my gratitude," He leaned in and then kissed her on the forehead. Her eyes widened as she felt like she could pass out. She still wasn't used to the attention he was giving her.
Senku looked irritated while practically crushing his fish in his hands. Sumi yelped after a few seconds, ducking her head down so he could stop. "Ah-ha-ha, okay, thank you for that," She replied awkwardly, patting her head while her cheeks were very flushed. "Any more praise like this and I'll be as red as part of my hair."
Tsukasa patted her hair with a smile, stroking it with the tip of his fingers. "Heh. That just draws me to you even more, Sumi." Senku couldn't handle it anymore and cleared his throat loudly.
"Okay, it's time to take a fun little pop quiz," He spoke through clenched teeth, glaring at Tsukasa. "For a technological civilization, what's the most important component to have?" He then gave a small smirk. "Right answer will get you ten billion points." He was silently satisfied when Tsukasa moved his hand away from Sumi. Both of them started thinking while Taiju looked like his face would break trying to come up with an answer.
"Well, it's gotta be...something that's techy...but what exactly?" He then pointed at Senku confidently. "Smartphones!"
"Eh?" Sumi looked at him in utter confusion.
"Oh sure!" Senku smiled as he was being sarcastic. "Yeah, smartphones would be great, wouldn't they?" He then scowled, pointing at Taiju. "We're not jumping ten billion years into the future, dummy!"
"Come on, lay off him," Sumi spoke up in defense while sweeping up the fish bones. "But now it's Tsukasa's turn," She gestured and Tsukasa smiled for her addressing him. Senku glowered at her, but she didn't notice it.
Tsukasa turned to the green-haired scientist. "Maybe...iron?" He asked in a calm manner.
"Iron's pretty important, but not at this stage. There's something far more crucial," Senku then turned to Sumi with a small smirk. "Got an answer, Sumi?"
"A composure of calcite and aragonite," She smiled after a few seconds. "But I'm sure you can answer what that combines," She looked over her shoulder and he let out a small chuckle.
"Combined, that makes calcium carbonate. Ten billion points for Sumi."
"Of course!" Taiju exclaimed in agreement. "Once again, I have no idea what you're saying!"
"Do you mean lime?" Tsukasa seemed to understand the term in a more simple way.
"Yup. Let me think of a way to put it that even someone like Taiju could understand. It's the stuff they use to mark athletic fields."
Sumi then held up a finger. "But more specifically, it's also in limestones, shells, shellfish skeletons, and pearls," She continued explaining for Senku. "Although about half of that isn't easy to come by without doing a lot of searching."
Taiju pointed at Senku again. "Cool! So we're gonna have to find a gym storage locker and grab some whatever that was carbonate?!" He asked in excitement and Sumi sighed, hanging her head. Once again he was missing the point...
"Oh sure!" Senku replied sarcastically yet again. "Yeah! Let's just head to the gym!" He then lost it after that. "Don't be such an idiot! You think we'll find one after 3700 years?!" Sumi's hair flew from that and once he was done, she adjusted it with an exhausted expression. "Come on, Taiju," He spoke up again after calming down, the waves rolling in. "Think, remember what Sumi said? You know those shells you've been using to shave your big oafish face?" A shell washed up and Senku took it. "If we pulverize them into a powder, we'll have plenty of calcium carbonate in no time," He turned around while holding out the shell.
"YEAH!" Taiju shouted while wearing a basket. "Looks like I'm needed for some serious brawn duty!" He then ran off, throwing shells left and right. He then had baskets of them after a few days. He held a hammer over his head to start crushing them. After he did so, they had lots of bags full of them. Sumi's eyes shined as she looked at all of them.
"Wow! Thanks, Taiju!" She exclaimed happily while bending down to them.
"Calcium carbonate actually gets me excited," Senku's eyes twinkled a bit, holding up four fingers. "Check it out! There are four super useful things you can do with it. First is agriculture. We can use it to blow away the hydrogen ions in the soil. And that'll be a major upgrade for the farm land."
"The next thing is construction. Heat up the calcium carbonate and mix it with any type of sand, and you get mortar! Mortar is kinda like cement, but different in quality. This can be used for houses and furnaces," Sumi explained next with a smile.
"Third is hygiene. Gather calcium carbonate from seaweed and blend it with oil. And the reaction makes soap." Senku sat on the ground to carve it. "This world is brutal. And getting sick means game over. But a little chunk that gets rid of harmful germs is a lifesaver in a world without doctors. You can call it Dr. Stone."
Tsukasa watched Senku and Sumi carving out soap together near a fire. "Gotta hand it to you, Sumi and Senku," Tsukasa spoke up to them. "You're both pretty amazing in your own ways." Senku glanced up at him while Sumi blushed, both of them remaining silent.
"I mean, you freed me during a lion attack...but you stayed calm and spoke clearly. While Sumi shared my purpose with the dead lion and assisted me greatly to make things easier between us. I've never met anyone like you two before. You truly have my respect." Senku just blinked, and the fire crackled nearby. Sparks jumped out as Sumi walked over to the bag of calcium carbonate.
"Don't be silly," Sumi gave a small sigh to calm down her cheeks. "Practically everything I've learned came from Senku. Just because he taught me doesn't mean I'm as brilliant as him," She looked over her shoulder. She then gathered the powder for Senku. "Or least, I was told this as a child many times." This was one of the few times she wasn't her cheerful self, because her childhood was a sore spot for her to talk about. And the fact that he was praising her for her intelligence when she got it elsewhere just made things a bit more dicey between them.
Tsukasa raised a brow, wondering what she meant by that. She walked back over to Senku with the powder in a small pouch of hers. "Time to teach you something new, Sumi. For at least the past ten billion years or so, almost without exception, a man who praises another to his face is either flirting or scheming," He then glared at Tsukasa, his tone not friendly as hers. "So what are you getting at?"
Sumi didn't say anything as Tsukasa stared in silence for a few seconds. He then changed it back to his smile. "It's not like that. I'm really not doing either one of those. At least, not the latter with you, Senku," He glanced at Sumi, who flinched in alarm. A faint blush was on her cheeks, her eyes wide from his blatant statement. "I was just thinking, if there's anybody who could rebuild modern civilization from scratch, it's you both. Yeah...that's all I was trying to say," He stared at Senku with an unknown look. "Although it wouldn't take doing that for me to not realize how special you are, Sumi."
She blushed again, holding her hair and squeezing her eyes shut. She glanced away as a memory hit her.
A shadow towered over a young Sumi in her home and then shoved her to the ground. She landed with a grunt, helpless to do anything. A slap mark was on her left cheek. "Special piece of shit," He growled while holding her report card.
"Don't say that, please..." She murmured as she now felt uneasy once he said special. Senku moved away Sumi protectively so Tsukasa couldn't see her. He looked at Senku, a bit confused, but he could tell neither of them were going to explain.
"I apologize. Would you like me to say something else to our liking?"
"I think you've said enough," Senku immediately snarled and glared up at him, trying to keep his composure. Then it was uncomfortable silence between the trio, as the atmosphere was much more tense. Suddenly Taiju's voice broke it. He then placed down a bundle of branches.
"So this is the kind of stuff you gotta do to build civilization, huh?" He cracked his back, not noticing the tension.
"...That's right," Senku said and moved so that Sumi was visible to Tsukasa again. He didn't want to, but he had to so that Taiju wasn't suspicious. He then acted like nothing happened. Sumi removed her hands from her hair, taking a deep breath. "One step at a time. The journey is a slow one, that's for sure. But we keep on getting closer."
Both Tsukasa and Sumi stayed silent, which was probably for the best. "Hey, so what was that fourth thing? You said there were four uses for the seashells, but you two only told us about three." Tsukasa turned to the duo, silently wondering about that as well. It didn't even come to mind for him until Taiju himself brought it up.
Senku was quiet as he and Sumi briefly glanced at each other in rapid fashion. Tsukasa blinked as he saw it himself, wondering what that was about. He gave a look of jealousy at the two. "...No, there are only three," He held up three fingers, placing a hand on Sumi's arm. "I said three earlier, didn't I?"
"Oh. Did you?" Taiju blinked in confusion, Sumi continuing to keep her mouth shut. She gave an innocent looking face. "Man, my memory is all screwed up!" He then laughed as the moon shined over them. It was for the best that they didn't know the fourth one.
That night, Taiju was asleep, snoring while Tsukasa was across from him. However, he wasn't sleeping, thinking about what Senku said earlier. But also, how Sumi reacted the last time he complimented her. It was almost as if saying that triggered something in her, but he didn't know what. And considering Senku's reaction, he also knew why Sumi wasn't as flattered by it that time. Tsukasa knew that right off the bat; from their interactions, they had known each other for years. So whatever it was, Senku had to have learned about it a long time ago. And he didn't like not knowing…because he wanted to be the one Sumi trusted the most. He felt like Senku wasn't allowing her to use her full potential…
Outside, Senku was at work, being as quiet as possible. Tonight, Sumi wasn't training as she wouldn't be able to focus. She leaned against the tree, snuggled in a blanket as she watched him. Both of them had been in silence for a while. Senku was tying something together on the grass before he finally spoke up.
"You should get some sleep. Let it fade off from your brain," He spoke up quietly.
"You and I both know I wouldn't be able to sleep after what he said," She responded while hugging herself into the blanket. "It felt so brooding after that. Thank you for what you did earlier, Sen. I couldn't take his eyes looking at me."
"Don't let him bother you like this, it's not logical to dwell on that anymore," He spoke up in defense while still building. He then let out a sigh and she glanced back up at the treehouse instead of responding. "Besides, we need to be prepared if something goes astray."
"Just because you think it's illogical doesn't mean it doesn't still exist," She remarked while hugging her knees, resting her chin on them. He froze in place while taking in her words, staring at what he was crafting. "Whether you want it to go away or not, it'll still follow me. And Tsukasa just proved that."
He sat there in silence and gripped the item in his hands. He then let it go as he didn't want to damage it. The scientist just...didn't want this to be over her head anymore. And yet no matter what he did or said, it wouldn't change the fact that she would always remember what she went through. Both before and after they met. Then he let out a sigh of defeat.
"Come on," He stood up and she stared up at him. He held out his hand and she blushed, especially as the moon hit him from behind. She slowly reached out and grabbed it. He pulled her up and they walked over to an area of grass a bit farther away from the treehouse. Both of them laid down on the grass to look up at the stars. "Not training tonight?"
"Nah," She closed her eyes briefly as she placed her hands on her stomach, her hair underneath her in all directions. "Another night. If I keep this up, next thing I know I'll be fighting an actual lion."
He let out a scoff at that. "Overconfident much? There's no way you could take one on like Tsukasa did."
"I could if I trained hard enough," She remarked with a big smile.
"Remind me to never help you train," He sighed while closing his eyes, opening them back up. "You see all those stars? That's where we're headed once civilization is revived," He started off, and then started talking about the constellations. She smiled from the distraction as she pointed up to them as well. Senku glanced at her with a smirk as she waved her arms in awe while talking about a constellation in front of them.
Eventually though, her eyes drooped and Senku noticed she was getting tired. He laid on his side and she did the same, both of them resting their heads on their arms. "I won't tell you not to worry, but to remember that you're not alone," He patted her head to help her drift off. "Now get some rest, alright?" He watched her fall asleep, making sure she was snoring as he sighed. Memories of what he had witnessed from Sumi's life flashed in his head and he closed his eyes.
"No matter what anyone else says, you're just as capable of I am to do anything you put your mind to. Science is unlimited. It's how we became partners, and how we'll always stay as equals," He spoke up quietly, dropping his hand so that he could remove her ribbon, to prevent it from getting tangled in her hair. "I made a promise all those years ago to protect you and I'm gonna keep it," He then chuckled, closing his eyes. "Thank god you're not awake to hear me say that kind of emotional crap, otherwise you'd never let me live it down. Keh," He closed his eyes as well, both of them sleeping underneath the stars.
The next day, Taiju collected more shells on the beach. "Shells, shells, shells, shells, shells, shells, shells, shells, shells, shells, shells, shells!" He repeated while tossing them rapidly into his basket.
Sumi was walking down another part of the beach, holding a basket on her side while collecting as well. They needed as much calcium carbonate as they could get right now. As she was walking, she looked up to see Senku sitting on a rock. Tsukasa was standing in front of him, looking towards the sun as his hair and cloak flew behind him. "We have so much freedom in this stone world," He held up a shell in his hand. "Nobody is around to claim that shells are their personal property. Or the ocean. Or the land." Senku and Sumi stayed silent, the girl hiding behind a rock. She didn't want to intrude since tensions were already high between the three. "A long time ago, there was a poor boy whose little sister was going through surgery. He collected seashells to make a necklace for her, and help her feel better. His sister loved the Little Mermaid. But along came an older man who owned the fishing rights to that part of the beach," An older statued man was actually nearby. Tsukasa stood in front of it. "He...reeked of booze."
Sumi's eyes widened at that last word.
The boy was smacked onto the sand, the shells breaking. The man loomed over him, breathing heavily. "The boy thought he was collecting shells, but the man...the man accused him of stealing the shells. And beat him so badly, he was almost unrecognizable. He was never able to make his sister feel like the Little Mermaid."
Tsukasa looked at his hand, and the two scientists both realized who that story was really referring to. He then smiled and looked towards the sun. "But then...when he was taken to the hospital...a dedicated doctor and her little assistant watched over him and his sister all the way through." Sumi gasped at him bringing that up, looking at him in shock. "They were a loving small family. They worked day and night to help the boy and his little sister all they could. The boy could never really get a good look at the assistant's face. She was always dressed in a mask and scrubs, but dedicated part of her life for two strangers. She even started a fundraiser, heh."
Sumi covered her mouth in shock, her eyes glistening. "The poor boy and his sister could never express their gratitude for their undying kindness." She backed away, kneeling on the sand silently. That was how she knew Tsukasa and his familiar scent...
Because she was that little assistant back then. And the doctor was her grandmother.
No one said anything as Sumi processed this information. Tsukasa, however...all he could feel was rage at being so helpless back then. And for how he was treated for just trying to help his sister. He crushed the shell, and Sumi looked up in alarm. She turned around in time to see him punching the head off the stone man. A sharp gasp escaped her while Senku didn't react, the head rolling to a stop in front of him. He stared at it for a few seconds.
"...You do know what you just did..." He glanced up to meet Tsukasa, smirking dangerously. "Don't you? That may have looked like a statue, but we both know you just killed a man."
Sumi gripped the rock she was hiding behind, gritting her teeth at Tsukasa. "Of course I know. Tell me something, Senku," He turned to face the man. "Are you planning to bring back all the greedy, black-hearted adults who ruined the world we came from? Sure, they'll be overly grateful to you and Sumi right after you both help them out. But as soon as civilization returns, the rich and powerful will say things like 'This used to be my property, so you better start paying me rent.' Next they'll try to collect taxes. They'll rob the young people like us of our future, all over again. They'll rob Sumi of her pure innocence, just like you're stripping her of her integrity by staying by your side."
She gasped from him mentioning her, sounding protective when talking about her. "We simply can't bring that kind of world back," He stepped towards Senku, his hair and clothes still flying as the sun rose behind him. "We live in a stone world now. A paradise that hasn't been ruined by greed, that Sumi doesn't need to follow your orders. I think we should only revive the young and pure-hearted, and make sure we keep this world neutral and not owned by anyone," He placed his head on a statue. "While I make sure you don't keep Sumi on a leash anymore, by having her stay by my side. This is our chance to purify humanity. To purify a woman of any pain so that she knows she's appreciated. The way I see it, science is the only thing that binds you together. And it would be beneficial for all of us if she became stronger…as my bride. Don't you agree with me...Senku?"
Sumi looked absolutely disgusted by his intentions, and especially by him trying to 'purify' her by not being Senku's science partner anymore. Now she realized how wrong they were to bring him back, even if they were gonna die back there. There was no way what he said about her could be true, she didn't even know where that came from. Tsukasa was about to destroy the statue as he raised his fist. Sumi came out of hiding to run towards him, only to stop when Senku grabbed his shoulder.
"No, I don't. Almost everything from that speech didn't move me one millimeter. But let me get this straight about Sumi and I. I'm the kind of guy who absolutely loves technology. I get excited by space and mechs and Doreamon and stuff like that. You could never understand what Sumi and I have gone through as equals because you don't know her like you believe you do," Sumi stared at him in shock as he continued speaking, his face irritated and annoyed. "I've known her for over 3700 years, which is less than you can claim. Sure, she's childish, a prude, stubborn, and she can be distracting. Hell, when we first met, I couldn't stand her. Not someone I would want to be around."
Sumi pouted a bit from that last one, wishing he wasn't always so blunt all the time.
"But as time went on, I realized that she has passion," He closed his eyes and she looked up, her eyes glistening as she shed a tear of joy. "A willingness to go through trial and error, even if I have to teach her what I know. Desire to become stronger no matter what she has to face. I watched her grow as a person, watched her become someone anyone can aspire to," Sumi wiped away her eyes as best as she could. "From just being a team with Sumi, I know she wouldn't want anyone to protect her the way you want to," He then smirked confidently, Sumi's mouth opening from his declaration. "Sumire Maeda and I are going to use the awesome power of science to rescue every last person," He then chuckled as the two stared at each other. Sumi bit her lip nervously looking up ahead at them.
Senku had his arms behind his head while looking up to the starry night. He was leaning against a tree. Sumi was sitting on her legs next to him, leaning against the tree as well to his right. She smiled while having a hand on the grass, looking up at the skies. The other hand was over her skirt. The sky had formed some blue sparkles in the distance as they looked towards the mountains. Clouds also moved in front of them, and a bird flew down.
(Maybe I don't know what to do)
The bird moved all around the forest.
(Hurry up, my mind is on the moon)
Then it took to the skies.
(Flying up to where the wind blew)
Then the bird flew up into darkness, a drop of nitric acid falling into a puddle.
(In my hands awakens)
The bird took to blue skies and there was a flash.
(The passion overflowing)
People walked around Japan in a huddle.
(Just wandering through this world)
A man put down his phone while calling a taxi, people walking in formation.
(Your one shining pure)
Two hands played a video game.
(Could never be pierced with a rusty knife)
Someone danced in front of bubbles, then it formed into a soccer field with a crowd.
(I am burning like a fire gone wild)
The people waved their hands while watching the soccer game in front of them.
(The moment an arrow shot through my heart)
Buses and trains went by as then it was dark, with the buildings lighting up around the environment.
(The noise plaguing me was released)
A rocket was launched into the sky.
(Everything was different from that moment on)
It appeared near the planet Earth, taking off further.
(If I don't try, I'll never know)
The Earth faded a little as some sparkles appeared.
(Why do flowers bloom?)
A yellow silhouette of a flower grew and then faded into sparkles.
(Your voice echoes)
A party was going on with everything lively, and neon lights appearing.
(Tell me why)
The lights exploded into sparkles.
(I just shouted to the sky)
Taiju and Yuzuriha appeared next to each other.
(But you are no longer here, that's right)
Chrome, Kinro, Ginro, Kohaku, Kaseki, and Suika appeared in front of strands of DNA.
(The life we confirmed that day)
Then Gen appeared with a sly smile. A bunch of science formulas floated in the front, with the younger Senku and Sumi appearing. They both had smiles on their faces.
(You can call it a fleeting dream if you want)
The sky started to turn into morning as the clouds were forming over the mountain.
(But I'll save you from a wounded today)
Senku smirked as Sumi's smile grew wider. Both of them stood up at the same time and took off towards the village.
