The sun was setting as the monkeys were around the clay pots Sumi and Senku made. Senku carried a large basket, putting down all the mushrooms he could find. The monkeys scattered away from the duo, Senku letting out a chuckle. "It's finally starting to look like a place fit for an actual human," He commented, Sumi smiling with a hand on her hip.
"Yeah. Couldn't believe it either a few months ago," Sumi hummed while bending down to the mushrooms. She started examining them, not noticing how exhausted Senku looked right about now.
"Okay. To be honest, I don't think I can keep hitting 'ignore' on my exhaustion for too much longer. You already do that on a regular basis," Senku stated, getting her attention as she looked up. She gasped as he started to fall back. The black-haired scientist jumped forward and caught him in her arms, settling him on her lap.
"Sen!" She cried out in concern for him.
"Damn..." He murmured while foam was at his mouth. "I had no idea it was this hard to keep just one person alive, let alone two! There's no time for scientific progress." She sighed while hanging her head, standing up and helping him onto his feet.
"Come on, you're taking a rest. Don't worry about dinner, I'll cook tonight," She led him over to the shelter. They'd alternate between cooking one meal per day to make the routine they had a bit more easier. But she didn't realize until now how much work they had been putting in. "You should've told me you were getting tired."
"Oh, this coming from the one who barely even sleeps?"
"At least I can actually keep myself up. I don't have a doctorate, but I can tell that your stamina's low," She remarked in defense, placing him in a sleeping bag. "All our labor has been pretty tiring just to survive," Sumi dragged a hand down her face.
"By that logic, shouldn't you be sleeping too right about now?" He replied sleepily to her, staring up at the woman. She blinked from his question, shaking her head with a small smile. Knowing that he wasn't the type to worry, it was nice to know that he still cared about her health and well-being.
"Even if I was tired, between the both of us right now, you need it more. And you'll be hungry by the time I'm done, so it's only fair I start prepping it now," She got onto her feet, dusting herself off. "I can sleep later."
"Yeah, I'll see to it. Because you're not getting out of it with me around."
"Yeah, yeah," She waved it off playfully. "I'll call you when dinner's ready. Maybe even make something for the drowsiness if you found something I can use."
"Mm," He merely murmured and she walked towards the door. "Hey, Sumi?" She glanced over her shoulder to look at him before she could leave. "You already know I'm not the type for giving gratitude, but...you know." The black-haired scientist blinked and smiled at him.
"No problem, Sen."
'What I wouldn't give to have someone with brute strength and stamina to handle the grunt work,' Senku thought in his sleep, closing his eyes.
The two set out the next morning, holding shovels. They noticed a petrified hand coming out of the rocks. Both of them glanced to each other and then started digging. Nearby was the space that Senku woke up in, evident by the rock silhouette. "I've got a hunch about this one," Senku spoke up to Sumi as they dug. "It's close to where I broke free, so it's highly probable that we drifted from approximately the same location. These crazy-strong hands are just what we need." Once they stopped digging, they saw Taiju's face...looking freaked out from what had happened. Senku's eyes glistened while looking at him and Sumi glanced at her science partner. She stayed silent for his sake as he let out a sigh after so long of not seeing him. He then chuckled, holding the shovel over his shoulder while standing up. "Although I do get a little sick of looking at his stupid face, I think 3,700 years may've been enough of a break."
"Not enough for him to not tell Yuzuriha of how he feels, I can tell you that much," Sumi giggled in amusement and he briefly glanced at her.
"Oh yeah, he did wanna confess his love to her. Wouldn't be surprised if that was still on his mind. Hey, ya big oaf. Alright, time to get started on Senku and Sumi Lab's first project," The two bent down and Senku started poking his forehead. "So tell me, meathead, what'll it take to get you to wake up like we did?"
"Well, for one, you could stop poking him. That's not gonna be enough to break him out," Sumi suggested a bit sarcastically. He then leaned back in thought.
'Maybe the bigger question is, what exactly was it that turned all of humanity to stone 3700 years ago?' He frowned a little, Sumi looking at him. She could tell that he was thinking back on why all this even happened. That was on her mind too. "Hypothesis number one."
"Dude, earthlings are so lame," Aliens in a ship flew down above the Earth as Senku imitated them. "Let's turn 'em into stone."
"It did work on those pesky swallows! Petri-ray!" A ray came down from the ship as the aliens celebrated. "Ha! Get excited!" Taiju cried out while getting hit.
"Hypothesis number two."
"Ha ha!" A commander who looked like Senku jumped up. "The petrification doom-ray is finally ready!"
"Fire the doom-ray!" A sergeant looking like Sumi shouted. Taiju was hit with a machine that emitted a ray. Then it hit the commander and sergeant.
"What in tarnation?! It got us as well!"
"Hypothesis number three."
A bunch of viruses appeared, laughing evilly. "We're the petricoccus virus!"
"Only humans and swallows are vulnerable to our power." They then laughed while touching Taiju, who cried out in agony. "Get excited."
Sumi's laughter brought him out of it and he looked up at her, a bit baffled. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to laugh. It's just that...I'm not really sure those are all true. They sound a little stupid, if I'm being honest. Ha ha," She smiled while laughing. "I mean, the aliens, that's probably not likely unless somehow there's proof of them now. The doom-ray, it's just why? And the virus, no one really showed any symptoms, much less the birds."
Senku stared at her laughter, as it felt refreshing a little to see her like this. After all, they were the only humans awake, so it was nice to see her relaxed since everything went down. He looked away with a small smile, chuckling himself. "Yeah, those did sound kinda stupid." Once she had calmed down, they looked at a petrified swallow. "The only thing I'm sure of, is whatever caused this targeted humans and swallows specifically. It seems like fantasy, but in reality, there's an underlying rule. Which means we can solve it. Discovering these hidden rules is what science is all about."
"If we can break out of the stone, then we can determine how it happened and how to break someone out!" Sumi pumped a fist with a grin. "Science is unrestricted."
"Right now, we're starting down a new path," Senku held up the stones he was trapped in. "An uncharted branch of science." Sumi gasped, her eyes shining at his words. "Get excited, Sumi."
He sat on a rock while she paced in front of him in thought. "What did it? What caused us to break out of our petrified states? Was it simple deterioration? If that were the case, the outside surface exposed to the elements would be the first to break down. Do me a favor and take a whiff of these stones."
She bent down to the rocks to get a good sniff, sitting back up with her hands on her hips and her eyes closed. "No good. If they had a certain smell, I'd be able to tell you what mineral it is. But it seems like this one in particular isn't something you can normally find. Maybe when we were petrified, when it came from the unknown force that caused all this, it changed these rocks' whole biology."
"So then why'd we break out?" Senku said as they debated it.
"Is it erosion? But then again, there would have to be an outside source for that to happen. It would've broken the other statues down by now," Sumi murmured while rubbing her chin and pacing. "And you're not near any water, the winds aren't that strong either. And the rains weren't hard enough."
"But the petrified people are like statues, stone all the way through. For me, it was like a shell, the outside was stone, and the inside changed back to living cells. Sumi, did you feel the same way?" He looked up at her curiously.
"Mm?" She turned to him, stopping her pacing and blinking. She then placed a finger near her head to think. "I'd say it was more like a coating. It didn't feel like a shell, it felt kinda like dried paint peeling off. Then my body changed into living cells again."
Both of them gasped in realization at the same time. Senku examined the stones again. "It's the other way around. The surface was deteriorated, and couldn't revert to the living cells. It became a stone husk! But wait, why'd it feel like paint for you and not me?" He rubbed his chin, and Sumi turned towards him.
"Well, maybe my own surface deteriorated in a different way if it's not the same between us on how we woke up," She suggested, watching him pick up the stone pieces from his body.
"The parts of the surface that were less petrified turned back to cells," He placed down pieces from the stone that was over him. "That's why that reconstructed shell has holes in it," He circled a finger around the eye hole piece. Sumi gasped while getting a closer look.
"And that's why some of these pieces don't look the same. They took form of parts of your body as they were reverted back to living cells!" She said while pointing at another piece that looked like it came from the chest area.
"So we weren't revived due to deterioration or erosion." Senku's eyes widened as he realized there had to be something else. "There's some outside X factor in play."
"Enough that it was to break you out, but what?" Sumi looked around for something that might've done it.
"The fragments ended up in a pile, with the ones closest to my head on the bottom. Which means the revival started at the top," He explained while getting a closer look. A bat flew past them and they looked up. Bats weren't common in the area, so where did it come from? Sumi sniffed something and turned around, gasping.
"Sen...I can smell something from that cave...that's where that bat must've came from," She told him and he looked in her direction.
"There's gotta be something in there."
They walked up to the cave, a yellow liquid dripping from the ceiling. Sumi sniffed the air as they stepped further inside. She groaned while pinching her nose, Senku doing the same. The woman looked around and then pointed up ahead. "There, that's where it's coming from," She said as they saw the liquid falling. "It's really sharp and it's pricking my eyes. Anything that smells like this has to be-"
"Nitric acid," They said at the same time, their voices a bit nasally.
"That's it!" Senku exclaimed and then reached behind his head. 'The back of my neck is still petrified.' He ripped out a piece of hair. Sumi stared at him as he had told her sometime after they met up about it. She tried to remove it, but it was stuck on there and she had tried everything until he told her to give up. He held out the strand of hair with stone in between. "Time for a quick experiment." They watched as the nitric acid hit the hair. They waited in anticipation...and once they heard a snap, they gasped. The stone then broken apart in pieces. The two then smiled at this.
"It worked! The nitric acid broke down the stone! I've got a pot we can use," Sumi reached into her belt, handing it to him. They collected the nitric acid and once they did, Senku grabbed the bottle. They rushed over to Taiju, pouring it on him from his forehead. Senku chuckled as they stood up, waiting. However, after at least a minute, they were confused on why nothing was happening. They waited some more, intense looks on their faces, but nothing.
"Noooo," Sumi whined at this, sagging her arms. "Seriously?"
They placed down a petrified swallow on a tree truck table in their lab. After gathering more nitric acid, they poured it onto the bird. "Why did nitric acid only work on me?" Senku murmured, looking up at Sumi. "And there was no cave near you that we saw, so how did you wake up without it?"
They started pouring it on other people to test it. "It's not making one millimeter of progress on Taiju or anyone else. There's gotta be an answer. What makes me different? What makes you different?"
They sat in front of a pot gathering more nitric acid. Senku had a hand on his temple. Sumi had her eyes closed as they tried to deduce it with all the information they had. 'Think. We just need a working hypothesis. Come on, Senku. Think!' He then gasped, getting Sumi's attention. "That's it! I was thinking!" He spoke up and she gasped in realization. "For the entire 3700 years I was petrified, I remained conscious. The human brain burns through 400 calories a day. Over 3700 years, that works out to two terajoules of energy. But where did all that energy come from?"
"Sen!" Sumi whipped around to him and he looked up. "I was thinking, but only half the time! I kept losing consciousness, remember? Maybe that's why it was more of a paint coat for me instead of shell. It never continued forming into its husk because I kept waking up every now and again!"
He gasped from her hypothesis, now realizing why her body was different. But that still didn't answer the question of how either of them woke up.
"E equals mc squared. Energy and mass have equivalent exchange," Senku spoke up, thinking of Albert Einstein. "Old man Einstein expressed a basic scientific truth with that equation. It tells us that we can't create energy from nothing!"
"If I was only awake for certain amounts of time, then maybe my energy went elsewhere, but what source? It didn't just come in out of nowhere after 3700 years. We've gotta find the answer that'll lead us to our mystery," Sumi slammed her fist against her palm.
"There's something in the stone itself that we were both consuming," Senku stated while surrounded by petrified birds. Sumi walked in while holding another one she found. "That's how we had the energy to use our brains! Finding out what that was is the key to undoing the petrification." Senku rubbed a rock furiously against a bird, but it didn't result in anything. "We've gotta try everything. Every experiment we can think of."
The two sat between a fire, Senku holding a bird in the flames. Sumi held her own bird above it. The two wore masks while mixing in the nitric acid into a pot. "I'd love to get our hands on some kind of industrial-strength etching agent, like nital." Senku groaned while looking towards all their pots. "But we need alcohol to make that."
"Even if we had the ingredients for it, which we sadly don't, it would take forever to ferment it," Sumi sighed, her hair in a bun tied with her ribbon so that it wouldn't fall onto their experiment.
"Gotta believe. And try, try, try," Senku and Sumi hauled in more supplies into their lab. "Keep trying everything we can possibly think of. And then try some more!"
"Every single experiment, we need to repeat again and again. Just because it doesn't work the first time, doesn't mean it'll be the same the next time. We need to think of every possible solution," Sumi stated while hugging herself, both of them looking at all the birds. Senku then bit off some skin from his thumb, leaking blood and shocking her. He then wrote e=mc2 over his clothes.
"Never forget. Petrification may seem like a fantasy...but the foundations of science are rock solid."
"Couldn't we have just made some ink?" She sweated a little. Biting off her skin seemed kinda extreme.
"Come on, Sumi. You know you're gonna need it too," He prompted his science partner. "If I taught you, that's one of the most important things to know." She hesitated and then he stepped forward. "Fine, I'll do it. Unless you really don't want to."
"No way are you doing it! I'm not letting you bite off another finger," She said in determination. She lifted up her thumb and bit off some of her skin too. She wrote down the formula on her blouse and he chuckled at her response.
"You could've bitten mine off if you really wanted to."
"No, because that was never an option, but are you satisfied now?" She took a bandage to wipe off the blood from her thumb, giving one to Senku. "I never said I didn't need it. Of course I do. After all, we're in this together, so we'll figure out the answers together."
He patted her on the head, ruffling her hair a little. "Yeah, we will." She blushed from his fingers in her hair and she cleared her throat. His soft touch in her locks was reminding her of his crush on him. Which, she could easily hide when talking about science, and so far she would only think about it when she was alone. But now...she wasn't sure if she'd be able to focus anymore.
"You better not be getting blood in my hair," She pouted while pushing his hand away, trying to distract her mind with anything else.
"Relax. The soap'll wash it off. Someone's making weird faces though," He leaned in a little to examine her face and she clamped her mouth shut. "Should I ask why?"
"...Shouldn't we get back to the experiments?" She turned away and he smirked regarding her reaction. "Without you loving to make me embarrassed?"
"With you, do I even need to try to do that?" Senku let out a chuckle and she pouted at him. "But embarrassing? No, I wouldn't say that. More like somewhat entertaining for me in your own childish way. Even if you did feel that way, you would've told me to stop ages ago."
"Ha ha, glad you find my faces hilarious," She gave a small smile. "Nice to know you even find me entertaining. But stop calling me childish." He let out a keh and she looked away, sighing slowly. They had already been petrified for over thousands of years...what if it took longer than that to save everyone? How could they even save everyone? They didn't even know why they woke up. "What if this takes us years, Sen? What if we don't end up with any results?"
"We will. Don't stress over it. Trial and error, remember? If something doesn't work, we can always find another way. And if not, then we trace back and refine another one," He turned to her while their thumbs were now clean. "But if you're not up for it, you can always say so."
She blinked at him giving her an out and she smirked. He knew that she wouldn't just give up. "Hell no, I'm not backing down," She told him in determination. "I didn't give up to be your science partner when we were little, did I?"
"Heh heh heh," He had a big smirk on his face at the reminder. "Yeah, no. I think that was just you being so stubborn you were practically begging me to let me teach you! After all, you wouldn't stop following me."
She gasped sharply while turning to him. "Sen, you are such a liar!" She shouted while clenching her fists and he laughed. She scoffed and then laughed a little too with him, knowing that he was just joking. He would tease her playfully, never actually meaning that she was beneath him.
Rain started to pour as Senku and Sumi carried Taiju over to the cave. "We need manpower!" Senku grunted out and they put Taiju on the ground. "Take some of this nitric acid and get up already!" However, nothing happened and Sumi frowned in concern.
"He's still not waking up...what are we missing?" She looked up towards the nitric acid.
"You hear me, blockhead?! You're awake inside there, aren't ya?! You've been awake for this entire damn time!" He screamed down at Taiju, begging for him to wake up. "You, Sumi, and I are no different in that regard! You don't know when to give up, either!"
"Taiju, hear our voices! We know you're in there because all you've thought about the whole time is Yuzuriha and confessing to her! Which means you must be able to know we're here with you! So please, wake up!" Sumi clenched her fists while giving a look of conviction. Lightning flashed nearby them outside the cave.
Sumi, Taiju, and Yuzuriha surrounded Senku as lightning flashed above their heads. "Hey, Senku!" Taiju shouted down at him. "Come on!" He begged while crying his eyes out.
"Please, Senku," Sumi sobbed out, staring at the man she had a crush on. "Please don't let everything we've worked for come to this...not now!"
"Taiju..." Senku growled out while looking at him.
"I'll wait for you however long it takes...because I can't do this without you!"Senku, Sumi, and Taiju all exclaimed at the same time, Senku having said it back then when he and Sumi found Taiju.
"So please, come back, Taiju!" Senku pleaded with him, Sumi closing her eyes and hanging her head.
"Please come back! Please Senku!" Tajiu screamed and lightning continued to flash. Sumi placed her head on Senku's chest again.
"Senku, please. I know you wouldn't let yourself die, not like this!" She cried out, gripping his shirt in her fist. They continued to wait, but there was still no movement. Another drip of nitric acid fell as the rain continued. Slowly, the rain stopped and Senku's eyes came back to life. Then the clouds cleared, revealing the sun. Taiju looked up at the clouds, tears still in his eyes. The three looked up at the sky, Taiju standing up. Sumi turned away from Senku, a bit surprised as well.
"The storm...it's over." Yuzuriha stood up too, lifting up her hands. Suddenly a hand touched the top of Sumi's head and her eyes widened from the familiar touch as she gasped. Her heart hammered from the warmth of his hand.
"That thunderstorm was providing some serious cover for us. So keep your voices down from here on out. Because if Tsukasa hears us, it's game over for real," A familiar voice spoke up, and they both flinched from the warning. The two got into position in case that did happen.
"You're right!" Taiju said in alarm as they looked around.
"He's not coming, is he?" Yuzuriha wondered and then realization hit them both. They turned around at the same time in shock. Taiju then gave a beaming smile as Senku was holding the jar of revival fluid. Sumi finally reacted as she let out a happy breathless laugh. She turned around, tackling him to the ground.
"Senku!" She cried out as she hugged him with tears in her eyes. Senku closed his eyes, as he wasn't a hugger. But in a rare moment, he wrapped an arm around her waist while sitting up a little. Sumi smiled happily to be able to touch him again. After a few seconds, Senku stood up with a chuckle as Sumi attempted to wipe away her tears. But she was so relieved that she wasn't sure when she'd stop crying.
"Good job noticing the thing with my neck," He touched the part where the stone was. "I barely even gave you any real hints about it! Taiju, Yuzuriha, Sumi, I believe that kind of thinking should snag you ten billion points," He then let out a tsk. "Sumi, come on, quit crying. You know that I can't handle you like this sometimes," He sighed, looking away from her. Sometimes when she cried, it was hard for him to get her to calm down. Very rarely did he get her to stop, like when she was worried about having to kill Tsukasa.
"But I'm just so happy...!" She said while trying to calm down. "And I'm so relieved that you're okay," She sniffed at him, giving him a small smile. "If crying over you being alive is wrong, then I don't wanna be right."
"Senku...?" Yuzuriha asked quietly as it finally hit her and Taiju. Sumi stood up, smiling happily in front of him.
"Senku!" Taiju cried out and then charged towards the scientist duo. He grabbed both of them into a death hug while his tears went flying. Both of them screamed in pain because of his strength, looking up towards the sky. Senku then kicked him off them with angry white eyes.
"That killer tried to painlessly sever my spine, but you'd crush our whole bodies?! Let go!"
Sumi let out a small cough, but it turned into a giggle as her tears had miraculously went away after almost dying of a hug. "Not that I don't love hugs, Taiju, but you've gotta give us a warning if you're gonna do that..." She then hit her fist against her throat, groaning. "Ugh, I think you almost crushed my windpipe..."
Senku panted, but then it turned into a chuckle. Yuzuriha looked up at him as he opened his eyes. "You know I'm not the type of guy...who does the whole emotional, teary-eyed gratitude kinda thing...so don't expect that," He spoke up, knowing that she would've wanted to thank him for not letting her die back there. Or he might've thanked her for reviving him. She then smiled as tears came to her face, since he allowed Sumi to hug him. Which meant she was the only exception to him, and Yuzuriha couldn't have asked for more than that.
"Yeah...welcome back...Senku," Yuzuriha whispered while shedding some tears. Sumi just looked on with a small smile, as she knew that him returning her hug was all she needed. She cracked her back and then checked over him at Taiju's insistence. While she did that, Yuzuriha cut out some fabric. Taiju stared and she held up a flag of two ships and stars.
"What do you think? Does that look like a rocket ship to you?" She wondered as she showed it to the others.
"There's a bunch of stars too!" Taiju exclaimed as Sumi bent down a little.
"Is that a little UFO?" She pointed at it next to the rocket ship and the girl nodded with a bright smile.
"Yeah, no, I'm not seeing it," Senku stated as Sumi stood up, giving him a blank look. He could be at least a little less blunt.
"It's a science flag. And I think it's perfect for you, Senku," She grabbed a stick and then tied it around the flag. She then put it around his neck tight. He let out an ack and Sumi giggled from his comical shadow over his eyes. "It can even help your neck!"
"Great idea!" Taiju beamed with a smile.
"And now you have a splint! See?" Yuzuriha stepped back with a grin, gesturing to it.
"Ten billion percent sure I don't need this," Senku groaned a little, reaching out to pull it down a little so he could at least breathe. "I'm perfectly fine, okay? Sumi, tell them I don't need it, you're technically the doctor here," Senku looked at her and she rubbed her chin in thought.
"Mmm...sorry, Sen. 3 to 1, we're keeping the splint!" Sumi answered without hesitation while holding up a finger and he looked at her in disbelief. Taiju and Yuzuriha looked pleased with her answer as they smiled. "If it's gonna help your neck, you'll have to keep that on for a few hours at best so that you don't get any unforeseen neck pain."
"Thanks, Sumi," Yuzuriha told her gratefully.
"What the hell? I thought you were gonna agree with me..." He murmured as his eyes were white. He then let out a sigh of defeat. "Though I guess while I'm thinking about it, that answer is logical from you. But Professor Senku volunteered his body, and the experiment was a great success. The restorative effects of de-petrification are incredible."
"It's like with Yuzuriha's toe, the pain starts to go away when the stone is decomposed. So when we poured that revival fluid on his neck, he didn't feel anything. Although there wouldn't be any cracks on his skin. Probably because it took him a while to wake up," Sumi explained, hugging her arms underneath her chest. "I might have to check his neck again later, though. Unlike with the toe, Tsukasa severed his cervical nerve, after all."
"That's not necessary if I said I'm fine!" Senku sighed deeply at her insistence.
"You are NOT gonna argue with the only person that has medical experience!" Sumi stood her ground, holding her head up high. "And don't give me that 'don't stress' crap you always tell me. I have a right to check on you, you know."
Senku blinked at her unwavering concern for him. He didn't think she'd be this upset over it...he then closed his eyes and let out a soft chuckle. "Worried about me, are you? Alright then, if it'll convince you my neck is fine."
Taiju let out a laugh, smiling at the two. "First we thought turning to stone ruined everyone's lives! But I guess it kinda saved yours this time, huh? It's like what you guys were saying when we made soap! The de-petrification! It's a life saver in a time without doctors—uh, multiple ones, no offense, Sumi. It's Dr. Stone!"
They stared at him in realization from his words, even Senku was surprised himself. Sumi blinked and then smiled, giving a small hum. Senku looked towards the ground silently. Yeah...come to think of it, it is pretty odd. When the petrification is undone, the affected area is rejuvenated. It's an extremely beneficial scientific phenomenon. He then looked up towards the sky. I've been wondering this whole time...who petrified humanity? What force was behind the attack? But...was it even an attack at all?
Sumi glanced up at him, knowing what he was asking while looking towards the sun. She closed her eyes, as she had questioned what happened for a long time. Even the science behind the petrification was still very new to her, but almost never vague. She knew that they would go on to find out what caused everything, or if it was even natural. But for now, they had other bigger issues to focus on.
Taiju was packing while the two scientists were covering up their tracks with tree branches. Sumi glanced up, smiling as Senku was still wearing the splint despite insisting he was fine. Yuzuriha held up a broken arm from a statue, kneeling in front of it. "Seeing as it was able to fix Senku's neck...maybe if we piece these statues together and pouring the revival fluid on them, they'll come back whole again!" She said optimistically as not one, but two arms were broken off from a statue of a woman.
"We tried that very early on," Senku spoke up from behind. "They ended up turning into dismembered corpses. There has to be some reason why it doesn't work."
"That still haunts me sometimes..." The black-haired girl sweated a little. "If only there was a way to determine what exactly needs to be done. We can't bring back every single person if a portion of them is in pieces, after all. And I imagine as more time goes on, Tsukasa's gonna keep breaking more and more of them," Sumi sighed while closing her eyes. Senku's eyes widened as he got an idea. He tapped Sumi on the shoulder and whispered into her ear. Once she heard it, she gasped, turning to him.
"...She'd be up for it, and I have faith in her, but we need to ask first if she'd be able to handle it," She told him quietly and he nodded. Yuzuriha had placed the arm near the statue and had her hands together to pray for them.
"Yuzuriha..." Senku called out and she glanced over her shoulder to see her friends walking over, except Taiju. "Taiju's ten billion percent too crude to pull it off. But you're our super-skilled crafts club member," He stopped right next to her ear, Sumi doing the same from the other side. "This is gonna be a grueling mission. You up for it?" He smirked as he explained it, Sumi doing the same as Taiju couldn't hear. Yuzuriha's eyes slowly widened and then her face went blank.
"Uh..." She then sweated a lot, her eyes white. "That really, really sounds like an extremely grueling mission! But I'll do it!" She pumped an eager fist. Senku just chuckled from her response.
"Well, that was an easy sell."
"Crafting's about perseverance!" She replied and Sumi closed her eyes with a smile.
"We appreciate it, Yuzuriha. Just don't forget to take breaks, though, okay? Don't overexert yourself pulling this off," She encouraged her friend while waving a hand.
"Hey, are you telling secrets?" Taiju asked the trio and smiled. "No fair! Don't keep it from me!"
Yuzuriha then looked at him, giving a nervous smile. "I, uh...I was saying that maybe you and I should go meet up with Tsukasa!"
"Well, there's an idea! Go see Tsukasa, eh?" Taiju replied cheerfully to her...and then his face got bigger as he looked freaked out. "SAY WHAT?! ARE YOU CRAZY?! YOU MEAN THE SAME HOMICIDAL MANIAC THAT KILLED SENKU AND SLICED AT SUMI'S FACE?! I MEAN, SENKU'S ALIVE! AND TSUKASA USED TO BE A GOOD DUDE! BUT STILL, WE ALL THOUGHT HE HAD KILLED SENKU AND I'M SURE HE PROBABLY THINKS HE DID!" He was holding Yuzuriha by the hips as he was shaking her the whole time.
"Taiju, please calm down, and you might get her sick!" Sumi stood next to them, waving her hands nervously. "We're supposed to keep our voices low, remember? Let's not forget that Tsukasa believes he did kill Sen." Senku chuckled again, getting their attention.
"And that is exactly the advantage we gained in that little fight," He reminded everyone, Taiju looking over in confusion. "Listen, Tsukasa thinks I'm rotting in hell right now. I, on the other hand, know his whereabouts in the real world. And Sumi probably does too. We can have a major advantage in this war."
"But we're not gonna have any leverage if he doesn't have any acknowledge and confirmation that Senku is dead. The kind of person he is, he needs a constant example. We need to implement the element of surprise during this whole ordeal. Which is where you two come in," Sumi smiled while pointing at Taiju and Yuzuriha.
"If the two of you can infiltrate the Tsukasa empire...and act as our spies..." Taiju gasped at what they were getting at. "We gave her the details of the mission you'll be undertaking. Taiju, your main objective is to protect Yuzuriha. With a blockhead like you, the less you know, the better." He and Sumi led them down a rocky pathway to another forest.
"Trust us, Taiju, you'll eventually understand the plan once it's time for action," Sumi stated in a more nicer way while glancing over her shoulder. She then looked back up ahead. "We'll give you everything you'll need to help stop Tsukasa in due time, but until then, you both have your tasks to keep up."
"I got it, you guys!" Taiju raised a fist in determination. "Loud and clear!"
"Tsukasa's planning on using the miracle fluid to build an army of the young and able bodied. He'll create a brutal world ruled by the strongest, with him at the top of it all. We can't tell just yet if he plans to do anything to have Sumi by his side, so keep an eye out for that as well. In order to bring down his empire, and stop the so called purification, which is really just mass murder...we'll create our own rebel army, using science as our primary weapon!"
"And we'd rather stop him before he manages to accomplish his goal of destroying the older generation statues. Otherwise he'll have even more control over this world like he wants," Sumi spoke up and then looked a bit annoyed. "Although if he really does start wedding planning, you have my consent to destroy anything he's got. I do not need any surprises there, thank you very much. Not to mention it'll really piss him off."
"Eh?" Senku blinked down at her, giving the woman a smirk. "Since when were you so brutal? I thought you were supposed to be the nicer one."
"I learned from you, remember? Just be glad I'm not actually turning into a mini you," She smirked back, holding up a finger. "Cause then that would be a silent cry for help."
"Yeah, no, that won't happen. That'd be weird as hell," Senku let out a chuckle, patting her on the head. "It's more logical if you just stick to being childish, stubborn Sumi." She pouted while moving away his hand.
"Again with that..."
"But how are you gonna pull all of that off, Senku? You and Sumi will be alone!" Yuzuriha pointed out in worry for the two.
"She's right," Taiju sweated a little, since the two didn't know anyone else. "If we're both gone, and Tsukasa's got control of the miracle water...you two can't make gunpowder. Or more revival fluid to wake up some more allies."
"Huh?" Senku came to a stop, turning around to them. "I'll still have my science partner," He gestured to Sumi, who gave a peace sign salute to them. "But even for you, the answer should be obvious. Sumi and I are going to find whoever sent up those smoke signals, and convince them to join our side. I just hope they don't end up running into Tsukasa first. Because that could be a problem. We'll have to assume they haven't, and leave it at that..."
"Even if they were, we could convince them to switch sides. But I've got a good feeling that they haven't. Who knows, Tsukasa might be heading somewhere to start his empire and to start reviving people now that he has the revival fluid recipe," Sumi gave a small smile towards Senku. "We need all the help we're gonna get for this guy."
"Heh. Well, at least I have reassurance even when I don't need it," He told her, patting her on the shoulder.
The two groups stood in front of each other. "So going forward, the two of us will be spies inside the Tsukasa empire. And you and Sumi will be recruiting for the rebel science army," Taiju repeated so that he understood. Sumi walked up and hugged Yuzuriha first with a smile.
"We'll see each other again, guys."
"Yeah, count on it," Yuzuriha told her softly. "I hope my crafting skills rub off on you more."
"Heh! Maybe," Sumi gave a grin and then hugged Taiju. He hugged her back, though just like before, he gave her a death hug. "Ack, why do you keep doing this, Taiju?! My face was already a punching bag before, don't break my bones next!"
"Oops!" He let go sheepishly as she rubbed her back. "Sorry, I forgot." She sighed to catch her breath and then he leaned in. "Hey...good luck with Senku, alright?" She gasped while looking back up at her friends, seeing their encouraging smiles. Senku raised a brow at them as he couldn't hear. "We'll be rooting for you every step of the way!"
"Yeah, we know you'll have the courage to tell him how you feel someday," Yuzuriha added in and she gave them a beaming smile.
"Thanks, you guys," She shed some tears in her eyes from their support, sniffing. She wiped her eyes with the back of her wrist.
"Are you guys done?" Senku called out and she turned around to him. "Time's wasting, Sumi."
"I'm coming!" She replied and ran after him. She then stopped at his side as they walked together. Taiju stared at the both of them. Sumi turned around and waved to them with a grin. The two waved back to her.
"We'll each be fighting our own battles." Taiju turned around, walking in the opposite direction. Yuzuriha gave them one final look before following Taiju.
"Tch, that's the idea. Parting is such sweet sorrow. Better get going before we start to cry." Sumi glanced at Senku, as he tended to not be all mushy and stuff. He only showed that side of him in rare times. She then gave a small smile, knowing that if he was more emotional, he'd definitely be torn to leave his friends.
"You and Senku are pretty casual about the whole thing," Yuzuriha commented and then gave Taiju a small smile. "But I guess boys tend to be kinda stoic, huh?"
"It's true. And Senku is a super logical dude, while Sumi is the more emotional one," He then looked towards the sky. "We won't be seeing each other for a little while. Who knows if it'll be weeks, or a couple of months...or maybe even..." He faltered as he had no idea...when he was gonna see his best friend again. They wouldn't have any way to communicate, or know where they were for the time being. Taiju slowly came to a stop, narrowing his eyes a little. He had to say goodbye to Senku...before it would be a long time. He dropped everything and ran back the way they came. He stopped at a cliff, looking in the distance. Senku and Sumi were getting farther away, as he almost couldn't see them.
"I can't believe you didn't wanna say goodbye," Sumi commented to him and he sighed.
"Can you really?" He simply replied and she looked away knowingly.
"No. So what happens if this person is with Tsukasa? What's the plan then?"
"Heh. We use another weapon made out of science to sway them, obviously! Not to mention with you, you could probably convince them with your social skills. You were pretty popular back in school," He replied in a duh tone.
"Ah!" Her hair stood on end and then she clenched her fists with white eyes. "Oh, so I'm a last ditch effort or something?"
"Don't call it that. Call it your art of persuasion. Worked on me, didn't it?" Senku shrugged a little casually.
"At least you actually fell for it as a kid. And yet you were supposed to have a genius mind back then. Didn't really take much effort, if you ask me," She smirked and he gave her a white-eyed look while pointing down at her.
"That is not how it-!"
"SENKU! SUMIRE!" The two of them stopped teasing as they heard Taiju's voice. "I PROMISE-" He then cut himself off, as he realized that Tsukasa might hear them. And if he did, he'd realize immediately that Senku wasn't dead. Wait! I shouldn't be shouting like this!
The two scientists looked back, seeing Taiju in the distance holding up his fist. The two of them glanced at each other, and then smiled. Senku reached back to his neck with a chuckle. "Just hang in there until our paths cross again, you big oaf. We already had to wait 3700 years to see each other," Sumi held onto the stick while he was tying it. "A few months or even years is no big deal. Time is relative, you know." Both he and Sumi held the flag up in the air, the woman waving her other hand to Taiju. "But no matter how long it takes, we will build our kingdom of science."
"And with our kingdom, we'll beat Tsukasa and then reunite! Don't worry, Taiju. With you guys as our spies, there's nothing we can't do," Sumi spoke up, even though both of them knew that Taiju couldn't hear a single word. But they'd like to believe he was listening.
Tsukasa was in another part of the forest, walking past a tree. It was silent, but then he stopped to look over his shoulder. He could tell that he was being watched...but he couldn't tell on who or why. "57 meters behind me to the right," He spoke up loudly, frowning as he didn't wait for an answer. "Yeah. I know you've been shadowing me for the last two minutes..." His eyes glistened dangerously as he looked behind him. "So tell me who you are."
He waited and then heard a rustle from the forest. Someone wearing sandals made out of stone stepped out. It was the same person who sent out the smoke signals to Senku and his friends. He blinked at her appearance, as she was holding flowers in her hands. Blue eyes, and she's young. Did Taiju, Sumi, and Yuzuriha revive her just now? Or did she come from somewhere else? He thought while examining her; but he would've known just by going to the miracle cave if the three had done so. And reviving someone while they were grieving wouldn't have been the best choice if they were still mourning. So they would have no reason to do so.
The girl came to a stop, and then gave a soft smile. Suddenly, the flowers went away to reveal two blades and a shield. She rushed up to him, and he pulled off his cape. She let out a yell while swinging one of her blades, and he used his spear to block it. "Not too friendly, are you? What's wrong with hello, or I don't know, nice to meet you?" He replied casually to her, but she kept her glare.
"Shut your mouth. You can save that for who you meet in hell," She snarled, moving her blade away from his spear. She screamed as she charged again in multiple blows. Each time, he blocked it with his spear. The girl didn't relent in her attacks, eventually placing her hand on the ground. She flipped in front of him for a kick, but he backed up by a couple of feet. He then slid backwards, looking up at her.
It's impossible...to be this young and this skilled...if she'd been in the martial arts community, I would've heard of her. Who is she?
"I saw everything you did," She growled out, holding her knives close to her. "You took those girls hostage. You sliced at that lady's face! And when that gentleman gave himself up to save them, you just killed him on the spot! I couldn't tell what you were talking, but whatever your story is, don't waste it on me!" She spun her blades so that she was holding the handles, running fast towards him. "Beg forgiveness from the sorcerer gentleman and young lady, until your evil soul fades away!"
She lunged forward with her blade, but he caught it between his fingers. She gasped from this move, and he was just confused by her term. "What sorcerers?"
"Huh!" She scoffed in response. "They just covered you with their magic, and you don't remember? The mysterious black powder that summoned forth the mighty mountain's rage." His eyes widened, even more confused by her terms.
The mighty mountain's rage? Does she mean the explosion? He then realized she couldn't have been revived using the miracle fluid. Because no one from the modern world would use terms like these. "Ahh, so you aren't one of the revived. But maybe the child of someone who was?" He wondered to the girl. "Is that it? Or perhaps…what generation are you?" But she didn't respond at all. She kept her angry glare towards him while he was debating what to do with her. I think she's from a primitive tribe, with no concept of science. I could easily rule over them. Or just kill them if I choose to. There's no reason to attack at this point. Heh. So my immediate goal...is to return to that cave. Taiju and Yuzuriha were taught by Sumi how to make gunpowder. I need to claim that miracle fluid before they do.
He pulled her forward to speak to her. "This is goodbye." He then punched her backwards, and she slid to the ground. He took a stance and then turned around to slide down a tree. It fell as she sat up with a grunt, looking up in shock.
Sumi was walking behind Senku, needing some time alone to think on what was happening. All she could remember right now was him falling to the ground...his eyes dead...the sound of his neck snapping. Tsukasa claiming they needed to throw a funeral. She stared at the back of his neck, as she checked it earlier and he was okay…
Sumi slid down the ledge, frozen once she heard the sound. "SENKU!"
The woman sighed while closing her eyes. Of course she was relieved he was alive. But she hoped that Tsukasa wouldn't be tipped off too easily by Taiju and Yuzuriha's presence. Otherwise, he'd come back and do the same thing all over again...and she couldn't handle that a second time.
"What's on your mind?"
Sumi blinked while looking up at Senku, who had snapped her out of it. He was looking over his shoulder, but hadn't stopped moving. She could see in his eyes that he was thinking about something too. Though she couldn't figure out what he was so focused on or why. Senku continued staring at the woman silently, waiting for an answer. His eyes landed on her scar over her lip.
Tsukasa raised his blade upwards to slice at Sumi's face. She let out a gasp from being hit.
He immediately turned away from her, his eyes in shadow while continuing up ahead. Sumi was confused by that reaction, wondering if something was on her face. "...What's on yours?" She eventually asked him and he came to a stop. She did as well, staring at the back of his head. He clenched a fist as her gasp from what Tsukasa did repeated in his head over and over. Just like how his death kept appearing for Sumi.
"...It's regarding what Tsukasa did to my face...isn't it?" She wondered and his eyes widened from her guessing. The woman let out a sigh at both of them thinking of what happened to each other. And she could still recall Senku's face when her face got sliced. He must've felt so guilty over it...especially since it'll forever be a reminder of how his words caused this. "Look, Sen-"
A loud thud occurred in the distance, along with a dust cloud above the trees. Both of them looked at it in shock, standing there in silence. Immediately that spelled trouble for them, as it could only mean something fell. Both of them ran down the path a few seconds later, panting as they went towards the dust cloud. They came to a stop near a tree, their mouths open at the sight. Tsukasa was nowhere to be found, but there was a woman trapped underneath a large tree.
"Oh my gosh!" Sumi exclaimed in shock, their eyes both widening. The woman noticed the two's presence, her eyes widening at them as well.
"It's you two! The sorcerer gentleman who was protecting that girl! You're alive! And you're the sorcerer young lady who endured that attack!" She exclaimed, but they didn't focus on either what she called them or how she knew them. They both rushed over to the tree.
"You need to stop talking! We'll introduce ourselves later until we're blue in the face!" Senku attempted to use the flag to lift it up, but it was no use. "But now it's a waste of energy!" He looked beneath the tree, and then all around. Sumi bent down to the woman, touching her forehead while looking at the rest of her body covered in tree.
"I can't tell how she is. The tree's too big," Sumi glanced over her shoulder in urgency. She then realized something and lifted up her nose, sniffing the air deeply. The woman then dropped her head after a few seconds. "I don't smell any blood, though. Which means that nothing's burst yet!"
"Do you think you can make it until nightfall?" Senku turned to the woman, who looked at him. She was surprised to see him walking and talking fine when she saw him die. Not to mention, Sumi was able to tell she wasn't bleeding out just by smell. "If you feel like you're dying, we could risk blasting the tree with the gunpowder we have left. But if you hang in there, I'm ten billion percent sure we can save you. It'll just take some time. You're the only one who can make that call. So what's it gonna be?! You gotta tell us right now!"
"Please hurry! It's important that you answer us before something serious happens to you," Sumi clenched a fist. "I can't tell internally if your lungs or heart or veins are gonna pop anytime soon. But we promise no matter what you choose, we won't stop until you're out of there! But you need to explain to us if you're okay, otherwise we'll have to blow off the tree!"
She stared at them, taking in what they said. After a few seconds, she gave a look of determination. "Yeah! My bones and organs are fine! I can hold on!" She eventually answered the two of them. "And I'll hold you to that promise," The woman stared at Sumi.
Senku gave a small grin while Sumi silently sighed in relief, a hand on her chest. She smiled at the woman softly. "Thank goodness. It would've been worse if something happened, I wouldn't have been able to treat you like this. And don't worry, I always keep my-" She froze as she looked at where the tree was cut off. The way it was angled...it was a cut. So someone purposefully cut that tree down to try and kill this woman.
"What is it?" Senku asked her and she blinked, turning back to them. She then waved it off.
"I'll tell you in a bit. Right now, we need to save her. And I think you know exactly what we'll need," She held up a finger. The woman underneath the tree blinked at how well they worked together. It was like the two were completely in sync. Senku smirked in realization at her.
The sun started to set as Senku was hacking away at the fallen tree with his axe. Sumi wiped off her forehead from the sun as she looked between the tree and the woman. She rubbed her chin in thought, taking out a cold cloth. She then placed it over the woman's head.
"I'd say the fallen tree weighs roughly one ton," Senku spoke up to her and Sumi stood up.
"Unfortunately, brute strength isn't gonna do squat. And we don't wanna potentially harm her by pushing or pulling it, which would take hours anyway," The black-haired scientist stated, walking over to Senku.
"To move it to the side should take half that, so 500 kilograms. My weight of 60 kilograms multiplied by 2 to the third power should get us to 500," Senku poured in the gunpowder to a part of a log they cut up carved into a circle with a smaller one in the middle.
"I'm 65 kilograms, so multiplying that to 2 of the third power would put us over 500, but that shouldn't affect us too much," Sumi pulled at some vines to break them off.
"Three of these will do the trick," Senku continued as a small explosion occurred from his log. "Bamboo's barely strong enough, we'll pack 'em with dirt to fortify them."
"Usually, bamboo has a density of 40 pounds per cubic foot. Each bamboo here though is roughly 2 pounds, so packing them with enough dirt should triple their weight. And they should last long enough," Sumi stated as they put the bamboo through the center of the chopped logs. Together, they twisted the fibers of the vines to make a long rope.
"Heh heh. A little soap will come in handy yet again," The two rubbed soap onto the vines. "This is an all-star team of Professor Senku's and his partner Sumi's greatest inventions, working together." Sumi gave him a small smile from what he said. The two tossed the soaped rope over a branch, pulling it back and forth. Eventually, everything was set up, and the two were currently climbing a tree. Together, they had created a pulley with three logs acting as gears, and the end of it was tied to the tree the woman was under.
"What in the world are you doing?" The woman asked them, her eyes curious on the device that was being used. Sumi blinked as she glanced back at her. Judging by that question, she had never seen anything like this before. Which meant that they probably didn't have science where she was from.
"This is called science," Senku answered breathlessly as they worked hard for hours. There was a sparkle in his eyes. "This particular device was invented by Old Man Archimedes a few hundred years BC. And it can make two skinny high-school nerd like us as strong as Hercules!"
"The compound pulley!" The two exclaimed as they gripped the rope, jumping off the branch they were standing on. With their weight combined, the rope snapped into place and all the pieces worked together. The three logs spun around as they lifted up, getting the tree off the woman slowly. She looked up in awe as she felt the heavy weight lift off her. Senku tied the rope to the tree to secure the pulley, to give the woman enough time to escape. Sumi sighed in relief, using her wrist to wipe off her forehead again. She turned to the blonde woman, sitting next to her. She then bent down a little to look underneath the tree.
"Everything seems normal. I might have to examine you more, but let me know if you feel pain at anytime," Sumi smiled softly while holding out her hand. "Now let's get you out of there, huh?"
"Amazing," The woman stated, not responding to what Sumi said. The black-haired woman blinked while recoiling back her hand, confused by what she meant. Senku glanced back at them, curious as well. "And I'm not talking about the wisdom of Archi-whatever. What I mean...is how you two kept going through every single step until you solved the problem. And how you seem to understand each other with no words, thinking on the same exact page. Your perseverance is amazing."
Sumi and Senku stared at each other, a bit shocked by her words. Their partnership was never analyzed like this before...neither their science work either. Usually people were in disbelief, especially in Sumi's case since she was well-liked in school. And her looks didn't automatically scream science either to other people, they just thought she had average intelligence. They then turned to her silently.
"Guess it's time to introduce myself," The woman spoke up softly. "My name is Kohaku. And honestly, I believe I've taken quite a liking to you." She then giggled, Sumi recoiling back in disbelief from her confession.
Did she say...what I think she just said?