"So this hair-looking stuff's gonna turn into silver? That's bad!" Chrome commented with wide eyes, holding up silver hair in his hand. "I was almost positive they were some kind of roots!" Suika looked on in awe, Sumi chuckling a bit at her. Meanwhile, in the arena, Kohaku was training the brothers again for the Grand Bout. Kinro sparred with her while Ginro glanced to the side, losing his attention on the sparring. He gave a wide smirk towards the four on the science team.
"So cool! They're gonna make my silver spear with that, huh? Wow! Science is actually super weird, isn't it?" He then turned to Kohaku and Kinro clashing weapons. "That reminds me..." He spoke up to them, and they both stopped to look at him. "Kinro, don't you have an awesome golden spear?" And by golden spear, he meant the regular spear laying near a tree. "Oh, whoops! I remember now! You don't have one!" Kinro gave him a death glare over his shoulder. "I kinda can't believe we're only gonna have the silver one and not the gold!"
"Ginro," Kohaku started off in a warning tone. "You need to move your arms, not your mouth!" She swung her foot to kick him into a tree, knocking him out.
"He was kinda asking for it a little..." Sumi sweated a little after seeing this.
"So I meant to ask you," Chrome spoke up to her and Senku. "Why are we only making a silver spear?"
"Easy. Because it's essential to our quest to acquire the most dangerous material," He held up the new spear.
"It'll make sense soon, trust me," Sumi stated to the confused Chrome and Suika. They then gave the spear to Ginro, who was in awe as he could see his reflection in it. Hearts were in his eyes as he held it, tears flowing.
"So shiny! So awesome! Thank you, Senku and Sumi!" He danced around happily, Suika jumping up and down. "I love my silver spear!" Kinro turned away with a huff so that he didn't have to look. Sumi walked up to him, placing a hand on his back gently.
"Don't worry," She gave him a gentle smile. "One day, we'll make another golden spear. But we need the silver one more, okay?" He blinked, glancing at her walking back to the others with a hum. Senku gave her a blank look, a bit irritated...just like how he felt when seeing Tsukasa interact with her, actually.
"Heh, heh, heh...you don't have to flap your gums one millimeter to thank me," Senku stated to Ginro as Sumi bent down. Both of them started to pack some glass containers into two bags. Once they were done, both of them stood up, Sumi putting on the bag. "The fact is, we didn't make that for you."
"Well, yes and no," Sumi rubbed her neck awkwardly. "Before we let you keep it, there's something we'll need it for first."
"Come on, we need to get moving," Senku looked over his shoulder. "Ginro, your job today is to be the team's bodyguard." Once he said that, he thought of himself carrying Kohaku and Sumi in his arms, and having more muscles. He also had his silver spear.
"Wow!" Ginro gasped at the sudden designated title.
"I'm Ginro the bodyguard! I'm guarding the bodies!" He chanted as they were making their way down a path. "You're not gonna get past me! I'm Ginro the bodyguard!" He was leading the way as Kohaku, Chrome, Sumi, and Senku were behind him. They started passing craters filled with warm water.
"Wait a sec," The blonde recognized them as they walked. "I come here all the time to get water from these hot springs."
"Yeah, what's the deal?" Chrome wondered to Senku and Sumi. "I thought this was supposed to be a mega dangerous mission?"
"It gets dangerous up ahead," Senku informed them, Sumi nodding in agreement.
"We don't sugarcoat when it comes to science...usually," She gave her science partner a knowing look. Sometimes he could hide the truth a little when it came to his intentions in making new things. Ginro was still chanting as he spun his spear.
"Ginro! Quit messing around and hold your spear steady and pointing forward!"
"Huh?" Ginro turned around in confusion as he stopped. Sumi sighed a little as she and Senku stepped forward.
"These are really crucial instructions, okay?" She asked him as gentle as possible. Senku grabbed the spear and pointed it forward.
"This silver spear acts as a sensor," The green-haired scientist explained in a serious tone. "That's the whole reason Sumi and I made it in the first place. Pay close attention to the tip of it. It's very important. You'll need to notice if that silver spear begins to turn black."
"Don't take your eyes off of it," Sumi closed her eyes, for once not sounding her usual cheery or optimistic self. "This thing will turn black, and you will notice it. So when you see that, you need to stop us or call out that it did immediately."
"Turns black? What do you guys mean?" Ginro wondered while looking at the end. He then turned back to the two scientists, as Senku had a dark look on his face.
"If that happens, you'll be dead in seconds. We're not joking."
"And yes, this is why you can't use the spear yet for...whatever the reason was," Sumi had the same expression as him. Ginro looked terrified at the two of them.
"That turns black, you need to get away in point one seconds like she said! That's the signal for all of us to start running," Senku explained, Chrome and Kohaku a little put off as well. "The thing you're guarding us from...will kill us if we make just one mistake! It's the greatest hurdle in making sulfa drugs. We could die very easily."
Sumi closed her eyes again with a heavy sigh. "And I wish it were a joke, but this is the real deal. Without this thing, we won't get anywhere to cure Ruri. So the next few hours are life or death if we're not extremely careful," She opened her eyes, and the three could tell from her face that neither of them were lying.
The lighter mood from earlier had all but disappeared after they listened to this. Ginro swallowed the lump in his throat as he could understand how important this was. He then silently nodded at the two.
They continued to walk to their destination, and as they did, the more apparent it was to the three that something dangerous was up ahead. They took a small break to examine the river they were following. Senku, Sumi, and Chrome were kneeling to the ground to look in the water.
"It looks to me like there isn't a single fish in this river," He pointed out to them.
"You're right," Senku confirmed as Kohaku was standing nearby. "Nothing but green chatsubomi-goke moss. This is it for sure," He then stood up. "Our goal is just upstream from here."
"So it's coming up?" Kohaku turned around to look in that direction. "That great hurdle you and Sumi mentioned before."
"Yeah..." Sumi sighed a little while holding the strap from her bag. "I can't say I'm looking forward to it, but we need what's up ahead."
"Everything's okay," A nervous Ginro spoke up, and they turned around to see him behind the group. He was moving as carefully as possible while holding the spear. "It's still okay. It's all still okay. It's still silver, not black. Still okay. Still okay. Looking good." A bird flew by to poop on his head. "Still okay!"
"HEY!" Senku shouted at him and he whimpered. "What the hell, man? You're holding the sensor, so you need to be in front of us!"
"Alright, alright," Sumi waved a hand to calm him down, facing Ginro. "Ginro, what's wrong? Why are you in the back?"
"Because you two told me that I was gonna die! So I'm terrified!" He cried out to them.
"You wimp," Kohaku deadpanned while crossing her arms.
"Everyone's allowed to be afraid, Kohaku," Sumi gave a small smile. "Even if it's not apparent to others."
"Then switch places with me. And hand over the silver spear," Kohaku held out her hand to Ginro.
"Not a chance!" He denied, holding it away from her. "I'll do it! I can be brave too!" He then turned around towards the trees. "Still okay. We're still okay!" He led them at the same pace he was going and Kohaku just sighed at him.
A bit later, they were walking up some rocks, Ginro a little bit farther ahead. "Uh, still looking okay, I think. It's okay. It's still okay. It's still okay," He then stopped as his eyes widened at the sight in front of him. "You guys, you might wanna check this out." Senku was in the far back, being led by Sumi as his eyes were white from exhaustion. Chrome stopped next to him, gasping a little once he saw it as well.
"Well Senku, Sumi, we're here..."
Senku sighed heavily while struggling to stand, feeling like his energy was drained. Sumi placed his arm around her shoulders to help him get up. "What did I tell you? We finally arrived at the source of our most killer component for the drug."
"I don't really understand what it is we're supposed to be gathering here..." Kohaku spoke up as her eyes were glimmering. "But it does look like a place where you'd find something important." What they were looking at was a shimmering lake in the middle of a crater sitting on top of the mountain. "It's absolutely beautiful. Divine. An entire spring of emerald green."
Chrome and Ginro were in awe as well looking at it. Sumi frowned as there was a smell in the air that she didn't like...and she had a feeling why. Senku glanced up at her, realizing that her sense of smell might not react well. He then held an arm in front of her. "Sumi, I need you to stand behind me while we're here."
"Uh?" She looked down at him silently. "Why?"
"Because I don't want you to catch a whiff and die around here," He answered simply and she nodded in understanding. Ginro's eyes shined even more as in the distance was a beautiful woman emerging above the lake. He was mesmerized by her and started stepping forward, a dazed look in his eyes. It was like he was hypnotized, but the others didn't see it as they were unpacking. Senku and Sumi still looked uneasy as Chrome put down the bag of glass jars. He turned to his friends as they looked up ahead. Sumi was still standing behind Senku.
"Is something wrong, Senku, Sumi? Is this not it or what?" He asked the two out of curiosity.
"No, this is definitely it," Senku had his hands on his hips. "There's no doubt. This green water is exactly what we're after, but the geography bugs me."
"I don't know the geography of every single area...but this place in particular just creeps me out a little," Sumi confessed, getting their attention. "Think about it, when's the first time you've seen a lake just like this one?"
Neither of them answered as they didn't have one. Because she had a point. "The poison gasses that form here, hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide, are heavier than air. They settle in low spots like this one," Senku continued explaining as they continued staring.
"I get it now!" Chrome exclaimed to them in realization. "That's what the silver spear is supposed to warn us about."
"Yeah, silver reacts with hydrogen sulfide. It blackens immediately," Senku told him.
"These two gasses can play important roles in vascular diseases, but hydrogen sulfide is highly toxic, especially at low concentrations like we're looking at. And sulfur dioxide can cause damage on the lungs," Sumi closed her eyes.
Chrome gasped from what the black-haired scientist said. "Wait, you said they're dangerous? Should we even be here?"
"Huh?" She blinked and then waved her hands nervously. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to freak you out, Chrome. But don't worry, we're not face deep into the stuff, so we should be fine. Sulfur dioxide is actually used in medicine. Hydrogen sulfide is used as a chemical reagent. But part of using these gases is to modify the two so that they're safe for use."
Senku nodded in agreement with a small smile. "Exactly. But with Sumi's strong sense of smell compared to everyone else, this stuff could be potentially fatal if she breathes in it for too long."
"That's right, you can smell anything from a mile away," Chrome blinked at the woman. "Can you smell the gas? Are you gonna pass out on us?!"
"No," She chuckled in amusement with a small smile. "I'm fine, Sen's helping a lot right now, actually-" She gasped sharply as she could smell all but one of her friends. Chrome and Senku turned to her immediately.
"Do you need to get out of the way?" Senku asked her immediately and she shook her head.
"No...that's not it. Where's Ginro? He's not near us!" She stated in worry and they turned around to see him getting closer to the lake. His eyes were still in a trance as he saw the woman beckoning him over. She giggled and he stared at her, unable to look away. As he got closer, the tip of the spear started to blacken.
Senku's eyes widened in a panic. "GET AWAY, GINRO!" He shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Ginro, it's dangerous!" Sumi screamed as the birds flew away. He didn't listen and the whole spear turned black. He kept moving, and would've fell into the lake if it wasn't for Kohaku and Sumi. She had a bandage tied around her nose. The two jumped out of the way while grabbing his shirt, pulling him away to safety. The three birds from before flew in, and inhaled the poisonous air. All three fell into the water, killing them. All of them gasped sharply at this, Sumi covering her mouth in horror. Then the mysterious woman growled, grabbing Ginro as she now looked scarier.
"How did you know when to stop? If you had taken one more step, we could've been together forever!" She cried out, and Ginro screamed as her face started to melt. He screamed and flailed around in fear.
"Get away from me!" He shouted while the girls tried to ease him.
"Calm down, Ginro! It's okay, you're safe. There's no one there," Kohaku attempted to reassure him.
"No, but he thinks there is...because of that," Sumi glanced over her shoulder as a crow's body slowly melted into the lake. All of them watched in horror.
"Whoa. That bird just melted!" Kohaku murmured as Sumi closed her eyes, standing up.
"Alright...what's going on with the water here?" Chrome demanded the other two scientists to explain.
"It's got something that was discovered by an alchemist way back in the 8th century," Senku started off to them. "But during mine and Sumi's time, it served as the foundation for a wide variety of chemical industries..." The woman from before had her wings melted, and her face was reduced to that of her body without skin. Some of her clothes and skin were peeling off as well. "Sulfuric acid."
"When I said that sulfur dioxide is used a lot in medicine, that's what I meant," Sumi clarified with a heavy sigh. "And it's not stuff that we can take lightly, either. Sure, it can be used for good things like paper or food preservatives. But dealing with the natural stuff is different in this world than in modern time..."
"And we can't make the medicine for Ruri without this dangerous stuff?" Chrome questioned once they were back at the Kingdom of Science. Ginro was shaking while looking at his blackened spear, hugging his knees.
"Not only that, we're gonna need it for all types of chemistry. It's essential for further advancement," Senku replied a bit grimly.
"If we don't have it...we won't be able to cure Ruri. And then it'll get worse for her," Sumi had her arms crossed, a bit forlorn. "I'm sorry. But this is something we have to tackle..."
Kohaku frowned, as she didn't want to give up on her sister, even if it was dangerous. "Well then, we'll have to brute force our way through to gather some," She put the bag of glass jars over her shoulder, with no fear on her face. "I'm not afraid to risk my life if it'll save my sister's. I should be fast enough to-"
Senku interrupted her by placing a hand on her shoulder. Sumi did the same from the opposite side, Kohaku looking at them in confusion. She frowned deeply at her blonde friend. "Kohaku...we should really tell you this...so that you know what we're dealing with here," She spoke up quietly.
Senku wasn't even looking at them as his head was facing the ground. "Here's a story back from our day. There was a research group that went to an area of sulfuric acid like that one." A group of explorers were scaling a mountain. "A man knelt down for a moment, probably just tying his shoes." The man suddenly froze while doing so, getting the attention of the others.
"Professor? Is something the matter?" He didn't move at all, concerning them.
"Poor guy was dead," Senku continued with a dark look in his eyes. "He'd knelt right into an invisible cloud of hydrogen sulfide. It sounds crazy, but it's true." Suika was shaking in fear and Sumi walked up to the girl, holding her shoulders calmly from behind. "Humans don't stand a chance when Mother Nature wants us dead. You can be ridiculously fast, but it won't make a difference."
"The stuff can smell like rotten eggs. But even then, immediate exposure can cause instant death. You won't even feel anything because it only takes one second of breathing in hydrogen sulfide before the effects take place," Sumi let out a heavy sigh. "That's why we can't just run in and take it. If we do, we'll all die."
"So what in the hell are we supposed to do, you guys?" Kohaku asked in frustration to them. "I have to save Ruri no matter what!"
"Who said we were giving up?" Sumi looked up with a small smile.
Senku gave his signature smirk. "There's still a way for us to do this. We know just the thing. We'll make gas masks!"
Kaseki started putting paint on something. "The only way to fight a chemical enemy is by using some chemistry of our own," Senku soon held a gas mask in his hand. "Heh heh heh...now there's no telling how effective this is gonna be. And with this experiment, we can't simply rely on trial and error. Because error equals death."
"I know they'll work," Sumi spoke up to him, getting his attention. "Kaseki worked hard on it, and he's never failed us before. You haven't either. I have ten billion percent faith in science, and in everyone."
He stared at her and then smirked a little. Senku placed a warm hand on top of her head, running his fingers through the top of her hair. She gasped a little, blushing as he had never done that before, her heart thumping. "Usually I'd just shrug that off, but coming from you...changes everything. So I'll keep my faith in you too."
She closed her eyes with a small smile from his words. "Don't stress, Sen. I already know you do."
Senku then froze a little while looking at her. Her eyes that reminded him of what was out there in space, her attempts to make everyone happy, and her unwavering loyalty...made him want to map out each and every aspect of her like the stars. His eyes shook as something stirred in his heart, thinking of moments just like this. Like when he saw her in the cherry blossoms, them creating electricity, and even when Kaseki thought they were lovers. All of it...combined together. This...this couldn't be what he thought it was...was it? Emotions weren't logical in science...and yet Sumi...was starting to prove that this wasn't the case. Her emotions never changed what she had done with him for years, and she was the opposite of him: all emotion and sometimes unreasonable depending on the situation.
What do I do? Do I tell her? No, she wouldn't understand if I asked her. And this isn't...this isn't the start of a romantic entanglement. I need to get more data before I can decide what to do. But these...feelings I have...I need to understand them, understand how it is for her.
"Sen?" Her voice brought him out of it and he blinked at the woman. "You got quiet. Is something wrong?"
Senku blinked a few more times and then patted her on the head with a small chuckle. "Everything's fine. Just...stuck on something. Don't worry about it."
She blinked in confusion, wondering what was on his mind for him to be so silent. But she'd respect his boundaries about it. Knowing him, he'd eventually speak up again about it in the future and she learned to be patient with him, most of the time.
"Alright, we gotta make my mask next," Chrome smiled while looking at the instructions of how to make one.
"And mine," Sumi smiled, a hand on her hip and pumping a fist. "We can fight against this sulfuric acid together!"
"Hell yeah!" Chrome grinned up at her for her willingness to help.
"You won't be needing one of these," Senku interjected firmly, breaking the positive atmosphere. "You either, Sumi."
Both of them glanced at each other after hearing this, confused by what he said.
That night, they were gathered at the back of the lab. Sumi wasn't training with Kohaku tonight, because they needed to talk to Senku on what he was doing. "Sorry, you two, but you won't be going on this mission anymore," His back was facing them. "You'll both be staying here."
"What?! Why?" Sumi questioned with a deep frown.
"What?!" Chrome demanded as well. "Where's this coming from-"
"Just shut up and listen to me!" Senku interrupted while turning around, his eyes narrowed. "There's no guarantee these things will work," He looked back down at the gas mask. "And if all our scientists bite the big one, then who's gonna be left to save Ruri?"
They stared at him before realizing that he wasn't wrong. Chrome and Sumi looked towards the ground, frowning. And Senku didn't want to do this, knowing that they just wanted to contribute, but...this was absolutely necessary.
"Every human dies eventually," He tried to get them to see his side. "But their knowledge can go on living. It can even be passed down for millions of years. I hope you're ready, Chrome. Because I'm gonna pass down all the science I know down to you. All 2 million years of it," He then turned to Sumi, and she gasped as he had a determined look on his face. "As for you, Sumire...you'll be becoming Chrome's science partner...helping him like you did me for all these years. Even when we were petrified and separated for three months...I knew that you were doing all you can to contribute to the Kingdom of Science. So keep that up with Chrome."
She stared at him with glistened eyes, tears falling down from them. She slowly held up a hand to her face as she didn't know she was crying until now. Senku didn't say anything, closing his eyes so he didn't have to look. It wasn't to her level, but...he did feel a pang in his chest having to tell her this.
Chrome's eyes were widened in shock, and then he waved his hand, feeling a bit overwhelmed. "Whoa! Wait, wait, wait! Hang on, would ya? It's too soon! Quit talking like I'm replacing you or something! That's just asking for trouble!"
"Heh," Senku shrugged a little. "Well, isn't that sweet? You really care about me. What are you, my girlfriend?" Sumi didn't even react to that as she had a black shadow over her eyes. "Dying doesn't interest me one millimeter, so calm down," He then turned serious while continuing. "But if we don't want Ruri to die, we gotta go through that cloud of poison gas, and get us some sulfuric acid! Now if all of us end up kicking the bucket together, then in a flash...all knowledge of science will disappear from the face of the Earth."
Sumi clutched the fabric at her heart as she understood what he was saying...but that didn't mean she agreed with it. He wasn't doing this for the heroics...but because he thought it was the most logical thing to do. But that would mean losing Senku...the person she had feelings for thousands of years now.
"...No..." She finally spoke up quietly, getting his attention. Her eyes were shaking as she didn't want to accept the fact that he could die...not again. "No, I don't want to do this...!" She squeezed her eyes shut and he stared at her with a small frown.
"So you want us to stay behind...cause you might die," Chrome spoke up, scowling.
"Yeah," Senku turned away from them. "But first I gotta fill your head with science. And you two will need to learn how to work together just like Sumi and I operate."
She gasped sharply from what he said, biting her lip. Chrome clenched a fist angrily. Chrome could act like him, sound like him, and have his intelligence...but he wouldn't be Senku. And to suggest that she shared with Chrome what she had with him was wrong. Chrome stepped up a little.
"If that's the case, we're not gonna listen to you!" He shouted, shocking the green-haired scientist. None of them noticed that Kohaku was watching right above the tree.
"Chrome's right! There's no way I'm doing that! That's just even more of a reason to go," Sumi stepped up with a sad look in her eyes. "Chrome being my science partner? No offense to him, but I'm not allowing that if it means I have to sacrifice your own life."
"Stop acting like little kids," Senku sounded a bit frustrated that both of them weren't on his side. "Don't get all fussy cause you gotta stay home-"
"You're missing the point!" Chrome cut Senku off this time. "We won't be helping you with your crappy plan! Especially not if that means that it's just okay for our friend to die!" Senku didn't say anything as the brunet continued on. "Sorry to disappoint you, Senku. But we're not taking your knowledge. Sumi's not gonna be my science partner either. So if you happen to croak out there, it's just gonna be game over for science!" He punched the tree that Senku was standing in front of him, challenging Senku with his eyes. "You're coming back alive! There's a ten billion percent chance! You have to, Senku!"
"...Are you really going to just have me sit here while you go off on your own to die? After all those years with you...how can you just give me to Chrome?" Sumi murmured forlornly, as she thought he trusted her. And yet he was asking her to stay behind, and it felt...it felt hurtful a little. And this was after all of his insistence that they were both equals, only for her to treat her like this. Senku stared at her silently, clenching a fist. He didn't want this to be so hard for either of them.
"...Damn it," Senku gritted his teeth while looking away."Look, Sumi, it's nothing personal. I just..." He looked towards the scar over her mouth. Tsukasa sliced at Sumi's lips with his spear, and she let out a sharp gasp while falling backwards. The sharp gasp repeated three more times. He squeezed his eyes shut. "It's nothing."
However, Chrome could tell exactly what he was thinking about. "...It's because of what he did, right? He's the one who hurt Sumi…isn't he?" He had a shadow over his eyes as Senku gritted his teeth a little in defense.
"Huh?" Sumi glanced at Chrome briefly, blinking as that didn't cross her mind until now. "You mean Tsukasa?" She murmured, turning back to Senku with a small frown. "Is that what this is about?"
"No," He turned away again immediately. And then it all made sense to her. Tsukasa stood behind Senku, raising up his spear and severing his cervical nerve. Sumi cried over his chest in the rain, unable to stop as his eyes didn't move.
An old woman in a hospital bed had her eyes closed. A younger Sumi was crying her eyes out as the beeping from the IV machine echoed in her ears. She grasped the woman's hand to wake her up...but the woman wasn't moving, a peaceful smile stuck on her face as she had just died.
Then it was tense between the three, even more than it was earlier. She stared at Senku's shaking eyes and frowned at him. She knew how it felt...to have to watch someone they cherished get hurt, having seen it twice. And a third one...she wouldn't be able to handle it. Senku...Senku was very important to her, so seeing him mull over her injury made her want to hug him.
"...Senku, I understand how much you felt having to watch that," She spoke up finally after the prolonged silence. "But-"
"No, you don't understand, Sumire!" He snapped at her a little, shocking both her and Chrome. "People need you here. How would you survive if you're the one to go?" He turned around so that his back faced them. "You have experience in medicine...Ruri needs your skill set, and we need your fighting against Magma. It wouldn't be logical if you go and die on us." To him, she could never know the extent of pain he felt when she got hurt. If Tsukasa hadn't aimed for her face, she might've died. And if he hadn't made the wrong move, she could've escaped Tsukasa unscathed.
"...But I need you."
His eyes widened at her words, whipping around to her immediately. His eyes were shaking and she gasped as she realized what she said when their eyes met. "I-I didn't..." She looked towards the ground, blushing a little. "I mean, I-"
"Yeah..." Senku interrupted softly while looking at her. "Yeah, I understand."
"But the plan doesn't make sense anyway," Chrome finally spoke up to interrupt the moment. "Why's the guy who knows everything about science the one risking his life with that poison gas?" He stepped away from the two. "Send me or somebody else!" Sumi nodded in agreement with him, frowning as he turned back to Senku. "After all, I thought you always went with what's the most logical. Well, making us stay back here isn't logical at all! Are you just trying to protect us? Like we're your kids or something?" He then stared down Senku, his eyes blazing. "Don't you dare patronize us, asshole."
Sumi flinched from his words, gripping her necklace tight and not saying anything. Senku scoffed while crossing his arms, frowning. "I'm not patronizing anyone, idiot. Also, I'm being completely logical. I know everything about how the gas mask works and about the materials we're going to get. So our odds of success are best if I handle this. End of story."
"You don't get it!" Sumi stomped her foot a little, Senku staring at her in surprise to see her crying a little. "You never have! You said you're being logical, but you're doing it because you care, Tsukasa said it himself. And that's not a bad thing, at all. But in no shape or form is that the only option and you know it!"
"You wanna increase our odds? That's not how you do it!" Chrome yelled at Senku, who was still standing there. To Sumi, it was stubbornness, and it was annoying as hell. "We'll have a better chance for success if you, Sumi, and I tag team to save each other if we run into trouble! Am I wrong?"
Senku stared at them in shock, as once again, he was speechless by them. He then gave his usual smirk. "Heh heh heh. If we run into trouble, we'll be dead from the poison gas. It'll be too late to save each other."
"Well, I mean something like 'Shit! I'm getting a killer leg cramp' type situation. Not the worse case scenario!" Chrome quickly explained and Senku placed his hands on his hips. He wasn't winning this argument.
"Exactly, because we're not letting you die...not again," Sumi's eyes softened at him.
"Guess you two do have a point. It might be by a microscopic percent, but it would raise my chance at survival..." He glanced up at Sumi, his eyes telling her that he wasn't going to stress her out by dying again.
Chrome looked towards the ground, his fists clenched. "...Taiju and Yuzuriha, your friends...they're spies in the Tsukasa Empire, right?" Both Sumi and Senku remembered the last time they saw them. "They're putting everything on the line, you know? Your lives are in each other's hands. If we're your friends, it means I'm not higher or lower than you! So I don't need you to protect us!"
Sumi nodded sharply in agreement. "You always tell me that you and I are equals, that we're on the same level. Don't forget that, Senku. Because I haven't. If it were up to me, I wouldn't even hesitate on bringing you. Or replace you with anyone! Because it's you and me or no one at all!" She squeezed her eyes shut while shouting.
Senku stared at Chrome's fist reaching out to him. Sumi had her hand reached out. "We've got your back, and you've got ours, right?" Senku's face wasn't something they could tell what was on his mind. He then let out a tsk, smirking at the two.
"Man, this means more work for us, cause now we gotta make another gas mask. I hope you're happy," He pushed away Chrome's fist, walking past them. "Okay, I've got your back, Chrome. Your life's in my hands."
"That's right! And your life's in my hands!" Chrome responded in determination. Sumi blinked at the two, watching Senku leave. He then paused and looked over his shoulder.
"Sumi still stays here, though. And that's final."
"What?" She asked him in alarm while staring at him. "Senku-"
"I'm not arguing with you over this. Not this time," He told her sharply while walking away, and she looked at him, frowning deeply. Chrome blinked at him in shock for his decision, Sumi looking towards the ground.
"Sumi...are you okay?" He asked her in worry and she sighed, not answering the question. She then silently walked off away from him. "Huh? Wait, where are you going? Aren't you gonna go to sleep? At least talk to Senku!"
"No," She responded in defense quickly as she headed for the arena. He let out a light gasp from her answer, unable to say anything. He couldn't imagine how she must feel to still be turned away from someone she trusted...and he could understand Senku's stance, but he didn't like what it meant for Sumi.
Kohaku looked up towards the stars, as the whole situation reminded her of an instance with Ruri... "Kohaku, now that Mother's no longer with us, we need to have a crucial talk." Kokuyo was sitting in his chair, Kohaku standing across from him. Ruri was sitting nearby. "The priestess' most important duty. Do you know what that is? The Hundred Tales. The knowledge contained within these stories must be passed down from generation to generation. Our way of life would not survive without them..." Kohaku silently blinked at the situation.
"Understand, Kohaku," She turned to her father speaking up. Ruri's days on this Earth are dwindling rapidly." She gasped from what he was telling her, her heart sinking. "We cannot afford to let the Hundred Tales to be lost forever. You're in perfect health. When Ruri dies, you must take her place."
"I refuse to accept that!" She yelled at him angrily. "I won't be taking over anything."
"Wha...?!" He looked at her in utter shock. "I have no intention of being a part of this. Not if that means that afterwards, it's okay for my sister to die!" She turned around and ran off in anger.
"Where are you going, Kohaku?!" He called out after her.
She grabbed a pot of spring water, running back to the village. "If I'm in a position to take over the role of priestess, Ruri will have no reason to keep living," She hauled the pot over her shoulder while running. "I know what to do! I'll just have to make Father hate me," Tears were in her eyes as...it was a risk. But she had to do everything she could to prevent this. "I'll be the wild daughter. Someone utterly unfit to become the priestess. But I won't stop carrying this healing water. Even if I have to do it thousands of times. If that's what it's gonna take to cure Ruri...I'll do it!"
She looked up towards the night sky. Ever since then, she never missed a day of carrying over the water for Ruri. Because she never wanted to take over for her sister...and forget her. "You know," She spoke up, and Chrome gave a sound of shock from her revealing her presence. "You and I are more like than you think." He glanced up at her silently. "And to be honest, if my sister were to marry a man like you...it would make everyone in the village really happy."
A younger Chrome held out some plants to a younger Ruri in the flower field. "But unfortunately, you weren't blessed with the ability to fight. Heh. I suppose the gods aren't very considerate, huh? But even then...all hope isn't all lost," She looked towards Sumi training in front of a target. "Look at Sumi. She's willing to fight for everyone, not just Ruri. I just wish Senku could see that...it'd help them out if he did."
Chrome gave a small sad smile for his situation and the one his friends were going through. "If everything goes according to our plan, Ruri will be marrying either Kinro or Ginro. So how about this?" She gave him a gentle smile. "She and I do look alike. Would you like me to be your wife as consolation?"
He chuckled a bit while turning away, hands on his hips. He appreciated the gesture, but...she wasn't Ruri. He didn't spend all those days in the flower field with Kohaku, after all. Ruri...was the one he wanted. "You're nothing like her. Ruri's a lady, but you are a gorilla." She giggled and then kicked him in the head repeatedly. He had at least six bumps on his head, but he was smiling. "Like I said, a gorilla. What was that about, anyway? Got a crush on me or something?"
"Not a chance," She denied to her friend.
"Heh. Yeah, that's what I thought. So don't say crazy stuff like that."
Morning hit, and everyone was gathered around the iron furnace except for Sumi, Kinro, and Ginro. The latter two was understandable since they had their guard duties, but Sumi...was an uneasy thing ever since last night with Senku. "This is a lot like when we made Edison's light bulb," Senku told them, holding up a large piece of glass towards the furnace. "First, we steam roast some bamboo."
Chrome watched in amazement. "Whoa, you can really use glass to start a fire?"
"Add potassium carbonate, extract it from ash," Senku poured it into a pot of charcoal. "We also used this in our ramen making." He paused as it reminded him of Sumi, as he hadn't seen or spoken to her since their previous conversation. They all stared at him in confusion, but he shook it off. He could worry about it later.
Kaseki and Kohaku mixed the two together, using a mortar and pestle to turn it into a powder. Senku then poured it into some bamboo. "This black power is activated charcoal mixed with potassium carbonate. It'll trap the poison gas and neutralize it."
And soon, another gas mask was made for Chrome. "Now we have our own chemical barrier to keep out poison gas!"
Acquired gas mask!
Now that the two had what they needed, they were now ready to obtain sulfuric acid. "Time for us scientists to return for a tag team rematch!" Chrome pumped a fist.
"Heh heh, we're gonna get over the greatest hurdle together. We'll come home victorious, carrying jars of sulfuric acid!" Senku was smirking behind his gas mask.
The two were about to leave when they both froze...because Sumi was leaning against a tree up ahead, her arms behind her back. She had a deep frown on her face, and her eyes were closed. "Sumi!" Chrome removed his mask in shock. "How are you feeling? I haven't seen you since last night."
She opened her eyes, revealing they were red as she stared at Senku, and not answering the question. Her wind blew in her hair as it was an uneasy silence. And by the look of her face, she hadn't slept at all. Chrome's eyes widened from her face, as it was unreadable.
"I'm not changing my mind if that's what you're here for," Senku told her plain and simple, breaking the silence.
"Geez, so brutal!" Chrome shouted at him. "Why?"
"Chrome..." Kohaku leaned over and whispered in his ear. "This is Sumi we're talking about. Isn't it obvious? He doesn't want her to go since he already had to see her get hurt."
"No..." Sumi finally spoke up with a sigh. "No, I'm not here for that. I just...wanted to see you off," She rubbed her arm, fully turning to Chrome. "Chrome, please do your best to care of him. For me?" She looked at him with pleading eyes.
"Yeah, you got it," Chrome assured her with a nod. "I'll keep him safe for you."
Sumi reached out to her hair, removing her ribbon. The two stared at her in confusion before she stepped up. She gripped it tightly while stopping in front of Senku. She then reached out to behind his neck, tying it around him like a scarf. Senku blinked at her as she had a shadow over her eyes. "I want you to hold onto this. So that it'll be your promise to come back."
Senku sighed at her, about to take it off. "Come on, Sumi, I'm not gonna d-"
"Senku..." She looked up sadly at him, tears pricking her eyes. He flinched a little from her expression. "Please wear it..."
He stayed silent and closed his eyes. He then reached out and placed a hand on her head. She sniffed from the gesture. "Alright," He chuckled a bit softly to her. "But only so your face stops looking like that."
She gave a weak smile, reaching out to wipe at her nose. The two stared at her for a couple more seconds before walking past her. She turned around to stare at Senku's back. "Be careful..." She whispered, even though they couldn't hear.
The two were on their way back to the lake. Chrome was holding Ginro's silver spear.
At the Kingdom of Science, Ginro was sitting in front of the iron furnace, frowning deeply. Sumi didn't look pleased either while standing nearby.
"I won't go!" He denied to the two men when they asked him to come along. "The fairy of the spring put a curse on me! My silver spear turned black and that bird melted! So there is no way that I'm ever going back there again!" He shouted, running and sitting in front of the shed. He hugged one of the pillars, refusing to move.
"Don't be a baby, Ginro!" Chrome walked up to him. "Come on! We're going!"
"Nah, it'd be better if he just stayed here," Senku sighed in defeat. "He'd only slow us down," He then stared at Ginro seriously. "Listen. What happened at the spring wasn't a curse. It's science." He took the silver spear and then cleaned off the tip with a cloth. "Rub the black sulfuric acid sludge with an alkaline base and it'll turn silver again. Even some warm ashes will do the trick."
He then held up the spear that was good as new. "Ha! The poison gas sensor's back!" Chrome exclaimed as it shined.
"Now we can head back to the sulfuric acid spring," Senku stated as he took off with Chrome. Ginro looked away with a frown at his lack of bravery.
Chrome was holding the spear, walking next to Senku as they had reached the sulfuric acid spring. Neither of them said anything as the situation was tense enough as it was. The two continued on slowly, until the tip of the spear turned black. Chrome gasped sharply as he stopped, freezing in place. He remembered the look in Senku's eyes when telling them the story of the man who died. And he recalled Sumi's heavy sigh as well.
"Poor guy was dead." The bird's wing melted into the lake.
"But even then, immediate exposure can cause instant death..."
Chrome looked terrified while looking at the lake. "Literally do or die this time..." He stared up ahead as the woman from Ginro's hallucination reappeared, much taller and with red eyes. "Do we really stand a chance against this? One breath can mean instant death." Senku then ran past, alarming him. "Huh?! The hell?!" He removed his mask in shock. "Senku, are you seriously just running up to it?!" He put his mask back on.
He stopped, placing his hands on his hips. "If you stand around huffing and puffing in fear, the gas mask won't be able to keep up with purifying the air!" He explained, looking over his shoulder. "It's a ridiculously simple concept. Freak out too much, and you die. Got it? Let's go," He then continued walking without saying anything else. Chrome was still dumbfounded by his behavior, though.
"Yeah! I understand the reasoning. But...damn it, Senku!" He walked down to get closer. "I'm just not as ballsy as you are..." He froze as he saw that...Senku's hands were trembling as well. Meaning that he was just as scared as Chrome was. And yet he was still going through with this, because he wanted to finish the job. He didn't leave things half done, so to leave now would be illogical for him. Especially since Ruri would die without the dangerous task in front of them. Senku was usually confident...but even he wasn't immune to fear. The green-haired scientist lightly touched Sumi's ribbon around his neck. Chrome continued staring at him.
I wish you were here, Sumi...both of you are afraid to lose the other. And I can tell he's scared to leave you behind if he dies.
He snapped out of it and slapped his cheeks, walking up to Senku to face it too.
"This is for the birds," Kaseki spoke up nearby Ginro and Sumi. "I could be doing so many other things besides sitting here dealing with this."
"I still can't believe he made me stay here," Sumi grumbled while pacing around, getting the craftsman's attention. "How can he so smart and yet be so stupid to put himself in danger? Arggh, this is what I get for having Senku as a science partner," She held her head in aggravation. And yet...despite him getting on her nerves sometimes...he was also someone she cherished a lot. So it still hurt that she wouldn't be there to protect him and Chrome...
"Hmm...seems like to me...he wasn't ready to put you in danger. And now he's risked his own life...to protect yours."
"Huh?" Sumi turned to him in confusion.
"Senku and Chrome have gotta be insane!" Ginro hissed a little before Kaseki could clarify. "I mean, do they not think that it's scary?! One wrong move, and you're dead! You know, I hate it when people pull that stunt. Trying to pretend they're brave, when they're crazy!"
"Isn't that you?" Sumi deadpanned down at him.
"So you'd prefer to stay home and run your mouth rather than run towards danger," Kaseki retorted back. "And I suppose you feel like a loser compared to them because you're so weak." Ginro gasped a little while looking at him.
"No I don't," He defended and Sumi sighed a little.
"Don't worry, Ginro," Kaseki picked up a thread. "You want my opinion, I don't think you're the slightest bit weak. Fear is the secret to a long life, and that should be pretty convincing coming from an old fogy like me. I used to be a real wimp," Sumi looked up at him in a bit of surprise. "And I guarantee you those boys are scared too. There's not a soul out there that's immune to fear." Ginro looked to Kohaku training with Kinro.
Oh yeah...I hadn't thought about it before...I can only imagine how terrifying it must be for Kinro...with his fuzzy eyes...to go up against Magma.
"But for the sake of something precious to us, we try to overcome our fear, using our brains and a lot of heart." Sumi gave him a weak smile from what he said. "That's what they're doing. At least, that's my take on it."
Ginro looked away with a small whine as he took all of that in. "The only thing I want...is to save my sister's life." He gave a small smile from what Kohaku said, realizing that...he was being silly. Instead of being afraid, he needed to do something about it.
"As for you, Sumi," She gasped from being addressed. "Senku made the choice for you because he wanted you to live. Just because you disagree doesn't mean he didn't have a reason. After all, I couldn't imagine what he'd do if his science partner died because of him. Haven't you two known each other for thousands of years? Losing you to something dangerous doesn't seem to faze him to everyone else. But even my old eyes can tell the true story. So to him...sacrificing his life for yours seemed like the best option. Even if it is flawed."
Sumi stared at him silently, blinking as she processed what he said. She looked towards the ground, her eyes closed. She didn't think of it that way until now...and how if she had gone, how it would affect Senku.
"Oh, dear. Seems that I let myself get a little carried away and made two more of these. Guess I should just leave them here," He put down two more gas masks. "Don't really have a use for them." He left, the duo picking them up and looking up ahead.
"...Thanks, Kaseki," Sumi smiled while glancing over her shoulder and seeing him get farther away.
Chrome and Senku were focused on their tasks. The green-haired scientist was getting more materials from the rocks. Chrome was getting the sulfuric acid from the lake. While they were working, some of the sulfuric acid bubbled up behind him. It splashed onto the tube that was connected to his gas mask, starting to melt.
Chrome gasped as he heard it, looking up in alarm. "Senku! The hose on your gas mask is melting and it's about to bust open!" He shouted while running over. Senku grabbed some cloth, chuckling as he quickly covered the hole.
"That was close. Good thing we came out here as a team-"
The ground beneath Chrome broke off, and he was sent falling backwards. Senku's eyes widened in horror while seeing his friend heading for the sulfuric acid lake. Chrome was falling fast, but to the two of them, it felt slower. He squeezed his eyes shut. This is bad. Like actually bad. He looked over to Senku rushing over to try and catch up. Senku's trying like crazy to catch up to me. Don't bother, man, there's no chance in hell. Damn it. It was such a tiny misstep...I hope...they can at least still save Ruri...
A hand that wasn't Senku's grabbed the silver spear from the ground, lunging forward with it. Chrome grabbed onto it as two people slid to a stop. Senku gasped at the sight to see Sumi and Ginro working together to hold onto Chrome.
"Ginro?! Sumi?!" Chrome and Senku exclaimed in unison. The same sulfuric woman appeared, her whole skin gone while roaring at them. She let out a scream as the two struggled to hold onto their friend.
"It's so heavy!" He groaned, struggling to keep Chrome from falling. Sumi gasped as air was escaping his gas mask like crazy. She gritted her teeth while trying to hold on from behind, struggling to keep her grip thanks to the air starting to affect her eyesight.
"You gotta control your breathing, Ginro!" Senku warned him while holding out a hand. "Your gas mask can't keep up with you!"
"It can't?" Ginro started to cry, and they fell over the mask. "Is the poison gas going to kill me?! Am I going to die right now?!"
"No, you won't! Not on our watch!" Sumi yelled in determination from behind. The entire tip of the spear turned black as Senku stood behind Sumi.
"The activated charcoal and potassium carbonate will keep you safe, we swear! But only if you control your breath!" He hugged Sumi from behind to grab the spear as well. "We know that you can overcome your fear! That's how you got out this far in the first place, isn't it?!"
"Your fear doesn't define you, Ginro!" Sumi shouted in the middle of them. "You've gotta calm down, you're not dying today! Yes, it's terrifying as hell, but we didn't come here to let things end like this! We all have to survive, and we can't do that without you!"
"Yo, Ginro," Chrome called out, pointing to his chest. "Listen to this and think with this!" He pointed to his forehead. "No matter how powerful nature might be, it doesn't have a heart to listen to or a brain to reason with. But humans are different. That's all we've got going for us!"
That was almost the same thing Kaseki was telling him. "Ginro! Follow my lead, okay?" Sumi held up a hand, taking a deep breath. She counted down each finger and then released it. She waved a hand for him to take a breath as well as he did so along with her. They both let it out and Ginro was now much calmer, and less fearful.
"Right. I'm Ginro the bodyguard!" The sulfuric acid woman approached them all. "I'll overcome my fear with my head and my heart!" He used up all his strength just as Sumi and Senku let go. He yelled while tossing Chrome to safety just before the acid attacked. Chrome landed safely as a whirlpool spun around, and the sulfuric acid landed in a glass bottle. Chrome then closed it, grinning as his gas mask was off. Sumi laughed in relief, spinning Chrome and Ginro into a hug.
"Thank god you guys are okay!" She cried out as the two men laughed. She then pulled back and smiled at Ginro. She then pumped her fist with a grin, a hand on her hip. "And I knew you could do it, Ginro! I think you've earned that bodyguard title."
"Hm," He smiled at her, proud of himself. "Thanks for that breathing technique, Sumi. Wouldn't have calmed down without it."
"You can have it. I used it on myself as a kid sometimes," She waved it off. She then realized something, turning around to Senku taking off his gas mask. "Senku...?" He glanced up at her as she bit her lip. "You're not upset, are you? I know you wanted me to stay behind, but-"
He chuckled, interrupting her to her confusion. "Upset? Nah. Thanks to you and Ginro, no one's dead. Although I would've preferred it if you weren't so stubborn..."
"E-Excuse me if I was worried!" She stammered angrily with a pout, looking away while a bit irritated. "Honestly, you making me stay behind really bugged me. I thought you trusted me enough that I could take care of myself after 3,707 years...or at least, not willing for either of us to be replaced if something had happened to you..."
He didn't say anything at first as he thought about it. Looking back, what he said definitely wasn't the best way to go about it. Senku stepped up to her, reaching out to her ribbon around his neck still. He then tied it around the front of her head so that it looked like she had bunny ears. She blinked while looking up at them and he smirked. "Yeah, that was pretty crappy of me to make that assumption now that you've said it out loud," He dug his pinky into his ear, looking down at her. "Alright, Sumi. From now on, I'll trust you with my life. And I'll make sure you don't die on me either. Although I do have one condition…don't give yours up to someone else…"
She blinked up at him in confusion. "What are you talking about?"
Senku let out a sigh, remembering how she interacted with Tsukasa before he turned out to be a murderer. And how she spoke with Kinro sometimes. There was also that mystery crush that he might have to dwell on too. "What I mean is…people our age might get the wrong idea with how you interact with them. Like Tsukasa," He told her seriously, as he felt that she might give her life to someone like Kinro. So her life…was the most valuable thing she could give him compared to anyone else. Because he knew that she wouldn't trust it with just anyone. "I'll hold onto yours if you hold onto mine, and no one else's. Meaning you won't get hurt and I won't die again. So will you do that for me?"
The two stared at each other, the wind blowing in their hair as he clenched a fist. Sumi closed her eyes, as she felt like she didn't need to even hesitate. She couldn't see herself giving it to anyone but him. He'd keep it with him, so she couldn't really question that she wouldn't do the same. And she could tell that with this between them...maybe he wouldn't feel so guilty about her scar anymore. The black-haired scientist slowly smiled happily and then nodded eagerly as her answer. Senku smirked and they swung their arms to share a high-five.
"Okay, Senku! I'll give you my whole life in exchange for yours!" She told him in determination.
"Heh. You've got yourself a deal, Sumire. We now carry each other's lives in our hands. Don't let mine go to waste, okay?"
Chrome and Ginro smiled at the two science partners. Them giving their lives to each other seemed pretty meaningful in a romantic way, but they could tease Sumi about that later. Neither her or Senku seemed to think that way regarding their promise anyway, but to them it was nice to think that someday they would rethink this in context. Plus after so long having a close relationship, it seemed only fitting that they would make this deal of theirs.
"We've got a bad tag team with me, Sumi, and Senku the scientists!" Chrome grinned widely while holding something.
"And me the bodyguard!" Ginro stated with a proud look.
"We did it!" Sumi smiled while standing behind her science partner, her arms crossed. "We're one step further for antibiotics, guys!"
"Together we overcame the greatest hurdle so far," Senku smirked down at the bottle. "Sulfuric acid acquired!" The three of them behind him let out a cheer.
Acquired sulfuric acid!