Angel: Apparently I wrote somewhere that Senku met Sumi's grandmother? Yeah, that's not the case. He didn't know about her until months after meeting Sumi. I haven't checked every single episode because the grandmother has been mentioned only like 2 or 3 times. Pretty sure episode 10 was the first time Sumi even talked about it in thousands of years. Even then, Senku wasn't mentioned in that story.
I am still checking periodically because by the time people will read this, I won't be able to check until later tonight. So if anyone happens to catch where I wrote Senku met the grandmother, please let me know which chapter so that can get fixed. And it'd be greatly appreciated!
Shamil looked out the window as he saw the green light coming from the Earth. "Look there. Outside the window," He spoke gravely as his appetite was now gone. "The Earth..." He murmured as the Earth was covered in the green light, and he could see something on top of the planet. All of them looked out the window in horror, Byukaya's eyes glistening. Senku and Sumi both looked towards outside, and he dropped his energy drink Sumi gave to him. He ran up to her and grabbed the girl, throwing her behind him. The drink's contents spilled out as thewhole world was affected by the petrification.
'So dark.'
'I'm scared.'
'I can't move.'
'I don't feel anything.'
Senku was surrounded by other students while still wearing his lab coat. Sumi was on the ground, her arms stretched out as she had been turned into stone right before she landed on the ground. 'This is just like with those swallows Sen and I saw on the internet. At least I'm actually conscious, but I need to access my thoughts.'
'If I'm aware enough to realize that much, then my brain must still be working at ten billion percent capacity. Not bad. Now start thinking. For instance...'
"There should be a delay between the average time stamps of the last posts on social media like Twitter or Instagram," Byukaya said exactly what his son was thinking. "Find those and calculate backwards, and we can learn where the mysterious light originated. It looks like it started in South America, since the petrification wave spread out radially from there."
Lillian floated over to him. "What a way to figure it out. I never would've thought of that," Her eyes saddened as she knew that it would come across Sumi's mind at some point.
"I'd love to brag, but I can't take any credit for the idea. My son Senku told me about using this method many times," Byukaya explained to the blonde and she had a faint smile. Sumi would sometimes explain to her how the internet and social media went hand in hand too... "Now that we know that, it's time to go." He floated away from the computer and she followed him. "Hang in there, Senku, Sumire. I'm gonna save you guys. You and all seven billion other humans down there." He was determined to go rescue humanity, not unlike Senku himself, or Sumi.
Byukaya put on his space suit, to the shock of the others once he told them the plan. "Are you really going back?" Connie asked him in concern. "We're in the dark! For all we know, you might be petrified when you land."
"If you have to, then go somewhere far from the source," Yakov explained to him. "Japan's the opposite side of Earth from South America. If that light acts like radiation, you need to stay away from it."
"Yeah, well, somebody around here's gotta be the guinea pig, right?" Byukaya asked back, his arms crossed. "It's my idea, so I should really go alone, but..."
"Then there wouldn't be enough room for us all to return," Shamil reminded the man. "There's two pods, three seats each, which means three of us need to take the plunge."
Buykaya sighed while holding up a hand. "Sorry, but I guess I'll need two more to come with me."
"Or...not," Shamil revealed, punching the man in the stomach. He groaned while floating backwards and hitting the wall. He then looked to the man, gritting his teeth.
"Shamil! What are you-?"
"You'll have no ground crew to help," The blond continued as the others looked down at him in concern. "It's an unprecedented feat. You could even be petrified while maneuvering." Byukaya closed his eyes at the possibility...but he couldn't just leave Senku and Sumi alone to deal with it. Or the rest of the world. "And you've got a son, don't you, old man?" He smiled down at Byukaya, who had more at stake here than the others. Well, except Lillian with Sumi, but they didn't know that. "A mission like this is meant for a loner. Someone like me."
Connie smiled at him protecting Byukaya should they manage to revive everyone. The pod then took off, with Connie, Lillian, and Shamil inside.
'Eight...nine...' Senku was now on the ground, a light shining from the window. 'Two hundred six thousand seconds. Roughly 60 hours since I became immobilized.' The same drink Sumi got him was near his head.
'One...two...' Sumi was near the lockers behind him. 'One hundred three thousand seconds. Around 30 hours since I became immobilized. Now if only...' She drifted off to sleep again, as that had been happening numerous times now.
A parachute was deployed, and it floated down towards the sea. The pod then landed upside down. "There is good news and bad news," Shamil spoke up to the intercom. "The good news is, we've landed on Earth and we aren't petrified. The bad news is, we severely missed our target and landed in the water upside down. If we open the hatch, we'll take on water and sink."
Yakov held his head, screaming at this news. "It's okay," Dalia spoke into the headphones. "There's precedent for this kind of thing. I think you've got nine hours of air."
"Yeah," He confirmed, Connie staring at him. "But then, that will be the end of our lives."
'Five, six, seven,' Senku was still counting as the sun was setting. 'Count these insane numbers and keep track of the date. I need to know what season it is. In case I ever get the chance to revive myself. That's all I can do right now.'
'Eight, nine, ten,' Sumi was counting as well and then willed herself to stay awake. 'I hate it when that happens. I've gotta try counting and thinking at the same time so I don't keep falling asleep! And it's essential to remember what date it is so that in case I wake up, it's not in winter. It's the only thing I'm able to do...'
'This is the worst case scenario, so I have to seize my one chance.' Byukaya, Senku, and Sumire all thought at the same time. Byukaya then smirked to himself, as he had a feeling that the two teenagers were thinking the same mindset as him right now.
"We have to go down there," Dalia told her husband. "We can find a boat and get them."
"And where do we find the key to start this boat?" Yakov asked her in a bit of a panic. Finding the key might take hours, which was time that they didn't have. "Are we going to search thousands of stone pockets for it? The closest continent is hours away!"
Byukaya floated towards the hallway. "We'll land on the nearest island and rescue them from there," He informed the duo, turning around. "Even if it's uninhabited. If we can't find a boat, we'll make a raft."
"Do you really think we can land perfectly on some island?" Yakov retorted back, as they could fall into the same situation as the others. And they then could all die, and civilization would end. "We could be off by ten kilometers!"
"Ten kilometers is nothing," Byukaya spoke as he wasn't fazed. "I can swim a distance like that. Even fully clothed if that's what it's gonna take." Thanks to Senku and Sumi with that suit, he could swim fast enough in his clothes, and he had them to thank for that.
The sun started to set while the other three were trying to breathe. "Let's calm our breathing," Shamil told the two women. "We have to conserve our...oxygen. Limit conversation, too."
Lillian opened her eyes, glancing towards the window. She saw something and then gasped happily. "N-Na na na na na na na na," She started singing out loud, to the shock of Connie and Shamil. "You can feel the music in the air~"
"Why are you singing?!" He exclaimed at her in disbelief. "I just said to calm your breathing!"
She laughed in response happily. "I'm sorry," She turned to him. "But I don't think we need to worry anymore. Just take a look for yourself," She pointed out the window. Shamil moved his head while searching, and saw a figure coming towards them. He gasped as he recognized who it was.
Byukaya, dripping wet, was rowing a boat towards them. He gritted his teeth while rowing as fast as he could to the ship. He reached it soon after and smiled. "Sorry, guys. Didn't think it'd take over ten hours."
Shamil seemed relieved, but didn't openly express it. "You're not that young anymore. You know that, old man?" Once the three were out, Byukaya rowed them away. "Don't push yourself. You take way too many risks."
It was night time as Dalia and Yakov were waiting on an island that they had landed on. They had already made a fire, with the pod they used to land nearby. They looked out towards the water in anticipation, as it had been a while. Dalia then stood up in shock.
"I can see them!" She exclaimed, Yakov laughing happily. Lillian waved while Connie smiled, even Shamil having a small one of his own.
"Everyone's safe!" Yakov shouted as Byukaya stopped rowing. Lillian jumped off first and ran over to hug Dalia.
"The boat was abandoned on this island, as far away from the source of the petrification wave as possible," Once they reunited, he led the way into the forest. He was holding a torch. "Which means, there might be survivors on this island." As they walked, Byukaya stopped as he gasped, seeing someone up ahead. They were standing in the distance. Without a word, he ran over, followed by the others. However, when they reached him...the man was also petrified, to their shock.
"No..." Lillian murmured in horror while looking at him. "Don't tell me..."
Dalia and Yakov frowned behind them, as they thought for a fleeting moment...there was hope for humanity. But it was just now hitting them that they were really the last six alive...Byukaya's eyes glistened as there really wasn't anyone left.
Yakov poked at the fire with a stick. "Fire's going out," He informed the five.
"We need kindling," Dalia turned to them. "Why don't we all go look for some?"
"Da," Shamil nodded in agreement and walked off. Connie silently followed, as she had been eerily silent for a while now. Shamil picked up a stick, holding several of them underneath his arm. He looked up, surprised at the sight in front of him. He could see Connie, her body hunched over on the sand. Looking closer, her eyes were squeezed shut as she let a tear stream down her cheek. She was still mourning over their situation...His eyes saddened while looking at her, understanding how she felt.
Later, they were all gathered around the fire, sitting in silence. Byukaya was searching for something inside the pod. Lillian was hugging her knees as she thought about Sumi...and wondered how she must be feeling. If anything, she knew that Sumi wasn't scared, and was probably doing something about the situation. She then looked towards the others, since...no one was around to document what she would tell them. And she wanted to openly miss the girl.
"...There's something I should tell y'all," Lillian spoke up, getting their attention as they looked up at her. "That girl you keep mentioning..." She looked towards Byukaya silently. "Her name is Sumire Maeda...right?"
"Yeah," Byukaya answered and then gasped a little in disbelief. "Wait, how did you know that?"
"The truth is..." Lillian gave a sad smile to them. "That I'm the guardian that I know she mentioned to you and your son." Everyone gasped while looking at her and she looked towards the sky with her eyes glistening. "I took her in after her father got sent to prison. Her grandmother and I knew each other, and...she asked me to make sure Sumi was safe. And the only thing I could've done for her...was take the girl in myself. Hmm," She gave a fond smile at the memories she had with Sumi. "It was the best decision I ever made. She's been with me a long time. Gave up several concerts just to make sure I spent enough time with her."
Byukaya blinked while staring at her. It all made sense now...Sumi had never introduced Lillian to him and Senku, because she always said that she was busy. Or that her house was always a mess, or that they shouldn't worry about her. All she would tell them was that...she was definitely not suffering anymore living with her father. He couldn't help but smile at the coincidence of officially meeting the person taking care of the girl.
"B-But hold on," Yakov stammered a little. "Wouldn't we have heard about you taking in a little girl?"
"No," Lillian answered quietly to them. "We made sure her records were sealed and I always had my driver take her around. That way people would assume that he was her guardian. When she came to some of my performances, we had her pretend she was someone's kid from the staff. I even moved down to Japan just so she could be closer to Senku...because I wanted to give that girl all the happiness in the world. And since the world is now...well, you know...I figured it was important to tell you."
"...So you were the reason why Sumi looked so glad to see him when she got back," Byukaya gave her a small smile. "Thank you, Lillian...for taking care of her. When I found out what happened with her and her father...I was worried the same thing would've happened again. But now...now I can tell she was happy because of you."
She looked up with a small smile. "Anytime. She's so lively and infectious and brave...and yet I never had the courage to tell the world the truth," Her eyes saddened as she dug into her pants. She then pulled out an envelope, as it was addressed to Sumi herself. "And I was gonna give her this when I got back...but I guess it's too late now..."
Byukaya gasped at the seal on the envelope. "Are those...?" He faltered and she glanced back at him, nodding. He clenched a fist while looking at her, trying not to cry. None of them had to say it, since it was evident what the envelope was for and what it meant.
"Yeah...yeah, they are," She revealed while putting the envelope back in her pocket. "I wanted to make sure that she wouldn't discover them or that they wouldn't get out to the public before I was ready. So I figured to just hold onto them for safe-keeping..."
Dalia placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure she would've loved it if she ever had the chance to know." Connie smiled while nodding in agreement and Shamil just stayed silent.
Buykaya held up a bag from the ship, having finally found what he was looking for. "Ta-da! I present to you the Soyuz survival kit."
"Made for emergencies just like this," Dalia smiled as they had joined him, looking at the bag.
"It looks cool," Lillian commented as it had several supplies inside.
"We've been trained for this type of situation, so we've got a better chance than most," Yakov told the five.
"That's right!" Byukaya smiled at them. "Why don't we start by figuring out dinner?"
"Oh!" Connie stood up in realization, clasping her hands. "I know where to go find some food, actually. When we found that man earlier, I saw a farm nearby," She revealed to them.
"Hey. Sounds perfect!" Byukaya grinned at her suggestion. "The team's counting on you here, Connie."
"Okay!" She nodded with a smile. She then ran off to go find it. Shamil stared after her, remembering when she was crying earlier. He didn't want her to go out there alone, and wanted to make sure she'd be okay. "I'll, uh, help," He ran after the woman to join her and they walked off in silence. The others were exploring the survival kit to see what they could use.
Dolphins swam by in the clear blue water, jumping up and down in it.
3 years later
Dalia was standing on a cliff, watching the dolphins with her two children. Her hair had grown out to her shoulders, and she was hugging her newborn. The boy next to her was pointing at the animals happily as they were silent. She was reflecting on her life now as the group had gotten used to their...situation. 3 years and no sign of anyone breaking out of petrification...
They all cheered as flower petals were thrown into the sky. Connie was glowing while holding a small bouquet and flower crown. She and Shamil had just gotten married, as when 3 years had gone by, they had grown closer.
"Congrats on your marriage, Connie and Shamil!" Byukaya shouted, while the man didn't look that excited. He was glad to marry her, yes, but he didn't think a ceremony was necessary.
"Yeah, congrats!" Lillian smiled while clapping next to him. Yakov shed a few tears next to his wife and child.
"You make such a cute couple," Byukaya said, smiling fondly as the two reminded him of Senku and Sumi. Of how Shamil was the stoic one, while Connie was kinder. Now he wished...he could've seen the two come to this point. But he still had hope for both them as a couple and for them waking up someday...
"I do appreciate the gesture, but we don't need a fun ritual," Shamil spoke up with a small frown. "With the world in this state, I'm just grateful to be alive."
"Oh lighten up a little!" Byukaya commented to the two. "With the world as it is, we need more excuses to have fun! There's hardly any entertainment left."
"You're forgetting something!" Lillian raised a hand, smiling happily. "Music!"
"True!" Byukaya agreed with her.
"And now, for the wedding, I'll sing!" She revealed and Yakov gasped at her.
"I get to hear the diva Lillian perform! Lucky me!" He cheered, as Lillian usually sung to herself nowadays. The last time he heard her sing was back on the spaceship, which he could respect. They were learning to survive on the island, after all. Lillian took a deep breath and then looked up with a smile.
How far we've come
How much we've changed
They all looked at her happily while listening.
A thousand nights and a million tears
Connie and Shamil looked especially happy at her doing this for them. Shamil didn't mind her singing, aside from the one time.
Now I can say that I've conquered my fear
Yakov, Byukaya, and Dalia smiled from her voice.
If I could go back, what would I tell you?
Lillian then remembered that record player she found. When she was a little girl, she listened to it happily...even with her father always drinking. Just like how Sumi's father got addicted to drugs.
Wish you'd listen to the truth
She then would perform for other kids, as she didn't live in a safe neighborhood.
Till then I'll be patiently waiting right here
She'd sing for them all the time...and she started to cry. Especially remembering when Sumi showed her the fixed record player. And that resulted in the two happily listening to the song until they fell asleep together. Byukaya looked at her, confused on why she stopped. She then ran off crying, concerning everyone. Byukaya ran after the woman.
She sat on a rock, looking towards the sun hitting the water. He approached her silently and stopped next to her. "Sorry," She said as she knew he was there. "I just feel so defeated," Her eyes looked downfallen from the memories. "The music composed by so many geniuses over thousands of years—Mozart, the Beatles, all of 'em. It's just now hittin' me that we're gonna lose every piece." She grew up with music, so to one day have all of that be gone...what would she be left with?
"No, we won't," Byukaya told her immediately and she looked up in shock. "We'll undo the petrification someday. Humanity isn't over. Because...if nothing else...I know that Senku and Sumire are still alive." Their smiles popped up in his mind. She smiled up at him, hopeful now.
"Yeah. I'm sure that they are. He's your son, after all."
"And she's technically your daughter," He glanced down at her and she blinked. "Or at least...both of you act like you are, anyway. I mean, Senku and I aren't related by blood, but he's my kid. That girl is like a second kid to me, but at the same time, not really. She's more like my daughter-in-law, even though I couldn't do more for her when I found out..." He faltered and Lillian's eyes softened, knowing what he was referring to. "And plus, he's ten billion times the man I'll ever be. He'd be like, giving up is the least logical course of action, or something. He wouldn't let some rocks do him in. Maybe we won't live to see it ourselves, but them? They'll figure it out. They'll save everyone. All seven billion people on Earth."
She gasped while looking at him. "Someday, when Senku is revived, he's gonna need some friends to help him. So we'll pass along the baton, thousands of years into the future." And by friends...he meant the ones that Senku and Sumi would eventually meet thanks to the first generation.
Lillian gave a small smile, humming. "You're right. They are gonna have people to help them. I would've loved to properly meet Senku...it's honestly still shocking that we met each other when they're best friends," She stated and he gave a small chuckle. "And I wish I could tell her...how much she means to me. How much I wanted to tell everyone that she and I are family. She would be all, we can't sit around and mope, we need to test our limits."
"Yeah, she would say something like that," Byukaya grinned while sitting down next to her. "And I know that she would've told you how grateful she was to have someone like you."
Lillian smiled happily at the man. "You know I'd take that little girl to my recording sessions after school? Every time she came in, I'd always stop and hug her, and they'd get mad if I did multiple takes," She chuckled at the memory. Byukaya smiled while listening to her talk more about the girl.
Then Senku's eye was awakened, the stone pieces cracking. Just hours later, Sumi had woken up as well, both of them now in the year 5738.
It was night time in the village now as silence was in the room once again after the story. "I wish I could say that I followed all of that," Suika spoke up to break it, and she looked very confused. "But it's such a crazy story that I'm completely lost."
Sumi gave her a weak smile, especially since Senku was looking towards the ground. "Ah...sorry, Suika, we didn't mean to make you lose track. We'll try to make it more simple to understand."
"Right," Chrome started to explain it since he understood the story. "So a few thousand years ago, all of humanity was turned into stone. You know those stone statues we see everywhere? Those are all people. But Senku's dad, a woman who ended up being Sumi's guardian, and four others survived because they were up in the sky when it happened," He stared at the scientist duo. "And all of us here in Ishigami Village, are actually descendants of those six people."
Kohaku's face was red as she was a little concerned over that fact. If the whole village was descendants of Byukaya and the others, that meant Lillian had a descendant as well, possibly with Byukaya. So if Senku's dad and Sumi's mother had a child, well... "Hold on! That raises the question. Are we all related to Senku and Sumi? And are they related to each other? Maybe even brother and sister?!"
The two blinked while staring at her, and then they both chuckled in unison. They both found it funny that this even came up. "Byukaya and I are legally father and son, but not by blood. Besides, we're hundreds of generations apart. No one's related after that much time," Senku explained to her, chuckling again. "But no, Sumi and I are definitely not siblings."
"And besides, Lillian and I never legally became mother and daughter," Sumi closed her eyes with a small giggle at trying to explain an ancestor by this time. "So even if the possibility of her and Byukaya having a kid had happened, I don't think Senku and I are really related, even by law. Which doesn't matter in the stone world for the time being." Even if it turned out that somehow, she and Senku were related, she would still have feelings for him. And thousands of years had gone by, so it wasn't like there was any proof with DNA tests being nonexistent.
"If the old man had went back and adopted Sumi, it'd be weird having her as my sister. We've known each other for so long, we don't see each other like that," Senku agreed with the black-haired woman. Byukaya never really looked at Sumi as Senku's sister—that would've been odd to see them as a couple in his eyes if he felt that way. And he did want to see them together, so he had to trust that the system would take care of Sumi. Otherwise it would've raised several questions for the two of them to grow up like brother and sister and then have feelings for each other. So if it turned out that Byukaya and Lillian had produced a descendant, they wouldn't have really cared either way. They weren't blood-related, and they lived in separate homes.
"Don't you think you could look into it?" Chrome murmured, getting their attention. "What if it was true you might be related?"
"…Nah," The two answered in unison with smiles to their shock.
"We're not, and I don't have one millimeter of interest in checking. There's no need to," Senku casually dug his pinky into his ear. Sumi nodded in agreement.
"Does it really even matter anymore? Because I personally don't think it does." The others all smiled in unison as she was right. Because it didn't change who they were and how they saw each other.
"But...I still don't get why Sumi's not named after the village if both his dad and your mom were ancestors," Chrome blinked in shock and she shrugged at him cluelessly.
"My guess is that it either would've been a mouthful to say or because Lillian thought I didn't need that kind of attention," She said casually; and she could understand why since the singer was already wanting to give her a normal life. "It doesn't really bother me."
"Hey!" A loud voice came from outside and they all turned towards the sound. Ganen was the one that had called to them. "What are you doing? It's your big day!" He waved a leg of meat.
"Don't forget about the party! We're still celebrating our new village chief and the first ever village chieftess!" Another villager said to them.
"You two just want an excuse to drink," Turquoise scolded while looking at them. Ganen ate the rest of the meat while the other villager was drinking alcohol.
Ruri gained a small smile while turning to both Senku and Sumi. "Why don't we join the celebration? All of us?" She offered to everyone, and soon, most of them went outside to have their own fun. Some villagers danced around the fire while the others were eating or drinking. Genbu held out a jar of liquor to Chrome having a drink.
"Hey! Drink some more, sorcerer boy!" He exclaimed while Chrome looked annoyed.
"I'm a scientist, thank you very-" The man tilted the alcohol into his jar at once, pouring the alcohol everywhere. "Whoa, stop!" He exclaimed in alarm as it was spilling everywhere, overflowing the bowl.
Magma and Mantle both chugged down their drinks, their cheeks flushed as they were both drunk. They then looked up ahead to see Kaseki. His shirt was off as he chugged down a big jar of alcohol, shocking not only the duo, but everyone around him. Their mouths were wide open by the craftsman. He put down the jug. "Ha ha!" He laughed while being perfectly fine, everyone cheering for him.
"Any more, chief?" Jasper offered Kokuyo some alcohol.
"I'm not the chief anymore, remember?" Kokuyo gave a big smile and the man stiffened, recoiling back.
"Yes. My apologies!"
"I'm still not over Ruri getting a divorce!" Turquoise complained a little next to them. The other two then looked a bit upset as well over tradition being broken.
Kohaku looked on with a small smile, watching the flames of the fire while everyone was happy. "It hasn't been this lively in quite a while, hasn't it?" She asked fondly, a small blush on her face. Even though sometimes it could be chaos around the village...right now, it was very peaceful.
Suika was chewing on her meat from a bone, smiling. "I don't know the last time everyone had so much fun!"
"Yeah!" Ginro piped up, while having a big smile on his face. "You said it! I'm having a bla-" Someone grabbed him from behind on the shoulder. It was Kinro, who pulled back his younger brother so that he could look up at him.
"You and I are supposed to be guarding the bridge!" He stated and Ginro gave out a sound of shock. He couldn't believe his brother wasn't gonna let him party for just one night. Kinro then dragged his brother away from the festivities.
"No fair!" He cried out while trying to break free, as he didn't want to work during a party.
"No, I'm fine!" Gen hugged the pillar of the bridge nervously. Some villagers were tugging at his robe trying to get him to join in. "You don't have to worry about this outsider!" He struggled to hold on, not wanting to drink.
"I don't care if you're from here or not! Get in there and drink your heart out, man!" The villager shouted as Gen let out a few whines. Ganen then realized that the only people that hadn't been seen the entire time were the chiefs themselves.
"Uh...hang on. Where'd the chief and chieftess go?" He looked around for the duo, but there was no sign of them anywhere.
Sumi and Senku walked down the bridge behind Ruri. She was leading them somewhere away from the village. Sumi looked around in silence as the moonlight shined over the three to light their path. The three were quiet as they walked together. And no one said a word as Sumi could hear the crickets and smell some of the nocturnal animals.
"I brought you both out here to tell you," Ruri finally spoke up gently. "The story ends with a message," She looked over her shoulder. "One left by Byukaya and Lillian. I thought you two should be the only ones to hear it."
Senku let out a chuckle while Sumi had a small fond smile. "Yeah. I kind of figured it would be something along those lines."
"So let's hear it," Sumi said softly to her and Ruri turned back around.
Connie was coughing as sometime later, her face was flushed, and she was sweating. She was laying down in the hut, breathing heavily. Shamil was holding her hand while Lillian had a rag and water. Her kids with Shamil were nearby, looking at her in concern. She continued to cough while the blonde placed the wet rag over her head. Shamil looked the most worried while Yakov, Dalia, and Byukaya looked on from outside. Dalia then looked to Byukaya pleadingly.
"If we go to the main islands, we can find antibiotics," She explained to the man. "You've taken your risks, now we'll return the favor."
Later, the two set out to sea together, without their children. There was a storm coming as there were dark clouds above their heads. "But if we don't make it back...take care of the kids."
However...that was the last time that the four saw the two. And there was no sign of their survival...the sun set as Connie's grave was just made, as she had unfortunately passed away from her sickness. Her two children cried while looking at her, Lillian holding one in her arms, holding the other's hand. She looked sad for them as well, as she could still remember Connie asking for her autograph...and singing at her wedding. She frowned while looking towards Shamil, who was sitting in silence at the edge of the cliff. He was hunched over while thinking of his now dead wife. Her eyes saddened as she knew that he loved Connie very much...
"Come on, it's time to head back now," She spoke softly and took them away so Shamil could grieve by himself. And he still continued to sit there, his face a bit swollen from the crying...and tear marks were down his cheeks.
As the sun continued to set, he walked over to Connie's grave, slumping over weakly. He started to cough as he had gained the same sickness that she had. He coughed heavily into his palm, tears pricking his eyes. Once he stopped, he breathed heavily, knowing that he wasn't going to get better...
"It was only pneumonia. Damn it!" Byukaya threw a wrench across the sand. Unfortunately, there was nothing in the survival kit to help them. And without no sign of Yakov and Dalia's return...they were stuck without doctors. And had no medicine to get rid of it. "It was only pneumonia!" He sat on top of the pod, lamenting at how they could've prevented it sooner if they knew what it was. But even if they did...it was too late for Shamil.
He breathed heavily, sweating a lot, and Lillian placed a rag over his head. Byukaya was turned away from him. "Well, that's new," He commented to the man. "You look unusually glum, you old man. You said it yourself...we need to be able to have fun, especially with the world as it is."
"...Yeah," Byukaya closed his eyes, a rare time in his life that he was serious. The only other time was when he found out about Sumi's previous home life. "You got me there."
Shamil let out a heavy gasp, remembering eating the ramen in the ship.
"Sorry, fun's not crucial to human survival."
He smiled fondly at that memory. "In the end, I had fun," He revealed, to Byukaya's shock. The whole time, that he had been stoic, and dismissive...deep down, he did enjoy his life. Part of that was knowing Byukaya as a friend. "Since humanity had already made it to space, we were lucky enough to survive. And looking back on it...I ended up with a wife and kids that I never imagined I'd have. Guess life wasn't so bad. I had fun since the day we all went to space together."
Byukaya let out a small gasp, trying not to tear up. Mainly because...there would only be him and Lillian left now. A time where they were all together felt so long ago at this point...he squeezed his eyes shut while looking away. Lillian stayed silent the entire time.
"Hey, old man. There's one thing I never got the chance to tell you. The day that humanity was turned to stone...you made me eat that ramen, remember?" He recalled Byukaya's look of anticipation to see what he would've said had it not been for the petrification. "That packet of ramen I had up in space...was so unbelievably good...it was almost hilarious..."
Byukaya finally let some tears shed as he looked up. "Yeah..." He said sadly at what Shamil said, as he didn't even think back on it until now. Until he had to face the fact that there was nothing he could do to save him. "Humanity's gonna make a comeback someday. To the point where we're eating ramen in space again...I'm sure of it," His voice broke as he continued to cry, and then it was silence.
A satellite fell and broke into pieces while heading for Earth. It resulted in several shooting stars from the sky, all of them in different colors. Byukaya stared up at them...wishing that Shamil and Connie could see it now. But sadly, Shamil had died as well.
A few kids were running down the beach, kicking a ball. They laughed while running past the pod, which had been left untouched. Byukaya was drawing something in the sand with a stick, Lillian watching him.
"What's that? A story?" She asked him curiously.
"Just some essential knowledge to help our descendants survive," He rubbed his chin in thought. He looked a bit more worn as his hair was growing grayer. And he also had bangs similar to Senku's now. "I'm making stories out of it so it's fun."
"You were a teacher," She commented, as before the deaths of their friends, they had gone deeper into their pasts over time. "I'm not surprised you'd think of that."
"I'm having some trouble doing it in English, though," He rubbed the back of his head, as English wasn't his first language. He had to learn most of it while growing up, and then later taught Senku and Sumi if they needed it.
"Then do it in Japanese," Lillian suggested with a smile. "It'd help me out, I'd love to learn more of your mother language. I spent my life going back and forth between Japan and America that I never learned," She chuckled a little, as most of her concerts and other gatherings were in America. He hummed in thought while dropping his hand.
'The Hundred Tales. Top priorities are how to manage food and how to avoid danger, like wild beasts.' He continued thinking of what other tales to write and how to keep them. He was laying on top of the Soyuz, as trees had grown around and top of it. He leaned against the tree while looking towards the moon. 'We'll want a story about minerals, too,' He looked at a rock in his hand, a stick in his mouth. 'Someone might come along who takes an interest in rocks and collects them.' He tossed the rock up and down. 'You can do so much with them, they'll be useful to have around.'
The kids were all crying while looking in front of them. Lillian was in Byukaya's arms, as she had now passed away as well. He looked down at her with a small sad smile. 'The first story of the Hundred Tales.' Lillian had a small smile on her face, and he knew that she was thinking of Sumi...and now he was the only survivor of the six that had survived petrification. 'It'll have to be one that makes them want to head to Japan, where Senku and Sumi are waiting.'
"And exactly as Byakuya had hoped...someone did take an interest in rocks and collect them because of his stories," Ruri finished the story, a small smile on her face.
"That's our Chrome for ya," Senku chuckled knowingly. Sumi's eyes were a bit saddened; she knew Lillian was dead...but having to hear about it made her sad. The woman had given her everything when her father left her as broken as she was. And now...there was nothing to remember her by.
"Yeah...I'm sure there were lots others just like him inspired by Byukaya," She said with her hands behind her back.
"Uh huh," Ruri replied while looking up ahead, holding flowers in her hands. She smiled while recalling all those days in the flower field with Chrome, and sometimes exploring with him.
Senku laughed while closing his eyes. "Nice to know my old man wasn't totally useless after all."
Sumi gave him a small smile. While she could scold him for being a bit disrespectful, she knew that Byukaya would've laughed it off if he were here today. And besides, he was dead, so it wasn't like he heard it. Senku never really showed emotion towards death anyway; when he and Sumi tried to revive an arm, it turned into dead flesh. She had almost thrown up while he was completely unfazed by it.
"If it wasn't for his stories, we wouldn't have Chrome," Sumi gave a small grin.
"So sentimental," Senku teased her and she huffed a little.
"I'm just saying, it's true. Such a brick wall sometimes," She retorted back in a bit of annoyance. Ruri glanced back at them and smiled at their interactions. She could see why Byukaya never took in Sumi; because then they wouldn't be like this now. And he didn't want to make things inappropriate if he had adopted her. The three finally came to a stop at their destination. Sumi and Senku both gasped, their eyes wide at the sight in front of them. Up ahead was a place far from the village, and deep in the forest. It was a large cliff covered in violet flowers, and all of them shined underneath the stars. But the moonlight was giving specific attention to the highest point.
"This is the village cemetery," Ruri spoke up, walking towards to the top.
"There's so many flowers here," Sumi murmured while looking down at them. "How many of them are there?"
"About 300 or so here," Ruri told her softly. "Every single flower here has been planted once every year, on Flower Day." The two of them turned around to her in confusion and she gave a small smile. "On that day, we all come down here to plant the flower. It's another one of our traditions."
"Are these all violets?" Sumi wondered while bending down to one, lightly touching the petals. "How is it that they haven't died out yet?"
"A miracle. These flowers have been here for thousands of years, and yet not a single violet flower has died," Ruri answered breathlessly, a small smile on her face. Both of them turned to her in surprise that the flowers had been there for that long.
"Yeah, no. Miracles can't explain all these flowers. It could be a block-harvested, sphagnum peat moss, as a good soil needs to be light, porous, and moist," Senku rubbed his chin in thought, bending down to them. "But we're on solid rock..."
"Mm..." Sumi looked down at the flowers; she would agree, but these flowers meant something more than that. She just didn't know what exactly. Why plant only violets and only on one specific day of the year...? Senku noticed her silence and looked back down at the flowers. All of them were intact, not a single petal lost. He was thinking the same thing as she was on why only those specific flowers, and why it was a tradition to plant them. Could Byukaya have come up with it? Maybe, but what purpose? It could've also been Lillian, but it still came back to why. But given the circumstances, there'd be time to think on this later.
Ruri placed down flowers once they reached the tomb at the top. "And this small grave marker was brought here on behalf of your father and the other founders." The two watched her paying her respects. Sumi glanced to the side to see another one nearby, and she deduced that if they were all buried close to each other...then the nearest one would have to be Lillian's. Even if she could be wrong, she could tell that it was hers. She felt the same warmth from that tombstone as she did when Lillian explained that they'd be living together.
"They bit the dust 3,700 years ago," Senku spoke up while looking on. "Even if they were buried right here, you wouldn't find a single bone."
Ruri didn't comment on this. "And the last of the Hundred Tales, the 100th story..."
"...Is a message from me. Hey there, Senku, Sumi!" Byukaya stood in front of the three graves in front of him, having buried Lillian there not too long ago. "If you're listening to this story, it means you guys have broken out of the stone. Maybe thousands of years from now. I'm doing great! I mean, I'm already dead by now, but you know." He looked up towards the sun, a hand over his face. "Just as promised, I got you some souvenirs. The friends that the Hundred Tales will connect you with." He looked to the birds flying in the sky. "The post-apocalyptic world was pretty fun actually." Four kids ran by, laughing happily. Three markers had turned into four now... "But with your science and the help of your new friends, I know you'll make the world as fun as it was before the collapse!"
"Hi there, sugar! I hope you're listening if you've revived at this point. It could be hundreds or thousands of years. I'm doing alright, but you probably already knew that. Well...I have passed away by now, but...let's not think about that. I know that you'll take care of yourself, and that you've made some new friends thanks to Byukaya and Senku. They seem to really care about you. The world in this state...it was hard getting used to, for all of us, though some wouldn't admit it. With that big brain of yours and with help...I know that you'll bring the world back. And I wish I could've said this back then, but...it was amazing looking after you. I wish I was like you. Kids usually say that they look up to their parents...but really, you're my role model, Sumi."
Sumi tried not to cry at that last part, as she didn't think she'd be someone that Lillian would see...as an inspiration. She clutched at her necklace, her eyes glistening. The two then felt a presence behind them, and they glanced back to see Byukaya and Lillian. Sumi closed her eyes with a sad smile, knowing that Senku noticed the same thing.
"You won't lose this fight," He spoke up in their heads. "You have each other, and the two of you will rebuild, from scratch if you have to, and save all of humanity," Senku looked away with a frown, his eyes glistening. Sumi shook a little from being without them. "Right, Senku, Sumi? I know that you can do it. Sumi..." She flinched from being addressed, looking up. "Thank you for looking after him all these years. I may not be able to tease you two anymore, but for me...you two get hitched already! Bring happiness to others...like you did with me. Sorry that I stuck you with Senku, but I know you'll take good care of him...won't you? Even though we all know he doesn't need it."
Sumi gave a sad smile from the last teasing she'd ever hear from him. Senku tried to keep himself from laughing, because then he'd cry. Byukaya would never let them live it down that they were still friends...and he didn't expect anything less.
"Sumi, I know that you won't let humanity die. You have Senku, and you'll bring back the world to revive everyone. I have complete faith in you. That little girl must be so grown up now...I'm glad I was there to be a part of it. Even though I couldn't say it back then...you're my family." Sumi gasped at hearing those words, her eyes shaking. "The world couldn't know about you, but if I was alive right now...I'd tell them for you. Tell them how strong, smart, and independent you are. And I was lucky to have you in my life, and your grandmother as well. You both changed me for the better. I know you'll test your limits, Sumire..."
Once Lillian's message ended, their presence both faded away. Sumi fell down to her knees, shocking Ruri. The woman was openly crying, covering her mouth with her hand. She was shaking as she couldn't hold it anymore. Next to her, Senku's eyes were wide, and his hand clenched into a fist as his nails dug into his skin.
"I think..." He spoke up thickly, and restrained as he felt like his voice would break. Sumi looked up at him as he sounded...raw. "We'll have a look around before we go back."
"T-Thank you, Ruri...for everything that you've told us," Sumi managed to say to the priestess.
Ruri stood up after a few seconds. "Okay. I'll be at the village with the others," She responded to them.
"Yeah..." Senku murmured quietly and she turned around. She then walked off without looking back, leaving the two alone. Then there was silence as Senku glanced to Sumi's cheeks getting stained with her tears. The moon highlighted how glossy her face was right now. He bent down to grab her hand and waist, slowly helping her up. She didn't react as she continued to sob and he looked towards the tombstone. He had a blank face towards it, still holding Sumi.
"Right," He let out a small sigh, getting her attention. She slowly stopped sobbing, but didn't look at him just yet. "So that was thousands of years ago now, huh? Back when I was still alone in the dark, just counting hundreds of millions of seconds," He let out a chuckle, but this time it was much sadder. Sumi blinked slowly at him, wondering what was going on through his head. He tried to seem unaffected by all this...but she could tell that wasn't the case. "Really takes me back. Yeah...it really does."
Sumi felt him quivering as she looked up. She was taken aback as he gritted his teeth, looking frustrated. Sumi's eyes then widened to see a single tear roll down his cheek as it dripped onto the tombstone. She knew that he needed some comfort, but wasn't going to hug him. She knew him better than that...even if it was the first time ever she had seen him cry. She slowly reached out to his face with both hands, and he flinched in shock when she held his cheeks. Sumi frowned silently as more tears were in his eyes, but they didn't escape him. She then slowly rubbed her thumb against his tears to get rid of them and he blinked at her, seeing that she was still crying too...yet her main concern was him. Then memories of her flashed in his eyes, including when they met as kids and when they revived. She slowly dropped her hands away from his face. Before she could move away, Senku grabbed her by the waist and hugged her tight, hiding his face in her shoulder. She gasped from his warmth; he had never hugged her like this before...like if he let go, she would disappear.
"Sumi..." He shook while gripping her clothes tight in his fists, but not enough to hurt her. "Heh...you'll always be here...right? Even when I'm alone?" He whispered, some tears falling onto her shoulders. She closed her eyes and moved her arms underneath his to hug his shoulders. It didn't hit her until now...how lonely he felt just counting...and she knew he felt that way, but he always had to shoulder that himself...
"Yeah...even when we're apart...I'll always be with you..." She whispered and they didn't say anything else. Both of them had the comfort they needed in each other. The two then sank to their knees, still hugging each other tight by the graves of those who they always thought of. Sumi continued to cry in his shoulder while mourning Byukaya and Lillian, and he stroked the back of her head while allowing her to let it out. In turn, she gripped his shoulders while letting him be vulnerable for a rare time in his life. It felt like minutes passed as all they could hear were their own heartbeats. Eventually, grief and crying had turned into accepting what had happened. Senku slowly let go of her, standing up to wipe the remaining tears from his face. He looked towards the stars, and Sumi looked up at him while blinking. She was silently in awe that his confidence had returned. He let out a chuckle as he smirked, his red eyes burning as he looked towards the skies.
"Sorry if I stained your clothes with my messed-up face. We'd probably be royally screwed without your souvenirs. Might've taken a few millennia. But we gladly accept them," He reached out his hands towards Sumi, keeping his smirk directed at her. "Although, I'd be even more so without you, Sumi. Your life is invaluable to me."
She flushed at his words as he took her hands. Her heart was racing as he helped her up and she smiled happily. "My life wouldn't be as fun without you in it, Senku," The two interlocked their hands, staring into each other's eyes. "So your life is precious to me too," She grinned as she tugged him along and he stumbled, causing them both to fall into the violet flowers. They rolled around a bit, with her landing on top of him. They looked at each other wide-eyed at their position before giggling. She pressed her forehead to his as they had soft grins on their faces. Her child-like behavior in times like this was rubbing off on him, and that was for the better. He didn't know what he'd do without it...His eyes softened while looking up at her, admiring her in the moonlight. To him, she looked absolutely beautiful, especially with the way her red hair was like flames.
"Thank you, Sumire...for putting up with me all these years," He spoke softly and she stared down at him while blinking. "I don't know how you do it."
She smiled softly back at him. "Experience, I guess. Although you did warn me when you offered me the chance. But I still would've said yes...because it was from you," She revealed and he sat up with a grin towards her.
"Sap."
"Hey!" She protested and he looked to her pouty lips. He thought about it, but it would change everything if he did. Although her lips were tempting him right now...he held her cheeks, and she blinked in surprise. She then flinched while blushing, wondering if he was doing what she thought he was doing. Instead, he leaned down to leave a light kiss on her nose and her eyes fell a little from his action. She was not expecting that, but she accepted it. The two stared at each other breathlessly while looking into their eyes, trying to stay there as long as possible...but then he stood up with a smirk, helping her up. "Come on. Let's head back, I'm sure the village is all drunk by now." She stared at him as he started to walk, as something was still on her mind.
"Senku...can I ask a question?" Sumi looked up at him, clenching a fist.
"Mm," He simply responded and she took a deep breath while walking towards him.
"Are you...mad that I didn't tell you about Lillian?" He silently opened his eyes and she continued, her eyes closed sadly. "It's not that I didn't want you to know, but...over time, I understood that if it got out, my life wouldn't have been the same again. The media would've went after me if they knew what happened to my parents. People would've only wanted to be my friend because of who she was." Over time, as she grew older, she had come to terms that Lillian just wanted her to live a normal life, be a normal kid—well, as normal as Lillian considered her. There would've been a lot of gossip or drama, and a lot of appearances she would've had to made. But also...she wouldn't have science if she and Lillian had told people sooner than later. The media would've twisted everything, and sure, they could've ignored it. But if Sumi walked around school or Japan with that weighing on her...it would've been too much.
Senku let out a chuckle and she turned to him in confusion. "Well, now that I know, do you still think I'd do something like that?"
"No..." She answered quietly with her head down.
"We're in the stone world, remember? So I couldn't care less who you live with, back then and now," He stood in front of her and she was confused as he put a hand on her head. "The only thing that's important...is you."
She gasped as it hit her that he wouldn't have treated her differently. He just cared that she was safe and loved by someone, though he'd never say that out loud. She shed a tear and it rolled down her face as she looked up at him. "Wow...now who's the sap?" She asked while her voice broke a little.
"Heh, hilarious. Now I know what it's like to be you. Stop crying, you'll ruin your eyes at this rate," He chuckled a little and she giggled, wiping her eyes with the back of her wrist. He could understand why she did what she did. And really...it still wouldn't change the fact that she was his science partner. All that mattered was that she was still herself, even if living with Lillian was hard since she couldn't talk about it. And now that she had told him, she felt so relieved to get it out there. Though when the world was brought back...would it even matter if she told people?
"You probably did too, don't act like it's just me," She teased while walking past him. He blinked at her response and grinned evilly. He caught up with her and started ruffling up her hair. "NO! Okay, okay, I give!" She cried out at this.
"Ha ha ha, nope, you started it!" He replied in a cheeky way.
Both of them continued to walk off, Sumi glancing back at Byukaya's gravestone when Senku wasn't looking. She smiled to herself, knowing that if he was here today...she would've thanked him for everything he did for her. And for Lillian, she didn't know if she could've called her Mom...but Lillian was the real hero to her. She and Senku held hands while getting further away, the two getting on each other's nerves but in a good way.
The night was still young while the villagers were still celebrating. There was lively chatter throughout the festivities. Gen was turning down a drink, holding up his hands. "Thanks for the offer, but I'm strictly a Cola man."
"Never heard of it!" The villager replied back innocently.
Gen smiled tightly at the two. "I wouldn't be able to talk business if I got drunk. And now that the village is gathered, I've got a message to deliver."
"Yeah?" He gasped while looking up to see Senku and Sumi arriving. The two had stopped holding hands at this point, since they'd get teased and questioned if they continued it. Sumi was hugging herself underneath her chest. "Well, let's hear it then, mentalist. What have you got?" Kohaku, Chrome, and Suika looked up at the two.
Sumi smiled a little while giving a two-finger salute in greeting. "It's the same message you wanted to tell us before the Grand Bout, isn't it?" She guessed correctly, putting her arm back down while standing to Gen's right side.
"We can take a guess. The Tsukasa Empire?" Senku questioned next, and there was silence. Then Gen had a manic smile, looking back at them sinisterly.
"He's coming!" He responded tensely to them. "And he's bringing an army!"
This earned shocked gasps from the Kingdom of Science. They all had wide-eyed looks from what he said. However, Senku and Sumi weren't fazed. In fact, after their moment in the cemetery, they were more than confident at what was to come.
"Is that so? We'll be ready for them," Sumi smirked at them.
Senku had his usual smirk while chuckling. He then clenched his fists. "Sounds like we'll finally get the chance to show them what the Kingdom of Science is made of! Are you guys ready? Get excited!"