(A/N: I hope you're ready for the second chapter because I sure am. This marks the start of my OC's life in the Stone World, which I'm very excited to write and I hope there's someone out there who's excited to read.
This chapter takes place towards the end of season one, though I can't say exactly when. My estimate is approximately between episodes 17 and 25, though I lean slightly more towards the former if I'm being honest here.
I'm not sure how long it's going to be when it's done, but I doubt it'll be too long. I hope everyone has a great time reading this chapter.)
I-o-Y-*0*-Y-o-I
…Turn it up and sing along
We all work 'til the daylight's gone
We all knock off the edge around five
Fall in love with a kiss on Friday night
And we've all had a broken heart
We've all closed down a few good bars
Take a look around, y'all
Tell me I'm wrong
Ain't the whole wide world just one big country song?
It's just one big country song
She felt the most recent spell of near-unconsciousness fade as her mind began to clear once again. It happened so many times she could not remember when she lost count.
How long has it been? Hours? Days? Weeks? Months? Years? I can't stop now, I have to keep going. I'll rest when I get out of this. Something more complicated next, maybe Beethoven?"
Since the day her body was turned into stone, all she did was recite the songs she had listened to and learned how to play from memory. She would switch between songs written by artists and bands from hers and her parents' time to the classical music written by composers throughout history. By doing so, she kept herself consciously active and awake.
E… E… F… G… G… F… E… D… C… C… D… E… E… D… D… E… E… F… G… G… F… E… D… C… C… D… E… D… C… C… D… D… E… C… D… E… F… E… C… D… D… E… E… F… G… G… F… E… D… C… C… D… E… D… C… C…
"Okay, what next?"
Though she occupied her mind with music for an uncertain amount of time, it was difficult to ignore the negative voice that often screamed at her. It always told her the same thing: "Who are you fooling? You'll never break free; you'll be a statue forever!"
She tried to ignore it, but it seemed to become louder with each passing moment. Whenever it became louder, she began to believe its words could be true.
"No! No, no, no! Push those thoughts out of your head! Auntie wouldn't let some voice in her head stop her, so you shouldn't either!"
Her thoughts drifted to her aunt often, even more so than whenever she thought about her parents. They were very close in age and grew up together for the first decade of her life. They had such a resemblance to each other that people would often mistake them for sisters, and, truth be told, she occasionally forgot that she was her niece.
Her grandmother died when her aunt was very young, and by that time her mother and father were living together. Her grandfather fell to pieces like a broken glass and started to drink heavily, essentially leaving his youngest daughter to fend for herself. It was during that time, however, when she discovered her love for music after she found a discarded record in the trash.
When her parents got married and bought a house, her mother took in her much younger sister to give her a better life and more opportunities to achieve her dreams. A little over a year after that day, she was born and raised alongside her.
While they were growing up, they would often sing and play music together, though her aunt was never as well-versed with instruments as she was. When she was old enough, they started to write their own songs, many of which would later become the most successful for both of them.
Her great-grandfather was still alive when she was born, it was not until a few years later that he finally died after a long life of nearly one hundred years. He would sit her on his lap while he told his granddaughter and great-granddaughter his story of how he made it to America. Despite how long it had been, he remembered every detail, he would tell them that every wave on the ocean was only "one small step" closer to reaching the final destination.
"You really were something, weren't you, grandpa?"
If he was still alive when the strange green light enveloped the world, she was almost certain he would somehow manage to survive being turned into stone. She mused that it would not have been much different from enduring the choppy Atlantic Ocean in his eyes.
Remembering her great-grandfather had her thinking about the song again. She always made sure to return to her aunt's music every so often in order to remember all of them. A part of her doubted she would forget them as one of the writers for many of the songs, but it was the least she could do.
Nowhere to turn,
Nowhere to hide
Between a rock and a hard place
Someone to find
I know the times are tough,
Just down and out
Putting my faith in tomorrow
I'm ready to go
But I don't know where to start
Each and every road seems to be calling to me
Pulled in every which way,
So I made my own path
A deep breath,
And my best foot forward
One small step from zero
I'm not afraid
Cuz the world that we want is right here for us to make
Just taking one small step to hero
I'll take the chance
And when I do
I'll be thinking of the same thing I always do
It's always you
Suddenly, after a seemingly unending amount of time of nothing but darkness, she could see a speck of light. She thought it was nothing at first, just some kind of illusion, but it never dimmed and it seemed to become brighter.
"What is this? This has to be my mind playing tricks on me, right? No, this is too real. I can actually see it and it's not going anywhere."
For the first time in a while, she tried to move, but she was still unable to. Nevertheless, she was not about to give up, the light was still there, as though it was telling her to keep trying.
She decided to continue with the song, thinking the light might become brighter if her mind remained active. It might have been hypothetical, but it gave her genuine hope for the first time in a very long time.
We try to find
The passion inside
A flame that will never burn out
Something that's mine
I did it on my own,
No looking back
Wishing for my time to shine
No way to know,
So I'll just follow my heart
Each and every road seems to be calling to me
I'll keep moving on,
So there's no looking back
A deep breath,
And my best foot forward
As she hoped, the light became brighter and seemingly larger as well. She could hardly believe it and a part of her still considered the possibility it was a trick of the mind.
Suddenly, her ears, which heard nothing but her own thoughts for the longest time, picked up the faint sound of cracking. It was at that moment when she saw the reason why she could see the light… the stone shell around her body was chipping away.
"This isn't a trick, this is real!"
Once again, she tried to move her limbs, and finally managed to move her hand as she felt small stone fragments fall from her fingers. Unfortunately, that was all, most of her hand was still petrified and she could not move any other part of her body.
"Don't lose hope, you've gotten this far. Keep going with auntie's song."
One small step from zero
To start again
If we want,
To be strong,
Have to believe that we can
Just taking one small step to hero
To make a change
And start brand new,
I'll be wishing for the same thing I always do
It's always you
It only took mere seconds for more fragments to start falling as she felt large cracks travel up her body. The light she had been staring at as her salvation gained color and soon blurry shapes followed. All she could see was green of various tones and shades.
She could hardly believe her own eyes at that point, it was like an unreachable dream. However, she knew this was not a dream, she was convinced of that.
"You're almost out of this, keep going!"
All the hope we have
Is right here in our hands
The future's left unseen,
Just a blank page
All the strength we need is right here in me
Just need one small step
To carry on
Just taking one small step from zero
I'm not afraid
Cuz the world that we want is right here for us to make
Just taking one small step to hero
I'll take the chance
And when I do
I'll be thinking of the same thing I always do
It's always you
Stone fragments fell from her body to the ground like raindrops. She closed her eyes as she was overwhelmed by the light becoming greater.
She kept them shut for a moment, afraid of what she might see. What if she had awakened in a dystopian society? Or a barren world destroyed by radiation? Even if she found herself in either scenario, did that make the world any less of what she and the rest of humanity left behind?
'No,' a part of her mind subconsciously thought.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she opened her eyes to see what had become of the world. The first thing she was met with was a lot of greenery, she had awakened in a forest. It was lush and full of life, reminding her of a national park she visited as a child.
It could almost be peaceful if not for the statues she saw everywhere. She was not dense, she knew what they were; the 'statues' were human beings.
She glanced at every petrified person she could see in the area and her breath halted for a brief second when she noticed two very familiar ones. Her parents were only a few feet in front of her, they were holding each other with terrified and saddened looks on their faces.
'They must've seen that light turn me into stone,' she deduced with a frown.
Even after what she could only assume was centuries, they managed to stay close to her, no matter what Mother Nature tried to separate them. They never drifted too far from each other, they might have been closer than they were that fateful day.
Suddenly, she felt something fall around her shoulders, draping over her body. It felt like a leather blanket, she held it close to herself to protect her indecency.
A large hand placed itself on her shoulder and she lifted her head up to see a vaguely familiar man. Tsukasa Shishio, known as the "strongest primate high schooler," she remembered seeing him on television and social media.
He smiled softly at her, a smile she could tell was only partially genuine, "Nice of you to join us, Akami Ishida-Weinberg."
She was almost surprised that he would address her with her full last name; most people simply used "Ishida" or "Weinberg," but rarely the two together. Only she, her parents, and a select few knew she had the surnames of both sides of her family.
She had her suspicions about why he would do this and she knew that none would end well, 'What does he want? What's his endgame?'
He looked down at her almost expectantly, like he was waiting for her to say something. Instead, she was silent with only the sound of her breathing escaping her lips.
Sensing her hostility, he waved his hand, motioning for an attractive blonde woman in her twenties wearing a wine-colored dress and a strange headband with horns to step forward. She was holding a folded outfit in her arms, which she could tell was made primarily from animal hides and furs.
"Please, come with me to change in a more private place," she smiled at her warmly. Unlike the one Tsukasa gave her, she sensed no ulterior or negative emotions.
As she followed the woman, she noticed how there were a handful of mostly large, muscular men behind him. Some stared at her with lust in their eyes and she nearly snorted in disgust. One man, who was shorter and thinner than the others, wearing a yellowish, light orange outfit with a cap on his head of white hair, gave her a kind smile as he glanced at her with equally kind turquoise eyes.
She was led to an area further into the forest, where the trees provided a relatively thick coverage from prying eyes. She was given a crude, long-sleeved animal skin gown with fur lining the cuffs, collar, and hem. A peach-colored cloth was wrapped between the skirt and bodice like a ribbon.
The woman giggled, "I didn't introduce myself, did I? I'm sorry. I'm Hokutouzai Minami, I used to be a reporter in the old world."
"I guess you already know who I am," she remarked jokingly, fixing her new outfit.
"Oh, of course!" she smiled, bringing her hands together near her head. "A high schooler who made her fame with her talent to play any instrument handed to her."
'First time someone recognized me for my skills before my relation to my aunt,' she thought, her face lighting up slightly.
"Not to mention, who wouldn't recognize Lillian Weinberg's niece? You look so much like her, you know?" she winked.
'Yep, sounds about right,' she mentally deadpanned. "What does Tsukasa want with me?"
She blinked in surprise, half due to her suddenly speaking flatly and half from the question itself, "You'll have to ask him that yourself. I really don't know to be honest. My job is picking who should be revived."
'Revived?' she repeated in her head. "What are you talking about?"
"Tsukasa used this special mixture called the revival fluid to break you out of the stone," she responded. "With how fast the stone was falling off of you, you might've woken up on your own. Or so I believe from what I've heard from Tsukasa."
She looked down at the ground as she laughed to herself, 'I guess what felt like a million years breaking out was really less than a minute.'
"We better go before they leave without us," she told her flippantly.
She nodded, "Yeah, let's go."
While waiting for them to return, Tsukasa noticed that his white-haired comrade seemed to be lost in his thoughts. He had his arms crossed with an indiscernible expression on his face while his eyes shifted.
"What's on your mind, Ukyo?" he asked, breaking him out of the almost trance-like state.
"Oh! Uh, I guess I was just trying to figure out why you would want to revive her," he replied honestly with beads of nervous sweat on his temple. "I mean, she was a celebrity in the old world."
"That's true," he acknowledged. "I revived her because I felt her skills as a musician could be useful."
"Forgive me for sounding blunt, but what if she winds up like Gen?" he questioned.
He held back a chuckle, "She won't. Any one of the people I've revived could end up like Gen, though I have a feeling she will not. And besides," he began to walk towards a couple of petrified humans, "she may not have a choice."
"Wait, what are you doing?" he asked nervously.
Although his strength was his hearing, he was not blind and he was certain Tsukasa would have noticed it as well. The stone people had a very strong resemblance to her, especially the woman, they had to be her parents.
As Minami led her back to the group, she explained the type of world Tsukasa aspired to create, "You see, he believes that the world was purified by someone for some reason and he wants to rebuild it, but without the old powers. Basically, he wants a world where everyone is free to do whatever they want without worrying about paying taxes and things like that."
'Rubbish,' was her first immediate thought. However, vocally, she kept her tongue guarded, "That's… interesting."
"I was on the fence about it at first, but just look at all we have to appreciate now," she gestured at the forestry surrounding them. "And we don't have to worry about it being destroyed by some hideous condos or something."
"How does he plan to accomplish this?" she inquired. "As admirable as it sounds, it feels more like a pipe dream."
"By not reviving anyone who had power in the past," she answered. "He believes that only the young and pure-hearted should be revived. He ensures that no one else could get revived by destroying their statues."
Her eyes became wide with fear, "Destroy…?"
Without thinking, she ran as fast as she could through the forest, leaving a very surprised and shocked Minami behind. If her worries were correct, her parents were in danger.
"Hey, wait!" the older woman called out to her as she tried to catch up with her.
She let her guide her through the woods as a formality and show politeness, but she already knew her way back. During the entire walk, she was observing the area and taking mental pictures of landmarks.
As she neared the place where the group waited, she saw a sight that made her heart drop, Tsukasa was approaching her petrified parents. She had no idea what his intentions were, if he planned to destroy them or not, and she could care less. The only thing she cared about was stopping him and saving her parents.
Tsukasa raised a hand to her parents and only a second later, he was shocked by a pair of hands pushing him back. The force was surprisingly strong, but not enough power to knock him down or even lose his balance, just enough to make him take a step back.
He looked down to see Akami in front of him with the angriest look he had ever seen. The fire he saw in her eyes reminded him of the blonde primitive village girl he encountered after slashing Senku's neck.
"What the hell are you doing?!" she yelled.
Behind him, he could hear what his men were saying: "Hey, did ya see that?" "She's a feisty one." "Whaddya think Tsukasa's gonna do?" "Maybe he's into it?" It was honestly often a struggle for him not to roll his eyes.
"The only way to ensure this world never becomes like the old one," he calmly replied to her.
"By killing my parents?!" she exasperated in utter disbelief. "How would that solve anything you want to achieve? They did nothing wrong."
"Oh? Didn't they pull you out of school for a music career?" he asked bluntly. "Wouldn't good parents want their daughter to have an education and friends?"
It was almost hypocritical of him to ask questions like that when he rarely attended school himself. There were times when he considered dropping out entirely in order to focus solely on fighting.
Her palm collided with his cheek, a reaction he knew he should have expected. It was a surprisingly strong slap, if he was to believe the stinging sensation on his own face.
Her voice was strong, and he could hear a hint of venom in her words, "You piece of shit, don't you dare talk about them like that! That was my choice, I wanted to keep doing it, my parents encouraged me and homeschooled me to finish my education."
It was clear that no matter what he said, she would defend her parents and their actions. An insult to them was an insult to their honor and to her.
Minami had finally arrived back to the group, out of breath, but when she saw Akami slap Tsukasa, she let out a panicked shriek and grabbed her shoulders, "I'm sorry, Tsukasa! She just took off and I-"
"It's okay," he cut her off calmly. "Minami, could you tell the men to start heading back?"
The question surprised both of the young women, but especially the older of the two, "Wh- why? I- I mean, are- are you sure?"
He nodded, "Yeah, it's fine. We'll catch up in a minute."
"Okay, then." She walked away from them with a tint of blush on her cheeks, "Hey, Tsukasa says we should go back."
The group began to head back to the empire's encampment. Ukyo, however, stayed behind, he wanted to ensure that nothing serious happened between them.
"It's clear that we've reached an impasse," he surmised. "If I destroy their statues, then I constantly have to worry about you betraying me. So, how about a compromise?"
Although suspicious, she agreed to listen to him, "Alright."
"If you join our cause, I'll spare their statues," he declared.
Her face softened momentarily before narrowing her eyes, "How do I know you won't destroy them later?"
"You don't," he uttered admittedly. "All I can give you is my word."
She looked at the ground as she considered it before raising her head, gazing at him with fiery eyes, "That's not enough. I have to know they'll be safe."
"They will be," Ukyo spoke up. "I know the exact location of their statues and my hearing is strong enough to hear if something happens to them." He placed his hand on his chest, "I promise you, nothing will happen to them as long as I'm around."
She inhaled deeply and exhaled out a sigh, "Alright, I'll join you. But one thing happens to my parents, I can promise you that a slap will be the least of your concerns."
He smiled softly at her agreement and turned around, walking in the same direction as Minami and the rest of the group, "Come, it's time to return to our home base. I think you'll like meeting everyone else."
She let out a long breath, relieved to have the tension lifted from her shoulders. She then gave a grateful smile to the white-haired male, "Thank you, Mr…"
"Oh, you can just call me Ukyo," he grinned with the slight wave of his hand. "And it's no problem. They're your parents, I understand that you want to be reunited with them one day."
"Yeah, I do," she uttered thoughtfully. "I'm just glad that I know they're alright and that I can see them again one day." She looked down at the ground, "I just hope that nothing really does happen to them."
His eyes widened for a second before he frowned sympathetically, "I meant what I said."
Her eyes moved up to look at him, "Huh?"
His brows furrowed as he gazed at her with earnestness in his eyes, "I'll make sure nothing happens to them, you can believe that. Tsukasa may not be able to give you his word, but I can."
She stared at him and his words as she felt her cheeks become warm slightly. She tried to say something to him, but she could move her lips or even think of anything to say.
"Come on. We better go before we get left behind," he smiled, pointing his thumb in the direction Tsukasa walked in.
She nodded with a blank expression, "Right."
I-o-Y-*0*-Y-o-I
(A/N: I guess this is as good a spot as any to stop. To be honest, I was going to extend it a little more, but as I started thinking about it, I didn't think it would fit well with the way it was going. So, I'll probably end up saving it for the next chapter.
The song at the beginning is the ending of "One Big Country Song" by LOCASH. (Fun fact about Akami, she grew up listening to country music and she considers it a guilty pleasure.) The classical song following it is called "Ode to Joy" by Ludwig van Beethoven.
If you're wondering why Tsukasa says her name as "First Name, Last Name" instead of the traditional Japanese "Last Name, First Name," it's because she grew up in America and he was trying to be respectful of the cultural differences. Because of her sort of mixed upbringing, she has a habit of switching between both ways of addressing people (just be on the lookout).
I'm pretty tired, so I'm going to end it here, but I hope some of you will stick around for the next chapter. Until the day comes, stay safe.)