Together - A Senku Ishigami Love Story (Dr.Stone)

Chapter 8

Tachi's eyes opened slowly, her vision blurred and her head aching. She blinked slowly, the world around her coming back into focus. Bright sunlight burned her eyes, her hand raising to cover them from the blinding light. The sounds of people's voices were distant but distinct, and the ground below her was slatted and hard.

"Ah, so you're awake."

She jumped away from the voice quickly, her bitten arm slamming against the side of the makeshift cage wall behind her. A hiss escaped her as she pulled the damaged appendage closer to her. Her angered eyes settled onto the source of the voice, another person seated across from her, a young man with spiked brown hair and large matching eyes. Her head whipped around her quickly and she growled, she was in a large wood constructed cage, amongst what seemed to be other empty cages. Capturing the gaze of the brown eyed boy again she sneered, uneasy about every aspect of her current situation..

"What the hells going on?!"

His blue clothing was ripped in places, the left arm completely torn away, a rope tied loosely around his waist. A low sigh escaped him after a deep breath and he rested his head back against the wooden slats, gazing up to the slightly obscured clouds.

"We've been captured by the outsiders."

His head fell forward, curious eyes locking onto her intently. He didn't recognise the girl seated before him, and that she was in the cage with him made it clear that she wasn't one of the outsiders. His curiosity had been building as she slept across from him, giving him time to study her features carefully, she was definitely unknown to him, and that was almost exciting.

"Which makes me wonder. If your not an outsider, and your not from the village, then just where did you come from?"

Tachi smirked at him before chuckling quietly, rubbing her injured arm carefully and folding her legs beneath her.

"Well when a mommy and a daddy love each other very much-"

The boys faced hued scarlet and he shook his head quickly, his fists balling by his side and his eyes screwing closed.

"That's not what I meant!"

"Hey! Quiet down in there sorcerer!"

A blonde haired male slammed a staff against the side of the cage, glowering down at the prisoners. He knelt after his predatory gaze settled onto Tachi, a wicked grin stretching across his lips, his thick fingers scratching at the thick blonde stubble on his chin.

"Oh so you're awake now hmm? Well you may not have been who we were looking for, but I'm sure we'll find use for a little buttercup like you huh?"

He licked his lips, Tachi dry heaving loudly at his words, much to the mans annoyance. His grin fell and he frowned at her before he straightened back up, his blue eyes darkening with malice at her obvious dejection.

"You'll change your mind soon enough."

He walked away from them, heading back towards a hut a little off from them. Tachi didn't take much time to take in the rest of the camp, but much caught her attention before she turned away from it. She briefly glimpsed a few other crudely constructed huts, clay like walls topped with straw roofs, not all that different from the shelter and laboratory of her own camp, though admittedly, these looked quite a big sturdier. A large bonfire was lit in the centre of them, in an area where the grass had long since been trampled out of existence, the earth surrounding it dry and dusty. The sound of the river running was quiet but still audible, seeming to come from behind them, a glance over her shoulder explained the source or noise, they were on a cliffs edge, set back from it around 10 metres. She could see clearly across to the others side, the crumbling rock face staring back at her. How long had it been just herself and Senku? Then they had taken months to awaken Taiju... Yet there was a whole village out here? Possibly more than one, Chrome had called this the Outsiders village... so he had to come for a different one right...? Two villages, minimum, and they had never heard nor seen another living soul in all this time other than each other. Just what else...who else was out here passed the boundaries of their explored territory? Closing her eyes she shook her head briefly, pulling herself back into the moment. The mans words still sat fresh in her mind, her frown returning and her wonder and curiosity pushed to the back of her mind. First she had to get out of this situation, and then she could better asses it. She locked her attention onto the brown haired boy, determination setting in quickly. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, that's what she had heard said, so like it or not, the apparent 'sorceror' locked in here with her was coming along for the ride.