Sorry for taking so long...
Senku took out a wooden device from one of his bags. Closing one of his eyes, he brought the unidentified wooden object with a complex form closer to his open eye. He looked at the sky as if he was looking for something, making a weird grimace in the process.
"What's that Senku?" Taiju asked pointing at the wooden object.
"It's a sextant."
"Pfft!" You giggled at the name.
"Get your mind out the gutter Ponytail..."
"Oof-" Your cheeks turned red in embarrassment. Yuzuriha giggled at your blushing face. You hid your face behind your hands in shame
"It's been 36.670 seconds since the sun rose today...." Senku calculated with such ease, it made all of you average at math underlings look at him in awe.
"So um... What does it do Senku?" Yuzuriha asked hesitantly.
"It should be able to help us understand where we are based on the position of the sun and the moon in the sky. But since currently, it is made out of garbage, it's accuracy is equally trashy."
"Oh don't say that Senku, you'll hurt sextant-kun's feelings~" You chimed in with a playful smile.
"Wood has no feelings Ponytail..."
Another oof- moment. Why was Senku being so mean to you today?
.
.
.
"And that's why the guys are now two years older than us!"
"Waaaaa.... Seriously!?"
"Yup!" You nodded. You were filling in Yuzuriha with what had happened during the time she was petrified. You were trying your best to cheer her up and try to get her mind off from what happened just a few hours earlier, her crying when she finally realized how much time had passed and how everything known to humanity until then had disappeared.
"You know..." You came closer to her and whispered playfully. "When Taiju's birthday comes in a few months he will be an adult right?" You smiled slyly and wiggled your eyebrows.
"Huh?" Yuzuriha stared blankly at you. Gradually her face bacame redder and redder just like a tomato. "Y...Y/N!!!! What's that supposed to mean?!" She shouted, glaring at your smirking face.
"Yuzuriha!? Are you okay!?" Taiju turned his head to look at you from several meters ahead of you. You brushed his concern off.
"I said nothing!" You giggled as Yuzuriha looked at you with a cute pout. "You are the one who took my words and, ahem" You fake coughed. "- my facial expression the wrong way!"
"For the last time..." You glanced back at the panting and obviously out of stamina Senku, who was left behind from your group, just for that reason. Having overhead bits of yours and Yuzuriha's conversation he understood why Yuzuriha was being shy. "Get your mind of the gutter, you Perverted Fangirl!" He said, also referring to the first time he said that to you, a few hours earlier when you giggled right after he said the word "sextant", the tool he used to figure out the right direction that lead to Hakone.
'I haven't heard that nickname in a long time...' You smirked. "Ara ara~ I can help it Onion Head~ I AM a fangirl after all~" 'But do answer me this! How did you know what I meant while I teased Yuzuriha if your mind wasn't in the gutter as well? Hmmm~?'👀
You smirked to yourself but stayed silent. It was probably because he just knew you that well...
You turned back and glanced towards the vast and full of trees mountains.
"This is my one true pair and the world must know!" You yelled and heard the echo of your voice saying 'know' all over again, gradually fading, carried by the soft breeze of the mountains. You took a big breath. "Yuzuriha x Tamphdu!?!?"
"Don't. You. Dare..." Yuzuriha put her palm over your mouth just before you could say it. She wouldn't let her secret get exposed so easily. She glared at you but her, otherwise scary glare, wasn't so effective cause of her blushing cheeks. It just made you break into a fit of giggles.
"Ah Yuzuriha~ I missed you so much!" You said hugging her tightly.
"Could you show your affection in another way though?"
"I'm sorry I can't help it~"
The otherwise silent mountains were filled with your loud laughter.
.
.
.
Night time
"Why are you still up big oaf?" Senku looked at Taiju, who had yet to go to sleep, in big disapproval.
"I'll stay awake and guard you in case Tsukasa has been following us!"
"B-but Taiju-kun..."
"Don't worry! I am an endurance monster! I can take it!"
"Even endurance monsters need to go to sleep Taiju!" You looked at him with a grumpy look, you just wanted to go to sleep already... "Besides- Even if Tsukasa returned to the camp just before we left from there, he would have a hard time figuring out where we went! We have left so many misleading clues!" You smiled proudly at yourself cause you were the one who thought of some of them like throwing a bag of berries a bit further away from the camp and almost at the complete opposite direction. That ought to have confused him a lot...
"Big oaf your endurance needs to be recharged." Senku decided to speak up. "Go. To. Sleep." He said in a more dancing authorative voice.
"I-"
"Do it."
Stare~
"..."
"..."
"Okay, okay, I'll sleep."
"Finally!"
.
.
.
Huff! Huff! Pant!
"Are you absolutely SURE that you don't want me to push?" You worriedly asked Taiju who was pulling a crude raft you guys had quickly made. According to Senku's calculations you had to go through this river to get to your destination. Quite unfortunately the river's current was against that.
"Don't worry about it Y/N-chan~"
Your eyebrows forrowed in worry. You couldn't not worry about Taiju, who always got out of his way to make sure you were alright.
"Hmph!"
SPLASH!
"WHAT WAS THAT!?" Taiju said freaking out from the sudden loud splash sound. Had someone fallen of the raft? He stopped quite abruptly and turned around to look at the occupants of the raft. Senku, Yuzuriha and- "Where is Y/N????"
"Over here!" You said raising your hand.
"What the fuck Y/N!?"
You had dived into the river and had already started pushing from behind. You were just tall enough to touch the bottom without your whole body including your head to be dipped into the water.
"What do you think you are doing Y/N!? The river is too deep for you, you'll freaking drown!" Taiju shouted from the other side.
"I'm okay! I'll tell you if I get tired! Anyway, we are already so close! So just pull already Taiju-bro!"
Taiju mumbled various disagreements, yet started pulling the raft by the rope. You made a small triumph cheer internally.
"Sometimes Y/N can be as stubborn as Taiju-kun is..." Yuzuriha nervously laughed.
"She sure can." Senku cracked his neck.
.
.
.
"Oh- my god- we are finally here!" You fell on your knees with the bag you had been carrying coming off loose from your shoulders. Your soul ready to pass out.
"Wow! The view is enchanting here as well~" Yuzuriha said smiling, looking at the sunset. "Hakone was famous for its hot springs... Do you think they are still here Y/N?"
"Hot springs?" Your soul returned to your body. "I surely hope they do! After all this walking (and throwing myself like a dummy into the cold waters of that river) a hot bath would be the best thing to do right now!"
You looked at Taiju who had already started setting up camp, then back at Yuzuriha who was still enjoying the view of the sunset. The sun was just about to set so you gathered the little stamina you had left, stood up and walked towards Yuzuriha so you could enjoy the sunset together. No long after, the last one from your group, Senku, arrived at the top, even more exhausted that you were.
'My lack of stamina will be the death of me...' he miserably thought to himself as he collapsed on the rock hard ground.
.
.
.
"Of course there are still hot springs here Ponytail." Senku said matter-of-factly, when you asked him a while later. The sun had already set. It was pitch black everywhere but a few meters away from the fire Taiju managed to lit up with... Brute force. "If there hadn't been any, we wouldn't even have come here in the first place."
"We came here for the hot springs?" You, Taiju and Yuzuriha asked simultaneously. You and Yuzuriha cheered happily.
Senku sighed. "Of course not! We came here to get the only ingredient left to make the science tool that will beat Tsukasa..."
"Omg we are going to make a smartphone?!?" Taiju gushed once again, just like that day at the beach while you were eating fish with Tsukasa. That day seemed so distant, yet it happened only a few days ago...
"No big oaf! The science tool I am talking about is-" he extended his hand towards the three of you and he pretended that he was holding something.
'No way...' Then it clicked. Your eyes widened upon realising what he was talking about.
"-A gun. Or maybe just gunpowder?"
"10 billion points for Y/N!" He excitedly exclaimed. Usually being rewarded by Senku like this would make you extremely happy but this time around you weren't exactly enthusiastic about being correct."We are so lucky Japan is a country full of volcanoes. Without it we wouldn't be able to get this valuable black powder... Ekekekeke." He gave you his usual mad scientist chuckle.
"But-" You wanted to oppose to making something so dangerous.
"Remember what Tsukasa said after Taiju proposed a deal?" Senku asked, getting some tools out of his bag.
"I don't need a punching bag Taiju. Your deal is useless."
"Y-Yeah..." You said timidly.
"It means that he is willing to negotiate, as long as we offer him something useful. It'll give us an advantage of fire power as well." You imagined total group points in your head, like in games.
Team Tsukasa:
Fire Power: 24
Team Senku:
Fire Power: 9 + 100 (from gun) = 109
'It surely will give us an advantage. But what happens if Tsukasa doesn't accept? Or if he does accept but decides to use the gunpowder against us...'
Senku snapped you out of your thoughts by handing you a tool.
"What are we gonna do with this?" You asked and looked at the tool in your hand. It was light and easy to carry around.
"Mine sulfur. We need it to make gunpowder." He said and started heading towards a rock, leaving Taiju and Yuzuriha behind to enjoy the hot springs a few meters to the opposite direction.
'Mine sulfur... What is this, Minecr*ft?' You followed Senku as he searched on the rocks for the mineral, deciding to take a lit up piece of wood which would make your search more quick. When you finally found it, Senku's eyes lit up in excitement and he started mining, putting the sulfur powder in one of his pouches. You helped him out with your own tool.
'However if negotiations fall through...' Senku's eyes went from happy go lucky to a more darkened expression.
'I'll have to kill him.'
.
.
.
The next morning to say the least a very exciting day.
BOOOOM!
You woke up startled to the loud sound. Having been mining for hours the previous night, you barely dipped your body in their spring before getting out changing to your clothes and passing out.
It literally got a whole explosion to wake you up.
"Oh my God guys are you okay???" You could barely make out Taiju rising up from covering Yuzuriha's body from the explosion. They looked at each other flustered and put some distance in between themselves.
"Our gunpowder cooking session is a success!" You heard Senku's excited voice coming from the other side of the smoke.
"It wouldn't be if you lost a hand from that explosion!" You shouted at him. He just laughed more excitedly. "Quick! Let's put out the flames. We don't want to attract any unwelcome beings..." You grabbed a backet and headed towards the hot spring for water.
"Um... Guys?" Yuzuriha pointed at something deep inside the forest below. It was smoke. "Do you see this?"
Your hands hovered above the ignited powder. All of you collectively looked off to the distance.
"What about it...?" Taiju asked quietly.
"It's just..." A thought crossed all of your minds, except Taiju's cause he is an oblivious boy.
What if....
No one could fathom it.
A random fire in the forest right after you had made that explosion. Was it some kind of a reply?
"Oh no!" Taiju screeched. "It's Tsukasa! He found us!" He was in a state of panic as he stumbled to pack up your things and run away.
"No." Your calm yet hopeful voice brought him to an abrupt stop. "Tsukasa wouldn't be such a fool to give his position away. There is... Someone else! There must be!" You were full with hope. Humans actually survived this stone apocalypse! And they were there just a few hundred meters downhill!
"We don't know that yet!" Senku was the first one to make you land back to reality. "It might have been just a random fire so we'll have to test it out. But if we do that we might give our position away. Tsk." The following he said in a quiet voice "Light the beacon or put out the flames of hope? What shall I do?" He sweated as he tried to figure out the most logical thing to do. You all looked at him with anticipation. 'Damn it! Every inch of my body is telling me not to and yet...' he locked eyes with your e/c ones.
"Light the beacon!"
.
.
.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
You heard the distant explosions, thankfully much smaller than the initial one you made. It has already been a few minutes or so since you started picking up wood for the fire. You were much fired up yourself. The single ray of hope that humans had survived filled you with determination.
'I don't think I can carry any more wood...' You decided to head back. 'I hope this is enough... Where could Yuzuriha be?' You looked around but not finding her anywhere near, it made you rather unseasy. Being alone wasn't one of your favourite things to say the least.
Suddenly you noticed something move swiftly behind you. You quickly turned your head to look behind you, only for your eyes to meet the worst possible thing- no, person at that moment.
Tsukasa.
He was holding Yuzuriha's limp body in his one hand. You were about to scream but before you could even comprehend what was going on his hand cupped your mouth making it impossible to shout for help. He quickly dropped Yuzuriha on the ground and with his other arm wrapped around your waist and arms immobilizing you completely. You looked up and your eyes widened in terror.
Tsukasa... That bastard had seriously caught up with you!
Overcoming the initial shock, you glared at him.
"Now, now, Y/N, you don't have to look at me with such hate..."
"Hmph!" You tried to break free from his grasp but it was no use, he was much stronger.
"I'm assuming Senku is up that hill. You know~ where all this smoke is coming from?" He smirked and started climbing the rocks. You tried to stop him by stomping your feet to the ground but then he raised you high enough for your legs to hang mid-air. This man was just impossible to beat.
'Damn it! Lighting the beacon was a mistake!'
.
.
.
"Damn it all!" You shouted. Senku turned his head and widened his eyes at the sight of you being held against your will pressed forcefully against the chest of the one and only, Tsukasa.
"You..." He muttered as Tsukasa approached closer. "The recipe for the Miracle Water... That's what you want isn't it?" Sweat dripped from his eyebrow. Taiju and Yuzuriha were nowhere to be seen. He was alone against him. A chimpanzee against a lion. That ought to be fun...
"Yes." Tsukasa said matter of factly. "I need it to build the perfect world. Free of the dynasty of the corrupted adults. You already know about it. The perfect world."
You stared confused at Senku. This is the first time you heard about this. Is that what Tsukasa had turned himself against you for? A future utopian world without corruption. What a fool he was...
You took a deep breath in and shouted.
"It's nitric acid and booze! Am I right Onion Head?"
Senku answered with a defeated sigh.
"Of course I am!" You chuckled. It almost sounded like a mad laugh. "So here is the deal Tsukasa! Take me and leave Senku and the others alone! We both benefit no?" You clenched your fists and hoped that this desperate plan of yours would work.
"Hmm... Deal." Tsukasa smirked. "Just one last thing Y/N." He said and looked at Senku smiling.
Both you and Senku looked at each other, you with a worried look, him with a kind of nervous look.
"Senku..." Tsukasa started with a soft look and voice, quite the opposite from what you were used to. "I want you to promise me something." Seeing that Senku stayed silent he continued. "If we met before this... You could have be my first friend." Tsukasa seemed lost in his own world for a while. " However, you will pose a huge threat to me if I let you go and continue with your sciences advances.... So please, promise me this Senku... Abandon science! Let it go! Let it go and I won't have to kill you Senku..."
Tsukasa's soft voice lingered in the air for a while, only to be broken by Senku's soft chuckle.
"I'm sorry Tsukasa. But I can't promise you that."
As if Senku would abandon science. It's his love. His passion.
Tsukasa sighed. His expression turned apathetic and he got ready for the kill. He let go off you and with a quick almost elegant move he hit Senku at the back of his neck. Senku gasped in pain before he quickly lost consciousness.
"No... "
You couldn't believe your eyes. Senku fell on the ground.
No reaction.
It looked like he just fell asleep... But... He was...
"NOOOO!!!! "
He was dead...
Tsukasa looked at you as you stood behind him and cried your eyes out. You had never felt this miserable in your life. You had done everything in your power to make Tsukasa spare the lives of your friends.
And yet...
"You... You broke your promise!" You said glaring at Tsukasa. The sky above you had started getting dark, as if wanted to show its own grief by raining.
"Y/N-"
"Kill me! " You shouted. "Just... Kill me!" You launched towards him.
"I can't-" Tsukasa was taken aback by your sudden outbrust.
"Kill me too, damn it!" You grabbed one of his knives and pointed it's sharp end to your neck. "You killed him..." You said sobbing. "You'll kill my parents too at some point... Because they are 'corrupted adults'... I'll be left all alone..." The realization made you feel even more upset. "Kill me too... Or I'll do it myself... " You looked up to him with a dead serious stare.
He pulled the knife away from you neck and with one swift move he used it's dull end to hit your head and knock you out. He lifted up your limp body up. Softly he swept with his thump the salty tears on you face and disappeared into the rain, leaving a shocked Taiju back.
.
.
.
Heeeeey! Wassup!
Liked this chapter! I surely enjoyed making it! This scene (last from this chapter) was in my mind since the very start! I like how I portrayed the drama.
Next we'll have a few months time skip! Get ready to start seeing stuff from the second season!
-Ponytail Cutie