"So Senku, who are we reviving first?"
"The walking dead" she murmured as she took a sip of water diligently as a small sparkle appeared.
"We're going to wake up everybody eventually. What does it matter who we start with? Although it would suck if we woke up a murderer right off the bat. " he shrugged placing his hands up.
"I see" Taiju reflected.
"I don't feel like choosing who we wake up with. Taiju, it's your choice" he pointed towards the male.
Taiju was stun at Senku's decision but immediately smiled with resolution "Thanks Senku. My answer is obvious!"
"Strong love" she murmured with a gentle smile.
"Taiga"
She turned towards the boy who had a brooding look.
"Taiju, prepare the meal for when we come back"
"IM ON IT!"
"Let go." He commanded her as he turn around and walked away.
"Where?" She asked, yet her feet were already moving towards the boy who didn't respond to her question and just kept walking.
"Where are we going?"
They arrived after a path of continuous questions he evaded and responses that she would see soon. Also the silly playful request for him to give her a piggy back or to carry her at least, which Senku refuted profoundly.
When they arrived, they came across stone pieces that were once her parents that laid on the ground carefully aligned by Taiga. She took a deep, shaky breath he hoped Senku did not hear. She squatted down with an expressionless look. Her head turned towards the boy to ask her question without words even though she had an idea of what was going to happen.
"Let's try." He responded as he approached closer to her. "This may turn one way or the other. You know that well, but one thing is having the vivid image of it."
"I know....I know Senku. I know that best out of all people..." she murmured her last phrase as she turned to look at the stones that attracted her focus like a magnet pulling her in "it's okay, let's go at it." She calmly said as she weaved fake happy energy within her words.
He took the bottle out filled with the miracle water, and he kneeled down and calmly poured the miracle liquid into the shattered pieces.
That moment dragged her feet into the ground and her gaze intently stuck on the stones like for a thousand hours. Or so she felt.
She knew what was expected, she knew it was possible for them to not revive, she knew and even had come to accept the idea of them being dead.
She knew it. She knew it, so why couldn't she defy hope.
Her gaze shook when the stone seemed to melt into a pile of meat that mixed together, as if her parents were dismembered into little, unrecognizable pieces.
The rancid fresh smell tormented her nose. The fresh metallic stinging odor emphasized the view into her mind like those items with scratch and smell tries.
The powerful smell caused her stomach to spiral up her throat. She stood up immediately, placing her hand to her mouth. She closed her eyes and she closed her hand into a fist attempting to drink down her vomit and despair.
He didn't move or say anything. She didn't say anything and remained still.
They stood in their place.
All in silence.
She turned around and she gently smiled at him.
He was looking at her out of place smile.
"Let's go" she said as she walked and pulled Senku up by his coat back into their path home.
"Taiga"
She held the grip of clothing from his hips warily like she always did. "Mm"
"Are you just going to pretend everything is alright"
She stopped and turned around slightly to catch a glance of him, but not allowing him to see her face completely. "I am not..." her voice cracked "I am- not" she turned her head back ahead and began to walk but her hand erratically moved to wipe her tears she insisted weren't there to him and even to herself.
"It's okay to cry. At some point you'll have to release your emotions. It's necessary to release tensions of accumulated vehemence when we encounter a hardship, and it'll be better for you to cry now."
"I know. I just am trying to not break down easily. Otherwise I won't be able to go at it again hehe." She sweetly said as she stopped walking and faced him. She wiped her tears as she began to give off cut off laughs.
She laughed and then she silenced, biting her lip. Her habit. Yet this time it was out of need, he could see her lip trembling on the brim of letting out the cries she necessitated to let go.
She kept wiping her tears every time more and more to the point that she had to keep her hands on her face to attempt to cover her face when she found out she couldn't stop the tears from spawning.
"Sorry." He placed a hand on her head. "I shou-"
"There's nothing you have to apologize. Even if you obliged me to not go and I knew...I would have been stubborn to do so" she laughed as she held a hand on her forehead.
He observed the tigress bite her lip again. He followed his urge to pushed her gently into his chest as he placed his head on hers. "Cry." He smoothly said as he could comprehend how she probably felt but he could only imagine what the female was experiencing after seeing her family into a pile of meat.
He should have experimented beforehand. If he could have known he would have been able to at least give her the opportunity to see her parents even if they were shattered into stones rather than a pile of mixed, unrecognizable meat. He felt responsible for her pain.
She hugged him tightly and she ululate clenching his coat. She snuggled deep into his chest as she hid from the world that was behind her back. Like a scar. A cruel reminder of how life was.
She sniffed her nose up and cried her heart out. Her hand held her heart that ache unbearably. Seeking a way to pull out the pain, but it was inside. Her heart was aching inside her body and even if she knew that, just like the hope she held before, hope stayed for the young female that needed and dreamed of pulling the aching out her heart. Like a little kid dreaming.
Or even pulling her heart out all together. It didn't matter as long as she could bear the pain.
Her mind gyrate in memories. Memories that were her because those memories made her what she was.
Good and bad memories came to her mind. The dreadful ones leading her to a route of guilt that choked her neck tighter into dryness and pain. Her heart clenched at the sweet ones knowing well she wouldn't be able to receive their love again.
Her mind jumped to her memories to her reality. From her cats that starved wondering why they abandon them to their misery to her parents lying in a pile she would have not known were them by sight.
She pushed away coughing to clear her voice as she looked at the ground. "Senku"
"What is it?"
"C-could you please head back before me?"
"Night will come soon, do not go far away." He walked away leaving her behind.
———
"SEN- where Taiga-Chan!?" He inquired as he looked behind Senku as if she were that small to appeared into his view.
"She is in the river to take a shower." He sat down on the log as he accepted Taiju's bowl he handed to him.
"At this time? The sky is becoming dark really fast and you told us we shouldn't navigate it at those times"
"It isn't mandatory to not go into the forest at night. It is just recommended. She'll make it before dark too." He commented as he was saying the truth, but yet, he didn't like it when they went at night out alone.
"She'll probably feel cold!" he ate his soup "AH! Shouldn't we wait for her to come back and eat with us?!"
"It's okay, I'll wait for her and eat twice" his witty remark would have caused a smirk but he couldn't stop thinking about her and the fragile way she looked. One he had shared with her.
"Is everything okay, Senku?"
"Yeah" he began to eat.
"Taiga-Chan should have showered in the morning when the sun was up! The water must be freezing at this time"
Senku gulped his meal "She felt filthy, and compared to us, she does shower when she feels dirty"
"Ah!"
Taiju finished his meal, and he awaited with Senku for Taiga, but Senku told him to recharge his energy for tomorrow needs. Taiju being stubborn insisted that he would wait with Senku and not leave him alone, but Senku reproached that he would be useful and better minded and without eye bags for when Yuzuriha sees him.
"RIGHT. You sure Senku?"
"Ten billion percent , big oaf. I would not be letting you go if I required you to do something else"
Taiju left to sleep, and Senku sat around the fire as the black sky fell upon him like a blanket that didn't calm him down. She wasn't there. She wasn't appearing.
"Baka yaro"
He walked towards the the line where the trees start, looking out the view as if he could see the path to the river. He didn't want to walk all the way there for her, but if she was under trouble he should not leave her alone.
"Senku"
He jumped out his skin, turning to look at the girl that had come out behind the tree beside him.
"There you are. What took you long?!"
She looked behind her and back at his annoyed face with a troubled look.
"I'm sorry Senku, but....they..are close" she murmured
"What?"
"There's something close around our area. More than one." She pointed towards the dark forest that obscured the empty view like a little kid that told its parents a unbelievable story.
"Be more specific Taiga." He asked as he stared at her innocent face that gave no hint to what she was saying.
"I would be if I could." She replied with mild annoyance. "...Predators, I guess"
"Then we can't be roaming off alone"
She nodded as she looked behind again.
"How did you discover the predators?"
"I was walking back and some ruffle of leaves interrupted the natural sounds. So I climbed a tree and stayed there. The animals then sprinted towards the deer that walked right into them."
"We have to be more cautious"
"Guessing by the sounds... cautious four leg animal that hunts by group" she pulled back her invisible glasses, a small sparkle diminishing.
"how are you?" He he held his neck frustrated at her tardiness as he handed her the cold soup.
She gave a thumbs up clearly avoiding his look and question as much as she could without being rude.
"Where's Taiju?"
"He's asleep by now"
"Were you waiting for me?~" She happily inquired with a sense of her playful flirting.
"Yeah, you didn't arrive soon which made me think you were in trouble." He disregarded he time and intentions.
"Thank you" she smiled.
They ate and left to sleep. He wondered if she would cry at night, but every glance he took at her she was staring at the roof with an expressionless look. She raised her hand and created shapes with her hands, since their entrance blanket door kept the light out.
She sat up silently. Wiping her tears off her face as she walked out the room. She was crying. The darkness had succor her to hide them.
He followed her, raising the entrance curtain to peer out to see the tigress sitting on the edge of their tree. Looking at the forest with wonder.
"You're awake"
"I'm sleep walking" she whispered with a gleeful smile despite her slow tears rolling off her cheeks like a slow river.
He sat next to her and he remained silent because he soberly knew there was nothing to say that could comfort her heart.
"This won't comfort you at all, but they lived their life, th-"
"She didn't Senku. And that's what hurts me most" she whispered as she kept looking at her dangling legs that would lead her to a fall with a little push.
"I remember..." she turned to look at him thinking over her words.
Every word said leads someone to think of you differently. No matter what, it always does, and she didn't want to lose him. She didn't want to lose his friendship or cause him to think more or less of her.
But she didn't care, she wasn't thinking because she needed to get it out her chest.
"I remember the screams...I remember her head being bang into the chair as she begged...I remember her surgery due to one of my father's beating. I remember begging in knees to no use . I remember screaming for help. I remember his looks. I remember his infedilities as if they were towards me ... I remember the knifes and...stuff being thrown. I remember catching myself being careful nervous anxious. I remember...."
"My mom never lived Senku!" She cried out. "She never did. She was caged and she was humiliated every single day of her solitary life. Marrying down because of love to my violent unfaithful father who resulted that he didn't love her and he had the audacity to tell her in the face that she never did love him. She lived hell after living hell from her own selfish violent dad too."
"She never had the opportunity to live." She wiped her sticky nose "and she never will...and that's what hurts most" she hoarsely whispered. "Then there's also this in-tranquility that will live with me whenever I remember my family. Especially the ones that weren't stone"
He didn't respond, instead he...he just sat in silence beside her. "There's no use in crying for something you can't do-"
"I know" she wheezed her words.
"But...She must've been grateful to have you in her life"
"I know" she cried out with a small chuckle.
They sat for an hour beside each other enjoying the silence the view gave. Her occasional sniffs from her stuffy nose, her tears endlessly falling down leaving her cheeks sticky. A sensation she was used to. Her pale legs dangling, her soft hand cradle in his, her gaze staring into nowhere ahead. The moonlight hitting her like a melancholic, beautiful Goddess in Senku's eyes.
Until she told him to go to bed.
"Sleep beside me." He laid down "I don't want you to deprive of sleep. You sleep and feel better when you sleep with someone you recognize."
She snuggled close to him as she held his back for support her heart needed.
———
"The time has finally come"
"That water is going to undo the petrification and revive her, right?"
"Yeah, it should" Senku smirked.
"It should?" He repeated as he noted the wording his friend used. Something he wouldn't have noticed, but he did because his absent expression when they were awaiting Taiga told a worried story.
"You never know when something could go wrong" he explained. "But this should work." He handed Taiju the miracle water.
"I'm sorry I kept you waiting for 3700 years Yuzuriha." Taiju nostalgically confessed.
Taiga, was looking at the beautiful scene where two lovers would be reunited, but her sight left it to look into the forest like she usually did. But this time, there was a bad feeling within her guts, and she concluded it to be the chary to be there when she recently saw potential killers.
She giggled at what the boy said.
"Wait, Senku! Yuzuriha's naked"
Senku had a confused face. His eyes widened as he saw two rapid fingers poke his eyes as his friend screamed and he yelled in pain.
She could swear she saw Senku flying off the ground backwards from the impact his eyes received. Ouch.
His friend continued his argument as he imagined the girl he loved naked and vulnerable in a state no man should see her in unless permitted to by her consent.
"We can't! We can't revive her like this!"
"Here we go again with your illogical nonsense..." he held his hand to his eyes as he spoke done with life. "We're in the stone world. It's kinda of an emergency. No ones going to care if your butts showing or if your dick is hanging out."
Taiga was laughing her life out as she held her stomach and wallow on the ground comically. It was bad to laugh at his pain but she couldn't avoid it.
Senku looked at her with his same expression of angry-confuse pain as tears were on the corner of his eyes.
She laughed even more and she slapped the floor.
He was glad she was laughing, but it hurt. How could she laughing so much at his pain.
His head turned to his friend when he claimed Yuzuriha didn't have a dick.
"That's not my point!" he yelled with anger. He was done with those two illogical barbaric bubble heads.
Her laugh ceased and she looked towards the forest with a small smile plastered on her face. She looked at the big boy carry the stone effortlessly
"We have to take her back to the camp and put clothes in her first"
"How heavy is that statue, anyway?"
Taiga looked into the forest as she began to squat down slightly. Her fighting mechanism instinctively approaching.
"Yuzuriha isn't fat"
"That's not my point" Senku said in defeat as Taiju began to walk away carrying the statue over his head.
"Senku" the girl called out in a soft voice causing his head to turn towards her.
Senku kept talking to his friend placing his final point as he turned his head towards the bewildered-face girl that stared at their backs as she squinted her eyes. "I mean, wouldn't it be ten billion times quicker to wake her up and have her walk? How illogical can you beuh-"
For a split second he was studying her worried look, but he was interrupted by a growl. He immediately turned around. His focus off the girl into the forest. "Wait up big oaf!"
The growl silenced, but a roar emerge along with a male lion out the trees. They all yelled inside their throats as they immediately turn to run cutting promptly their scream.
"Why is there a lion in Japan?!"
"Why do you think? It's from the zoo obviously! The staff must've been petrified whi-"
"Save you breath to run idiot!" Taiga yelled as she pushed Senku's to impulse him run more. "There's no time for explanations while we are being chased by lions!"
They kept running, Taiju ahead of them all as he carried the heavy stone, while Senku was being pushed by Taiga to induce Senku's speed.
"IF YOU KEEP PUSHING I'LL TRIP BAKA YARO!!!"
"WELL IF YOU DONT RUN FASTER WE WILL BE THE LION'S MEAL!" She grasped his hand and ran faster until she stopped on the edge of a cliff.
There was no time to react, the lions were meters away from them, and before them was a cliff end who knows how deep and fatal the fall would be.
She looked down wondering the best course of action until she felt herself being pulled forward.
"JUMP!" He clasp her hand tighter pulling her off the cliff without hesitation when he arrived the cliff without stopping to even consider the consequences. "GHAEHAHH"
Senku's hand grasp was ripped off by the velocity they fell and the impact they both got.
One fall was diminished by the tree branches and vines the other fell straight to the floor after being tossed around like a punched volleyball by the branches, landing in a giant rock.
"Gh!" She plummeted her leg into the rock as she felt it shatter. She slid off the rock she had fallen into feeling the rough touch of the rock.
She bit her teeth to impeded her cry of pain as she pushed herself up with her hands. She was out of air from the impact and her body ache. She struggled to breathe again as if she was being hinder to regain her air rhythm.
The floor would have been better fall than the rough, hard, sharp side rock.
The two boys fell in a 'plat' right after as they both got out of air. They slowly raised up grimacing.
They soon forgot about their pain as they heard the growl nearby. The lion was already down.
Taiga stood up with all her body weight and began to run after the two boys that had ran first in terror. One of them glancing behind.
"Why aren't they attacking us though?" Taiju asked as they kept running.
Senku chuckle showing to his friend how that question was obvious as he turned to look ahead. "They've never seen bipedals before. We must look creepy as hell to them."
"We're the only humans in the world" Taiju said
"They're alarm too" he glance back again in search of the girl that had ran faster than any of them, but was nowhere near the front view. "Fasten the pace! You're falling behind!" He yelled as he notice how the tigress was behind near the lions.
A jump from them and they would pull her down.
He slowed down and grasped her hand pulling her forward moments before one of the lions jumped.
She grunted and she forced herself to follow through the motivation and impulse he was providing.
"It's only matter of time now. Even if we get super lucky and make it all the way back to the camp, the best we can do is fight them with spears" Senku explained with a nervous yet exhilarated smirk as he realized the situation they were in.
"Could we possibly hide in our room?" Taiga suggested
"By sheer luck. It's almost impossible to climb the ladder fast enough before the get us." He gritted his teeth "even if we did all accomplish to climb it on time, we would find a dead end when they climb it too."
"This is bad.." she said.
"This game was practically over before it even started." Senku exasperatedly said as he was getting out of breath.
There was a small squeeze Senku felt on his hand that made him glance behind.
"Don't give up Senku. Let's not give up" she silvery commanded.
"Nobody will give up here" he smirked. "Not until the end"
Taiju stopped and threw the statue into Senku who barely caught it.
"CAREFUL! Don't be throwing it around!" She yelled.
"I can't let you die Senku. You or Taiga-Chan! You're humanity's last bastion, the only one with scientific knowledge and she's the girl your eyes brighten up to. If it comes down to it, I'll be your guy's shield."
"NO!" Senku and Taiga screamed out.
"Think it over logically! I'm the brains you're the brawn. We can't lose either one!" Senku explained in a rush.
Taiga had ran towards the big boy pulling his heavy hand towards the path they were running as Senku explained. "Let's go. We're leaving no one." She said as she looked at him straight into his eyes. Her pleading eyes causing his to shake.
"If we're going to run, we need to run together!" Senku commanded.
Taiju closed his eyes. "Alright, I got it." He nodded to Taiga and at Senku.
"You've never hit anyone ever since you were little. Your strong suit is fitness not fighting."
"Senku. I got an idea. I found this earlier..." Taiju lead the way to a tree Taiga passed by almost everyday, but she didn't know what his plan was.
Where was he leading? She was curious, Senku's hand loosen slightly as they approached the tree where a statue sat.
"The strongest primate high-schooler, Shishio Tsukasa"
Her eyes widened as she turned to look at the statue that was indeed the man Taiju spoke about.
Taiju laid Yuzuriha down gently as he spoke to it in regret "sorry, Yuzuriha. We need someone who can fight right now. If we do defeat the lions, I promise we'll-"
"Shut up already."
"We don't have time for this Taiju-kun"
Senku spoke at the same time Taiga did.
Taiga helped Senku find the bottle he was looking for by handing it to him.
He took it "Let's just pour it on him." Senku poured the liquid into the statue. Awaiting those long seconds they did not have.
The lions arrived and surrounded them.
"No! We're surrounded!"
"They are coming!"
"Don't. You. Say~" Taiga mockingly said in English as she internally imagined the meme.
Boi, she thought. How could she be thinking of a meme in that situation.
She squatted slightly her fear taking over, fists up, empty handed since she left her bag with her tools inside it since she was almost dragged by an impatient illutionated Taiju.
Crackling noises emerged from behind. They all glanced to observe the petrification shell shatter.
His eye opened as it observed the surroundings. His cold, profound stared ahead. Instead of breaking out of the stone like a nestling, the rock shell remained on him due to his motionless body. Obvious signal that he was analyzing the situation to take a careful choice like a beast looking for the perfect prey and time.
"Sorry. I'm sure you have no idea what's going on after being stuck for thousands of years..." Taiju explained but he wasn't sure how to do it.
"What's the situation?" The male's hoarse calm voice asked.
Senku immediately turned around in shock at Tsukasa's calmness and certainty.
Taiga's eyes were on the hazard ahead and the science boy. She occasionally glanced back in curiosity to keep updated on the situation that held their only opportunity to survive, but she feared that if her eyes fell off the menace and her shiny monkey she most cared about, she would lose them.
Taiga could read Senku like a book at times due to all the observing she does, but that didn't help her read the science boy beside her completely.
But at that moment, where they found themselves within a dead end they seek to survive, she could see his soul through his eyes to the perfection.
His crimson eyes had faintly wavered in surprise. She had seen there was something that crossed his mind, like an innocent or deep question.
One he soon had to leave aside due to the situation.
"Your whole body is covered in stone. Lions from nine o'clock to two o'clock." Senku calmly explained with a hint of worry.
"O-Kay." Tsukasa said as if the problem was discarded hitherto.
Tsukasa shattered the rock and he sent the stone pieces flying towards the lions with incredible force, hitting everyone on the way.
Taiga quickly blocked with her arms but got hit on her cheek and her injured leg harshly. She growled at the pain. She saw how Taiju was even impulsed forward as the rocks hit him everywhere in his back body.
Tsukasa charged forward punching the male lion that had dared to attack him.
The lion was sent slamming into a tree.
It's motionless body slamming into the ground. Leafs fell down in a gentle way showing how the angry oceans had eased.
The pride all retreated in fear. Hesitating between terror and hunger as they walked away.
Taiga wiped the blood her cheek dripped as she straighten herself.
"You can fill me in on the details of the situation later." Tsukasa stood before them naked and assured, his formidable large back given to them "but I'll promise you one thing: you two will never be in danger again. Fro-" He turned around, and his eyes widened with a gentle smile on his face as he eyed the small female figure that had a surprised look. One that soon returned the smile "you three" he corrected himself.
"From now on I'll do the fighting" he terminated his oath.
"WHOAAAAA. This is great Senku! Humanity now has brains, brawns, and brute force!" Taiju raised his arms in cheer "The Four Musketeers are all here!"
"They are three, stupid" Senku chortle "I get that. But that Shishio guy is way too strong" he spoke, making sure Tsukasa wasn't hearing at the distance.
"Is that a bad thing? Isn't it good to have someone like him around?" Taiju asked as he was concern to Senku's logic.
"What if he turns out to be a evil bureaucrat with insatiable greed? He's overpowered enough to beat down a lion with his bare hands. In a world without guns, he's ten billion percent unstoppable" Senku pointed out. He turned his focus to the girl that stared at them speak with curiosity. He subtly squinted his eyes.
She knew him due to the way she smiled and the way she was not going completely defensive towards him compared to when she met him and Taiju. Unless other variables were missing. But it all concluded she knew him. What side would she be on if things went wrong?
She faintly smiled at the science boy as she turned to look at Tsukasa who requested tools to butcher the lion.
"A knife, or even just stone tools, if that's all we have."
Taiju query if he was going to eat the lion and if lions were edible to which Senku chortle and cockily lectured: "it's not poisonous. Although it is tough and reeks of ammonia, not to mention it tastes horrible."
"You've had it before Senku?!?!"
"When I went to Africa to research Ebola" Senku smirked as he shrugged, his hands on his hips.
"What kind of high schooler are you?!?!"
Taiga smiled as she stared at the braggy brat, remembering the time they both were stuck in the cave in a vexed rain. She gave a breathy short laugh at the memory.
He glanced back at the tigress and smirked.
What was on his mind was unknown to her and she could only wonder about it. It was that way usually. His mind a complete beautiful mystery.
The male who towered them all in height was muscular and had dark brown, shoulder-length hair. He was squatted before the dead lion: "Though it was in self defense, I did kill it with my own hands...yes, I want to give thanks to the circle of life by putting it all to use. That's all"
"WHOAAA!!! He's great! Aren't you glad, Senku!? He's no evil bureaucrat! He's a super good guy!!!"
Senku handed the knife to Tsukasa and then returned to Taiga's side.
"I hope so" he smirked "well I don't have even a millimeter of interest in stuff like gratitude, but I absolutely agree with not wasting the meat"
"Gratitude is good a thing to have, Senku" she murmured, her lips forming her pout, her chibi form quietly emerging out to huff at Senku.
"Well, I don't consider it essential enough to make me interest on it"
Two cute chibi huffs were given to him in reproach. Her normal form popping out when she gave her back to him, her arms across her chest.
She glanced behind with a smirk. "you're lying Senku."
He raised his brow "ha? What's your evidence to defend your statement?" He arrogantly chided as he defy her look with a smirk.
She pouted again. "You're ten billion percent lying."
"...Baka"
"Idiot" she murmured.
Tsukasa placed the lion skin over himself. He walked over and picked Taiga off the ground into his strong arms and chest. Her eyes widened as she stared at Tsukasa who smiled at her kindly.
"An injured girl shouldn't walk when they can't"
Senku silently gasp, his mouth slightly agape as he realized the purple-red bleeding contusión the tigress had on her left leg.
He changed his expression when he realized his eyebrows had furrow and his tenth had gritted.
Yet he couldn't change the repulsive overwhelming knot inside him.
Tsukasa turned around and his eyes met the screwing eyes of a certain genius. One that had a stoic, annoyed look.
Senku looked away and began to walk. "This way is our camp"
During the walk, Senku kept wondering how he didn't realize the injury she had more than thinking the how she was able to keep on despite everything.
Taiga had ran despite the serious injury she had. Not a single time she complained and he had been too caught up in their death and current overpowered by Shishio situation, he had disregarded the grunts she gave. How could I have not notice.
"I can walk, Tsukasa"
"This isn't a minor injury. You should not push yourself."
"I will not, really"
"Then just hold tight"
"...thank you" she whispered with a gentle smile.
"Please forgive me for hugging you without a decent attire" Tsukasa held her close, his leaf skirt made by Senku hiding his intimate part.
"It's not your fault about it"
Senku glanced behind with disgust. They were flirting, what a waste of time for his science agenda.
He slowed down and walked beside Tsukasa.
"I got myself a free ride" she seriously whispered to Senku as she placed a hand beside her head to pretend Tsukasa could not hear.
(^reference)
He smiled and shook his head as his glazed look soon took over. She giggled and grinned at the genius's reaction which she considered was sweet and cute.
He walked with arrogance back to his place. His eyes turning to look at the Tigress very so often.
"I can carry her" he placed a hand on his hip the other on his neck as he demanded her with a tiresome mood after some time "...Your arms will get tire and I need you to do heavy tasks afterwards."
"Don't worry, Taiga is extremely light. I can endure this and more." Tsukasa eyes squinted noticing Senku's yearn "...I'll accomplish your tasks, so don't preoccupy."
His tight-lipped expression soon vanished into his usual apathetic look. "Sounds perfect to me."
He began to walk away with his calm expression while Tsukasa stared at his back knowing of his true yearn.
Silence invaded as they walked and Taiju staggered forward towards Senku.
"I'm glad you're here, I wasn't expecting to see your face again. We have the opportunity to meet again even if the world has changed." He looked around the forest and back into the eyes of the tigress "We were able to gather together like we had planned."
"I'm glad too Tsukasa. You saved us all. Thank you, you'll come to love this place, there's a lot of...natural stuff." She giggled as she faintly winced at the pain of her leg "Very silent too... there's three monkeys that always visit us. It's funny."
Senku's taut expression keek behind, his eyes narrowing at Shishio.
"And Senku, he's amazing. You'll get to know him. Taiju is also a very kind person too. They all have been nice and are very fun to be around with. I know you'll come to like them too as much as you'll love this place." She smiled as she turned to look at the boys ahead.
"If you say so, I trust your words. I'm sure it will be that way"
Senku looked ahead disregarding everything to focus what was important as he held his neck again in frustration after giving a glance back at the happy tigress that spoke about them. He gently smiled.
"Senku "
Senku turned around to see his concern friend who had been speaking about Yuzuriha.
"Are you okay?"
"I am."
"You are worried too that Tsukasa will steal Taiga-Chan away?" Taiju innocently asked as he remember that image of his crush being lured into Tsukasa who had his harem around.
"When will you stop speaking nonsense big oaf? I'm simply am concern about our tasks ahead. We have wasted abundant time running around from the lions"
"But the way you look at them-"
"You're mistaking my worries for something you would feel for Yuzuriha."
"Right now, you look worry and you keep looking at them"
Senku shrugged. "That's because what you're visualizing isn't jealousy baka, it's about how Shishio can come off as powerful. In this world he's unstoppable and if he turns against us we are done, big oaf."
"Sorry Senku, I don't know your feelings, but..." Taiju placated "You look happy around her just like when you experiment. Or more. You have a soft spot for her only and your eyes are always on her if it isn't on an experiment. It's obvious...it's something."
"Just like I can see your worry that he will take Taiga- Chan away like he could with Yuzuriha! You can be thinking of Shishio, but you are thinking of her too"
"I am not interested in love, big oaf. I'm thinking about how we'll survive if this goes wrong."
"If you ever do, tell me! I'll help you!"
"Why would I ask the person who took 5 years to confess at his crush."
"But I'm your friend. Friends share stuff, so if you become interested in love, tell me! I'll give you love advice!"
"Fine" He answered with aversion.
———
"Put her on the table inside the laboratory." He pointed towards the laboratory as he leaned down and picked the pot full of clothing scraps.
"The three of you built this?"
"Two. Me and Taiga."
Tsukasa was surprise to hear that Taiga and Senku built all of what he was seeing. That meant they both woke up together, but Tsukasa wondered how and why she was awoken by him. What bond was there between them that he woke her up. Or vice versa. He quickly resume to followed the genius' directions.
"Laboratory?" He mutter as he read the carved placate in the center of the entrance. He looked around the room once he entered.
Taiga didn't explain, she observed his actions instead as she smiled. He will come to know the genius soon. The one glazed looking boy who had the most beautiful mind.
Senku soon entered and he held scraps of clothing and a small pot of water.
Taiju followed behind, he had finished speaking to stoned Yuzuriha. He had said to her that he would soon wake her up when they had enough of the miracle water, giving her a whole speech about it.
Tsukasa smiled and he placed his hand out for Taiju "I'm Shishio Tsukasa. You can call me Tsukasa"
Senku was wiping her leg as she grimace when he placed pressure or ran the cloth around which caused a burning friction despite his gentleness.
She bit her lip and he connected with her eyes, his indifferent eyes staring at her deeply.
"Hold on" he gently smirked.
She gently smiled back nodding for him to continue.
"Last name don't really mean much in this world, do they?" Senku began a conversation with Tsukasa by commenting about the new world and names.
"I'm Senku, the sane one who's in charge of science." He turned his head around to look at Tsukasa "That's Taiju, the simple one that is in charge of heavy lifting."
"And this is Taiga, my assistant. But you guys know each other, so there is no need for introduction"
"But you already did" she murmured.
"I stated your role"
"That is an introduction"
"...I guess so"
While they spoke Taiju and Tsukasa greeted each other.
"Nice to meet you. If you need anything done, ask Senku." Taiju gleefully shook Tsukasa's hand.
"What do you usually have to eat?"
"Mainly wild greens and mushrooms" Senku intruded into the conversation again as he ripped scraps to make them lengthy. "And the occasional rabbit or fish for meat when we catch one."
Taiju enthusiastically commented "All I ever dream about lately is eating meat until my belly's about to explode!" Taiju laughed.
"Well, you won't be living like that...any longer"
Tsukasa exited the room to hunt and Taiju enthuastically ran after him to gather wood and water. They all could hear the chaotic sound of the ground dust and rock cracklings from Tsukasa's hunt.
"How much do you know him?" He asked as he observed Tsukasa jump high in the air from a tree to another to hunt a bird with one hand. Senku returned to wrap her leg up.
"Not much..." she looked down "You never really know someone. But I can tell you he has always been nice."
"How much time have you known him?"
"Not long. About three months"
He began to wrap the clothes around her leg. His eyes were focus on her leg with a stoic guise.
She leaned down to observe his face with a questioning face, tilting her head with a curious look. She observed his eyes who looked up and back into the bandages. He had the same focus look when he worked, but she could feel the annoyance within them. They were like that since they started walking back home.
"What's wrong?" She questioned.
"You should have told me" he fixed the cloth strands as he wrapped it on her leg.
"I was going to"
"You didn't"
"I was going to Senku, but we were still in the situation. I was just-"
"I know you. You wouldn't have opened your mouth unless I realized it."
She thought it over wondering if she would have or not.
"I can walk, so probably I wouldn't have told you, you're right." she calmly replied.
"But you can't walk, look at the lesion bubble head."
"I can"
"You can't"
"I can."
He shrugged with his hand on his neck. This girl had always been stubborn.
"You can. But the injury would have worsened even more"
"That's why I have you Dr. Stones"
He smiled with frustration "and that's what I'm telling you, you bubble head. That you can't walk!"
She giggled. "Right right, you got me there" she covered her mouth as she laughed at his outburst.
She stopped laughing enjoying his angry pouting as he continued to carefully wrap. She kept quiet, smiling, as she looked at his hands carefully work their bandage around. She then look at his disturbed face that still held the irritated look in his eyes.
"Is something else wrong Senku?" She asked as he could see the same annoyance in his eyes.
"I need you to rely on me because I'm the one that has the knowledge to help you." At each word he said, his tone got harsher and sterner
"I have to take care of you." he harshly rebuked as he squeezed his wrinkles together, his eyebrows pulling together at his aggravated feelings.
"I am not asking you to do so" she jumped instantly when she felt the swift of tone.
"...But I have to." He sternly spat out as he realized his yearn and need for her as he said them.
"No. No you don't."
"I have to. I care for you and trust you to know that you trust me to help you. But you didn't, you waited for Tsukasa to notice instead of telling me"
Senku had stoped wrapping as he stared at her as he spoke to indicate he was serious about his words. His heart rate fastened and he felt his face reddened at the thought of her relying on someone else than the one who would efficiently help.
"We barely finished. We were meeting Tsukasa getting out of danger Senku. I could walk, he carried me Senku, I didn't ask for him to help me and I couldn't just say anything while we were running away. I could walk. There was no need" she was speaking more calmly, her voice occasionally softly raised to emphasize her struggle as she justified her actions. Her hands moving to her chest to the air as she spoke.
She frowned and looked at him in the eyes.
"I- I love that you care..that you care for me. But I don't understand this argument Senku."
"You couldn't walk and you didn't say anything that's what we're speaking about." Senku explained as he would usually do when she forgot what they were talking about. But she did not forget she just didn't comprehend it.
He looked down at the scraps that had undone themselves. She decided to speak again about how she didn't see any need to say anything yet due to the way she way "That's how I am and I don't see what's wrong with that."
"I don't mind it either Taiga. But I need you to trust me to be able to rely on me when you encounter problems."
"There was no need at that time. I d-"
She bit her lip when he slightly compressed her leg. She pouted as Senku dorkily smiled at her.
"Nothing will change. I have trusted you long back ago and still do."
"I ten billion percent knew that you wouldn't change after all I'm at the end of your outmost trust in your trust spectrum"
"I rely on you a lot Senku. And you're the only one" she scratched her cheek "the only one I trust. I really don't see why you had to tell me directly about it."
"It was due to the situation today. I don't want to take a step back into our friendship or having you end up dead, you would stop helping me on my science advances and that would be a drawback on my side"
She giggled at his logical explanation he gave with a straight honest face as gently pulled his cheek. She then caressed it lovingly. Her heart fluttered even if his face showed obvious abhorrence.
"Second fight" she smiled "you can tolerate me"
"Barely"
"...I care for you too"
She smiled and slowly leaned forward, his cheeks between her hands as she kissed his forehead with extreme delicacy which cause him to flinch in a long second before recoiling with aversion.
She giggled. "I expected you to react faster. But I'm glad you didn't" she grinned.
He continued working, mopping some blood from her cheek with the wet cloth he had sunk into the red tainted water. He then ran one last time the cloth on her purple skin, wiping blood remains.
He rubbed it gently with a dried cloth to remove the humidity as he had a bored stoic face, since she's was grinning.
"I would have if I saw it coming"
She smirked "I'm pretty su-. I'm ten billion percent you did see it coming. I moved slowly, therefore!"
"Therefore you caught me off guard"
"Correct!" She agreed with him despite being the possible lie defense.
She gently smiled as she returned to her shy self. Her hands beside her thighs as she stared down his hands work.
The touch of warm skin stroked his cold humid hand. He raised his look again as her hand slowly cradled his hand. Her other hand rubbing a small bruise.
"You got hit too"
"The least out of all" he took his hand away to continue wrapping.
His cheek was pulled softly. "Senku"
"Stop moving"
"I am not moving." She poked his cheek gently as she moved her fingers down his cheek to hold his chin up. "What's our plan captain?"
"We'll survive today and we'll see Tsukasa's capabilities which have proven till now very powerfully brawn. We then will do science advances we can with the resources we gather. We will lastly wake up Yuzuriha when we have the miracle water."
"Okay!" She sweetly exclaimed kicking stars out her aura.
He smiled at her.
His smile soon melted into frustrated disappointment.
She smirked knowing his reason for his funny face.
"Senku, I can do lots even if I am hurt."
"No you can't."
"Is that a challenge?~"
He ran a hand over his hair knowing he could not stop her "don't exceed yourself, we don't have the medications to treat you if you break or worsen your lesion"
"I won't my shiny monkey." She smiled and she pulled herself out the table as she hobble out to work on a coat for the new male.
He smirked liking her diligence.
It comes out handy.
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This is long chapter....didn't update soon.....yeah....sorry. And I might edit it again, in case I did timing mistake buuuut all is well for what is well for me. I was planning to update with two chapters ready but I have taken long to do so, so I'll update this one that is ready. Also, next chapter I'll update soon since I got it written and I just got to edit it and add some limbs to it!
Has anyone watched monkey heist?
Enjoy!!! Vote, comment!!!
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In a while crocodile 🐊!!!