The bright light lasted for a few more seconds before it completely burned out and the surrounding area was plunged into darkness once more, the twinkling stars in the night sky being the only source of light

You glanced up towards where Senku sat alone on the roof of the science shed, Chrome having disappeared into said wooden shed. Deciding that your green-haired friend could use the company, you made your way up the ladder and settled next to the teen.

Sensing your presence, the scientist turned to face you and raised a brow in question. "What are you doing up here?"

The corners of your lips were curled into a playful grin as you spread your arms wide open and replied, "You look so lonely, sitting up here all by yourself. So, here I am!"

Giggles fell from your lips when Senku responded with a deadpan stare, looking very unimpressed. Although, the small, upwards of his lips, which went unnoticed by you, told a different story.

The peaceful quiet from before returned as the two of you sat in comfortable silence, enjoying each other's company. A fond smile painted your lips as you watched Kohaku laugh at something that Suika said, her blonde hair glowing in the firelight.

A small, contented sigh left your lips which drew Senku's attention and when you saw the questioning look on his face, you explained yourself. "I was thinking about how if we hadn't met Kohaku back in the forest on that fateful day, we won't have met Chrome or Suika or, as a matter of fact, the village and be where we are today."

For a heartbeat or two, the green-haired scientist remained silent as he turned his attention back to said group of people with a contemplative look before saying, "I was born buck-naked and alone on this primitive earth. A year and four months later, I've finally made it."

Your heart ached at his words, thinking how lonely he must have felt during the first three months when you were still locked away in your stone prison.

Glancing down at the copper wires in his hand, Senku went on. "To the essential power of science...To electricity." His fingers curled tightly around them as he lifted his gaze to meet yours and for the first time ever since you had known the teen, his lips were stretched into the widest grin of victory; the corners of his eyes crinkling with unbridled joy. "This is it. I'm off to a good start."

(E/C) eyes widened in awe, your breath stolen by the beauty of the scientist's rare smile; your heart thundered and the fluttering of a thousand butterflies' wings in your stomach at the sudden love that crashed over your entire being like a tidal wave.

Seeing this, you were brought back to that fateful day where you fell in love with Senku for the first time when you witnessed the same genuine smile – while not as big as now – painting his lips, just the barest hint of an upwards curl in both corners of his mouth after succeeding in an experiment that had been giving the teen a hard time for many days on end.

And in this very moment, it felt exactly like then as you fell for Senku all over again for the umpteenth time.

Time skipped

The science shed was doused in a warm light by the few candles littering around the room, their flames casting dancing shadows against the walls as the four of you – Chrome, Kohaku Senku and you – caught Suika up to the current situation at hand.

"So, you see, Suika, this man called Tsukasa is the one behind Senku's murder," Kohaku explained in a firm tone.

Meanwhile, the person in question rubbed the back of his neck and let out a sheepish chuckle, "Though I'm not dead."

"He's seriously bad news," Chrome added, stressing on the word "seriously" to convey how serious he was being about Tsukasa being the enemy here. "He wanted to stop scientific progress, and he didn't think twice about killing Senku to do it."

"I told you, I'm not dead," Senku repeated, sweat dropping at how everyone kept emphasizing on his death despite it being short-lived.

You, on the other hand, had been silent since the start; having not said a single word which the others chalked up to tiredness considering it was past midnight, but a certain green-haired scientist knew better.

Even without having to ask, he knew what was going through your mind and even if he didn't, he could see the hint of pain as clear as day written on your face. He could still remember the tight grip on the front of his shirt, fingers digging into his chest as desperate pleas mixed with choked sobs fell from your lips as you prayed fervently for the miracle liquid to work.

And afterwards, when you were in his arms, he could feel the trembles in your body as you clung to him, an ear pressed against his chest to reassure yourself with the sound of his heartbeat that indicated he was alive and breathing and not gone.

He felt an ache in his heart at those memories and even though he didn't quite understand the feelings he was going through, the urge to comfort and assured you that he would never put you through this again was strong.

And so, listening to his heart instead of his head for once, Senku reached over to your hand and placed his larger palm over your smaller one. Startled, you glanced down at the hand covered by the green-haired teen before looking up to meet red eyes softened with understanding.

You furrowed your brows in confusion and opened your mouth to question your friend when he gave your hand a tight squeeze before hooking his pinkie finger with yours, his gaze remained unwavering.

Even though no word was said, you understood what the simple action meant – it was a silent promise to never leave you like that ever again. You returned the gesture with a small of acknowledgement, curling your own pinkie around his.

For the next few seconds, both of you remained like this; holding each other's gazes when it was broken by Suika's loud outbursts and with that, the mood was broken and the two of you released your hands and focused on the watermelon girl.

"So that Tsukasa person is a bad man, and Gen is with him? Then Gen's a bad person." The young girl cried but then she remembered something and no longer sounded as sure as she was before. "Wait...But Gen saved us from Magma. He's a good person!"

Torn by her conflicted emotions, she turned to Senku in the hope that he would have an answer.

"He's neither a good person nor a bad person," The scientist chuckled, amused by how everyone was getting worked up over something as trivial as this.

"He's just a thoroughly shallow brat of a man," Kohaku added bluntly.

Feeling much lighter after being comforted by Senku, you spoke up for the first time since this entire conversation started.

"It doesn't matter whether Asagiri Gen is a good guy or a bad guy." You began, smiling at the confused expressions directed your way. "What's important is that we need him to be on the side of the Kingdom of Science. Am I right to say that Senku?"

You turned to the scientist and the grin on your face widened when he nodded his head in agreement and expanded on what you said, "We'll have him make a bogus report to Tsukasa, saying that 'Senku and (Name) are definitely dead.' That's the only way we can win."

Hearing that, there was an unreadable look on Chrome's face as he stared at Senku for a few seconds before getting up from the ground and made his way to the entrance of the shed where he leaned his head out, yelling, "Hear that, Gen? You saw it, didn't you? The electricity? The insane light of science? Who cares about who wins? Who gives a damn about whether Tsukasa or Senku has the edge? The Kingdom of Science is just way more fun!"

There was a moment of silence where Gen said nothing, his back still facing the brunette before he turned around with a fake grin on his face and replied, "Gosh, you're so passionate, young man. Too bad, though. I don't have what you do, Chrome-chan. I'm the most superficial man on earth. All I care about is whether or not something will benefit me."

And without waiting for a response from Chrome or anyone else in the group, the bi-coloured teen turned on his heels and walked off into the forest, ignoring the glaring daggers coming from Kohaku who, if not for Senku holding her back, would have gone after the infuriating male with one of her daggers.

"Well, that could've gone better." You piped up, blinking your eyes a few times at what just happened. "Although, I can't say that I'm not surprised by his choice."

Senku let out a small sigh and shrugged as though saying "what's done is done", saying, "We can't force him to join our side if he has already made up his mind. The only thing we can do now is to get ourselves and the village ready and prepared in the case that the mentalist does report back to Tsukasa with the truth."

Everyone frowned at the scientist's words but said nothing for they knew that he had a point and since there was nothing important to be said or done, they decided to turn in for the night when, all of a sudden, they heard loud noises coming from outside.

It sounded like someone was being punched and from the sounds of it, whoever was throwing the punches did not seem happy with their target.

(E/C) orbs widened in alarm as you exchanged eye contact with Senku and much to your chagrin, your worst suspicion was confirmed when you saw the grim look on his face. Without a doubt, you knew the rest was sporting the same expression.

So, without a moment to waste, all five of you ran out of the science shed and towards the direction of where the loud commotion had originated from.

"What was that noise?" Kohaku exclaimed, her voice ringing throughout the forest as she ran ahead of the group; her daggers unsheathed and in her hands, in the case, she needed to fight off the attacker.

Loud gasps of shock filled the air at the sight that greeted all of you upon arrival at the scene. Just like you had presumed – lying on the ground in a pool of blood was none other than Gen, looking for the worst with a face so badly beaten up that you almost couldn't recognize him and a spear protruding from his chest where he had been stabbed by his assailant.

"Hey, are you all right, Gen?" Chrome asked in an urgent tone as he knelt next to the motionless figure.

"It's no use..." Kohaku said with a frown when there was still no reaction from the bi-coloured teen despite the brunette trying to get a response out of him. "He obviously died instantly."

"This is terrible!" Suika cried as she stared at the horrifying scene in disbelief.

"No, hang on," Senku called out in a hurry, stopping the trio from doing anything rash as the two of you were the last to arrive at the scene.

Everyone watched as the scientist carefully removed the weapon from the mentalist's body to reveal a small, packed bag with red liquid spewing from where the tip of the spear had punctured it when Gen had been pierced.

"Amazing," You breathed out in awe as you stared at the said bag with wide eyes. "He guarded himself with bags of fake blood."

"They're all over him!" Suika exclaimed with relief as she discovered more bags on Gen's body, hidden beneath his purple robe.

"This is nuts." Chrome commented as he held up a bag and admired the bi-coloured teen's work. "He covered himself with these things, just in case!"

The corners of his lips stretched into a smirk as Senku let out a disbelief chuckle. "Not bad. You're a magician through and through."

Even you were impressed by Gen's smart thinking and even though you didn't trust him yet, you had a newfound respect for the mentalist now.

***

Sleep was forgone that night as everyone focused on looking after Gen who, after being carried back to the science shed to have his wounds taken care of, had finally regained consciousness.

Although medicinal herbs were placed on his injuries to help with the healing, he was still looking for the worse of wear and you couldn't help but worried for his health as you watched the teen struggle to breathe through the pain coursing through his body.

"He may have blocked it with those bags, but he's severely injured." You mumbled as you ran a soothing hand down his hair in the hope to provide some comfort even though you knew it wasn't of much help.

"Damn it," Chrome cursed, his brows furrowing in anger. "We have to catch the attacker!"

"But who could have done such a terrible thing?" Kohaku wondered as she gazed down at Gen with a concerned frown.

Suika, who had been silent throughout the exchange, glanced back and forth between each member of the group; her expression one of trouble for she wanted to be of help but was unsure of what she could do.

Then, realization dawned upon her and with a shake of her head to get rid of any doubts she might have, she leapt to her feet and ran out of the wooden shed; determined to get to the bottom of this.

"I'm going to go investigate!" The young girl declared as she jumped out of the science shed, tucked her body into her watermelon mask and proceeded to roll off towards the village to try and gather more information.

Leaving that to Suika, the rest continued to take care of the mentalist to the best of their abilities. Worry gnawing within them when the teen sucked in another deep breath, a hiss of pain escaping his lips even as he slept.

Time skipped

The next morning with the sun high up in the sky, Suika finally returned with information on Gen's attacker.

"Big news!" The watermelon-masked girl called out as she returned to the science shed, her loud voice causing all eyes to turn to her. "I found out who it was!"

"Good job, Suika!" You praised the young girl, giggling as you caught her by the armpits just as she jumped out of her watermelon mask after rolling to a stop in front of you.

"Good going, Great Detective Suika," Senku commented, his voice muffled by the toothbrush in his mouth – Suika's announcement having interrupted his morning routine.

"I know who's behind the murder of Asagiri Gen!" Suika exclaimed, her fists clenched with excitement at her discovery.

"Uh, he's not dead, you know." Kohaku deadpanned.

Chuckling, you placed the young girl onto the ground before patting her head and asked, "So, who was it?"

"It was..." Suika began and started to explain how she had stumbled onto Magma and his sidekick while in the forest and after hearing some interesting choices of words from the blonde, she decided to hide behind some bushes to find out more and see if he was the one who was responsible for beating up Gen.

[Flashback]

Boisterous laughter filled the air as Magma exclaimed, his lips curled into a prideful smirk. "Now that I've killed the sorcerer, I, Magma-sama, am the most powerful! Fighting sorcery is no more of a challenge than twisting a baby's arm."

"Yeah! Indeed!" Mantle, his sidekick, was quick to agree.

"It's a shame I couldn't kill Kohaku herself." The blond grumbled around a mouthful of meat that he had taken a bite out of after giving his victory speech. "She's just too well-prepared."

"She's way too strong for a woman," Mantle added, never losing that wide smile of his even as he took a bite of his meat. "It must be sorcery."

Magma scoffed at those words, full of confidence as he replied, "But now that I've gotten rid of her powerful sorcerer ally, Kohaku is just another girl."

The menacing grin on his face was terrifying as blue eyes glowed with mad glee in the burning flames of the campfire as he went on, "Though, if she apologizes tearfully, I wouldn't mind making her mine, along with Ruri."

"How lucky the siblings are to have the privilege of belonging to Magma!" His underling cried out, his praises feeding the blond's already huge egotism.

'This is really bad news!' Suika, who was eavesdropping, trembled in fear as mad laughter from the other two echoed throughout the surrounding area.

[End of flashback]

"Magma did it? That bastard!" Chrome let out a growl while punching his right palm, wishing that he could beat up the real thing instead.

"I see..." Kohaku muttered, her brows furrowing as understanding began to dawn on her. "Asagiri Gen made those flowers disappear before their eyes. From Magma's perspective, Gen is the rumoured outsider sorcerer that I brought with me."

"So, Magma stabbed Gen because he mistook him for Senku?" The brunette turned to the blonde with an unsure look.

Instead of answering the other teen, Kohaku let out an offending scoff as she replied, "It's a real insult that Magma believes my strength is due to sorcery, though."

Chrome, who was just asking for it, bluntly said, "Well, you have the raw power of an actual gorilla. So, you're a legit gorilla."

You sweatdropped at the sight of Kohaku whipping out her weapons and glared down at the other teen with daggered eyes – blue orbs glinting with murder.

"I'm sorry," The brunette, who had prostrated himself at the blonde's feet, quickly apologized.

"So, why is Magma looking for an opportunity to kill you, Kohaku?" Senku asked, a brow raised in curiosity as he glanced over to the said person.

Kohaku didn't reply to the scientist straightaway as she turned to meet his gaze, hesitating slightly before answering, "Probably...no, definitely because of...the Grand Bout."

"The Grant Bout?" You wondered with a tilt of your head. "What's that?"

Seeing the confused look on your face, the blonde started to explain what the Grand bout was about. "Once every generation, the village holds a large martial arts battle called the Grand Bout."

"Ah, so that's what that arena-looking thing on the far island is for," Senku commented.

Kohaku nodded her head in agreement and continued, "Several months ago, on the day that the village priestess, Ruri-nee, came of age...The winner of the Grand Bout was to wed her and become the village elder. That's also how my father became the current village elder."

[Flashback]

"The winner is Magma." The referee of the Grand Bout, Jasper, announced as he gestured towards said blonde who had won another round of fighting.

"On to the finals!" One of the villagers exclaimed, his eyes bright with excitement.

"Damn, Magma's unstoppable." Another villager added.

"Yeah!"

Within the crowd stood Chrome, who was watching the tournament, with a disdain frown on his face at the winner's announcement when a sudden coughing sound caught his attention. He turned his head towards the source of the noise and brown eyes widened when he saw who it was.

Without a moment to waste, he grabbed a small jar made of clay filled with medicinal plants that he had collected and rushed over to Ruri, his voice filled with concern for the blonde. "Hey, are you all right, Ruri?"

However, he was stopped by Turquoise, one of the priestess' guards. "Hold it. Don't just approach the priestess so casually."

The brunette gritted his teeth in frustration, but knew he couldn't do anything and instead, glanced up at Ruri with a worried frown.

Meanwhile, a pair of blue eyes glimmered with worry as Kohaku stared at her precious sister who had been sick for the longest time. Then, out of the corner of her eyes, she