"So, what are we gonna do now?" You asked, glancing at Senku with concern etched all over your face.

Now that you had calm down, Tsukasa being bad news was starting to get to you. If nothing was done about it while you still had the chance, it would be game over for humanity before it even started.

"This guys is seriously bad news." Senku frowned as he paced back and forth on the sand, a deep furrow between his brows. "Then again, if we hadn't woken him up, we would've been killed by the lions. I guess we didn't really have a choice. He wants to help out the youth, too, so I'm sure he'll stay under control until he learns the recipe for the revival fluid."

"That's true," You nodded your head in agreement. "But how are we exactly gonna stop him from getting his hands on the recipe?"

Ruby red flashed with determination as the scientist wore his trademark confident smirk. "Even if it kills me, I have to keep quiet about the miracle fluid in the cave."

"I-I'll do my best!" You stumbled over your words a little, but the resolution could be heard loud and clear in your voice.

The sharp edges of his lips softened into a small smile as the scientist replied, "I have no doubt you will."

His sureness in you had your cheeks flushing a light pink and your heart fluttering with happiness.

"Let's head back to camp before Tsukasa starts suspecting us."

Your gaze snapped up to meet Senku's own. The soft smile still on his face as he reached out a hand out to you, waiting for you to place your palm in his larger one. You accepted and slid your hand into his, intertwining your fingers with his.

"Let's go, Senku."

With that, both of you headed back to camp; ready to face the biggest obstacle in Senku's goal to revive all of humanity.

Time skipped

The closer the two of you got to the treehouse, the more scared you felt. The thought of being so close to a murderer sent shivers down your spine, even though you were technically somewhat safe considering you weren't on his target list.

Yet, the feeling still caused your stomach to churn with discomfort.

By the time, both of you arrived back at camp, you were practically hiding behind Senku's taller frame. You were sticking to him, your hands clutching onto his shirt in a tight hold, refusing to be even a millimetre away from him.

You could hear the amusement in his tone as he teasingly said, "You sounded so brave back on the beach. What changed your mind?"

"S-Shut up," You tried to sound annoyed, but the trip in your words lost that effect. "Besides, it's totally normal to be afraid of this situation."

You didn't have to look to know that he was smirking. "I feel perfectly normal."

"You're different because you're not human." You rolled your eyes, only to let out a squeak when you saw Tsukasa from over Senku's shoulder.

"(Name), Senku," The long-haired male greeted, his eyes boring into the two of you.

The scientist ignored Tsukasa and simply walked past him without a single world while you gave a tiny nod in return to acknowledge his presence, still clinging closely to Senku. Brown eyes glimmered in the afternoon sun as Tsukasa graced you with a gentle smile.

You had to resist the urge to ran for the hills when you remembered how behind that smile was someone with murderous intentions.

The atmosphere was charged with uneasiness as no one said anything, the silence hanging heavily in the air as Tsukasa refused to take his eyes off the both of you – like a predator waiting to pounce on his prey within the tall grasses of the wild.

"Hey!"

Just then, Taiju appeared with his loud voice, causing all heads to turn in his direction as he came running towards them with tears in the corners of his eyes and a wide smile on his face.

"Good news, everyone!" He skidded to a stop in front of the group and in his hand, he held up the jar of nitric acid collected from the cave. "We have a full pot of miracle fluid from the cave! We can finally revive Yuzuriha!"

(E/C) eyes widened in horror while Senku's jaws dropped wide open in disbelief shock that Taiju had literally foiled his plan without even knowing that he did so.

Said person blinked his eyes once, wondering what had caused such a dramatic reaction from his friends. However, before he could ask, Tsukasa opened his mouth to enquire about the revival fluid.

"What's this 'miracle fluid' you speak of?" His eyes, gleaming with curiosity, were fixated onto the jar in Taiju's hand.

Senku startled, his eyes instantly meeting Tsukasa who was already staring deep into his gaze, a deep frown on his handsome face. On the other hand, you immediately froze, unsure of what to do or say, however, Senku was quick on his feet.

Chuckling, he cracked his neck in a casual manner like he usually did. "Let's not waste time standing here explaining it. It'll be ten billion times faster to just show you. You'd better feel honoured to see this. Time to enjoy the humanity revival show."

Without waiting for any response, he turned on his heels and headed for the tree where Yuzuriha was resting against, expecting Tsukasa to follow him.

You regained your senses and smiled uneasily at the other teen before dashing after Senku who was whistling a happy tune as though he didn't have a single care in the world. If only you could be as laid-back as him in this kind of situation.

Soon, all four of you were gathered in front of Yuzuriha's stone body. Taiju handed the jar to Senku who took it wordlessly and got to work on filtering the nitric acid.

All right, Yuzuriha." Taiju grinned blissfully, his cheeks painted a light pink as he held Yuzuriha's body upright against the tree trunk. "We're finally going to save you, for real this time!"

You giggled at your friend's lovestruck expression before turning your focus onto Senku who was transferring the liquid into a larger pot filled with tiny stones, a concentrated look on his face.

"What the hell?" He frowned as the last few drops trickled out of the small jar and into the pot below. "This is just short of enough revival fluid for one person."

"What?!" Taiju startled and released his hold on Yuzuriha, her stone body dropping to the ground with a loud thump. "Did I take it out too soon?!"

You furrowed your brows in worried. "Do you want me to go and fetch some more?"

"You're too slow." Senku was quick to reject the idea and instructed Taiju to go instead. "Tsukasa, (Name) and I will play word games or something while you go get more. So make a mad dash, big oaf."

You saw how his gaze slid over to Tsukasa who was placing his spear against the weapon rack and immediately, you caught on to what he was trying to do. So, you played along.

"Yeap, you should be the one to get it since you're faster than me like what Senku said." You smiled embarrassedly, rubbing the back of your neck. "I'll also probably just end up tripping over a rock or something and spill everything which will be a huge waste."

The scientist's lips curled into a teasing smirk, but his eyes told a different story as they gleamed with pride. "Finally admitting you're a clumsy ass, huh."

Your heart raced upon seeing the emotion reflected in those ruby red you loved; but on the outside, you stuck the bottom of your lips out into a small pout. "No, I'm not. I'm just stating it as a possibility."

"Thanks! I'll be right back! I'll go full speed!" Taiju instantly took off after that.

However, he was quickly stopped by Tsukasa who had been listening all this while despite not looking like it. You watched with a wide-eyed expression as his hand shot out and grabbed onto the brunette by his shoulder, halting him in his tracks.

You knew it was Senku's intention to capture the long-haired teen's interest, but man, you didn't expect him to fall for his trap that easily. You thought he was slightly smarter than that, considering anyone could see he was being cautious of Senku's every move.

"In that case, I'll go, since I'm the fastest." He suggested calmly. "So would you mind telling me where the miracle fluid is?"

There was a pause as Senku didn't reply immediately and neither did anyone else tried to fill the silence with meaningless words. Finally, after a few intense minutes or so had passed, Senku pointed towards the forest where the cave was located.

"Not too far from here, there's a cave where you can find the miracle liquid in."

Nodding his head, Tsukasa released Taiju and turned on his heels, setting off into the forest without another single word.

You were trying to keep count of how much time had passed since Tsukasa left when Senku let out a yawn and stretched his arms while asking, "Did Tsukasa leave?"

"Yeah, in the blink of an eye," Taiju responded from where he had been adjusting Yuzuriha into a comfortable position after letting go of her so suddenly earlier on. "He's as fast as you'd thi—"

"(Name), quickly go to the laboratory and grab me a jar of liquor!" Senku spoke up in a serious tone, cutting off Taiju mid-sentence. "Let's make the revival fluid and bring Yuzuriha back right away, while Tsukasa isn't here."

"R-Right!" You dashed off to retrieve said item from the wooden shed and handed it over to the scientist who wasted no time in mixing both the nitric acid and liquor together to make the revival fluid.

"What's going on?" Taiju questioned, his eyes wild with panic and confusion. "You just said there wasn't quite enough revival fluid!"

"Do you really think Senku would set out a pot that was the wrong size?" You replied, watching with nervousness as Senku stirred the mixed liquid with a wooden stick upon entering the laboratory, his brow furrowing in concentration. "It's not like him to make a mistake."

"Good point!" Taiju agreed, but he was quick to ask again. "Then why did Senku send Tsukasa after it?"

This time the scientist was the one who answered, pausing in what he was doing as he glanced back at his friend. "It was double-edged bait. I wanted to get rid of him before reviving Yuzuriha, even if it meant revealing where the cave was which (Name) was quick to figure out what I was planning."

"Eh, it wasn't that hard to guess what you were up to." You smiled sheepishly.

Taiju, who was still confused because he had been kept in the dark this whole time, asked another question. "Why do you want to get rid of Tsukasa? He's a good guy!"

"That's why he's too much to handle," Senku replied in a frustrated tone, surprising the brunette. "I don't have even one millimetre of interest in his grand vision for a 'mighty world'. I find civilization-building games more exhilarating."

Brown eyes blinked once, then twice before they turned to you. "What's your take on this?"

"H-Huh?" You startled, not expecting Taiju to ask for your opinion and besides, you weren't sure if he would like your answer. However, you still answered either way. "I-I mean his vision isn't evil per se since he did have a point if you had been there to hear it for yourself. However, I don't agree with his motive in wanting to achieve that. Besides, it sounds kinda boring and rebuilding civilization with Senku sounds way more fun."

The corners of his lips slowly lifted into a lazy smirk as he met your gaze, ruby burning into (e/c). "You heard her. So, what do you say, big oaf?"

Taiju understood and straightened his body, replying, "All right. You don't need to explain. Senku, (Name), I trust what you say. Something happened while I was gone, didn't it?"

"Yeah." A shadow fell over Senku's eyes. "Shishio Tsukasa is a good guy... and a murderer."

A shiver crawled down your spine upon hearing the darkness in the scientist's tone and you couldn't help but agreed wholeheartedly. After all, you had seen it in action.

***

Once the revival fluid was ready, the three of you headed out of the laboratory and towards where Yuzuriha's stone body was. Senku handed the small jar over to Taiju for him to do the honour since he would finally be reuniting with the girl he had waited for over 3,700 years.

You could already feel yourself becoming emotional over their soon-to-be reunion. It would be like a scene out of a romance novel that you had always love reading.

"Yuzuriha...Sorry to keep you waiting." Taiju felt himself choking up slightly with emotions, unable to continue. "I...I..."

His hands, clutched tightly around the jar, were trembling as he raised it towards the female's head, hesitant in his action. "I..."

Just then, running footsteps could be heard in the distance and it sounded closer with each step. You whipped your head around quickly, thinking it was Tsukasa who had returned from his trip to the cave, but it turned out to be Senku running at full speed towards Taiju.

Beads of sweat trickled down the sides of his face, an urgent tone to his voice as he exclaimed, "I told you we're in a hurry, you big oaf!"

He came to a stop in front of Taiju and finished the job for him by forcefully tipping the jar over, causing the revival fluid to spill messily all over the top of Yuzuriha's head.

Both yours and Taiju's mouths dropped, not expecting that at all.

"Senku!" You cried out in indignation and Taiju turned onto his friend, yelling in his face. "You just dumped it all over her! Couldn't you be a bit more, like...you know!"

You literally facepalmed while the two of them bickered in the background.

Taiju turned his attention onto Yuzuriha and noticed how the liquid dripped down her front hair in tiny droplets, yet the stone wasn't decaying as it should be. He immediately grew concerned and started to have a mini freak-out. "Wait, nothing's happening! Is this all right?! No, it's all right, Yuzuriha! But is this all right?!"

Even you were puzzled, wondering what could have possibly gone wrong since the revival fluid had on Tsukasa. Furrowing your brows, you asked with a tilt of your head. "Why isn't it working? Did we perhaps make a mistake during the mixing process?"

"It takes time for the reaction to happen." He side glanced at Yuzuriha where nothing was still happening. "This is a kind of cryostasis. It's like a protective coat made from trace metals in the body. Some mysterious mechanism causes those elements to phase-shift, maintaining a petrified state."

"That's complicated! Seriously complicated!" Taiju complained and you agreed, your mind spinning with all the scientific terms Senku had just used.

In typical Senku fashion, he gave zero shit about the massive headache he was causing his friends and simply went on. "It's just a hypothesis, based on a whole year of painstaking experiments. The point is, if even one part of it gets nital on it and breaks down..."

Suddenly, the sound of stone breaking could be heard and both you and Taiju whipped your heads towards Yuzuriha, breaths stilling with anticipation. A second passed before more cracks began to occur, earning startled gasps both of you.

"...it creates a cascade effect that travels across the entire body. And the petrification is undone."

Just as Senku finished his explanation, the stone encasing Yuzuriha finally shattered into tiny pieces. (E/C) orbs shone with unshed tears as you lifted both hands to cover your mouth, your heart singing with joy; filled to the brim with unadulterated love for both your friends.

It was a magnificent sight to behold, one you would surely remember. You watched, unable to tear your eyes away, as all the stone broke away and she fell backwards and Taiju was quick to catch her in his arms.

"Yuzuriha, can you hear me? Yuzuhira!" Taiju called out, his tears overflowing his shining brown orbs.

The girl in his arms regained her consciousness and as her eyelids fluttered open to reveal glittering eyes, she called his name in a soft voice. "Taiju-kun?"

Taiju fell onto his knees as he instantly apologised to Yuzuriha for having made her wait so long for him. "I'm sorry. I made you wait for 3,700 years...I'm sorry!"

Your heart was filled with warmth, a gentle smile appearing on your face as you witnessed the scene before you, knowing that your friend's hard work for the past year had finally paid off.

You were also reminded of a certain someone who made it all possible and a wave of gratitude washed over you. Tilting your head over, you saw the scientist standing quietly with folded arms, his eyes looking away from the scene in front of him.

Chuckling, you nudged him with an elbow to get his attention. He shifted his focus onto you, raising a brow in question. "What?"

(E/C) eyes slid back to the couple, the same smile still spreading your lips as you replied, "Thank you, Senku."

"Why are you thanking me for?" Senku furrowed his brows. "The one who should be thanking me is the big oaf over there."

Your smile widened when you met his puzzled gaze awaiting for an explanation. Instead of giving him one, you simply shook your head and told him, "No reason, just felt like it."

The teen narrowed his eyes but didn't push further, eventually looking away with a click of his tongue. You chuckled, knowing that Senku wanted to know due to his curious nature, but you were thankful he let it slide because you weren't ready to tell him yet.

You would tell him about love and its wonders one day. For now, your friendship with him was more than enough.

Meanwhile, Yuzuriha had fully awoken now which Taiju was sobbing over about when Senku spoke up, interrupting them with a chuckle. "Sorry to barge in on your reunion chat but make up your mind before Tsukasa gets back."

His expression became serious as he held up two fingers, his usual confident smirk was gone. "We only have two options. Choose one. Plan A: Taiju, Yuzuriha and (Name), you three run away right now, and live somewhere far away. Plan B: we fight together to stop Tsukasa's murder spree, using the weapons of civilization."

"The answer's obvious!" Both you and Taiju chorused in unison.

"We're going to fight by your side! Don't underestimate us, Senku!" The brunette exclaimed, his entire being fired up with determination.

"Exactly!" You were quick to agree, a disapproval frown shaped your lips. "Do you really expect us to abandon you just like this?! We're your friends, for goodness sake! Have more faith in us."

"Yeah!" Yuzuriha jumped to her feet. "I have no idea what's going on, but I'll help, too!"

"I'm not trying to be nice or anything. It just seemed logical to give you three a chance to flee." Senku waved off everyone's words which earned him an angry punch to his shoulder from you.

Senku let out a hiss and immediately rubbed at his shoulder, glaring at you. "What the hell was that for?!"

(E/C) eyes narrowed as you placed your hands on your hips and growled back. "That's for trying to be a hero that we didn't ask for."

Senku let out a defeated sigh when he saw the frustration reflected clearly in your gaze. "You know that isn't what I mean."

You sighed as well and the anger faded, knowing that Senku was just trying to protect those he cared about. "I know you're just trying to keep us safe, but it doesn't mean we agree to it. As I said, we're friends which means we do this together whether you like it or not."

The scientist opened his mouth to argue and you instantly narrowed your eyes, daring him to. Knowing it would be a loss cost,