"Malachite! Chalcanthite!" Senku chanted happily as he stared at the two minerals – one blue, the other green – in his hands before a different one caught his eyes. "Corundum!"

"That one's seriously tough." Chrome commented as he stared at said mineral held in the scientist's hands.

"I have no idea how they're different." Kohaku sweatdropped. "Why are you two getting so excited about rocks?"

"Well, everyone has an interest that they like and collecting rocks just so happen to be what these two enjoy." You laughed. "So, who can really blame them for being over the moon?"

"Oh, man, galena!" Senku cried in joy as hearts spewed out from him. "Lead acquired!"

"That one's crazy shiny when you break it." Chrome explained from beside as he grabbed a hammer out of the blue.

"Nope," Kohaku responded. "I just can't understand the way they get so spiritual about collecting rocks."

Meanwhile, Ginro piped from beside her. "I used to collect bugs and stuff. Now I can't even touch them. They creep me out."

In the background, Senku shouted. "You even have cinnabar!"

That was the last straw as the two decided they had better things to do than to watch the pair freaked out over Chrome's rock collections.

"Have fun showing off your trophies," Kohaku muttered blankly. "I have to deliver the hot springs to my sister."

You waved the duo off as they left for their village, the doors to the shed swinging shut behind them. You, on the other hand, chose to make yourself comfortable because knowing Senku, you were going to be stuck here for quite some time.

With that, you took a seat and watched the scientist as he continued to name every other rock he got his hands on; the corners of your lips curled into a fond smile.

***

After the two had finally calmed down, the three of you moved back to the clearing outside of the village's main bridge where Ginro and Kinro stood guard and gathered in front of them. You raised a brow in curiosity as your green-haired friend broke the cinnabar into smaller pieces, wondering what he was up to now.

"Cinnabar. Also known as the philosopher's stone." Senku explained as he threw said mineral into a clay pot sitting over a small fire. "It showed up in Dragon Quest, too. Heat it up, and you get mercury."

You giggled at his reference, being the only one who understood, remembering how much of a geek Senku was back in the modern world. Meanwhile, Chrome was intrigued by what was going on, paying rapt attention to the scientist.

"There they go again with their weird sorcery," Ginro commented with an unsure smile.

Kinro, on the other hand, was not amused as he stabbed his spear into the ground and spoke up in a warning tone. "Do as you like outside the village. But take so much as one step over this bridge, and I'll kill you. Rules are rules."

Even though you knew the brunette was just doing his duty, you still shuddered in fear at his threat whereas Senku, who was unfazed, simply grinned and began to stir the pot. "Melt some gold dust into the mercury, and..."

After that, he grabbed Kinro's spear, dipped the tip into the pot which earned a startled look from its owner and placed it into the fire. "Don't inhale the smoke. It'll kill you."

Green eyes widened in fear which earned a light smack to the back of the scientist's head as you chastised him. "Don't do that, Senku. It's not very nice. If you keep scaring others, they won't want to be our friends anymore."

Rubbing the spot where you had hit him, Senku scowled in response but said nothing and turned his focus back onto the spear where the metal part was now covered in a layer of gold.

"And now you have a shiny golden spear."

He presented the new spear which drew everyone's attention, letting out awed gasps as they stared into its reflective surface.

"Oh, man!" Chrome exclaimed in amazement.

"It's pretty!" You grinned and turned to Senku with sparkling eyes. "You never fail to impress me, Senku!"

Kinro took back his spear and examined the new addition to his weapon before turning to look at the scientist, demanding an explanation. "What good will this sorcery do?"

Senku simply smirked. "It's not good for jack. But you're Kinro, aren't you? So a golden sword. It's perfect for you."

Kinro wasn't swayed by Senku's words and instead, he narrowed his eyes into a suspicious glare. "I hope you aren't trying to buy me off with this nonsense."

"Nuts." The scientist remarked while you blinked.

"That won't work on Kinro." Chrome scoffed, placing his hands on his hips. "All he ever says is that rules are rules. He's super stiff."

"That's right." Said person was quick to confirm as he walked back to his post. "Rules are rules."

There was a second of silence as he held his chin up, a thoughtful frown on his face which earned a curious tilt of your head and wondering what the male could possibly be thinking about. Then, the moment passed and he turned on his heels, marching off into the village with his new shiny spear.

"Though I don't see the need to remove it, either."

You shook your head in amusement while Senku and Chrome locked arms, the corners of their mouths stretching into wide grins as they celebrated their win.

"He just needs one more push!" Senku cackled.

Meanwhile, Ginro stared at his brother's retreating back before turning to the scientist with sparkling eyes. "A-Are there any silver spears?"

However, his request fell on deaf ears as the pair headed back to Chrome's shed and discussed what was their next course of action while you followed behind, humming a happy tune as you enjoyed the sound of nature.

Time skipped

"You're like one of those people who spend all their time collecting materials in Monster Hunter." The green-haired scientist noted as the trio entered the clearing.

"Mon...Hun?" Chrome muttered, the words sounding foreign on his tongue while you skipped ahead to the wooden shed.

The other two entered after you and Senku's gaze was immediately drawn to a shelf lined with pots filled with various types of flora.

"You have plants, too?" The scientist inquired with a raised brow. "Felworts, sweetroot, canker root...They're all used in traditional medicine."

"They're all drugs." You added, impressed by the brunette's wide extension of collections.

When you didn't hear any sort of response from Chrome, you turned your head around to see what was the matter and noticed said person had fallen silent. Seeing the crestfallen look on his face, you furrowed your brows in slight concern. "Chrome? Is everything alright?"

Brown eyes were staring at the ground as he replied softly, "Yeah. I have no idea if they work or not, though. I've been trying them on my own body and collecting the ones that were good."

The frown on your face deepened at what he said. "I'll collect anything if it'll make Ruri better. That's why I became a sorcerer."

(E/C) eyes softened when you finally understood why Ginro and Kinro didn't take him seriously, why his shed filled with all sorts of wonders of science was located so far away from the village and why he was the weird one amongst his own people.

"Senku, is there no sorcery that can save Ruri? No science?" Chrome asked, his hands clenched into tight fists as he stared at said person with desperation.

Folding his arms across his chest, the teen answered, his mouth set into a serious frown. "It depends on her condition. But in this stone world..."

Your gaze slid over to the scientist as he trailed off mid-sentence, red orbs glowing as he stared at the small candle providing light in the shed as purple and orange ribbons streaked across the darkening sky.

There was a moment of silence as nobody said anything and Senku collected his thoughts before shifting his gaze to meet a pair of questioning brown eyes. "Chrome, I should tell you everything. Everything that happened 3,700 years ago. About the world before the collapse."

As the three of you settled down in a circle around the fire, both you and Senku took turns explaining to Chrome about a world filled with all sort of amazing advanced technologies like communication devices, cars and aeroplanes that came in various sizes and structure, how human civilization had evolved from the first aircraft that allowed man to take flight amongst the clouds to walking on the moon and amongst the stars over millions of years.

However, all these ceased to exist in the next 3,7000 years when a mysterious green light, that appeared out of nowhere, hit the earth and petrified every living human, turning them to stone.

"And that brings us to where we are now," Senku concluded. "A world where human civilization is back to square one."

Silence hung heavily in the air for a few seconds when suddenly, the sound of sniffling filled the room. It was coming from Chrome who had tears streaming down his cheeks and snot dripping from his nose as he bit his lips in an attempt to stop crying.

"Why are you bawling all of a sudden?" Senku stared incredulously at the sobbing brunette. "What's up with your emotions?"

Meanwhile, your hands were flailing about in your panicked state, unsure of what to do with the unexpected situation. "Ah, why are you crying? Please don't cry!"

"I'm not crying!" Chrome protested but then changed his mind again. "Wait, damn it! I am!"

The tears just kept coming, dripping onto the wooden floor like raindrops. "Who caused the petrification? If I ever see them, I'll kill them! How could we lose this? Our human predecessors spent millions of years slowly building this crazy, technological civilization, and it got wiped out in the blink of an eye?! I'm pissed as hell!"

(E/C) eyes softened with fondness at the kid who got mad even though it didn't concern him at all. Placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, you responded softly, "That's where you're wrong, Chrome. All hope isn't lost."

"It's not wiped out, idiot," Senku added. "The whole thing's right here."

Upon hearing that, Chrome perked up as he asked, "Where?"

"Where else do you think it can be?" You winked as you met Senku's knowing gaze.

"Humanity isn't going down that easily. Two million years of human history is right here inside me." The scientist pointed to his head to prove his point before extending his fist towards Chrome's chest where his heart was. "And right here inside you. Am I wrong?"

"You're not wrong. Of course, you're not." The brunette wiped away the remaining tears to reveal brown orbs burning with determination as he declared, "Senku, (Name), I'm going to build this nation of science with you. And I'm going to defeat Ruri's sickness!"

The grin on your face broadened as Chrome rose to his feet, continuing with the same fervour as he asked, "So tell me! Didn't you say earlier that there's a scientific way to save Ruri?!"

The corners of his lips lifted into a confident smirk as Senku replied, "Yeah. We're making the ultimate medicine of science...The antibiotic."

***

A/N: I recently got Twitter! So, come and find me @chibi_rainbend  (link in profile) where I'll be posting updates, sneak peeks and random stuff on anime and occasionally K-Pop!