Chapter Text
Xeno stood in front of the lifeless statues of Luna, Carlos, Max, and Shishio, with one of the bottles of the nitric acid and alcohol mixture in his hand. After their success with reviving the swallow, he was slightly embarrassed to admit that he had gone overboard with creating more of the mixture, and by the end of the day, the two had gathered and mixed almost a dozen bottles before they ran out of the wine.
It might have been a bit extreme, but still, it never hurts to be cautious.
Just in case, he had taken the liberties of entrusting four extra bottles to Stanley, just in case anyone they revived got the foolish idea to attempt to take over the stone world that humanity was now in.
Now, one of the bottles was uncorked and Stanley at his side, who was wielding a spear fashioned with a chunk of copper that had been dug up during one of their miniature expeditions into the wilderness, Xeno cautiously stepped forward and let the healing powers of the acid rain down on the shoulder of Shishio – as he was too short to reach the head.
The reversal of the petrification was somewhat anti-climactic, now that the first thrill of success has passed. Still, Xeno felt a deep sense of satisfaction as the stone crumbled away in chunks, to reveal a heavily muscular teenager who seemed to be around their age, perhaps older. He had long, thick, dark hair, and the cracks in the skin – a result of the petrification Xeno was delighted to discover – ran in jagged lines down his face and chest.
He blinked once, twice, then glanced around in obvious confusion. “What… happened?” His voice was low and smooth as velvet, and the scientist made a note that he would be excellent at manipulation, making a mental warning so that he could be prepared for any scenario.
Xeno stepped forward, handing over a long tunic that he had sewn just for Shishio, and spoke up, voice calm. “Shishio,” he told the dark-haired teen, smirking slightly, “Humanity has been wiped out for thousands of years. Will you help us restore it back to its former glory?”
Surprise flashed across Shishio’s face, clear as day, but the teen slowly accepted the tunic, hand careful as if unused to moving after being trapped in stone for so long. He slipped the tunic on, then faced the two friends with a glint in his eyes. “Very well,” he said softly, face sliding into a small smile, and Xeno couldn’t tell if it was genuine or not. “I simply ask that you address me as Tsukasa.”
Xeno’s smirk widened, and he absentmindedly scratched on the piece of stone on the back of his neck. “Then, you may call me Xeno, and my blond friend here,” he gestured to his crush, who was still in a defensive position, spear raised, but had relaxed slightly, “Is Stanley.”
Tsukasa nodded sharply, then straightened up. “Well, shall we leave?”
The two Americans took up the front, with Stanley taking the lead, weapon ready in case any predators appeared. Xeno slowed his pace until he was walking right next to the teen they had just revived.
Tsukasa didn’t seem surprised, clearly expecting a conversation. With his eyes peering around, scanning for danger, he asked a question he had most likely had since taking his first breath in thousands of years. “So… why did you revive me?”
Xeno chuckled slightly, shaking his head. “Let it be made clear,” he stated, voice firm, “That you weren’t my first choice.” Best to make it appear like there are other strong contenders. That way he feels a sense of flattery that he was chosen, but also the knowledge that he is a back-up. A number two.
“Oh?” Tsukasa wondered, clearly waiting for more, curiosity shining in his dark eyes.
“Indeed,” the scientist hummed, arms swinging by his sides as he examined the foliage above them. “You were chosen for one sole purpose only: to be the brawn of this little trio.”
“I see,” The dark-haired teen murmured, not even looking fazed. He most likely already knew that it would be the outcome, he is well known in the media as ‘The World’s Strongest Primate Highschooler’. “Then what is Stanley?”
Xeno took a moment to calculate the odds of his possible answers. He didn’t trust the recently-unpetrified man yet, and so he had to seem genuine.
Letting out a slight laugh, Xeno grinned at the blond’s back. “Why, he’s the beauty of this little team we have!” He wasn’t lying. Stanley was the most beautiful person here, and – in Xeno’s humble opinion – the whole world.
Tsukasa smiled, a tinge of wistfulness in it. “Nice to see we have a full trio,” he said wryly.
Suddenly, Stanley halted, putting a hand up. “I saw something,” he whispered over to the two, voice filled with anticipation. Immediately, everyone tensed. With a handful of powerful strides of his long legs, Tsukasa strode to the head of the group, eyes scanning the undergrowth.
After a second, he paused, then growled out, “Lions.”
Lions? How did they get here? They aren’t native to Japan. Unless… Xeno put a hand to his chin. “They must have escaped from the zoo after the population was turned to stone, then mated until their descendents are here right now.”
“What do we do?” Stanley asked, voice low and spear at the ready. He doubted it would help much.
“Don’t worry,” Tsukasa assured them, confidence showing in every part of him. He stepped forward, fists clenching and eyes burning with a fire that made Xeno glad he was on their side. (AN: foreshadowing? In this humble sentence? More likely that you'd think hehe)
Without warning, the lions attacked. Three of them burst out of the bushes, jaws agape, revealing teeth that could cut through bone like putty. They lunged at Tsukasa, muscles rippling like water, with claws that flexed with the desire to kill. The teen stood stock still, body tense yet seemingly frozen.
Then he moved.
Fast as lightning, Tsukasa practically flew at the animals, grabbing the first lion's neck and snapping it with a sickening crack! that echoed around the clearing they were in. The other two beasts hesitated, clearly unsure whether or not to continue their – failed – assault. Tsukasa turned to face the beasts, wearing a dark look that sent the hairs on Xeno’s arm straight up all the way from where he stood in the back. That seemed to be the last straw, and the lions fled without looking back at their fallen companion.
Xeno glanced at Stanley, who had a barely disguised look of terror and awe on his face. He could agree with the teen. If Tsukasa ever turns on us, we’re screwed.
Still, he put on a mask of indifference, and jogged over to where the muscular teen was standing, not moving. “Great job!” Xeno congratulated him, not even having to fake the elation he was feeling. “We can cook the lion, it should keep all three of us fed for weeks!”
Tsukasa hadn’t moved a muscle. Xeno gulped, feeling nervous all of a sudden. “A-anyways,” he continued, as if the other teen wasn’t resembling the very nickname he went by back in the old world, “We should probably continue on. I saw a beach near here and wanted to see if it had any materials that I needed.”
That finally seemed to shake him out of his stupor, and with a shrug of his broad shoulders, turned to Xeno. The scientist noted with no small amount of fear that he hadn’t even broken a sweat. “Alright.” Tsukasa’s voice was low and heavy, and the dark look hadn’t left his eyes.
Much to the two Americans' relief, as they headed to the beach, it began to clear up, and by the time they arrived at the sandy area, it was as if the threatening demeanor had never existed in the first place.
“Stanley,” Xeno ordered, picking up a clam near his feet, “I need you to gather as many as you can.” The blond nodded, and, unable to resist spouting facts, the scientist added in, “These shells have four uses.” He told the other two teens. Stanley, knowing he would share the uses later, immediately set to work, grabbing the shells in rapid-fire succession.
“Shouldn’t I help?” Tsukasa asked, cocking his head to the side in curiosity. Xeno nodded, and joined the dark-haired teen as he began to scope the sand, nimble yet strong fingers plucking the shells easily.
As they worked, Tsukasa started to speak. “I’ve been thinking,” he began, voice betraying nothing, “You want to revive every last human, correct?” Placing a handful of clams into his bag, Xeno made a noise of affirmation. The older teen continued. “I have to ask, why?”
The scientist paused, putting his hands on his knees. He tilted his head to the side. “What do you mean?” He asked, poorly hidden baffled in his voice. “Why wouldn’t I?”
Tsukasa let out a chuckle. It was a dark, grim noise that sent shivers running through Xeno. “Well, we both know that the government won’t exactly allow you to finish the job will they?” Seeing the doubt on the American’s face, he continued. “Think about it. As soon as you revive those old geezers, what will they do first? Stop all your efforts and take control.”
“That’s not true!” Xeno protested, but the words fell short when he saw the other teen’s expression.
“Yes it is,” Tsukasa spat, words filled with malice. “They’ll just trap us back into their web of deceit, just like how it used to be.”
The older teen dropped the clam he was holding, turning to face Xeno, the same look on him from earlier. In a tone practically dripping with disgust, he stared at the scientist. “Come on, Xeno. You’re smart.” Tsukasa hummed, bringing a sand covered hand to swipe his fingers through thick, dark locks. “You know that they’ll take power again as soon as they come back. They’re greedy, they can’t help it.” He shrugged, making Xeno tense. He wished he hadn’t sent Stanley away.
“But we can change that.” Tsukasa widened his pleading eyes, trying to make Xeno get him, to make him understand. “You and I, we can stop that. We don’t have to revive them. Think about it!” He stood up rapidly, arms gesturing to the surroundings, to the lapping waves of the brilliant blue ocean, then to the sand, sparkling in the sun. “All of this,” he breathed, an menacing aura of mania drenching all around him. “All of this can be ours. We can revive only the youth. Only the pure hearted.”
“Come on, Xeno,” he practically begged, extending a hand out to the still crouching teen. “Come with me and we can make society better.” Xeno was frozen, huge eyes staring at the older teen in horror.
Oh dear, this was much, much worse than what he had originally feared.
With powerful strides, Tsukasa walked over to one of the statues on the beach, an old, obese man, and put a hand gently on the stone man’s shoulder. His gaze never left Xeno. “When I was a kid,” he said softly, a downcast look clear as day on him, “I learned the hard way that none of the adults care. None of them. They’re so obsessed with power, with control, that they are willing to do anything to stop it. Anything.”
That finally got the scientist moving. Rising to his feet, voice firm despite the fear that he could feel all the way to his bones, Xeno shouted back, full of anger, “You’re insane, Tsukasa! You can’t do that! I-I can't let you. I won't.”
Tsukasa looked disappointed, hand falling from where it had been reaching for Xeno. “Very well, I shall stop.” His other hand slammed into the neck of the stone man, severing the neck with a force so strong it completely disintegrated the head. Xeno could only look on in horror.
To his eternal relief, the man – no, the monster – relaxed, his face smoothing out back into the placid expression it once was. At that moment, Stanley came back into sight, sweating slightly and the bag on his shoulders filled to the brim with clams.
“Done,” he told Xeno, out of breath but with a satisfied look on his face. “So am I,” Tsukasa added, tone emotionless to anyone that wasn’t Xeno, who understood with terror the underlying message; I’m done with you.
“A-all right then,” He managed to force out, voice shaking from the threatening conversation he had just experienced. “Let’s go.”
It took all his effort for his legs to stay stable, and not to shake like a newborn deer learning how to walk. The hike back to the campsite seemed to pass in an instant yet also in a hundred years. When they finally got there, he had mostly – stuffing your fears down does count, right? – recovered, and could act normal.
As Stanley set about skinning the lion, Xeno ordered Tsukasa to start grinding the shells into a fine dust. To his eternal relief the murderer – for that’s what he was, having slain that innocent man right before the scientist's very eyes – began the task without any problems. Sand had somehow gotten into the stone, so Xeno was scratching hard at it in a fruitless attempt to get it out.
As he peeled off the skin, revealing thick, juicy flesh, Stanley asked, “So, what were the four uses of the clams?” Out of the corner of his eye, Xeno noticed with dread that Tsukasa seemed to perk up, paying attention to the conversation. Knowing he couldn’t leave his best friend hanging, but also not wanting the murderer to know the most important use, Xeno laughed. It was a fake laugh.
“Oh, did I say four?” He wondered, making a face that meant: silly me! “I meant three. Soap, fertilizer, and water filtering.”
Xeno knew that it wouldn’t deter Tsukasa’s suspicions, but it was the best he could do at the moment. Stanley frowned, but thankfully seemed to sense that his friend wasn’t going to continue, so he left it at that.
Turning to face Tsukasa, Xeno lied straight through his teeth. “Tsukasa,” he said, a layer of fake genuine curiosity coating his voice, “We don’t have enough shells, could you quickly run to the beach and grab some more shells?”
The older teen looked wary, clearing knowing something was up, but got up and jogged out. After a second, confident he was gone, Xeno jumped to his feet, running over to the giant jar of revival fluid they had made and knocking it over, sending the precious liquid spilling to the ground. Stanley gaped, looking dumbfounded. “What are you doing?!” He yelled, also getting to his feet.
“Tsukasa is going to kill us as soon as he gets back,” Xeno hissed at his friend, moving onto the other liquids and dumping them out. “Leave the lion and help me scrap all this! We got to get out of here, now.”
Scrambling over, Stanley helped him ransack their camp, throwing everything that wasn’t needed into the raging fire, and packing all necessities into five bags. Xeno could tell he was itching with questions, but was immensely grateful he didn’t press at the moment. “Come on, come on,” the scientist muttered to himself, sprinting to the statues of his friends, who had already been dressed with the skins of animals (all thanks to Stanley).
He uncorked the three bottles – almost all of the only surviving petrification cures at the moment – and threw them over their stone bodies, waiting frantically for them to turn back. As the cracks spread quickly, he rapidly ran through calculations in his mind.
The walk to the beach was several hours long if someone of my caliber were to run, and since Tsukasa is so physically enhanced, he’ll take less than a fourth of that time if he was running at full speed. Adding in that we cleared a vast majority of the shells on the beach, he’ll have to search for at least five minutes in order to fill up a basket, giving us that added amount of time. Still, totaling it up, we still have barely an hour to make our escape.
Finally, after what seemed like forever, the stone statues cracked, revealing the standing bodies of his friends. They gaped, looking around in clear confusion and shock. That won’t do. “Wha–” Luna began to say, but was cut off.
“We have to go!” Xeno yelled at them, urgency clear on his face and tone. “If we don’t make it out in time, you’re all going to die!”
He grabbed Luna’s arm, starting to drag her with him, but she was frozen. “COME ON!” Xeno roared, panic flooding his veins. He needed them to hurry, goddamnit! She started, then began to run with him as he handed her one of the sacks, throwing the extra two at the other teens, who were standing still, overcome with confusion and shock. “NOW!”
They barely caught the sacs, but once they did, the two frantically caught up to the running teens. “What’s– what’s happening???” Carlos practically begged, looking around, voice rising with panic. “Why are we in a forest?! What is Miss Luna wearing?!”
At the edge of the campsite, Stanley was standing there, looking tense. His shoulders loosened slightly in relief at seeing Xeno, but paused when seeing who he was with. Xeno shook his head frantically, and the blond got the message, beginning to run as well.
Together, the group of friends sprinted through the woods, branches and loose stones flying in every direction. The scientist knew that his friends that had just gotten unpetrified were most likely terrified out of their minds, having been woken up mere minutes ago, but he couldn’t do anything about it now. He had to get them out of here before they were all slaughtered mercilessly, just like the lion that Tsukasa had killed.
They made it to the river, and without hesitation, Xeno plunged in, fighting his way through the currents. Normally, he wouldn’t have the strength to do this, but adrenaline and the will to live were powerful motives.
They kept on running until he lost track of time. Xeno had only one direction that they could go, which was to the hot springs. Earlier, he had memorized which way it was, and after calculating how much the shifting landscape after thousands of years would have affected it, he was positive of its location.
The sun was just starting to rise as they finally made it to the springs, and as soon as he saw it, Xeno collapsed, body finally giving up on him. Next to him, the other teens fell on the ground, exhaustion taking over. Panting heavily, he managed to force out, “I think we’re good for now.”
Relying on pure instinct, the scientist rolled over, pulling out one of the bottles of pure nitric acid that he had been keeping and a stone pickaxe, and began to pathetically hammer at the ground, struggling to even make a dent. After about a minute of it, Stanley got to his knees beside him, and with a steely look, crawled over to his friend. He carefully grabbed the pickaxe from Xeno’s hands, who shot him a grateful look, then began slamming into the earth over and over again, each impact making more and more cracks.
For several minutes, he continued to hit it, until finally the stone broke, revealing a black powder that lay under the hard layer. With hands trembling from tiredness, Xeno nodded in Stanley’s direction, who backed away and sank to the ground, becoming a boneless puddle.
The scientist looked back at the three teens, and saw with no surprise that they were all but passed out, with Carlos even managing to stumble to the edge of one of the springs to vomit into it.
Turning back to his invention, he added in the crushed clams, then poured in the nitric acid. As soon as he mixed it together, he fell back, barely muttering, “We can all sleep now,” before darkness claimed him and he fell into a deep sleep.
— — — — — — —
Waking up was surprisingly easy, especially considering last night’s strenuous exercise.
As it was, Xeno’s eyes snapped open suddenly, and he bolted up, scrambling to his feet to gauge his surroundings. Did Tsukasa find us?
Seeing nothing, his shoulders instantly relaxed, and he slouched. Gazing at his friends, all of which were still fast asleep, he sighed peacefully as relief washed over him.
Since he had nothing better to do, Xeno began to start a fire, keeping it far away from the gunpowder he had created last night.
He had just finished boiling some water for drinking, when he saw Stanley begin to stir. The blond’s eyes fluttered open, and Xeno took a moment to admire the beautiful eyes, feeling like he could get lost in them. Then their eyes met. Xeno had to stifle a blush at the golden iris that connected to his, and turned away when it got too much – much to his disappointment. Curse society for having standards on how long it was socially acceptable to stare longingly into your friends eyes – and continue tending to the fire.
A minute later, he felt the impact of someone sitting next to him, and glancing over, caught sight of Stanley staring out into the distance, a distant look in his eyes. Then, cautiously, as if scared of what might happen, the blond slowly, ever so slowly, lowered his head onto Xeno’s shoulder, still staring into the distance.
Xeno stopped breathing.
Tentatively, he leaned his head so it was resting on top of the nest of blond hair. Stanley’s hair had grown out a bit, and he had the urge to pet it. No, Xeno, stop being illogical. His hands twitched, but he pressed them together, unwilling to take an unnecessary step, no matter how much he wanted to.
The two sat there, simply breathing and enjoying each other’s presence, until they were interrupted by a loud yawn coming from behind them. Whipping his head around, Xeno jumped slightly. He had forgotten anyone else was here.
Luna was sitting up, mouth agape in a yawn, and then sleepily opened her eyes. She paused. Looked around, seeing the still sleeping bodies of Max and Carlos, dressed in animal skin, then at Stanley and Xeno, who were kneeling next to a fire. “What.”
Xeno watched in amusement as she pinched herself in the arm. She flinched, then muttered to herself, “Ok, not a dream. It’s ok, Luna, you’re a cool, level-headed gal. You got this.”
Perking up, she rose to her feet gracefully, then walked over to the two awake teens, plopping down next to them. “So… what did I miss?” She asked with fake confidence, a smile plastered on her face.
So they told her. They told her everything from what happened since she was sealed in stone. Any parts Xeno would pause on, Stanley would jump right in to continue for him, and vice versa.
By the end, she was gaping, tears pricking in her eyes. “It’s really been… thousands of years…?” She whispered, a broken look on her face.
Xeno felt a pang in his heart, and sent her a small smirk. “It’s ok,” he assured her, patting her on the head. “We’ll bring back everyone.”
Luna smiled softly, eyes shining in her eyes, but nodded confidently. “Alright,” she declared, jumping to her feet. “I’ll help, because I’m such a cool, level-headed gal!” She took a step forward, accidentally kicking part of the fire.
They watched with horror as one of the logs flew across the stone in slow motion – which was actively on fire – and landed in the huge pile of gunpowder that had been set to the side. Xeno only had a moment to mutter a quiet, “fuck,” before it exploded.
A loud boom echoed off into the sky, and a large plume of smoke rose out of the exploded disaster. Everything was covered in soot, and the teens all broke into simultaneous coughing fits.
As soon as she recovered, Luna burst into tears. “I’m– I’m so so sorry!” She wailed, rubbing the tears away furiously as they left washed away tear tracks on her face. “Now we’re all going to dieee!”
“No, no, it’s ok,” Carlos soothed – when had he gotten here? Xeno could have sworn the two were fast asleep last time he checked – “We’ll be fine, right, Xeno?” He sent a warning look the scientist’s way that absolutely failed to be threatening.
“No it’s not,” Xeno stated, mind already planning on what to do when Tsukasa found them. “We’re as good as dead.” He began to rush around, packing their bags in a frenzy.
“Not. Helping.” Carlos forced out through gritted teeth, glaring darkly at them.
Suddenly, Stanley spoke up, voice full of… excitement? “Xeno,” he called, pointing at something in the distance. “There’s a fire.”
The scientist paused, bag half packed, and followed the blond’s finger all the way to the smoke he could see in the distance. He frowned. “That’s not the direction we came from.”
“No it’s not,” Stanley agreed, a smile growing on his face. “So that means there’s someone else!” He exchanged eager looks with Xeno, both of them with huge grins.
“My, my,” a silky smooth voice said from behind them, shattering the peaceful moment. “How interesting.”
In unison, everyone tensed. Stanley leapt for his spear, but Tsukasa made it there first. With a single kick of his foot, it flew off into the distance, taking with it any chance they had of escape. Xeno slowly turned around, and the sight he saw made him pale. There, a spear to his neck, was Max. He was sweating buckets, and had fat tears rolling down his cheeks.
“No…” Luna murmured, pupils wide in panic. Next to her Carlos let out a broken sound, reaching towards his friend but stopping when Tsukasa pressed the spear deeper into the captive teen’s throat. Max whimpered.
“Don’t worry,” Tsukasa assured Xeno, sending him a bland smile that lit every nerve on fire, “He’ll be fine, as long as you give me that recipe for the revival potion.”
“Never!” Xeno bit back, laughing hauntily. “I don’t care about that useless scum, all he does is get in my way anyways.” He stared back, face hard, eyes challenging.
But the older teen simply chuckled, shaking his head. “You know,” he said, “It was a clever trick you pulled on me last night. Clever, but very, very foolish. And now?” He raised an eyebrow, “Your friend will be the one to suffer.”
The spear was pushed harder against Max, and a thin stream of red appeared. “I’ll go deeper, I’m not afraid.” Tsukasa was uncaring, but Xeno knew that he would go through with it.
Another noise from Max was enough. “Alright, STOP!”
The scientist stepped forward, hand automatically coming to scratch the back of his neck. He was desperate. “I’ll tell you, ju–just don’t kill him!” Tsukasa smirked.
Xeno took a deep breath. “It’s made of nitric acid and alcohol, as pure as the alcohol can go. 70% alcohol and 30% nitric acid. Now let him go.”
With a shove, Max was sent tumbling to the ground, Luna and Carlos running to his side. With shaky hands, Luna grabbed part of her dress and ripped it off, tying it gently around the bleeding throat.
“Why, thank you,” Tsukasa said, wiping the blood off the blade carelessly. “Now, since I'm feeling generous, I would like to extend one final offer to join me. Join me and we can keep this world pure. All I ask is you to give up your science.”
“Never.” Xeno spat, voice full of contempt and rage. No one hurts my friends.
The muscular teen sighed, sadness evident. “What a shame, you know? In another life, we could even have been friends,” He said mournfully, walking up slowly, each step landing heavily against the stone. “But now? Now you’ll have to die.”
“NO!” Stanley shouted, skidding in front of Xeno. “Y-you can’t!” He begged, arms spread out to protect his oldest friend. “I won’t LET YOU!”
“Stan…” Xeno murmured, voice heavy. “Let me do this.”
Stanley turned to him, eyes wide and brimming with unshed tears. Xeno felt his heart break in two, but he knew he had to do this. Turning to face Tsusaka, scratching his neck, he smiled wryly. “Just… make it quick and painless, won’t you?”
Tsukasa nodded. “I can do that. I’ll sever your upper cervical spine. It’ll be over in seconds, and you’ll fall unconscious.”
Stanley was crying now. Please don’t cry.
Xeno felt something wet on his cheeks. Absent-mindedly, he brought a hand up to feel it. It came away wet.
Oh.
I’m crying too.
He smiled softly at his crush, his friend, his everything. “It’ll be ok.”
And then Tsukasa lunged, spear slamming into the back of his neck.
Pain flared through for a second, consuming every other feeling.
And then…
Darkness, so much like the stone prison, yet so different, consumed Xeno once again.
So, I suppose...
Goodbye.