Chapter Text
"I am imple-say mazed-ay, dear Senku-chan!" Gen began showering praises to the Scientist as he finished making more soap for them to use, "You too, Yuzuriha-chan! And the same goes with Tsukasa-chan and Taiju-chan!"
"You think so?” Yuzuriha blushed from the praise, as she mixed the herbs with the newly made soap “That’s really kind of you to say…”
“I’m simply stating the truth.” Gen stated in a humble tone, “I could never match any of your incredible skills. Everyone here is a team building seminar’s dream! Such perfect and coordinated teamwork! I’m quite jealous…”
“Then you should try helping us and not stand there like a gaping idiot, mentalist.” Senku said with a smirk, “There's lots of manual labour to go around so don’t be shy!”
“So urel-cray!” Gen cried out.
But even with this, they all had a good laugh about it.
“But I must say…” Gen then spoke again as he eased his laughter, “If there is someone who is worthy of the most praise, would be you, Senku-chan!”
Senku’s laughter then died as he gave the mentalist a confused look.
“Without your credible-inay scientific knowledge, none of us would be able to already advance this far to make mortar and soaps! Just from seashells no less. How truly astounding!”
Whatever trace of laughter or joy Senku had earlier had completely disappeared as he only looked at Gen with a raised eyebrow.
“You know….” Senku said as he scooped in more calcium carbonate to his mortar, “A guy who praises another guy at his face like that is either flirting or scheming. But you know that, right Mentalist?”
Gen was surprised when Senku said that to him and his response was a laugh.
“Oh my, Senku-chan how sweet of you to say that!” Gen said in between his laughter, “But unfortunately for you neither options are your answer. Can’t someone just ruly-tay tell the good and honest truth about your superior skills?”
There was a silence after that. But to Tsukasa and Yuzuriha, they had an intense and at the same time terrible feeling in the air, but neither of them dared to speak up.
Until Taiju came to the group as he lowered the last bag of crushed seashells in front of them.
“All right! That’s the last of it!” Taiju cheered as he stretched out his back, “Who knew making civilization from scratch was such hard work!”
Yuzuriha sighed internally from relief as she saw Taiju quickly and unknowingly broke up the tense air between them.
“And that’s saying something, coming from you Taiju…” Tsukasa commented as if to hide the feeling he felt earlier.
“So, what's the fourth thing by the way?” Taiju then asked Senku who was uncharastically quiet, “You said there were four useful things with seashells, right?”
Senku blinked.
“No there's three.” Senku smirked his usual and brought out three fingers, “I said three didn’t I?”
“Really?”
“Thats right!” Yuzuriha was quick to bounce in agreement, “You only said three”
“Mmhmm…” Tsukasa nodded in agreement.
“Man, my memory must be messed up!” Taiju then gave a hearty laugh.
But if anything else, Gen didn’t say anything or even bothered to look at Taiju after those words were spoken.
Later that night, everyone was sound asleep at the treehouse, as much as Taiju, who was snoring loudly, and Yuzuriha who was asleep at another corner of the house. Gen on the other hand was laid in bed, turned to his side and not asleep.
Just outside the house, Senku was doing the finishing touches to his secret weapon that he intended to use in case of any emergencies.
“Senku? I thought you were asleep…” Tsukasa approached him as quietly as possible as to not disturb, or grab someone’s attention.
“How can I…?” Senku said without even looking up to his best friend.
“Hmm.. I see…” Tsukasa nodded in understanding even when Senku didn't explain out loud.
“All right… that's done for now…” Senku stood up and cracked his neck, “Since you’re here, I need to… tell you something. Come with me..”
Tsukasa wordlessly followed Senku. He didn’t understand as to why his friend is suddenly acting differently, but he had a feeling that his curiosities will be answered pretty soon.
A bit later, the two arrive at a very familiar place.
“This is…” Tsukasa immediately recognized it, “It’s the bat cave. Where we get the nitric acid for the revival formula.”
“Keep your voice down about that.” Senku was quick to shut him up about it. “He doesn’t need to know about it…”
Tsukasa fell silent for a bit until he realized Senku’s true intentions…
“It’s Gen isn't it?” Tsukasa concluded, “You’re suspicious of him.”
“Oh?” Senku said while cracking his neck again, “What makes you think so?”
“I can tell. Yuzuriha did too. We’re your friends after all. We have been for years.”
“Ah good…” Senku said in relief, “Then I don’t have to spell it out for all of you. Saves me the energy of doing so.”
“You’re right, by the way… It is about Gen.”
“I don’t know much about him…” Tsukasa spoke as he remembered the show where he first met him, “All I remember, was that, in all those masks he wore on that show, you could still feel the sucking void from him. As if he was a well oiled machine, unable to rest even if he wanted to…”
“But that's not the point is it?” Senku interrupted Tsukasa, “You, of all people could tell that he has hidden intentions with all of his “magic” he likes showering us with.”
“Yes…” Tsukasa gritted his teeth, “It was difficult for even myself to not get swayed with his words and movements… It is as if he's trying to ease us to joining his side… but why?”
“We may find out soon…” Senku’s eyes shifted to a tree he was standing next to.
“How do you know?”
Senku didn't say anything else, and instead he approached the tree and finally spoke, “Tsukasa…”
“Senku…?”
“.... I need you to join Gen’s side…”
It took a couple of seconds for Tsukasa to register what Senku had just said to him.
“Wha--”
“You heard me Tsukasa.” Senku said firmly and visibly annoyed.
“No I…” Tsukasa tried to find the right words to say, “Why?!”
“Sooner or later… there will be someone we will wake up that will have the opposite of what we want. I just didn't think it would be this soon.”
“And you want me to join him?!” Tsukasa couldn’t believe it, “Are you insane?”
“Maybe I am.” Senku punched the tree with his fist, “Maybe I am… But if it's the only way to stop him, then we have no choice.”
“Yes there are!” Tsukasa argued.
“Then feel free to tell me!” Senku spat back, “Cause I would love to hear it!”
Tsukasa hasn't seen Senku this frustrated in a long time. Even when they were stuck in big roadblocks on whatever they were making together, he would always keep a smug smile and continue on. But to see him aggravated…
“Listen, Tsukasa… I’m sorry…” Senku calmed down and lowered his head, “I know I’m asking too much of you, and clearly this is ten billion percent insane---”
“I’ll do it.” Tsukasa declared without a shake or stutter, “I’ll join Gen’s side. I’ll be your perfect spy.”
“Tsukasa…”
“I swore to you, Taiju, Yuzuriha, Mirai, and to Byakuya that I’ll protect all of you! No matter what! Even if it means we’re going to temporarily be enemies then so be it!”
Senku looked at his childhood best friend for many years with great concern etched on his face. He hasn't seen him this determined and driven in a while. He’s only seen it when he was in his fights, trying to earn as much money as he could to pay for his sister’s endless pile of medical bills.
And here he is determined to throw his own life away to protect the only friends he has in this cruel world. Stone or not.
And yet…
"That's not enough…" Senku’s voice broke a little, “That's still not enough Tsukasa…”
“What do you mean?”
“If it comes to this....” Senku gritted his teeth so hard he could break, “I need you to kill me…”
“Senku…”
“Can you do that? For me? For them?”
“Yes…”
“Aaaahhh!!!” Gen extended his arms outward and felt the morning ocean breeze pass through him. He let the longer dark side of his hair sway along with the crisp air. “This is such a lovely sunrise, don't you think Senku-chan? Tsukasa-chan?”
“Yes, it is…” Tsukasa walked next to Gen as he felt the breeze as well.
“Well it would be such a perfect view if it wasn’t for these asty-nay statues in the way…” Gen grimaced in disgust as he looked at the statues of various statues that looked like adult people who are either half submerged in water or into the sand. “Oh how I wish I could just shatter them so they’ll never be an eyesore to anyone ever again.”
“You crazy?” Senku said in a joking manner, “You’d be killing them essentially. Just move them, I’m sure Tsukasa and Taiju will be eager to help you.”
“I know…” Gen said as he caressed the head of a statue of an adult man, “But that would be too easy right, Senku-chan?”
“What do you mean by that Gen?”
“All I’m saying is that have a look around you, Senku-chan!” Gen waved his arms, “Look at all of these statues, most of them are adults, older people… The worse than shit, pitiful excuse of human beings, doomed to be destroyed by their own actions one day. So why not do it for them?”
And that's where Tsukasa with a powerful punch, lobbed the head of the man’s statue and let it roll onto Senku’s feet.
Senku remained unflinching and looked at the rolled severed head as if its face became twisted in sheer horror.
“See?” Gen gestured to Tsukasa and then to the ocean, “Such a small and quick move and yet, look! The world looks much better now isn't it?”
“But it's not worth anything…” Senku looked at the head and looked at Gen straight into the eyes, “If you’re just going to kill people like that.”
“Is that what you call it?” Gen said in a pseudo hurt look, “How erible-tay for you to think of us like that… I call it a liberation.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.” Tsukasa said plainly as if he was stating a fact, “Gen has shown me something. Something that even you have ignored.”
Senku didn’t say anything. He just stared into the eyes of his best friend, as he kept on his mask.
“I understand how you feel, that you want to revive every single human being using the power of science.” Tsukasa began, “But that is just an undesirable and idealistic goal. You really desire to wake everyone up? Even those who have done nothing but evils to this world? Sure, they will be grateful for you at first, but then their greed will start to take over and demand more than just being revived. They will demand money, they will claim land as their property and charge us taxes. And eventually they will seek to revive the corruption that had ruled the old world.”
“As you can see…” Gen smiled as he walked a bit closer towards Senku, “Tsukasa-chan has shown an mazing-ay point! The world where we used to live is no more. It doesn't exist. There is not a single trace of it anywhere! And we should be grateful for that!”
“Indeed…” Tsukasa continued, “Instead of reviving our old broken down world. We should make a new one! One where those who had power and wealth couldn’t use us anymore.”
“Because… we plan to crush them before they could even be revived…” Gen finished with a sinister smile.”
“A culling essentially.” Senku concluded.
“That’s right!” Gen clapped his hands and gave him a wide and bright smile, “Ten billion points for you! How magnificent!”
“We live in the Stone World now. A paradise that hasn't been ruined by greed.” Tsukasa declared, “I think we should only revive the young and pure hearted. And make sure this world isn't owned by anyone! Don’t you agree with me? Senku?”
“You hear that, Senku-chan? Tsukasa-chan's beautiful image of the world? It's the future of this world! Of Humanity!” Gen cheered and strangely showed genuine happiness, the fact that Senku and Tsuaksa noticed. “So what do you say? Care to help us?”
“Heh…” Senku smirked and looked at both of them, and gave them an answer, “Hell no.”
Tsukasa glared at him and Senku could feel Gen’s expression darken too.
“I see… But don't you understand, Senku-chan?" Gen spoke as he turned around and spread out his arms to feel the ocean breeze through him, "This world… this world was once tainted by evil. People of all kinds destroyed this planet and the young ones who lived in it! They made us suffer and grovel at their feet for barely any bread on the table! They treated us like slaves or even animals for their amusement. And this Stone World… this Stone World has been a magnificent blessing to us! We now have a chance as the young and pure-hearted to create a better world without those freaks to destroy it once more! And Tsukasa-chan has joined me in my cause! He truly believes in my goals and ideals. Because he had the same thoughts as I did!”
“And so?”
“So~~” Gen continued in a sing-song voice, “I’m sure you of all people should at least have seen the horrors the old world has done. Wouldn’t it be much better~~ if we could only~~ just have them~~ cease to exist~~?”
“More talking or singing wouldn’t change a millimeter my answer. And it's still no.” Senku was smug and confident, despite the two glaring him down as if he was a mere insect that needed to be crushed, “I’m the kind of kid that loves technology, space, mechas, doremon, and stuff like that.”
And with that Senku looked at them both in the eye and spoke with his great sense of conviction and determination.
“I’m going to revive every single human on this earth. And I am going to do it, using the power of science.”
“Well then…” Gen lowered his arms and looked down on Senku, ready to crush him whatever means necessary, “Then I suppose, we have to get rid of you.”