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Senku never gave much thought to his soulmate.
Sure, he'd glance at the timer on his wrist, vaguely curious as to who it could be, but never gave them more than a passing thought.
He had witnessed Taiju and Yuzuhira meeting as kids, seen their awe at finding each other, bemused at the blushing mess they both became.
Senku didn't understand the idea of soulmates. He didn't care for the thought that some random twist of fate decided who he would be with for the rest of his life.
There was no scientific explanation for it. How did the universe know that this one person was meant for him? What was the reasoning behind it? The qualifications of proving two people were perfect for each other?
He still felt a nervous excitement course through his veins as his timer ticked down.
10-09-32-05
Senku was a scientist. He needed to learn everything he could. Perhaps, he mused, finding his soulmate would help him figure out the science behind it.
As a green light washed over the earth, any thoughts of soulmates left his mind as he focused on staying conscious, counting the seconds.
3,700 years later he is finally set free and busy trying to survive in this new world on his own. He doesn't have time to think of anything except how to revive civilization.
Half a year later, Taiju emerges and Senku has never felt so happy. He's not alone anymore and, more importantly, has his best friend by his side again. He knew Taiju would show up, of course, but he sure took his sweet time to get there.
They've settled down for the night, Senku explaining their plan to restart civilization. Taiju brings up Yuzuhira, absently rubbing at the invisible timer on his wrist.
It occurs to Senku that he hadn't given a single thought to his own, in a rush to craft clothes, to survive. He'd wrapped his arms for safety, never glancing at his timer.
Curious now, he waits for Taiju to fall asleep before slowly unwrapping his arm, a nervous flutter in his stomach.
10-09-32-03
The usual deep black is now a faded grey, typically signifying a soulmate having died.
Senku had no real desire to meet his soulmate, but that doesn't stop the sharp pain running through his chest.
Of course his soulmate was still petrified, frozen, in a mimicry of death. Theoretically, once revived, his timer should begin working again. Who knew when that would happen though?
There was also the chance of them being broken beyond repair or lost somewhere during the thousands of years.
It was a 10 billion percent chance Senku would never meet them. The realization hurt more than he expected. He carefully wrapped his arm again, firmly putting soulmate nonsense out of his mind, and went to sleep.
He works with Taiju, figuring out the revival formula step-by-step.
After a year, he starts to have moments of doubt. Not one to dwell on his own fears, they never last long. Once Senku decides on a course of action, he steadily works towards his goal.
Admittedly, it helps to have his best friend around. Whenever a small shred of doubt begins to form, Taiju is there to excitedly shove it away for him, never once losing faith in Senku. It bolsters his own resolve until finally they make headway with a stone feather breaking open.
As they revive a petrified sparrow, Senku is pleased to call their work a success, letting Taiju decide on which person they revive first, as if Senku would have picked anyone else anyway.
Senku miscalculates for once though, not thinking of Taiju and his gentlemanly manners, leading them to getting chased by lions and reviving Tsukasa instead.
Senku understands Tsukasa's disgust with the corruption of the world, but it isn't his job to be judge, jury and executioner. He will let humanity deal with it when it is around to do so. His job is merely to bring it back.
He finds himself separated from Taiju and Yuzuhira, in a primitive village full of people born in this stone world, trying to convince them to join his cause so he can save everyone.
Several weeks later, Senku is unable to sleep, mind too busy running thinking of the various projects needing to be done.
He finds himself pulling at his bandages, a strip having come loose from the days activities. Deciding to redo them, he gazes at his timer, blinking slowly. No longer a faded grey, returning to its former color.
08-11-40-20
Tsukasa must have revived his soulmate.
He stares, watching the seconds tick down, a mess of emotions he doesn't want to deal with flooding him. Swallowing, he wraps his arm back up tightly, determined not to think of it right now. Then he crawls under the blanket, ignoring the new clock in his mind counting down.
---
Gen had always fantasized about who his soulmate could be.
His mind jumped between beautiful men and women, rich and famous, someone who was on top of the world and willing to dote on him.
Raised in the world of celebrities, his parents working in the industry, both always on the go with barely a glance at him. He had learned early how to smile through the pain, how to lie with ease.
He's 8 when he decides to learn the tools of magic. Fascinated by the tricks he sees a magician pull at a festival. It's enough to pull at his child curiosity, the innocence still within intrigued by the idea of it.
He didn't need his parents love if he had thousands to love him.
Gen practiced for hours, becoming interested in not just in the tricks a magician could do, but the ability to deceive the mind. He studied psychology and sociology to help with his art, calling himself a mentalist to better sell himself to TV producers.
By 13, his work had paid off. Beginning to appear on various news stations and shows around Japan. Always wondering, in the back of his mind, what his soulmate would think of him.
Every time he's on camera, every magazine he appears in, every publicized photo that's taken he wonders- is his soulmate seeing this? What do they think? Are they proud?
He shoves his doubts away. Gen is a small-time celebrity, but a celebrity nonetheless. His soulmate would be a fool to disregard him. He stares at the timer on his arm, questions asked about it easily deflected. It's no ones business as to how long he has.
10-10-20-45
He's introduced on stage, opening his show with a flurry of birds transforming into two assistants. His anxious nerves are nowhere to be seen as he bows before his applauding audience.
Gen is getting closer to meeting his soulmate and he doesn't know what to do.
An unexpected fear takes hold. He's never heard of a pair who didn't love each other, but what if his soulmate hated him? What if the universe messed up?
He's finishing up his show, a daring escape act that never fails to impress, when an odd green glow moves throughout the room. He can't move. He can't see. Soon, he can no longer think.
When he wakes, Gen sees an open ocean spread out before him. His eyes water at the sudden, burning light. Then there's a man before him, wild and feral, telling him he is 3,700 years in the future. A new world made of stone. He recognizes him as the strongest high-school primate.
He pushes down the overwhelming fear at the sudden change in his worldview, coos at his new leader. Nods and smiles and agrees- the world would be better suited for the young. Watches with a blank smile as Tsukasa-chan crushes a stone statue with his bare hands.
Gen doesn't know these strangers, these statues. They're not real. They certainly can't feel pain. Who is he to go against the strongest man alive? What could he possibly do to help them?
It's much later, after talking to Yuzuhira-chan about getting his new clothes, that he remembers his timer.
10-02-45-08
It was still going.
That meant his soulmate was alive. Somewhere. Was he one of the others Tsukasa-chan had already revived? Or someone Tsukasa planned on reviving? No, that didn't make sense. It must be someone already revived.
Despite the relief that only individual owners could see their soulmate timers, Gen still hides his arms within his sleeves, pushing it to the back of his mind. Did soulmates even matter in this stone world?
He's shown the Cave of Miracles and marvels at the date carved into a tree. To know that someone had counted, all those long terrible years, in the dark, so accurately as to carve the date of their revival- wonder and respect bloom in his chest.
He desires to meet this fascinating man, happy to leave the Empire of Might several days later, heading in the direction Tsukasa-chan gave him. Somehow, despite everything, some form of humanity had lived on.
It's a comforting thought.
As a child of the modern era, Gen has no tracking skills. Never even spent time in a forest, the park the closest he got to a wooded area.
Sleeping on the hard ground is even worse, especially with no fire to help keep him warm, to help scare the darkness away. He fears the noises of the night. Twitches at each scuttle across the ground, the whispers among the leaves. What sleep he gets is fitful and erratic, jumping awake every few hours until the sun rises.
Having found himself going in a circle on the fourth day, Gen grumbles to himself, wondering if he could make his way back and say he couldn't find the village. Deciding to stop for the night, he pushes back his sleeve.
01-11-50-12
Either he's closer to the village than he realized or his soulmate is living in the wilderness. He wonders, very vaguely, if his soulmate is some primitive person, someone he wasn't meant to meet until 3,700 years in the future. He'd never heard of a timer like that though.
Granted, he doubted anyone could have taken into account that the whole world would be petrified in a single day, causing humanity to come to a standstill. But the universe worked in mysterious ways.
More than likely, he knew, finally allowing the thought to come forth, his soulmate was the enigma known as Senku-chan, the most intelligent man in the world, the one determined to save humanity.
The one with a mad man set on killing him.
He wonders if he should just hide away in the forest.
A day later, Gen spies the village. He hangs back, watching the small group of people move around, working on something. Soon he smells something he never thought to smell again. His mouth waters, days of walking, with nothing more than berries to eat, has him starving.
He idly runs his fingers over his timer, watching the seconds tick ever downwards.
Eventually, he spies a laughing figure, wild green-tipped hair standing high. His clothing is different from the rest of the villagers. This must be the elusive Senku-chan, alive and well, as Tsukasa-chan feared.
Gen should immediately turn around and head back to Tsukasa-chan, tell him Senku-chan is with the primitive village. Let him know how easy it would be to take over. His mind drifts to the timer, still counting down on his wrist.
Easing himself among the crowd that has gathered, he waits for the child with a melon on her head to hand him a bowl of ramen, smiling gently at her as she scurries off. He sits among an outcropping of rocks and takes a bite. It's the worst thing he's ever tasted, bland with a bitter aftertaste that makes him want to heave. He takes another bite. And another.
It's still a small taste of home, something he never expected to have again.
Gen had no one to miss in the previous world. What he did miss was the convenience of modern living. Smartphones and television. Books and good food. A bed to sleep in, lights to chase the darkness away. Human life all around him. He wanted it back.
Decision made, relaxing his shoulders he gives a deep, dramatic sigh, sing-songing, "This seriously makes me wish I had something to drink~ like a cola~"
---
Senku freezes at the new voice. Cola? Only someone from the modern era would know that. He clutches his wrist, the ticking countdown in his mind still going.
Despite the evidence, he's still surprised his soulmate came tracking him down, but then Tsukasa isn't a fool. He would obviously send someone to check and make sure if he was alive or not. Was he aware the person he sent was his soulmate? Or did he stumble upon this accident and decided to use it to his advantage?
He barely hears Kohaku interrogate the newcomer, slowly turning around to look as a sly voice teases a lie about wandering alone, looking for food. He manipulates Ginro into taking his food, having two of the three weapons aimed at him gone. Kohaku sighs in frustration, but lowers her knife.
He's pretty, Senku is surprised to find himself thinking, realizing he looks familiar. Gripping his wrist tightly, he takes a deep breath, "I thought I'd seen your face somewhere before, Asagiri Gen."
Gen pauses his theatrics, turning towards Senku, one hand going to rub his own. Blue and red eyes clash, a slight burn stinging both of them.
"An acquaintance of yours?" Kohaku asks.
Gen continues watching him, a light smile on his face. "Not even for 1mm" He says. "He's a magician that writes these garbage psychology books."
"Oh, you've read them? I'm happy to hear that. But garbage? That's pretty harsh." Gen pouts lightly before smiling again, a teasing glint in his eyes. "And please, call me a mentalist."
Arms crossed, Senku smirks as Gen hides his hands in his sleeves, a cunning look lighting his face.
Now this was exhilarating.