Chapter Text
The numbers were making his eyes go cross.
Gen put down his charcoal and rubbed at the bridge of his nose. He was seriously starting to regret taking on the role of accountant for the Kingdom of Science. But somebody needed keep track of all the accumulated funds for Ryusui’s oil. Senku was too busy with his science projects. Ukyo had his hands full with their new school. And Chrome, though good with numbers, simply didn’t have enough of a grasp of economics to be of much help. So it fell to him and while it hadn’t been too bad in the beginning, lately there had been a fluctuation to their war chest that needed to be straightened out.
Glancing back over the ledgers laid out before him, the columns of numbers continued to blend into an incomprehensible mess. He screwed his eyes shut. That was enough. It was time for a break.
Heading outside he was greeted by a beautiful spring day. Not too hot, not too cold. Just the right amount of a breeze flowing through the trees. It was practically a crime to be cooped up inside on a day like this. Gen walked with no real destination in mind, just glad to be out and away from those dreaded ledgers. Walking around the kingdom, he was able to enjoy one of his favorite pastimes: people watching.
He couldn’t quite explain why he got such entertainment from it. At first it had been a way to study people, learn how to analyze the thought process behind their actions. Eventually it became something fun. Trying to imagine what was going through peoples’ minds, figuring out their logic and what made them do the things they did. Though most fell into the same old tropes occasionally he ran into people that would surprise him, catch him off guard.
Those were the moments he loved to witness more than anything.
He paused in his walk, spotting two of the famed Sparkly Sisters fawning over some of the revived returning from a hunt. It was good to see there was little animosity between the groups, especially considering that not too long ago there had been a conflict between them. He was pleasantly surprised at how little he needed to mediate, only occasionally having to break up arguments or misunderstandings. It seemed that despite their differences, everyone was willing to work together towards a common goal.
Of course, it helped that the group was still relatively small. Once their numbers started increasing, he was certainly going to have his job as a negotiator cut out for him.
“Gen!”
He barely registered the voice before a small figure crashed into his legs from behind, hugging him tight and almost knocking him off balance. He looked down, spying a familiar green mask.
“Well hello to you too Suika-chan. Aren’t you full of energy this morning.”
She giggled, releasing Gen’s legs and bouncing around in front of him. “Suika just wanted to say hi!”
Gen smiled but had a sneaking suspicion there was more behind the girl’s boisterous greeting than she let on.
At a glance, she seemed no different than usual, a little melon ball of energy as always. But upon closer observation, he could see she was panting slightly. She didn’t normally get so easily winded so she must’ve been in a rush. That told him she had been eager to meet and hadn’t wanted to risk missing him. Her body language revealed a multitude of things to him. Though she had gone directly in front of him, she had turned her body at an angle, looking at him over her shoulder. She was being shy or at the very least, acting like it. Trying to catch him off guard.
“It’s a really pretty day today, isn’t it?” She said innocently, fidgeting with her hands and avoiding direct eye contact with him.
Nervous behavior. Perhaps she’d done something wrong and was trying to keep him from getting angry. But she’d never seen him angry at anyone before so it was unlikely she’d be wary of causing that. Then perhaps she was hoping to ask him for a favor. It had to be something important or urgent considering how she’d rushed over as soon as she spotted him. This level of hesitation told him whatever she wanted was likely something she wasn’t normally allowed but was at the very least confident that Gen could get for her.
He knelt down, bringing himself to her level so she could make the request with ease.
“Yes it’s a lovely day,” he beamed. “So lovely in fact that I decided to take a break and go for a little walk.”
Her shoulders dipped ever so slightly and her tone dropped. “Oh. Are you busy then?”
“I wouldn’t say that.” Gen mused, trying not to chuckle as Suika immediately brightened back up.
“Then do you wanna go hunt for new flowers with me?!”
“Flower hunting?”
“Yeah! After winter, when the weather gets nice, there’s always flowers out in the forest. Suika wants to go find some and bring them back here!”
That was it? Such a harmless request. She wouldn’t have been so nervous to ask about something like that. There had to be more to it.
“Hmm. That does sound like fun but,” he stood. “Are you sure you want me to go? Why not take Mirai-chan with you? I’m sure she’d love to.”
“No! It has to be you because, um…” She paused, unsure how to finish.
“Because?” Gen prodded.
Suddenly Suika became very interested in the ground, feet nudging at some pebbles. Quietly she mumbled, “Because, you know so much about flowers. Like, their names and stuff? That’s why it has to be you.”
He raised a brow at her. “Is that really the only reason it has to be me?”
She continued to poke at the pebbles by her feet. After a few moments she confessed.
“Suika’s already explored all the nearby areas for flowers. Any new ones will be growing deeper in the forest. Kohaku said Suika shouldn’t go too far out alone, not even with Chalk. Everyone else is busy and they think flower hunting is useless so no one wants to go.” She looked back up at him, clasping her hands together tightly. “But you like flowers as much as me! If you come, then Suika won’t be alone and it’ll be okay. Please?”
Gen considered, tilting his head side to side in thought.
Kohaku certainly had a point. A small child and a puppy would be easy targets out in the woods. It was good that Suika was at least acknowledging that fact but he wasn’t entirely sure he was the most ideal candidate for a bodyguard. Still, he found it difficult to say no when it came to children. It just went against his nature, though he’d never truly admit it out loud. He did have an image to uphold.
He knelt back down and patted the top of her mask. “Well, when you ask so sincerely like that, how can I possibly say no?”
Suika’s face brightened as she began bouncing up and down, barely able to contain her excitement.
“Oh thank you! Thank you thank you thank you! This will be so much fun! We’re gonna find so many new flowers and--”
“However!” He cut her off, putting on his best serious voice. “I do have some conditions.”
“Conditions?”
He nodded. “The forest is dangerous and we need to be careful. You will stay close to me the entire time. Do not wander off on your own or stray too far from my line of sight. Also, we are not going to go too far. When I say it’s time to go back, we go back. Even if we don’t find anything. Do you understand?”
He watched her consider his words carefully before nodding vigorously. She promised wholeheartedly to listen and be on her very best behavior. Gen smiled. He believed her without a shred of doubt. Suika was a very good kid.
With that, he held out his hand and the pair set out for their little botanical adventure.
Gen allowed Suika to take the lead, letting her choose which way they went through the forest.
“Suika’s never been in this part of the woods!” she exclaimed. “So there’s bound to be flowers we’ve never seen here!”
He chuckled. “Makes perfect sense to me.”
As they walked, Gen made it a point to periodically mark a nearby tree with the small knife Senku had made for him. While he was confident with his sense of direction and didn’t plan on going very far, it never hurt to have some added insurance.
Every now and then, Suika called him over to ask questions about flowers she’d found. So far they hadn’t found anything new but she was still quite curious about the names and meanings that Gen knew from long ago.
“What do you call those pink ones?” she asked, pointing to a large bush dotted with pink, round blossoms.
“Those look like camellia to me.” Gen said, walking over to get a closer look.
“Camellia,” she repeated slowly. “Do they have a special meaning?”
“That depends on the color. Pink are…” He had to think. It’d been a long time since he’d studied floriography. “For longing, I believe.”
“What does ‘longing’ mean?”
“Waiting for someone,” he explained vaguely. She was still a little too young for a more in-depth definition of the word.
That seemed to satisfy her curiosity enough as she bounded further ahead. Gen called for her to slow down, marking a nearby tree before trotting after her. They were getting much deeper into the woods now. He was starting to feel a little wary. A bit further, he thought. Then we should turn back.
“Gen! Over here!”
She had reached a break in the trees and was waving him over excitedly. He picked up his pace, coming up alongside her.
“Suika-chan I told you to stay close to--”
He stopped mid-sentence, staring in awe at what lay before them.
They’d stumbled across a huge clearing filled with all manner of different flora. Various patches coated the ground, a plethora of shapes and colors. Statues dotted the landscape in varying poses. Some in the midst of walking or running, some sitting, others toppled over and broken. Many were in the process of being swallowed up by the ever encroaching plant life around them. It looked like something out of a fairy tale. Suika immediately ran to the nearest patch of flowers, squatting down to get a closer look.
“There’s so many different flowers! Suika’s never seen so many in one place!”
Gen remained quiet, taking in the sight before him. He wondered if this place had once been a garden or park of some kind. That was the only explanation he could think of for why there were so many different kinds of plant here. Gingerly he plucked a nearby blossom, holding it up for inspection. He was sure he recognized the type but the petals looked a little different from what he remembered, their color and shape ever so slightly off. Were they hybrids? Well, it had been several thousand years after all. It shouldn’t be that surprising how much nature had changed since then.
“Gen! Gen!” Suika rushed over to him, holding a large bundle of flowers in her arms. “Suika’s never seen these ones before! Do you know what they are?”
“Oh, those look like peonies and carnations.”
“Do you think we could get them to grow around the village?”
“We could certainly try but, that might have to be a project for a later day. We should start heading back.”
It would also be good to come back to gather the statues, he noted to himself. While it would still be some time before they could start reviving people again, Senku had come up with the idea of moving all found statues to a central location. It was the best way to keep them safe from further damage. Looking back over some of the fallen statues, he wondered just how far broken one could be before they could be considered too far gone. He gave up a silent prayer for them regardless.
“You’ll come back here with me again?” Suika asked hopefully.
“Of course. We know this is here now, it shouldn’t be a problem. Tell you what, how about we take some flowers back with us to find out which ones the others like? That way we’ll know want to plants to take when we come back.”
The idea absolutely delighted her and she set about gather up as many blossoms as her little arms could carry. Gen followed close behind, scooping up whatever dropped from her grasp and stowing them away in one of his many hidden bags.
A gentle breeze blew through the clearing, bringing with it a sweet, familiar smell. He paused, looking around before spotting a large hedge near the end of the clearing. It was covered in a curtain of ivy, speckled with yellow and white trumpeted flowers. He recognized them immediately. Turning, he scanned his surroundings for Suika, spotting her ankle deep in a patch of flowers. He called for her to join him.
“Suika-chan! Come here. I’ve got a treat for you.” He plucked a pair of flowers, offering one to her. “Here. Watch me.”
He stuck the back end of the flower into his mouth then gestured for her to do the same. Confused but curious, Suika followed his example. As she did, she suddenly gasped.
“It’s sweet!”
“It’s called honeysuckle,” he explained, picking another flower for her. “When you pick them, there’s a bead of nectar at the base. My grandmother showed me when I was little. You can make tea with them too.”
“Really?! We should bring these back too!”
“Let’s take these on their vines. That’ll help preserve the flowers while we walk back.” He dug around inside his sleeves and produced his knife and an empty bag. He handed the bag to Suika so he could focus on cutting a few portions of the vine.
He carefully tugged at the branches of the hedge, delicately separating the vines from them. He cut decent enough lengths of them and passed them down to Suika. When he felt they had enough, he stowed his knife away. All and all, he felt this had been a very successful outing and a fine distraction from his bookkeeping. Suika continued scooping up dropped flowers into her bag, making sure nothing was left behind. Gen didn’t mind, scanning the treeline to determine the direction they’d come from so they could start heading back.
That was when he spotted it.
Something moving just beyond the treeline. Large and dark, lumbering slowly along. Gen felt the bottom of his stomach give out as he realized what it was.
A bear.
It didn’t seem to have noticed them yet, sniffing around at the treeline and occasionally pawing at the ground. But it was right in the area where they had come from. The gears in his head began spinning. He had to think of something. They were out in the open, eventually that thing was going to notice them.
Priorities. He thought. The most important thing right now. Keep Suika safe!
She hadn’t noticed yet, too distracted by gathering up flowers around her feet. Slowly he moved to position himself between her and the bear. He didn’t want to drawn any unwanted attention from either. Years of stage work had trained him how to move quietly and swiftly without anyone taking notice. He reached his mark but now what? He certainly couldn’t fight a bear. Not when his only weapon was a dinky little knife!
Leaving. Leaving was the best option. Even if the bear was blocking their way, if he could get them around the hedge and back into the trees, it might be possible to slip around it. If nothing else, they’d have better places to hide until the bear left the area.
“Suika?” he whispered, practically hissing her name as he kept his eyes glued to the bear. “Suika.”
“Hmm? What’s--”
“Shh!” He cut her off quickly. “I need you to listen very closely.”
He felt a tug at the back of his haori as she grabbed onto it to peek around him. She seemed to be catching on that something was wrong. “What is it?”
“Bear. It hasn’t spotted us yet. We need to quietly and slowly get to the other side of the hedge.”
He could feel her trembling behind him. He glanced down at her.
“It’ll be okay. Just don’t move until I tell you.”
Gen looked back and panic flared up. The bear was gone. He’d only looked away for a second!
There was a rustle to the right of him. He snapped his head in the direction of the sound. The bear had moved into the clearing and was looking directly at him. His body tensed as he locked eyes with the beast. Somewhere in the back of his mind, an ancient memory from some long forgotten nature show he’d once watched reminded him that direct eye contact with a predator was a bad idea.
But he couldn’t look away. He was frozen on the spot, like he’d been petrified all over again. A voice in his head urged him to run, get as far away as possible but…
Suika.
Could they outrun a bear? Could just she do it? If he distracted it, would that be enough for her to get away? And what about after? Could she even find her way back? She’d said so herself, she’d never been in this part of the forest before. He should’ve been more observant. He should’ve had them turn back sooner.
“Gen?” A tiny voice whispered behind him, pulling him back to the reality.
He couldn’t leave her. He had to protect her.
“Stay behind me,” he ordered.
Grabbing at the edges of his haori, he tried to steady his breathing. His hands were trembling and his heart was racing. This was a bad plan. This was a horrible plan but there was nothing else he could really do. The bear was slowly making its way towards them. He could already hear its low growl. Taking in a deep breath, he threw his arms out, flaring out his clothes behind him in an attempt to appear bigger than he really was. Gen screamed as loud as he could. So much so that he thought his throat would start to bleed.
The bear stopped in its tracked, temporarily thrown off by the sudden display. It only lasted a moment before it reared back, responding with its own roar and lunging forward.
“Shit!”
Gen whirled around, scooping up Suika in one swift motion. He sprinted around the hedge towards the treeline, not daring to look back.
Away. Get away. Get far far away!
That was all he could think as he ran, darting between trees and shrubs, jumping over roots and clinging to Suika as tightly as he could. This wasn’t going to work! He couldn’t outrun a bear! Where else could he go?! Up? A tree! No not with Suika in his arms. Plus he was pretty sure bears could climb trees. He pumped his legs harder. His lungs felt like they were on fire, each breath burning through his chest. Even his run back to the Tsukasa Empire hadn’t made him feel like this but he couldn’t stop. He was sure he could still hear terrifying roars and snapping foliage behind him. He had to get enough distance between them.
Out of the corner of his eye, he spied a gap in the treeline. Beyond it he could see a small ravine. That was it! If he could just get to the other side. Tightening his grip on Suika with one arm, he thrust out the other catching it around a passing tree and using it to slingshot himself in the direction of the ravine. He lengthened his stride, hoping to gain enough momentum to launch himself over. Waiting until the very last second, he reached the edge of the ravine and launched himself off, leaping towards the other side.
Only to realize his mistake too late.
The ravine was much wider than he’d realized, the opposite side much higher. Even if he had enough height at the beginning of his jump, gravity was already starting to take over. At this rate, he was going to slam right into the wall. Suika would be crushed between them. Using the last bit of momentum he had, he twisted his body just in time for him to collide shoulder first. The force bounced him off, pin-balling him against the other side. His head cracked against the wall and his vision went black as they plummeted into the depths below.