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“You can sleep. I’ll keep you safe.”
He doesn’t want to. He can’t.
Sure, sleep sounds amazing, and he definitely needs it, but it’s out of the question. It isn’t like he doesn’t trust her. He does without a second thought. But she shouldn’t have to endure that kind of responsibility.
“Please?” She asks with sorrow-filled eyes.
“Alright.” He says eventually, no longer able to hide his exhaustion.
She’s perfectly capable. She’ll wake him if she needs to.
He finally lets his eyes close, allowing the warmth of the fire and the night sounds to draw him into sleep.
“You ready to go?”
“Yes!”
Suika bounces with excitement, the contents of her backpack clanking and rattling as she does. Her smile is as bright as it’s ever been, and Ryusui can’t help but match it. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t excited too.
For Suika’s birthday, she’d only asked for one thing: a new dress, dyed with her favorite flowers, and to be able to pick the flowers herself. She’s always loved the adventure.
The flowers only grow in one spot, on vines high up in the trees. It’s about a day’s hike there and back. The Kingdom of Science is wildly busy trying to make preparations for winter, and it would technically be faster for Kohaku to get them. But Suika hasn’t been in well over a year. She’d asked Ryusui to go with her, and he’d agreed without hesitation. After all, he considers himself a professional adventurer, and he’s protective of Suika like family. He’s sure they’ll have a great time.
A few days before Suika’s birthday, they’re ready to head out. They’ll hike, grab the flowers, and be back home in time for dinner. Yuzuriha will have a couple of days to make the dress, just in time for Suika to wear it to the birthday celebration of a lifetime. The Kingdom of Science might be busy, but they can always spare a day to make their youngest member feel special.
“Be safe you two, have a good time!” Francois calls, waving them off.
“We will, don’t worry about us! We’ll come back with the best flowers in the world, won’t we Suika?”
“Right!” She says with a confident nod. “Bye, Francois!” She waves back.
-
The hike to the flowers is long, but it’s a welcome excuse to get away from the endless work Senku would no doubt have them doing otherwise. Only Suika knows where they’re going, so Ryusui happily lets her lead the way. It’s a nice change from always being the navigator when he’s at sea.
It takes several hours to reach their destination, arriving early in the afternoon. They find a small cave to leave their backpacks and take a quick rest. After lunch and some water, they set back out.
“Ryusui, look!” Suika exclaims, pointing excitedly.
Ryusui looks up, and sure enough, in the top of the tallest tree, vines dotted with stunning yellow flowers.
“Only the best flowers for a member of the Kingdom of Science!” Ryusui tells her. “I see why you like them!”
It takes no time at all before Suika is climbing the tree with incredible ease and skill, like she’s done it hundreds of times. In all likelihood, she has. She makes it look simple, even as she climbs higher and higher into the thinner branches.
“Be careful!”
“I am!” Suika shouts back with a smile.
When she reaches the flowers, Suika takes out a bag and begins gathering them. With the sheer number of them on the vines, it doesn’t take long for the bag to be full.
“I’ve got them!” She calls down, holding the bag triumphantly.
“Good job, Suika!”
“Catch!”
Suika tosses the bag down to free her hands. Ryusui catches it easily, opening it to take a better look at the flowers. He knows very little about plants, but they do suit Suika. He’s glad he’s been able to help make her birthday even more fun.
Carefully, Suika begins her descent from the heights of the tree. Her progress is much slower than it had been going up the tree. She gets about a quarter of the way down, when there’s a loud pop. The branch she’s on snaps suddenly, the limb plummeting to the forest floor.
Suika screams, clutching onto another branch for dear life. Her feet dangle precariously in midair.
“Suika!”
“Ryusui! Help me! Get me down! Please!” She shrieks, sounding on the verge of tears.
“Just hold on! I’ll get you, I promise!”
She’s too high up to just catch her if she lets go. Ryusui’s only option is to climb up after her. He climbs as quickly as he possibly can without falling himself, reassuring Suika the whole time.
“Ryusui, I’m getting tired!” Suika calls out, sounding even more panicked.
He’s close now; if he reached out, he could probably just reach the bottom of her shoe. But climbing has gotten far more precarious. The branches are much thinner, bending threateningly under Ryusui’s weight. There’s no way he’ll be able to climb fast enough to reach Suika before she falls.
He has an idea, though it will likely end badly. But Suika’s safety is more important.
“Suika. Do you trust me?”
“Yes.”
“I need you to let go. I promise I’ll keep you safe.”
She looks down at him, absolutely terrified. He tries to give her a reassuring smile, hoping his usual confidence will inspire the same in her.
“It’s gonna be okay.”
Suika nods.
“On three.” Ryusui tells her.
Another nod.
“One.”
Ryusui holds onto the tree trunk as well as he can with one hand, reaching out for Suika with the other. The branch he’s standing on sways.
“Two.”
Suika takes a deep breath, holding back tears.
“Three! Now, Suika!”
Suika releases her hold on the branch with a scream as she falls. Ryusui catches her without issue, but his misgivings about his plan were accurate. The added weight makes his own slender branch snap, and Ryusui loses his grip on the tree entirely.
Ryusui holds Suika close, shielding her as they both crash to the ground.
-
‘Gravity is a bitch.’ Ryusui thinks, coming back to a painful reality.
He doesn’t think he lost consciousness completely, but the landing definitely knocked the breath out of his lungs. Suika is shaking in his arms, stunned. They’re both pretty scraped up, but otherwise Suika is unhurt. Ryusui, on the other hand…he’ll deal with that later. For now, he needs to make sure Suika is alright.
“Hey, you did good, Suika. You okay?” He asks her, keeping his voice gentle.
She just nods, making no effort to move away. A few tears slip from under her mask.
“You kept me safe.” She says quietly, barely above a whisper.
“I promised I would, didn’t I?”
“But I made you fall. And now…” She lets out a gasp, sitting up suddenly, “What about you? Are you okay?”
“Don’t worry about me, Suika. I’m f—”
Ryusui moves to sit up as well, in order to reassure her. He’s quickly reminded of what a terrible idea that is, collapsing back to the ground with a hiss of pain he isn’t able to hold back.
“Ryusui, you’re hurt.” Suika sounds terrified again. Even worse, now she’s worried about him.
He gives her a pained smile. “Yeah. I guess so.” He admits. “But I’ll be alright, don’t you worry. We’ll get out of here just fine. Why don’t you go get your backpack? It’s a good thing we brought a first aid kit, huh?”
She gives a quick nod, hurrying off back in the direction of their little cave. A task will be good for her to keep her mind off what just happened. And it will give Ryusui a chance to assess the damage without worrying her even more. As soon as Suika is out of sight, Ryusui begins carefully testing his limits, trying to figure out how badly he’s injured.
For the most part, it isn’t nearly as bad as it could have been. A fall that high could’ve easily killed him. A few ribs are likely broken, and his wrist feels sprained, but they’re minor issues in comparison. What has Ryusui worried is his leg. He landed at an odd angle, and there’s no way it isn’t broken. His medical knowledge is limited at best, but he’s pretty sure his femur is shattered.
Regardless, he isn’t getting out of this forest without serious help.
Eventually, Ryusui manages to sit up, preferring not to still be sprawled on the ground when Suika gets back. He shifts over a few feet, gingerly leaning back against the very tree he fell out of. The adrenaline begins to wear off, allowing exhaustion and worsening pain to take over. It hadn’t been too bad at first, but now Ryusui is far too aware of how seriously he’s been hurt. He’s been on plenty of adventures, but none of them have ever ended this badly.
“Ryusui, I’m back!” Suika calls out as she gets close.
“Over here, Suika.”
She hurries over, tossing her backpack on the ground and kneeling beside him. “Are you feeling any better?” She asks hopefully.
“I’ll be okay, Suika.” He says, patting her head.
She looks unconvinced. Still, she rummages around in her backpack, pulling out a jug of water and a roll of bandages. Ryusui gladly takes the water, taking several sips before handing it back to her. She puts it back in her bag before turning back to him, holding the bandages expectantly.
“What can I do?”
Truthfully, the few supplies they brought with them won’t be enough to help. At this point, Ryusui can only hope that Senku’s scientific expertise also extends to medical sciences. He’s about to admit as much to Suika, but thinks better of it.
“Here,” He says, holding out his left hand, “I think my wrist is sprained.”
Suika nods, looking focused as she winds the bandages around it. She’s careful not to make them overly tight or too loose. Ryusui isn’t surprised; Suika has always been more than capable. By the time she’s done, she seems pleased with her work. Her earlier worry and timidness are easing, allowing her confidence to shine once more.
“Is that better?” She asks.
“Much. Thank you, Suika.” He says, trying to keep his voice from sounding strained. He doesn’t want her knowing how much pain he’s actually in.
“Can we go home now?”
Ryusui hesitates just long enough that he can tell Suika knows something is wrong.
“About that…”
She looks at him with that concerned expression again. “What’s wrong?”
“I broke my leg.” Ryusui tells her solemnly. “I’m sorry, Suika, there’s no way I can hike back.”
“Oh no…” Suika says quietly, looking even more worried. She hesitates for a long moment, lost in thought.
Ryusui pats her head again, trying to comfort her. “We’ll be alright. Everybody knows where we went; as soon as we don’t show up tonight, you know they’ll be looking for us.”
He gives her a reassuring smile. “We’ll be home by dinner tomorrow. Come on, am I wrong?”
Thankfully, Suika smiles back tentatively. “Are you sure you’ll be okay?” She asks a little nervously.
Ryusui pulls her into a hug. “I promise. I’m not going anywhere.”
-
They rest for a while longer, until the sun starts dipping a bit lower in the sky. It will be dark in about three hours or so; they should get back to their cave. Thankfully, it’s only a short distance away.
“Hey, Suika?” He’s got her tucked protectively against his side, where she’s been dozing on and off for the past couple of hours. She stirs slightly, rubbing her eyes beneath her mask.
“Hm?”
“We should get to the cave and get a fire started before it gets dark.”
Suika nods, getting up. “How are you gonna get back?” She asks.
“That’s a good question.”
He’s been worried about the exact same thing. Suika can’t exactly let Ryusui lean on her the way Taiju or Chrome or even Francois could. And he certainly can’t put any weight on his broken leg. Getting out of here will take some creativity.
“I’ve got an idea!” Suika exclaims.
She walks over to one of the fallen branches, the one Ryusui had been standing on earlier, and begins snapping the smaller twigs off it. When she’s removed them all, she pulls it over to where Ryusui is resting.
“Here! Can you use this?” She asks, clearly proud of her idea.
“Haha, you’re a genius, Suika!” Ryusui tells her with a snap. Her makeshift crutch is certainly worth a try.
Carefully, Ryusui tries to get up, using the branch as leverage to stand. Even the slightest movement sends unrivaled agony through his leg. His first attempt is unsuccessful, ending up right back where he started, vision blurring and breathing labored. He leans his head back against the rough bark of the tree, shutting his eyes while he waits for the worst of the pain to decrease.
“Ryusui?” Suika asks quietly. She sounds like she could cry again.
“I’m okay Suika.” He breathes out, voice strained. He’s been mostly able to hide how much he’s hurting up until now, but he just can’t anymore.
“No you’re not.”
Ryusui can’t argue with that.
“I’m sorry. It’s my fault you’re hurt.” She tells him softly, almost a whisper.
“No, it’s not.” He tells her firmly, making sure she looks him in the eye. “Accidents are just part of being a professional adventurer, right?”
“Okay.” She says, though she still doesn’t sound like she fully believes she isn’t responsible for causing Ryusui so much pain.
He’ll have to do more damage control later.
Ryusui’s second attempt at standing goes far better. The pain is just as intense, but at least he knows what to expect this time. He leans heavily against the tree until he’s sure he won’t pass out, keeping his weight on his good leg. When he’s sure he won’t collapse again, Ryusui takes a few careful steps using the branch as support. It works surprisingly well. Progress is slow, and Suika hovers worriedly, but eventually they reach their cave once more.
‘Finally.’ He thinks, infinitely relieved.
Ryusui slowly eases himself down to the cave floor, careful to keep his bad leg stretched out in front of him. Eventually he manages, leaning back against the wall with a long sigh. He allows his eyes to shut, not letting himself sleep, but needing to rest for just a few minutes at least. He’s never been so exhausted in his life.
There’s some rustling from the other side of the cave as Suika rummages through both of their backpacks, setting out supplies they’ll need. Thankfully, they had the forethought to pack for an overnight trip just in case. A moment later, Ryusui feels something being draped over him. He opens his eyes to find Suika covering him with one of their blankets.
“Thanks, Suika.” He says, giving her a weak smile.
-
Over the next hour, Suika works tirelessly to start a fire and collect firewood. Ryusui tries to help by arranging some rocks into a fire pit, but Suika protests so much that he has no choice but to rest and leave her to it. Once again she proves her skill, and before long they have a roaring fire. And just in time for nightfall.
Once they’ve eaten part of the food they brought with them, Suika finally settles down for the night. She grabs her own blanket, wrapping it around her shoulders and curling up next to Ryusui again. She’s careful with him, making sure not to hurt him more than he already is. Ryusui disentangles one arm from under his blanket to wrap securely around Suika, making sure she feels safe.
“Does your leg hurt?” She asks quietly, after several minutes have passed.
“Yeah, it hurts.” Ryusui admits, keeping his voice equally soft.
“Bad?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m sorry.”
Ryusui pulls Suika a little closer to his side. His wrist gives a twinge of pain, and she’s pressed against his ribs, but Suika finally lets go of everything she’s been holding in. Her sniffles turn into quiet sobs.
“It’s not your fault, Suika.” He says gently. “It’s not your fault. I promise.”
They stay there for a long time, until the sun has fully set and Suika has cried all her tears. It takes lots of convincing, but Ryusui thinks he’s finally assured her that sometimes getting hurt is just part of the adventure, and it’s no one’s fault.
Eventually, Suika gets up to get some water and put more wood on the fire. It doesn’t take long before Ryusui is fighting to stay awake. He’s so tired. Suika walks back over and adjusts his blanket so it’s wrapped around him more securely.
“You can sleep. I’ll keep you safe.” She tells him quietly, sitting back down beside him.
He doesn’t want to. He can’t.
Sure, sleep sounds amazing, and he definitely needs it, but it’s out of the question. It isn’t like he doesn’t trust her. He does without a second thought. But she shouldn’t have to endure that kind of responsibility.
“It’s alright, Suika. I can stay awake. I’m not leaving you by yourself at night.” Ryusui tells her.
“Please?” She asks with sorrow-filled eyes. “You really need it.”
Once again, Ryusui can’t argue with her logic. He still hesitates for a long moment. “Do you promise to wake me up if you need me? Even if it’s something small?”
She nods emphatically.
“Alright.” He says eventually, no longer able to hide his exhaustion.
She’s perfectly capable. She’ll wake him if she needs to.
He finally lets his eyes close, allowing the warmth of the fire and the night sounds to draw him into sleep.
“—er here!”
“Suika?! Where are you! Suika! Ryusui!”
“Over here!”
Ryusui wakes to bright morning sun and loud yelling voices. One is Suika, that’s for sure. His brain is still catching up on the other. Maybe there’s more than one?
“Suika, you’re here!”
“Kohaku!”
Suika’s voice sounds quieter, she must have run out of the cave to meet their rescue party.
“What happened to you? We got so worried when you didn’t come back last night!” Kohaku exclaims.
“Ryusui broke his leg. He had to climb a tree to save me because I was about to fall, and then he fell, and now he’s really hurt. We had to stay in a cave all night and I started a fire by myself and everything. I really want to go home. The cave is this way!” Suika explains rapidly, half yelling as she does.
There are other voices that respond, but they’re quieter than Suika or Kohaku were, and Ryusui can’t quite make out what they’re saying. Hurried footsteps make their way over to the cave. As they get closer, their words become clear.
“You stayed here all night?” That voice is Chrome’s.
“Damn impressive work, Suika.” And that’s Senku.
“Don’t say damn in front of her!” And Taiju, makes sense that he’d be here too.
“Come on, it’s not like she’s never heard it before.”
“Yeah, from you.” Kohaku snarks back.
Ryusui finally cracks his eyes open, just in time to see his friends poke their heads into the cave.
“Ryusui!” Taiju shouts, entirely too loud.
“Hey, guys.” He says with a tired smile.
The cave is too small for all of them, so the others stay outside while Suika and Senku enter.
“I knew you guys would find us. Isn’t that right, Suika?”
“Yep!” She says, gathering their belongings to repack their bags.
Senku crouches down beside Ryusui, looking concerned. “Suika told me what happened. She said you busted your leg. Honestly, you’re ten billion percent lucky you didn’t die from a fall like that. Anything life threatening I should know about, or are you okay to get out of here? I can’t do much until we get back.”
“I’ll be fine. I’m ready to get out of here.”
“Excellent.” Senku says with a smile. “Taiju! Get in here you big oaf, got a job for you.”
Suika finishes packing their backpacks, leaving nothing behind except their blankets, both of which are now wrapped around Ryusui. She leaves the cave, leaping right into Kohaku’s arms. Senku scoots over to make room for Taiju.
“You okay, Ryusui? How’re you feeling?” He’s still smiling, but it’s clear he’s worried.
Ryusui returns the smile. “Like hell. But glad to see you guys, that’s for sure.”
“We’re glad to see you too. We’ll have you home in no time!”
Being moved hurts nearly as bad as trying to stand, but Taiju is as gentle as possible. He lifts Ryusui into his arms, carefully maneuvering him out of the small cave.
“I’m glad we found you guys so soon. You alright?” Chrome asks worriedly as they emerge.
“Haha, yeah. The life of a professional adventurer, am I wrong?”
“You’re not wrong.” Chrome responds with a smile. “I’m glad you’re both okay.”
“Alright,” Senku says, “Let’s go home.”
As the group starts their hike back to the Village, Ryusui feels himself slowly relaxing. It’s a crisp fall day, but the morning sun and blankets (and of course Taiju) keep him warm. Combined with the relief of finally being safe, it’s a welcome distraction from the amount of pain he’s still in. He listens as Suika tells the others the story of their grand adventure from the safety of Kohaku’s arms, all traces of guilt finally gone. Exhaustion sets in quickly; he barely remembers letting his head rest on Taiju’s shoulder, or letting his eyes close again. He’s asleep before he can even think to fight it.
“Well well well, look who finally decided to wake up.” Senku jokes lightly as Ryusui wakes to a familiar room.
There’s a bed tucked into the corner of Senku’s lab, most likely as an easy place to keep an eye on him. Senku stands at his work bench, barely even taking his attention off the experiment he’s currently running.
“You’re lucky as hell.” He says a minute later. “Feeling any better?”
Ryusui takes a moment to assess. He’s incredibly sore, and beyond exhausted. Bandages are still wrapped securely around his wrist, and he can feel more around his ribs. But the pain in his leg has decreased significantly.
“Yeah. A lot better, actually.”
“Glad to hear it. You’ve been out for almost two full days. It’s Suika’s birthday, by the way. She’ll be glad you’re awake for it. She’s been worried about you.”
“I’m glad I didn’t miss it. Is she okay?”
“She’s perfectly fine. A lot better than you, that’s for sure.” Senku says, half joking.
Ryusui shifts a little, just enough that he can sit up slightly. He isn’t sure what he was expecting medicine in the stone world to be like, but he’s surprisingly…underwhelmed. His broken leg is propped up on several pillows, in a cast that’s not overly dissimilar to the ones back in the modern age. Ryusui really shouldn’t be surprised, Senku’s skills are always impressive, after all.
“So, what’s the damage?” He asks, lying back down.
Senku finally puts down the test tubes he was holding, and walks over to Ryusui. His face is a little more serious than Ryusui would prefer it to be.
“Honestly, pretty bad.” Senku tells him without sugar-coating anything. “It wasn’t a clean break, and without surgery, there’s no way to tell if all the pieces are aligned perfectly. I even got Kaseki to take a look to see if a master craftsman could do better. I don’t foresee you having any issues walking again or anything like that, but you’ll probably have a limp.”
“I was worried it would be a lot worse. Thank you, Senku.” Ryusui tells him genuinely.
“So was I.” Senku tells him. “Other than the leg, you’ve got four broken ribs and a pretty nasty sprain. Nothing to worry too much about, though. You’ll be out of commission for a while, but by the time spring rolls around, you should be all healed up.”
There’s a brief pause, and Senku’s face morphs into that terrifying smile that always precedes his wild ideas. “You know, once we figure out how to petrify people at will, we can just petrify and de-petrify you, and your leg will be good as new!”
Ryusui can’t help but smile. Senku has never been one to half-ass anything, so he shouldn’t be surprised that the same level of dedication would also extend to his recovery. If it were anyone else, Ryusui would assume an at least partially selfish motive. Something about Ryusui being the only person with the necessary skills to captain their in-progress ship. But with Senku, there’s nothing self-serving about it. He’d do anything for his friends without a second thought.
Then again, Ryusui thinks he's starting to feel the same way.
Later that night, the entire Kingdom of Science gathers around a bonfire to celebrate Suika’s birthday. There’s laughter and food and music, and far more gifts than Suika had asked for. Her mask is gone for the night, replaced by a pair of glasses Kaseki crafted for her. She wears a flower crown, made from the ones she’d picked, and her new dress. It’s perfect for her, a bit paler yellow than Ryusui had expected based on the shade of the flowers.
Not long after the party begins, she bounces over to where Ryusui is sitting with Francois and the other Generals. She stops just short of barreling into him for a hug, warily eyeing his casted leg and the bandages on his wrist.
“C’mere.” He tells her with a smile, dispelling her nervousness as she gives him the biggest hug possible. “Happy Birthday, Suika.”
“Do you like my dress?” She asks as she pulls away, giving her friends a twirl.
“Of course I do! You look beautiful, Suika.” Ryusui tells her proudly. The others shower her in similar praise.
Suika absolutely beams, soaking in her friends’ compliments.
“Oh! I have something for you!” She says suddenly, turning back to Ryusui.
“For me? But it’s not my birthday.”
“Wait right there!” She tells him with a grin, running off.
She hurries back a moment later, hiding something behind her back.
“Close your eyes.” She tells him excitedly.
Ryusui complies, hearing murmurs of “Aww” from Gen and Ukyo as they get to see what Suika has before he does.
“Okay, you can open your eyes now.”
When Ryusui opens his eyes, he’s met with Suika holding a second flower crown, identical to hers. She gives him a sheepish smile, hoping he’ll like it.
“I made you one just like mine. To thank you for saving me.”
“I love it, Suika. It’s the best gift I’ve ever gotten.” Ryusui tells her genuinely.
Suika smiles brightly, and Ryusui takes off his hat so she can place the crown on his head. She gives him another hug before hurrying off to enjoy the rest of her party.
Francois places a gentle hand on Ryusui’s shoulder. “You know,” They begin, “For someone who calls himself the greediest man in the world, what you did was awfully selfless.”
Ryusui smiles lightly. It’s true, he’s come a long way in the few months he’s been a part of the Kingdom of Science. He was never close with his actual family, but he’s found more than he could have ever asked for right here in the stone world.
“Why would I need to be greedy when I’ve already got everything I could possibly want?”