The Third Eye (Dr Stone)

13

"What's going on?! You just said there wasn't quite enough revival fluid! " Taiju exclaimed.

"Do you really think I'd set out a pot that was the wrong size? " Senku said as he stirred the revival fluid.

"Good point! " Taiju asked. "Then why did you send Tsukasa after it? "

"It was double edge bait. " Shizuko replied. "Senku wanted to get rid of him before reviving Yuzuriha, even if it meant revealing where the cave was. "

"Why do you get rid of Tsukasa? " Taiju exclaimed. "He's a good guy! "

"That's why he's too much to handle. " Senku said. "I don't have even one millimeter of interest in his grand vision for a 'mighty world'," he smirked. "I find civilization-building games more exhilarating. "

Taiju got the idea and stood up. "All right. You don't need to explain. Senku, I trust what you say, something happened while I was gone, didn't it? "

"Yeah. " Senku said. "Shishio Tsukasa is a good guy...

And a murderer. "

-----

"Yuzuriha, sorry to keep you waiting. I… I… I… " Taiju slowly poured the revival fluid on Yuzuriha.

Senku and Shizuko running to Taiju. "I told you we're in a hurry, you big oaf! " then he poured all the revival fluid straightforward on Yuzuriha's head.

"Ahhh! You just dumped it all over her! " Taiju widens his eyes. "Couldn't you be a bit more, like... You know! "

"We don't have the time right now Taiju. " Shizuko said.

Seconds passed, Yuzuriha's statue still hasn't break.

"Wait! Nothing's happening! Is this all right?! " Taiju exclaimed, then tried to comfort the statue Yuzuriha. "No, it's all right, Yuzuriha! But is this all right?! "

"It takes time for the reaction to happen. This is a kind of cryostasis. " Senku explained. "It's like a protective coat made from trace metal in the body. Some mysterious mechanism causes those elements. To phase shift, maintaining a petrified state. "

"That's complicated. " Taiju said, getting dizzy. "Seriously complicated! "

"Me too... " Shizuko muttered.

"It's just a hypothesis, based on a whole year of painstaking experiments. " Senku said bluntly. "The point is, if even one part of it gets nital on it and breaks down, it created a cascade effect that travels across the entire body, and the petrification is undone. "

The stone fragment on the Yuzuriha statue started to break and fall. She fell back, luckily Taiju caught her and hold her gently.

"Yuzuriha, can you hear me? Yuzuriha! " Taiju's tears flowed out of his eyes to his cheek.

"Taiju-kun? "

"I'm sorry, I made you wait for 3700 years, I'm sorry! " Taiju apologized.

Senku adverts his eyes.

"I have no idea what's going on, I just woke up," said Yuzuriha, focusing her vision. "But yeah... I think I know what's going on. You saved me, didn't you? Wow... Thanks. "

"It wasn't me. " Taiju said. "It was all thanks to Senku. Senku spent a whole year working on the revival fluid. "

Senku laughed. "Sorry to barge in on your reunion chat, but make up your mind before Tsukasa gets back. "

"We gotta hurry though, Tsukasa is coming back. " Shizuko warned. "I sent Naoki over to follow him. "

"We only have two options. Choose one. " Senku said. "Plan A: Taiju, Yuzuriha, Shizuko, you three run away right now and live some far away. Plan B: we fight together to stop Tsukasa's murder spree, using the weapons of civilization. "

"The answer is obvious! " Taiju exclaimed. "We're going to fight by your side! Don't underestimate us, Senku! "

"Yeah! I have no idea what's going on, but I'll help too! " Yuzuriha added.

Shizuko nodded her head. "I'm not really good at science, but I'll help too. "

"I'm not trying to be nice or anything. It just seemed logical to give you both a chance to flee. " Senku explained.

"If Tsukasa really is killing people, I'll-"

"Calling it 'killing people', is really a matter of perspective. " speak of the devil...

Tsukasa was back, shocking the boys.

"I'm culling them… for the benefit of the new world. " Tsukasa said, then put down his cape walking forward them, glaring at them.

Naoki pointed to Tsukasa's hand. ""Shizuko! His hand! ""

Shizuko's attention turns to his hand. "His hand? " she muttered.

'He doesn't even try to hide his murders from Taiju or Yuzuriha. In other words, anyone who gets in his way… ' Senku thought.

When Tsukasa let the rocks fell off from his hand, a realization hit her. "No, the statue-"

"Senku, if things go bad, take care of Yuzuriha for me. " Taiju said. "I'm going to stop Tsukasa! " then he charged straight to Tsukasa.

"Wait, Taiju! " Shizuko shouted.

'You damn simpleton! ' Senku curse as he thought. 'The guy killed a lion with his bare hands. You're screwed, ten billion percent! '

He watched and turn back to get the crossbow. 'You're forcing me to use the weapon me and Raven keeping a secret! ' he aimed and shoot right in front of Tsukasa. 'I need to shoot it right between them and stop them! '

Unfortunately, Tsukasa grabbed the arrow and stabbed it on the ground, then kicked off Taiju, luckily he use his hand to defend himself. Taiju stumbled back to regain his steady.

Tsukasa widens his eyes. "You're the first person who's managed to remain standing after receiving my kick. " Tsukasa said. "Yes, and even more interestingly, it wasn't that you failed to attack me just now, but that you refused to. Why? "

"I don't hit anyone! " Taiju exclaimed. "You can hit me or kick me all you want, but stop destroying the statues! Killing people is bad! "

Senku, Yuzuriha, and Shizuko's faces went to worry and concern to shock and confusion.

"Taiju, let me get this straight. " Tsukasa crossed his arms. "You'll let me keep hitting you and never fight back, therefore, don't destroy the statues," he asked. "Is that right? "

"That's right! " Taiju shouted, spreading his hands out.

"I don't understand. " Tsukasa said, head full of questions. "There's no deal being made here. "

"Pfft-" Shizuko laughed. Senku and Yuzuriha relief a little.

"If you insist on getting in my way-"

"I don't care how many times you attack me! I won't stop trying to stop you! " Taiju cut off his words.

Tsukasa adverted his eyes to Yuzuriha, "that girl who was just revived, what if I told you I'd kill her? "

This made Taiju immediately stand in front of Yuzuriha, protecting her. Shizuko stood beside her, in case something goes wrong.

'I see, this is why Senku-kun said it might be more logical for us to flee. ' Yuzuriha thought.

Shizuko looked at Taiju's head and sighed. "3…2…1"

Taiju fell to the ground, the blood sprout out from his head.

"Taiju-kun! " Yuzuriha shocked.

Shizuko checked his pulses. "Yup, he's still breathing. "

"So that did hurt him. He's bleeding like mad. We'll have to let him sleep for a few days. " Senku said, walking to the unconscious body of his childhood friend.

"Yes, let's not fight among ourselves. You protect Yuzuriha, instead of worrying about statues of people you don't know. "  Tsukasa said. "And I'll do what I need to do. I won't let you get in my way. " then he walked away with his cape.