Petrified | Dr. Stone

07.

This story will follow the manga and will contain spoilers.

I do not own anything except for my oc. Enjoy! :)

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It has been a few days since Inoko was introduced to a whole new style of living. The day after her de petrification was hell. She really adjusted a lot of her routine since they are back to the stone age. Unlike in the modern era where there are instant food and a whole set of clean clothes to change into, it was really a lot different.

Inoko sat down from her hammock; made by the ever so kind Taiju-san and Yuzuriha-san. She stretches her arms until she heard the satisfying 'pop' and relished the relief it brought from her stiff body. The sky is still colored dark and the sun is barely peeking from the horizon.

After being thrown into a new lifestyle, Inoko had to adjust a whole lot. It is not a bad thing though. In fact, she kind of liked it since she only experienced this kind of thing on her imagination. It was refreshing, having nothing to worry about; no school, no pressure, no stress. She only needs to think of what she should eat next, though it is not that hard to find food since currency doesn't exist anymore. They can just take what they want without being called a thief.

It was such a peaceful life. Perhaps she should thank Tsukasa-san for giving her an opportunity in experiencing this life.

Inoko slipped her very own boots which Yuzuriha-san had just finished making yesterday night. She was also given a long cloth to tie her haori on her waist since Yuzuriha said that it was obvious that it was bothering her. Inoko unknowingly smiled, tying the cloth around her waist. They only met a few days ago and Inoko already felt closer to them than anyone before.

Then reality just slapped her into realization. Her smile was replaced by a frown and her brows furrowed, almost meeting each other. That's right. She was sent by Tsukasa to spy on these two kind people. She doesn't want to think of it like that but she's basically just betraying them.

She tiptoed her way out, careful not to wake the others. On her hands was the pair of shoes that Ukyo has lent her a few days ago. She felt extremely guilty on wearing his shoes. The sight of him running around doing his patrols barefooted is too much. Thankfully, it didn't take long for Yuzuriha to finish making her own shoes.

She breathe in the fresh air before heading out to the nearest stream to do her newly established morning routine. As she grew used to the new faces on her surroundings, her shyness was slowly reduced that she can now greet everyone without being nervous or stuttering.

She caressed the two cracks that mysteriously appeared on her face and neck. She just noticed it after seeing her own reflection in the water which was the day after she came. It was dumb on her part to think that it was just a coincidence that Tsukasa, Taiju, Yuzuriha and the majority of their kingdom all have these weird markings.

Her face was decorated with two vertical lines, nestling below her eyes, creating the impression of her crying some black liquid. The other only reached half of her while the other one extended up to her neck, ending in a swirl. It is weird how her face felt normal despite having cracks. Inoko looked at her own reflection in the water. Her hair was down, her bangs are almost covering half of her face, and she is wearing the same clothing for a few days now. Her mother would surely scold her if she saw her current look.

Right when Inoko is about to splash her face with water, she saw something move from her peripheral vision. It was still dim and the trees didn't really help make things clear for Inoko, but she is certain that it is a person.

"Is that... Yuzuriha-san?"

It is her. What is she doing at this hour? Curious, Inoko followed her.

In the few days that Inoko has been here, she didn't think that Yuzuriha and Taiju are planning something against Tsuaksa. They both interact and treat everyone the same. Inoko honestly don't see anything suspicious about them. Taiju is really energetic and outgoing. He is like a kid the majority of times but he actually helps brighten up the mood. Yuzuriha is really kind, like, really really kind. She is someone that Inoko can depend on. It is hard to imagine that these two is being suspected.

Yuzuriha is walking quite far and fast paced, as if trying to be sneaky. She carries a small bag that Inoko hasn't seen since the first day they met. "What is she going to do?" Inoko can hear her heart beat fast as she followed her friend. She doesn't like where this is going. She is clinging to the hope that maybe Yuzuriha is just out to fetch some food, or just plain do her hobbies early in the morning. "Yuzuriha-san... you're really acting suspicious right now."

Inoko clenched her fist. "Please don't be a traitor..."

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Something changed today in the Empire of Might. It wasn't anything major, but it somehow answered some of the questions that Inoko had.

A man named Asagiri Gen had just returned from his mission. It caused some slight panic to the people since the majority of them did not know that he is an accomplice. Even Ukyo had to set out a warning shot.

Inoko did not know all of the details of his return since she is not present at that time.

From what she heard, this Gen person was tasked to investigate the man named Senku, who is apparently the one who is supposedly dead according to Taiju and Yuzuriha. The grave was also meant for this person. Gen came back and confirmed his death, which is actually quite confusing for Inoko.

Wouldn't that mean that the grave was just two sticks attached to the ground? Now she felt silly for being afraid of setting foot 5 meters near it.

Now with the newly acquired information, Inoko now has some of her questions answered and some are added.

"We are not the remaining humans in the world, which is actually good. This Gen person said that there was a village and he got into a fight with them, meaning that this village might be hostile, which is understandable considering the state of our world now " Inoko sighed in relief. It was good to know that humanity still have hope.

"Now to the next topic. This Senku person must be really important. I don't know much but it seems that Tsukasa felt threatened by this person. He even go as far as sending one of his men to confirm his death. Also, they didn't say how this person died. Is it too personal? Why would they build him a grave if they haven't confirmed his death yet? But Taiju-san and Yuzuriha-san speaks so sure about his death. What is happening, really?"

The feeling of dread from this morning intensified. "It's like... Yuzuriha-san and Taiju-san were hiding something... but wait. Asagiri Gen just confirmed that this Senku is dead! How? What are the factors that made him come to that conclusion? He did not bring any evidence to support his statement. It seems that Tsukasa-san trusts him so much that he just believe what he reported in. This smells so fishy."

The more Inoko thought, the more she wants to stop. She's afraid of what the outcome will be. No matter how much she tried to reason out her friends' side, she just can't since almost everything points out to them hiding something. The thing that she saw this morning also didn't help. Now, Asagiri Gen just added to the fire.

Inoko shook her head aggressively. "Maybe I'm thinking too much..."

Maybe she is. "...Why would I suspect a dead person anyway?"