Steps to survival

Chapter 1 : Revival

*crack*

I was suddenly able to feel a small breeze caress my cheek.

*Clatter*

Shards of stone hit the ground beside me. I was able to see the once boring trees that somehow made me feel relieved. My whole body became free of its cage. It was so lonely and isolating in there. I'm surprised I didn't go mad.

I sat up feeling stiff, it was pretty cold. I looked down to see myself vulnerably naked. "What the hell?" I mumbled covering myself as best as possible.

"Finally," I heard someone groan from behind me. Wait- wait Senku!?

"What the hell?!" I gasp in surprise.

A cloth was dropped on my head.

"Hurry up and change!" I grabbed hold of whatever was dropped on my head and shuffled around to put it on.
It was a messily stitched dress that ended just above mid-thigh.

"Senku? What the hell happened?" He chuckled at my ignorance.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, you've been petrified in stone for approximately 3,700 years," I stared in disbelief.

"You're kidding," I manage to utter. He tutted at me and grabbed my wrist and yanked my hand causing me to stumble forward. "Nope," he emphasises the 'p'.

He leads me along through a way overgrown forest. I got flashbacks from highschool. I have missed how much he used to drag me around his lab for his silly little experiments and tests.

You see I've always loved archery, he was always intrigued as to how I adapted to the sport so quickly. I was also pretty good at chemistry and science altogether. That's how we originally became friends.

It was my first time going to the archery club, fortunately, Senku was there watching for whatever reason. He, later on, approached and interrogated me about how I was so accurate for a beginner. I simply shrugged him off.

I was knocked out of my thoughts when Senku came to a stop and flicked my head, even though I was only a few inches shorter than him he always leaned down to talk to me.

"We should probably get some rest," he said placing the bag that was on his back onto the floor. I hum as he gently sat down against a large tree, I sat next to him.

"Do you know where Yuzuriha and Taiju are?" I ask in a hoarse voice.

"Well yeah, they're undercover at the moment, they're alive and well."

"Undercover?" I quirk an eyebrow.

"There's a freakishly strong guy that we're up against called Tsukasa who wants to abolish half of the population, meaning, all of the adults. Kill all elders and leave bright and strong youthful people. And basically hates science and killed me once, but here I am." I blink trying to comprehend what he just said.

"Whoa, whoa you died?"

"Long story short, the guy severed my cervical nerve," he replied weirdly calm.

"Do I even want to know how you survived a breaking of the neck?"

"Probably not, oh and by the way I made you a bow and arrows." I grinned at his thoughtfulness.

"Oi, don't go all-athlete on me now," he rested his arms behind his head and fluttered his eyes shut.

"Get some rest Koiru," he smirked.

It was difficult to sleep after basically a few thousand years of it. I did manage to drift off for a few minutes but shot awake after hearing a loud not far from here.

I shake Senku until he woke sloppily.
"I think I just heard a tree fall," his eyes widened.

"Koiru grab the bow out of my bag, you know since you're the only one who can defend us." He said rapidly, throwing the bag over his shoulders.
I snatched the bow from the satchel and threw the sling full of arrows over my shoulders to rest the strap on my chest.

I lead him to where I heard the disruption. I aimed the bow forward just in case, jerking back the string in the process. We come across a blonde, slim girl who was trapped underneath a tree trunk.

I hear Senku gasp and breath jaggedly since we sprinted here as fast as possible. "It's you. The sorcerer gentleman who was protecting that girl." She sounded oddly chipper for someone whose life was endangered.

My eyebrows shot upwards as I lowered my loaded bow and hung it over my right shoulder. We rush down in a panic.

"You're alive!" I sigh.

"You need to stop talking, introductions can wait," I say while glancing at Senku's face in a what do we do? Manner.

"Do you think you can make it until nightfall?" He sounded desperate.

"If you feel like you're dying we could risk blasting the tree with the gun powder we have left." He continued.

"But if you can hang in there. I'm ten billion per cent sure I can save you." God this is exactly the reason I like him so much.

"You're the only one who can make that call, so what's it gonna be?" He shouted hurriedly.

"You've got to tell us right now!" I cut in. The poor girl was sweating like crazy.

"Yeah. My bones and organs are fine. I can hold on." A faint smile painted across my face at how brave this girl is.

Senku started doing tons of math in his mind palace while I dug at the tree with an axe he supplied me with.

"Hey, you good under there?" I ask from over the tree.

"Yeah, all good here," I nodded at the girl's answer and continued swinging the axe. The broccoli started mumbling like a psycho but I was pretty used to it by now. We spent the rest of the afternoon making a fairly complex compound pulley. "I guess it's time to introduce myself," I turned to her while busying myself with tying rope.

"My name is Kohaku. And honestly, I believe I've taken quite the liking to you," for some reason that the last sentence made your stomach drop. Meanwhile, Senku had noticed your body mannerisms tense up, he smirked knowingly. She giggled at your reaction.

"Hey shorty, come up here!" I glanced up to see that Senku had managed to get near the top of a tree. I climbed my way up towards him. Senku reached out for me and unexpectedly gripped my waist and pulled us down to the ground using the rope. I let out a small gasp that I'm not sure if he heard.

I hooked onto the back of his neck while he grasped at the rope. Once we got to the floor I loosened my grip and watched the girl crawl out of the dirt.

A job well done.