Steps to survival

Chapter 5 : Wounded Soldier

After Senku went super nerdy in the shed I lay on my back with my hands under my head, writhing in pain though my face kept still. I stoned my movements as well as my mouth. I stared up at the empty blue sky and began to count back from ten.

Ten

The pain increased slightly.

Nine

My torso grew numb.

Eight

I heard rapid footsteps approach me.

Seven

I fought to keep my eyes from closing.

Six

"Senku, somethings wrong with Koiru, hey don't close your eyes," Kohaku lifted my head in her lap and tapped my face.

Five

Okay, I don't think I'm going to faint since I'm already at five. I stared straight with my lips slightly parted, I'm pretty sure I heard Senku and Chrome yelling and running.

My vision spun violently, but I didn't dare shut my eyes. Kohaku lifts my limp body further up so that I was leaning against her while she crouched.

Senku kneeled in front of me with a sharp object, he quickly and neatly cut a straight line into my dress where my ribs were. Heh, I bet he did that so I wasn't mostly bare in front of everyone. Bless his soul.

Senku's eyes widened in disbelief and his jaw dropped marginally. There was a huge bruise under your left breast that travelled down to bellybutton level. A few cuts were spotted randomly too. His jaw tensed, he couldn't believe that he underestimated the injury.

"Okay set her down, have you got any prepared medicine?" A few people gasped when they saw the blood and blackened skin.

"I'll go get some!" Kohaku ran while I stared after her. Senku looked mad. Not just mad, you knew when he looked like that he was beyond irritated on the brink of detonation. I'm sure he looked calm to everyone else since his face didn't move much, but the stare was killing me.

"Why the hell didn't you tell me?!" He whisper-shouted.

"You didn't know I was injured?" I asked completely confused.

"Well, of course, I did! I'm not stupid," he grumbled.

"Then what didn't I tell you?" I furrowed my brows. He groans clearly agitated. Dropping from the kneeling position he leaned back on his palms in a calming manner.

"You know it's fine to ask for help?" He addressed the one thing I hated. I get this feeling that I shouldn't get in people's way, it's just in my nature.

He didn't hear a response so he sharply gripped my face, two fingers pinning my cheeks down.

"Okay! Okay, Jesus!" He let go and huffed, I massaged my face, my cheeks turned red in response, though pink dust blanketed the top of Senku's ears. I barely noticed at first but I decided to tease him about it sometime later on.

Once Kohaku approached at top speed through the forest, Senku applied a gooey substance to the wound while pinning down my legs with his, so I don't knock him off balance with a reaction.

After a while of nursing, Senku crafted Kinro a golden spear with some cinnabar and not being able to bribe him with shiny objects, we decided that we were going to help cure Kohaku's sister of her illness.

We also frazzled Chrome's mind by telling him about the wonders of technology. We filled him in on modern clothing, aeroplanes, buildings and all sorts. He was absolutely dreading the fact that it was all just gone. Senku explained about his petrification theories and the green light we all saw before turning to stone.

We looked up and saw that poor old Chrome was breaking down in tears. I shifted awkwardly trying not to disturb my injury.

"Why hell did you start crying all of a sudden?" Asked a weirded out Senku.

"Didn't expect you to get emotional," I said quietly.

"I'm not crying! Aw, damnit, I am crying! Who turned everyone to stone? If I find out, I'll kill whoever did it!" My eyes narrowed at the pitiful sight. Meanwhile, the piece of celery next to me felt extremely uncomfortable.

"How could we lose it? All the people who came before us spent millions of years building up civilization. One that was full of science and technology, and life!" At this point, I'm full-on reminiscing.

"And it all just got wiped out in a flash? How the hell could that not piss me off?" I heard a cute chuckle exit Senku's mouth.

"It hasn't been wiped out, you moron. It's still right here," Senku pointed to his head, my mood was suddenly lifted and an easy smile played on my lips.

"What do you mean?"

"Humanity isn't going down that easy. We've got two million years of human history as close as it could be. Right here inside our heads," he pointed to my head along with his.

"And it's inside you, too. Am I wrong?" He balled his hand into a fist and leaned over to Chrome's chest.

"No, you're not wrong. You couldn't be more right. Koiru, Senku I'm going to build this Kingdom of Science with you! And we're gonna fight whatever it is that's making Ruri sick! So tell me, are you really up for it?" He asked standing up.

"Using science to find a way to cure her?" I could tell that Senku was doing his signature smirk. I smirked along with him.

"Heh," he chuckled lifting me up with him.

"Yeah. We're gonna use science to make the ultimate medicine. We're gonna make antibiotics!" We all grin in anticipation. After a few minutes we decided we should probably get some rest, Chrome helped me get down the steps leading to his shed and outside to my sleeping bag.

Senku knew full well that I hated being in a small room for too long, let alone sleep in one. So he let me be. After the silence had fallen over the village and shed I realized that I wasn't tired despite my blood loss.

I sat up against a nearby tree bored out of my mind. Unknowingly I started singing a song that had been on replay in my head when I was petrified. It was a song by Hozier. Take Me Church.

Inside then shed the two supposedly sleeping boys listened closely at the surprisingly pleasant song that rang through the air. Senku sat up and peered through the gap in the door that the wind had carried openly. Senku loved listening to her singing, it always somehow appeased him. Her eyes were clutched shut in concentration, he managed to stop himself from easing up and smiling.

Chrome waited for her to stop.

"Has she always been that good?" He asked in awe.

"Heh, yeah," that's all he said before drifting off serenely.