Steps to survival

Chapter 16 : Unspoken Feelings

I told Kohaku that I would train by myself, in my own time instead of training with her. She seemed okay with it so she busied herself with training Kinro and Ginro. I sat next to Chrome, staring out of the door to the shed. We watched Kohaku lose her cool trying to get them to attack quickly.

Chrome and I had zoned out at this point. "Hey, Chrome. If you wanna know the truth, I'd rather be training you. But Kinro and Ginro are the only ones who really have a chance of taking down Magma. I'm sorry," I felt a tinge of sympathy for how desperate Kohaku looked.

She sent me a pitiful look and that's what made me change my mind.

"Okay, I'll train with you, yeah?" She looked a tiny bit more hopeful. I hopped down not bothering to use the ladder and stood next to her.

"Yo, Chrome," I jumped a bit since I didn't notice Senku's presence.

"The only reason she's apologizing is because the plan means that one of those guys would marry Ruri, even though we all know you're in love with her!" I slapped the back of his head lightly.

"You're the one who had to be told about it!" He chuckled and rubbed the back of his head nervously. That was weird. To my surprise, Chrome began to smile, gracefully.

"Yeah. I'm totally cool with that," he jumped down to our level.

"If we can create something with science that lets her live a long, happy life, that sounds good to me! Because above all else, I'm a genius scientist, aren't I?" I showed him a tight-lipped smile, for some reason that tugged at something that I wasn't sure of. And still am not sure of.

"Heh. So you're finally changing job titles from sorcerer to scientist, huh?" Senku addressed.

"Yup! I'm not a sorcerer anymore!" He ran towards Senku, more pumped than before.

"Then let's leave the Grand Bout stuff to the battle team, while you and I, on the science team, get to work on the sulfa drug," They both indulged.

"Hell yeah!" I chuckled after them both. A few moments remained in silence before Kohaku broke it.

"Hey, Koiru," she called gently.

"Yes?" I turned to her to see that she looked a bit flustered.

"Do you like Senku?" She chuckled. I was taken back by her bluntness, my whole body became rigid. She decided to tease me further when she was certain that I wasn't going to talk.

"I mean you both act so differently around each other, I mean it's kind of cute!" She shrugged before I could protest she hauled me over to the training area.

"No, no it's not-" she threw me off her shoulder.

"Yeah sure," she threw me a slick smile. I clicked a tongue irritably but still helped her train the two boys. We had such different fighting style that I had to do some drills by myself along with stretching.

I was a mid split stretch when Kohaku said we should finish training for the day and of course I agreed.

Time skip

We sat boredly surrounding Gen, who was healing painfully slow, I felt a bit bad for him.

"I'm planning on participating in the Grand Bout," Kohaku hugged her knees grumbling.

"The two brothers, Koiru and I will be the Kingdom of Science team. We'll do whatever it takes to keep Magma from winning," I could barely hear her over Gen's whimpering.

"Sounds good!" Chrome took a deep breath while scanning Gen over.

"Is he alright? He looks way worse," he asked worriedly. Suika was placing a cold rag on his head to cool him down.

"I think he'll be fine, but his recovery's gonna take longer than we thought," Kohaku attempted to put his worries to rest.

"And that means..."

"Yeah. It won't be long before Tsukasa comes around lookin' for me and then kills me for real," Senku muttered, my whole demeanour drops the moment those words enloped my ears. Anxiety swarmed my thoughts as I stared at the floor. I was pretty sure I went slightly pale as my blood ran cold.

That couldn't possibly happen, right? Please let that be so.

That night I slumped against my tree, feeling more depressed than usual. I also found that I couldn't even close my eyes, I was that awake. I stood up and grabbed one of the staffs we had lying around.

I easily swung it around my body, twirling it between my fingers. I gradually felt my newer worries disappear along with the pent up frustration I had felt within me.

In complex sequences I spun around naturally almost as if I was dancing, this had grown a habit for me. It eased me as singing does, I don't do it often but have been told I'm decent at it.

I had been at it for a while, an hour, two hours? I wasn't sure, I had lost all track of time. I slowly came to a stop with the staff at my side, I dropped it and relieved my fingers off their rhythm. I walked around for a short while, suddenly entranced.

At some point I had begun to sing, I don't know when, but I did. I believe the song was called 'all I want by Kodaline... I used to find myself humming that tune when I was in high school. It was a sad but calming song to me.

Senku's pov

My mind was racing, asking why the hell does Gen want a cola so bad? But none the less I'll make it, I'm up to the challenge. I train of thought was interrupted by a familiar, soothing voice.

I leaned to the door to be met with no one, the space below us was empty.

'But if you loved me, why'd you leave me?' It was definitely Koiru. She does this at random times. Especially at night, it seems.

'Take my body, take my body,' she sang delicately.

"She sounds lovely," Gen faintly whispered. I didn't wish to respond to that but only focus on her lullaby.

'All I want is, and all I need is' Koiru suddenly appeared from behind a tree, she seemed sadder than usual. She sounded...lonely? Her song hid the truth behind her emotions, she acted okay when all she was, was worried.

'To find somebody' Gen and I listened to her sing until her voice died down. She leaned against her tree shivering, I felt something I almost never feel. Empathy, she made my heart twist as I watched from a distance. I wish I could tell her how much she impacts me one day.