Science Save Me: A Dr. Stone Fanfiction

C H A P T E R E I G H T

THIRD PERSON POV

Tohru watched mindfully on what was going around her. To her right, Kohaku was training the two brothers: Kinro and Ginro (she noted that their names literally meant gold and silver.) for the Grand Bout that was approaching. She wasn't aware of the full plan, but she was informed that the main idea was to defeat an—in term of phrase—asshole.

To her left was Senku and Chrome cooking up a chemical brew in a pot. She watched Senku add in a bunch of material she didn't recognize, but the moment of truth occurred when he dipped a spearhead into the mixture and coated it in a silver blanket, and Tohru immediately recognize it. Silver. Ginro was especially joyful about the silver spear and taunted his brother, who apparently used to have a gold-tipped spear until it was crucially used as a conductor to make magnets.

"It's not just for show." Senku calmed Ginro's excitement. "Come on, we're heading off on a super dangerous mission. Ginro, we need you as the bodyguard." That title only made the younger brother more excited.

"May I come, too?" Tohru asked.

"Sure." Senku didn't even think about it.

And so, Tohru, Senku, Kohaku, Chrome, and Ginro travelled towards what Kohaku described as natural hot springs where she would transport warm water from to her sick sister. When they arrived at the hot springs, Senku's mood changed, especially when Chrome mused on, "I thought this was supposed to be a dangerous mission?"

Meanwhile, Tohru was pondering over what could possibly be so dangerous that they needed for the drug to cure Ruri. Something involving a silver spear and is near hot springs.

"The silver acts as a sensor. You need to pay close attention to the tip of the spear, and immediately stop if it turns black." Senku leveled the spear parallel to the ground stretched out in front of Ginro.

"Turns black? What do you mean?" Ginro suddenly whimpered, as if all his pride was sucked out of him.

"Because our greatest hurdle could kill us within seconds if we are not careful." Senku put it bluntly, even Tohru's knees grew a little weak. She began putting the pieces together and she knew exactly what they were after... She should've known better from learning about it in chemistry class (not to mention she had Senku as her lab partner). The silver sensor. Hot springs. Most dangerous ingredient for the sulfa-drug antibotic...

Eventually, the group reached their destination. A beautiful vast lake of emerald-blue water. A natural beauty that would lure any mesmorized passerby to splash in its waters.

"That's what we're after." Senku pointed at the water.

"I don't understand what's so dangerous about this place." Kohaku sighed, looking around in awe.

"It's hydrogen sulfite, isn't it?" Tohru stood next to Senku with her arms crossed. "That's what the spear's for. And the water..."

"Yeah..." Senku nodded. Suddenly, his eyes grew wide as he screamed, "Get away, Ginro!" Kohaku acted quickly and snatched the blonde young man back against a boulder, the entire spearhead was a black crisp. A few crows flew overhead and the moment they reached over the lake, they nose-dived lifelessly into the steaming water and they melted. Senku instinctively put his arm out in front of Tohru, as if to shield her from the deadly gases.

"How awful..." Tohru covered her mouth in despair. "I should've known better, too." She touched the arm that Senku held out. "I don't like this." Senku didn't say anything.

"What the hell?" Chrome gasped. "Don't tell me we actually need this stuff for the sulfa-drug to cure Ruri?"

"Yeah, it's the prime ingredient in the chemistry of creating the drug." Senku said. "Sulfuric acid."

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TOHRU'S POV

When we returned back to base, Senku was already forming plans on how we were going to obtain the sulfuric acid without dying immediately upon impact of the toxic air surrounding it.

His solution: homemade gas masks.

Unfortunately, there was no trial and error here. If there was any error in the masks' design, that meant death, and that didn't settle very well in my stomach. What was even worse is that both Chrome and Senku would be taking the dangerous mission alone...

"Senku, I don't know about this." I started, and then Senku took my wrist and led me to the farthest corner of the kingdom of science where there were no eavesdroppers. Senku leaned his back against a massive tree with his arms crossed and his head hung. "There is no other way. I'm the only one who can do this properly. Chrome is my companion in this and made a logical point to join me, but the matter of fact is that if say both Chrome and I were to die while collecting the sulfuric acid...you are Ruri's last hope."

"Excuse me?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "Senku, I don't know the first thing about making an antibotic with modern technology and processes, much less in this stone world. What you've created here with Chrome, Kohaku, and everyone else, that was all you. Even if you were to explain to me exactly what to do, I can't promise I'll get it right."

"Trial and error has always been the key factor in the evolution of science." Senku sighed. "This is just an exception."

"You do plan on returning successfully, correct?" It was my turn to cross my arms.

"Um, duh?" Senku phrased it as if I just asked him a stupid question, which in Senku's book, there's no such thing.

"Then I don't want any buts and/or ifs." I stood my ground. "You will return here successfully with the sulfuric acid and I will welcome you home when you do."

Senku didn't say anything for a long moment, instead he and I had almost a staring contest, like he was expecting me to back down and take it all back. But I was more stubborn than that. Out of nowhere, Senku scoffed.

"I wouldn't want it any other way."

The next morning, I watched him and Chrome head out, don with their makeshift gas masks. I prayed to every god I could think of that they returned safely with the sulfuric acid. All I could do now...was wait...