Stone Hearts

The crude laboratory glowed in the firelight, steam curling from bubbling mixtures. Senku's hands moved with mechanical precision, but his mind kept slipping. Every equation blurred into the same thought: Aria.

Chrome leaned over, eyes wide with curiosity. "Senku, you're usually unstoppable. But you've redone that equation three times. Are you okay?"

Senku's smirk was automatic, sharp enough to deflect suspicion. "Ten billion percent fine. Just juggling too many variables. Science doesn't wait for me to get sentimental."

But Chrome wasn't fooled. He'd seen Senku push through exhaustion before. This was different.

Later, when the others had gone to gather sulfur and minerals, Senku sat alone, notebook open. Half the pages were filled with chemical pathways for sulfa drugs. The other half-sketches. Not of machines, not of formulas. Of her. Of her fingers clutching the bottle cap. A silly thing that he had just absentmindedly given to her, but he couldn't get the image out of his mind.

Her smile.

Her warmth.

Her curiosity.

Senku has drawn it all from memory.

Staring into the haunting image of her eyes, frustration grabbed hold of his heart when the sketch didn't do her justice. He snapped the book shut, jaw tight. "Focus. Ruri's life depends on this. Humanity depends on this. You don't get to waste time chasing ghosts."