Chapter Text
The child discreetly pushed aside the foliage of the bush behind which he’d been hiding for several minutes now, watching the Kingdom of Science’s members in action.
Amid preparations to set sail aboard the Perseus, everyone was busy doing their bit, in an infectious good humor, even if it required a lot of effort. As he’d heard so many times before, tasks were skillfully distributed and everyone did their bit under the guidance of their tireless leader, the young scientist who’d found a cure for petrification, Ishigami Senku.
He wasn't in his vision field, nor the other person so dear to his heart. But the simple fact of seeing these familiar faces made him realize, if he still needed a proof, that his mission had begun. He’d come this far, incredible as it was, and now there was no turning back.
The stake was far too high.
A life and death matter, even if it was frightening to admit.
For a second, the child felt like leaving his makeshift hiding place and running towards them, calling out their names as he so often did. He wanted to throw himself into Yuzuriha's arms, let Ryusui stroke his hair, or steal one of the biscuits François brought to the workers, but reluctantly stopped himself. Even if he knew and loved them all deeply, "those ones" didn't know him. No one would offer him a warm smile or call out his name. Here, at this very moment, he was a stranger. Perhaps he would even be seen as an enemy, a potential threat in this stone world. Plus, he mustn't forget his objective, the true purpose of his coming here, to this present, which was in fact his past, or more precisely, his parents’.
Holding back a sigh of apprehension at the immense and perilous task before him, the child bit his lips nervously as his hands closed around the branches. He was waiting and dreading at the same time, the fateful moment when he would see for the first time, these past versions of those to whom he owed his life. There was something agonizing about meeting them this way, barging into their lives when they might not even be a couple yet.
He feared facing their rejection, or worse, their indifference.
He feared not winning their trust, which would be catastrophic for the accomplishment of his mission.
He also feared interfering with the time flow, unwittingly compromising their love story, even if he acted with the utmost caution. His parents had gone through several difficulties before acknowledging they loved each other, and he feared becoming another one, but there was nothing else he could do.
The danger they were in was too...
« What the hell is that?! »
Suddenly, as if surprised by an electric shock, the child turned around, meeting Ukyo’s and Magma’s alert and stunned eyes.
He immediately bit his lips.
How could he have been so careless?
Fiddling with these branches, their rustling, imperceptible to ordinary mortals, hadn’t escaped Ukyo's over-developed hearing.
« Don't move. » The silver-haired young man ordered. « For your own good. »
- Gen -
While he was checking everything was going well and smoothly for every member of the group and village, ensuring the troop’s confidence was high, making up for any quarrels or slumps, Gen found it hard to really concentrate on his task this morning. Of course, nobody would have noticed, since he was wearing his eternal "everything's fine" mask and his most adorable smile, but his mind was elsewhere.
Was he sad? Maybe. But above all, realistic.
This morning, as so often, he’d woken up next to Senku in the observatory. As usual, he hadn't opened his eyes, pretending to be still asleep while the young man seemed to stare at him, without saying a word. Gen could hear his calm breathing as Senku's fingers wrapped around a lock of his white hair before abandoning it as if the contact had burnt him. Senku then clicked his tongue, as every time he returned to Earth after allowing himself a fond gesture towards his bedmate and left the hut in complete silence.
Usually, Gen repressed his disappointment brilliantly, so stupid he knew himself to cling to these furtive moments, as if they were proof... of what, anyway? Whatever the exact nature of Senku's attachment to him, it wasn't love and never would be. It's true he and Senku shared some kind of connivance, an attraction for uncertain and sometimes dishonest plans, if the result was in their favor. They were both 'miracle workers' in their own way, and Gen liked to think they complemented each other, like the two sides of the same coin. But even if the task of rebuilding the world and saving humanity at his side sometimes seemed immense, even dizzying, he was even more afraid of the 'after'.
Because in the end of this, when all would be said and done, when he would no longer be needed to play mentalist, right-hand man or diplomat for the Kingdom of Science, what would be left? Would their relationship, the complicity that had grown naturally between them since they first met, stand the test of time, or would it end up disappearing like a sandcastle washed away by the waves? Will he still have a place in Senku's life, who will undoubtedly be the most illustrious founder of this "new world"?
Sometimes, Gen was hoping for a bond between them, something immutable that would always bring Senku back to him, make him his home, his lighthouse in the night, shining like the electricity the scientist has brought back to this world after centuries of darkness. But this was illusory, immensely presumptuous and selfish, especially when science was already playing this role in his life, without anything or anyone being able to measure up to it without appearing horribly ridiculous.
Stifling a sigh, Gen smacked his cheeks to chase away his dark thoughts, when Ukyo's voice called out to him, kind of confused enough for Gen to be alerted. Frowning, he tilted his head to one side and crossed his arms as the young man approached him, with a look on his face he couldn't clearly read.
« Ukyo-chan? What's going on? »
« Magma and I found something... unusual, to say the least. »
Gen was immediately struck by the strange inner turmoil emanating from the young man, who was usually so emotionally stable.
« I think you should deal with it before we're showing it to the whole group. »
As he followed his friend, a growing tension stretching between them, Gen tried to analyze the situation. If Ukyo was involved in this discovery, it was necessarily linked to the camp safety, or that of the whole Kingdom of Science. Plus, whatever his friend wanted to show him, it had to be a person, otherwise Gen's expertise wouldn't be so important. If they’d discovered a strange object or message, Ukyo would have warned Senku or Chrome, even Ryusui.
As reading his thoughts, Ukyo spoke while they approached the hut where Magma was watching their "discovery".
« He was hiding behind a bush and watching the camp. »
« A spy? »
They stopped at the entrance, when Gen felt a strange emotion seize his insides, something he'd never experienced before.
« Are you sure it's not some villager you've never seen before? »
But the young man shook his head.
« Impossible. »
At Ukyo's firm tone, Gen concentrated. He didn't know what he had to deal with yet, but knowing his friend, the situation deserved his full attention. So, it was with his senses on high alert he entered the hut, meeting Magma's lost gaze, before the answer to all his questions appeared, so obvious and clear it took his breath away.
« See… »
Saying this, the young man with phenomenal hearing leaned against a wall, arms crossed, silent, and Gen tried to keep his composure.
Yes, he could see.
He could exactly see what had troubled them.
And when the child looked up at him, Gen instantly felt as if the whole world had vanished.
By a sort of reflex, the child took a step in his direction, an instinctive gesture before holding back, but Gen was unable to do the same. He crossed the space between them and reached out a feverish hand towards him, not knowing whether he just wanted to touch him to be sure he was real or take him in his arms, when Magma stopped him, Ukyo also ready to interfere. At once, without even realizing it, Gen gave them a dark look, more threatening than he would have liked, so ulcerated he was by their intervention.
Magma justified himself by growling.
« He's a stranger! A spy! He could be dangerous! »
As the warrior held his gaze, Gen took a deep breath before pouting, regaining control of his emotions and putting on his most angelic mask, eyelashes fluttering as he blinked at the warrior, ignoring Ukyo, who wasn't fooled by this kind of show.
« Do you think this cute little shrimp could hurt us, Magma-chan∼? »
Ukyo rolled his eyes, which Gen pretended not to see.
He knew it was reckless. Trained and forced by circumstances, a child could be just as dangerous as an adult, even more if you weren't careful. Not to mention psychopaths’ children weren't myths. So, to say this one wasn't dangerous without even talking to him was irresponsible, for the group mentalist even more, but Gen believed in his instincts. Moreover, he knew it was precisely for his intuition Ukyo decided to show him the child before telling Senku and the other commanders, and his guts was clearly telling him he was harmless. There was something in his eyes, in their satiny purple, same as a blue iris petal, that made him sure of that and forget all his usual defense and manipulation skills.
While the child seemed to be thinking at full speed, just like Senku when he was trying to find a solution to a problem in record time, the mentalist noticed he was keeping his right hand closed, trying not to draw attention to it. Gaze anchored in his, Gen moved forward slowly, crouching down in front of him, resisting the urge to hug and cuddle the pup as if he were part of their camp, even more like some kind of... family? The child had a sweet smell of leaves and almonds that reminded him of Senku, and Gen felt dizzy at the thought, before whispering.
« You're not here to hurt us, are you kitten? »
Immediately, the child's gaze wavered and he shook his head, making his shinny white hair moving softly.
« Not a millimeter! »
At these words, everyone froze.
Even Magma blinked in surprise, his gaze going from Ukyo to Gen, who tried to hide his confusion by laughing.
« Oh, right? So, does your hand hurt? »
Again, the child shook his head before biting his lips. Seeing him tense up and clench his fist even tighter, Gen put his hands on his soft cheeks, pressing the tip of his nose to his own, doing his best to surround him with positive, reassuring waves. He couldn't bear to see him so panicked. It almost made him sick.
« Shhh... It's all right. You're safe here… »
At these words, as suddenly brought back to reality, the child swallowed before holding out his hand to Gen, opening it slowly. At that very moment, seeing the inscription on his palm, the mentalist felt his heart miss a beat, realizing he was probably looking at the biggest mystery in this world, apart from Why-man and the petrification itself. He couldn't imagine how Senku would react to this discovery. The 'time travel' idea swirled around in his head, crazy as it was, as he kept the boy's hand in his, breathless. He was sure nothing can be more incredible than this at this point, when the child said, worries palpable in his sweet voice.
« Don’t be sad… You’re smiling but you’re sad, right?… »
Eyes still on his palm, Gen felt like the world just started to turn in a new way, a way he couldn’t understand, even more to resist. Squeezing his little hand gently, he gave him a true smile, without any mask on.
« Not now, I promise. »
- Senku -
Senku was checking the progress of the Perseus' work, eyes on the plans, when he realized he’d lost track again of his calculations, something that only happened when his mind was focused on one only thing: Asagiri Gen. Running a weary hand across his forehead, he looked up at the sky and sighed. Why was he so unlucky?
He hated it when Gen intruded on his thoughts in such a way he lost his concentration and efficiency, even in tasks as simple as checking plans and calculating measurements. He hated thinking about Gen more and more often, as if that stupid magician was so much a part of him he couldn’t woke up anymore without his name on his lips, as if Gen was all he needed to breath, when nothing could be further from the truth.
Of course, he was aware he felt something special for the damn mentalist, but he refused to question that feeling now. Other, more crucial things deserved his full attention, especially the mystery surrounding Why-man and the petrification. Yet, even that wasn't enough to keep his mind from drifting to the cosmic blue of his gaze, so fascinating when Gen was forcing him to put his head in his lap to get some rest, or when he winked fondly at him by the campfire.
Could he have some other thing to focus on, to distract him from this addiction? Asking such a question in a stone world where everything was to make was so inappropriate it made him want to kick his face, but when Ryusui joined him, eyes shining with a strange, new kind of curiosity, as if he'd just stumbled upon a treasure buried in the depths of the sea, Senku found himself hoping.
« Something to see. » The tall blond just said, as he led Senku towards one hut, in front of which Ukyo and Chrome were chatting.
Chrome also looked excited. Ukyo, more… absorbed.
Senku's smile widened as an anticipation shiver spread across his skin. Without waiting, he entered the hut, searching what on earth could have put his commanders in such a state, when he saw him, clinging to Gen like a chick to its mother.
He wasn't part of the village children, nor part of Tsukasa's past kingdom either.
The child, about ten years old, looked quite genderless, but Senku was sure he was a boy, to be said, an incredibly cute one.
Moonlight skin.
No petrification scar anywhere to be seen.
Wavy shiny white hair, cascading to his shoulders.
Deep, indecipherable eyes that looked at him with the same curiosity he reserved himself for astronomy or great scientific discoveries.
Cat's eyes, almond-shaped with long eyelashes, just like Gen's. But not blue.
His ones were purple like two pure amethysts just extracted from the rocks. Like the sky hue sometimes at dawn, when the cloud cover was predominant. Pink wavelengths, caused by sunrise or sunset, create an optical illusion when reflected off cloud bases. However, when these clouds are dark, or when the sky behind the cloud is dark, this pink can look like purple. That purple, exactly.
For a moment, Senku was unable to say what was troubling him most.
Was it the intensity of those curious eyes staring at him?
The fact he fit so much in Gen's arms like it was obvious and natural?
The fact he found this image so beautiful he wanted to keep it in mind forever?
Yet, he knew the most disturbing thing was undoubtedly the child’s clothes. Denim overalls. A long-sleeved white sweatshirt. Black converse shoes with some heart-shaped patterns and pink shoelaces. All these items were from another era, to be precise, the pre-petrification era, 3700 years ago. Considering the process of materials decomposition over the past centuries, the child couldn’t have been one of the humans recently freed from stone, as his clothes were intact, apart from some tears and dirt here and there. None of these items had come from Yuzuriha' shop, of course. None of them came from the Stone Age they were in.
As a result, questions were colliding in his mind like a chaotic tempest: Who was this child? Where did he come from? How old exactly was he? What was his name? Was it possible that he came from... the past? Their past? How? For what?
The time travel notion made him swallow with anticipation, while his mind raced at 1000 miles a second at all the implications it could have for their situation and the future of the world they were trying to restore. So many urgent questions were burning his mind, but strangely, he kept asking himself why this pup seemed so precious, almost familiar to him. He wanted to know everything about him, but not only because his presence here was a scientific mind-fuck. It was… something more.
Something in his gut which was telling him not to take his eyes off him, not even for a second, and the closer he got to him, the more he realized an irrefutable - if dangerous - fact. If the boy asked for help with anything at this very moment, he would be the first to accept and everyone else would follow, because it would be an order, and it would be an order because it would be for him. And the most frightening part was that this point didn't shake him. It just existed, like an obvious fact, like something that didn't need explanation.
One word from this child and he felt capable of creating or destroying everything.
A single tear, and...
Senku ran a sweaty hand over his face.
Up close, his eyes were even more beautiful.
Two purple oceans. Gen sure had to love them.
Looking precisely at him, he could read a silent plea in the mentalist's eyes : "Not too many questions at once, please, Senku-chan."
What a mother hen, for someone who was constantly describing himself as the most superficial man on earth!
The scientist let out a sigh, which turned into an unexpected smile, as his hand came to rest on the boy's head in an irresistible impulse. He, Gen and that mysterious child was an improbable addition, with no result possible in any way possible, so Senku forced himself to deny how much being alone with them two was exhilarating, as some kind of new and insane experiment.