Chapter Text
Despite the sun having retreated, the kingdom of Umbra was far from asleep. The streets were bustling with night vendors selling their wares in their makeshift market stalls set up in alleys, scuffles broke loose over unpaid tabs at the bar, and a man in a cloak sat sipping away at his beer near the rising argument. The man kept his head down and hood up while his ruby eyes scanned his surroundings. Focused and ready, watching every sudden movement, every patron that entered and exited. The tavern itself was old but welcoming, with wooden tables and chairs decorated with small candles and the occasional flower. The people inside bustled about; waitresses carried drinks, delivering them to busy tables of lively conversations. Warm light added onto the already easy atmosphere caused by the small light runes floating about, looking like drops of sunlight.
“Anything else, sir?” The bar tender asked, washing an empty beer glass with a rag. His eyes scanned the mysterious patron intently.
“No.” The hooded man responded, taking notice of the extra glance the bar tender threw his way and the stiffness of his shoulders.
Time to go.
Senku chugged the last remaining bits of his drink, wiping his chin before placing five copper coins on the bar and swiftly exiting the tavern. He could feel the bar tenders gaze on him as he left. What a shame, he liked that place. Senku pulled his hood further down, taking extra care in making sure that his unruly hair didn’t stick out before pulling his rectangular goggles over his eyes. He poured a bit of mana into them, activating the spell he had etched into the frames. He entered the narrow street, his shoes clicking on the stone floors as he made his way towards the main road further away from the crowded market place.
“Hey! You there!” A voice called out. Senku paused, listening as the man’s footsteps began to patter towards him. He felt a firm hand on his shoulder. Senku turned his head, smirking at the orange haired officer behind him.
“Its been a while, Yo.”
“You-“ Yo was cut off as Senku tossed a light rune into the air and poured his mana into the stone. As the cracks began to form he ducked before making a mad dash down the street. The sound of stone breaking, the yell of shock, and a faint “after him!” from the officer was all the confirmation he needed that his new and improved light rune had done its job. Senku activated the engravings in his shoes, going from running to gliding freely down the street, zooming past vendors and passerbys. The wind lifted his hood, revealing his spiky hair that faded into green at the ends with two thick pieces of hair dangling freely in front of his face, flying in the wind. He turned the corner and slowed down slightly. His goggles revealed nine—no, ten rune users up ahead, their bodies outlined in a slight green glow, likely waiting to attack him as he passed by. Senku swerved to the right, avoiding the group entirely. He activated the rune applied to his ear.
“Magician, I’m heading up to the location, you ready?”
“Mentalist,” A playful voice corrected, “And yes, it’s all set up~” He cooed, “Just need to activate it.”
The runesmith poured more of his mana into his shoes propelling him even faster. The warm summer air pushed against his frame, causing his brown cloak to flap widely in the wind. He made his way to the outskirts of town, where the stone streets began to become riddled with weeds and grass, the lights began to dim, and the hustle and bustle started to quiet as he drew further and further away, now gliding on earth rather than paved paths.
“10…9…” Senku began counting down, as he saw the meeting place approach. An abandoned cathedral, one that existed long before this kingdom had. It was starting to fall apart with no one coming to care for it, which was perfect for a warp. “8…”
“Senku, dear,” Gen laughed, a hint of nervousness in his voice, “There’s somebody behind you.” Senku shot a glance over his shoulder. Taking notice of the familiar frame chasing after him.
“Whats the status on the warp?”
“Not activated yet.” Gen responded
“Shit, not this guy.” He groaned, “Woah!” Senku veered to the left, avoiding the net thrown his way, his arms turned in frenzied circles as he struggled to stay balanced.
“You alright?” The mentalist’s voice echoed through Senkus' ear, catching him off guard.
“Shut up, I need to focus.” Senku slowly deactivated the mana in his shoes going into a light jog before stopping completely. Now that the meeting point was discovered, they’d have to make a new one which was such a pain in the ass.
“Senku!” A voice called out, one that was smooth, gentle, but firm at the same time. “If you surrender yourself I won’t need to hurt you!”
“Heh,” Senku chuckled, “You already know my answer.”
“Yeah,” The man let out a small huff through his nose, “I do.” He had long brown hair that was tied at the very ends with small pieces of thread, and a body that seemed to be made entirely of muscle. He wore thick black pants, a belt riddled with nets, rope, and other traps along with a massive claymore sheathed on his back. His dark cloak billowed in the wind like a cape giving him a menacing presence.
Shishio Tsukasa, a pain for Senku to deal with since he never used runes. Instead, he relied on his freakish brute strength and basic tools which couldn’t be tracked with his goggles. Senku clicked his tongue in annoyance as the two stood a ways away from each other, neither one making the first move.
“How about we leave this for another day?” Senku said while he reached for his back pocket. He pulled out a rune and slid the cool stone into his palm. At the same time with his other hand he reached into his right pocket, grabbing two of the light runes he used on Yo earlier.
Tsukasa glanced at Senku’s moving arms and broke into a sprint. The runesmith activated his shoes and glided backwards, throwing the light rune first. Tsukasa shielded his eyes with his arm instinctively. Senku placed a rune in his mouth. He threw the stone from behind his back onto the floor. Slick ice took form in a circle on the ground but Tsukasa recovered much quicker than anticipated.
“Ack!” Senku yelped in surprise as Tsukasa leaped for him, a firm hand wrapped around his neck. The runesmith kicked as he was lifted off the ground, rendering his shoes useless.
“Such a shame the chase had to end so soon.” Tsukasa righted his grip, his nails digging into soft flesh.
“Yeah—ugh!” Senku coughed out, “Me too.” Tsukasa furrowed his brow at the young man’s response before Senku spit a small light rune from his mouth and squeezed his eyes shut as Tsukasa’s eyes widened with shock, the stone burst once again releasing a sudden wave of light.
The bounty hunter released his grip on Senku as he stumbled back clutching his eyes with his hands. Senku scrambled up from the ground and began to sprint for the cathedral before returning to a quick glide once more.
“Now! Now!” Senku yelled as he entered the church with a scrambling Gen hurrying to finish activating the magic circle. “Now!”
Gen’s staff was angled down, powering the circle with a light purple mist formed by his mana. Senku poured a bit of his own mana into the circle, causing the light to shine brighter as the misty purple of Gens began to crackle with sparks of green.
“Stop!” A thundering voice boomed as Tsukasa ran into the cathedral, his usually stoic expression taking on a hint of desperation. Senku smirked as the mist began to engulf both him and the mentalist.
“See ya!” He called out smugly before feeling his body lift and drop onto cold stone flooring instead of the dirt and vines of the deserted cathedral. Gen dropped to the floor with an exasperated sigh, holding onto his wooden staff for dear life.
“That was way too ose-clay…” He whined, dramatically unveiling his head from his hood. The mentalists black and white hair was pulled back into a low ponytail, leaving two small strands hanging out in front of his face.
“Yeah, hell of a lot riskier than I anticipated but...” Senku reached into his pocket and wrapped his fingers around a scroll. “Got what I came for.” Each brush with the paper was enough to start getting him excited.
“That’s nice and all but did you really have to grab a drink?” Gen pouted, releasing his hair from the ponytail it had been in before. The black and white strands fell over his shoulders gracefully, reaching to around his mid back.
“Oh,” Senku chuckled, “You were watching?”
“Of course I was!” Gen exclaimed, “You were taking too long and I got orried-way!”
“I’ll grab you something next time.”
“NEXT TIME?!”
Senku let out a small chuckle before turning his attention over to the ground beneath him, at the magic circle. It was large, drawn on with some chalk that ran along the smooth stone.
“Damn.” He sighed, “We’re going to have to destroy this one too.”
“Maybe we wouldn’t if you hadn’t stopped for a beer.” Gen nagged.
“I was thirsty.” Senku responded, which received a scoff from Gen.
The two began kicking away at the symbols that had been scribbled with chalk onto the stones, ensuring that their pursuers wouldn’t be able to activate it from the other side.
“I hate making these things.” Senku clicked his tongue, “That damn bounty hunter really likes making my life difficult.”
“Says the man who just had to stop for a beer.”
…
The runesmith and mentalist soon emerged from the cave they had teleported to. The stars shone brightly now, untainted by the many lights of the kingdom far in the distance. The once menacing black castle was now reduced to three distant spires. Senku reached a hand to his neck, rubbing the faint bruise left by Tsukasa’s iron grip, trying not to wince from the pain. Gen glanced over, then began digging around in his leather shoulder bag before pulling out a bandage cloth with small lettering written on it.
“You should eally-ray start carrying around some healing runes, Senku dear.” He said making his way to the runesmith, his body now inches away. Gen bent down slightly, gingerly unwrapping the gauze and applying it to Senku’s neck.
“Takes up too much space.” Senku responded, he could care less about his neck, “Space that I need.” Gen huffed from his nose and tightened the cloth, eliciting a “ghk!” From the runesmith.
“You-“
“How's your mana?” The mentalist asked, humming playfully while continuing to wrap Senku’s neck. Senku pointed at his hair, slightly more unruly from the wind.
“Not a dent.”
“You’re really something else, you know that?” Gen sighed, “Just activating the warp takes a bit from me.” Senku stiffened at the sudden compliment.
Something else…
Gen continued to wrap the bandage as Senku tried his best not to stare, but it was difficult with how close they were.
It was warm.
“All done!” Gen stepped back, waving his hands in a “tadaaa” motion, his long sleeves flapping around.
Senku rubbed his bandaged neck, the soreness fading.
“Thanks.”
“Of course.” Gen smiled warmly, tilting his head to the side. His bi colored hair and face practically glowing in the moonlight, the long strands framing his face.
The trek back to Senku’s base of operations was the same as usual. Leave the cave and head towards the forest, past the grass field and over the creek. Make fake tracks there, hide if any noise is heard and at any signs of mana, until they reach a tall and wide oak tree with a small batch of nightshade flowers growing nearby. Senku began to sweat from exhaustion but using the shoes so close to his base was risky, especially if the enemy had mana tracking tools like he did. Gen leaned at the base of the tree, knocking in a rhythmic pattern before taking a small step back. There was a light scratching sound. The ground between two large roots were soon removed from underneath, and familiar spiky brown hair soon shot up from the hole in the ground, warm light trickled out of it, illuminating the base of the tree.
“You’re back!” Chrome exclaimed, he gestured for the two to follow and they soon all descended down, refilling the hole with the dirt and grass manhole cover they had put together. Chrome, Senku, and Gen landed in a dark tunnel, the only light being Chrome's traditional lantern. “So,” Chrome grinned, “Did you get it?”
“Yeah.” Senku replied.
“Let’s alk-tay once we’ve actually made it home.” Gen lightly pushed Chrome forward, slightly nervous.
“Right, right.” Chrome began marching ahead, he was wearing a dirtied apron over his simple blue and green leather garments and his head was decorated with a pair of goggles much like the one on Senku’s head, except his was wrapped with rope rather than a leather strap. Around his waist was a plethora of tools, blank runes, and empty enchanted paper. The long hall of earth stretched out with small roots poking through the ceiling. Every now and then there was a small spell etched into the dirt. Mana suppression and cloaking spells were sprinkled throughout the hall, growing more often in number as they moved further in.
“Why is this tunnel so damn long?” Senku huffed, his legs creaked in protest. His stamina was already depleted from the earlier scuffle.
“Because of you.” Gen responded.
At the end of the tunnel was a dead end, only a dirt wall stood in their way.
“You weren’t followed, right?” Chrome asked nervously, placing a hand on the blockade in front of them.
“Just open-“ Senku gasped, exhausted “The door.”
Chrome focused for a moment pouring the smallest amount of mana he could into the earth. The wall soon gave way, falling to the floor. The trio stepped over the dirt mound and waited patiently as Chrome reinstalled it once more.
“Just a bit further!” Chrome smiled, patting his hands onto his pants, ridding it of the small pieces of dirt left from the fake wall.
“Need to est-ray, Senku dear?” Gen cooed mockingly, fluttering his eyelashes dramatically.
“Just–” Senku huffed, “Just, shut it.” Gen smirked triumphantly, soaking in his small victory before resuming their journey while using his staff as a walking stick. After what the runesmith pulled today, it was a necessary revenge.
They continued in silence, apart from Senku's groans of frustration and exhaustion. The tunnel went on with the occasional fork in the road that the group navigated easily, now used to the usual routine.
“Alright!” Chrome bent down, placing the lantern down onto the floor and brushing aside some dirt. A small wooden door began to appear and Chrome knocked on it rhythmically, the same as Gen had done before.
The door flung open, and a head of unruly blonde hair popped up, a spear poked out from the hole pointed directly at Chrome.
“Ack!” He yelped, stumbling back in surprise.
“Oh!” Kohaku quickly withdrew, her menacing look replaced by relief, “You’re back!”
“WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!” Chrome shot up from the floor, balling his fist in anger, “I DID THE KNOCK!”
“Hah!” Kohaku huffed, “You can’t ever be too cautious, it’s not a difficult pattern, someone could memorize it easily.”
“Alright, alright,” Senku interrupted, “Argue all you want once you’re inside.” Kohaku hopped down the ladder, with the others following behind.
There was a stark difference between the tunnels and their main base. The walls were made of wood with mana cloaking spells etched into them, with stone floors that shared a similar look, and doors that led to other areas. It was sectioned off into main parts, the largest being the living space stocked with shelves of books and other trinkets. It was attached to the kitchen containing stoves, a long rectangular wooden dining table with matching chairs, and an enchanted food storage which kept ingredients cooled. The ceiling was arched, decorated with activated light runes suspended in mid air, cascading down in a spiral motion. Long wooden support beams doubled as extra shelves and the likes were sprinkled around, keeping the whole place from collapsing.
“Guys!” Kohaku shouted, her voice booming through the cave, “They’re back!” There was a moment of silence before it was ultimately cut through by a familiar thundering cry.
“SENKUUUU!” Taiju burst through one of the wooden doors and made a full sprint for the runesmith as some other familiar faces followed. Taiju lunged, his arms open wide for a hug which Senku expertly dodged, used to Taiju’s usual antics.
“Hey, big oaf.” Senku smiled, he almost missed his face… almost.
“Where's my ug-hay?” Gen pouted.
“Oh sorry!” Taiju grinned, “I gotchu!” Taiju quickly recovered and grabbed Gen in a tight bear hug, lifting him off the ground.
“Wait, I was joking! I was jo–hhk!” The mentalist went limp with defeat as Taiju squeezed all the air out from his body. Senku let out a small chuckle, eliciting a nasty glare from the mentalist as Taiju placed him back on the ground. “Say, where is Kaseki?” Gen questioned after taking a few deep breaths.
“Hes working on something,” Chrome sighed, “Wish I could too but I got stuck watching the door.” He pouted.
“Senku!” Suika ran into view, grinning widely at the runesmith, wearing an identical pair of goggles, “You’re back!” Her eyes sparkled excitedly.
“So…” Kohaku glanced over at Senku, “How did it go?” Senku started.
“I-”
“It went antastic-fay!” Gen interrupted, clapping his hands together, “Got everything we needed! No problems whatsoever!”
A collective sigh was released from everyone present in the room.
“I was worried something happened!” Taiju smiled, “Took a bit longer than expected!”
“Yeah, yeah,” Senku picked at his ear, “Don’t get all emotional.” The runesmith threw Gen a quick look and the mentalist responded with a slight smile. “Anyway!” Senku patted his pocket, “Time is of the essence!” An evil look spread across his face, “Who knows what we could do now that we have these blueprints.”
“Is this a good thing or…” Kohaku stared Senku down with her arms crossed, “He looks like a villain right now.” Before anybody else could comment Senku sped towards the craft station.
“Chrome!” He called, “Come on!”
“Got it!” Chrome followed happily, a wide grin plastered on his face.
“Oh dear…” Gen sighed.
The craft station was made almost entirely of stone, with shelves holding blank runes and empty scrolls galore, tools organized in rows along the walls, and a large stone table in the center already occupied by a very focused craftsman. He wore an apron and some pants, exposing his large arm muscles.
“Ohoho!” Kaseki smiled, taking his focus off of the runes he was carving. “You’re back!”
“Yeah, and I’ve got us a little project to work on.” Senku smirked. They walked over to the table, reaching into his pocket and rolling out one of the scrolls in his pocket onto the stone. Chrome let out a whistle.
“That’s bad.”
“Of course it is,” Senku chuckled. “Do you have any idea how much drago I paid for this shit? That damn sailor sure loves to overcharge.”
The writing was intricate and neat, the drawing itself was inked and pencil sketched by hand, small diagrams and comments scrawled across the paper, handwriting in perfect cursive that swooped and curved gracefully. It excluded elegance, and it was all signed at the bottom with a fancy X.
“It's called a motorcycle,” Senku smirked, “And this one happens to be the best one on the market.” The runesmith's eyes glinted, “And of course making it ourselves is way cheaper than buying the actual model!”
“I’m all fired up now!” Kaseki nodded vigorously, flexing his arm muscles in excitement. Senku hurriedly began putting on his work gear, his rectangular leather goggles stayed on his head while he slipped on some leather gloves and an apron.
“It’s time to get excited!”
…
It was grueling work, Chrome and Kaseki laid on the floor huffing with exhaustion, looking drained and covered in sweat.
“Oh… my… god…” Chrome panted, taking in breaths between each word, “Manas…almost…gone…”
“It's okay, Chrome,” Kaseki laid beside him, just as exhausted, “This old man's about done too.”
Senku was the only one left standing, still tinkering away at the parts that Kaseki had prebuilt before exhausting his mana on powering runes and whatnot.
“Like I said,” Senku sighed, his hair now drooping slightly, “It would be 10 billion percent more efficient if you let me do all the mana infusions.”
“And let you do all the work? No way!” Chrome exclaimed, his fatigue somehow dissipating, “I want to help out too!”
“Ohoho!” Kaseki chuckled, “Trying to take all the credit Senku?”
“You’re missing the point.” Senku huffed, a small smile forming on his face. The motorcycle was intense, with many intricate parts. Everything was written down neatly on the scroll, with detailed instructions and recommended materials. It was amazing how perfect the blueprints turned out to be. This kind of thing Senku could make, but it was much quicker starting with the base model then modding the hell out of it later, just the thought of doing so made him chuckle as he continued to tinker away.
“He’s laughing again…” Chrome huffed, “Can’t help but be a little scared.” He turned to Kaseki, still laying on the floor, “Whenever he gets like that you know it involves manual labor.”
“Hoho…” Kaseki’s signature laugh sounded weaker than usual, “He really loves working us to the bone…
…
“Motorcycle acquired!” Senku grinned, a bit of oil smeared on his cheek. He wiped his forehead triumphantly, looking at his masterful creation. It very much had a homemade rustic look to it, with the inner workings completely exposed showing off the many gears and runes placed about. On one of the larger gears was a crudely etched carving of what looked to be Senku’s face.
“That's bad!” Chrome exclaimed, analyzing and gawking in awe at their creation, “I’ve never seen anything like this before!”
“To think we made this from scratch!” Kaseki beamed, his chest puffed with pride, “My baby motorcycle is finally complete!” Senku took a step back, how long had they been working for? His hair was now drooped almost completely, not depleted but his mana was running low. Low for him at least. He had been working on that thing nonstop and now he exhaustion was starting to kick in.
“Okay–” Senku huffed, “I don’t think I can put this off any longer…”
“What are you–” Chrome’s eyes widened with shock as Senku suddenly stumbled back. “Senku! Are you okay?” His vision blurred and he tried his best to stay conscious but it was proving to be rather difficult. He’d been up for a day or two at the very least, and hadn’t taken any breaks in between his wild goose chase through the city and the creation of their motorcycle.
“Just–” Senku leaned against the door, pressing his back onto it for support, “Give me a minute.”
“Ohh Senku dear~” Gen flung the door open, causing Senku to fall back crashing into the mentalist as they both hit the floor. “EEEK!” Gen squealed.
“You damn…” Senku laid on top of Gen, unable to move as every muscle in his body decided to start aching at that very moment. His face was buried into the crook of Gen’s neck, the black and white strands tickled his nose. The runesmith let out a sigh, and Gen shivered at the sudden warmth on his neck. “Learn to knock… next…” Senku went limp as the fatigue finally did him in, his eyelids getting heavier by the second.
“...ku…Sen…” The mentalists' voices echoed as Senku’s world went black but he wasn’t complaining. It wasn’t the worst thing to fall asleep to.
…
“SENKUUU!!!” Byakuya ran up to the young boy, arms stretched wide. “I’m back!” The king wrapped his son in a warm embrace, swinging him around like a rag doll.
“Okay! Okay!” Senku protested, struggling to break free, “I get it alright?"
“Can’t you at least pretend to be happy to see me?” Byakuya pouted, placing his son back onto the floor. Despite his regal looking clothes the man acted nothing like a king.
“Yeah sure, hooray…” Senku picked at his ear, tone laced with unenthusiasm. “You were only gone for a week.” Senku glanced at his old man, “Your crown’s gonna fall off.” Byakuya quickly repositioned it as it hung dangerously close to falling off the side of his head.
“Well since you didn’t miss me… guess you don’t care about the souvenirs I brought back either.” Byakuya sighed, “Oh well, guess I’ll give them to Chrome.”
“Wait, wait.” Senku waved his arms out, “What did you bring?”
“Oh you know,” Kicked around at the nonexistent dirt at his feet, “Couple of runes, scrolls, blueprints.”
“Blueprints?” Senku perked up, staring his dad up and down.
“Oh, do you want them?” Byakuya grinned.
“Uh, yes?” Senku scoffed.
“Then give your old man a hug will you?” Byakuya took a knee, opening his arms at the boy.
“Okay, fine.” The boy rolled his eyes and begrudgingly wrapped his small arms around his dad and Byakuya wrapped his around Senku in return. It was a hug much warmer and gentler than the one before, “Happy?”
“Very.” Byakuya smiled warmly. He reached a hand into his pocket, pulling out a couple of scrolls that Senku quickly snatched up.
“Hehe.” He chuckled, opening the papers and studying the contents.
“Don’t spend too long on those,” Byakuya warned as Senku began to speed away towards his room as fast as his little legs could carry him. “You‘ve got that banquet tomorrow!”
The banquet…
“The banquet!” Senku’s eyes flew open, a single tear trailing down the side of his face. His hand was stretched out in front of him, seemingly reaching for the ceiling.
“Senku?” The runesmith turned his head, now facing a very surprised Gen sitting beside him.
His purple robe was now replaced with a thin and simple white shirt with long bishop sleeves that brushed Senku’s face when Gen began to reach for him. “Are you…”
Senku sat up suddenly, grabbing the mentalist's wrist as we quickly wiped the tear away.
“Must’ve yawned.” He stated, releasing Gen's arm. The mentalist gave him a look, he knew what Senku was dreaming about, it was obvious. Senku turned his head away, his hair now standing upright once more although slightly drooped at the ends. “It's fine.” Gen sighed, leaning back into the chair dramatically.
“Senku dea- AGH!” Senku grabbed Gen and pulled him hard, he flailed around for a moment, the bed creaking from the added weight. “What are you-“
“I’ll find out what happened to us.” Senku exclaimed, his face dangerously close to Gens. Black and white strands of hair were spread out widely over the pillow. “We’ll find out,” His grip on the mentalists arms tightened slightly, it was firm but didn’t hurt. “Together.”
Gen let out a soft sigh from his nose, a warm smile replaced his earlier shocked expression.
“Together.”