51. Fields of Gold
03-23-2024
A/N: Yayyy I'm back on schedule! I'm also a lot better now, so I'll be fine writing chapters for you guys!
Thank you for your patience and kindness :*(ãâã人)*:
Q: You guys ever look at some of your old work and think "WOW, I PEAKED HERE" or "WOW, THIS IS SHIT" ? That's how I'm feeling these days with some chapters and my other fics that are collectijg dust in my WIPs. This is normal, right?
-----
"Woooow, I'm really flying in the sky!"
"Quit yapping like a little kid and look around, lioness."
"I told you a million times by now that I'm not a lioness!"
You and your friends were in the middle of searching high and low for signs of oil and possible food. You were on the ground with Ukyo and Chrome, while Kohaku was with Senku and Ryusui. She had volunteered in your place to keep them from arguing like children over you, which you were grateful for. Unfortunately, Senku and her were arguing instead.
"We needed you or (Y/N) on board for your acute eyesight, Kohaku! Otherwise, I would've wanted to ride for sure!" Chrome groaned into the phone he carried on his back.
"The ground survey team also has a really important job!" Ukyo mentioned.
"Since the possibility isn't zero, we should be able to find the oil using this method," you commented. "Senku will also make a map from up there. It'll be like traveling across a map in a video game!"
From over the phone, you heard Senku reply to you, "Exactly! We'll be discovering new treasure points on the map as we go, slowpoke!"
Then you heard Ryusui speak, "Hmm, sure that'd be great and all...but you know what'd be really great?! If we found some food! ...wait a minute--"
You then saw Ukyo perking his head up as your group followed the hot-air balloon. He looked in a certain direction and spotted something moving in the distance. Equipping an arrow in his hand, he grinned as he pointed his bow directly at one of his targets. "It's a wild goat herd! Looks like an older one lost its way! My apologies, we will be truly grateful for this, as you have my thanks. We shall eat you and let none of you go to waste."
He shot the arrow and struck the goat down from the mountain. All of you ran cautiously to go obtain its body from the river it fell in.
"Rest in peace, old goat," you stated as you helped the boys carry the dead animal. "By the way, since we're going to he working together more often, I'd like to know more about you, Ukyo. Where'd you learn to shoot?"
He responded earnestly, "I learned in high school and was a part of the archery club. I didn't think it would come in handy, but I'm glad that I'm able to put the skills to use now."
"But that's not what you were revived for, was it?" You asked with genuine curiosity.
"Yes, I wasn't revived just for that skill. Since I was a part of the S.D.F Navy, I was relied on for intel gathering and my hearing since I worked as a sonar technician. That's what Minami told me anyways," he explained to you.
You then told him, "Man, I can't imagine achieving all of that. How old are you anyways?"
"I'm twenty-five..." he sighed with a shy smile.
"You're twenty-five?! That baby face threw me off... You're practically an old man!" You joked with him, and saw sweat rolling down his temples when he heard that. You quickly retracted the statement, "Sorry, I'm kidding. I'll tell you some humiliating stuff about myself to make it even."
He replied with a chuckle, "Actually, I've heard some good things about you. Especially from Haru, Yuzuriha and Taiju."
Raising an eyebrow, you questioned the man, "Oh? Like what?"
"When we would practice shooting together, Haru would talk about how much they admired your swordsmanship. Your grace, your technique, your methods... despite the lethality of kenjutsu, they find themselves seeing it as a delicate art when they looking at you," Ukyo told you in a soft tone. "Yuzuriha would say that she found your kindness endearing, while Taiju finds your strength amazing. Both of them see you as a best friend that would support them along the way."
Just hearing those words made your heart flutter with appreciation. Slowly, you would realize why Senku would make you stop making insulting comments about yourself. There are people around you that cared for you dearly, and you would take it for granted.
Before you could even say anything in response, Chrome blurted out, "Man, if that's the case, then why is that brat still acting like a little shit?"
"Chrome, I know you don't like them, but at least be cordial with them," you let out a sigh. You then thought, Even if it's true...
The brunette whined, "But they're always so rude to me! I try to get along with them, but they always call me a 'stupid headband guy!'"
"That's because you always call them a 'little shit,'" you retorted with lidded eyes.
"That's because they are!"
"Kids act up. They can't help it. They're not emotionally mature yet because they're still growing," Ukyo said in sincerity as he looked at Chrome, but you could tell he was also talking about the boy in front of you.
"Yeah, I can see that. They should be like me! Instead, they go about saying how I should be 'true to my feelings,' like with Ruri or whatever, but I don't know what they're talking about! I'm always true to my feelings!" Chrome groaned as he let his head hang in annoyance. This caused you and Ukyo to look at him with sweat rolling down your temples. He really had a long way to go.
Later, you and the ground survey group had met back with the others after they had continued drawing up the map with information.
"Amazing! I've never seen such a detailed map like this before!" The elders were surrounding the new map, seeing the details added to it.
As they did that, all of you were eating the goat that was hunted, roasting it to perfection for everybody to eat.
"HAHAAAAH! What do you think of the amount of information we can get from the skies?! With a map to all the food sources, from here on out, you won't have to have pathetic meals of nothing but fish anymore!" Ryusui exclaimed as he pointed at them with his cooked goat piece.
Suddenly, tears began dripping down Arumi's face as she held her place of food, surprising you and your friends. She spoke softly, "Science truly is wonderful...isn't it? With something like this...perhaps no one else will have to die of starvation again..."
The mood had instantly dropped. The elders were comforting each other, for the past was in the past, and was not needed to be brought up again.
"Way to bring down the mood!" Turquoise was especially upset, so she had gotten up to leave and eat by herself. All of you ate in silence until everyone, except a few of you, went to sleep.
Ryusui peered over the village as you had stayed up the observatory with Senku. As he stood at the foot of the bridge, the man spoke to the blonde warrior in a gentle tone you've never heard from him before, "The people here in Ishigami Village... rather, the survivors of humanity... haven't increased beyond their current numbers is because of food shortages, am I wrong?"
You piped up from above, "I've been wondering the same thing... three thousand years and the population hasn't grown so much..."
The lioness, who rested on the observatory roof, was wearing a wistful expression, as though she didn't want to answer right away. You spotted the sad sparkle in her eyes as she replied, "Before I was born, the village was much more packed than it is now... but after a year of famine with hardly any food caught, there were many...many deaths. Including Turquoise's family."
You felt a bit of guilt for those who had lived through it. You couldn't imagine how much they suffered from a lack of food--it was truly a painful way to go out.
Senku felt your unease and placed a hand on your shoulder. You looked back at him with a warm smile, grateful for the little things he does for you. Then, you heard him speak, "When you survive on hunting, you eventually reach a limit. If you want to continue growing, you need to turn to agriculture. Kukuku...there's even an old tale about how in their desires to grow, Mother Nature struck a deal with humanity and became its slave."
"And then there are times where she comes to bite us in the ass and kills us..." you mentioned with sweat dripping down your temples, remembering your sulfur-gathering adventures.
"Well, so what?! Humanity's goal is to grow and reproduce?! Are all living things born to just grow and multiply?!" Ryusui cried out. "Only God can know that! But I don't give a damn about God! All I want is to never see another beautiful woman cry again! That's my desire, as the world's greediest man alive!"
Your mouth was agape, as you realized his demeanor was different from when you first met him. Surprised by his kind boldness, you started clapping nonchalantly as you and Senku watched his theatrics from the observatory. "Wow, very chivalrous, Ryusui-san! What's the plan then?"
"We'll be looking for our seeds in the sky. So let us begin our search tomorrow, my dear (Y/N)!" He exclaimed with a determined look on his face. With that, he headed into the laboratory and didn't come out for the night.
"Well, I guess it's time for me to rest too. I'll see you two tomorrow morning," said Kohaku, her mouth curling into a small smile.
She jumped off of the observatory and headed into the village, leaving you and Senku alone. The sounds of crickets and upcoming cicadas filled the warm, spring air. Fireflies provided some light outside as you watched from above.
"You know..." you started, interrupting nature's orchestra, "...despite him being extremely stupid at times, Ryusui-san doesn't seem that bad, huh?"
"Well, the only thing I could say about that is that you were right. You said it yourself before: 'people always act different in public,'" Senku said as he let out a sigh.
"At least he's finally showing his true colors as a good person. I guess greed can do some good in the world," you mentioned with your lips slightly tugged upward.
The boy then added as he stuck a pinky in his ear, "Sooner or later, you're not gonna need to manipulate him anymore. You can stick with me, just like before."
You let out a giggle, speaking in a teasing tone, "Aw, did you miss having me to yourself after spending time with your so-called 'competition?'"
He then looked at you with lidded eyes until he placed a palm over his face. "...Yes. Do you have any idea how irrational they acted up there?"
"Oh? Was this when the phone was off? I heard a bit of yelling when you were above us, but I couldn't hear it. I'm sure Ukyo heard it though," you said as you used your hands to hold in a laugh.
"Yep. They were acting like utter buffoons--fighting over somebody that already belongs to someone. Both that sailor and lioness were barking like dogs, ignoring my place in all of this," he stated with a bothered look on his face.
A soft smile curved up your face as you began approaching him from behind, wrapping your arms around his body. Relaxing to your touch, he took his hands and placed it over yours. You told him as your rested your head against his upper back, "Care to enlighten me about what you said to them, then?"
"Heh, if I enlighten you, you might think I'm foolish like them," he said with a chuckle.
"You were already a fool for having feelings for me to begin with," you stated gently.
Upon hearing that, he turned around. With a smirk on his face and his crimson-colored eyes staring into your rich (E/C) ones, the scientist replied, "Then, you're a fool for reciprocating those feelings."
"Hehe, I guess I am." A laugh escaped your lips as he placed a gentle kiss on your forehead. "Now, what's the plan for tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow, we'll go flying again. If we're going to start doing agriculture, the most important thing to look for is something to farm with," he informed you. "Do you want to ride with me, despite our resident sailor being there?"
"Why would I miss an opportunity to fly across a new world with you?"
~~~
It was the next morning, and you were aboard the hot-air balloon with the scientist and the sailor. However, you quickly realized how foolish they actually were, despite your partner not describing it yesterday.
"HAHAH, it truly feels like a date, doesn't it, my dear (Y/N)?" Ryusui stated as he leaned over the edge of the balloon with you.
Senku scoffed in response, "Yeah. A date with a third wheel."
With the twitch of an eyebrow, the blonde man replied, "Ahaha, well, we can't have a trip without a guide, can we?!"
"Ahaha, you just happened to be our chauffeur, that's all!" The green-haired boy shot back.
Both of them were butting heads, baring teeth at each other behind the smiles that were stuck on their visage. You were just sitting there, leaning over the basket that carried you, with your hands on your face as you listened to them bicker. They were exactly like children. You thought to yourself as you let out an exasperated sigh, I think this is the only reason why I'd miss out. They're both fools.
Suddenly, in the corner of your eye, you spotted a flicker of yellow amongst a field of green. You quickly stood up and leaned closer, startling the men behind you. Squinting your eyes, you had found what you needed for agriculture.
"Look!" You grabbed both of their heads and pointed them in the direction of the fields of gold.
"Kukuku, where there are herds of goats, the land would be more fertile. It was a good idea to use the skies to find this," said Senku with a grin.
"WHEAT! That means we can make bread!" Ryusui happily cried out. "Lower the balloon now!"
The scientist then took it upon himself to lower the balloon from the sky, meeting up with the ground team that was waiting by the field. You jumped out of the basket when it was hovering over the field. As you whipped your sword out, Kohaku followed your lead with her daggers.
"Isn't this beautiful? A whole field of fully grown wheat!" You stated with a smile.
"Yes!" The blonde man shouted with the snap of his fingers. "With this, we can make all kinds of bread! Brioche! Sfogliatella! Pain au Chocolat! Come, my dear (Y/N), I'm sure there's some delicious breads and pastries that you like as well!"
With an annoyed look on his face, Senku piped up, "Who the hell is baking that kind of fancy-ass bread? We need long-lasting bread--dried bread."
You started muttering with your mouth watering, "Chocolate cornets sound really good right now though...and maybe a chou à la crème...or a pasticciotto..."
"You know we can't and don't have the ability to make those, slowpoke," your boyfriend told you with his crimson-colored eyes lidded halfway. "And why the heck are you mentioning those fancy deserts too?"
"I can't help it. I was reminded of the food my parents would give me when they visited!" You told him with a pout.
"See! We can make all of that, just for you, (Y/N)! After all, I'm the world's greediest man!" The sailor exclaimed with a hand out.
"All those foods sound like killer techniques..." Kohaku mentioned.
Chrome then spoke up, "But for all of that, wouldn't we need a lot of bread?"
"That's why we're going to head toward farming. But we can't do it in the mountains due to terrain and drainage. We'll need to do it in the plains of Kanto," Senku explained.
"Okay. We'll gather all of this and transfer it to the Kingdom of Science. Taiju and everyone else should be able to handle it," you informed the lioness as you held your blade firmly. The girl nodded in understanding. She immediately went to work with her weapon, and you turned to the scientist before you could start as well. "How long do you think the farming process will take?"
"Eh, four to five months, give or take."
-4 Months Later-
It was the middle of summer, and all the wheat that the Kingdom of Science had made was transfered over to Ishigami Village. There, the ovens used for glass and iron-making were repurposed into ones that were used for making food.
"Senku, do you have any experience in baking at all? I've never seen you do it in my life," you said as you stood in front of the newly-made stone oven. "You're not a professional chef."
With a wide, wooden peel, the scientist carried a load of soft dough. He smiled as he put it in the oven, "Nope. All I know is that we're not gonna have those fluffy, well-made circles. But we made two different batches--one batch is mine, while the other batch is from this fool over here."
"Hmph, well it's not like I'm saying it out of my own greed, but quality is important. But all I know is that it should be better than the bread that was used in the real great age of exploration!" said the sailor as he held up his own pile of dough.
"Okay...hopefully, it turns out all right," you replied half-heartedly.
Senku and Ryusui then created their first baked bread in the new world. However, the end result was not one to praise by all means. You and Ukyo just stared at the black rocks that lay on the peel before you.
"Are you sure this is...edible?" You asked hesitantly, poking it with your finger. It was as solid as you expected it to be. There was no way you were going to try cutting it up with your sword in fear of breaking the weapon.
"I have a feeling we might die if we do..." Ukyo said as sweat started dancing around his head.
Ryusui laughed nervously. "Ha... Despite its looks... it shouldn't be that bad! Go ahead, my dear (Y/N). Try my bread!"
"WHAT?! You're really going to make me eat that?! Absolutely not!" You shot at him, crossing your arms in disbelief. You were definitely not going to hide your look of disgust. The sailor, who was supposed to try persuading you into joining him, was actually trying to "kill" you.
"It might taste as differently as it looks on the inside!" The blonde man tried to reason with you with his hands out.
"Why don't you do it then? Or have Ukyo do it!" You asked as you stuck your finger toward the men.
The white-haired man commented with a hand up, "Please don't involve me."
With a scoff, Senku spoke, "Kukuku, exactly! Why would she eat something by your hand? Yours holds no candle the the bread I've made..."
"Love, I'm sorry, but yours looks just as deadly as his," you bluntly stated, Ukyo nodding in agreement. The boy sighed as Ryusui had hid a smile, snickering behind his back.
"If it's okay with you, we can eat it!" you heard Chrome blurt out.
You all then looked at the villagers and saw their eyes wide with pure interest and desire. It seemed though they were drooling over the charred bread and its scent. You motioned them to have a taste--it wouldn't hurt to let them. "Please, by all means, try it."
Without hesitation, the villagers had grabbed the bread and started gobbling it down like no tomorrow. They made it seem like the bread was actually good just by their overjoyed reactions. You were starting to look at it in a different light.
"It's so yummy!" Chrome cried out while he chewed.
Kohaku added as she kept shoving the bread in her mouth, "The gravelly consistency is really tasty!"
"It's pitch-black but it smells so good!" Turquoise beamed. The elders and children had also seemed to enjoy it.
You made up your mind. You slowly decided to pick up a piece of black bread, shocking your modern-day friends.
"Slowpoke, what are you doing?!" Senku asked gravely.
"Maybe...just maybe... it's not so bad. Like Ryusui-san said, it shouldn't be that gross, despite its looks," you said with a positive outlook on it; an apprehensive smile appeared on your face.
The men watched as you inspected it before doing anything with it. Your hands shakily brought it up to your mouth before you popped it in. Senku and Ryusui looked at each other with silent agreement before they decided to copy you. They couldn't just let you die alone.
"So? How is it?" Ukyo asked as he watched all three of you eat it.
Instant regret was all you felt. The moment you bit into it, you could feel that it was rock solid. You had to put some effort just to take a small piece off from the main body. But that one, tiny portion was the most abominable thing you've ever eaten. It was as though you had put a chunk of charcoal in your mouth and it had turned into ash as you chewed. It was so unbelievably dry that you couldn't even swallow it. A small plume of ebony crumbs formed when you had coughed some of it out. You fiercely slammed the bread down on the table and violently spat the remaining quantity out.
"I-It's like trying to eat ashes of the dead," you croaked as you leaned over the table. "I need some water..."
You suddenly heard a thud and looked over to your side. On the floor, Senku and Ryusui lie defeated by the unforgiving black bread of death.
"The tongues of the modern people are too refined... I've heard that it's possible for something to be so awful and inedible that you can starve to death..." Ukyo told you as he stared at the bread, handing you a bottle filled with water.
"Where... did you learn that...?" You asked him as you chugged some water to wash away the dry rock. You then placed Senku's head on your lap and gave him some water as well so he could be revived.
He replied with a gulp, "In S.D.F survival training..."
Suddenly, the sailor had sat up frantically, recovering from the black death. Ryusui stated, "This bread will have everyone kicking the bucket! Am I wrong?!"
Senku wholeheartedly agreed with him as he sat up from your lap, much to your surprise, "Yeah, if we're going to make the great era of exploration to the other side of the globe..."
"WE NEED TO WAKE UP A PRO CHEF!" They affirmed in sync, their hands balled up in fists of fortitude and dedication.
"Ah. They harmonized," Ukyo said with a sigh.
"I've never seen that before," you added.
But then you realized it was a good thing. With them thinking the same, they were eventually going to work together without any conditions between them. They may not even fight anymore for the sake of having good food. The black bread of death had saved their relationship and saved you the trouble of having to manipulate for the time being!
You thought with gratifying tears in your eyes and hands tightly clasped together.
Whatever God out there that exists, thank you for giving Senku shitty baking skills!
-To be Continued-
A/N: I hope you liked this chapter guys! And don't worry, I'm back on schedule!
ALSO, I saw this inage on Twitter and look how small and cute Senku is!