43. Tag Team
11-25-2023
A/N: This chapter is a bit dialogue-heavy, but thank you for being patient! I've also edited previous chapters because I realized that Hyoga always uses the -kun honorific when talking to others.
Q: How was your November?
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"You walking a little better after resting for a few hours?"
"I can. I'm just using my sheath as a temporary cane. I'm pretty much out of commission for now, huh?"
You and Senku were resting and sitting together on top of the mountain after Tsukasa had reunited with his younger sister, Mirai. Hyoga was beginning to lead them to a river so that the newly revived girl could wash the leftover stone fragments off of herself. Everybody else was cleaning up the supplies and talking amongst themselves as a break from the hard work they had done the day before.
"Unfortunately. I can't do too much with the primitive stuff we have. If I had things like anesthesia or sanitized surgical tools, I would've been more careful about it," Senku told you. His gentle gaze watched as you gave him a grateful smile. Then he trailed them down towards your leg injured, where he removed the wood and cauterized your wound. A hint of guilt had bled through those crimson eyes of his, and he lightly traced his hand on your makeshift cast. "I'm sorry."
You slightly widened your eyes. You softly asked him, "Why are you apologizing, Senku?"
"I know I said that your life is in my hands and that I'd protect you, but not enough to keep you from body-altering injuries or traumatic events. Letting our guards down for even just a second almost cost us," he said as he averted his gaze from you, placing his hands together as he recalled the battle from days before.
You leaned your head on his shoulder, and you grabbed his hand, intertwining your fingers into his. In a delicate tone, you told him, "It wasn't your fault that I got shot in the leg. How could you have possibly known they'd come so soon? Even if I didn't get shot, I'd still have to fight in order for you to create gunpowder. I did what I had to do so we could win. So I could protect you. Remember: as my life in yours."
Despite not responding back, he slowly leaned his head onto yours as well. A small smile formed on his face as his peace was with him now. "Well, the worst that could happen is that it'll scar."
"I'll have a pretty sick scar then," you snickered. "Not as cool as the stone scars, but you know what I mean."
He let out a hint of a chuckle before he decided to slowly stand up. "I know. But anyway, I'm gonna go help clean up the supplies with Chrome. You can do whatever, just don't get yourself into any more danger, got it?"
"Got it. I'm just gonna head over to the river where Tsukasa and the others are. Tsukasa and I have some business to talk about," you told him with a small smile that wasn't reaching your eyes. You held out a hand for him to grab.
The boy raised an eyebrow as he steadily pulled you up. "'Business?'"
"He almost killed us a year ago. I think a few apologies are owed from him. I also want to confirm whether or not he knows of my history..." you mentioned with a sigh. "I may not have associated with them often, but I can't deny that I used the assets given to me back then."
"Alright. Once you've got that down, we'll head back to make a crutch for you and start some physical exercises for your leg," he told you.
You nodded with a thumbs up. "You got it."
You turned around and started hobbling over to Tsukasa and the others using your sheath. You took your time to make sure you wouldn't put a load of pressure on your leg. It was a struggle, but it was all part of the healing process.
You waved your hand up as they noticed you approaching slowly. "Tsukasa!"
The primate seemed to excuse himself and left Mirai in the care of Hyoga, but they were still within his field of vision when you got closer. "(Y/N)."
"How's Mirai doing?" You started off as you stopped next to the river.
"She's doing well. I've explained to her what I've done while she was in the hospital and why the world is so different now," he answered. "Despite being so young mentally, she understood it easily."
You then asked, "And... did you tell her about what happened after you were revived?"
His eyes widened slightly, and he realized where you were going with the conversation. You calmly watched as he glanced over to the young girl and clenched his fists, only to relax them when he returned his focused gaze on you. "I didn't tell her, but she may eventually figure it out later on, and...you're not here just to talk about Mirai, are you?"
You had a solemn frown on your face. "No... I just think we should get some closure for what happened last year. I would say, 'Let bygones be bygones,' but it's not something you can just forget."
He looked on as he sighed regretfully. "I understand. I get that you don't trust me completely, especially with what I've done to you and Senku. I've deeply hurt you, physically and emotionally. I really do apologize for what I've done to both of you. There isn't anything I can do to make up for how I've treated you. I saw a glimpse of what happened when Hyoga tried to hurt you days ago."
"Oh...yeah. It will take a while for me to get over that fear...but I think if we take a step in the right direction, we can heal this way," you said, then put your hand out for him to grab. "So to take that step, let's start over from the very beginning. My name is (Y/N) (L/N), the sole heir to the (L/N) Trading Syndicate. I would like to be your friend."
His eyes slightly widened as he heard you say your last name. He grabbed your hand and shook it once with a small grin forming on his face. "If I had known you were a (L/N), I wouldn't have done what I've done to you. Did you know that your father was a big fan of mine and offered to help pay for some of Mirai's expenses? He's the only rich corporate that I didn't exactly hate."
Bewildered, you blurted out, "What the hell? I didn't know that! I only knew that he liked MMA and donated to charity for those in the lower class!"
"It's true. He only offered because he had told me that if it was his own daughter, he'd do anything to help her," he chuckled. "I guess both you and Senku have helped me in more ways than I can imagine."
A smile grew on your face as you heard those words. "I guess this is a good step forward then, huh? So, are you gonna take up my offer of being my friend like Senku?"
"Of course. You're not awful, and you're a very kind person with strong morals. I think Mirai would look up to you if given the chance," he said in a genuine tone. "I would like to be your frie--"
Before the primate could finish his sentence, the sound of explosions was heard from a distance. All of you turned your heads toward the sound, though Tsukasa went over to the edge of the cliff to look at what happened. You wobbled to the edge of the river to get a better look.
"That was by the Cave of Miracles..!" you mumbled to yourself. In the corner of your eye, you spotted Senku and the others frantically running over to your group with fearful appearances on their faces.
"MIRAI, TSUKASA, (Y/N)! GET AWAY FROM THERE!" the scientist hollered.
Feeling a sense of bloodlust, you turned around to see Hyoga preparing to attack Mirai with his spear. With a grin beaming with malicious intent, the spearman hummed, "Whether I came from the shadows or attacked him in his sleep, taking out the 'Strongest Primate Highschooler' was an impossible feat. 'If only Tsukasa had someone to protect...'"
The primate had stood in front of his sister to protect her from getting hurt, only for your eyes to widen as you watched his spear fatally pierce through Tsukasa's upper chest. Mirai watched in horror as she saw the blood spilled from her older brother.
"I've waited forever for this moment," Hyoga smirked. His mask was down for you to see petrification scars around his mouth and chin. You took your katana out from the sheath and pointed it at the man, doing your best to ignore your pain.
The man forcefully pulled his spear out from Tsukasa's body, allowing him to bleed out and fall into the river. Senku went to the edge to catch him just in the nick of time, and you stepped in between Hyoga and the two men.
"Sen...ku, (Y/N)..." Tsukasa muttered as the scientist tried pulling him up with all his strength.
"You think you can fight in that sorry state, (Y/N)?" the man questioned as he towered over you.
"If it is to protect, then I will do whatever it takes," you seethed.
"You are a proper warrior, that's for sure," Hyoga jeered before immediately taking the spear and jabbing it forward.
You went on the defensive, but the man was able to snap the blade in half by targeting the small chip and cracks on it. Taking advantage of how surprised you were, he slammed the edge of the spear into your injured leg, causing you to fall to your knee, and then kicked you into the river.
"Senku!" you shouted as you struggled to keep your head above the water. Swimming against a strong current with a crippled leg was hard enough as it was.
"(Y/N)!" You heard Senku cry out before you spotted Hyoga hitting them into the cold river, joining them afterward. The voices of your friends faded away as you went further down.
~~~
The water weighed you down as you crawled toward the riverbank where the current had significantly slowed down. You coughed heavily to let all the water out of your lungs, as you almost drowned a few times trying to survive. It was a long way from the mountain, so there was no way to get back. Especially in the dark.
"You're coming with me," you heard a voice sternly say before they painfully pulled your hair, forcing you to stand with no rest. You opened your eyes to see that it was Hyoga as you tried prying his hands off.
"Using me as a hostage now...?" You hissed.
"You aren't completely useless right now," the man admitted as he pointed the spear's tip at your neck. He made you walk along the bank until you saw an exhausted Senku and a Tsukasa lying still on the ground. "I checked beforehand to make sure that the currents would carry us to this place."
"Heh, I figured that much," Senku said calmly as he stared directly at you. "I'm guessing you wanted to talk, though. But what are we, in middle school? Are you trying to confess to me behind a school building or something? Unfortunately for you, I'm a taken man. I haven't gotten a micron's worth of conversation for you."
"I know, which is why I have leverage," said the white-haired man, slightly lifting you up for your boyfriend to see him point the spear at you. "Let's put an end to the lip service, Senku-kun. I know that you of all people should understand this. It is certain that this world can't support a population of seven billion people. So, in this case, who should be allowed to live?"
You spoke up, "So, you didn't agree to a Shangri-la that Tsukasa wanted?"
"No. If we allow the brainless and incompetent masses to remain, the process of sustaining them leads to them taking from us. Only those who excel should be allowed to live!" Hyoga declared as he kicked Tsukasa out of the way, leaving Senku to stand on his own.
The scientist replied, "It's completely rational... but not exhilarating. If we can't support all seven billion, then we'll have to find a way to do so. That's just the way of science."
The expression on Hyoga's face darkened. He instantly cut the ropes on the boy's arm, causing you to flinch, eyebrows furrowing. "Indeed, your science is magnificent, and given enough time, you could make nitric acid. But to rule this world, let's put humanity to the test. If you join me, we can become the strongest!"
Without another thought, Hyoga cut his finger next. You fumed, "Hyoga, if you touch him one more time, I'm gonna fuck you up."
"Then I'll be taking your fingers next. Maybe your other leg should get the same treatment Miyamoto-kun gave you. But you know, all you have to do is say 'yes'. You have no other choice," the man viscously coaxed.
Suddenly, Senku started screaming bloody murder as he threw rocks at the man, "Damn it, stay away from her! Let (Y/N) go!"
"Senku...?" You were extremely confused because you knew that he would never react like that. That was, until you saw his hand in the bag, pouring liquid onto a few rocks shaped like birds. He was being loud to throw the man off as he deflected the rocks.
"To think you would become so unsightly when harm comes upon your woman. I may have overestimated you a bit..." Hyoga stated with disappointment.
He was quite calm until another large rock came flying into him, turning into a bird, more following after. His eyes widened, and the grip he had on you loosened as the animals blocked his vision. You took that small chance escape and turned around to sock him in the jaw, allowing Senku to pull you toward him when in the clear.
"You okay?" Your boyfriend quickly asked as he kept his eye on the man.
"I'm fine," you told him. "My leg's still messed up, but that's nothing new.
You then watched Tsukasa stand up as Hyoga was distracted and punched the spearman in the gut right after.
"Once, in the pursuit of my ideals, I broke a promise to you both, Senku, (Y/N). And yet, you kept your promise to me," said the primate. "Now it's my turn. Nothing dangerous will ever bother you again because from now on, I'll be the one fighting!"
The spearman regained his steady stance, and you saw the look of furious anger in his eyes. "...then all I need to do is crush you three. After all, a wounded lion, a crippled doe, and a man without any battle capabilities must he humanity's weakest trio!"
"Let's team up and fight together, Senku, (Y/N)!" Tsukasa said with determination.
"Me? A doe? Hah, I am not that soft when it comes to people like you! We will win this damn fight with science and power!" You declared angrily as the green-haired boy placed a hand on your shoulder.
Senku chuckled, "Now this is exhilarating!"
The three of you exchanged fistbumps before facing the threat before you. It was only a matter of time before Senku's quick plan was put into place.
-To be Continued-
A/N: I hope you liked this chapter! I did my best to add content for developing the different types of relationships in this fic, whether it is friendships and romantic stuff.
ALSO, I hope you aren't tired of the reader getting her ass whooped in so many different ways! But you know, drama and action aren't always perfect. But we're almost done with the Stone Wars arc! I can't believe it!