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Chapter Text

Luna never even had to say a word, it was obvious where her phobia came from. Yukari Wright. Damn, that woman was bold. Definitely smart, but she also talked down to Luna as well. That wasn’t right.

It was obvious to see why Luna didn’t have any boyfriends before him. Her sister probably scared every single one of them away, if they didn’t meet her approval. And if the guy who was in charge of unpetrifying everything was barely good enough? Yeah.

He’d been talking science to her, to test her more efficiently for compatibility. She didn’t just have no problem with it, she became more attuned to him when he went on and on. A lot of his people from the Kingdom of Science did love to listen too. To a point. But they never looked at him like that.

Luna was enamoured. Not only could he continue to work on his science, he scored points in the romance without even having to do any of the stupid actions like love poems, overused flirting mechanisms, or anything of that sort. Just, talking science.

When people heard something new and fascinating, they listened intently.

When he told her something, she fell into him like a pool of gravy, headfirst.

Easy. She’d eventually get more used to him, that’s how things go, and it wouldn’t be as intense. Then he’d have to check her again. Was she actually paying attention by then, or would she start to avoid it?

So after about two hours of talking, he started to let her participate in dismantling another part of the time machine. There were several layers to that machine, it wasn’t the whole thing. Just parts upon layers of more parts.

She was able to follow the directions to help. Still interested. That made sense, she was raised around the likes of people who probably liked challenging things.

Now, it was time to see where her phobias lied. Were they really phobia’s from the actions, or was it from the intensity of her sister? Was she petrified when she was kissing Carlos, or did she enjoy it and feel safer because she was used to him? He’d never seen it in action. He’d asked Chrome a little more one time. He said things that definitley spelled a panic attack, but did it come from the kissing or some kind of regression?

Getting a handle on the trigger, would be able to show him when he could make Carlos and Max walk off into the stupid sun. “It’s quite fascinating, isn’t it?”

“There are a lot of tiny parts.” She held the smallest screwdriver.

“Great. Do you want to try kissing me?” There. Her reaction.

“ . . . what are you up to?” She eventually figured it out that he wasn’t being sincere. Before that? Yep, she didn’t clam up or get fearful at all. She clearly liked the thought of kissing. Which meant it was the person she was kissing that was probably the thing that counted the most.

With as . . . vivacious as Yukari Wright was, it was possible her sister could have even been labeling her as things she hadn’t even been. He wouldn’t know for sure for some time the whole level, but he could tell, at least for now. She would absolutely not have any problem with kissing him. “Don’t you know by now? I’m always up to something.”

At the very least he could get rid of Carlos if he had to soon. He was just a crutch, something she thought she needed to keep up to stay better.

“I think this one is stripped.” She handed it back.

Yeah, it wasn’t perfect. “It’s fine, we got what we needed from this piece.”

Then, Chrome came in. He knew eventually the Kingdom of Science would discover her. It probably wouldn’t score points with Luna if anyone was to harsh with her, but it might score better points in making them understand.

He wasn’t backing down from his actions.

He understood his actions.

They hadn’t judged him like this for some time but it’s because the thing he wanted to make wasn’t a creation of things from nature. It was nature. It was the creation of man itself. And as amazing as that was, just about any healthy human being that was of age could participate in it, so the awe of the event was gone. Just the seriousness. The consequences. All of the articles, risks, warnings that were known about it throughout the generations were choking their points of view.

So he needed to change the view. The more he could keep Luna around, the more they would understand it.

He moved fast. He never moved irresponsibly. There was a difference.

Yep, Senku brought her. Chrome couldn’t believe it. Luna was back, away from her influential family. Was it just for today? Was it for good? This woman. Luna Wright. He had no idea what to make of her anymore. At first she was the crazy woman who just wanted to kill and save Senkuu. Then she was a poor woman stuck in panic attacks.

Now she was the person that was supposed to being carrying Senkuu’s kid, using science. Using a process that wasn’t natural at all, to create a human being. Nothing happened to the actual fetus that was different, they just moved things from one person to another. Which was . . . different. Not anything Stone World ever heard about before. Even Chrome hadn’t heard about it for a little while as the world was getting built up to what it used to be way before he was born.

Weird girl, carrying the science baby, that Senkuu wanted to shortcut with. Wanted to forget all about connections, and head straight to the finish line. It wasn’t the first time in science they used shortcuts to get to something. Especially things like platinum for nitric acid. Mankind couldn’t have been unpetrified without that.

But this? This wasn’t the same. This was a baby, a human, and Senkuu just deciding this on a whim? Seeing her, didn’t make Chrome feel any better.

“Hey, Chrome.” Senkuu said it like there was nothing wrong. “We got a visitor.”

Good. It was visitor. “Hey, Luna,” he greeted her politely.

“Hello.” Same degree of politeness.

Then, the next thing inevitably happened. Kohaku came in. She probably heard it too. Senkuu wasn’t just walking around with her, he went straight there and snuck her in. He would have known everyone would find out, so why bother?

Kohaku had her arms folded. “Luna.”

“Hello, Kohaku.” Luna was a little more open with her. Kohaku had stayed with her right before she left. “How have you been?”

“I’m still the same,” Kohaku replied. “I didn’t run off to a rich family of geniuses or anything.”

Ooh. Snipey. Kohaku could do worse though. She was confused and angry about the situation. Before the Kingdom of Science, Ishigami village usually paired off others. It wasn’t something that really needed Senkuu’s attention to it. Even if they told him he’d probably be ‘whatever’ to it.

Although Ruri had a whole competition for her, others didn’t have to use that. They could use basic meet, greet, and decide. However, sometimes others just didn’t fall in line. They weren’t into anyone, or anyone in the village anyhow. They were still paired, usually to someone older that lost their pairing, because it was more like a friendship for life.

Everyone paired. It’s just how it had been. Because everyone deserved someone. Even if a wife or husband died, another person that was waiting to pair, would pair with them. They’d grieve and be close friends the rest of their lives.

Since Kohaku was good friends with Senkuu, everyone chose them to be paired together, but it was pretty clear by the first year of Senkuu’s stay, that Senkuu’s love was science and nothing else. He married Ruri, and divorced her in seconds. He had no interest in anyone.

So, Kohaku didn’t bother Senkuu in any way, shape or form with any traditional romance routines. She had to decide to either pair up with someone else at Ishigami village, or choose the first choice, Senkuu, and be loveless for her life.

Loveless meant no romance. Loveless meant no children. Loveless meant plutonic to Senkuu, and plutonic to everyone. It meant staying by Senkuu, even if she saw someone she wanted to step away to.

She made that final choice when the Perseus voyage came. She went, and chose loveless. She didn’t stay and choose any of the guys there, she chose to stay paired with Senkuu as his fighter, and be loveless.

Even the whole Luna Wright thing never bothered anyone, becuase Senku made it clear right away. It wasn’t real, it just gave them the upper hand. It was a trick, so it didn’t bother anybody.

But then. Out of nowhere.

Senkuu decided to have a science baby, and break every single rule!

Chrome tried to hint to him that it wasn’t a good idea. For a thousand different reasons besides Kohaku. That genius had no idea what was coming. It wasn’t Chrome’s place to tell him about the pairing stuff, it was only the place of the pairing once paired. The village stayed out of it once the pairings were decided.

It was Kohaku that had to say something.

She never said something.

Well, now, she was probably going to say something.

Luna was a little surprised by the abruptness from Kohaku. She’d been pretty nice when they lived together. “Excuse me?”

“There are certain things you do with Science, but having a baby without a man isn’t one of them!”

“Whoah, Kohaku.” Senkuu stood up. “It’s perfectly scientific to have a baby without a man, it’s-”

“I don’t want to hear it from you, Senkuu!”

Luna couldn’t describe it. Kohaku was hot fire. Maybe she had feelings for Senkuu? Oof. She didn’t like that. “Science makes the impossible, possible, and I can have a baby in any way I choose!”

“Not that way, it’s not possible that way, that is a natural thing! You are creating what creates science, man!” Kohaku yelled back. “Absolutely unnatural!”

“Kohaku!” Senkuu actually yelled now. “Stop. Right now.”

“You stop, Senkuu,” she warned him. “You have no right to do this! She’s even a blasted outsider!”

Outsider? She was still a human being. It didn’t matter where she lived, she still had the same values as the Kingdom of Science.

Kohaku slammed her hands down in front of Luna. “Go have sex with a man like everyone else!”

Okay, that was it! This avoidance tactic wasn’t working and Luna just left like her butt was on fire panic. “Alright, alright!” Senkuu stood in front of Kohaku. “There’s something going on that nobody has told me about, so I claim whatever is pissing you off, you better think about that first! Then? I want to know what the hell is going on when I get back.”

Luna looked around. Where did she run too? She got triggered and her adrenaline just made her take off before she even knew where she was going.

“Oh, its you again.”

Luna recognized one of the guards. “Hello.”

“You are the one who is going to carry Senkuu's baby, right?” He asked.

“I don't know yet,” she said.

“Well, not that it wouldn't be cool and all? Its just kind of-”

“Which way back to Senkuu?” She didn’t need to hear it again.

“Oh, not far.” He pointed to the right. “Oh, I see him!” He waved. “Senkuu, hey! Your future baby momma is right here!” He held his ear out. “What did you say?! Don't yell out whaaat?! Oh.” He stuck his hand behind his head. “I wasn't supposed to yell about you being the mom yet.”

“Of course not, I haven't accepted,” she agreed. She was Senkuu come over. “I just needed a breather.”

“Yeah, I see. You good?” Senkuu asked politely.

She nodded.

He looked toward the guard. “Can you watch her for a little while without yelling about her, Ginro? I have something I need to handle.”

“Oh. No problem, Senkuu.”

Senkuu looked back at her. “I gotta get to the bottom of that. That wasn’t Kohaku at all. I won't be gone longer than I have to.”

“Oh, you mean the whole loveless pair thing for you and Kohako?” Ginro asked. Then he covered his mouth. “Oh no!” Then he stared at Senkuu. “Hang on, am I still in trouble with the Kingdom of Science with that? I am not going to lose a finger, am I?!”

Senkuu made it back to the lab. Fast. Ginro's slip up was just what he needed. Now he had a tiger to heel named Kohaku.

Kohaku didn’t want to say it at first. To get at the beast of the problem, he let her drone on knowing at some point she would slip up. She just brought up the non-nature of it all for awhile, then how it was so unfair he made her guard Luna when she was there, how he always used her just for fighting, on and on and on, and then-

“You are supposed to stay plutonic with anyone and everyone, no kids ever!”

Now that? Was a freaky thing to say, but now he had an opening. “Why am I supposed to stay plutonic?” Then.

Chrome finally spoke in the room. “I have to wait until she brings it up. She technically just brought it up.”

Senkuu watched as Kohaku just left. He didn’t bother following, it looked like he had his way to the answer.

And the answer was abysmal. Shaming. And putrid. Old village things, he knew it. Traditions that literally chopped off a finger for messing up.

He could see why it was used, especially for the elderly. But to that degree?

And the way they handled it. Normally, Senkuu was filled with science lessons. This time. “We put labels on things that are constants that don't change. Mankind evolves. Tell Kohaku I am not following the tradition, and neither does she have to. This pairing tradition is abolished. She can date who she wants. She can live her life however she wants.”

He did his very best not to scream over the primitiveness of the rules. They were useful back then to keep everyone safe and the village running. But times change.

“Sorry, Senkuu. It wasn’t allowed. When it was, we all figured you wouldn't care.”

“Bad call. I didn’t, but I still needed to know so I could end it. New rule for the Kingdom of Science.” He spread out his hands. “No more labels and never assume! Equations and formulas are formed over years of testing, not because someone just came up with it.”

“You seemed like a constant,” Chrome said. “Until.”

“Until what?”

“Until you said you had nothing against romance, you just didn't have time for it? It just made everyone scratch their heads when they found out you said that. Sorry, Senkuu.”

One random phrase.

“Kohaku is probably going to be mad for awhile. I wouldn't call on her unless its really important. What you are doing now was only done twice before in the village.”

“No happy ending I bet.”

“Offender was killed in one. In another both the pair were killed. It doesn't say the circumstances clearly.”

“Modern world, Chrome.” Even in a modern world, some things just didn't die.

“This one is going to hit harder, Senkuu. Its the oldest tradition of all. People are not going to take nicely to Luna. Unless you start with finding someone for Kohako first, even without knowing, no one is going to be on your side. Even that is no guaranter, but it might ear empathy. Traditions die really hard, you know that, but this one is solid diamond. Even after that, you still need to-”

“No.” Plain and simple. “I will talk to Kohako later when she has cooled down. I am not finding someone for her, that is her choice to find whoever she wants. In or out of the village. But if you talk to her, tell her she is still ten billion percent my friend. Hell, to stay beside me she thought she had to give up everything she might want in the future.” Damn. “Actually, I'll sponsor her to go on adventures outside the village if she wants. Any dating fees, I'll take them on. It's not my responsibility, but my friend is hurting because of a tradition she never had to follow.”

“What about the pairings that weren’t chosen now? The older people that are going to leave. The ones who are disabled. They won't have anyone watching them. The others that were paired with someone who lost another. The grief will be singular. Their partner can leave whenever they want, trust will be gone.”

And how did he miss those things? He wasn’t looking at those factors. “Get me all of the pairings we have now.” They might have to design some new systems to take care of people.

“With this kind of help. It might be okay,” Chrome said to him. “I would still move slow-”

“I am going to move at the speed Luna wants. Just one thing, when you see Kohaku again,” he warned him. “She eventually needs to apologize. That was all uncalled for.”

“Yeah, she definitely scared Luna.”

She didn't scare Luna. “Maybe it was an accident.” If Luna had told Kohaku about her problems though?

Nah. Not now. He had to go get Luna, she would want to head away soon. Its why he tried to keep her hidden at first. Just some studying before reality happened.

It didn't help his case, or his chances with Luna. But, it did show more reality than constant positivity. As a medical professional, she should see all the angles for the best decisions.

He went back to her. Ginro had been nice enough to hide her when she was getting bombarded with questions.

“I am ready to go home,” she said.

“Yeah, I figured. Come on.” They walked together. “Did you tell Kohako anything when she lived with you?”

“I have never told anyone but you, Senkuu.”

Just him. Kohaku was really just an accident then. “So their might be some slight issues, but they will get ironed out. Had to test the waters.”

“I understand, Senkuu,” she said. “But? I am a capable woman. I think I should go to NASA.”

Senkuu instantly stopped. “It was one bad visit!” Capable his ass! She wanted to run to Xenos?

“I mean to visit!” She shouted. “If your visit showed this, then it might be good to see his side too.”

Senkuu bit back his comment. Technically, it would be better to get in all the factors. If it was a great and simple visit and he kept it steady and let her say whatever, like she needed six months and Max, she might come back with a decision for him.

Xenos was tricky. He could lure her into something with some kind of unknown offer. He had to think. Something to keep her from choosing him right away.

He couldn't cheat with noodles, he just tried that.

Ice cream. A favorite in the village. Same color as her hair. Pair them together somehow and he should get a result. “How about ice cream before you go? Your hair reminded me of Ishigamis ice cream.” Did that work? Usually someone would see an object and connect it to appearance instead. Maybe he needed something else. “Its like the cover of cherry blossoms.” Cherry blossoms were a gimme.

“Oh, Senkuu! You really think my hair is like soft ice cream and cherry blossoms?”

Yep, not only that, she was hugging with no problem. It wasn’t the first time she did that. If he wrapped his arm around her, she would realize it. To her mind, it wasn’t even on the board because she made the action.

He would test the theories out later, right now he needed to use it to secure his spot with her weakness.

She was still gullible.

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