Sweeter than Cola [Dr. Stone]

|Thirteen|

"That long-haired man, you're fighting him?" Kohaku asked as the party continued their journey. "I would be happy to help! I'm not one to retreat in disgrace, y'know."

"Yep, that's why Hana and I are building a Kingdom of Science," Senku replied, glancing over to the emeraldette who was still rubbing sleep from her eyes. 

"Science? You mean your sorcery?" the blonde lifted a large pot twice her size and headed towards a hot spring not far from them. 

"Yeah!" Hanako piped. "But first, we need lots of people to help. I mean, Kuu and I can only do so much on our own."

"Then you should come with me," she suggested. "I'll be returning home after fetching some hot spring water." Despite their questioning looks, the two kept quiet as she filled the pot to the brim then carried it with her bare hands. "This will make a fine hot bath once I carry it back. Perfect for rejuvenation."

"But you're ten billion percent healthy," Senku commented. "Why would a vigorous lioness like you need rejuvenation?"

"I am no lioness!!" the blonde yelled. "And it's for my older sister!!" She calmed down and walked ahead, talking more to herself than the other two. "She's been sick lately... If I could take her place and give her this healthy body of mine, I would."

"She's sick?" the emeraldette immediately perked up. "Do you know what of? If so, how do you treat her? Surely there has to be more than just a rejuvenating bath."

"No one is sure, actually," Kohaku lowly said. "She's been sick for a while, but even with the most powerful herbs, we can't cure her." 

Senku sighed, "If she gets a good look at her, Hana will ten billion percent find the cause and cure in no time." The girl nodded, silently making it her life's mission to save the blonde's sister. Serious diseases were no easy feat, but they were nothing she couldn't handle with the right equipment. 

When Hanako said she wanted to do everything, she meant everything. So she went far beyond just learning basic first aid. She learnt all the basics to advanced medicine and took a few courses online. She had no intentions of becoming a doctor, but she enjoyed helping others nonetheless.

Hanako looked at the pot keenly. "That pot only holds about fifty liters at most. Not enough for a full-blown bath. Just how many times have you gone back and forth, carrying that heavy pot around?"

Kohaku simply smiled. "It serves as my daily training. This water is just heavy enough for that," she explained. "It helps strengthen my body. So, I suppose I have to thank to thank my troublesome sister for that." Just as she faced the front again, she slipped and almost fell when Senku steadied the pot, her along with it.

"Seems you haven't fully recovered from that incident, huh?" he asked, chuckling. "I'll be in a real pinch if you overdo it and kick the bucket. Here. Lemme lend you a hand."

After mere seconds of having the pot in his grasp, the leek-blonde crumbled under its weight and fell with the container landing on top of him. Kohaku deadpanned, "Talk about over doing it."

"Am I the only one in this stone world who's not a gorilla!?" the scientist exclaimed. "Kohaku, Tsukasa, Taiju!"

"Hey, go back to lioness! That was better!!" Kohaku yelled back, annoyed.

"You're missing the point," he sighed, lifting the heavy container off him. "Hana." 

"Right!" 

*-*-*-*-*-*

Less than an hour later, the group was riding with a newly filled pot of water on a strange contraption going at immense speed. "Amazing!" Kohaku gasped. "You were able to build something so useful in such little time!"