Dream Like {Tsukasa x OCD!Reader}

What is a ritual?

The first thing my brother made for me in this stone world was a bow and arrow. He figured my archery skills would come in handy with hunting and preventing the attacks of predators since he was a pretty useless princess type character that provided major boons but lacked the strength to protect himself. The bow he handed me a day after I was unpetrified was messy, off-kilter, and the string wasn't taut enough. The arrows that came with it varied in size and thickness and only two of them were completely straight. I attempted a shot on some makeshift targets and made Senku laugh with how many arrows either missed the target completely or only scratched the outer ring.

"Looks like you've become rusty after three thousand seven hundred years." He teased, face shifting into a goblin-type spelling mischief and discord.

"Well maybe if my arrows were all the same size and my bow was an actual BOW I wouldn't be struggling so much!" I shot back as I strung another arrow and missed.

"Does it look like I've ever been near a bow before? Stop complaining and figure it out." He huffed as he watched me pull the string again and hit the target right in the middle. "See? You'll get the hang of it soon."

Taking a moment to approach the target and pull out the lucky arrow, I was able to quickly examine it and deduct that this was the best of the set.

"Senku! I need about ten copies of this arrow. It's the only viable one." I announced turning to give him a winning smile that would hopefully motivate him to make more.

"Yeah yeah. I'll see what I can do." he says as he takes the arrow and examines it, probably mapping out more specified blueprints. "Tune your weapon and see if there are any edible berries and plants around for now. We're gonna need a lot of strength tomorrow."

"On it!" I cheered as I threw the faulty bow along my back and grabbed four of the faulty arrows from the surrounding area just in case I saw anything small I could shoot and kill.

_____

The forest wasn't so thick as to not let any sunlight through its low canopy. It was more forgiving than other elements of mother nature, or maybe we just got a good spawn. Occasionally as I explored, I would come across bushes of berries that I quickly examine and then packed into a small bag around my hip. There were a few occasions where I noticed a new-world rabbit and a fawn but I was only lucky enough to hit one of those rabbits.

It made me want to stay to catch another; for the sake of even numbers. I'm sure Senku would prefer it anyway.

The sunlight faded through the leaves was shifting to an orange glimmer, a sign that I should start returning. But I ignored it in favor of my urges.

Then finally I spotted a rabbit, two of them actually. I quickly crouched down and strung my bow, taking in a deep breath before I let the string go and

Miss.

Cursing myself I strung another as the rabbits didn't seem bothered enough to move. Another breath and I smiled as the arrow I had knocked landed its target. The other rabbit scampered away, leaving me to take my spoils and finally head home.

As I was picking up the meat, I caught notice of something: a stone. But not just any stone, this stone was a person!

I Yelped, being so startled that I lost my footing and landed on my ass. From here, I was able to take in the full scale of the stone.

Though it was sitting, he was still about my height. I could only imagine how they would have towered me in the modern age. His stone arms were huge, dwarfing my own despite years of stringing arrows. He looked like he could snap my spine with three fingers alone, he was terrifying in every sense!

How Exhilarating!

After I returned with food and received my proper praise from Senku, I told him of the man I discovered today while I was out. The next day I navigated him to the brute and he praised me again, explaining that his strength would be a great asset to the new Kingdom of Science. However, Senku thought it best to not awaken him until after the big oaf and Yuzuhira-chan were awakened. We agreed on the subject and proceeded to make further preparations.

The first thing we worked on was a proper shelter. We gathered wood, made proper logs and soon we had a hut that stood above on a sturdy tree branch. Living in the trees was safer, according to Senku. Now every night, instead of walking the entire outer perimeter of the meadow, could trace the edges of the hut, exactly twenty steps by sixteen steps.

But one night, I counted fifteen steps. Had I messed up every other time I walked the perimeter? Was I missing something?

I can't live here anymore. It's haunted, it's evil, it's foundation is loose and there is a risk of falling through the ground. Anything to not live here, this place was faulty in every sense.

Senku could see my turmoil from where he was already laying down on a makeshift cot of leftover pelts and branches and leaves. Instead of pacing the room my usual four times, I paced around a fifth and sixth time counting fifteen steps on the wall nearest the exit every single time. Panic was settling in. On the seventh round, Senku finally spoke up.

"You're tired. That's why you're miscounting. Come lie down we did a lot of work today and there is still more to do tomorrow."

"Senku, I can't sleep here. It's evil here, If we sleep now then we'll wake up dead." I theorized, pacing back and forth along the evil wall, setting the fact in stone. This place is unlivable. "Senku get up, we have to go. We can sleep in the meadow tonight and fix this abomination in the morning."

"No (y/n), we can't. You need to lie down and rationalize things."

"I'm being rational Senku! The meadow has a safe perimeter and we haven't died. When this hut was a safe perimeter we didn't die. Now that it's unsafe we must leave."

I didn't notice when he had got up but soon his arms stretched around my body to hold me in his confines. My arms were forced to my sides and every four counts, Senku squeezed a little harder, nuzzling deeper into my back.

"Listen to me (y/n). You are safe here because I am here. And do you know what that means?" He waits for an answer before applying more pressure to his confines, trying to drag it out of me.

"Y-You will protect me.." I trail off, not wanting to finish the sentence I had preached on every odd day that I was stuck in my stone jail. It worked then...but I didn't want it to work now. Not when I was so sure that evil happenings were just around the corner.

"And?"

I gulp, soon relenting to the pressure. The presence was soothing, I knew it was safe. I was just being stubborn.

"As long as science is around, the rules of probability will always be in my favor," I say with a final breath, releasing some of the irrational thoughts. But others still lingered.

"Senku?"

"Yes (y/n)?"

"Can you hold me tonight?"

"Sure my crazy sister. Anything for you."

And so we both laid down after I made Senku promise to fix the length of the evil wall in the morning. He squeezed my all through the night, letting me know that as long as Senku was here and science was around, the probability of anything happening as a result of the odd number will always be in my favor.