Yeah, a lot of things have pointed towards the direction of just staying with one-shots so that's what I'll end up doing. Hopefully they'll be decently long and an enjoyable read. Now that I'm done with the author's note, please enjoy the story!

For the convenience of the story, this will be set sometime in season 1 during the winter.

The winter was never a forgiving or merciful season. To be frank...it was the worst season and the season Ishigami Village dreaded the most. All who were capable were forced to hunt for as much food as they possibly could before the season's storms flooded through and inabled them from doing so later on. If they were unable to get enough to get enough food for all of its inhabitants before then, the hunters would be forced to go out in deadly conditions and get the food for everyone else. It wouldn't have been odd at all if a few lost their lives in their desperate attempt to survive.

That was something everyone expected to happen once more. What could a man such as Seku do to change a way of life anyway?...Apparently, more than anyone in Ishigami Village had ever been able to imagine. The glass jars were able to help preserve the meats more efficiently and lessen the amount of stress for those who had to hunt. That small contribution already changed so much...For so many it seemed like the winter would be just that much more manageable, but as many ways of life went, with one solution created, another obstacle shall arise.

With Senku as the new chief that sure came quick. At this point everyone struggled to bundle up and keep warm with the slow falling snow. For the moment it didn't seem to be too bad, but anyone who's lived in the area long enough knew how things could turn if you weren't careful. Of course with so much on everyone's plate, that didn't really cross their mind too often. Only those who had time to dwell on something such as the weather would even think of something that could actually become a game changer...for better or for worse.

"So we're running out of gold huh?"

A small sound of disappointment had left the current village chief's lips, his face twisting into a less than satisfied expression. That was the last thing they needed right now. Without the gold, they wouldn't be able to create their cell phones. And after they had gotten their hands on the tungsten too…

This revelation had come as soon as Suika and the elders had informed him of how they were beginning to run out of gold thread. He thought that more was being created from the cotton candy machine, but it seemed that Ginro failed to inform him of their lack of materials. When the blonde was questioned about this, he stated that he was going to tell them about it, but inevitably got side tracked by the temptation that was ramen.

"Of course it had to be Ginro." A feminine voice cut through Senku's thoughts, his eyebrow raising slightly as he faced the one who had spoken.

Kohaku seemed to be just as displeased about this situation as him, if not more since she was the next person that would go out to get the said materials. It was unfortunate that they had to put a hold on her training, but it seemed that even with Senku's contribution to everything, they would still be low on some sort of material.

"You're going out next lioness?"

As usual the green haired male held his usual smirk as Kohaku rolled her eyes, the girl still less than pleased with the nickname now associated with her. If Suika and the other villagers began to pick that up, she swore she would bury the individual in front of her six feet below.

Despite these thoughts, the girl obediently nodded her head in reply. "That I am...though I'm going to need someone to help identify what rocks to get."

Being who she was, Kohaku specifically saw rocks as well...rocks. She hadn't quite gotten ahold of their special attributes and scientific uses. Not yet.

As she had indirectly voiced her concern, Senku nodded his head, standing up slowly as he stretched his limbs.

"Alright then. Just say the word and we'll get moving."

The blonde couldn't help but raise a skeptical brow at that. Senku would be the one accompanying her? By no means was he a burden, but...his lack of physical capability was worrying, especially on a gathering trip. Okay...he was slightly a burden.

She didn't need to say a word for Senku to notice her skepticism. It seemed he began to know her better than people from her own village at this point.

"Chrome has just returned from the skarn deposit with Magma, I doubt he's in any shape to go another round." He explained.

'Well that's great.' Kohaku thought somewhat sarcastically.

It seemed as though she'd have to put up with the mad scientist for a while...just him and her. She didn't know if she should be worried or a tad bit...no, just worried.

"What's with you? Usually you're jumping up and down at the opportunity to actually do something."

Senku's voice held some humor, especially since he knew full well that she has been doing something

"Excuse me? And what exactly are you implying that I've been doing all this time? Sitting on my butt and twiddling my fingers?"

It didn't take a genius to know how Kohaku would react if he said more. It wouldn't be anything too worrying, but she was bound to at least throw something at him.

"Calm down, I was just kidding." Senku replied, giving off a dismissive wave as he began to walk towards the discarded mining gear.

"Now come on and put this on. If I'm correct we're on a bit of a time crunch."

A small grunt escaped his lips as he stabilized the basket on his back and put on the lights. He wanted this done...completely. The longer they took, the closer the day of their attack would become and if the Kingdom of Science didn't make the first move, Tsukasa's Empire would.

It didn't take long for Kohaku to follow suit, the duo soon walking out of the village boundaries and out in the free lands of nature.

It wasn't something Kohaku did often in the winter, go out just for the sake of going out, especially like this. She needed someone to lead her...no one should ever need to lead a hunter and yet here she was.

Now that she had the time to think about it, Senku's been on her mind recently. More than usual. It was an odd occurrence on her part, more of a bother.

"Hey, are you alive back there or what?"

Kohaku's eyes snapped back towards the individual in front of her, his crimson gaze locking onto hers as they had come to a temporary stop. Has she really been that quiet this whole time?

"Look, if you're not up for this it's alright to return to the village and rest up. It'd be completely illogical to keep going if you're not focused. We could get one of the others to come in your place if that's what you want."

Senku seemed serious about this. It didn't seem to be out of worry or anything like that, it just wasn't his style. He needed to get this done. He had a goal in mind and he needed to complete it as soon as possible. Kohaku wasn't even sure why she was wound so tight at this moment. Whatever it was...she needed to snap out of it.

"No, I'm okay! We can continue." She replied, nodding her head confidently. "I'm just a bit out of it...I'm sorry."

Senku didn't question her about it and only nodded his head, his feet beginning to move once more. "Alright then, we shouldn't be dragging our feet. Lets go."

Kohaku sighed a bit at this, knowing all too well it wouldn't be long until Senku would start dragging his feet...quite literally. It wasn't like she was faring much better, though for a completely different reason. She was by no means anywhere near exhausted. She could hunt for hours, this was a mere cakewalk compared to that. What was dragging her down though, were her thoughts. She was trying so hard to reject whatever her mind thought about him.

Some could say that Kohaku was in denial, but she would say it was mere annoyance. That or some unknown sorcery that has been casted upon her. Yeah right...a sorcery that makes her heart skip a beat every time she sees him...She was willing to make up the craziest ideas to avoid admitting that.

As she has expected, a few hours later Senku was barely hanging on. His shoulders were slumped and his stature in general was just awful. If she didn't know any better, she would have thought Senku was going to give out sometime soon. Thankfully enough the cave wasn't much farther or else they would've been forced to take a break in the cold and freezing snow.

"Alright, we're here Senku. What're we looking for?" She asked, adjusting the basket on her back once more, her ruby irises running over their surroundings.

It seemed to be a cave… and a deep one at that. That in itself raised so many questions, especially about...

"Like I said, we need to get some gold ore. I believe we actually spotted some nearby the last time we were in the area so all we need to do is extract it and we're done."

The male's voice cut through her thoughts, his finger digging into his ear as he held his usual laid back front. That both aggravated and yet...flustered his female companion in an odd way.

"Alright then Senku, just show me the way." She replied, placing a hand on her hip as she looked at the scientist in expectation.

Soon enough, both of them had reached the cavern Senku spoke of and began their mining. In a way this was also part of Senku's over all plan. He was already planning to mine every single ore that could be found in the Skern Deposit. It would just take time, especially since it wasn't their main objective at the moment.

Both of the teens were unaware of the time that passed by as they gathered their needed materials, a good few hours passing by before they decided that they had gathered enough.

"Alright, I would say that this is enough...wouldn't you agree?" Senku asked, a small smirk rising to his face once more.

"Hey, I'm not the genius here. You are." She replied simply, shrugging her shoulders. "But...I think?"

The male nodded his head before heading to head towards the cave entrance. It was around that time that a low growl could've been heard coming from deeper inside of the cave.

Both individuals paused at that, their eyes widening with fear. This had to be what Kohaku was fearful of. It was the dead of winter and they were going into a cave? It would have been a miracle if they didn't run into a predator that claimed it as its den.

Kohaku had yet to put on her basket, making it easier for her to maneuver if need be. She was just about to put it on too…

"Senku, don't...move…"

She slowly approached his position, her hand flying to the hilt of her katana.

With her eyesight and light, she was able to catch a lion in her sights. It was good for her, yet bad at the same time. There was no doubt in her mind that the light startled the animal and there was nothing worse you can do than startle or threaten an animal, especially those that hunt.

"Get down!" Kohaku exclaimed, pouncing on the male at around the same time the lion did, it's growl echoing throughout the cave as it initiated it's attack.

The beast didn't get a bite out of any of them, but it was close enough. Now there was a large rip in the front of Kohaku's coat and a small gash beneath it, mirroring the shape of the lion's claws. She winced slightly at the stinging sensation, but was soon able to shove the thought to the side and focus on the threat in front of her.

"Leave this to me."

At this command, the male below her couldn't help but chuckle lightly. "Yeah, I'll let you handle this Lioness." He replied cooly. Despite his composed appearance, his voice exposed his worry. He had seen her wince. Though he didn't have a visual on the wound, he knew she was in pain.

She flashed the male a small smile before quickly unsheathing her blade and facing the beast before them. As long as they didn't move, the lion should charge at them once more, and this time she would be ready to strike it.

"Come at me damn it!" She exclaimed moving to the side slightly so she could direct its attention away from Senku and towards herself.

It worked, seeing as though Kohaku was more of a threat to it than Senku might ever be.

After a couple of more shouts and clanking of her sword on the ground, the lion charged towards her once more.

Kohaku seemed calm, taking in a deep breath before slashing at the beast, her sword breaking through its skin in one fell swoop. It seemed like that one attack was enough to immobilize the lion. The only signs of life coming from the lion was the small huffs of air escaping its nostrils.

A small sigh escaped her lips as she took in the sight. "I'll kill it, then we could bring it back to the village." She said, glancing at Senku before back at the animal that lay dying on the ground.

"That's fine with me, we could definitely use it for more tools." He too looked at the animal before back at his comrade. "Hurry up though, we've already gotten a bit side tracked as is."

At this he chuckled softly, though was a bit stressed due to the time that was passing. He tried his best to hide that as usual. There was nothing logical about stressing. If you need to get something done, get it done. There was nothing more to it. He couldn't help but think about it as of late though…

As the male had become lost in his thoughts, Kohaku couldn't help but narrow her eyes slightly. Lions...especially in a den, were not alone. Not often at least. If that was the case they could still be in trouble.

"Senku we need to go." She said, placing her katakana back in her sheath and walking back to her basket that held the gold ore. Her steps seemed to be even more unsteady than before, but it didn't hinder her ability to travel from point A to point B, not yet.

"We might not be alone in here, we can't risk staying any longer."

The male couldn't help but chuckle a bit at that, shaking his head as he stood back up, allowing his body to face the direction of the cave's entrance.

"Yeah, I figured that out earlier...How's that wound looking?"

Her eyes widened a bit at the reminder, but she was quick to revert back to her usual expression. "It's really nothing...don't worry."

Kohaku flashed a small smile towards him before returning to his side, walking and trying to be more aware of their surroundings than before. The basket heavily influenced her movement now, especially with the ore that now occupied its formerly empty space and the gash that now rest on her abdomen.

Despite Kohaku's acts of caution, she was still unaware of the predators that watched them from afar. Especially when they got closer to the exit…

It was only as the number of eyes grew that Kohaku felt her gut telling her to just take a look around, just for quick measure. That was when she saw them, the ones that she had feared since she had first taken down the lion.

Senku must have noticed her tense posture, the smirk on his face only growing, though for a different reason than usual. Instead of it being built upon some smartass remark, it expressed his own fears, which so happen to mirror Kohaku's. He too was knowledgeable of natural science and basic animal behaviors. It would've been useless to turn tail and run though, the only thing that would have done was startle the beasts and force them to attack sooner than later.

"Alright Lioness, what's the plan? Four monstrosities against a wounded hunter and a scientist. The odds don't seem to be in our favor huh?"

If only he had some sulfuric acid or another chemical with similar effects. A situation like this didn't even cross his mind...how reckless! At least something like that would have worked even as a half assed weapon.

As Senku ran through any logical option, Kohaku ran on instinct.

She quickly threw her basket towards the lions and unsheathed her katakana once more, one of her stone blades now in the opposite hand.

"Senku go ahead of me, I'll catch up to you when I can!" The girl quickly waved him off before charging at the temporarily stunned lions in front of her. Throwing the basket was enough of a distraction to at least get moving, especially with the ore that had flown out with it.

Senku on the other hand did move ahead, but only so there would be more distance between the lions and himself. He would admit that staying there would've been more of a hassle for Kohaku than moving off to the side. He couldn't defend himself in that situation, that much was obvious, but if he was far enough and had enough time...he could make a weapon to at least aid his female companion. He wouldn't kill humans, but obviously animals were an exception...for his own survival. He had the perfect idea.

As Senku began to carry out his plans, Kohaku faced the lions, one of them already dead due to her beginning strike. The others, on the other hand, were a completely different situation altogether.

There were three lions now, but they were working together as a usual pack would, attacking Kohaku whenever they got the chance. She would go to strike one down, but every time one was open, another was waiting for her to make the move, it was almost taunting her to do it.

"I really hate this." She muttered, narrowing her eyes at the lions in front of her.

Soon enough the lioness jumped up into a tree, deciding what action may be best. She could launch an attack from above...that should work enough. At least then she could use the momentum to strengthen her attack. Without a second thought, she jumped from the branch and onto one of the lions, slashing at it multiple times.

Another one had finally been taken down, but as soon as she had landed on the ground, an immense pain erupted from her freshest wound. Since this had begun, Kohaku merely discarded it's existence, but now she had to be careful before she injured herself even more.

As Kohaku attempted to stabilize herself, one of the lions had taken her sudden shock as an opportunity to strike.

"Gha!"

A sound of distress and pain escaped Kohaku's lips as she had just barely missed the lion's attack, though her leg had gotten caught in the process of jumping away. Now, a red ugly gash ran down her shin.

"D-damn it…"

She had to do something...and fast. The longer this dragged on, the more blood she was bound to loose. The way she was...with no help, she would probably pass out within the next half hour.

The huntress was about to charge towards the lions once more, but before she was able to do so, something whizzed past her at an incredibly fast pace. She almost didn't even see it.

Seconds later, one of the lions fell due to an arrow now sticking out of its neck. Anyone who wasn't used to such scenes would have called it disgusting. Thankfully enough, she wasn't one of them.

The last lion must have realized the situation it was in. The choices were to stay and run...and unsurprisingly enough it chose to stay. With a loud and intimidating roar it charged towards Kohaku with the full intent to kill.

"Kohaku get down!"

That shout...it was…

She didn't need to turn around, trusting the voice completely as she allowed herself to fall. With her knee and abdominal injury, it would have taken more time to kneel and at least this way the lion was directly above her as it leaped, allowing her to pull out a knife and cut it's belly.

At the same time an arrow had been stuck in the beast's eye, causing it to fall from exhaustion and pain. She wouldn't be surprised if it bled out soon. At this rate...maybe they could bring one of the lions back to the village.

"Geeze, I can't leave you alone for a second. I'm ten billion percent all of that could have been avoided if only you had a more concrete plan then just jumping into battle." The one who spoke motioned to all of the newly acquired wounds that had been inflicted upon her body.

That smug tone was all Kohaku needed to hear as she relaxed on the ground, a small and slightly humored laugh escaping her lips.

"You're always scolding me left and right. I want to see you do better without your tools of science." She brought her head up slightly just so she'd be able to smirk.

"Yeah, fat chance of that happening. Maybe we'll wait ten billion years and then we'll see what happens."

The male had placed his half assed, yet some how effective makeshift bow. He was lucky with those shots...if he missed and he had to shoot any more, the bow may have broken.

If he wanted to be a normal human being he could have just said "Never" but as she and many others knew...Senku was far from normal.

"Alright...just let me rest here for a bit...then we can get moving m'kay?"

Kohaku already felt the fatigue beginning to surface. Since the adrenaline rush has ended, she began to feel the full effects of her actions.

That didn't go unnoticed by Senku, though he couldn't help but feel a bit worried. For now the best he could fo was dress her wounds and let her rest. Depending on how long she decided to rest, they may have to wait until tomorrow to return to the village.

The male chuckled a bit at that. Both Kohaku and himself were expected to come back later today...it seems like the others may have to wait a bit longer. Here's to hoping the whole kingdom doesn't get turned upside down because of it.

"So lioness wha-", He paused in his sentence as he turned around to face the one he was addressing. To no surprise at all, the girl was already fast asleep.

Senku smirked a bit at that, a subtle huff escaping his lips as he walked towards the girl and took ahold of one of her knives. His gaze shifted from her and towards the now dead lion with some interest. He might as well get something to eat…

Hours had passed and Kohaku still hadn't woken up. Senku fully understood why this was...but he couldn't help but feel a bit jealous.

This was because unlike her, he was having a difficult time resting. It wasn't because he worried of being attacked or anything like that, but something bothered him, something he didn't like at all.

It had been bothering him ever since this small mission had begun. He noticed the quick glances Kohaku flashed towards him whenever she thought he wasn't looking and it wasn't something he was used to...or at least not like this. Whenever girls at his school did that to him it was easy to brush off. They were just classmates after all and he barely knew them, but Kohaku?

She's been on his mind ever since...and he doesn't understand why.

'Maybe sorcery really does exist.' He thought jokingly, gazing up at the starlit sky.

As he too began to rest, the fire that was lit earlier finally out, he couldn't help but sneak a glance at her as well, a small smile forming on his lips as he took in the sight of her peaceful expression. The moon did wonders to only amplify her beauty. Senku had to catch himself staring at the girl...

That...didn't fit well with him at all.

With that thought in mind, he immediately turned away, mentally scolding himself for even daring to do that.

"Yeah...maybe it really is sorcery." He mummered.

A/N: Thank you all for reading this! I hope you enjoyed it! Interpreting Senku's character is quite difficult, but I hope he was done well enough!

Just to answer one question that may be on your mind, this cave the gold was found in was different than the Skern Deposit, but I was acting like it was nearby and earlier on Senku and Chrome had discovered it.

Please comment any concerns, thoughts, ideas, or feedback! I love hearing what you think!

I may update this later after reading it over (which I still have to do), but we'll see!

Until next time!