When you and Senku started to hang out, it was mostly you following him around, asking about every and any question that your ten-year-old brain could muster, or him following you around, making you go through all this musical experiment that you couldn't understand the purpose of most of the time. Well today, it was your turn to be annoying. It was on the way back from school, the two of you had a common path to take for a bit before separating. It was only 5pm, but since it was a winter day, the sun has already set. You liked walking with him. To ten-year-old him, it was just painful.
"Senku?"
After the seventeenth question, he just stopped answering. He focused on reading the book he was reading. He'd do that all the time, not even realizing you'd sometimes pull him away from lamp posts and people passing by before he could bump into them.
"How many stars are in the sky?" you asked, looking up at the night sky.
"I dunno." he mumbled.
You loudly gasped and went to stand in front of him. He bumped into you and glared at you, but you had a big smile on your face.

"Oh my gosh~!" you cover your mouth with one hand and pointed at him with the other. "You don't know something~! You're not a genius!"
"That doesn't mean anything!" he exclaimed, his child self getting offended. "Nobody accurately knows how many stars there are!"
"But you're supposed to be the smartest boy in the world! Come on~ i's easy!" you looked up and pointed. "You just go 'one, two, three' until you've counted 'em all."
"That'd take me thousands of years!"
"What are you saying? There aren't even that many!"
"That's because of the light pollution! There are like billions of stars!"
"But how much exactly?"
"I don't know!"
You huffed.
"Then you're not as smart as I thought you were." you walked away from him, your chin held up.
He scoffed.

"I'll do it!"
You stopped and looked back at him. He had a look of determination on his face.
"Once I grow up and I go to space, I'll tell you how many stars there are!"
You face lit up. You rushed back to him and held up your pinky finger.
"Promise?"
He blinked twice, he didn't expect this turn of event. He thought this would turn into a rivalry thing. Instead you were looking into his eyes with a smile. A bit hesitant, he wrapped his pinky around yours.
"Sure whatever." he mumbled.

"Awesome!" you beamed. "Then I'll help you any way I can to get you to space!"
"More manpower? Dope." he smiled.
"Dope!" you exclaimed, with a spark in your eyes.
'Two.' he started counting.
But started back to zero once he looked up. When you went you separate ways, he eventually bumped into a lamp post and put his counter on pause.

.
Another week passed by before the day of the launch. Everyone went to Treasure Island, while the whole thing was broadcasted around the world. You and the others gathered around this transparent tube, connecting the mission control center and the launch site, to watch the three astronauts walk to the rocket and to wish them a safe travel.
"Kohaku..." Ruri smiled. "Don't be reckless." she pressed her forehead on the tube. "Promise me you'll come home safely!"
"You bet I will." she pressed her forehead on hers.
"Don't tell me you're getting cold feet now, professor Senku!" Chrome smirked at him.
"Kukuku~!" he smiled. "Have you ever met me?"

Xeno, who was inside the tube, approached Stanley.
"At last, the fateful showdown with Why-man." he said. "We never planned for this, but my science and your battle prowess will once again combine to wage war."
Stanley smiled.
"Dunno about that. It ain't just the two of us anymore."
Xeno's eyes widen for a moment, then his expression softened. Despite the face mask he was wearing, you could tell he was smiling.
"How right you are. We are joined by Senku's people, no. By the entire world."
He turned away a bit and handed him a pack with his logo on it.
"No smoking allowed in space of course. But how about chewing tobacco shaped like cigarettes?"
Stanley let out a small 'heh'. He removed the cigarette he had in his mouth and took the pack.
"Haha!" Ryu snapped his fingers. "You stole my ride to space Stanley! So I expect you to do your job, beat Why-man, and make it back safely. Am I wrong?! Or rather..." he paused, his smiled more genuine as he looked into his eyes. "Can you do it?"
"Yeah." he said as they bumped fists and walked passed each-other. "I can."

Finally, you saw them coming this way. When Senku noticed you, he stopped and looked at you, the other two following his actions. Your eyebrows furrowed, your lips pursued, you kept playing with your fingers. You looked down, then back at them. You hesitated, but eventually said:
"I'm gonna be honest... You guys look dumb as hell!" you wheezed loudly.
They frowned at you, along with everyone around.
"I'm sorry but you look so silly! With your arms on the front, come on~!"
You laughed some more, holding your stomach. Senku noticed you were laughing more than usual and he smiled faintly. He understood that you were doing it out of nervousness.
"You'd think she'd take this more seriously." Chrome said.
"Oh don't get her wrong," Gen smiled. "I believe that she is the most worried one here. Laughter is just one way to cope with it. Ah, sorry. I meant to say 'one of the most worried ones here'."

He looked to Luna's direction, who was clearly freaking out and playing it cool.
"Who, me? Worried? Not at all." she smiled, tears in her eyes, sweat on her face. "Sometimes, I wonder if I'm too smooth for my own good. Senku's seriously gonna succeed and com back to us!"
"Yeah, relax." Senku smiled. "The historical death rate for humans in space is only like five percent."
"Nooo! That's not reassuring!"
"It's *five* percent, it's fine." you said.
"Still," Suika looked at the rocket in the distance. "what if...the rocket fails like all those other times?"
'Geez, way to bring the mood down!' you thought as now everyone were having flashbacks to all those explosions.

"It's fiiiine~!" Gen addressed everyone with a big smile. "Truly~! After all, our space cadets will be petrified for take off, right? So even if the launch fails and they're blown up, we can just gather the fragments and revive them!"
"R-right." Taiju sweated. "Good point...uh..."
"Bruh." you said, both you and Senku giving Gen a deadpan look.
"You're not very convincing." he said. "Even this big oaf has doubts."
"It'll be fine~!" he looked down. "Just fine."
There was a moment of silence.
'Right. Everyone's just as worried.' you smiled, your eyebrows furrowed.

"No way we fail!" Taiju exclaimed. "And if worse comes to worst..." he faced Senku. "I'd spend decades finding all your stone bits so that Yuzuriha could piece you back together!"
"Kukuku! You two are so hardworking, I bet you'd try."
"No, Senku. Not 'try'." he clenched his fists, his eyes growing teary. "We'd do it You can count on that."
"...yeah? You just might."
"Senku if I could, I would smack you!" you pressed your index on the plastic.
He cackled.

"If you're not even sure of your own mission's success, then what are the rest of us supposed to do?!"
"Probably follow you for hope."
Your eyes widen. You were caught off guard by this genuine response.
"It happened before after all." he added, coming closer to face you.
You furrowed your eyebrows.
"...You be careful okay?" you quietly asked.
"I told you, I'd definitely come ba-"
"Alive." you leaned closer, whispering at this point. "Come back alive."
He just looked at you. You felt a knot in your chest.

"The best that we the ground crew can do, is lend you moral support!" the crowd said. "You've got this! Senku, Stanley, Kohaku!"
You took a deep breath and leaned back.
"Say, you never told me," Senku said. "what's the song you'll play then?"
You smiled, staying silent. He frowned, which only made you smile more.
"Remember when you were taking science requests and I said I didn't want anything? That was a lie, I did want something. But I asked Xeno for that." you nodded towards said man.
"What the hell?" he looked at his mentor.
"I have to admit, working with (Y/n) the musical genius on a project was very pleasant. Worth waiting more than 3,700 years for." he smiled at you.
Senku frowned. You chuckled.

"You'll see what I mean when you'll watch the performance." you remembered something and looked at Xeno. "He'll get to see it, right?"
"Worry not. I told him to activate the medusa once the song was over."
"And what about the launch? I know we just talked about safety but-"
"Sai ran the numbers, and I the protocoles, it will be safe. The drama you seek will be preserved."
You chuckled. Senku gave you both a weird look.
"You'll see! Just hurry up and go so we can get ready!"

The launching site was on the coast of the island, everyone got on a boat to have a good view of the spectacle while also being at a safe distance. And there was another boat in between, on which you and your band were, along with a whole stage. Don't worry though, the stage-boat was angled in a way that didn't hide the view from anybody. You and your band changed to beautiful dresses and fancy suits, your dress resembling one Lillian wore in a more than iconic concert.
'Kudos to Yuzuriha for that.'
From up in the rocket's passenger seats, the three astronauts only had a small window to see what was going one. But not only did their radio broadcasted the performance, on the boat-stage, there was a big screen broadcasting the performance so that everyone could see better. Because of course it was also going to be on tv.
"Her tv debut. Kukuku~!" Senku smiled. "I bet you she's so ecstatic, she wants to die."
"That's very extreme!" Kohaku exclaimed. "(Y/n)'s a professional, I'm sure she's used to the stress by now."

"Oh my god I'm so hyped I wanna die." you mumbled to yourself as the orchestra band went on stage, with you entering last.
"This is your tv debut (Y/n)." Xeno, talking to you via earpiece, said. "Please try not to die, it wouldn't be very elegant of you."
You took a deep breath and went on stage. The crowd cheered in the distance and you waved at them. You took your place on the front of the stage and sat at the grand piano. It had Xeno's logo on it. Seeing it, Senku chuckled.
"I see what you did there." he said.
"Yeah, a piano!" Kohaku smiled.
"You really think a (Y/n)/Xeno collab would result in a simple piano?" he smirked.
She tilted her head, confused. But he didn't give any further explanation, since she was about to get a presentation instead. On the stage, you looked at the rocket, then down at the piano keys before speaking into the microphone. Curiously, there was another microphone nearby behind you, for a standing singer, but there was no one there.

"So..." you looked at the crowd. "we did it."
Cheers and whistled echoed throughout the coast.
"Now we must trust our three astronauts to complete their mission. And although there's not much that I, or any of us here, can do to help, we can show them that we believe in them with all our hearts. So make sure to loudly cheer so that they can hear you all the way up there."
With one last glance at the small window, you faced the piano. It was almost dusk, the sun was setting, so when all the stage lights faded, with one single projector pointing at you, it was as if you were the only one here. You began to play.

["It's All Coming Back to Me Now" - Céline Dion]

Senku was surprised, he thought you'd change the song. Why sing a sad song if you want to bring hope to people? Yet, you were smiling. Truth was, you did have a few other songs in mind: 'Livin' On A Prayer'; 'Let's Go' by Stuck in the Sound; any song that was Moon-related. But you decided otherwise.
When the music picked up, the whole stage progressively lit up. And once it was time for the chorus, after the first two 'baby's you stood up and sang in the second mic. The crowd boomed with cheers when they saw and heard the grand piano was still playing. A piano that can register music and play it by itself. Now you could focus on singing, grabbing the mic with both hands and putting all your lungs into it. After all these years of practice, you really became a professional singer. And for this performance, it meant a lot to you.

"But you were history with the slamming of the door~!" your smile faded. "And I made myself so strong again, somehow~!" your eyes grew teary. "And I never waster any of my time on you since the-!" your voice cracked, you stopped.
But the music kept going. You looked down and took a deep breath as the stage lights turned off, except the one on you.
"But if I touch you like this." you kept singing. "And if you kiss me like that." you looked back up with a faint smile, your eyebrows furrowed. "It was so long ago but it's all coming back to me, if you touch me like this. And if I kiss you like that. It was gone with the wind but it's all coming back to me."
You nodded your head to the beat as the choir sang.

"There were moments of gold and there were flashes of light~. There were things we'd never do again but then they'd always seemed right~." your smiled grew larger, holding the mic with one hand and making big gestures with your other. "There were nights of endless pleasure! It was more than all your laws allow~! Baby, baby, baby!"
You turned around and reached a hand out to the spaceship, of which the engine, as if on cue, just turned on, the flames lighting up the whole stage as you sang the final chorus. The crowd once again boomed with cheers. The engine's sound was almost deafening, but Xeno cranked up the speakers' volume.
"When you see me like this!" you placed a hand on your chest. "And when I see you like that!" you gestured to the small window, too small and too far away to see what was inside, but that didn't matter.
It was then that Senku understood why you didn't change the song. Rather than being a sad promise of never forgetting him, it was now a reminder to yourself, of the love and trust you had in him. It was written all over your face.
"...but it's all coming back to me now~!"

After this note, you let your mic-holding arm fall. At this point, tears were flowing, but you were still smiling. A performer always smiles. You raised your fist in the air, and so did everyone. The music kept going, you never sang the outro.
Meanwhile, the astronauts were slowly going up, but it was about to go faster soon. Kohaku had a few tears flowing down her face. With a smile, Senku leaned back in his seat and told her to do the same.
"5 meters, one second." he said to the medusa device above them.
You inhaled deeply.
"I love you!!!"
Senku heard that. As he was turned into stone, his heart skipped a beat.

"Well." you turned back to the audience once the rocket was out of sight. "Now we wait."
Once you were back on shore, you went straight for the Mission Control Center, you didn't even bother to change.
"How did it go?! Are they okay?! Did I indirectly kill them?!"
"Settle down please miss." Xeno smiled, focused on one of the computers. "How did you even get in here? This room is for scientists only."
"Music is a science, I'm a scientist. Magma couldn't go against my flawless logic."
He snickered.
"Please refrain from making jokes, we must focus."
"Right. Sorry." you took a step back. "How long will it take for them to go to space?"
"With our stone world rocket... About nine to ten minutes."
"Minutes?! Wow."

You patiently waited until you heard some sign from Senku, your heart beating like a drum. Eventually, Xeno spoke into his headset.
"Ah, Senku. I take it you're awake now."
"Oh." his voice came from the speakers. "So our gear isn't busted. This was your doing Xeno."
"Actually, it was both our idea." you spoke into another microphone on the desktop.
"I should've known."
"Dude! You're in space! Finally in space, after all these years, your ultimate goal..." your expression softened. "You're right where your father used to be. So the least you could have is a moment for yourself."
Senku was silent.
"Well, that's her reason." Xeno shrugged with a smile. "Liquid doesn't flow normally is zero gravity," he explained. "so I considered that there might be a glitch with the revival fluid. As a precaution, I scheduled your revival a bit early. That is all."
"Heh. Sure," he said. "let's leave it at that."

There was a moment of silence, as you all waited for Stanley and Kohaku to be revived.
"Hey Senku."  you leaned over the desktop, resting your head on the palm of your hand.
"Mmh?"
"Tell me." you smiled. "How many stars are there in the sky?"
He chuckled and inhaled.
"A lot." he exhaled.
You laughed wholeheartedly. Soon after, Stanley was revived.

"In the 20th century, they once made plans for a spaceship with no windows." Xeno said. "But word has it, the pilots protested. Being able to view space with the naked eye was considered vital to the mental health of the crew."
"Yeah, I'd be depressed too if I went to space and wasn't allowed to see space." you shook your head.
"We good on oxygen?" Stanley asked.
"Since the labor involved in the docking procedure is still an unknown factor, you've been given oxygen to spare." Xeno smiled. "More than enough to awaken your other travel companion, if you so desire."
They did. And Kohaku was ecstatic. Meanwhile, you guys on Earth prepared the second rocket. It successfully launched and, thanks to Stanley's skills, the two part were attached together without a problem.
"Ten billion percent success!" Senku exclaimed. "The docking went off without a hitch!"
"Woohoo~!" you clapped as everyone clapped. "Two outta five, let's go!"
"Heck yeah Senku!!!" Taiju, outside looking in the room, shouted.

"You never change Senku!" you heard Kohaku say. "At least get a little excited."
"That's not it. You'd expect a bigger reaction from team Earth, no?"
"Huh?" you blinked twice.
"Right about now, Taiju should be hooting and hollering, with tears and snot running down his big dumb face."
"Uh, he totally is?" Chrome smiled, plugging his ear as Taiju did just that. "Can't you hear all his baaaad shouting?"
Your expression fell, your heart dropped. You looked at Xeno and he had that same look of horror on his face.
"They can't hear us?"
"What?" Chrome looked at you.
"It would seem so..." Xeno said with a grave expression. "Alas, such a minor setback cannot stop the whole mission. Let's continue."
You gulped. The third rocket was launched.

"Ah! Sorry!" you heard Kohaku say after a while. "My killer grip must've broken it!"
"Something else is wrong?!" you exclaimed.
"Nah. Not your fault Kohaku." Senku said with a grave voice. "Somewhere inside the ship...we have an electrical problem." he paused. "Ayo, team Earth, I don't know if you can hear me. Half the screen's image is gone."
You looked at Xeno with a worried look. He smiled.
"That won't be a problem for Stanley."
Indeed, despite the restricted vision. The third ship part's docking was a success. Meanwhile, Senku looked for the source of the problem.

"Well crap." he eventually said. "I found our problem."
Though you could tell he was smiling, you could also tell by the wavering in his voice that this was very, very bad.
"Looks to me, like a stony strand of human hair. Somehow wedged itself into the circuitry."
"Is it my fault?" you asked, pale. "I made them watch the concert."
"(Y/n) if you can hear me, I know what you're thinking. It's not your fault."
Your eyes widen and you gasped, caught off guard.
"He had our helmets on, and the hair is *inside* the circuits. It doesn't matter how it got there anyway. What matters is that now it's here and we have to deal with i-" sudden silence.

Your heart dropped once again.
"Communications are cut." Xeno said, looking over one of the many screens, more serious now. "The hair must've snapped, disconnecting some of the circuits which caused the condenser to fry."
"What can they do to fix it?"
"They would have to replace the entire power supply circuit. But up in space, they don't have any spare."
"We can just put one in the fourth rocket for them to pick up!" Chrome suggested.
"With no visual, there is no way for them to go through the docking process." Xeno's eyes narrowed, a drop of sweat on his forehead.
You thought, your mind racing. Then, it clicked.
"We could just send help!"

Xeno and Chrome sent you a confused look. You turned around and looked for him, who has been outside with the others. But he was nowhere to be found, and neither was Yuzuriha actually.
"Ryu?!" you called out for him, growing panicked.
"Worry not my dear!" he stepped into the room with triumphant steps and a new outfit, with Yuzuriha cutting some loose thread and panting from making this outfit at literal lightning speed. "I've already decided! I will bring the power circuit to them!" he snapped his fingers. "I desire this mission!"
"Give 'im that circuit!" you shouted, pointing at him.
"Still," Xeno folded his arms. "docking by operating from unit 4, all without a reaction wheel, is simply hellish."
"A reaction wheel?" you and Chrome looked at him.
"A machine inside a spacecraft that uses spinning wheels to rotate the craft via gyroscopic principles."
'Spinning wheels...'
"Easy!" you exclaimed.
"Easy indeed!" Ryu snapped his fingers, apparently on the same wavelength as you were.

Everyone was confused. You grabbed a spare power circuit from Kaseki before you and Ryusui ran out to the fourth rocket. On the way there, you spoke through your plans and realized you did have the same idea. Once you reached the rocket, you high-fived him and handed him the circuit.
"You got this!"
His smile softened. He took the circuit and your hand.
"Thank you, my dear (Y/n)."
You smiled and placed your other hand on top of his.
"Nah man, you did so much for me, for all of the Kingdom of Science in fact. You deserve this."
He pursued his lips, his eyes getting glassy, then he nodded.
"I may not have had a breath-taking performance as a goodbye, but this is just as good, if not better." he kissed the back of your hand.
"Aww~!" you furrowed your eyebrows.
He went in the rocket and you quickly walked back inside as he got petrified.

"I-Is it even okay for him to hitch a ride like that?!" Chrome asked once you were back.
"Unit 4 is the lunar lander," Xeno said. "so there is plenty of space for one person."
"Think they'll get the gist that Ryusui will attempt the docking himself?" Nikki asked. "Since they can't hear a thing."
"Worry not," he smiled. "we speak of Earth's most elegant trio of astronauts."
"Right," you nodded. "who else would be ballsy enough to hitch a rocket ride and attempt something like this?"
"You." he glanced at you with a sly smile, making Gen chuckle.
"Uh- sure." you nodded again. "But I'm no astronaut, I know my limits."

After about ten minutes, you heard Ryu's booming voice on the radio.
"Haha~! Space-borne at last! Outer space is mine! All mine!!!"
The sheer joy in his voice made you laugh as everybody cheered.
"Those are his first words in space?" Sai smiled, his eyebrows furrowed. "Ryusui never changes." his smile faded. "Still, how will he be able to adjust the craft's angle without a reaction wheel?"
"It's not impossible, if he uses the multiple engines to push the craft slightly," Xeno said. "but it's a task that requires precision, precious fuel could easily be wasted."
"He'll be fine." you smiled. "We found a solution!"
"Ah yes, you did say it was an 'easy' fix." he looked at you. "And what is this solution?"
"Well you said that a reaction wheel is a bunch of wheels which turn to make the craft move right? So all you gotta do is spin yourself instead of the wheels. Easy!"
Xeno burst out laughing, which caught you off guard to be honest.
"It..." he straightened his back and cleared his throat. "It could work, in theory."
You smiled.

"Hahaha!" Ryu laughed. "When we lack what we desire, we create it ourselves! Am I wrong?!"
"No you are not!" you chuckled.
"I am my own gyroscope! A human reaction wheel!"
"For real?!" Gen asked, dumbfounded. "This is crazy!"
"And something only he and (Y/n) could come up with." Sai sighed, smiling.
"What's that supposed to mean?!" you looked back at him.
He just chuckled. With his plan and piloting skills, Ryu was able to attach unit 4 to the rest of the ship and join the others inside.

"Wonderful." Gen smiled. "After much ado, Ryusui-chan made it into space after all. Though, I must say, there's nothing coincidental about it."
"Indeed." François said. "He anticipated this turn of events. Even after he lost his seat on the rocket, Master Ryusui diligently kept up with that demanding training. Because desire is noble."
"Yeah. As soon as the problem came up, I was like 'it's time for a full circle situation'." you nodded, smiling too.
"Yo."
You gasped hearing Senku's voice again.
"Senku!"
"Nicely done guys! No easier way to repair then swapping out the whole part!"

"W-wait." Gen realized something. "So Ryusui will...stay up in space?"
You looked at him, confused.
"How do you think he would have come back if he didn't stay with the others?"
"So he'll go all the way to the Moon too?!" Chelsea asked. "Hype!"
Still, it was decided that he and Kohaku would be petrified until they get to their destination.
"Petrified again, I'll just be another piece of cargo." Ryu said. "Not an extra drain on the life support resources!"
"You won't get to enjoy space though~." you said.
"There will be plenty of space enjoyment later my dear!" you heard him snap his fingers.
You laughed.

"Well, time to run the numbers again." Sai typed away on the computer, a happy smile on his face. "There's plenty to re-calculate."
"In the meantime, I believe it is time for the audience to go home for the day." Xeno smiled at everyone. "It will be at least a few days before our astronauts reach the Moon. Let the mission control team do its due work."
"It is very late" Gen yawned and walked out. "We'll be sure to check in everyday. Goodnight everybody~."
Everyone that wasn't a scientist walked out. You didn't move though, and instead took a seat at the desk.
"(Y/n)'s still here right?" Senku asked.
"You know it." Xeno smiled.
"Until you guys defeat Why-man, this is my home now!" you exclaimed.
"Will you stay awake all night then?" Xeno asked.
"As long as I can yes." you nodded.

"Though I do appreciate your will to keep us company. Right now will be nothing but technical babble. It'll be boring for you, it's not worth the lack of sleep."
"Still, I wanna be here."
"...Alright." by the sound of his voice, you could tell he was smiling.
What followed was indeed a lot of technical talk, checking on every aspect of the ship, making sure all the units were optimal, up and running, planning out the route to take to get to the Moon, and where to land. You wanted to talk to Senku some more, but all that stuff seemed more important. So you just sat there, resting your arms on the desktop and your head on your arms. Just hearing his voice was very soothing. Hearing him being okay and talking science like he always did made you feel better about this whole thing. Slowly, your eyes closed and you fell asleep. Soon after, Xeno noticed you snoring softly. He asked François for a blanket and placed it on you.

"I'd like to notify astronaut Senku." he said into his headset. "(Y/n) has fallen asleep."
"Kukuku~! And it's only been seven and a half minutes."
They both chuckled.

[Finally, I can write out all those animatics that were stuck in my head 🥰]