Episode 12 Clouds in the Sky

Down in the deep abyss inside the Ant Tunnel, Kunai, Ryuu, Arai, and Ivy slow down as their footsteps begin to echo in the emptiness of the dungeon. Spouts of steam occasionally shoot up from the ground below them, and Stirges hover around their heads, flying by loudly overhead.

Arai plops down on a rock with a loud, tired sigh. He places rests his head on his arms, staring up at the ceiling and watching the Stirges flutter by. “Well, looks like we’ll be sleeping on hard rocks instead of soft, comfy beds tonight.”

Ryuu takes a seat on a boulder as well, while Kunai and Ivy choose their own smaller stones nearby. Ryuu sheathes his sword, which at that point is still burning dully. He sighs, staring down at the ground in a deep trance of thought.

Kunai glances up worriedly at Ryuu. “Ryuu, you’ve been pretty quiet since we left Sleepywood. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong,” Ryuu replies bluntly.

“Well…are we gonna be staying here for the night then?” Ivy asks, glancing around at the unwelcoming accommodations.

“Hm…well, we’ve got no other choice,” Arai replies, “Lord Fyx should have Sleepywood completely secure and on the lookout for us now, so it’d be ridiculous to even consider going back.”

“There’s still the matter as to why the doctor didn’t let Ryuu die,” Kunai mutters, his voice, though soft, echoing throughout the dank chamber.

Arai scratches his chin, sitting up with his face contorted in deep concentration. “Hm…there may be a lot of reasons why the Myougun didn’t wish for Ryuu to die. Although, from their perspective, it seems a lot more logical to get rid of Ryuu. However, we don’t know exactly what we’re thinking, and that’s what makes it so much more interesting.”

“Interesting?! It’s my death you’re contemplating!” Ryuu growls out loud.

“Hm…right,” Arai replies, now munching on a cookie.

Ivy yawns, stretching slightly. She lays down on her rock, yawning once again. “I’m tired…I think I’ll go to sleep, night all!”

Kunai glances over at Ivy worriedly. “Are you sure you can fall asleep like that? Would you rather have some blankets or something? It seems pretty uncomfortable to me…” Ivy replies with a snore.

Kunai shrugs, smiling slightly to himself as he gazes down at Ivy. He then glances up at the others, narrowing his eyes. “Our situation just seems to be getting worse and worse as time goes on. We’ve got a bunch of people coming after us and just as many strange things happening.”

“Yes,” Arai replies seriously, “it might be best for us to finish our job here as quickly as we can. We’ve got to try to get rid of the Cursed Sanctuary Triplicate, before the Myougun begin pursuing us in here. Because in here, it’s only a one-way trip, and I’m afraid their interference here might be a lot more costly.”

“Hm…my heart’s still a little unsettled about us going in to face the Triplicate,” Kunai replies. “After what happened down there…I never thought I’d be back again, especially so soon.”

“Well, that’s our job,” Ryuu replies bluntly, “to get rid of the Triplicates. As soon as we get rid of this one, we’ve already got to start focusing on the other two. That’s the life of the Joukai…”

“So what’s the plan after we get rid of this one?” Kunai asks out loud.

“We head to Ossyria and face the Zakum Triplicate,” Arai replies. “Although there’s still the matter of how we get there, with all communication going in and out of Ossyria cut off.”

“Hm…we’ll worry about it when the time comes,” Ryuu replies. He shakes his head grimly, turning to Kunai. “You should get some sleep. We’ve got a lot of traveling to do tomorrow. It’s still a long way to the Cursed Sanctuary.”

“What about you guys?” Kunai asks.

“We’ll be keeping watch,” Ryuu answers with a grim smirk. “Just in case the Myougun decides to crash our little slumber party here.”

After several moments, Kunai, lying down on a rock on top of a thin sheet of blankets, begins snoring as his breathing slows. Ryuu turns to stare at he and Ivy, as they lay on top of their respective rocks, sleeping soundly.

Arai turns to Ryuu interestedly as he munches on yet another cookie. “Ryuu, incidentally who was that person that you were fighting earlier in Sleepywood?”

Ryuu closes his eyes momentarily, a pained expression on his face. He suddenly opens his eyes wide, staring at Arai with a deep, penetrating stare, the three pupils in his right eye still glowing dully. “Iris.”

“Iris?!” Arai cries out loud, gasping loudly and leaping to his feet. “But Iris hasn’t been seen in over three years! Are you sure it wasn’t somebody else?”

“Couldn’t have been,” Ryuu replies. “Iris is the only other person left apart from us who’d know how to summon the Joukai Guardian Seal.”

“You mean that person from earlier…?” Arai gasps.

“Yeah. That ‘person’ from earlier drew the Joukai Guardian Seal, no doubt about it,” Ryuu replies.

“But what could Iris have been doing in Sleepywood…? Especially after such a long absence, it just seems strange for someone to show up again after disappearing for three years,” Arai mutters.

“I have a hunch I know why,” Ryuu mutters suddenly in a low voice, his eyes slowly straying over to the sleeping figure of Ivy.

“That ‘theory’ you have?” Arai asks.

Ryuu closes his eyes, clenching the hilt of his sword so tightly that his knuckles have become white. “It’s not a theory, it’s the truth.”

“I refuse to believe that—” Arai mumbles, before Ryuu glances up at him, anger blazing in his bright green eyes.

“Well believe it! There’s no doubting it anymore,” he snaps, still clenching the hilt of his sword. He stands up suddenly, stretching. “I think I’ll go for a walk.”

“Don’t go too far,” Arai answers.

Kunai suddenly sits up, stretching and yawning. He sighs and stares around at their campsite, seeing Ivy eating a pack of Arai’s cookies.

“Morning, Kunai!” Ivy cries out loud cheerfully.

Kunai nods, smiling at Ivy. He turns to Arai, who is sitting still on the same rock from the previous night, munching absentmindedly as he stares into the depths of the chamber around them.

“Arai, is it morning already?” Kunai asks him.

Arai turns to Kunai suddenly, nodding with a cheerful smile. “Yup! It should be time for us to get going pretty soon now, we’re just waiting up for Ryuu.”

Kunai stares around the group again, noticing for the first time that Ryuu is gone. “Ryuu? Where’d he go?”

Arai shrugs, turning to look at Kunai. “He said he was going out for a walk.”

Ryuu suddenly emerges over the crest of a large rocky cliff, streaks of dirt covering his face. He clambers over the edge, joining the group once more, panting slightly.

Kunai turns to stare at Ryuu in slight surprise. “Ryuu…have you been out all night? You look terrible…”

“It doesn’t matter,” Ryuu replies harshly, grabbing a towel and wiping his face quickly. He turns, beckoning the others to follow as he clenches the hilt of his sword with the other. “Come on, it’s time we get going. We’ve still got a long way to go.”

Kunai exchanges a quick glance with Ivy, then begin leading the way out of the chamber as Ryuu falls behind, falling in step with Arai.

Arai turns to glance at Ryuu nonchalantly. “You do look a little worn out, Ryuu,” he mutters.

“I said don’t worry about it,” Ryuu replies.

“Heh,” Arai chuckles, glancing at Ryuu again, “I know where you were at. Don’t pretend I didn’t see you all last night slaying those Evil Eyes down there.”

“Tch,” Ryuu replies, his face stone cold. He then continues on without another word.

“Don’t pretend you’re not worried, Ryuu,” Arai says suddenly, his voice echoing slightly in the emptiness of the deep underground tunnel.

“But I’m not,” Ryuu growls.

“Look, I know that there are many clouds of uncertainty right now, but we’ve really got to focus on our job, right, Ryuu? You know best: finishing the job comes first for the Joukai,” Arai persists.

Ryuu suddenly smirks to himself, turning to look at Arai. “Oh, if that’s what you’re worried about, then you don’t have to worry for one second longer. I know my job, I know what we have to get done.”

Ivy suddenly cries out loud, sprinting forward as the ground in front of them begins to lower steeply into a large, open cavern below. She runs to the very edge of the cliff, staring down the scene below joyfully.

“How pretty!” Ivy’s squeals of joy suddenly ring throughout the tunnel. Kunai quickly joins her, looking down at the cavern below.

“Heh, you know, I’ve always wanted to come here…” Kunai cries out loud.

Ryuu gives Arai an exasperated look. As Arai continues to look puzzled, Ryuu shrugs. “Ant Tunnel Amusement Park, constructed only fifteen years ago.”