Episode 42 Finally! Who is Ayame?

At the top of the tower stands a figure shrouded in a raggedy gray cloak. The hood is drawn low, revealing a woman with long, purple hair, and a pair of bright red eyes. She stares down at them, a faint smile on her lips. “Long time no see, Ryuu dearest…”

Ryuu narrows his eyes, growling softly to himself. “I never imagined I’d see you again right here,” he mutters, staring up at the woman, “Ayame!”

Kunai and Ivy both gasp aloud in alarm. “So that’s Ayame!” Kunai says. “Ayame, the one who betrayed Ryuu and the Joukai, the one who joined the Myougun, the one who is the most powerful Paradox ever!”

“It’s been a long time, Ryuu…” Ayame mutters. “How have you been?”

Ryuu bares his teeth, staring up at Ayame with hatred. “After all these years…after attacking us in Sleepywood…you think you can just show up here right now and act like an old friend? You betrayed me!”

Ayame suddenly leaps off from the roof of Eos Tower, landing agilely in front of Ryuu and Arai, who stand in front of the group. “You make me sound so bad.”

“Of course, you work for the Myougun now!” Ryuu cries out loud. “How could you betray me just like that? How could you go over and work for the Myougun?! I thought you hated them!”

“It was inevitable, Ryuu…” Ayame replies. “I told you once a long time ago that you cannot avoid destiny, and that things that are meant to be, just happen…I have my reasons for going over to the Myougun.”

“Where’s the Triplicate?” Ryuu mutters suddenly.

“I released it,” Ayame replies nonchalantly. “It lies in wait now, waiting for my call to bid it forward.”

Kunai gasps in surprise. “Wait…you released it?! Then that can only mean…”

“That she’s the one of the Lost Phoneme!” Ivy cries out loud, pointing at Ayame. “It makes sense now…the dreams that I’d been having…of her and me together…”

“Wait, so…the dreams you’d had were of you and Ayame?!” Kunai cries out loud, turning to Ivy.

Ayame laughs softly to herself. “Yes, what did you expect from me…” She turns her head at an angle, peering at Ivy now. “…dear sister?”

“Dear sister?!” Kunai cries out loud.

“Wait a minute…” Ryuu mutters, turning to Ivy in shock, “She’s not…?”

“It does not matter that we are sisters,” Ayame replies, disappearing in a flash and reappearing next to Ivy, grabbing her from behind and raising a Geta up to her neck.

“What’s important…is that Lord Kimura seeks the Second Phoneme from this girl!” Ayame cries, her grasp on Ivy’s neck turning tighter, causing Ivy to grow redder in the face.

Ryuu draws his sword angrily. “That’s enough!”

“Wait!” Kunai cries suddenly. “If you really are the First Phoneme, why doesn’t Lord Kimura just use you instead of Ivy?! It comes out the same if he uses you, doesn’t it?!”

Ayame narrows her eyes, staring at Kunai with a smirk on her face. “That doesn’t matter to you.”

Ryuu’s sword bursts into flames as he digs his feet into the ground, preparing to leap forward and strike. He reaches into his jacket pocket, his hand tightening hard around an object inside it.

Arai gasps out loud as he sees Ryuu make this move. ‘He’s going to use it…’ Arai runs forward, crying out to Ryuu, “Ryuu! You mustn’t use it now!”

Ayame turns her eyes to stare at Arai momentarily. “Listen to him, Ryuu,” she smirks, “Whatever you’ve got, I’ll attack Ivy in a heartbeat before you even reach me. You wouldn’t want…another Paradox attacking her, would you?”

Ryuu suddenly freezes in motion, still poised to strike. He bares his teeth. “Damn you, Ayame…”

A Steely suddenly flies through the air straight at Ayame. It passes right through Ayame’s hand, forcing her to jump back and let go of Ivy immediately.

Kunai rushes forward, pulling Ivy back. He takes a fighting stance against Ayame, fire blazing in his eyes. “I may not know all the specific details about you and Ryuu’s past, but if you hurt Ivy…! I swear I’ll take you down myself!”

Ayame laughs softly to herself, smirking at Kunai. “You talk big…but you’ve yet to show to me why Lord Kimura holds you in such a high favorable status…”

Kunai freezes suddenly, gaping at Ayame for a moment. “Lord Kimura…?”

Ayame smiles, lunging forward suddenly with her Geta pointed outwards, headed straight for Kunai. Kunai gasps out loud, hardly even able to react. He raises his arms, bracing for the impact.

Shuriken steps forward suddenly with an Avenger, blocking the blow from Ayame and deflecting the blow, forcing her back. Ayame takes a step back and stares at Shuriken, another sneer playing about her lips.

Ayame and Shuriken take one long look at each other, bearing down on each other. “Stay back from Kunai,” Shuriken warns, bent over and panting slightly from the effort of blocking the blow.

“Ryuu!” Kunai cries out loud, “Now’s your chance! Get her!”

Ayame turns to face Ryuu rapidly, raising her Geta ready to face Ryuu’s attack. Instead, Ryuu turns to Ayame, a large smile on her face. “Ayame,” he says clearly, “We need your help.”

Ayame stares back in absolute surprise, while all the others gasp around her. Ayame narrows her eyes, facing Ryuu and staring down at him. “What do you mean, ‘help?’”

Ryuu takes one swift step forward, causing Ayame to take one cautious step backward. Ryuu nonchalantly nods over in Ivy’s direction. “She’s a lot like you, beside the fact that you’re blood-related. For example, she’s undergoing a Paradox mutation right now as we speak.”

Ayame’s eyes widen slightly as she hears Ryuu speak. She turns to stare at Ivy, who remains fixedly staring back at her. Ayame smiles slyly. “And so? You know there is no cure.”

“I want to know,” Ryuu continues, deliberately slowly, “How to control the Paradox mutation process.”

“Control the Paradox mutation?” Ayame mutters.

Ryuu smirks, staring at Ayame keenly. “Don’t try to act like the confused one here. You know perfectly what I am talking about. If I cannot find a cure, then tell me how to control her Paradox mutation. Even though you are a Paradox, you can maintain your true self, correct? Tell me how to stop the powers of the Paradox.”

“And what should I say anything about that to you?” Ayame replies defiantly.

Ryuu sneers again, continuing to pierce Ayame with his cool green eyes. “Because you’re her sister. I know you don’t want to see her hurt, just like I know that after all these years you still don’t want to see me hurt.”

Ayame bares her teeth, staring at Ryuu then at Ivy. “It doesn’t matter,” she says finally, “It won’t make a difference anyway. A Hybrid seal will seal it.”

Ryuu narrows his eyes, a thin smirk appearing on his face once more. “Thanks for the info.”

Ayame stares coldly back at Ryuu. “How effective it is depends on the person. If your will is not strong enough, you won’t be able to control the rush of darkness from the Paradox. Even I have trouble controlling it sometimes.”

Ryuu smirks. “That won’t be a problem.”

Ayame raises her Geta suddenly, staring at her own reflection in its blade. She glares up at Ryuu suddenly. “As for now…I’ve been instructed to kill the two Joukai!”

She lunges forward suddenly, swinging her Geta in a wide arc. Ryuu blocks the blow with his sword quickly, countering the attack by sending a blast of flames towards Ayame.

Ayame flips in the air, and rockets downwards from above straight down at Ryuu. Ryuu blocks the blow from above only just in time, the impact from the blow cracking the ground below his feet.

Ryuu struggles, grunting loudly to fend off Ayame’s attack. The ground below his feet slowly start cracking further, creating a large crater around Ryuu.

Kunai fires a Steely immediately, causing Ayame to launch herself off of Ryuu and flip in the air, landing behind Kunai. She knocks the butt end of her Geta into Kunai’s back, knocking him face-forward into the ground.

“You’re only making yourself a nuisance,” Ayame mutters to him, before she rushes forward to strike Ryuu again.

Ryuu raises his sword, swinging it, sending a wide circle of flames forward surrounding Ayame. She cuts straight through it with her Geta, until she turns her head, noticing a Steely from Kunai coming from behind.

Ayame turns in the air, catching the Steely between her index finger and middle finger. She then sends the Steely flying straight back at Kunai, who only leaps out of the way in time.

Ayame pushes Ryuu out of the way, using him as leverage to flip over in the air once again, landing behind him. Ryuu turns to face Ayame, his sword drawn and ready to attack.

Kunai suddenly growls in anger and frustration, sending another two Steelys flying towards Ayame. Ayame yawns lazily, flicking both Steelys away with her Geta and letting them drop to the floor.

Ayame smiles as Kunai stares at her in exasperation. “Is that all you’ve got? I’ve had more fun fighting the Myougun’s baby soldiers. You’re weak.”

Ryuu turns his head immediately, glaring directly into Ayame’s eyes. “You take that back right now!”

Ayame stares down mockingly at Ryuu. “What’s the matter, Ryuu? Do you not like the sound of ‘weak?’ Here it is again… You. Are. Weak. Ryuu.”

Ryuu yells out loud suddenly, charging straight at Ayame with his sword. Ayame narrows her face, facing off against him as Ryuu approaches. As he prepares to swing, Ayame grabs him by the wrist, kicking him in the feet and knocking him off balance. She then flicks Ryuu’s sword out of his hands, knocking it into the air and falling to the floor with a clang.

Ryuu stops in mid-attack, panting heavily and his eyes wide open. He stares back at Ayame, shock written on his face, his wrist still clenched tightly in Ayame’s grasp.

“I haven’t even performed my Paradox transformation yet,” Ayame whispers between her teeth at Ryuu. Her red eyes shine suddenly, and they suddenly become a horrifying shade of yellow, encircling three red pupils in her right eye.

Ayame then laughs softly to herself, an eerie cackle. She then pushes Ryuu forward, forcing him to fall to the ground roughly. She then leaps back onto the top of Eos Tower, staring down at the group.

“Ryuu…you’ve still got a lot to learn,” Ayame says loudly, “And to think I once called you Teacher… We shall meet again, Ryuu.” She then waves her hand, and a powerful shockwave suddenly runs straight through the ground.

Kunai loses his balance slightly in the rumbling. He looks up at Ayame in alarm. “What the hell is that?”

The ground around Eos Tower suddenly shatters, as a large form erupts from underneath it. A huge, silver dragon rises from the cracks in the ground suddenly, shrieking loudly and glaring down at them.

Arai gives a gasp in alarm. “Ah! Is that?!”

“The Third Triplicate!” Ayame cries, smiling down at Arai. She then disappears with a swift flash, leaving the Triplicate to glare down at the others.

Next Time: Episode 43 Triplicate Number Three—The Wind

Kunai: So…this is the final Triplicate at last!

Ryuu: Yes, but it’s heading down Eos Tower!

Shuriken: We’ve got to catch up to it.

Arai: Maybe I can bait it with my cookie!

Kunai/Ryuu/Shuriken: …

Episode 43 Triplicate Number Three—The Wind coming soon!