Author's Note:
...Ayane is insanely smart, and since you're her creator, I suppose you're the smart one in this case lol. Tsukasa be gettin' catfished.
FyreDraagyn12: I'm not smart. I'm just an idiot who writes whatever. But I thank you for your kind words.
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I hope you all enjoy the story.
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Walking for some time, Ayane looked up and closed her eyes. As the distant winds began to blow her direction, her long black hair flowed like a calm river. Looking back she realized everyone what getting ready to leave again.
Then turning her attention towards a tree near her, she sliced into it quickly and walked back towards the group.
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"What were you doing, Ayane?" Yuzuriha asked as she saw Ayane walking up to them.
"Nothing much. Just trying to figure out where we are, is all." Ayane replied as she put her hand in the makeshift pocket, she had in her clothes and pulled out a roughly made sextant. She then proceeded to point it towards the sky, and at the same time Senku did the same.
"This thing doesn't work." Senku spoke after a several seconds of looking up towards the sky. "I can't even tell where we are!"
"That's because the Earth tilted." Ayane replied as she continued looking up towards the daylit sky.
"What?" Senku questioned his young apprentice's words as he turned his attention towards her.
"I saw it when I first woke up. I saw Polaris clearly in the Spring, which I thought was weird." Ayane began to explain what she saw over the years. "I began to research the animals that depended on the moon and stars for directions. It would've been easier if there were birds, but they were all turned to stone."
"By how much has the Earth tilted?" Senku asked as he noticed Ayane finish her speech.
"It's just an estimation but somewhere between 15 and 28 degrees. That was the closest I was able to get, because you know I…I was in middle school."
"15 to 28 degrees, huh?" Placing the sextant back up, and following Ayane's numbers, Senku began to chuckle. "I know where we need to go."
"Hmm?" Ayane, Taiju and Yuzuriha all looked at Senku before looking at each other in confusion.
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After making their way to Hakone and seeing another piece of humanity still standing in the form of a giant Buddha statue, the group made their way towards some hot springs.
As they began to settle down for the day, this moment gave Senku and Ayane time to chat about the next phase in their plans.
Chipping away at the block, and seeing how it was almost finished, Ayane began to smile.
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"Ayane." Senku spoke up.
"Where are the other's?" Ayane asked, not once looking away from what she had in her hands.
"Their taking a bath right now. So, what now?" Senku asked, hoping to get more out of Ayane's plan.
"Like I said, you have to die, and I have to join Tsukasa." Ayane placed down the block and rock she had in her hand and looked up towards Senku. "After you've been revived, you have to find Hansuke and gain his trust. Then, after all that, you do what you have to do."
"You know Tsukasa believes that I have the formula. What are we going to do about that?" Without talking, Ayane looked down. Then after a few minutes of nothing but silence, she rose to her feet, turned around to face Senku, and embraced him. "Hey!" But as he was about to struggle, Ayane began to whisper.
"I'll only tell you half. Remember this well." As Ayane opened her mouth, she began to speak as slowly and as carefully as she possibly could. "You got it?" She asked as she finished talking.
"Mm. We can definitely win against Tsukasa and keep you out of harm's way with this strategy, 10 billion percent!" Senku smiled as Ayane backed up, and she smiled along with him.
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The Next Day…
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As their plan was to grab gunpowder to create guns in the Stone World, Taiju and Ayane began to pound at the stone before them to try and find even a sliver of sulfur.
After spending a good 2 hours, the group managed to find what they were looking for. Grabbing a bag worth of sulfur, Ayane passed it on to Senku, to which he began to mix it with crushed seashells and burnt wood charcoal. Finally being able to grab a makeshift gunpowder, Senku was about to crush it, when Taiju jumped the gun and grabbed a giant boulder instead. As Taiju struck the rock against the powder, the friction between the stone that supported the gun powder and the boulder that Taiju held created a blast large enough to send black smoke several feet into the sky.
Getting up from the sudden blast, Ayane looked forward and began to laugh at her hearts contents, but what she saw after she opened her eyes shocked her to her very core.
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"What's up, Ayane? You became very quiet." Senku spoke up as he noticed the young girl completely silent.
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Without warning, Ayane grabbed a cloth and began to fan in over the smoke.
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"Hey, what are you doing?!" Senku exclaimed as he noticed Ayane giving oxygen toward the flame instead of putting it out.
"Senku!" Yuzuriha called out to Senku, to which the young scientist turned his attention to see what Ayane and Yuzuriha saw.
"What?" Senku was astounded as he saw another trail of smoke, almost as if it were response to the smoke they created. "So, that's why." Senku said to himself as he turned back to Ayane. "Come on! We have to keep the flame alive!"
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Now rushing to keep the smoke going, Ayane waited for the group to place wood down before giving off another signal.
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"1…2…3." Ayane counted in her head as threw the cloth over the smoke and pulled it away to break the smoke. "Rei did say that Byakuya made it down to Earth. If that's someone who came from Byakuya, they may be able to help Senku. I can't let them get away!" As her conviction solidified she continued to fan the smoke. "1…2…3." Repeating the pattern as best she could, Ayane continued to fan the flame. "This is…"
"A double-edged sword!" Senku finished Ayane's thought as he looked towards her and saw the eyes of someone who was ready to say goodbye. Nodding at her solid conviction, Senku rushed off to grab more wood.
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As she continued to fan the flame…
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Ayane was watching the smoke that came from the forest. As her heart began to ease, she began to see a signal coming from the smoke in response to hers. But her instincts kicked in as she began to hear heavy footsteps.
Sighing in relief, she turned around with a slight grin on her face. There before her stood Tsukasa, and Yuzuriha, clearly being held hostage.
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"You came faster than I expected." Ayane answered.
"The marking you left me on the trees, as well as that smoke signal made it easier for me to find you, Saki." Hearing their conversation firsthand, put Yuzuriha in shock.
"You…betrayed us?" Seeing Ayane smile only confirmed Yuzuriha's suspicions. "Why?!"
"I told Senku, so I might as well tell you." Looking at Yuzuriha straight in her eyes, Ayane spoke. "The old humanity had its chance and began to poison the world. But when that ray of light came, I saw it as a new beginning. I tried to get Senku to stop…But that man won't listen to reason." Ayane mocked Senku as she lifted her arms and shook her head. "Don't worry, Senku will explain the rest."
"Did you manage to get it?" Tsukasa asked.
"Only half. That idiot trusted me enough to only give half." Ayane answered, only to get Yuzuriha confused.
"Wait…are they talking about the revival fluid? Doesn't Ayane know it?" Realizing what Ayane was doing, Yuzuriha opened her mouth in shock, then as she bit down on her teeth, she began to play along. "Senku will never give you the formula, I won't allow it!"
"And what are you going to do about it? Cause from my point of view, you're on the losing side of this battle." As she said this, Ayane placed her hand on the back of her neck and began to crack it. "Remember this, only those who think ahead can always win. It's all about misdirection."
"I couldn't agree more." A voice everyone recognized spoke up. Turning around, Ayane noticed Senku standing there, completely out of breath.
"OH, my." Ayane answered after seeing Senku. "Did you actually run all the way up here?"
"I saw the flame dying, so I had to. And the first thing I see when I get back, is this?" Senku looked at the situation and despised it with every ounce of his body. "Luckily for me, I never gave you the full formula, so I still have the advantage."
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But as Senku spoke those words, using his immense speed, Tsukasa cut Yuzuriha's hair, which put Senku on edge.
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"Don't think for a second you have the advantage, Senku." Ayane spoke. "During my time with you, I've come to realize one thing."
"OH, and what's that?" Senku asked.
"You care too much." Ayane answered. "You decided to revive your friends, or so I was told. But if it were me, I would've buried them to keep them safe from harm." As she began to walk in front of Tsukasa and Yuzuriha, Ayane stood there facing Senku head on. "Now, why don't you give me the other half? It's for the best."
"Don't…" Yuzuriha's voice shivered as she spoke. "Don't do it…Senku." Looking back, Ayane noticed Yuzuriha grabbing the stone knife Tsukasa held and began to point it at her own neck. "I don't matter. But, since you have half of the formula, they can't create it." As she began to slowly push the sharp stone into her neck, Yuzuriha continued to speak. "Tell Taiju I'm sorry and tell him I was really happy when he told me that he loved me."
"The revival fluid…" Senku spoke after a heavy sigh. "Is a solution of nitric acid and alcohol. After filtering the miracle fluid from the cave, mix it with nearly pure 96% distilled alcohol." After stating what he had said he looked up. "Saki has the rest."
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Looking down at his partner in crime, Tsukasa noticed Ayane nod in agreement. Seeing her agree, Tsukasa launched Yuzuriha away, and began to slowly walk up towards Senku.
What happened next, didn't even take a second. Hearing the sound of wood snapping bones, Ayane closed her eyes before opening them again to see Senku's lifeless body fall towards the ground.
Despite knowing what to expect, it still pained Ayane. It pained her to see the man she had spent nearly 3 years with, die in the most painless way. But solidifying herself, she walked up towards Tsukasa and looked at him.
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"There's no point in staying here any longer. I have the formula." Ayane spoke up, in hopes of taking away the high school primate from the location before a certain oaf comes.
"You're right. Let's go." Tsukasa answered as he began to walk away.
"By the way…" Ayane spoke up just before she left. "If I'm being honest…the time I spent with you all…I really did enjoy it. Especially when Senku had the answers to the questions I asked, 'on him'." Leaving just as Taiju made it, he saw what had happened and began to rush towards Tsukasa and Ayane.
"Wait!" He yelled as he ran. As Tsukasa turned to face him, Ayane put her arm up and spoke.
"Leave that to me." Ayane answered as flicked her wrist and launched a sharp rock towards Taiju, hitting its mark just above the brute's right eye. "That was a warning. It's best if you followed Yuzuriha's lead. If you don't…I won't hesitate to kill you."
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As the big oaf fell onto his back from the sudden smack, he looked back to see Ayane and Tsukasa leave his sight.
Feeling guilt run throughout his whole body, Taiju lifted his right arm and smacked it on the ground under him. As the tears began to stream, he began to curse himself.
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"Taiju." Yuzuriha spoke up in hopes of stopping Taiju's tantrum. "We still have a chance. Ayane made sure of it."
"What?" Taiju couldn't believe the words he was hearing. Wiping away his tears, he rushed to his feet. "I thought she betrayed us."
"She told me Senku will explain the rest. But we have to bring him back." Thinking about the meaning behind Ayane's words, Yuzuriha remembered an action Ayane never did before. "She cracked her neck."
"Ayane? I thought she told us she was afraid to do that…" Realizing the meaning behind it, Taiju flipped Senku over and noticed a piece of stone still stuck to the top of his neck. "There's a stone piece!"
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As the two lovers began to search around their stuff, they quickly found the last revival fluid created by Ayane in Senku's bag that hung from his hip.
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"Taiju! Here!" Yuzuriha exclaimed as she passed on the fluid to Taiju.
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Meanwhile…
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With Tsukasa leading the way, and Ayane a little bit behind him, the two began to make their way back to camp. Sighing in defeat, Ayane continuously looked back every few steps.
Taking note of this, Tsukasa spoke over his shoulder.
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"Is something bothering you?" He asked, concerned over his ally's well-being.
"It's just…I woke up with them around me, so it kind of feels weird being separated from them." Ayane answered as she walked past Tsukasa. "But as of now…I'm their enemy."
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Watching her walk past him, Tsukasa's worries were washed away with her words, but as she began to walk for a bit only to stop again.
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"What's…" Tsukasa stopped himself as he felt a malicious intent. "You…57 meters behind us. I surprised my ally was the one to feel you first. Means I've been getting sloppy."
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As the two turned around, Ayane's eyes widened in shock as she saw what she never thought she'd see before her.
But for some reason, in that moment, Rei's words flowed back into her ears.
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"So, Byakuya and the 5 other astronauts came back down to Earth a week after the petrification beam hit?" Ayane asked as she was trying her best to create a revival fluid.
"Yes, and I was supposed to wait for their return to the ISS, but I went against my programming, and fell to Earth. That's when I met the Doctor." REI answered.
"Hmm." Was all Ayane responded.
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Suddenly remembering the conversation, Ayane began to back up slightly. Looking back at her, Tsukasa knew that the blonde girl before them was not someone Senku revived.
But as he began to collect his thoughts, the young girl smiled at the two of them and rushed straight towards Ayane. Seeing this, Ayane back up, and using her gained dexterity, bent backwards, and flipped her legs up in hopes of catching the warrior before them off guard.
Sliding back, Tsukasa took the reins and began to deflect all the attacks that came his way. All the while, Ayane began to use her mind to try and understand the situation.
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"Let's see. Not only is she swift, but she's more agile than myself, meaning she's has years of experience. Then that means…" Now realizing the situation, Ayane rushed forward. As she slipped between Tsukasa and their mysterious attacker, who seemed to be out for blood for Senku's sake and proceeded to grab her arms.
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Stunned by Ayane's speed left the girl immobile for split second. Using that opening, Ayane smacked her head into the blonde's as hard as she could, then dropping to the ground, swiped her legs under the warriors, before once again using her dexterity and kicking the blonde's abdomen.
Moving back from the sudden kick to her stomach, the blonde warrior held her head and stomach in pain, but that all came to a halt as she heard a tree falling. Looking to her left, she noticed a giant tree coming her way, but just as she was about to move out of harms way, the warrior slipped, and the tree fell on top of her.
Breathing heavily, Ayane rose to her feet with the help from Tsukasa. Walking up, Ayane noticed the dust clear and the warrior was pinned down by the tree, all while laying down in a slight crack in the ground as her saving grace.
Curiously looking around, the warrior could help but admire her opponents thinking.
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"Amazing…she acts like him. Like my brother." The warrior thought to herself as she noticed Ayane approaching her.
"Saki, what are you doing? We have to go!" Tsukasa barked. "Taiju and Yuzuriha know how to make gunpowder. If we don't stop them…"
"They're not going to. I made sure of that." Ayane answered over her shoulder. "But if you want to feel at ease, head on before me. I have a few words I'd like to say to this one."
"I'll be going ahead then." Tsukasa replied as he began to walk away, all the while trusting Ayane's words.
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Watching Ayane approach her slowly, the warrior resolved her will, and awaited her supposed death. Now just standing above her, Ayane looked down at the blonde and spoke softly.
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"Byakuya Ishigami." Was all she had to say in order to get a surprised look from the girl. "I thought so." Then grabbing a sharp rock, Ayane began to carve into the tree that held down the girl.
"Who are you?!" The blonde asked. "How do you know of my village's creator?!"
"I see, he created a village. That's good info for your allies, but even greater information for you enemies." Ayane answered as she finished her carvings and tossed the rock. "Just a word of advice: Trust Senku. He's your only chance at winning." With those words, Ayane rushed after Tsukasa.
"Senku? Who's that?" The blonde asked herself before realizing who she was looking at. "She even looked like him…Saki, huh?"