Oltanis Σ: Special
Karyu’s Story: The Way the River Flows

	“In the deepest, darkest trench, one can find the brightest gem. In the most violent and turbulent maelstrom, can one find the calmest center. That is my wish and goal in life. The reason I fight for the good.”

Chapter 0: Table of Contents:
Table of Contents: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~	1
Chapter 1: Journeys, Legends and a Purpose ~~~~~~~	2
Chapter 2: Infiltrations and Transformations ~~~~~~~	11
Chapter 3: Arrival of the Crimson Reds ~~~~~~~~~~	19
Chapter 4: Captain Maoki Maoki ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~	26
Chapter 5: A Hill With No Name ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 35
Chapter 6: The River of Dreams ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~	39
Credits: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~	42
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Chapter 1: Journeys, Legends and a Purpose

	(Insert Opening Music: Yoshida Brothers – Starting on a Journey (Tabidachi))Α 
On a solitary, rogue planet, a planet that is a nomad planet; they do not have a home in any system and wander outside galaxies and/or star systems. The planet is Planet Tenebris; it used to be in the Draco constellation of the Milky Way. Since then a powerful force has sent it away from the system and wandered through systems for ages. On this very planet are the race known as Tenebrens. 
Tenebrens are dark matter aliens; they cannot be seen before taking a shape of their own. Most Tenebrens grow a shape of their own, and do not need to make contact with a living creature to form. They can also make contact with plants and fungi and have a solid form that way. There’s one Tenebren who had done so and was quite formidable.
There is also the notorious Teiden, Teiden Dakumata Faux, whom is Tanor’s dark companion that curse marked his psyche to house himself in Tanor, in which Tanor came in contact with him when he was 15 and young, is said to be from there.
	Teiden recently found out he was a Tenebren before he came to Earth. He was banished by the Tenebrens for his inability to become solid and his destructiveness. Not because he was evil however. The King of Tenebris is one of the most pure evil aliens Tanor had met. Now, there was another being that was banished from Tenebris, for being the only one with a good heart and thought to be a threat to their traditions. He, like Teiden, was sent to Earth. 
	He is now 18. He previously lived in a prefecture in the island of Shikoku, Japan. His name is Karyu Kuraimizu Onami, or just Karyu for short. When he came to Earth many years ago, he ended up in the prefecture and made contact with a tanuki or what the westerners would call raccoon dogs and an otter. The two animals were anthropomorphic and both were part of a clan. The Tanukan and Rakkouso, it appears that they were rivals in the prefecture and were at hostilities at one time. 
When Karyu arrived in his shapeless form, he acknowledged a Tanukan and Rakkouso together making a peace treaty ending the hostilities. Karyu watched them as they did so, and after the peace treaty was made, he split himself into two and entered the bodies of the two creatures. Making a mark on the back of the otter and on the stomach of the tanuki, since his spiritual power was stronger than theirs, he was easily able to take residence in them. This did not affect the relations of the two clans, but the goodness of Karyu affected the two to become good and make sure their treaty was effective. 
After sometime spending a year inside both, the otter had died because of disease somehow linked to Karyu living in his psyche. This wasn’t that uncommon though, Tanor’s strength and prowess he already had when Teiden came around, made him one of the survivors of the mark. The tanuki however was still living and had gained quite impressive power thanks to Karyu’s influence. The treaty was still in effect because of this as well.
Soon Karyu was able to make a solid form and escaped the Tanukan’s body. The Tanukan had known of Karyu being in him for some time and after some fire and oil conflict. He was able to stay with the Tanukan tribe and hold their traditions with him.
He had said, “Karyu, because of your continuous good will, especially when it helped our two clans become less than rivals, and more friends with each other. I am allowing you to be our strength and support to the two clans. As long as you follow our traditions and keep your word, you’ll always be part of our family and you can stay here with us as long as you like to.”
Karyu had responded, “Thank you Teiru-sennin, I learned much from you in the time I have spent here. I will keep my word, as my honor and tradition is well rounded and shall be the strength to keep our land at peace.”
Karyu’s form was made of mostly a tanuki figure, but he gained the otter’s hands and feet and ability to swim and many other advantages of being a hybrid. He had a swirl mark on his stomach and back. They glowed grey-blue; his eyes were grey-blue as well with black sclera.  He had a black tongue, long hair as well. If he had a form like Tanor, his hair would be white-blue. 
The tanuki he stayed with was named Sumoki Teiru and the otter had the name Atsui Onami. Sumoki was a smoky grey-furred tanuki. He had white markings on his back, face and stomach; they were most likely clan markings. The otters of the other clan had them too although looked just as natural as his own. 
The Tanukans lived in traditional homes like those you naturally see in the country, especially in locations with heavy Shinto or Buddhism influence. Their influence also affected the way Karyu grew up too. He learned how to fight and use the Tanukan secret arts along with his own abilities with water that he learned to control over the years. 
The only backfire to his form as that he is always damp and water is always on his fur. Since inside of him is made of over 80% water and 20% dark matter. He doesn’t wear normal clothing as they get ruined thanks to his wet body. He has to wear wetsuits or anything with thickness and absorbance to keep him from getting things wet. The house he lives in then and now also is beneficial to his types. Tatami mats can be replaced when ruined, and absorbs water well. His room has stone flooring and his own pool to hydrate in. Though the positive is that no physical attack will connect with him, otherwise the attacker can get stuck or go through him.
Karyu unlike Teiden, was a good hearted soul, and always kept his word to his family he lived with. He fought for them and thwarted enemies and helped the Rakkouso as well. He was the peacekeeper and added to the treaty to keep the two rivaling clans at peace with each other. This was a big positive for their growths and his own self will. He stayed living there for a long time. There was this one time when his purpose was going to be needed for his clan....this is his story…this was three years ago. He was 15…
…When a scandal was in the works. “It seems there is a claim that the priest of the Rakkouso and our priest of the Tanukan were having a meeting together three days ago and he did not come back since and there has not been a word of it from either clan since. You can see we’re a bit worried that something happened to them. Karyu, we would like you to go find out more information from them,” Said the official. 
Karyu hums in thought, “I’ll do it. If something turns up, I’ll return for some back up to join with me on the search if something happened to them.”
The Official talks with the councilor, and then the Councilor responds, “All right, we will have two of our best join you as a three-man cell. The Rakkouso and The Tanukan’s alliance depends on how you two can get them back. I am sure you understand. Wait at the gate for the other two to arrive. You may go now.”
Karyu bows and leaves to wait at the gate, and he leant on the stone gate. In a few moments time, he was greeted by his comrades. “Hai, I guess you two are my partners.”
The reddish-brown Tanuki in a black kimono and sandals, with a blue streak going across the chest with a kanji symbol for heat, named Akai Kemuri, 20, “Yes, call me Akai, you must be Karyu then? I heard about you and all, but I guess we never got to meet before.” Along with him was a black otter with a red tail and red streaks on his back, and red streaks from the bottom of his eyes to the bottom of his cheeks. He was wearing a red robe with clan markings on them, wore white pants and jiki-tabi, about 19.
“And, you may call me Jinsoku. As a fellow Rakkouso of our head priest, I’m also worried of both of our priests. I was asked to tag along with you as we heard you were on a quest to find them,” He explained.
Karyu understood by giving him a nod, “Of course you may come; a representative of both sides would be good for our plan.” He smiles and stands down the path towards the Rakkouso’s village. Joining him at his 4 and 8 were his partners. 
Akai says, “Let’s do a job well done guys. I think we may have some excitement today from the looks of it.”
Karyu agreed, “Yes, I’d hope so, but at the same time, not, but what can we do? Shall we get going then?”
Jinsoku nods, “Lead the way!” They started down the path towards the other village down the mountain. The Rakkouso’s village was at the mouth of the river towards the inland sea to cross into the mainland of Japan. They arrive at the village soon after, it is about 4 in the evening. They stop by the tavern and relax inside to plan their next moves. 
Inside the tavern was a pretty mellow place, there was not that many people in it for this hour although is a hot spot around 5 or 6 in the evening. It was pretty much lit with dim lighting to set the mellow mood of the tavern. Like a calming effect for the drunken so to say, you know? The place was pretty much wooden for most of the booths and chairs, had thicker wood for the tables. The booth was made from hardwood and lacquered with metal rims. There was a nice display of drinks and taps. The bartender was a middle aged otter with a black and white robe with black slacks and was quite sharp for one. He had mostly brown and white fur. He had dark brown hair and blue eyes.
Karyu was sitting at the table with his partners, the team was led by him, although younger than the other two, he was placed at the head by the commissioner. Akai was having a bottle of sake to calm himself and think of his next move too. Jinsoku was looking out the window towards the sea. He could see the rest of the town from there and the calm waters of the ocean channel. They talked a bit with each other till a couple patrons [an otter and red panda] sitting at the raised bar were talking to the bartender, it sounded like they were talking about the incident.
…”Did you hear?”
…”What about?”
…”The incident with the high priest, I heard a strange rumor going on around him,” the otter stated. 
Karyu and company perks to the discussion, but keeps their attention away so he doesn’t give it away that they chose to eavesdrop the conversation. 
…”Yeah I heard about it,” replied the red panda.
…”There was someone in a black cloak that visited the shrine. He met up with the priests of both villages there. This was three days ago, the same day those two went up missing,” the otter continued.
Akai thinks about something, “I’m going to look at something…” he got up and moved to the bar. “Mind if I sit with you guys?”
The otter looks to him and says, “Sure. You need something?”
Akai responded, “I could not help, but overhear your conversation. Mind filling me in with what you know about that incident? I’ll buy you a drink for the information.”
The red panda cheered, “For the both of us? Well ok! We’ll tell you what happened, but first…the deal?”
Akai told to the bartender, “Sake please, for us.” He drops the Ryo in order to pay for it right there.
The barkeep responded, “Coming up guys.” In a moment, he serves the drinks to the trio. 
After a sip from the two, Akai then turns to the two and asks kindly, “Now can I have that info?”
The otter gave him this tidbit, “Ok, well, it’s like I told him. All I saw that day was the odd person in the black cloak, rather shady of a man, although never saw his face up close. We’re from the temple up there. We never saw that man come back out of the shrine as we left after dark. The acolyte of the temple told me they went missing and never gave a word that they left.”
The red panda continues, “Pretty much that.”
Akai asked, “What did he look like, the guy in the cloak, anything that stood out?” 
The red panda thinks then says, “If you are looking for a guy like that, you are looking for a black cloak with a red dot and silver star on the back, with this writing, I remember what it looked like *he started drawing it on a piece of paper*: 紅赤銀星 **” 
Karyu and Jinsoku went up to the bar to take a look at it. “May we see it, we’re with him?”
Akai showed the slip, “Crimson Reds of the Silver Star.” He gave a long pause “You know, I think I heard of that from somewhere. That is the name of an underground group of people. Rogues and all that,”
The Barkeep had heard of them and said, “I know of them, when you are around as long as I have *waves a finger with a smile* you learn many things when people come in and up here. *leans against the counter as he tells* If you want to know a bit more about them, it is said they can be found at the dock town in the western prefecture near here.”
Karyu sighs, “That long away? It’ll be well into the night before we arrive there.”
Akai smiles, “Well if we find an inn nearby, we’ll stop there. We should get going if we want to even get there by tomorrow morning. At least if we can get a caravan there it’ll be ok.”
A middle-aged human merchant from a nearby table happened to be there conveniently, “You young folk heading to Ehime? We’re leaving town tomorrow morning at dawn to pull some supplies there. If you three want to join us, we’ll be passing by the vicinity of the town so you’ll be able to be dropped off close enough.”
Jinsoku contemplated and then cheers, “Then it is settled, we’ll leave at dawn. You two ok with this?”
Karyu responded sharply, “Oh yeah, better than hoofing it there. *clears throat* Thank you.”
The merchant responded with a laugh, “Oh it’s no problem at all. I’ll be calling you boys by half of 7 tomorrow. We leave 7 sharp, is that ok?”
Akai nods no, “Not a problem!” 
After this change of plans for better, the three spent their evening recreationally with a hot spring bath to relax and rejuvenate and then it was bed time at 9. Morning came fast for them. They had already started on their journey to the north port town. Akai, Jinsoku and Karyu were on the back of the cart, watching the sea ahead for the port city. Taking the caravan there was a good convenient way to cut down time. They all kept watch for bandits as well, never know if they’d come out of the bushes on you while traveling. 
Karyu rubs his paws a bit with his hands thinking of the story the bar patron told him, “So, think we’ll even be able to find them by the time we get there? It’s been three days with no word of them; I hope that the worst hasn’t happened yet.”
Akai hums, “Probably not, and I am not sure why they would want to kidnap them either. Such things are questionable.”
Jinsoku added into it, “They probably did it for a high price ransom.”
They arrived at the half way point and stopped at an inn at the outpost town and decided to grab a bite to eat and fill up. It is 11am now. Afterwards of the break, they went back on the road.
By 2pm they arrived at the gates of the port town. “Well folks, I believe this your stop.”
Karyu said, “Thank you for the lift all this way, you helped us well.” He approached the merchant and took out his bag of ryo. “I-,”
The merchant stopped him, “No, no, you do not need to give me anythin’. Now you youngin’ be best on your way to rescue the priests of your villages! My hopes for fair luck on your quest…” he started on his way.
“Thank you!” the three said to him as they went to the big stone gates of the port city. Waves of the ocean are crashing towards the coastline. The city was quite sizeable. There were a cluster of ships in the distance at the port. Towards the north we could see mostly water, and small islands in the distance between here and the Inland Sea towards the mainland. The city was wide open in space, and not crowded for a town like this. They approached the gates and there were two human guardsmen on standby. The one stopped us.
Guardsman #1 had said, “Yo! Where are you fellas from?” 
Akai responded, “We are just travelers. We want to gain access into the city.”
Guardsman #2 had said, “We need a toll. 50000 Ryo please.”
Jinsoku responded hastily after hearing the price, “50000? That’s so much for a gate toll.”
Guardsman #2 replied to him with sternness, “50000, is there a problem with that?”
Karyu looked at his two partners, “That’s quite a lot for a gate toll, where do you two folks get off charging so much?”
Guardsman #1 chuckles, “We don’t make the prices Shorty, the price is what we are told to charge by the higher ups. Don’t make us charge you more.”
Jinsoku hums in distraught, “I am sorry, but I am not paying that much.” He thinks and then looks to his partners, “But we still need to get in there…”
(Insert Music:  Yoshida Brothers – Lullaby of Takedo (Takedo no Komoriuta) (10-Second Sting Version 0:02 – 0:12))Β
Karyu giggles, “Ok, time for my special kind of sweetness.” He approaches the two guardsmen, and then split his shirt so he can show them the glowing whirlpool symbol on his stomach. “Ok boys, look at the pretty, glowy, center~” he said in a cute-ish voice.
The second guard at first reacts, “What? Why?”
Karyu giggles, “Be a sport ok? Look at your appealing friend next to you; he looks like he enjoys what he sees.” 
The second guard blinks as he looks at the swirl, to him the glowing flickered and brighter as his eyes glanced at it. It looked like it was starting to rotate. He blinks trying to gain focus, but he just could not keep his head together. The first guard drops down on the ground and the second guard followed as they both went to sleep. He sat them upright against the stone pillars. “There, they’re going to be out for awhile.”
Akai and Jinsoku just chuckled till Jinsoku added, “I do not know what just happened to them, but glad we have you on our side Karyu.” 
Karyu chuckles, “It’s just a specialty of mine. You two look special yourselves. Can’t wait to see what you two could do.”
Akai snickers, “Oh yeah, we didn’t get called on this mission for kicks. You’ll see if we get some action this afternoon.”
Karyu then opens the gates, “Let’s head in guys. We’re probably going to have to search for more information. We know what to look for thanks to that guy that gave us the description. But, that’s not enough.” 
The other two nod in agreement, and started inside the town. We started looking around for a place we can get good information from. The town for the afternoon was a bit quiet, but they do not know much about the town so this is probably normal. They passed a bath house and some taverns and stores. To the north was the port with the warehouses and port, and all the ships. To the south was a hill that led up to the mountains and to get back on the path westward. To the west were the courthouse, jail and a big enclosed arena, but it was quiet so no events were going on today. We came from the east gate. There were three gates to the south and west. There were people going to and fro where ever they need to.
“Where should we start?”
Karyu hums, “We’ll get a lot more done if we split up and gain information that way. We’ll meet up in an hour at that warehouse.” He points to the warehouse with a number 14 on it. 十四 
Akai and Jinsoku remember it. Akai responds first, “Alright, I’ll look down at the docks to see if I can gather anything there.”
Jinsoku responds, “I’ll look around the inner town towards the west, Karyu check elsewhere.”
Karyu agrees, “Alright then. Ok team! Scatter!” The other two disappear into different sectors of the town. Karyu stays where he is and looks around. He starts up to the bath house, sometimes information can be found in hot springs because that’s when friends will gather up sometimes. When naked and wet! Karyu went inside the hot springs and stood on the stones near the water. There weren’t many people inside. There were three pools. On the far left there was an empty pool, on the far right, there were four people in together and in the middle there was one. Karyu chose the empty one and sat in it, his body absorbing the water and his body turns into hot spring water. 
Jinsoku arrives in the western section of the town, walking around and looking for key points. He tried not to look like a gaping tourist though so he just went on his way. 
Akai walked on the docks, looking across the water and to the boats. Some men were on the boats working, others were sitting by a warehouse, some others fishing. He thinks of looking at the docks to see if they know anything about it.
Karyu relaxing in the hot spring was relaxing, when he started overhearing the conversation from the other pool behind him that was closed off by a bamboo wall. “So, you have arrived my good man. Did you do as you were told? They are loaded onto the cargo boat?”
Karyu thinks to himself, “Cargo boat? I need a closer look.” He ducks underwater and goes through a tight pocket to the other pool; he turned himself into the water so he would not be seen, but can still hear them.
The man was in a black cloak, the other man was unclothed in the water. The man the black cloak said, “Yes, they are ready to be shipped. That moment with the leaks in the bottom of the boat was ok, we transferred successfully.”
Karyu thought to himself, “That man in the black cloak is he the same one…”
Akai thought he saw a shadow go into a warehouse, it was cloaked. “What was that?” He started up that way.
(Insert Music: Yoshida Brothers – Ibuki (Breath))Χ
Jinsoku had approached a tavern and sat on the bar stool, thinking about his search, which was not going well, he looks around the tavern. People were in some sea garments; they were drinking a lot and having an obnoxious time. This was probably the loudest tavern in the town.  But it being one of the noisy ones, there’s bound to be the quiet person out of the bunch that may know something. He went over to the one group who seemed to be from the docks recently. “You folks look like you’re having a time huh, may I join?”
The drunk bear-like seaman who seemed to be the leader of the bunch, “Oi, oi, for sure you may. Have one on me; you look like a fine specimen.”
Jinsoku tried to follow that wording; specimen was never used on people like him. He sat down across the table from him, and suddenly another seaman sat with him. He felt he got into something he should not have. “So, ehem, how long have you folk been here in this town?”
The drunk leader responded, “Oi ya, about a week. We were loading stuff on to a ship and it ended up sinkin on us…we had to wait here till we got ahhhh new ship here.”
Jinsoku looks at him, “If that’s so, think you can give me some information?”
The leader responded, “Oi ya, but only~ for a price mah boy. We play a fair game, you win… I give information free…you lose~ you do something for me in exchange…” he drank from his mug more.
Jinsoku felt he may be onto something with this guy, “What kind of game are we playing then? And yes, I am up for it.”
The leader replied, “You be too young to drink from the looks of it, so we play a game of dice. *he takes out three 20-sided dice and puts them on the table* I fun little game for us to play with these. We will play a game of dice with a twist. We roll these dice, whoever gains the highest; wins 1 game out of 5 nnnnnhand, the lowest will have to either do a dare or hehehehe, take one piece of clothing off. Sound like fun?” he then motions his partner, “He’s playing to, so it’s 2 on 1.” 
Jinsoku thinks, the game was something he would not think of doing normally, but to gain the information he needed, he would have to now. “Oh I guess.” He was looking out the window. The bear had a nice way of stacking on the stakes. If he wanted information, he would have to play the bear’s game and, try not to lose too much. He was blushing thinking about him losing this and telling the other guys what happened. Karyu and Akai would probably laugh at him and then be sorry for him.
The bear and his partner grin at him, “Oh and for proper introductions, the name’s Captain Niskuma, and he’s Azumasen, pleasure to meet a fair otter of your stature and to have a fun game with. Let’s start shall we, over at that private booth be better perhaps?” 
Jinsoku agrees and moved to the private booth and closed the curtain so they could have their fun alone. “Alright, let’s do this!” He takes his die, and the two bears take theirs and roll. Jinsoku rolled a 6 on the first roll. Niskuma rolled a 17 and Azumasen rolled a 10. “No!” 
The captain had a hearty chuckle, “Well then, otter boy, it’s either a dare or you take one of those rags off, and I will warn the dares aren’t easygoing~”
Jinsoku chuckled, “I’ll take the dare…”
The bear grins, “Are you sure? Well ok…your first dare, you must…kiss me…on the lips and mean it. If you don’t want to do it, you can do the other thing and take off a piece of your clothes.”
Jinsoku thought to himself, and says, “Ah, well, I guess I’ll just pass on the dare and do this.” He sits up and takes off his robe. The bear then asked for the shirt, just in case he had thought Jinsoku would cheat. 
The bear just grinned a bit when he declined the dare quickly, knowing he would be harder on him next time. “Alrighty then, I won the first match out of 5. Next round…”
Back to Karyu…
(Insert Music: Jesper Kyd – Acre Underworld) (0:00 – 0:24)Δ 
“Ok, tell the boys at the warehouse that we will be leaving tonight at 6. We need to get them there by crack of dawn,” Said the man.
The cloaked man replied, “It shall be done.” He left the bath house towards the docks. 
Karyu swam back to his side of the pool and got out and told himself, “So, at the docks. That’s where Akai went, maybe he found something too.” He checks the sun, “We still have about 45 minutes left till the rendezvous point.” He went outside and went to the inn.
Akai had indeed seen something move to the warehouse, he got up on top of the roof and crawls to the window to peer inside. He saw a group of people in cloaks inside along with some men without them and looked like seamen. The seamen were in black suits with grey blue symbols and the cloaked men were in black cloaks, and that’s when he saw the symbol on the back of one. “That symbol…”
“You will be looking for a man in a black cloak; it had a red dot with a silver star with this kanji.” Shows drawn kanji.
“No way…is this that group? Who are these other guys though.” He thought to himself. He kept himself hidden so they do not spot him up there. “I should find a way to tell the others…but I better wait.”
Back to Jinsoku’s game
(Insert Music: Yoshida Brothers – Ajigasawa Jinku)Ε
It has been two rolls so far, and Jinsoku lost twice in a row, and chose to take his clothes off than take the dare. He took off his shoes and gave them to the bear he lost to that round. “It’s the third round otter boy; think you can go a bit more?”
Jinsoku pffts, “Sure! I got 3 more rounds to beat you.” Then his luck changed that round. He rolls an 11, and the two bears rolled a total of 5. Azumasen got the lowest so he was chosen for the wager. “Ok, will you take the dare I have for you or take your clothes off?”
Azumasen says, “I’ll take the dare, hehehe.”
Jinsoku looks around, “Alright, I dare you to tell me…which boat you use to travel here.”
Azumasen laughs, “Is that the dare? Alright, it’s the brown cargo boat out there with a crescent moon on the sails, they’re blue.”
Jinsoku smiles, “Good, onto the next round?”
Niskuma and Azumasen both were still drunk and didn’t know what Jinsoku was doing.  Niskuma says, “Oi ya, let’s go!” He took a swig of his drink. Azumasen rolled a 16, Jinsoku rolled a 7 and Niskuma rolled a 3. He looks to Azumasen, “I’ll be takin the cloths off for ze fluke roll.” He took off his shirt and his muscular thick body of a bear showed up. He was quite the tough one. “Round 5,”
The white bear rolled a 17, Jinsoku rolls a 16 and Niskuma rolled a 15. Again he chose to take his clothes off, and took off his pants. He wasn’t wearing any shoes. He was in his boxers. “That was the last round out of 5. I won twice, he won twice, and you won once. So we won against you~”
Jinsoku growls, “I lost? Oh boy…”
The two bears grinned, “And remember the deal for losing boy?”
Jinsoku nods, “Painfully yes I do…” slouches in his seat.
The white bear got up and took his paw and swiped his head to knock him out cold, “We’ll be havin’ some fun with ye back on our ship. It’d be time to leave anyway.”
The two bears had otter-napped him, and drug him back to the ship, and I mean drug him for the sake of just doing it to be funny to themselves. 

Chapter 2: Infiltrations & Transformations

Karyu saw it was about time to go to the warehouse to meet up there and started down.
Akai had been watching them for a bit on the warehouse, till he spots a black robed man that came from the bath house to the warehouse and went through the front door. He was talking to one of the guys who greeted him. He then started towards the back door. 
The two bears who took Jinsoku with them, went down the cargo hold, and put the otter in the back room. “Here’s a nice place for him. Tie him up.” The white bear had done so with the finest leather he found in there against a pole. “Once we start moving, we can have fun with him.” They left him there.
Karyu waited at the designated warehouse for the two for a bit till he saw a group of seamen and black robed figures getting onto a cargo ship. “Who are they? Wait a second; the one in the front was the one I saw before. That must be who we are looking for. Sorry guys if I am not here…” He wrote a message on the door of the warehouse in case they see it and ran to the dock and jumps in the water to swiftly swim to the boat. He was faster in water than on land. He got onto the cargo ship and got into the porthole.
Akai followed the seamen and cloaked men onto the ship by transforming into a seaman like he saw. They did not give him a second glance. Following them, he was led into the cargo hold to a room in the front where they sat to talk of their next move. That’s when a familiar bear walked into that room, it was the captain. The bear had spoken, “Looks like everyone is here, the rats are in their cages and we can get moving to meet up with our rendezvous with them.”
The cloaked men and seamen had agreed. Akai as one of the disguised seamen had thought to himself, “Rats in the cage? Could it be…” 
Karyu was in the boiler of the boat; all three of them were on the same boat now by the way. He walked out of there, and looked in the hallway, and saw a white bear standing guard of one room, empty the other way but he could feel heavy presences of people on board. He was in some hot water being here and hoped he does not get caught. So he retreats back into the room and turns into a water puddle so he can move in the ship freely without being seen as more than water.
Akai as one of the seamen, thought it would be fair to ask, “Captain, I wish to ask, who are they? The ones we’re meeting?”
The bear captain responded with a slight distend in his voice, “Who are they you ask? I suppose you are one of the new ones, so I’ll tell you. They are the Crimson Reds. We the Silver Stars do not know much about them, but they are very technological seamen, we get a lot of our supplies from them. Bad men, worse than us, but they do gives us revenue.”
He had to ask, “Worse? Why? Does it have to do with our, ehem, rats?”
The bear nodded, “Yes, why do you ask?”
Akai responded with a tone of slight worry, “No reason I was just curious as all.”
The bear hummed at his answer, “Ok. We must be off now, crew lets head up and get the anchor up and get going.” They all left for the top. The captain moves to the hallway to his first mate. 
The white bear guarding the doorway to Jinsoku where he is held captive, and still unconscious notices, “Captain, what about our guy here? Do we keep him in here or put him with the rest?”
The black brown bear rubbed his chin, “No, keep him locked in there. I’ll have one of my crewmen watch over him for now. Come up with me to the wheel my good man.” He walked back and stepped over a puddle of water. He looks down to see water from the room, “Water?” he opens the door and sees the porthole opened and water tracks on the ground. “Alright, who’s the wise guy that opened that window and didn’t close it? Buddha knows you shouldn’t sail with one open.” He growls and walks to it and closes it tight. “Get someone to mop this up ok?” 
The white bear nods in agreement and asks one of the seamen to clean up down there and then watch over the captive in the room. The other two captives were somewhere else in the ship or so there seemed to be only 3 in total, as now 5 are technically captives. The bears left and one of the seamen came down. He was a normal human with blonde hair and blue eyes. He started to mop up the water with a mop. Then one of the puddles started to come alive and move to him and then when the guy steps on it, it explodes around him in an airless water bubble and started to strengthen with chakra and crush him with pressure inside the bubble. Sound could not escape the bubble inside so no one would hear him scream for help. He was crushed till he could not move anymore. The ship started moving now.
(Insert Music: Yoshida Brothers – Blooming)Φ
Karyu proceeded to stuff him into a crate and then he seals it with sticky water. He did give him air so he won’t die. He gave a rather happy bye to him, and then he ran out of the room. There was no one watching the hallway now. Akai was upstairs and Jinsoku was in the room. He did not know Jin was in there, but he did try to open the door, it was locked. “Locked? Hmm, but I have the key!” He turns into water and goes through the seams and stands in the room in his true form, he meeps seeing Jin there handcuffed to a pole and tied with leather, “Jin? What are you doing here and…*giggle* what happened to your clothes?”
Jinsoku stirs in his sleep and opens his eyes to see Karyu standing before him. He looks around and sees pipes, tables, boxes and stuff. “Oh, hi Karyu…where am I?” he looks down and saw he was in his undershorts with a bulge in his pants that shows he was dreaming of something nice. “Oh crap! Karyu, stop staring, get me out of here and find me something to wear…I’ll explain later.” He said hastily and freaked at once.
Karyu giggles at him, “Sure, sure.” He looks around and looks in the boxes. He sees some garments in the box for new seamen to wear. “Oh here are some cute clothes. What size are you?” He then heard heavy footsteps coming towards the room. “Uh oh, pretend you are asleep!” he turns into water and escapes behind the crates to hide.
The footsteps stop at the door, it looked towards the room where the seaman was supposed to be mopping and watching the room Jinsoku was in. “Hey! Where did he go? Abandoning your post, Jonathan? Where are you?” he opens the door where Jin was in. “Thought he was in here…” it was the white bear Azumasen.
 (Insert Music ~ Madrugada by Yoshida Brothers) Γ
He saw Jinsoku stirring trying to act asleep still. He chuckled to him, “I know you are awake, boy! *short laughs* Nice try.” 
Jinsoku woke up to see him, he grins back to match him, “Well…uh…where you two taking me?” he struggles in the leather binds and cuffs. 
Karyu was behind the crates looking through one of the slits at them listening in.
Akai, still disguised, was up on deck watching the captain’s helm where the captain was piloting. 
The white bear responded with a laugh, “Oh, you’ll be greeting some friends of ours later. But, till that time, you’ll be spending some quality time with us.” He pets some on the otter’s head and tilted his head up have him look at his face. “Can’t wait…hehehe…for later. You stay there for now ok?” The white bear pressed his lips on the otter’s head for a kiss. “You’re just cute, scared like that.” His hand was ice cold when it touched his shoulder, like it just came out of a pile of snow. He released his handcuffs from the bottom pipe and put him on the top pipe, and made sure the leather cuffs kept his feet against the bottom one effectively suspending him and hanging him like that, but also cannot move at all well, “Bye~” he left the room.
Karyu giggled to himself watching this, he just could not help himself seeing him like that. Making sure the bear left, as he kept his senses up for the vibrations. “Can I come out now?”
Jinsoku struggled in his position, could not get his hands or feet free, much less moving his body. “Yeah, come out.”
Karyu walked out in front of the crates seeing him like that, still chuckling at him. “Now tell me what just happened to you? *pauses and then with a teasing voice* Cute Otter-san” he rummaged through the crates for the clothes that Jinsoku could fit in.
Jinsoku blushed at first, then growls and said with angry tone, “Just get me out of here!” 
Karyu got the clothes and drops them on the ground, smiles then says, “Sure, just one more thing from you~ ask nicely?”
Jinsoku shot back with a growl and then changes his voice, “Please?” 
Karyu giggles, “Ok!” he started getting the poor otter down. “Soo~when’s your next date with that bear?”
Jinsoku twitches his eye and slapped the tanuki with his tail, “Knock it off~” 
Karyu ooohs, “Someone’s gotten off the wrong side of the mat~” he started tickling the otter’s toes, (the pipe has been warming the otter’s paws making them more sensitive) with both hands on both of the otter’s paws.
The otter meeps and broke out in giggles from the fact he was really ticklish there. “Hshshsh, s-stop! C-c-come on!” he slapped the tanuki again with his tail.
Karyu giggles, “Slapping me with that, will make this worse…” he poked deeper into those toes and started into the pads on those paws.
The otter started laughing and blushing to the tanuki’s teasing. The laughing was heard from the hallway and footsteps were walking back towards the door. “Oh snap, Karyu stop! You’ll get us caught!” Karyu took the clothes and jumped behind the crates again. The door opens and Jinsoku was catching his breath.
It was one of the crewmen, “Hey you! Stop that laughing, what are you even laughing at in here anyway?”
Jinsoku shot with a smart tone, “I’m laughing at you…”
The crewman growls, “Well then, shut it.” He took a rag that was smelled after wine, gagged the otter’s mouth with it. He started back out of the room, “And where is this water coming from. Damn cheap ships.” He mumbles to himself and shuts the door tight.
Jinsoku mumbles loudly at Karyu to come out now. 
Karyu got out, “Alright let’s get out of here. Akai is probably wondering where we are too.” He wondered if he was on the ship too if Jinsoku was here as well. He unties and un-gags the otter and gives him the sailor clothes found in the crate earlier. Jinsoku got into the clothes, they were kind of a tight fit, but still could be worn by him. 
Karyu smiles, “Not half bad Jin.”
Jinsoku shot him a look, “Well, let’s go now.” He bops Karyu on the head. “That’s for earlier!”
Karyu oofs, “I deserved it, couldn’t help my tendencies. Ehem, so I heard that there were two others on the ship. It might be who we are looking for.”
Jinsoku nodded, “Yeah, let’s take the time no one is down here to see if they are down here too.”
They both left the room. Akai up on deck saw a storm brewing in the distance. “Looks like a good storm is brewing on these seas tonight.”
One of the crew members with him agreed, “Yeah. Buddha is not happy with what we are doing right now, but we do not have a choice.”
The captain at the helm saw the storm and decided to keep trekking on that way. “We do not have a choice, but to head that way. They’re waiting for us at the island.” 
The white bear agreed with the captain who told him through the CB radio, he was sitting down on a chair in the captain’s quarters, looking towards the jailed captives in the helm. “You folks are going to be in a rough ride, but do not worry.”
The tanuki priest and the otter priest were in a jail cell in the captain’s quarter. The one spoke first, “Please, get us out of here. You can stop this. Buddha will still forgive if you do.”
The white bear sighs, “No point in trying to convince me to let you go. Losing you two would be expensive.” He smiles to the otter that was recognizable with the otter he had down below. “I also have a friend of yours on board too. Quite cute and young. He looks strong and quite valuable too.”
The white-brown otter with a white beard spoke, “A friend of mine?” 
The bear replied, “Possibly, he is an otter like you. Same clan too.”
(Insert Music – Yoshida Brothers: A Hill with No Name (Short Version), used as theme of Jinsoku)Η
The otter had slouched and spoke softly undertone, “Jinsoku, I thought it would be him who had come. He is the only one who would fit that description.” He knew him well, as a matter of fact, Jin was his grandson.  He remembers his time with the boy, teaching him all he knew about the art of fighting for those he cared for and protecting his clan in the dangers of enemy attack. Remembering the otter’s only parent which was his mother, his father died in battle with an Osaka clan.
The tanuki next to him had reassured him, “Do not worry; I do not think he is alone. In fact, I think one of ours is with him trying to rescue.”
The otter solemnly agreed, “Yes, Jin is a wonderful one. Always the one to be the peaceful fighter. Always surprises me with his growth. Let us hope for blue skies on these dark waters.”
(Insert Music – Yoshida Brothers: Storm)Ι
The bear didn’t hear their conversation; he was too busy with the storm starting to take its toll on the ship. Akai was trying to help out with the crewmen to keep the boat safe. The waters of the sea were very choppy and just got this way in such a short time. Lightning and rain were pouring and tensions were growing.
Jinsoku and Karyu were holding onto the siding of the ship as it was pushed back and forth by the churning waters, and they could hear yelling above. Some were coming from the front of the ship were the hatch to above was. They got it closed tight so no water could get down there from above. The lights below the deck were knocked out of power so it went pitch dark for the two stowaways. They stumble to the storage room to get a flashlight for both of them. “This is bad; our mission will be compromised if we get caught down here or lose everyone to this. Can’t you calm the water Karyu?”
Karyu responded, “I’d have to be outside the ship to try that. I’m still not that adept at controlling my water abilities yet.” He said with a worried look.
Jinsoku hummed, “Then we better get out from under here alive, lest we be flooded in if the side of the ship breaks. You can survive in water, I can’t.” 
Karyu nodded, “We’ll have to take the risk of being seen and get out above. There must be an escape hatch elsewhere down here.” He looks around with the flashlight at hand. His grey-blue glowing eyes looked around as well; he shines for the stairs nearby. He saw the reflecting metal stairs down one hallway, “There’s some stairs up. Come on.” They both carefully head to them and head up the hatch. He pushes up on the hatch, it was locked from above. “It’s locked and I don’t think I can bust it open without being caught.” He got an idea and then he transformed into the seaman that he half-killed and pounded on the hatch, formed cuffs of hard water around the otter’s hands, “Sorry for this.”
One seaman heard the pounding and walked to it, opened the hatch, “Oh it’s you two, get up here, we have to get things locked down tight. Take him up to the captain’s quarters pronto too.” 
Karyu looks to Jinsoku and then up the platform to the captain’s quarters. He took him up to it as told and knocked for the captain.
A white bear had opened the door, “Oh it’s you Jonathan, and I wondered where you went. Hehehe, and you brought the otter up safely. Good of you to do so was worried about him. Bring him in.” He brought him inside. “You may leave now Jonathan.” He pushed him out of there, and shut the door tightly. “You’ll be safe up here with me.” 
The jail holding the prisoners were in there. Jinsoku saw the two priests there, and his grandfather was the otter. He ran to the jail cell, “Grandfather!” he held the bars as he shook seeing him like that.
The old otter sees him, “Jinsoku, you have come. I knew you would… I’m a little under the weather, but I am all right…”
Jinsoku sat down in front of the bars, “I am glad though you are ok, and including you too Tanukan-shisai.”
The bear was watching them, “Oh so you two are relatives, makes this better for business.” He chuckles and pushes a button dropping the curtains over the cells and a second button pressed to release some sleeping powder to make the captives fall asleep. He walked over to the otter and pulls him back to the desk. “You’ll be with me for now hehe…pet…” he said in his breath so only the otter could hear him.
The otter just looked at him with a hint of being scared of what was going to happen to him. The bear slapped on some leather mitts on his hands and feet, and a ball gag around his mouth. “There, now I won’t hear any distress or defiance from you either.”
Outside, Akai was helping tying things down and bracing the weather. Karyu outside the cabin door was unsure of what was going on inside with Jinsoku, and he did not trust the bear at all. He could not get out of form or he would be caught. The only thing he could do was look for Akai and plan a rescue. He walked down the stairs on to the deck and came across a bunch of seamen bracing their contents on ship with a tarp and other things.
Akai was told to tell the captain something and he ran into the seaman that was named Jonathan, however, his feelings told him that it was Karyu like that. “Karyu?”
Karyu as the seaman, “Wait, Akai? It’s you!” they ran back under some stuff to shelter from the rain, “Man, it looks like all of us are on this ship. Jin, you and I.”
Akai hummed, “Where is he?”
Karyu said over the rain, “I was told to move him to the captain’s quarters. He’s with him right now. Something is not right about him either and this crew.”
Akai nods, “Yeah, they’re planning to meet up with another group known as the Crimson Reds. We’re supposed to meet them up east with the cargo, and by that, I mean they have who we’re looking for.”
Karyu sits, “I thought so, there was no one down below, and no one should be, so they must be up in the quarters.”
Akai looks in the distance, “Looks like we might get a break in the storm. We have to find a way to rescue Jinsoku and the two, and get off this ship. Does not look like that will happen soon…”
Karyu pats his shoes on the water logged floor, “Yeah, that’s one thing. We also can’t stay like this either. So we have to at least take some of these crew members out.”
Akai replied, “Agreed.”
“Let’s wait for the break, when the sea starts to calm more. Then we’ll strike while the night is young hehe.”
The scene moves to a later time, the storm has passed, but it was still night. The crewmen went below to see if there were any damages below. The storm did rattle the ship quite a lot. There were some damages to the ship’s exterior, but no real worry. There was water down below though from leaking in the floor. They were working to clean it up.
In the captain’s quarters the white bear had kept his little otter safe as he said he would, the two captives in their cells were quite asleep. The captain told someone to man the ship for him while he went down to relax in his quarters. Manning a ship in such weather can bust your nerves and he needed something to relax with. He came into the quarters and saw his first mate and the otter beside him, all obedient like. “Aww, cute guy he is. You took care of him during the storm?”
Azumasen replied, “Oh ya, he was quite the good boy this evening.” He pets his head, and put his big ink-black bear paws on his head, and pressed him down so he would be in bent into the floor on his knees under those heavily musky paws of salty ocean and bear musk. They were dirty too, meaning he did not clean his paws much at all. Jin could only mumble into his gag and try to take the scent. It was bothering him easily as the scent was just awful to him.
Niskuma just laughed at this, “I’m going to relax in my private quarters ok, just keep him under watch. I think we got some rats crawling around on board. They think they’re clever too, disguising themselves as one of our own. They think I do not count heads? Hehehe, one of the guys down below mentioned they found a dead body in a crate. So we got a wise guy posing as him.” He put his captain hat on the hook and coat. “The dead guy was Jonathan, that blond and blue guy.” He went on back.
Azumasen stood up, actually stepping on Jin which sent a big shock through his body feeling that. “Ooh, oh sorry there.” He got off him and went back with the Captain. Jin laid there going limp. Azumasen had told him that he just saw that named crewman not long ago bringing the otter in. “Go out and find him. I want to see him on the double. We are supposed to meet up with those people soon. Having a bunch of stowaways is going to spell trouble! I just know it.” Was shouted by the captain with a hint of irritation.
Azumasen ran out of the quarters on deck and told some crewmen about a potential stowaway on board and if they seen Jonathan on deck lately. One of the crew members said he was just seen not long ago. The bear told the crewmen to go find him and bring him up to the captain’s quarters as soon as possible. “We got a fake on board!! Find Jonathan. Blond hair, blue eyes. Human. Was last seen on deck ten minutes ago. Find him and bring him to the captain!” He went back into the quarters.
(Insert Music: Yoshida Brothers - Kagero)ϑ
Karyu and Akai trade looks, “I better ditch this body then.” Akai hides him behind and Karyu transformed into a different crewman. Because of this, there was no extra that fit the description. “This will be a fine time to take the crew out don’t you think? While they’re all down there looking?”
Akai chuckles, “Allow me…” he went to the hatch and blew thick hot red smoke down below from his mouth. 
Karyu was surprised, “Whoa! Awesome that is, I’ll follow.” They then went below, Akai transforming into his real form in the smoke and becoming one with it. The members saw the smoke explode towards them after getting completely engulfed in the red smoke, coughing and their eyes burning from the heat; something wet and hard knocked them out. Karyu was following Akai in the smoke, using it for cover and knocking out crew members in it in his real form as well. Almost ten were knocked out while he was in the smoke following Akai to the end of the hallway and up to deck. They saw some other crew members there and they spotted them. “Hey!”
Karyu shot a missile of condensed water from his mouth and knocked the screamer out as if he got smacked by a bowling ball that weighed a ton. He formed a sword with his arm turning into water and sliced through other crew member felling them all out quickly. He took them and dropped them in the hatch. “There, that’s enough of them out. We only got a few more to deal with and then we got the Captain, the other one and rescuing our friends.” They made a move to the quarters to sneak into them.
Azumasen was hearing screams and some silence, “Hey, has the ship gotten silent all of a sudden? I better go take a look…” he tells to the captain. He walks down to the deck, “Hmm, where is everyone?” he went down under the deck.
Karyu and Akai were hiding behind a box when he went down inside, “I should’ve flushed the bodies out of ship.”
Akai hehs, “No time for that now, let’s go.” He and Akai ran up to the door and quickly went inside the captain’s quarters. They stood there and saw a pretty nice room that outrivaled the rest of the ship. There was a doorway to stairs that went down to the captain’s private room that could only be accessed through here. There was a curtain around the room, a desk and an empty chair. Where was Jinsoku? Where was the two other captives?
Karyu mmms, “I thought Jin would be in here, but I do not see him.”
Akai felt strange, “Hey I think I feel couple presences up here. There’s someone behind the curtain there.” He walked to the curtain and opened it and there he saw was the priests that were held captive and asleep. “Hello? Are you two awake? It’s me, Akai, I’m of the Tanukans here to rescue you two. I’m with Karyu and Jinsoku.”
Jinsoku’s grandfather stirs and woke up and saw Akai and Karyu standing there, “It’s you two, the other boys on the rescue. I thought he would not be alone here. Where is he?”
Karyu hums, “I do not know. We came up here thinking he’s here. But he is not.”
Then suddenly the door opened behind them, it was the white bear that came back and was sort of ticked off, “So, there you are you little punks. I thought I would leave the room and see if you boys would try this, and look what happens. I caught a bunch of rats trying to steal back our rats.” He shut the door loudly.
Karyu and Akai stood ready to attack and defend. “Where’s Jinsoku, where did you take him?”
Azumasen chortled, “Oh you’ll find him with the captain, and I took him there so you boys would have to go down there to find him. But, that did not happen as I found you, so there’s no chance you boys will be getting away alive either.”
Karyu turns his hand into water, “Oh is that so? Wanna bet on that?”
Azumasen hummed, “The last time I had a bet, I won the otter down there. I’ll take your bet, but you will not get the same treatment he did. I need you guys dead before we meet up with them.”

Chapter 3: The Arrival of the Crimson Reds

Akai looks towards the night horizon through the window, and saw a ship in the distance, “Too late for that. I think that is them.”
Azumasen looked outside, “Oh boy, it is them. They’re early; we were not supposed to meet till the morning. Now you boys are done for.” He took off his shirt and buffed up, “Let’s do this, boys! Who’s first?” He taunted them with a hand gesture.
Akai stepped forward, “I will, Karyu, back me up.” He put his right hand to his waist inside his kimono, and put his left hand towards the bear with his index and middle finger and brought it to his lips, and said, “Hito!” his eyes lit up and he blew a plume of red smoke from his mouth and filled the room with the smoke. The alarm in the room caught the heat of the smoke and the sprinklers turned on and showered the entire room. “Karyu, you’re up!”
Karyu chuckles, “Oh yeah, this works.” He with his power of hydrokinesis, stopped the water in the air and started to solidify them, and condense them, and turn them into needles. “Onami Style: Needle Rain!” He showers the bear with countless needles of hardened water. This forced the bear to retreat out of the room and back to deck.
The captain of the boat came up to the room soon after, “What is with all the noise?” he sees Karyu and Akai there with the curtain open showing the captives. He shut the door quickly. “Oh, so it’s just you boys. Hehehe, you guys looking for your friend, he’s downstairs. But you’ll have to pass me first.” He disappeared and reappeared behind Akai and grabbed his tail and lifted him up quite easily. “This should be quite fun~ I’m much tougher than my first mate, so your little tricks won’t work on me.” He tossed him out the door and looked towards Karyu. “Now it’s your turn!”
Karyu grins and turns into water and escapes out the door back to deck baiting him into the open area, which will turn into his favor quite better. The captain started out following, but he was wise, “Oh so he can turn into water and he can control that element. I see what you’re trying to do.” He stood by the door and watched out to the deck. He saw the ship in the distance heading towards them. “Not only do we have the stowaways, but it looks like they’re early. Dealing with them is not going to be an easy time at all. You two in the cage are quite the expensive ones, I lose you two and I’m in big trouble. Better stay in there.” He went out the room and shut the door tightly and guarded it.
Azumasen was on the deck and he looked to the two Tanuki who were fighting him. He looked at them both, “You both got me back there, but out here. I’m boss!” his body looked like it had a sheen to it and he formed ice in his hands and froze his own paws then stamped down with faster speed and tried to give the two a pounding with ice fists. Akai looked to Karyu, “Karyu, take care of the Captain, I can handle him myself.”
Karyu nods to him, “Alright.” He stood towards Niskuma who was watching them from the stairs. “You up there! I’m rescuing my friend and those important! You won’t stand in my way!” Niskuma could only chuckle at him and he jumped from the stairs and landed on the floor with a pounding thud, making the floor crack a bit. 
Niskuma chuckled at him, “Alright, I will not argue with you. But I will say, you are quite the spirited one. So allow me to break that spirit water boy.” He took off his glove on his right hand and showed his metal hand, “I lost this hand in a battle, and had to get a new one. But, I can do this with it.” He spun his hand and launched it and grabbed Karyu’s neck who did not try to dodge.
Karyu chuckled as the hand tried to squeeze his neck, with a calm flow, his neck turned into water and the hand went through his neck. “Hehehe, that’s it?” He grabbed the thick wire that attached the bear’s hand to his arm, and held it. “Now what? ^^”
Akai was effectively dodging Azumasen’s attacks so far, while the bear charged at him, Akai could study his movements for his next attack. His right hand never left his side and was only using his left hand. He jumped over the bear and took out his katana that was hidden in his kimono and lunged behind the bear with the katana at hand. 
Azumasen detected the attack and pounded his iced hand on the katana and was able to grab it safely because of his frozen hand and started to freeze the sword towards Akai’s body. Akai let go of the katana quickly and blew the hot smoke into his face from his mouth. He coughed and rubbed his eyes as the burning smoke filled his lungs and stung his eyes. “What a cheap-“ he was then stunned by a palm strike to his stomach and kicked into the jaw, then Akai grabbed his neck with his tail and pulled it down so Akai could pound the forehead with an open palm blow. The combination made the bear stumble back and fall to the ground.
Back in the captain’s quarters, a door was kicked down, and Jinsoku was free. “He should have never left me alone. Those two are going to pay big time. Don’t worry Grandpa-ojisan, I’ll be well..”
The old otter responded with assurance, “Remember what I taught you, and use it well. Come back alive…”
Jinsoku reassured him, “I will!” He ran outside onto the helm’s roof. “They’re here now. They have not noticed us. Wait a second, they’re not stopping?” The ship was much closer, and what stood out, was how technologically advanced it was. It had a metal exterior with a big giant axe as the figurehead. It was very sharp looking. There were cloaked men on board. The ship was luxurious for the most part as well. It had a crimson hull and most the decks were black. On the ship’s crimson sails was a black star with a scythe cutting into the center. 
He was not the only one to notice them, down on deck Karyu, Akai, and the two bears saw this. Niskuma retracted his hand with Karyu still holding it and threw him into the side of the ship to make him let go, he ran to the bow of the ship to get them to stop their boat. “YO!! Stop your boat before you ram into us!!”
Azumasen brushed Akai aside and ran to the helm and the pilot was unconscious too, no one was piloting the ship here. “When did this happen? Anyway,” he took control of the ship and tried to move the ship starboard to dodge them. The axed ship ahead continued going forward as if it was going to ram the ship. “What are they doing over there?” 
Karyu ran to the bow of the ship, “Why are they not stopping? Are they mad?” 
The cloaked men on the deck of the ship readied cannons of fireballs and launched them into the air towards the ship. 
Karyu saw the attack was for them at the bow, “They’re trying to sink us too.” He jumped to meet the fireballs and launched water balls from his hand to douse them. Inside the fire were metal cannon balls. They were indeed doused, and stopped in the air. They dropped to the ship and broke into the ship’s deck. 
Niskuma responded, “Yeah, they are mad. Do they know that we have who we’re trying to ship them? I call a truce because it looks like I am not the enemy anymore if they’re attacking us…”
Akai yells at them, “Hey! Stop your boat!” The cloaked figures stepped to the bow of their ship and chuckled, the ship was right upon them. Azumasen’s turn of the ship was not enough to get it away from them. Their ship crashed into the port of the ship, with the axe on their figurehead slicing it in half. The loud crashing as the ship came apart nearly in half as the ship was at the mercy at the other, then it stopped moving. The one cloaked man at the bow had said, “Oh sorry, we thought you were a shadow~hehehe.” 
Azumasen ran out of the helm to the deck seeing as how he cannot use the ship like this. “What is going on here?”
Karyu, Akai, Niskuma and Azumasen were on deck, and Jinsoku was in the captain’s quarters again, this time he got the two captives freed. “We got to get off this ship. There is a lifeboat on here, if I can get you guys back to shore, that way…” he looks around seeing how far they travelled. He went to get a scroll from his robe, but then he remembered he was in the sailor’s outfit because he lost his clothes earlier. “Damn, I don’t have it! I was going to use my special technique to teleport you folks home.”
Jinsoku’s grandfather replied, “Hmm, that is an issue. Do you know how to write it?”
Jinsoku hummed, “No, I don’t remember the pattern. Let’s just use the lifeboat.” He took them outside and headed for the lifeboat on the starboard side. Akai sensed them, “Jin!” he looked back and saw them heading for the lifeboat. Karyu and Akai ran to Jinsoku’s aid. “We got to get off the ship before it sinks and get you two home.”
Azumasen and Niskuma walked to them. Azumasen looked at them with eyes of shame, “I am not your enemy anymore. If it helps at all, I can get them back to shore…”
Akai, Karyu and Jinsoku traded looks. Jinsoku looked at Azumasen, “Despite what you two done…and I do not know if I can trust you two either…we have no choice. Karyu what do you propose we do?”
Karyu thinks, “Like you stated, we do not have much of a choice here. Any of you two want to tag along back?”
Akai steps up, “I’ll head back with them, once I get to shore I’ll get back up…”
From the ship that attacked them, about five soldiers landed on their ship. They had black gi, pants and tabi, with red armor, gold helmets. They looked pretty strong as well. One stepped up, he had a black cape, seemed like the commander of the squad. “None of you shall escape! The lord of death shall have you.”  
Jinsoku growls, “I’ll stall them while you get them away.”
(Insert Music – Yoshida Brothers: Indigo | Theme of Moris Rae)Κ
Then…a shuriken and kunai stopped the enemy squad from attacking the group in surprise, also a voice was called from above, “That won’t be necessary! You have it already!” Two figures had dropped onto the ship’s helm. A grey wolf with black hair running down his head, with bangs stopped at his eyebrows, but spaced apart enough to not go over them, longer straight hair that went down to the base of his neck, but in a wolf tail style with a blue tie. He had a black short-sleeved, skin-tight suit with a solid dark blue stripe down the left half, and a symbol on the back of it and pants with silver grey boots and black gloves. He had silver grey metal armor on his forearms in front of his suit and in front of his legs. He had two swords in sheathes at his hip. He had a black ninja headband with a metal plate with this symbol: .
The other figure was a grey wolfess, a little younger and shorter than the other next to her. She had straight black hair that went down to her shoulders, bangs carved down the side of her head and thick strands resting along her face casually, but didn’t hide it. She had a black suit like the other one, but stopped off above the stomach. It had a solid dark purple stripe along the left half of it. It had the same symbol the other wolf had on the back of it. She had armor like the other, a holster on her left leg and two on her waist. 
Akai and everyone looked up to the helm and saw them. “W-who are you, where did you come from?” with a look of surprise.
The two dropped down to the deck of the ship.
(Insert Music: Ozric Tentacles – Aura Borealis | Theme of Kota)Λ
The wolfess had said with a light calm voice, “I am Kota Rae.”
The wolf next to her responded with a deeper, but calm voice, “They call me Moris Rae. 
Kota sees the attackers, the two bear, Jinsoku, Akai and Karyu. “The two of us are of the Oltanis Team. Our jobs are not clear, but think of us as a task force ^^”
Karyu questioned, “Oltanis Team? I think I heard of it through the air. But, thanks anyway for coming to help if you are.”
Kota nods, “Akai, Moris can return with you to bring the priests back to their villages. You guys need a medic on this team if you’re going to take them on.”
Akai smiles and says “Well thank you, Jinsoku and Karyu, please stay alive ok. Return home after you dealt with them, we need to bring this organization down.”
Moris pats his sister’s head, “And you be careful little sis. Just because you’re the second in command while he’s gone, does not mean you can not be careful~”
Kota growls, “I know, I know.” She blushes being playfully condescended like that.
Moris chuckles, “Just teasing, I’ll get going.” 
He and Akai bring the two ex-captives to the lifeboat, Azumasen and Akai starts to get the boat away towards the nearest shore. 
Kota stands with Jinsoku, Karyu, and Niskuma guarding them till they are far enough, but also able to guard against their oppressors. She states with sternness “From now on, I’ll lead the squad. As both the medical nin and captain of the squad, we’ll attain victory over our new foes.”
Karyu bows, “That’s fine. You look like you know what you are doing.”
Jinsoku replies, “Lead on Kota.”
(Insert Music: Yoshida Brothers – Sprouting (Moyuru))Μ
 The Commander took out his sword from his sheathe and points the tip towards them, “None of you shall survive the might of the Crimson Reds! Men! Attack!”
The four of them disappeared right then and there, without a trace. Though Kota could feel out their energy signatures as she can sense Ki, she took out shuriken from her holsters and threw them at the shadows of the attackers to cause them to change direction and reappear. “Karyu, finish them!”
Karyu chuckles and spat a condensed sphere of water, as hard as a ton-pound bowling ball, and knocked away two of the enemies and shot himself towards the remaining two. They could not follow him at all before they got slammed by a wall of water in the shape of Karyu. They were hit so hard they bounced into the ship and bounced out of the boat into the water.
Jinsoku took his cue and appeared behind the commander and spun so he can slam his foot into side of his head, but the commander saw this coming and guarded by grabbing the otter’s ankle and with sword in the other hand, he lifted the otter so he was upside down and was going to bring the sword through him like that. When the sword was launched at him, the sword went right through him as if he was just a shadow but it did not warp his body either. He looked at this with surprise and before he could pull his sword back out, Jinsoku disappeared through him like a shadow and reappeared behind him and stuck a kunai through his back with a bomb attached. “Heh, surprises are always explosive!” He jumped away before the bomb exploded and taking the commander into the side of the ship.
The black cloaked mages started chanting when this happened, and powered up something around them.
Karyu and the company stood and looks him, “So that’s what you can do, hehe, quite surprising with that kind of technique.”
Jinsoku toothily grinned with eyes closed, “You never asked *chuckles* and it’s a technique handed down by my grandfather. It’s known as the Kūkan Kage Jutsu, or Space Shadow. I cannot use it all the time as it eats up more chakra the longer I’m in that state.”
Karyu mms, “So that’s why you have that pattern on your back, if I did not know better, you were an alien. *chuckles*” Considering he himself is one, but not many of the villagers know that.
Jinsoku chuckles, “Well our work is far from finished, let’s continue punishing these big bads!”
Kota agrees, “Big Bad is correct for what I feel from that ship. Someone in there has a huge Ki. Those mages too, we must tread carefully.”
Speaking of the mages, they had finished their chant and energy came from their palms and filled the unconscious body of the commander with stronger energy and revived him fully, but something had changed, like a curse had afflicted him. The commander’s visible body turned a deep red and grew spikes from his arms and shoulders, and two protruding spikes out of his back. He had a different stance as he was on his toes more. His hood had fell back showing his head, which was like that of a dinosaur-human fusion. His eyes turned dark with red sclera. Fangs had protruded from the roof his mouth a bit more. His hands and feet formed claws. The cloak on his torso had ripped off showing his bulked up body and was a dark brown with soft scales. 
It seems he had once been human, but because of the curse put on him, he was changed into a different being. A transmutation it had looked like. He had lost part of his rationality, but still had human in him somewhere. Kota, Niskuma, and company looked in shock of this horrid change. The mages laughed together, “Let us have our new pet play. He’s much different than before. The Lord watching us loves a good show. Have at thee, Commander Mokin.”
The newly transmutated warrior under the control of the mages, saw his target and it was Jinsoku, the one that had nearly killed him from before. He charged at Jinsoku with even greater power and speed than before. There was enough force from him to shatter the deck he stood on. Jinsoku did not react quick enough to use his technique again. 
Kota intervened between Jinsoku and the attacker and let loose a good force punch to the chest, making a crackle as she tossed him back the way he came with a press of her Ki into him. Causing him to hit the ground and slide, but he was able to recover and stand back up on his feet, and brushed off his chest as his bones were mended by one of the mages that were controlling him. 
Jinsoku hums, “Not much of an effect it seems. It looks like we have to target the ones controlling him.”
There was not much reaction time as the monster started to attack again, this time targeting Kota, it kept being aware of the others. His spikes on his arms sharpen as he jumped towards her to slice into her. She saw through it and was able to duck down to dodge the attack and counter with a sharp knee blow to the stomach and a grab of his neck with her arm as she turned her body so she could slam him down onto the deck. She was quite good with martial arts, even nearly beating Tanor at one point where she broke his ribs on his left side. She wasn’t someone to underestimate. Thus is why she is the third in command and trusted medical nin of the Oltanis Team. This battle is no different even without Tanor or Maru around.
Jinsoku jumped up to the deck of the other ship with Karyu following. Niskuma was told to assist Kota if he could. Jinsoku performed his technique and went to attack the mages directly. A few soldiers came and stood in his way and went to knock him away. They did not connect their attacks as Jinsoku’s body was intangible while he used his Space Shadow technique. 
Karyu used Jinsoku as cover so he could take out the enemies as they were left flustered by not being able to hurt Jinsoku at all. 
Realizing this, the mages looked at each other. One of the mages disappeared and left the four to fight the two of them. It seems they only need one mage to control Mokin. The one mage approached Karyu with good speed and unleashed a sword from his cloak’s sleeve and tried to stab him. Karyu allowed it to pierce him, when it did; water came out of the gash as if it was blood. The water solidified as the sword got stuck in him and then he proceeded to take the entire enemy into him. He was terrified as he could not pull his sword back out. He let go and disappeared and reappeared on part of the ship’s mast.
Mokin continued the assault on Kota and Niskuma. Niskuma shot his metal hand tethered to his arm to try and grab him from safe distance. Mokin sensed it and jumped to dodge and landed behind Kota to chain a powerful kick. The kick missed as Kota sidestepped and uses her palms to strike his back three times in three different spots, sending her Ki to send the force of the attack deeper and disrupting nervous signals to the spine. Niskuma retracts his hand and opens a slot in his palm and fired a missile to him as Kota jumped away for safety of the blast. It hit directly causing an explosion on impact.
The smoke blew off as Mokin survived the hit and charged at Niskuma with fierce force with each step; energy filled his arms so that his attacks did double in damage capacity. Niskuma, not being that fast to dodge it, took the first blow to his stomach and was sent into a couple barrels. Kota charged at Mokin and her hands glowed with chakra, “How about this! Chakra Dissection Blade!” She lunged for him and struck his back with her fists with the scalpel shaped chakra. Cutting off chakra to the back and therefore disrupting flow of energy. She did not stop there, and she grabs his thick tail and with great might pulled him up over her shoulder and proceeded to swing herself around so she could toss him into the air. 
Niskuma recovered and shot another missile from his metal hand, and it struck the airborne dinosaur humanoid, which then fell into the ocean. “Whoo, I think and hope that is it for him.” He arghs to a sprained arm and thigh from the previous hit he took.
Kota approached him, “No need to worry, one power filled enemy has been felled.” She saw the bruises and blood coming from a few good cuts and gashes. “Let me tend to those for you.” She put her hands on his thigh first and sent a flow of greenish chakra into it. She was using her medical-nin abilities to tend to the injuries, though she was not quite as good as Sakura as she was not trained under Tsunade personally. The wounds were healing up quite nicely though. 
Niskuma smiled as he was getting healed, “Thanks a lot Kota. Who knew when I took this job; there’d be so much I did not foresee at all. I was only told to bring those two with to take them to their base. The way I heard it, those two were not the only ones who were going to be taken…”
Kota shook her head in understanding, “Yes, I heard a few stories back home about them and recently this happens.”
On the other ship the battle with the mages continued on. Karyu and Jinsoku’s teamwork, even only knowing each other for less than 48 hours and this being their first battle together, it just came natural. As time passed with trading shots and blows, it was down to the last mage that was not injured yet. “I see you two are not half bad. I am the arch mage of the ship; I will not be taken down quite easily.” 
Jinsoku grins, “Arch mage eh? Does that mean you’ll put up a better challenge than your friends?”
The Arch Mage grins, “If you even manage to get past me, there’s also the captain who’s waiting for you. He wishes not to join us, though he is watching. He has seen everything happening up until this point. “
Karyu mms, “Jinsoku, I am going to pay him a visit.” He dashed to get past the mage and armed himself with thick water for armor. The mage did not let him get through and dashed in front of him and unleashed a scythe from his hood and went to cut at his chest. The scythe’s blade made contact and broke on contact as if it hit something thick and dense. “Hehe, weapons like that have no effect on me.” He boils up and explodes in his face sending water all over the ship and throwing the mage into a pool of water. While he tried to recover, the water was sticky and kept him from moving at all. “Jin he’s all yours! Have fun!” He reforms out of a nearby puddle and ran to meet the captain.
Jinsoku had approached the trapped mage, “Looks like I got this in the bag.” He makes a few hand signs starting with the Ram hand sign and ending with the Snake hand sign, and made tentacles made out of shadows come from his arms and went to strike the mage like they were spears.
Niskuma and Kota got onto the ship while this happened. “Where’s Karyu?” she looks around and saw him go below. Jinsoku was on the metal deck with the trapped mage in a sticky water puddle. Bodies of unconscious mages were on the ground as well. 
Jinsoku’s attack had impaled the body, but something was wrong. It felt too easy and there did not seem to be any friction. The hood was empty and somehow this happened between the time he got trapped and Jin went to attack. “Where’d he go?” 

Chapter 4: Captain Maoki Maoki

Down below the deck was far better than above, in fact it was really fancy. With fancy rugs, blank pictures. Many rooms as well. Down the far end was a white door with a gold star, symbolizing the Captain’s Quarters were there. Karyu was hiding by the stairs so he can be sneaky and take this easy. The hallway was barren as if no one was around guarding. “Where is everyone? Unless we just took out everyone, this is too easy.” He makes his way towards the door when suddenly…a figure apparated through the door and appears before Karyu. 
(Insert Music: Muse – Ruled by Secrecy)Ν
“Well hello there. You seem to be the sneaky one are you not? Trying to get the jump on me while I was peacefully resting in my quarters, but you lot making a ruckus above woke me. I was expecting you to come down here hehehe!” The captain was in crimson cloak with a black big scarf around his neck and part of his chest. He had a red crown with gold plates. He had a light purple skin for what was visible. He had a red whip with gold handle at hand as well.
Karyu huffs at him, “So you must be the captain of this ship. Who are you exactly?”
The Captain responded, “I am Captain Maoki Maoki. Now that you know who I am and what I look like, I cannot let you escape. Nor you or your friends.” He whipped at the table next to him and it came alive and it tossed itself at Karyu. Karyu kicked away the table quite easily. The Captain had then whipped more things around him, including the door he came out of. They became animate when the whip touched it. They homed in on Karyu to strike him. Karyu stood there and became his water form as they passed through him like nothing and crashed behind him.
“Hehehe, such things cannot touch me.” He dashed with water speed while in that form. So fast that his steps were only ripples in the puddles he created and appeared in front of him and decked him in the stomach and then pulsed water his hand like an energy field. The force sent the cloaked captain through the door…
(Insert Music: Yoshida Brothers – Kodo)Ο
Back above, Jinsoku, Niskuma and Kota were looking for the cloaked mage that disappeared. Jin was using his senses to find out where he went as well as Kota using her Ki Sense. Niskuma also got ready with his metal hand to launch an attack as soon as he appeared. The mage appears again he had another cloak on. He unleashed a scythe from his hood, “Looks like I must finish this before Master comes up. He’ll be pretty sore if I don’t.” he flies towards Kota first with the scythe at hand and spun it in his hand as he went to chop at her. 
Kota ducked and grabbed the scythe by the staff as soon as it came close enough and went for a forced punch through the ribs, with added Ki, she made quite the impact. While holding the staff she snapped off the scythe from the rest of it and threw it in the water never to be used again. 
Jinsoku took aim with his shadow and made missiles of sharp tentacles sprout of it and try to strike him while he was down, the mage had jumped away before the tentacles had impacted the floor leaving holes in them. He drops into his shadow and moves with quick speed and went to grab him himself. The mage had taken out a staff with a yellow orb on it and unleashed its power of light to blind Jinsoku from point-blank. “Arrf!” he rubbed his eyes to try to work out the pain. 
The mage drew back his staff and turned it into a scythe, “I can even transmutate one weapon into another.” He went to slice Jinsoku while he was blinded. Niskuma launched his hand with the wire attached and punched the mage while he was about to execute the cut and hit the side of the ship. 
Niskuma retracted his arm and opened up the palm and launched a missile to hit him as he was down. The mage tried to get up; however, the missile had impacted and blew up. The floor around him weakened and he fell through it. It seemed he was not recovering from the attack and was really down this time. “It seems he’s out. We should go help Karyu downstairs.”
Kota walks towards the hole where the mage fell into. She saw him unconscious face down on the floor. She drops down in the hole to see if he is really unconscious. She put her hand on the back and closed her eyes to feel out his aura. To her, the aura was not as active and was fading in strength. It seemed he really was down. She put a paper bomb on the floor of the ship and on the wall. “There, if he does move, it’ll be bad for him.” She jumps out of the hole and meets up with the two. “Let’s go.”
Karyu had bust open the door where he had blown the captain into. He was nowhere to be found. “This is too easy…” The captain’s quarters were really fancy. Crimson carpeting with gold trimmed furniture with red cushioning. The desk was made of mahogany with gold trims. There were portraits of the captain in his cloak on one wall. There were trinkets on the other wall. There was another door that led to his bedroom he supposed. He saw stairs leading back up the deck in another door. “He must have gone up there.” He raced to the stairs and then suddenly a whip was lashed out from his blind spot and latched his arm and held it back while it sent a burn to his arm. He urfs as he was beginning to lose feeling in his arm as energy was draining from it. He looked back towards the captain who had done this. “Urrrf, let me go~” he tried to turn his arm into water and he pulled his arm out of the grip. He concluded for a moment that whip was draining his energy and was not normal because it could touch him.
Maoki Maoki growls, “Stay still…that power of yours to become water is quite the bane.” He fires a beam of energy from his finger at him. Karyu was surprised at this and took a dodge to the left and saw it hit the wall and explode on it, sending a shockwave throughout the ship. Up on deck, his teammates could feel it. 
Kota oofs as she felt it, “That came from below!”
They ran to the source of the shockwave and to a hatch that went below into the captain’s quarters. Karyu was taken aback when he dodged another one and after a few shockwaves, he was hit through the deck of the ship and up on to the deck. “Karyu!!
(Insert Music: Kenji Yamamoto – Super Strength)Π
Maoki broke through the deck and joined the crew up on deck, he chuckles seeing the four of them. “Hehehe, you all shall witness the Crimson greatness.” He took a stance and threw off his cloak and then reveals his true form as a crimson, alien-like Machine Mutant with long, spiked whips extending from the ends of his claw-like hands. He had green eyes and gold sclera, an elongated head, a black nose, metal spikes on his cheeks. He was quite strong looking too. These whips can cause any inanimate object they strike to seemingly come to life and attack Maoki's opponent and much more.  He had the voice of dire evil.
Kota, Karyu on the ground, Jinsoku and Niskuma looked in awe at this horrid form. Jinsoku exclaims, “What are you!?”
Maoki grins and explains, “I’m Maoki, and I’m a Machine Mutant from a far away planet. My mission was simple, I get as many powerful people and send them to my planet to become a machine mutant as well hehehe. I already had gotten quite a few on my last trip. But thanks to you, I lost my next two, or well, three victims…”
Karyu got up and stood firmly ready to strike again behind him. Kota as well stood from Maoki’s right, she exclaimed, “As part of the Oltanis Team, we stop the extraordinary danger to the galaxy. We can’t let you get away with this anymore!”
Niskuma also stood firm on the warrior’s left and Jinsoku in front of him. 
(Insert Music: Pierre-Marc Ratthe – Doomsday Zone)Θ
Maoki oohs at everyone, “The lot of you seem interesting.” He looks at Jinsoku, and then Karyu. His whip-like tentacles started moving and then he quickly struck them at Jinsoku. The attack came blindingly fast, Jin had to quickly dodge backwards to get out of the attack range. However, Maoki chased after him and kept up the attacks till one connected and struck his jaw. Jinsoku reacted and turned into his shadow and dashed away. 
Kota came up for the attack and slid by Maoki with a sliding motion and went for a hook kick to the side, but Maoki detected the attack and guarded with his arm and went for a three kick combination and followed up with his whips as Kota followed his movements and dodged each attack.
Niskuma shot a missile from his hand at Maoki whom it impacted as well. But it didn’t seem to faze him at all. Maoki just laughed at him “Heh, what was that? Was that supposed to hurt? *chuckles*” he shot a beam from his mouth and impacted the ground where Niskuma stood and it did some splash damage and the shockwave pushed him through the side of the ship and disrupted his spine, paralyzing him a bit.”
Karyu shot a mouthful of hardened water as one stream, and then individual spheres of water, however, Maoki used his speed to dodge the water attacks on him as each of the water attacks hit through the ship showing that they could hurt. He charged up another mouth beam and fired at Karyu. 
Karyu spread his stomach to form a hole to the other side while in water form, and the beam shot through the hole missing him. “Hehehe, a hole and a miss!” 
Jinsoku shot tentacles of sharp shadow strings, and tried to impale the enemy, but he [the enemy] used his whips to stop them dead in their tracks. He whips at the floor and makes the deck tiles come alive and lifted them up in the air with telekinesis, and then shot them all at him. Jinsoku took a fighting stance and then used his shadow spears to knock oncoming ones and dodge the rest with a side flip to the left and he stops on his paws. He charged at him with the intent for close combat. 
Kota had followed him to double team on Maoki. Her hands glowed blue and formed into sharp energy. “Let’s get him.”  Jinsoku had went for a for a few punches and followed with kicks, his hits came as fast as shadows, but it seemed Maoki could see them better than Jin could, and guarded them, and jumps away from Kota who went to slice the aura from her hands. She followed his movements and stepped down to launch off in a good leap to follow closely and strike with the energy. “Palming Chakra Scalpel!” she palms twice on the shoulder and chest to cut his energy away. 
He gasped as he felt it cut away, “She’s quite a nuisance, better take her out first.” He whipped at her and it caught her arm, and he grinned, “Got you…now I’ll pay you back.” His tentacle had glowed and started draining energy from her. She shivered as she could not pull away, feeling her energy being drained.
Karyu exclaimed as he formed a sword of water, “Kota!!” He came down between the two, and Karyu sliced off the tentacle with his water sword, freeing Kota and fixing Maoki. He yelled in pain as he lost it, 
“You’ll pay for that!”  Maoki jumped away and shot a mouth beam and blown Kota and Karyu away, while he stood and held his lost arm and it made a bulge where the wound was and his tentacle had regenerated as he growls. 
Kota and Karyu recovered from the blast, Karyu first as it did not hurt him as much as it did to Kota and he can heal better as his water replaces the damaged area. Kota summoned up Ki from within and blasted an air wave at Maoki by thrusting her palms with concentrated force, enough to carve the ground underneath the energy. Karyu follows up with summoning water from the surface of the deck and forming spears of water and thrusting them at Maoki along with Kota’s air blast. 
Maoki felt the pound of the forced air and guarded against the water spears as the broke on contact before striking through his arms, but he soon pulled them out, and started charging for them and shot a barrage of energy from his mouth at the two of them. He blasted one towards Jinsoku as well to make sure one got hit.  Kota and Karyu were able to dodge the barrage and Jinsoku charged and side-stepped the blast and came forth and launched a shadow spear, larger than the ones he had before and stronger impaction. Maoki jumped over the shadow spear and landed in front of Jinsoku, “*laughs*, your attacks are nothing to me.” He brought a punch into his gut and blasted him into the side of the main cabin of the ship. 
Jinsoku hit it as he felt stunned from the sudden attack which made a bit of a dent in the metal wall, he felt that Maoki was stronger than he thought, “This is just beginning…I’m not out yet…”
Maoki chuckles, “Oh, but I think it is over…” he appeared in front of him, and whips both his tentacles at him and latched onto his neck and started squeezing it. “Your shadows will not save you this way…” he let loose an electrical current from them and electrocuted him as he constricted his neck.
Karyu growls and turned his feet into water and made himself faster by skating across the surface of the boat, “You let go of him!” His body violently bubbled up in heat and he shot a wide vortex of water from his hands like a mini-whirlpool, and this was made with dark matter condensed water, making it tougher than osmium or as dense.  The attack crashed into Maoki and blown him into the wall next to Jinsoku, with more than a thousand pounds of force over and over, and blasted him into the cabin cutting away the wall around him.  He was not done with him and he jumped into the hole in the wall and found Maoki stunned against the wall inside the cabin and he proceeded to pound on him with his fists made of the same dark matter-dense water and very rapid, with a pattern of 4 punches a second across the body and face, and he ended the string with a blast of water from his hands to crush him through the wall behind him into the stern of the ship with a crash into the metal deck. Karyu stood catching his breath as he tried to calm down. It looked as if Maoki was not getting up from it.
Kota stayed with Jinsoku to heal his burns from earlier, “Looks like Karyu is quite strong himself. I have not seen strength like that since I met the Oltanis Team leader and one of my best friends, Tanor many years ago. What a guy he is…” 
Jinsoku smiles, “Yeah, I only met him recently, but I can tell he’s quite a good person. A strong willed and gentle person, but as I see, mess with him the wrong way and even he can become quite a storm to deal with.” 
Karyu walked out of the cabin and joined up with the team, “I think he’s through now. Gave him the pummeling of his life I bet.” He said as he gave a chuckle. 
Kota asked to be sure, “Are you sure he’s out? I better check.” She runs into the cabin and saw Maoki down on the stern deck still lying there. She mentions she could not sense his Ki. “I cannot sense his energy like before... so then he must be.” She walks back out of there and joins the two. 
Jinsoku smiles, “Looks like we won today!”
Karyu cheers, “Let’s get Niskuma healed up and get going back to shore…someone’s got to also destroy the ship too. Clean things up around here heh.”
(Insert Music: David Bergeaud – Todano – Megacorp Armory Interior)Ρ
Kota agrees, and then the two started walking towards Niskuma where he was lying unconscious at the time. Jinsoku lagged along himself, feeling a little strange. A shadow of a person came up behind him and everything went silent.
Karyu felt strange and slowly looked behind him to see Jinsoku, and his face went expressionless. 
Maoki had appeared again behind Jinsoku and let loose a very strong and powerful mouth cannon, even stronger than his usual and it impacted Jinsoku at point-blank and it was powerful enough to completely overwork Jin’s special defense and made him crash into the ground and he was completely burned by the attack. He was not getting back up as it was too much for him to handle. 
(Somewhere else on shore…)
Akai, Azumasen, Moris, Jinsoku’s grandfather and the Tanukan priest were safely ashore and were resting in a cabin. 
Jinsoku’s grandfather was going to lift up his cup of tea when the ceramic mug cracked when he touched it, “Oh my~my strength is still that great…”
Akai looked kind of ominous as he saw that, “That’s not a good sign…”
The Tanukan priest replied, “That is quite an omen…a bad one…I predict something has happened somewhere…”
Moris hums in thought, “I usually don’t fall for omens, but that is quite coincidental…I wonder what’s going on out there. Maru, can you look after the two? Akai, I think we should return to our friends and see if they need assistance.”
Maru growls as he leans against the wall, “Well I think I can do that, Kota might be in trouble so, alright, go ahead, I’ll hold the fort I guess.” He looked dismayed that he never got a fight in when he heard what happened and now has to look after the grandpas, though he is used to taking care of his father too, but still. He was wearing a dark red and black royal doublet, leather boots with metal plating on the sides, and gauntlets on is hands; his prince cape hanging on a hook. He had to arrive straight from his castle in Austria. So he was in a hurry, so he kept his usual clothes.
Akai nods, “Well then, shall we set sail back then? Be well everyone, we should be back with everyone safe!” Akai and Moris took a boat and set off to get to their friends.

(Cut back to the main brawl)
*rain starts pouring and a light roar of thunder*
(Insert Music: Yoshida Brothers – A Hill with No Name)Σ
Jin coughed up blood as he took damage internally and external, it did not look like he was going to make it. Karyu was shocked to see this happen and quickly ran to him as well as Kota as well. “Jin!” he was starting to tear as it was the first time he has ever seen a friend like this. 
Kota stood by his side and her hands glowed green as she used her chakra healing to save him. “This is bad; he’s taken a lot of damage inside as well. I…I don’t think…”
Jin was in dire pain, but he tried to speak, “Uh, Karyu, Kota, I’m…sorry…I *cough* don’t think I can make it…” his face was paling as he was losing strength.
Karyu tears, “Kota please, can you heal him? “
Kota tried to send more of her chakra to try, “I’m trying…just he’s…”
Jinsoku looks to Karyu, “Please…before I go…*cough* as I…don’t think I can…Karyu…I think I can…trust you with this…I think we’ve become good friends enough…there’s one more thing I can do to help. *cough*” Kota was still trying to heal.
Karyu nods, “What is it…” he said softly.
“Take my hand… I have something to give you…”
Karyu looked at him with a questioning look, but put his hand to his. “N-now what?”
“A gift of power…I think only you can use it…use it wisely…thanks for everything…” he put his left hand up that was free, and concentrated with the rest of his energy that he had left. He takes a deep breath and activated his power and his black fur became like a shadow and started absorbing into Karyu’s hand and up his arm as if Jinsoku had become a complete shadow, leaving his solid body behind, but his spirit and power is absorbed into Karyu’s body.
Karyu huhs as he felt strange as he feels a pinching into his arm and throughout his body as he was receiving a massive amount of power from Jinsoku. After his body was completely absorbed into him, Jin’s body disappeared into particles of light and dissipated. He felt a large power increase as his body glowed a grayish blue aura and it enveloped his body. Kota was watching this as she was speechless and Maoki was also motionless as he watched this sensing a difference in power now that Jinsoku had done that.
Karyu whoas as he feels Jinsoku’s presence inside of him as if he was apart of him now as a fusion. He felt twice as powerful as he was before and felt different, as his wounds all healed that he had taken, his energy restored and entirely a much different person now that he was both of them, although Karyu’s body and mind remained dominant. Jin’s spirit floats along the watery heart inside of him. He looks at his hands as he feels his water flowing inside of him much more easily and fast, like a river that has been restored and refreshed. “Thank you…I’ll never forget us. I promise you…I will avenge you…and then we will be strong together.” He tears as he remembers what happened, and then his water inside boils up hotter than before as his anger explodes. 
Maoki growls, “What is this, he’s gotten much stronger than before…what’s going on!?”
Kota thought as she sensed how powerful Karyu got, “Awhile ago, he was as strong as Tanor when I met him, but this Karyu is even stronger…” she thought to herself.
(Insert Music: Yoshida Brothers – Storm (TM Mix))Τ
Karyu’s black fur started to dissolve into completely water, and he become a solid shape of water, still in his tanuki-otter shape, but all water and very hard. “You will pay for this…I will avenge! AHHH!!” he jumps into the water beside the boat and as his anger continues to explode, so does his latent power, not just including Jinsoku’s power, but the latent power that he had himself that was never awakened like this before. He absorbed the water from the ocean into himself and took it all as he became part of it and a large bulge in the water appeared it was getting wider and larger by the second as all that water started towering the ship itself which was large as well. It became over 50ft in size and formed the shape of Karyu who was using his special water power to merge with any body of water and use it as if it was himself, no matter how large it is, the dark matter inside his body spreads out and fuses with as much water as needed and becomes Karyu’s water then. 
The giant water monster now known as Karyu, completely made of water now, retains his previous shape, but now a towering monster of incredible power and hardness. “You’ve made me go to the great lengths of doing this, thanks to my friend I have all the power I need to do this. You’re going to pay!! RAWR!!” his voice was deeper and filled with anger like a turbulent maelstrom. 
Kota took a moment to watch this as she could not move herself out of surprise and awe, “Amazing…Never imagined this could happen. All of that water is Karyu, and imagining how much force he has now,…” she ran and picked up Niskuma’s body and jumped off the ship to an available lifeboat as water was starting to fall onto the ship as Karyu was making his move towards it.
Maoki growls with anger, “So you think a big wall of water will stop me?” He flies towards the towering tanuki, and tried to shoot a mouth beam as powerful as the one that killed Jinsoku. The beam only went straight through Karyu, doing nothing to him. Then Karyu hardened the water at his hands and went to smash Maoki into the ship. Even while like that he could move his body quite quickly and with a ton of force, Maoki had a hard time getting away from all the water falling on to the ship and himself as he was slowed down by the waterfall of water and got smashed by the heavy hand and knocked into the ship’s hull.
Karyu wasting no time picked up the ship and lifted it shaking out Maoki and everyone else inside it into the water and he proceeded to crush the ship with many pounds of water coming together and tossed it away. Leaving Maoki nowhere to hide from him and escaping into the water was a bad idea for anyone when against Karyu, whom is practically a demigod of water now. “I told you! I’m going to end this quickly! You’re mine!” he tried to grab at Maoki who was dodging him as he was flying. He blew water from his mouth as a powerful stream of it that would cut into any surface, as that’s how hard it was as he made it go towards Maoki.
Kota with Niskuma in a fireman’s carry had to stand on the water as she could not escape on the lifeboat fast enough. “Karyu! Watch it! You might kill us!” she scolded him. 
Karyu was following Maoki as he was trying to get away from him, knowing that any attack on Karyu would just fail like before as he was shooting blasts at him with distance, but nothing worked on him. Karyu used Jinsoku’s power and made his arms stretch and make sharp tentacles come out and try to impale him from all directions or slow him down by making him dodge them. Maoki had to try to dodge the watery tentacles, but did not see Karyu’s hand within them and successfully caught him. His blank eyes of water staring at him with anger, “Caught you…Now you’ll become part of the ocean…in body that is hehehe…” he brought himself down into the water, pulling Maoki with him into it, hoping to drown him or crush him with the water’s pressure including his own dark matter’s pressure acting on the water. He disappeared in the water completely, becoming part of the ocean, but Maoki could still feel he was in the clutches of the demonically powerful tanuki. 
He tried to struggle free, but the strength of the current was much stronger than he was and he was facing a dark end in sight. “No! I’m Captain  Maoki Maoki! I will not die!!” His entire body glowed. “I won’t let anyone but myself kill me…even if I take you out with me!” He glowed brightly as energy was being condensed tight into one major area inside him.
Kota looking into the ocean feeling Karyu and Maoki’s Ki, she could suddenly feel Maoki’s rising significantly and rapidly, “Oh no! I better high tail it… Karyu! You must stop him! He’ll cause a destructive tsunami with all that Ki! If you can hear me down there!” she tried to run away from the epicenter of what she feels what Maoki was going to pull as a last resort.
Karyu growls, “I’m not going to let you do that… there’s only one place you can do that and not do any damage…” He came back up out of the water and pulling Maoki along with him and inside Karyu’s body. His hand swallowed the enemy inside the tightly dense body of dark matter and water, completely imprisoning him inside. No one can escape out of Karyu’s watery body that easily because of the heavy pressure and tight density surrounding, and the water inside is heavier. He had to do that quickly as Maoki’s body shone very brightly as he set of the bomb inside of him as all Machine Mutants have. 
Maoki let off a final word, “Noooo!” his voice cut off as his body let off a highly volatile explosion of major brightness as Kota had to shield her eyes as it took out Karyu’s torso from inside out, and made a shockwave towards the air and water. Causing major ripples, but not as bad as if he exploded like that in the ocean. Karyu’s giant body fell apart from the attack and splashed everywhere and everyone as thick rain. 
Kota sighs as she gets dampened and wet all over, she makes light of it though and said, “It is raining tanuki... who would have thought?” she was in good distance away, but still a lot of water to tread back to shore that was for sure till someone got to them. 
Maoki’s body was gone after the explosion meaning he was dead too now and Karyu got to avenge his fallen friend, but where was Karyu? In the ocean of course…
(Insert Music: Yoshida Brothers – Beyond the Deep Sea)Υ
Down in the ocean something was happening, all the water that exploded from Karyu’s giant self had poured into the ocean. All the water that was lost was converging into one spot and regenerating as dark matter was used to solidify himself back to his true form. He returned to his normal size and regained his furry body again, although had lost his suit from the transformation. His glowing symbols on his belly and back, and his black sclera with grey blue irises that also glowed, shone up on the surface of the water. He rose back out of the water as he floats on it with tiredness. “*sighs with relief* Well Jin, we beat him together after all. We made sure he never comes back again and now our mission is done too. All we have to do is go back home with everyone…” he sighs as he knows there will be one less person. 
Kota ran towards him, still carrying Niskuma, as she has nowhere to put him anyway. “Karyu… are you alright? I think we won, I cannot sense anything from him anymore and this time it is genuinely gone.”
Karyu shook his head with agreement, “I think I’ll manage to pull through.” He laid there in the water floating and looked forlorn a bit. 
Kota sat on a piece of wood from the ship Karyu crushed, “We’ll be fine I believe. Also, I know why you look sad, but as long as we hold our dearest friends close, we have not lost anyone, we just have to look in ourselves for them and they’ll speak to us from within…I felt like this when I lost my mother and when Tanor died at one time and the trouble we went to getting him back…though to tell you the truth, I feel a bit of Jin’s spirit in you as well, so I do not think he’s totally gone…just exists in you now…as one.”
Karyu nods in agreement with her wisdom, “I think that all makes sense.”
Kota looked out around the ocean, changing the subject of gloom, “So now we’re stuck in the middle of nowhere, with nothing to paddle back… -.- you destroyed the lifeboat I had and our ship was destroyed by them. I suppose I can’t surf back to shore on you can I?” 
Karyu chuckles, “Do I look like a turtle?” They both sigh out loud and the scene zooms out from them quickly showing the wide ocean and the three dots known as our heroes. 
The clouds cleared up above them and the sun shone brightly in time.

Chapter 5: A Hill with No Name

About 20 minutes later…
A boat could be seen in the distance…someone spoke from it, “Hey! I think I see them!” It was Akai and Moris on their boat. Akai waves and spoke out, “Ahoi! You folks need a lift!”
Karyu and Kota looked up and saw them and both spoke out, “Yay, we’re saved!” Kota ran across the water and Karyu swam to get the boat. Kota sat Niskuma on the deck; he was able to be saved. They both laid flat on the deck of the boat as they catch their breaths. 
“Thank goodness you guys could get here…” said Karyu.
Moris and Akai stood by them to look after them. Moris went first, “So what happened out here?”
Karyu sighs, “Long story short, we had a major battle…but we won victory…”
Kota nods, “Yes…but at least we’re fine now.”
Akai remembers something, “Wait…” he looks around, “Where’s Jin?”
Kota and Karyu trade looks…he went first with a long pause then said with a fluctuating voice, “Jin’s not with us…he fought bravely and had a great passion. In the end, the big bad we faced, got the best of him…now…he exists somewhere else safely and at peace, alongside us.” Akai and Moris understood perfectly.
Akai looked forlorn hearing the news, “This is saddening, we’ll have to break it to his grandfather then…”
Moris hums, “Shall we go on back then?” The two agreed and Moris started on back. Kota looks to Niskuma and starts to use the bit of her chakra she had left to heal him so that at least most of us get back fine. He starts to get restored as his spine and some of his bones took a lot, but could be mended and replenished, will still need looking after at the hospital. He stirred as he awakened out of his unconscious state. “He should be fine now, the bit I could do for him that is.”
They eventually reach the shore and everyone got into the cabin where the others were holding down at. Karyu had said, “Well we made it back safe and sound.” He was wearing a makeshift towel suit, since he ruined his previous with his transformation. He drops down on an available seat in the cabin. 
Kota greeted Maru as well who was waiting patiently for their return. Maru noticed Kota’s wounds and looked like she had a wild time. She replies with reading Maru’s mind, “Oh this, it seems everything got harder even though I came to help. It was rough, but we made it back.”
Maru just smiles knowing she is alright, he brings her close to his side. “Well I am just glad everyone is alright.” 
Akai sat down on a seat as well. “No, not everything…”
Jinsoku’s grandfather, “I see…he did not make it back did he…”
Karyu looks up from the floor to look at him, “No, he is, um, dead...um…” Jin’s grandfather said his name: Jiku, short for Jikusoku.“Jiku, thank you.  He really fought bravely and had great potential, but unfortunately our enemy got the better of him.” He looks at his hands, still feeling Jin’s presence in him floating around in the space. To also add, the Tanukan priest was named Ara. 
Jiku makes a sad look, “I see…I guess I’ll have to break it to his family too. I believe where he is now, he is at peace. He’s always been troubled by memories. He used to come to me to try to calm himself out of it. It was until recently when he became the strong person you know. He chose to fight his past instead of ignoring it.  When he met you folks, he finally had something well in his life. Only to be cut down…but it feels like he is still with us. “
Kota agrees, “I believe that’s a good way to put it. I feel it too.” she smiles towards Karyu. She was the only witness of what happened between Jinsoku and Karyu, and Karyu would not tell it. 
Niskuma chuckled, “I guess in hindsight when I met him, he was a good lad. Despite some things that happened, he was a valuable person on our crew. To be honest, I was skeptic about my client, and I was using you two and Jinsoku to fight back against that captain. Stealing the priests was all part of the cloaked men’s idea. I had no choice but to comply. Considering, it was they who did it and all I did was do the transport. I was hoping for a tough person to help fight him. As you can see, I just was not enough alone with Azumasen. But, all is well; I hope you two forgive me and my partner.”
Ara and Jiku look to each other. Ara spoke first, “Well after that story, I believe we could forgive you.”
Karyu thinks to himself and then says, “Well, we forgive you. You did atone for your mistakes helping us in the end. “
Kota says, “We had to use all the help we could get against them.”
Maru chuckles, “All without Tanor’s help no doubt. We do not need him anymore.”
Jika replies to Niskuma, “You two will be off the hook, only if you will come back to our villages and work for us. That way we will know for sure you are telling the truth.”
Azumasen and Niskuma trade looks; Azumasen replies “Well if it be helpful to our release and gain trust again, it is a deal.”
Niskuma replies, “I guess if there is no other idea, I will do it too.”
Karyu talks then, “So, I guess we’re all good now, shall we head home now?”
Akai agrees, “That’s a good idea. I cannot wait to go home and rest. So who is driving?”
Karyu said, “The Rakkouso village is not that far, we can travel by boat and go the way we came. To Ehime and then backtrack our ways back.”
Niskuma offered to get a boat big enough for everyone. He went outside to get a boat for us. Azumasen went with him. After 10 minutes, Karyu went to the nearby market to get a new set of clothes that he could wear. Akai sat at the shack. Kota, Maru and Moris were out back. In time, there was a scream of pain coming from the boat dock. Akai, Kota, Maru, Jiku, Ara and Moris heard it. 
“What was that?” Akai said.
Kota replied, “That sounded like Niskuma. He might be trouble.” The company ran to the docks a little ways out.
… (Theme: David Bergeaud – Maktar Nebula – Jamming Array)ς
On the docks, Azumasen and Niskuma were both on the ground of the dock boards. There was someone standing before them, covered in a cloak with a recognizable symbol on the back. It was none other than the arch mage Kota and Niskuma had defeated before. He was somehow alive still and much stronger than before. It seems he transmutated himself and what he looked like now would surprise you as to what he became.
He looked just like Jinsoku! He transmutated himself with a piece of DNA he got from Jinsoku, and used it to transmute himself into him and gained his abilities, some of them though. He started to make his shadow form into a drill like shape, adding in the mage’s own abilities. “Prepare to die!” 
Niskuma growls, “It’s enough to be still alive, but to steal a dead person’s being?”
The mage went to shoot the shadow drill, when all of a sudden a shout came out of nowhere. It was Maru falling from the sky onto him with a ball of purple-black fire in his hand, “Wolf Flame Thrust!” he crash lands onto the mage with the ball of spinning fire; he burned and thrusted the mage through the dock and into the water underneath. “Finally got a punch in! This trip finally got exciting. That fire is hellfire; it burns everything it touches till it is gone. Water cannot douse that. You were unlucky to be pounced by the Prince of Saiya- err, Prince of the Underworld.”
The mage screamed underwater, as it was burning him; he tried to turn into a shadow to get away from it, and resurfaced with the hellfire burning underwater. “That’s quite a move you got.”
Kota and the company were running to the dock as Maru went ahead, “Maru!”
Akai and Jika gasp as they see the mage, “Jinsoku!” they both said.
Niskuma replies, “That’s not Jin. This is the arch mage we thought we defeated back on the ship. Somehow he survived.”
(Theme: David Bergeaud – Oozla - MegaCorp Store)Ω
Karyu was still at the market trying on clothes, “Why can’t they ever make normal clothes waterproofed.” He damped the clothes he tried on, which he knows he will have to pay for. “Sir, do you have any wetsuits available. You know, for surfing?” 
The clerk shows him to the stuff he had that he could use.
Back to the fight…
(Insert Theme: Bob Bradley, Terry-Divine King - Celestial (Mars Remix))Ξ
Jika saw the mage as Jinsoku, but he felt he knew it was not him. “How dare you do this, I’ll stop him with my specialty.” He may have been well aged, but he still was a master of the techniques he taught Jinsoku. 
Maru awws, “Well, I wanted to do that. I will just wear him down for you.”
Jika chuckles, “No need to do that.” He put his palms together and chanted.
The mage saw he was gathering energy and he charged for Jika before he could use his technique. Maru dashed behind him and grabbed his cloak and lifted him in the air easily and slammed him down with a crash. “You aren’t goin’ anywhere!” 
Jika’s palms glowed more and the aura turned blue and then white, and then he formed a ball of energy, which looked bright and gathering matter from the area, “I recommend all of you to quickly get away, or you may be caught in it. Space-Time Release: Kukan Sakeme!”  He shot a large flat beam of white and blue energy, and it was ripping matter apart. 
Everyone except the mage took cover, the mage had challenged the attack and used his power to make a shadow wave to slice anything it hits, “Kagenami!” he shot a rippling wave of shadow energy and the Space Ripping technique cut through it and hit the mage, it sliced him apart despite now having shadow abilities. Jika had altered his hands to make so it stops and captures the enemy in a sphere. When the attack collided with itself, it exploded and took the dock with it, including the water and the enemy, erasing them. It was Jika’s most powerful attack, but it came at a price of nearly using up all his chakra. 
Jika smiles, “That was for my grandson. *laughs* *then starts coughing*”
Akai and Kota went to assist him, “That was amazing. I never knew you were that strong. I guess I realize where he got his teachings from.”
Kota tried to use her chakra to heal Jiku’s energy and restore his own health, it seems the attack he used came at price and killed cells in his body, he can also risk erasing his own body along with whatever he hits. He was lucky he got of that. It was the only time it really worked that well.
Maru looks at the erased deck and surrounding area, “That attack is nuts, nothing is there anymore. He really did rip the dimension…”
Moris sat there, “That was really something else.” He looks back to Jika, “It looks like he cannot do that all the time though, there are some serious burns on his hands. His chakra in his hands seemed to have gotten weaker.”
Kota moved her hands to the hands to see what was up, “Looks like there is a drawback to that technique, the chakra in his cells have been burned and severed. If he uses it too many times, he will not be able to mold chakra, much less erasing his own body if he loses control of it.”
Jika urfs as he tries to sit up, “That technique was passed down generation to generation. Only someone in our bloodline can use it. Even then having the ability to use such power is rare indeed. I am afraid with Jinsoku gone, that bloodline trait may fade. I wanted to teach it when he got older, but since Karyu houses his spirit, maybe I can teach it to Karyu now that he has Jin’s blood in him.”
Maru says, “It might be a fine idea, till he erases half of Tokyo with it. Where is Karyu anyway?” 
…
Karyu tried on a new swimsuit; it was a spandex suit with thick coating. It was black for the most part, but had dark blue stripes on the stomach and solid stripes down the sides of the pants and arms. It fit very well to his body and quite complemented his shape. He found boots with a metal exterior and rubber insoles and soles. This way it’d keep his paws from getting the floor wet and same for his body within the suit. He found gloves as well to match it. This would become his style for the time till he met Tanor. “Thank you for your time!” He paid for it and ran out.
…
Karyu went back to the cabin, saw no one in it. “Where is everyone?”
Maru, Kota, Moris, Jika, Niskuma, Azumasen and Akai return just then. Maru says, “There you are, and looking spiffy in that suit *chuckles to himself*” 
Karyu growls, “Well thanks, it was tough finding something for me. I would like to see you in my way of living mister.”
Maru gave a laugh, “Well I never told anyone this, but when I was a kid, I had problems with my body giving off fire whenever it wanted to. I burned things I wore; I was made to wear steel till I could control it. “
Karyu shoots back, “Except you do not do it now, I will be living with my condition for a long time. “
Jika had something to say, “Karyu-kun, do you know if you feel Jin inside you at all, and can you use his abilities as freely as he can?”
Karyu thinks, “Not to my best knowledge and until I learn how to use them. Why you ask?”
Jika says, “I would like to mentor you, because I would like to add you to our bloodline family. Now that you have my grandson’s blood in you, I think I can pass along some teachings.”
Karyu’s eyes grew, “Really? That would be great, and then I could get a real training in.”
Akai steps in, “Hey guys, we should get home soon.”
Kota stands up, “Then, we take the car. Because I cannot trust Maru to drive it anymore…”
Maru gave an embarrassed look and said, “I told you, I didn’t see the guy in front of me…besides I’m a biker.” 
Everyone laughs for a bit, and then start to set off. As promised, Niskuma and Azumasen will return with them to the villages to work to get their release and forgiveness. They chose to go by vehicle as it was faster than the boat. They were in the southern prefecture of Kochi. In a few hours they returned to the prefecture of Kagawa and now entered the Rakkouso village.
Jikusoku stopped at the village and with Niskuma and Azumasen, the two would work there. “Karyu, you may stop by whenever you like. After all, a long journey of ours deserves a good rest. I sure need a nap hohoho. Come along boys, you two look like you need some rest.”
Niskuma salutes, “Yes…yes sir.”

Chapter 6: Beyond the Deep Sea

Kota, Maru, Moris, Karyu, Akai and Ara, return to the Tanukan Village, where they were welcomed by the villagers. Tanuki of the Tanukans, Otters of the Rakkouso, Red Pandas of the Resanda Clan, all were there waiting. The leader of the Tanukans, Sumoki, greeted them all, “Welcome back to our humble village, we wish to thank you Karyu and company for rescuing our head priest and the head priest of the Rakkouso. I am sure it was a long and difficult mission, and all your friends are welcome to stay as well. Ara, I will help you back.” 
Ara nods, “Thank you. And, to you all, you five are quite strong for your ages. Keep it up.”
Karyu spoke for them, “We will!” Ara left to the Tanukan Temple.
An hour of rest later, they meet up at the Rakkouso Tavern, all in a booth and relaxing together, Niskuma and Azumasen were allowed to join the group as well. Thus this completed their group of seven, plus one smexy otter that is living on in spirit, inside Karyu.  
Karyu raised the toast and had to say something, “Well thank you all for helping me do this, I at first thought I would do this mission alone till I met the two guys on my team that helped warm me up to friends. I could not have done it with out you all. I may be a young tanuki-otter, but I feel like the experience I had really counted.  Then meeting you all…”
Akai smiles, “This whole day or two was a blast with you, and everyone. The best trip I had. Learned a lot and felt like I got stronger.”
Kota says, “And you definitely are hero material too, I think if our leader was here he would be proud and may even get you to join. While he is gone though, you are now an official Oltanis Team honorary member! “
Maru hmphs, “If I had the jurisdiction, while he was gone, I could add you. I was impressed with the little I saw.”
Niskuma says, “And to the one named Jinsoku, the other good hero n this day. Shall we, how they say, have a drink in honor of the great day?
Karyu rose his glass to the center, “That sounds great! Let’s give a good night to a job well done!” Everyone rose their glasses to the center and clinked them. Each person said from Akai, to Karyu, to Maru, to Kota, to Niskuma ‘To Karyu, To Jinsoku, To Us, and to the Oltanis Team, and everyone!” They roused the evening in a loud way. The scene zooms out slowly away from the tavern, showing the surrounding scenery and leaving the sight to the heroes.
That night, everyone took a night in the Inn, and shared two rooms. The next morning…Kota, Maru, Moris, Karyu and Akai were on the river path, which is the way out of the village, the sun was peering over the mountains as they gave a long stare.
Kota says as she, Moris and Maru were going to leave, “I hope we’ll see each other soon. Lucky enough for another mission like before!”
Karyu and Akai says, “We hope so.” Karyu says, “And, tell that leader of yours, that I’ll be the one to drop in instead of him!”
Maru says, “We’ll see! If you need us, just call!” he gave Karyu the Oltanis Team business card. “You won’t get the badge till Tanor gets back as I said; I cannot do it without the others.”
Karyu says, “Oh sure then.”
Akai joins in, “What about myself? I can do amazing things too you know!”
Moris says, “Well, we really did not see anything from you when we showed up. And well, I do not think you are OT material! Hahaha.”
Akai exclaims, “What!! Karyu, tell them!”
Karyu hums a tune, “Tell them what?”
Akai exclaimed towards him now, “You know! About my smoke!”
Karyu says, “Smoking is bad for your health!”
Akai’s head sizzled, “I’ll show you what is bad for your health!!”
Karyu got pounced on by him and got gently hit on the head back and forth causing water to splash over his head to add to the annoyance. Kota, Moris and Maru started home.
Akai turns to face them and Karyu looks up. Akai says, “See you three later!” he got kicked off by Karyu, and they complete the closure of their time with the five of them.
After a week of resting time, Karyu showed up to Jikasoku’s temple where he was greeted. As told, Karyu was offered to be taught under the teachings of Jikasoku’s techniques. Karyu had the ability to learn the techniques and finished his teachings in a year. Before he stepped out of the dojo, Jika asked him, “Why is it that you fight? I believe this is a fine time to know.”
(Insert Music: Yoshida Brothers – Evening Calm (Yuunagi) (should be named Morning Calm, but what can you do))Ψ
Karyu looks into the morning sun in the distance; he looks at his hands to see the aura within himself, the aura of both himself and Jinsoku. He gave a calm look to his mentor, and said what came to his mind, and this is what he said, “In the deepest, darkest trench, can one find the brightest gem. In the most violent and turbulent maelstrom, can one find the calmest center. That is my wish and goal in life. The reason I fight, is for that reason. I feel deep in my heart that I was born from a place far away from here. I realize that I remember a part of my past, my real family, what they were, and how I will prove to myself that I will stay true to my own moral guidance. Not the one I came from.”
Jikasoku looks to him with a questioning look, “You are not from this area?”
They both sat in the direction of the sun, over the calmness of the river by their village. The sun’s reflection and light shined across the surface, radiating a warm glow over the coastline of the river and hill. Karyu’s glowing pattern on his stomach and back radiated through his uniform, which retained his watery form inside. His black scleral eyes, with their glowing irises, “Well it is not that hard to believe, look at me…I almost have forgotten my true past…there is a part of me inside this watery form that is not of this world, nor any known world. My real body! You can tell, I came from another world. This was not my original body that I had when I came here. However, thanks to the Tanukans, I was able to have a real body. My tanuki-otter body…”
Jikasoku looks out to the sun, but had his sight on Karyu as he told this. Remember, he has only met Karyu recently, so he does not know of Karyu’s true being. “I see...I always felt you were very different from anyone I have met, of any of my students or otherwise. Next to my grandson, you have the greatest heart of all of them. I say it is like a moving spirit that always goes with the flow…like this river. It is not to fast, not too slow, it is calm and clear. The reflection of us that we see is the positive reflection, when people look at you; they see the best of themselves. The reflection of the warm sun, is that warm feeling you give off when they are near you. You understand what I am saying?”
Karyu gave a nod, he replies to the wisdom he was given, “Yes, I think what you said is true. I guess it is because of my friends and my own self-confidence that gave my glow.” He turned his hand into water to see his own reflection it. He sees his face and the feelings he had that he could read on his face. “No, what I see is the truth. Not a guess, but the answer. I am different, but not different of those around me, but different of what I was before. I see it now, I am Karyu Kuraimizu Onami. I do not see a monster, or a creature of the dark, but a hero, a hero that was born out of a race of evil. The next time evil shows its face, I will be ready to protect those I love and respect. I shall honor those who give it back as I fight.” His hand reforms into the black fur. 
Jikasoku smiles, “And, you are not alone as you go on this lifelong dream, you have many behind your cause. You have a caring family here, always remember that. Even if you must go somewhere alone or far away into dangerous lands, always know that we will accept you. I will make sure of that as your teacher and part of your family. No matter what you are, who you are, or where you came from.” 
Karyu teared to that, “Thank you… makes me feel better.”
Akai comes down to meet them, “That’s all true from your friends as well.”
Karyu looks back and sees Akai, “Akai? Nice to see you!”
Akai smiles, “Me too, I came down because you and I were called on a new mission! Looks like your name started to spread thanks to our last one. Unfortunately, I have yet to hear any of stories of mine hahaha.”
Karyu had to laugh a bit, “Well, I guess it is because I am sexier! Come on! The future waits!” he runs for the mission hall.
Akai exclaimed, “Huh!” He growled and continued the exclamation, “What was that!?” He ran after Karyu, and continued to say, “Come back here! Wait for me!!” he ran behind Karyu to chase.
Jikasoku was still sitting there as that transpired, “That kid is going to have a fine future…”
Jinsoku’s own ghost followed them, laughing with to himself as he ran with the duo, his spirit completing the trio like old times, or well, maybe not that old. BUT IT’S STILL A TIME! SUE ME! The trio ran along up the hill as the sun followed in the distant horizon, just as it grazes the mountains in the distance and its reflection on the river also following them. 

(Insert Closing Music: Yoshida Brothers – By This River)Ζ
And thus this story draws to a close… the story of Karyu’s past. This story takes place between the end of Oltanis Zeta, and the beginning of Oltanis Sigma.  In a few years after this story took place, Karyu became the new main character of the Oltanis series, and joined the Oltanis Team after meeting Tanor and re-meeting those who referred the group to him. Maru, Kota and Moris. Akai still becomes one of the new supporting characters, and will be making appearances in Oltanis Sigma! Jikasoku’s future also rests with Karyu as well.
I am the author of this story and series, and I hope you all liked this story. This story was probably one of the longest ones I have made on my desktop and took the longest to complete. I started the story in the beginning of March when I created Karyu, but I never got around to finishing it, and being July now, I got to finish.
I am Keano Afif. 

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Credits:

Opening Song: Yoshida Brothers – Tabidachi (Starting on this Journey) 
Ending Song: Yoshida Brothers – By This River

Karyu Onami 2013 © Keano Afif
Tanor Faux 2009 – Present © Keano Afif
Maru Kiba 2009 – Present © Keano Afif
Kota Rae 2009 – Present © Keano Afif
Moris Rae 2009 © Keano Afif
Akai 2013 © Keano Afif
Jinsoku 2013 © Keano Afif
Jikasoku, Ara, Niskuma, Azumasen, Mokin and Captain Maoki Maoki belong to the Oltanis Team Productions, and Keano Afif.

Japan belongs to Japan.

The Oltanis series belongs to me and me only. Keano Afif. If you see this story posted on any site that I have not authorized, it may have been stolen. I only post stories to FurAffinity, DeviantArt, and if I say otherwise. Art Thefts can be protected, but story thieves, are much harder to catch, so this is why I stated this. Furry writers like myself need protection too. ^^