Table of Contents

Prologue


Chapter I


Chapter II


Chapter III


Chapter IV


Chapter V


Chapter VI

Infinite Brine
By: Ai Kagi

Prologue

“Excuse me. Do you have any work I can do? I need a job, sir,” a caramel-color-haired girl asked. A fisherman that she was trying to talk to said, “No. Ain’t got any work for a girl. Go away.” The girl went over to another fisherman nearby. She asked the same thing and got the same answer.
She kept this up all day until it was dark and everyone had gone home. So, the orphan girl, named Ana Feesico, sat down on some crates near the end of the dock. She didn’t realize how tired she was until her eyelids felt very heavy and she fell asleep.
The lanterns on the docks had been lit and the dock was lit with enough light to see a dark shadow of a man. He was probably out for a walk, but stopped a little way off from Ana. Then, he continued and walked up to her. He touched her face; it was cold. He picked her up and walked back the way he had come.

Chapter I

Ana awoke to the sound of muffled shouting. She sat up from a wooden floor and looked around. She saw that she was in a jail cell. ‘Where am I?’ she thought in horror.
Just then, she heard stomping down some steps from across the room. A large, muscular sailor came down the steps. He saw Ana and walked over to her cell. After taking some keys off his belt, he unlocked the door. Ana tried to step away, but he took her arm and drug her out.
The sailor took her up the stairs, Ana struggling all the way, and they arrived at a deck. ‘I’m on a ship?!’ Ana thought frantically, looking around and seeing the vast ocean all around.
The sailor let go of Ana’s arm and she began to run away from him, buy she tripped over a pile of rope. She fell to the ground very hard. “Oof!” Ana fell flat on her face.
Ana heard someone chuckling and saw someone’s boots. She looked up, holding her nose, and saw a man with blonde hair. She frowned and sat up. “Where am I? And who are you?!” Ana demanded. “You’re on the Iron Fall, my ship. I’m the famous pirate, Captain Kire Morgan,” the man said. “Why am I here?!” Ana said. “Because…” said a sophisticated voice, and Ana watched as a tall, slender man with shiny, dark-brown hair walked up next to the captain. He continued, “I saw you yesterday. You were looking for a job. You were there all day and no one hired you. You were sleeping outside, where it isn’t safe. I knew you would get cold, so I brought you onboard.” Ana then asked, “So, why was I in a jail cell?” “Oh, we don’t have anywhere else for you to stay at and…it was to keep you safe from these scalawags,” the captain said and gestured to his crew.
“So, the brown-haired man said, kneeling down to her, “I’m Fukyuu Ori. Will you join my friend, Captain Kire’s crew?” Ana glared at him, “I won’t believe an abductor. Of course I won’t join pirates. So, you’ll just have to kill me.” Fukyuu looked disappointed and he said to the captain, “I’m going to my room.” “Okay,” Captain Kire replied.
After Fukyuu was gone, Captain Kire scratched his head and said, “Well, if you don’t join my crew, it’ll be hard to convince them that you’re not a prisoner, because most of them don’t understand. They think a jail cell is for prisoners, and it is, but… Never mind. You can work for a smaller pension than the crew members. Bru, take her back to her room.” “Aye, Captain,” Bru, the pirate that brought Ana from the cell, replied. He took Ana’s arm and brought her back to her cell. He locked the door and left, after he put Ana in.
‘This isn’t right,’ Ana thought. She walked over to a corner of the jail cell and curled up on the floor. ‘Stupid Fukyuu…Ori,’ she fell asleep after that from fatigue.

In the afternoon, Fukyuu came down to the cells with some food for Ana. Fukyuu opened the cell, went inside, and locked it behind him. He noticed Ana was sleeping and gazed at her face for a moment. He sighed and gently began to shake her shoulder.
Ana woke up, her eyelids slowly lifting until her eyes were opened. She gasped when she saw Fukyuu and quickly tried to punch him, but he caught her wrist. She frowned and tried to hit him with her other fist, but he grabbed that wrist as well. Ana growled as she struggled to get out of his grasp.
“I brought you some food,” Fukyuu said. Ana paused as he held out a tray. “It’s poisoned. I’m trouble, right? So, you’d poison me,” Ana said bitterly. “No, it’s not. Look,” he said, picking up some food. He almost ate it, but Ana grabbed his hand. “Don’t kill yourself to show me it’s poisoned!” she said. Fukyuu was shocked and ate the food anyway. “No! Now they’re going to think I killed you!” Ana said, holding her head and closing her eyes. “You didn’t do it, Ana. You didn’t do it…” she said to herself.
Fukyuu touched Ana’s arm. “Ana, it’s okay,” Fukyuu said. “No, you’re probably just immune to poison,” she protested. “Won’t you at least eat something?” he asked her. “No, I’m not hungry,” she said.
Fukyuu sighed and left. Then, he staggered to his room. Captain Kire saw him and wondered what happened.
Fukyuu collapsed in his chair. Not long after, Captain Kire came in. “What’s the matter?” he asked Fukyuu. Fukyuu leaned his head back on the chair, “I tried to get Ana to eat.” “Ah, so that’s her name.” Well, I tried to convince her by eating some food myself.” “Oh. So, I’m guessing you’re not feeling too well now.” “Yes. Could you hand me that Red Root potion?” “This one?” Captain Kire held up a glass bottle with dark red liquid in it. Fukyuu opened his eyes, “Yes, that’s the one.”
Captain Kire handed him the bottle and Fukyuu put some in a glass. He drank it quickly and sat back down. “Thank you,” he told the captain. “You shouldn’t do that again; you don’t know what could happen,” said Captain Kire, and he left. Fukyuu sighed.

‘He looked pretty concerned,’ Ana thought, ‘Maybe he was telling the truth.’ Ana pulled the tray over to herself and weakly ate the food.
Once she was finished, she fell asleep. She could feel her strength slowly coming back as she did so.

In the morning, Fukyuu came down and saw that Ana’s tray was empty. He went inside to pick up her tray. As he was about to stand up and leave, Ana’s hand shot out and grabbed his arm. Ana was still asleep, as he noticed, and took her hand off his arm. Then, he touched her head and left.
Fukyuu soon came back and put a blanket on her. He had some breakfast for her and set it down on a barrel in the cell.
Ana woke up as he was about to leave and said, “Thank you… Mr. Ori.” “You can call me Fukyuu,” he said. “Thank you… Fukyuu,” she blushed when she said his name. “You’re welcome, Ana,” he smiled and left. Ana held the blanket tightly around her as she watched him leave.
Ana ate her breakfast quickly and sat down again by the wall. She wondered why Fukyuu was so kind to her.

Later, a skinny, short crew member came down to the jail cells. "G'Morning, Miss Ana. Are you ready to swab the deck?" he said. "Sure," Ana sighed and he let her out.
They went up to the deck and he handed her a mop and bucket. "I have confidence that you'll clean it better than t' others," he said. "Heh. Heh. Thanks..." Ana said un-surely. Then, the pirate turned to two pirates, Bru and Jugger, and said, "Mind yerselves lads! We've got a lassie on board and I don't want any trouble!" "Yes, Mr. Weasel!" the saluted and Weasel scurried off.
Once she was done, Ana was tired. It had taken her two hours to clean the large ship's large deck.
Leaning against the railing, Ana looked up at the calm, blue sky. She was glad she had finished her job and hoped the pirates would be satisfied with her work.
Jugger and Bru had been fixing up some sails and came down from the rigging. They walked up to Ana and showed her their tattoos on their arms and faces. Ana was pretty grossed out when they began to flex their muscles. 'I don't like these pirates; they're acting strange,' she thought.
Suddenly, Ana felt someone's cool fingers cover her eyes. The person pulled her in close to himself.
"I'd appreciate it, if you never did that again," Fukyuu said. "Fukyuu?" Ana asked, being relieved that he saved her.
Bru and Jugger were very apologetic, "We're sorry! We won't do it again." Fukyuu doubted it and walked off with Ana.

After they'd gotten away from the two sorry pirates, Fukyuu said, "I'm sorry that they acted like fools." He put his fingers through his hair and sighed. Ana smiled and he gave her a questioning look. "Thank you," she said, putting her index fingers together in a childish manner. "You're welcome," Fukyuu smiled. Ana blushed and he chuckled.
"Oh. Captain Kire wants you to eat dinner with us tonight," said Fukyuu. "Okay..." Ana replied slowly. "What is it?" Fukyuu questioned. "I- I don't have decent clothes to wear," Ana said. "That's taken care of," Fukyuu said, "Wait here."
Fukyuu walked off and came back quickly, holding a cream dress. "Here. You can wear this and you can also take a bath in on of the tubs that Captain Kire acquired recently. Then, you can come eat dinner with us," he said.
"Th- Thank you," Ana said, accepting the dress. Fukyuu smiled and showed her where she could take a bath.

When Ana had finished bathing and put on the dress, she went up to the deck. Fukyuu was waiting.
"You look better now," he smiled. "Thank you," Ana replied bashfully.
Fukyuu led Ana to a room that had a long table; Captain Kire sat at the head of it. The dinner was on the table, waiting for them.
"Please, have a seat, Miss Ana," Captain Kire said. "Thank you," Ana said gratefully and sat down, after Fukyuu pulled out a seat for her. Fukyuu, then, sat down as well.
Captain Kire said grace and the food was passed around. Ana got some meat, vegetables, and bread; Captain Kire got a whole lot of food; and Fukyuu got nothing. Ana noticed Fukyuu's empty plate and asked, "Fukyuu...um...why don't you have anything on your plate? Aren't you going to eat?"
Fukyuu sighed, "I can't eat food." Ana was shocked, "Why not?" "I...uh..." he said. This was the first time she'd seen Fukyuu at a loss for words.
"Ah, he can't eat food, because it makes him sick," Captain Kire said. Ana didn't ask any more questions about it, although she still didn't understand.
So, Ana and Captain Kire ate while Fukyuu drank something. There was an awkward silence as they sat, until Captain Kire said, "Ana, you won't be staying in the jail cell anymore. You also don't have to help out on the ship, if you don't want to and I'll still give you payment." "Thank you," Ana said, "I'll still help, though." "Well, we need to find you a place to sleep," Captain Kire said.
Fukyuu spoke up, "You can stay in my room; I'm going away for a while." This surprised Ana greatly. "Thank you," she said.
Fukyuu got up and left the room. "Thank you, Captain Kire!" Ana thanked, following Fukyuu. Captain Kire chuckled.

The following day, Ana helped the crew out and swabbed the deck again. She looked over at Fukyuu as he lowered a boat into the water. He turned to see her and smiled, "I'll be back soon." "Okay. I'll see you later," Ana said, waving. Then, Fukyuu left. Ana watched as he and the boat got smaller and, finally, disappeared into some fog.

Chapter II

About two weeks later, Ana heard some commotion from the water, alongside the ship. She and some crew members were curious and they walked over to the railing.
Bru and Jugger were in a boat with a young, silver-haired boy, who looked to be about seventeen. The three came up onto the deck.
"Now, here we are; home-sweet-home. We'll get you back safely to land soon," said Bru. The boy heard the flapping of a flag and looked up to see the pirate flag being blown brilliantly in the wind. He gasped.
"You said you were sailors!" the boy growled, turning to the pirates. All the pirates laughed.
Just then, Captain Kire came out onto the deck to see what was going on. "Hello. Who might you be?" the captain asked, "I'm the captain."
The boy had an angry scowl and yanked out a knife. He tried to kill Captain Kire, but Bru and Jugger grabbed him, restraining him.
"My, a feisty scamp, eh?" Captain Kire chuckled. "You pirates killed my father!" the boy yelled. "Don't accuse us of such things. We don't kill." "Grr!" "Take him to the cells. The pirates obeyed and drug the boy down below.
Ana didn't know what to make of the scene and was startled when someone put their hands on her shoulders. "I'm back," she heard Fukyuu say. Ana turned around and tried not to blush. "Welcome back," she said. Fukyuu grinned and hugged her. Now, she completely blushed.
Fukyuu let go of her and went to the stern with the captain. Ana went to the kitchen to help the cook out.

When the food was ready, the cook asked Ana to take some food to the boy. Ana jumped on the task.
Ana came down to the cells and noticed that it was damp and dark. Her eyes adjusted and she lit a lantern on the wall. She found the keys and opened the door to the cell the boy was in.
"I brought you some food," she said. The boy said nothing and she put her hand on his shoulder so she could sit him up and see his face. He suddenly grabbed her hand, twirling her around, and put a knife at her throat.
"Get me out of here and I'll make sure you can escape safely," he said into her ear. "I'm not a prisoner and I'm not a pirate. They're taking care of me," Ana explained, "They wouldn't kill anyone." "I don't believe that," he said.
Fukyuu appeared in the cell, "Let her go." The boy's grip on Ana's hand got tighter and he put the knife harder at her neck, though not cutting it. Ana gasped.
Fukyuu seemed to have a dark aura now and walked up to the boy. He began to act like he would unchain the boy, but, then, he grabbed the boy's wrist.
Instantly, the boy let go of Ana and she got behind Fukyuu. The boy groaned and Fukyuu finally let go of his wrist. A black, thorny ring mark was left around his wrist. "Don't try anything foolish or I'll make that pain worse," Fukyuu warned, picking up Ana and leaving to the deck. The boy glared at him as he rubbed his marked wrist.
After Fukyuu and Ana had arrived on the deck, he let her down. Ana walked over to the railing, as Fukyuu asked, "Did he hurt you?" Ana remained silent, trying to keep back tears that began welling up in her eyes.
"Ana..." "No..." she said, turning around, "He's just mad that he lost his father. Why should he be punished for that?" Ana's tears ran down her face.
Just then, the ship rocked and Ana lost her balance, colliding into Fukyuu. He put his arms around her.
"It's okay, Ana," Fukyuu consoled. He picked her up and took her to his room. He put her in his bed. "Get some rest; you've been working hard," he said and left the room. Ana closed her eyes and went to sleep.

When Ana got up in the morning, she opened the door and walked out onto the deck. The crew members had already begun to work.
Fukyuu came out from the dining room and saw Ana. "You're up. Come; it's time for breakfast," he said. "I haven't swabbed the deck yet." "Don't worry about it; it's already been done." "Okay..."
So, Ana went with him and ate breakfast. She was unsure why he wouldn't let her do any work that day.
That night, Ana noticed that the boy was allowed to work. He was annoyed and still had a scowl on his face. When he stopped paying attention to his work, he got hit with a cat-of-nine-tails.
He fell down when he got struck the fifth time and Ana ran over to him. "Are you alright?" Ana asked. He shot his head up to look at her. "What do you think?" he spat back. "Well, it's no help to get mad at me about it," she said. He looked away, growling.
"What's your name? I'm Ana Feesico," she said. "Tres..." he mumbled. "Hm?" "Tres Mikoto." "See? That wasn't so hard." Tres slightly smiled.
Every night, Ana would talk to Tres as he worked. Fukyuu soon noticed that Tres and Ana had started talking to each other and was displeased.

A week later, a red, pirate ship stopped next to Captain Kire's. A blonde-haired lady, with a pirate captain's suit on, boarded the ship.
"Ah, Yuuki Tamori!" Captain Kire greeted. "It's 'Captain Tamori' now," she said. "Oh, so you killed Benny; a fine captain he was," Yuuki rolled her eyes.
"I'm here to get a new hand for my ship," Yuuki said. "Oh, well, let me think..." Kire said.
"Take this one," Fukyuu spoke up, dragging Tres toward everyone with an invisible force. "Ah, good choice. Eternias have good taste," said Yuuki. 'Eternias?" thought Ana in confusion.
"I'll take him," Yuuki complied, "Here's a treasure chest I found. I'll trade the chest for him." "Okay," Captain Kire agreed and the two pirate captains traded.
When the red ship left, Ana glanced over at Fukyuu in question. She had so many questions swimming in her mind and said, "What's an Eternia? Why did you give Tres to the other pirates?" Fukyuu sighed and said, "An Eternia is someone who becomes immortal. I'm an Eternia and the reason that I can't eat food is because Eternias can only drink Red Root potion. If I eat human food, I'll get sick. Captain Kire is also an Eternia and Yuuki is an Everlive, an immortal that is marked with a shape somewhere on their body. We all have abilities, but the Eternias are far more powerful than Everlives. Concerning the matter about Tres, I haven't the heart to tell you." Ana was speechless and wouldn't talk to Fukyuu for the rest of the night.

'Eternias. Everlives. Immortality. Red Root potion. What is going on?' Ana thought in mixed horror and confusion and surprise. She rolled over on the bed and felt cold glass. She picked up the object in her hand and read the label of the glass bottle; it read 'Red Root'. Then, the liquid started turning black. Ana gasped and held the bottle close to her chest.

On Yuuki's ship, Tres was sitting on the floor of the captain's office. 'Fukyuu... That fool!' Tres thought in anger, rubbing his wrist again. The black, thorn mark was still on his wrist and it throbbed a little, but less than it did when he was around Fukyuu.
Yuuki came stomping into the room in large, black boots. "So! Your name?" she demanded. Tres looked away, as he answered, "Tres Mikoto."
He was surprised when she came over to him without a word. "Hmm... Ah! I have the perfect job for you! You'll be my personal servant and lover!" she said very eccentrically. Tres was about to jump out of his skin when she said this.
She suddenly held his face and kissed him. He jolted back in disgust and hit her hand. Yuuki was enraged and slapped him across the face. He quickly jumped up and punched her in the face. She fell down with a loud thud.
Tres took this chance to jump out the window into the vast ocean below. As soon as Tres' body touched the water, his ears became pointed, his hair acquired aqua-colored streaks, and some fins on his arms, legs, and back grew out. Tres also had gills and could breathe under water.
'What happened to me?' Tres thought, staring at his hands and legs. Yuuki looked out her window. "He's an Oceanse!" she gawked.
Tres took off, as far away as possible from Yuuki, when he saw her. He somehow sensed where Captain Kire's ship was. 'If I join them again, I can convince Ana to leave with me...' he thought and went off to fulfill his plan.

When Ana awoke the next day, she found Fukyuu sitting on some stairs. He had a deep, thoughtful scowl on his face; Ana realized why when she saw Tres walk out of Captain Kire's study.
Tres looked up and saw her. "Tres! You're back!" Ana said gleefully. Tres smiled at her, "Yes... We won't be separated again." Fukyuu glared at Tres.

One night, two days after Tres had returned, Ana spotted Tres cleaning up some tackle that had been carelessly left lying around. 'I'll tell her tonight,' Tres thought, not aware of the fact that she was close by.
"Do you need some help?" Ana asked, surprising Tres. "Ana..." "Hmm...?"
Tres suddenly pinned her against the wall. "Tres?" she asked, "What is it?" Tres looked away, then, said, "Leave with me. I can't stand the thought of us being separated again." "Tres... I-" she was cut off when he brushed his lips over hers. "Tres-" she was cut off again when he pressed his lips onto hers and held behind her head. She gasped.
"Please... I love you, Ana," Tres pled. Ana was blushing uncontrollably and began to kiss Tres. "Tres... I..."
With a sudden jolt, Tres' body was on the ground. "Tres!" Ana screamed. Tres was gritting his teeth and clawing at his wrist.
Ana turned to see Fukyuu hovering over them. He had a strange glare that Ana had never seen before; it seemed to be the glare of death and wrath. Fukyuu's face was very dark and with a flick of his eyes, Tres' wrist racked with more pain. "Aargh!" he yelled.
"Fukyuu, please!" Ana cried, running over to him. She wrapped her arms around him and began sobbing.
"Now, we've both made her cry," Tres retorted. Fukyuu was annoyed and sent an auburn shock wave at him. Tres grunted and smashed through the railing, into the ocean.
"Fukyuu! How could you?!" Ana screamed, slapping him in the face. He touched his face and smiled, "I won't let you go." Ana was surprised and, suddenly, a water blast hit Fukyuu. He growled when he saw Tres floating on a water fountain.
"You won't keep Ana!" Tres yelled, sending more water at Fukyuu, he blocked it this time. "You may be an Oceanse, but you're no match for an Eternia," Fukyuu taunted, pulling his own hand towards himself. Tres flinched, but didn't hardly feel anything (because Oceanse beings are stronger and more powerful in the water).
"Stop fighting! Stop... fighting..." Ana started to feel dizzy and collapsed. Unbeknownst to the two, fighting teens, a ship had silently crept up next to theirs. Someone had watched Ana collapse and snuck on board. The person did not hesitate to pick her up and head back to his ship, glancing over his shoulder to make sure he hadn't been seen. Then, he took off in his ship.

Chapter III

Through closed eyelids, Ana smelled the faint scent of the ocean wafting in the air that filled her nose. 'What happened?' Ana thought.
Ana opened her eyes to see that she was in a tent on the beach. The sun was bright and the breeze was cool.
'Did the ship run aground?' Ana thought, upon seeing a ship parked on the beach edge. 'Why am I here?'
She sat up and crawled outside. The sun immediately beat down on her, causing her to cover her face with her arm.
"Oh, you're awake," a male voice stated. Ana looked up and squinted to see a man, with dark-blue hair, staring down at her.
"Who are you?! Why'd you take me?" Ana demanded. "I'm Kano Mystera," he replied, "What's your name?" He reached for her face, but she slapped his hand away. "I'm Ana Feesico. Now, tell me why you took me," she said.
"I saved you from those pirates," he said, with a confused look. "Those pirates... were taking care of me!" she growled.
"I'll drop you off at a sea port, but you won't go back to the pirates. I've had my share of pirates on my explorations and won't give into something as ridiculous as what you're saying," Kano frowned, scratching the back of his neck. Ana furrowed her brow and crossed her arms, "You'll take me back to the pirate ship; I'm not going anywhere else with you."
Kano sighed, "Will you, at least, eat something?" Ana nodded, unwillingly. "Then, come over here to the fire; I'm cooking fish," he said. She followed him.
After they had started eating, ana began to feel curious. "So... you're an explorer," she mumbled. "Yeah; since I was a kid." "Hmm."
"How old are you?" Kano asked, resting his chin on his fist; his elbow was resting on his leg. Ana almost choked, "You're not supposed to ask a girl how old she is." "Hmm... You're hardly a girl. You're nineteen?" "Nineteen?! Do I honestly look that old?! I'm sixteen!"
Kano began to chuckle, "Well, that was a successful way to figure out your age." Ana was furious and had a comeback, "So, you're about forty?" She slanted her eyes, evilly.
He almost fell off of the rock he was sitting on. "Forty?! That's harsh! I'm only twenty; don't double it!" he said in horror. Ana chuckled, "Well, that was a successful way to figure out your age." "Copycat," Kano said, in an annoyed/teasing tone. He smiled and they both started laughing.

"Ana's gone!" Tres yelled, bursting through Captain Kire's study-room doors. "Yes, we already know that, fool," Fukyuu growled; he was studying a map with Captain Kire.
"We could check here or, maybe, here," Captain Kire said, pointing to spots on the map. "Yes..." Fukyuu replied, agreeing to the plan.
"What are you doing?" Tres huffed, quite annoyed. Fukyuu glared at him, "We're searching for Ana, imbecile." "Grr!"
"Now. Now. Calm down, you two. Let's not force me to do what I did last night to make you stop fighting. Tres flinched and held his head (Captain Kire had attacked with a strange power and hit Tres on the head).
Tres stormed out of the room. "Where are you going?" Fukyuu asked. "I'm looking for Ana. You're not an Oceanse, so, this weakling of an Oceanse will go by water; it's faster," Tres said, taking his shirt off and jumping off the deck. Fukyuu was angry, but said no more.

It had been about three days and Ana was starting to talk to Kano more with each day that passed. Ana was starting to think that Kano was like a brother to her.
"We're leaving today after lunch, so, can you go collect some wood and seaweed on the beach?" Kano asked. Ana smiled, "Of course!" Kano smiled fondly and Ana went off to look for the items.
'Oh, no! I've gotten so far away from the campsite that I can't see it anymore!' Ana thought, after an hour. She had collected some small logs and seaweed that had washed up from the ocean.
'How am I going to find my way back?' she thought. "Maybe, if I try to follow my tracks in the sand; hopefully the ocean hasn't washed them away by now," Ana voiced.
Something suddenly caught her eye from the water. 'What's that?' Ana thought, kneeling by the water's edge. Ana only saw her own reflection.
Then, a head began to emerge through the water. Ana gasped at the sight of a lady with a head-full of long, curly, aqua hair. The lady had a beautiful complexion and had ruby red eyes.
The strange water creature stared at Ana, through thick eyelashes. Ana almost said something, but the creature quickly slipped back under the water.
Ana shook her head, thinking that maybe she was just hallucinating. She spun around and started heading back.
Within two heartbeats, the strange creature jumped out of the water; she was now a quite hideous-looking monster. The creature sunk it's claws into Ana's arms. Ana gasped in horror. "Ana!" Kano yelled, coming over a hill. "Help m-" Ana said, just before she was roughly yanked backwards into the water.
Kano's eyes widened in panic, "Ana!" He ran to the water, deciding on something.
Meanwhile, Ana was still being dragged down by the monstrous sea lady. The creature's eyes were wide with a horrifying eagerness; her mouth was spread up into a sharp-toothed grin and her pointed ears kept twitching. "Food! Food!" the monster yelled. Ana was struck with so much shock that she couldn't speak.
Kano plunged into the water, quickly transforming into an Oceanse, a water being. Kano had grown fins on his back, arms, and legs. Now, he also had a long, bone sword.
"Let her go, Oceana!" Kano demanded, pointing his sword at the water creature. Oceana pulled Ana to her, wrapping her arm around Ana. "Never!" Oceana seethed, covering Ana's face with her now-deformed-looking hand.
Ana had already lost some air on the way down and now she lost the rest of the air. 'Can't... breath. I don't want to die. I can't die... like this...' Ana thought as she slipped into unconsciousness, closing her eyes.
"Ana! No!" Kano yelled, charging at Oceana. As if in slow motion, Oceana brought her fish tail around as Kano drew nearer. Just as Kano's sword sliced her cheek, Oceana stuck a spike, that was at the end of her tail fin, into Kano's stomach.
Kano's body jolted from the impact, but he kept his sword on Oceana's face. "You can't beat me!" Oceana said, changing to her normal form, momentarily. "Muhahaha!" she cackled in her monster form. Kano grinned, "The Oceanse Prince can definitely win against a mere outcast Oceanse, Oceana."
"What?!" Oceana screamed, "No!" She let go of Ana and changed back into her normal self, closing her eyes and floating away.
Kano held onto Ana and quickly went up to the surface of the water. Kano's shirt was stained and dripping with blood, but his wound didn't stop him from carrying Ana to the shore and setting her on the sand.
He knew he'd have to do a technique that he didn't use often, to save Ana. He leaned over her, putting his mouth on hers and holding her nose. He blew air into her mouth and also pushed on her stomach. In the time that we live, this life-saving technique is called CPR, but many people then did not know about it.
Ana finally coughed up water and opened her eyes. "I'm glad you're safe," Kano said, hugging her. Ana was surprised and even mores so when she saw Kano's bloody shirt.
"Kano, you're injured!" Ana exclaimed. He smiled, "It's fine. I'm glad you're safe."
"Kano! You need medical attention!" Ana pressed. "I love you," Kano said.
Ana was speechless. Then, Kano collapsed, with his head under her chin. "Kano! You need your wound treated!" Ana said again, but apparently, he had fallen asleep.
"Kano, I'm sorry, but I love someone else," Ana whispered. She put her fingers in his turquoise hair.
She couldn't seem to move Kano. So, she stayed where she was and fell asleep.

That night, "Oh, how quaint; the little girl is asleep and the only protection she has is injured," said a hooded man, walking up to Kano and Ana. "Hurry, Akano," said another hooded man.
"I'm hurrying, Kiru; not to worry," said Akano. Akano knelt down, kicking Kano over, who groaned. Then, Akano picked up Ana and threw her over his shoulder. The two hooded men walked off and disappeared into thick, white fog.

"Let's search this island," Captain Kire called out. "Okay," Tres replied from the ocean.
The pirates brought the ship aground. Tres walked up onto the sandy beach, meeting up with Captain Kire and Fukyuu.
"We'll go search this way. Fukyuu, Tres, you go that way and look for any signs of life or any clues," Captain Kire ordered. "Aye, aye," Fukyuu said, glaring at Tres.
About thirty minutes later, Tres and Fukyuu came upon Kano. "Is he dead?" Tres asked. "I don't believe so..." Fukyuu muttered. Tres pulled Kano's arm up over his shoulder, "Let's get him back to the ship; he needs medical attention," Tres said. Fukyuu looked away and took Kano's other arm, putting it over his shoulder. Then, the two rivals set off with Kano.

Chapter IV

"Mm..." Ana groaned, trying to turn in her sleep. She moved too far and fell onto a hard, cold, stone floor.
"Ow!" Ana yelped, holding her head. She slowly opened her green eyes to see a man standing in front of her; he had brown hair and maroon-colored eyes.
"Fukyuu?" Ana questioned. The man grinned, "No. I'm Hikaru Ori, his elder twin brother. I'm twenty and he's eighteen." "Are you an Eternia too?" "No..." he frowned, pointing at his left cheek, just under his eye, "I'm and Everlive. We are all marked with a different shape somewhere on our bodies." Ana squinted and finally saw the sideways triangles on his face where he was pointing.
"How are you older than Fukyuu, if you're twins?" she asked. Hikaru's face was emotionless, "We're actually the same age, but my body is two years older than his. He became an Eternia one hundred and eighteen years ago, and left home as soon as he found out what he'd become. When I was twenty, I turned into an Everlive; that was ninety-eight years ago. So, I'm only older than him in body, not in age. Both kinds age no more once they become one, but there are consequences; the Eternias must only drink Red Root potion and can't eat." "What about Everlives?"
Hikaru placed his left hand over the left side of his face, "We're not allowed to love or sleep." Ana couldn't speak.
Hikaru suddenly moved forward, towards her, and grabbed her hand. He led her out of the room, down a hall, and into a large throne room-like room.
"Does your arm feel better now and do you like your dress?" Hikaru asked. "Ah, um..." ana now realized that her arm was healed. She looked at what she was wearing too; a blue dress. 'Who put me in this?' Ana thought.
"Don't worry; we dressed you. You would have gotten pneumonia in those wet clothes," said a brown-haired lady with a crescent-moon Everlive mark on her right cheekbone. "She reads minds," a twelve-year-old girl said, coming out of the shadows. Ana didn't think that she'd ever seen anyone with this red of hair and crystal-like, blue eyes. The girl had her Everlive mark on her forehead and it was a crescent-moon shape like the other lady's, only longer.
"Hey, Hikaru-sama, should we make her one of us?" someone said. Ana turned towards the main doors, watching as five men and two girls came in. The one that had just spoken was a tall man with reddish-brown hair and sleepy, yellow eyes. Hikaru grinned, "We need to try a test first, Akano."
"Test?" Ana queried, confused. "Yes," the brown-haired lady answered, walking over to a table that was alongside a wall. She picked up a plate of grapes and walked back to Ana.
"Eat some," the lady demanded. Ana hesitated. "Oina didn't poison it; it's fine," Hikaru said. "Okay..." Ana said, taking a grape and eating it. Suddenly, she felt a burning in her throat and lungs. "Ack!" Ana fell over, clutching her throat. "You said it wasn't poisoned," she chocked out. "It's not, but food is poisonous to Eternias," Hikaru said, his face now becoming grim.
"We'll use her as bait," Hikaru said, then, he told the five men and two girls that had previously entered, "Tori, Tira, Akano, Eruba, Kiru, Solar, and Jun, go stand guard outside. Etoa, will give information to the ones searching for Ana." Hikaru's followers, fellow Everlives, obeyed and went to fulfill his commands. Etoa, the red-head girl, put her hood on and slipped out the door.
"Now, we wait," Hikaru said. He looked down at Ana, she was now asleep. So, they left her on the floor and left the room.

Kano had been asleep for a while and finally awoke when it was morning. His wound had been treated and was wrapped in bandages. He got up, walking out of the tent he was in.
"Ah, he's awake," Captain Kire said. "Where's Ana?" Kano questioned. "You know Ana?" Tres asked, grabbing Kano by his shirt collar. "Yeah, I took her when she collapsed on the deck," Kano explained, "I was going to get her somewhere safe."
"You...!" Tres yelled, pulling his fist back, ready to punch. "Would you intend to harm the Oceanse Prince, your ruler?" Kano said. Suddenly, Tres let go of Kano's shirt and fell down. Kano opened his hand, shooting a ton of water from it at Tres. Tres was now flat on the ground and his face was in the sand.
"Impressive," Captain Kire said, "Would you consider joining us?" "Sorry, I'm an explorer; I don't join pirates," Kano said. "Okay, well, could you at least tell us your name? I'm Captain Kire Morgan." "I am Kano Mystera, explorer and Oceanse Prince," Kano introduced himself, "I meant no ill will to Ana." "I know. We need to find her. Do you know where she want?" "No. I collapsed after a fight with Oceana; she's half Oceanse and half Eternia." "So, that's where that wound came from." "Yes."
Just then, a hooded person came running up to them and dropped a piece of paper on the ground. Then, the person ran away. "Ana?" Kano questioned. Captain Kire picked up the paper and read it, "Overlook Chateau." "Where's that?" Tres asked. "Follow me," Fukyuu answered, jumping down from the ship. He turned to Kire, "Bring your men."
Captain Kire and Kano looked at each other. "Come on, men!" Kire yelled, following Fukyuu; Tres and Kano went too.

It was sunset and Hikaru was sitting on his throne. Ana awoke and stood up; she looked over at Hikaru with a frown.
"It's time," Hikaru said, flicking his index finger towards himself. Ana felt her body being pulled forward and she flew across the room, into Hikaru's arms.
"Let me go!" Ana yelled, struggling to get away. "Silence," Hikaru said. Ana felt her body go limp and she felt tired.
Hikaru stood up and put Ana on the chair. He swept his hand through the air, causing thorny vines to come up out of the ground and secure Ana to the seat.
"They'll be coming for you," he said. Ana could hardly hear what he was saying as her vision and hearing kept fading in and out.

"Here it is," Fukyuu said, as they all got up a hill. Overlook Chateau was set on a cliff; it's dim and dreary, Gothic structure stood with an eerie erectness.
"There're guards, so, I'll go in by the front door while you all distract them," Fukyuu instructed. "Aye," Kire replied. Fukyuu bean to go when Tres said, "I'm coming too." Fukyuu sighed, "Don't get in the way." Tres nodded.
The pirates and Kano charged over to the guards. The guards immediately, without shock, began to fight back. The guards were Everlives, so, they fought with weapons and powers.
Fukyuu and Tres managed to sneak around the guards, entering the building through the front door. The two spotted Ana at the end of the room.
"Ana..." Tres muttered, walking forward, but stopped when Fukyuu thrust his arm out in front of his chest. "Hey!" Tres yelled. Fukyuu tilted his head, "you almost stepped on a trap. "Wha-" Tres muttered, now seeing the almost-invisible trip line. He smirked, "Sharp eyes."
"Just like always," a voice said. Tres looked around the room frantically. Hikaru appeared out of nowhere with a sword.
Tres quickly drew his own sword and blocked an attack. He thought he saw an opening, swinging his sword at Hikaru, but Hikaru flicked his own hand towards the wall; this action put a collar on Tres' neck and attached the collar up on the wall. Tres was now being strangled from hanging by his neck.
"Now, it's just you and I, brother," Hikaru stated. Fukyuu's face became emotionless, "Hikaru..."
"As you see, I've grown stronger, Fu," Hikaru proclaimed pridefully. "And still... not strong enough, Hi," Fukyuu replied.
"Shut up!" Hikaru yelled, sending a blast of black energy at Fukyuu. Fukyuu closed his eyes and the attack turned into white, dusty sparkles. Hikaru gasped, "How-" He was cut off when Fukyuu began running towards him. "I call this," Fukyuu said, shooting maroon thorns and energy, "March of Death!" Hikaru's eyes widened and he covered his face with his arms when the attack hit him. He flow backwards and crashed into the chair that Ana was in.
Fukyuu's eyes turned white and a black-maroon cloud appeared in the room, sending out black lightning bolts. "Let her go," Fukyuu commanded. "Not on you life!" Hikaru yelled, wrapping a thorn rope around Ana's neck. "I'll choke her to death if you don't surrender, Fu!" Hikaru yelled, "Don't you love her?"
Fukyuu took a step forward and Hikaru began choking Ana with the rope. "Fukyuu!" Ana cried. Fukyuu's rage was at its peak and he put a Thorn Mark on Hikaru's neck. Then, he began choking Hikaru with it.
"Stop!" Hikaru pled, falling on the ground. Fukyuu ignored him, making the tension on his neck tighter. Hikaru tried to fight back, making thorns creep up onto Fukyuu's feet and ankles. The thorns didn't stay long, because they disintegrated from Fukyuu's immense power.
Fukyuu made Hikaru float up in the air and threw him out a large, glass window. Fukyuu went over to the window and saw nothing, Hikaru had vanished. 'Fool,' Fukyuu thought with hatred.
Fukyuu released Ana from the chair and picked her up. Ana looked up at him. "Fukyuu..." her voice strained. He smiled. "I'm an Eternia now..." she continued, then, she fell unconscious. Fukyuu was surprised at this news. "Ana..." he whispered, putting his face down to her ear.
He began to take her out of the Chateau when Tres coughed out, "Get me down!" Fukyuu paused in his tracks and made the collar dissipate. "Ow!" Tres yelled when he hit the floor. Then, Fukyuu continued out the door with Ana. "Ana's mine," Fukyuu said.
Tres sighed and leaned his back against the wall. 'I'm a failure,' he thought, staring at the Thorn Mark on his wrist.

Chapter V

"Those Everlives left for some reason; we can't find them now, because they seem to have disappeared," Captain Kire reported to Fukyuu. "I'm sure we'll see them again," Fukyuu stated and continued on to the ship.
Fukyuu got to the ship in about ten minutes and put Ana on his bed. He sat on the edge of the bed, stroking her hair.
"You shouldn't have to suffer with this fate, but without it, I would lose you. My heart can't bear it when you're not with me. I'm in love with you, Ana," Fukyuu said aloud. Supporting himself with his arm, he leaned down and kissed Ana on the lips. His action made her open her eyes.
"Fukyuu..." Ana said, her face turning red. "You... love me?" Ana questioned; her heart was beating furiously.
"Yes..." he replied, this time kissing her even more passionately. When he stopped kissing her, he noticed that she looked deathly ill and tired.
"Ana! Did they have you eat something?" Fukyuu asked. "Yes..." "You need some Red Root potion."
Fukyuu opened one of his cabinets and got out a bottle of potion. He gave Ana some of the potion and the color came back into her skin, but she still looked tired. So, Fukyuu decided to let her rest and left the room.
Kano was on his way to the pirate ship with Tres; the pirates came as well. "Are you sure you're okay?" Kano asked. "Look who's talking, Prince," Tres said.
When everyone was on the pirate ship, Tres said to Fukyuu, "I may fail at many things, but I won't give up on Ana." "Nor will I," Fukyuu replied. Tres smirked. Then, Tres began coughing violently.
"What's the matter, lad?" Captain Kire asked. Kano answered for Tres, "He's in need of water; that's the main thing of what an Oceanse is always in need of." "That's why you travel on the ocean all the time?" Kire asked. Kano nodded.
Weasel brought Tres a jug of water as quickly as his short legs would take him. "Thanks," Tres replied and drank the water down in fast, large gulps. "Woah," Captain Kire commented.
"Well, I must be going now," Kano said. "Okay. Safe travels to you," Kire said. Then, Kano left on his ship.
Captain Kire turned around, "Men, we're going to make port at Androsia! You all have worked hard, so, we'll stay for two weeks." All the men cheered and set a course for the island town.

Once the pirates had reached the town, they got off and Fukyuu woke Ana. Everyone went to an inn and Captain Kire payed for it.
The inn was serving dinner and everyone was hungry, except for the two Eternias. So, Fukyuu and Ana just sat at a table, watching everyone else.
Ana became curious when she saw a man with caramel-colored hair liker her own. He had a strange trait, his eyes; the man had slit pupils, like a cat, and his eyes were green.
The man looked up at Ana and smiled. Ana smiled back at the man.
"How do you do?" the man said to Ana and Fukyuu. "We're fine," Fukyuu stated bluntly. "Well, why won't you eat anything for dinner?" "We're not hungry," Fukyuu said, now getting a bit annoyed.
"Or is it... because food will make you sick?" the man asked, half-closing his eyes. "How did you know?" Ana asked, totally admitting it.
The man smirked, "I've met your kind before; I've even worked with them to find my little sister." "Who are you?" Fukyuu asked, "I'd surely know you if you worked with my kind."
Ana was completely shocked at what the man said next. "I'm Isla Feesico. I'm looking for my sister, Ana, but I fear she may be dead, like our parents," he said. Isla stared at Ana, "What's wrong?" "I- I'm Ana Feesico," Ana said.
Isla's face lightened up, "I'm glad you're safe Ana. It is strange, though, that you'd be an Eternia when you're also part Pureheart." "I was clawed by an Oceanse that was half Eternia." "Ah, that explains it; venom from those creatures will turn you into one or the other," Isla said.
"What's a Pureheart, brother?" Ana asked, feeling thrilled at having a sibling. "A Pureheart is one that has extremely enhanced powers. If you were, for example, an Allgrace, you'd have every ability of every kind, but you would most likely be born as an Allgrace to begin with," Isla said. "So, it's rare for someone to be an Allgrace from an outside force?" Ana queried. "Yes, and in the case of Eternias and Everlives, you could be born with it or be turned into one," he replied.
Fukyuu had not said anything for a while and finally spoke, "I remember you now." "I knew you'd remember eventually," Isla said. "You helped me find Hikaru." "Yes, and you didn't kill him when you had the chance. His crime was unforgiveable; he shouldn't have lived this long, but I'm sure he carries his guilt always."
"What did he do?" Ana asked. Fukyuu looked away with a sad face. "He killed his parents and younger brother," Isla answered.
Changing the subject, Fukyuu asked, "So, what brings you here?" Isla chuckled, "I'm here, because I'm looking for a place to build a school." "A school?" Ana queried. "Yes, a school for the gifted children and adults that are like us; they won't be hunted or destroy things. They can be taught to better improve their powers, but still be taught as normal people," Isla replied.
"Can we help?" Fukyuu asked. Isla had a glint of happiness in his eyes, "You would help me?" "Of course." "I'll help too," Ana chimed in. "Me too, lads!" Captain Kire spoke up. Isla smiled genuinely, "Thank you all."
'This is wonderful,' Ana thought happily. Then, Ana noticed Tres sitting in a corner; he hadn't said a word since they'd arrived in Androsia.
"Then, it's settled; tomorrow, we'll all go look for a place to build the school," Ana heard Captain Kire say. Ana was happy about the idea and tried to be as social as possible.
Later, Ana saw Tres go outside. She saw that all the others were in deep conversations. So, Ana stepped outside to find Tres and see what was wrong with him.
"Tres?" Ana called, "Tres?" Suddenly, someone behind her clasped their hand over her moth and pulled her into the shadows. 'Oh, no! The Everlives are going to kill me now!' Ana screamed in her mind.
Ana squirmed to get away, but paused in shock when a mouth touched her ear. "Shh. It's me, Ana. Be quiet; there are hunters on the streets tonight," Tres said.
"Tres, you scared me half to death! Mmph!" Ana yelled and Tres covered her mouth again. "Not so loud," he lectured. "Well, excuse me for almost having a heart attack because of you," Ana rasped, "You are so-" She was cut off when Tres yanked her to him and put his arms around her. She felt his breath on her neck.
"Ana..." Tres mumbled. "Yes?" "Do you love me?" "I-"
Tres stood straight and looked her in the eyes. Ana looked away, but he put his palms on her cheeks and his fingers in her hair. "I- I..." Ana struggled to find words.
Tres looked disappointed, letting his hands fall to his sides. "I'm sorry," he said, walking towards the front door of the inn.
Ana squinted her eyes shut, then, spun around and grabbed Tres' hand. He looked at her.
"I'm- I'm too young right now to decide who I truly love," Ana confessed. Tres looked sad. Then, Ana pulled his head forward and kissed him on the lips.
Tres was stunned. Ana hugged him, leaning her head on his chest. He patted her head. "I understand," he said, resting his chin on her head.

Chapter VI

In the morning, everyone that could eat ate breakfast and set off early. Isla led the way to another part of Androsia.
"Ana, I think I've found it! What do you think?" Isla asked when he had gotten to the top of a hill. Ana walked up next to him with the others. "It's perfect!" Ana said, smiling happily.
They had come upon a beautiful mountain that was more glorious than Shangri-La. The mountain had many different levels to it and was covered with lush trees. Exotic birds flew all around and there was a perfect ocean view.
"Let's begin building straightaway," Kire said, "We can build out of stone blocks, if you like; we're skilled in masonry and architecture." "That's fine. Shall I make a detailed layout of the school?" Isla replied. "Sure! That would be of much help," Kire said. "Very well," Isla said, throwing his rolled-up blanket on the ground. The others found that there were painting and calligraphy tools in the blanket.
Isla began drawing, only pausing here and there to think. Ana watched, looking over his shoulder.
When Isla was finally done with the instructions, he stood up and handed the paper to Captain Kire. Kire looked over it briefly. "This is perfect! We'll make it look just like this." Isla smiled, "Thank you."

It took three months of hard, arduous labor, but the school was finally built. "Perfectly accented curves and arches, cylindrical stone columns, a ceramic-tiled roof; this is incredible!" Isla commented, "Thank you all for your hard work." They all nodded. Then, Isla payed them all.
"My school needs teachers; any volunteers?" Isla asked. Ana, Fukyuu, and Captain Kire agreed to be teachers.
"Now, for a name... I've got it!" Isla said, everyone waited eagerly for him to speak more, "Eternia Academy." They were all astonished. "It's perfect!" Captain Kire replied, everyone else agreed.
"What will you do, Isla?" Ana asked. "I'll be a teacher too," he smiled, ruffling her hair.
"We also built something else," Kire said. "What?" Ana asked. "Follow me," he said.
Everyone followed Captain Kire to another part of the mountain. The area was heavily wooded, but, in one spot, a manor stood tall.
"Wow!" Ana exclaimed. "What's it for?" Isla asked. "The teachers, of course," Kire replied, "You forgot to put a place for them to stay." "So I did. Thank you," Isla said.

Later, Ana, Fukyuu, and Tres went to explore the new academy. They entered the front gate and began to walk across the roofed bridge that went across to the study rooms.
Fukyuu and Tres suddenly stopped walking. Ana turned around, "What's wrong?"
"Which one of us do you love the most, Ana?" Fukyuu asked. "Yeah. I understand what you said before, but you must have already made up your mind," Tres said.
Ana smiled, slowly taking a step back, "I'll... think about it." She spun around and started running.
"Hey, Ana!" Tres yelled. Then, Fukyuu and Tres ran after her. "Ana!" Fukyuu pled. Ana giggled and continued running.
"I hope this school prospers," Isla said to himself. He smiled, as he watched the sunset and the wind blew.

The End of Book I

Impressum

Texte: This book may not be claimed as someone else's. It belongs to AiKagiSAN/Ai Kagi.
Tag der Veröffentlichung: 13.08.2010

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