Infinite Brine - Ai Kagi (large ebook reader txt) 📗

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