Aquata Cove Ch. 90

"Mizu desu!" Fumiko makes her way downward, her heart pounding as she keeps looking at the struggling otter. "[Is it really you?! Where have you been for so long?!]"

Arnaav hears her, and watches as she approaches her, speaking that language again. He needs to go back to Yuri NOW! Can't she be here right now or something?!

"Mizu-" Fumiko hesitates as her eyes go to the intricate black symbol imprinted onto the left side of Arnaav's chest, "Mizu, nani wa desuka?" She asked as she pointed.

"Eerrr?" Arnaav purred curiously as he tilts his head.

"[What is this word?]" She says as she points closer, "[I don't think they teach that kanji in school, what does it mean?]"

Arnaav looks to his chest, and puts a paw over it. He purrs sadly as he lowers down to all fours.

"[Oh, wait, does it make you hurt?]" She asks with concern, "[What happened?]" Arnaav shook his head. He can't understand her one bit, not a single word. And this place... This place was where he was... And she doesn't even realize...

"[Wait here, I will get my grandfather and ask him.]"

Arnaav's ears point up as he hears Fumiko's feet move away from him. "Wait!" He squeaks as he crawls and scratches up as she goes. Fumiko turns back around, and quickly pets Arnaav. The otter freezes as he stares at her, his back flexing as she strokes him.

"[I will come back. Please stay, I'll be back soon.]"

Arnaav nods, gulping before she turns back around, and scurries off. "Eeerrrfff!" He shudders and shakes for a quick moment, his fur fluffing for a moment as a very weird vibe just raced down his spine.

~~~

Merrick walks along the cliff by the house, naked and fully armed with his gear, with the addition of his cellphone securely inside an air-tight bag with a hand towel, just in case.

He rolls his head to crack his neck, before diving right into the sea!

The water explodes all around him, instantly transforming his whole body into his true form. His strong tail glimmers beautifully as he beats it strongly. He closes his eyes and sighs a breath of water as he twirls playfully. He needs to do more of this.

He pulls himself up and around a rock, signaling around, holding his harpoon as he goes.

"Merrick!" Comes a voice. He turns, and scoffs with glee as he sees a green merman swim his way.

"Brishen!" He calls back as he kicks his tail hard to speed up. The two of them take each other's forearms before embracing, "Is the pod here then?"

"Yes! We have just arrived!" Brishen takes Merrick's hand, and starts to swim, "I am sure everyone will be glad to see you-" After pulling, his webbed hand slips from Merrick's, who is now drifting backward. "Merrick?"

"I am Coshiton, Brishen, I cannot go back, remember?" He says, "If I come near the pod, the Ningyo will awaken and come forth to get me."

"So what? We are far from Atlantis, it will not catch you for a short visit."

"That's not how it works, Brishen." Merrick says with his arms crossed, "If I go back to the pod, it will seek out the location of where we meet, it won't just go away if I only stay for a less than a sun. If I come, so will the Ningyo, and I do NOT want the authority of the Kingdoms anywhere near these waters."

"Alright, I see." Brishen nods, "Is it even safe if we are together?"

"As... Long as I am not with the bulk of the pod, I should be fine. That's what Father and Mother says."

"Great!" Brishen says as he tags Merrick's arm, "Let's go find the Tohora!" He says as he swoops around and swims.

"Brishen! The Tohora is a sacred creature!" Merrick says as he quickly follows his best friend, "Don't tell me you are going to hunt it!"

"Of course not! I just want to take some fins it sheds to make armor."

"Brishen, whales don't shed."

~~~

Arnaav waits on the rock patiently, turning his head here and around, in case if anything else shows up. Patches of tan skin begin to show around his body as the water has been dripping off of him; he's been waiting for Fumiko to come back for up to an hour.

"HHH!" He suddenly gasps as a thought just occurred to him! He turns, and dives back into the grotto.

Arnaav quickly burrows himself through the water, jetting quickly to his discarded equipment. His paws seize his small pouch and nearly tear it open to deposit his arm into it. "... Wha??" His paw shuffles and grabs into the carrier, "Where is it??"

He pulls it open, and looks inside. The otter's insides purge with fear as he can't see the magical, colorful twinkling of the butterfly ornament! "No nononononono!" He turns it upside down and shakes it, letting his items drift out of his case. He takes his belts and his sheaths, raiding through them vigorous.

"No, please no! HHH!" His senses spike inside his little head. Arnaav whips around, and sees a few distant humanoid images appear. He swims slowly up, trying to make out the rippling images, before the water above drops a small cluster of bubbles, before the half green half pale ball sinks into it.

"The ball!" He paddles swiftly up, and catches it mid-drift, before he instinctually goes right back up to the surface. "Ahhh!" He gurgles as he shakes his head quickly, and looking up to see the figures.

"[There he is! It's my pet otter, Mizu!]" Fumiko pointed out as Arnaav looks up at the girl, accompanied by two grey and silver-haired elders. "[Mizuuu, come over here!]"

"Huh?" Arnaav tilts his head, until he sees Fumiko start to gesture her fingers to point down onto the rock, "Oh!" Holding the ball with his paws under his chest, Arnaav dips down and undulates his way back to the wet rocks. He crawls and pulls himself up on the rocks taking the ball with him.

"[Fumiko, that is no otter!]" The old woman tells her, "[Look at the markings of its fur!]" She says, pointing to the elaborate formation pattern of the boundary where the brown fur meets the cream-colored belly fuzz. Arnaav looks curiously as she points.

"[It is a kitsune from the sea! A spirit who has wandered its way to our midst...]" Fumiko's grandfather says.

"[But he has never hurt me. When we played all those years ago, he never even left the water.]"

"[We never know of their true intent...]" Grandmother tells her, "[Be it trickery or benign...]"

"[You must be careful, Fumiko. We do not know whether this kitsune plans to take you away, or leave you in peace.]" Grandfather says auspiciously. As they look at him, Arnaav's nose twitches, right before he sneezed and tossed his head. Arnaav murrs awkwardly as his little paws rubs and brushes at his face.

"[I'm sure he's harmless.]" Fumiko says, "[He's just a little different from a regular otter. Here, I'll-]"

"[Wait!]"

Arnaav's posture suddenly erects, his ears turning, before he turns about, and flops back to the water. The three of them watch as his body disappears into the jade-colored waves.

Arnaav looks, and spots Ebba's shell vibrating and calling him. "Oh so that's it. I need to go back." His short arms gathered his things, before he looms forward to meet them.

~~~

Brishen and Merrick swim along a reef that is adorned with what appears to be pearl/silver like ore. They cautiously look about the surroundings until they find enormous, cavernous-like areas.

"Brishen, are you sure this is even a good idea?? Tohoras are rare and gentle, but do we really want to provoke it?"

"I don't want to fight one, Merrick." Brishen says, "I just want to explore their habitat, and see what I am able to find. You know we never hear tell of any merfolk looking into a Sand Maze in these waters."

"Yes. Ever occur that there might be a reason for that? For all we know, we could be disrespecting them."

"You are worrying too much-"

"Brishen, LOOK OUT!"

"BROTHER!"

Merrick flips as Brishen swerves out of the way as a 5-ft demonic looking shrimp races suddenly out of the sand! Merrick shoots his harpoon, which only rips once into the prawn's tail before it darts to them! Brishen blocks as it reaches one of its thorny claws at him. "Ghhh!"

"It's a Lava Shrimp! Don't pierce it!" Merrick yelled, "Its insides burn!"

Brishen yanks his arm back, and flips to cut his tailfin into one of it's whiskers and eyes! The shrimp growls a shrill noise as it thrashed at them again.

Just then, a flash of aurora light illuminates the space between the mermen and the shrimp, before swirling ice rabidly grew around and restrained the crustacean. The devilish shrimp squirms and growls as the ice reforms and shrinks like glowing, freezing vines as it is pushed down.

Merrick smiles as he looks up, and sees Savarna's hand glowing with the cold power pinning the Lava Shrimp, with her short staff spiraling with shards of light.

"Sister." Merrick says once the ice cracks solid and safely traps the shrimp.

"Brother!" Savarna cuts off her magic, and swims to him, going into a tight hug. "I sensed your aura, and I needed to see you!"

"I have missed you too..." Merrick said, "It has... It has been a difficult time..."

"What?" Savarna asks her eyes looking into her sibling's. Right then, her eyes see glimpses of a male human, with eyes that show no emotion, like a heart was taken from him. The human suddenly seems so close, and then an entire world away in distance, "Brother, what am I seeing?"

"What?" Merrick blinked, and then scoffed, "Oh, I get it. You are seeing into my soul..."

"Mother said I can see the recent and most residual memories of others..." She feels disquiet as she feels Merrick's energy, "I feel... Longing and sadness... Brother?"

"It's my mate, Sister..." He tells her as he drifts back, "He..."

"Waaaaaahhhhhhlllll." A long, calm song sounds around them. They turn to see a blue and platinum humpback whale, white-metallic swirl designs run all along its body, shimmering in the sun's light from the surface as it slowly swims by in the distance.

"The Tohora..." Brishen mumbles. These peaceful and lonesome whales are smaller than the average humpback whale, and they live in huge labyrinths of sand deep beneath the ocean floor in tropical regions.

"My mate's memory has been erased..." Merrick tells his sister as they gaze in awe of the distant creature, "Savage humans attacked him to the brink of death, and he lost every single moment of his past..."

"Brother, that's... I'm sorry..." Savarna says while she faced him, "Is that really even possible?"

"I cannot even go to him, because his mind is so delicate now, and all I want to do is hold him every time I see him."

"Will... Will he ever get his memories back?" Savarna asked. Merrick merely closes his eyes, shaking his head, "Ohhh..."

"Me and Brishen were about to explore the sand maze of the Tohora." He says, "Can you please come with us, Sister? We need your light..."

"Y-Yes! I will, Brother."

"Alright, lets go." Brishen says as the three of them swim into the dark opening of the sand.

~~~

"With this, I have been able to contact several colleagues across the sea," Chibaku says to Yuri as he shows her the brand new, used communications device that he uses for his research.

"So it's like a telephone, right?"

"Hahaha, yes, but I can call places or locations placed with the same system, or I can send signals and Morse code to even the most remotest locations connected with the same satellite.

"Cool. Can I try it?" Yuri asked.

"Yes, Yuri, but..." Chibaku hesitates around and looks about it, "I think it wise to... Choose a less-often channel..."

~~~

Arnaav ponders as he sits on a large rocking buoy, the water dripping from his fur, wearing only a belt with his knives and his pouch with his little arms crossed.

"I lost her little treasure, this is horrible." He whines, "How am I supposed to get her to like me when I am in human form? I can't just stay like this with her forever."

"And that language. I can't understand them at all! Grrrrr..."

RIIIIIINNG

"MEEK!" Arnaav jumps and tumbles onto the water, clutching onto the buoy as it suddenly started to ring and send all kinds of weird and disturbing sounds.

"Base CHI-04 to Red Base 0.9, Base CHI-04 to Red Base 0.9, over." Says a female voice.

"Hhh! Yuri!" Arnaav says excitedly as he climbs back up, "Yuri! Can you hear me??" He asks out loud.

"Repeat, Base CHI-04 to Red Base 0.9, Base CHI-04 to Red Base 0.9, over."

"Yuri, it's ME! Are you there??"

"Come in, Red Base. Over."

"Grrrr! What is this human... Thing?!" He says as he takes pads and click and press on whatever is supposed to make this thing work. It keeps blinking with lights and sounds, and it's confusing him, along with how Yuri is able to talk through this thing. Is it even her, or some illusion created by humans?!

He squeaked with alarm as something suddenly fell, connected to a coiled link. His paws quickly snatch it as he holds it up to his mouth, "Yuri! Yuri, can you hear me?!"

"Come in, Red Base! Over."

"Ahh, ahhh," Arnaav looks at the number buttons on the panel of the buoy, and press on random dials, "Yuri! Where are you!? I'm here!"

"Red Base, do you read me? I think you are coming through."

~~~

"Yuri! I can hear you! Yuri, are you there??" Comes a fuzzy response.

"Oh hey, someone answered." Yuri says with a little surprise.

"Now we adjust the frequency to tune the connection." Chibaku says as he turns the dial.

"Yuri! Can you hear me?? I'm trying to talk to you!"

"Uh..." Yuri looks strangely at the machine, "This is Base CHI-04, what is your identification number... And why do you know my name?"

~~~

"Yuri, it's me! Arnaav!" The otter says as he holds the communicator with both paws, "I found a weird human metal thingy on the surface!"

"Oh my gosh, this is awesome! How are things with the Kenovani?"

"Yuri, you gotta help me! I lost the little treasure!"

"The... The what? I'm sorry, I'm having a hard time hearing you, let me adjust the signal."

"The little treasure! The one that looks like a manta ray with tiny stones on it!"

"Manta Ray? What are you talking about?"

"The- grrrrr! Th-Th-The sparkle thing, I was trying to give back to Fumiko!"

"Ohh! The butterfly hair piece."

"Yes! That! I don't know where I dropped it in the ocean! And-"

"Wait, Arnaav, calm down. I have it."

"You do?? How?!"

"I found it on the floor some time after you left. It's been on my desk the whole time."

"C-Can you get it to me?? I need it!"

"I'm sorry, Arnaav, I can't."

"WHAT?! Why not?!"

"It's hard to explain, I just can't. Why do you need it?"

"I found Fumiko! I found her in an old place I used to go, and she's there! With two other humans who seem old. I need the little treasure to make her happy and show those other humans that I'm good!"

"I'm sorry, Arnaav, but it's going to have to wait."

"No, wait! I can come back and get it! I can be fast, and return it to her!"

"Arnaav, if I understand this right, you're in Japan, that's halfway around the world from where I am. It'll take you a couple of weeks - er, about 20 or so suns for you to go to Hawaii and back."

"20 suns?! But I need it NOW! Those older humans don't look like they trust me! They're speaking that language you're teaching me, and I don't know what they're saying!"

"Ok, let me think... So, Ryo, yeah, same kind of... If I were to guess, given how superstitious her grandparents are, and if they're ANYTHING like mine, they probably think you're a... Mischievous fox spirit from the ocean."

"What's a fox??"

"It's called a 'Kitsune'. They're a mystical creature in Japanese lore."

"Yes! Kitsune, they were saying that word! What does it mean??"

"They're mostly seen as tricksters and shapeshifters who are both playful and deceptive. They can come from any element, so I'm guessing they're afraid of you."

"Afraid?? What did I do?? What's gonna happen??"

"Well, they're either going to set up some anti-spirit tags or other talismans or something like that to try and keep you away - but since you're not actually a kitsune, that's not going to do anything. At best, they may just leave you offerings like small treats or gifts so you don't curse them or else bring good fortune."

"But I don't know HOW to curse or give them fortune! What do I do??"

"Hahahaha, it's ok, Arnaav. They're not going to hurt you, I highly doubt they're even going to try and chase you off. Just go with it, act like they are appeasing you, and maybe they might like you. It might help if you give them a gift every once in a while - that'll show you come in peace."

"Ok... Ok, I think I can do this." Arnaav nods, "I'm going to try it, Yuri. Can I talk to you again with this... This thing right now?"

"I... Don't think you can, I can't use this thing a lot, my Father needs it for his work."

"Alright... Alright, I'm going to try. I'll see you when I come back." He says before he then leaps into the sea.

"... Arnaav? Arnaaaav. Are you still there? You have to hang up the device. Arnaav? Arnaav!"

~~~

Merrick walks up to the glass sliding door, and pulls it open. "Hellooo! Anyone home??" He calls out. There comes no response, so he turns back around, "Alright, it's safe, this way." He nods as he walks in.

Savarna follows him into the house, her bare feet pressing on the soft carpeting as her long dress billows around her ankles, made from transmuted sea foam and sand. She beams around in awe as she looks all around in the human dwelling. So many foreign objects and sights in here, it's all so strange.

"So this is where you stay now?" She asked looking at the ceiling, then at the couch, and the TV, questions upon questions about the purpose and function of these things.

"When I'm not with the Kenovani pod, yes."

"I'm looking into several auras and energies in here. If I focus... I think I can trace the actions of previous beings who were here."

"Eeeeer!" Comes a high-pitched mew as a tiny white creature comes running up to them, its small tail in the air as it gallops.

"Ah! What is that?" Savarna asked with intrigue. Merrick smiled as he turns and picks up the baby animal.

"This is an animal called a 'Kitten'. He belongs to my mate." The little cat purrs as Merrick rubs and scritches his fingers into its soft fur.

"It is like a tiny shachihoko." Savarna coos as she strokes it.

"And in here," Merrick says as he guides her to the bedroom, "This is where I go to sleep." As they enter, he takes off his headband of shark teeth.

"Wow..." She says as she looks with her mystical eyes. She sees residual energy clinging to the very walls and objects organized in the areas here and there. "So this is your Sea Spot?"

"In a way." He chuckled, "My old one is inside a cave not too far from here." He says as he takes off the belts from off of his body, and setting them up on display he has for them, as well as putting aside his harpoon.

"And you never go to stay anywhere else? You and your mate just stay here to live every sun? You don't travel like the pods?"

"That's right. We stay in one place." Merrick says as he then takes a pair of satin shorts from the drawers. He sets Skyler down and plays his fingers with the kitten, as he flops on his side as his little legs kick while the baby teeth bite at him.

"And your mate... You say there is no cure for his illness? Does the Forbidden Ancient live on this land?"

"I've already asked her... A lot. Memories are a part of the soul, Sister, and no one can directly handle them."

"Hohhh..."

Merrick sits down on the left side of the bed, looking to the floor, "He slept right here... I can't stop thinking about him, Sister..."

"Brother... I'm... Sorry..." Savarna says lowly. Merrick turns to her with a strange look.

"For what?"

"After you were banished... You remember, I tried to kill him... I convinced myself that if the human you bonded with was dead, Father and Mother would let you come back..."