Chapter 012

  Approaching Storms

  At the same time Miura watches as the ship disappears in the distance and he says

  “Just in time!” Miura and Hokama turn around as Hironaka and Matsuno are standing behind them and Hironaka says

  “How are they?” Miura says

  “Gyomei,Saigo,and Kenshin can’t even stand on their own two feet!” Hironaka says

  “And the others?” Miura looks at Hokama as Hokama says

  “Dai,Itsuki,and Riku are all exhausted and can barely move their bodies. Kenji didn't fight with us, because he already had an injury to his stomach” Matsuno says

  “I don’t understand why we are doing this, I can kill them all right now!” Hironaka says

  “Because we're past the deadline and Tahara is missing, if we don’t show up with something besides information we’ll be killed for sure! She said we'd regroup yesterday, but we have to leave without her or we may be seen as deserters!” Miura says

  “The most important one you have to take is Kenji, he’s Kingsman son! Showing a prize like him should guarantee your survival, everyone else can die except Gyomei! I want to see him lose everything and have to go back to the village and tell Kaito and Kingsman about his failure!” Matsuno looks out at the ocean as he says

  “How will we catch them there already gone!?” Miura says

  “Don’t worry, the moment all of them are sleeping Okada will stop the ship. That'll give you all the time to catch up to them” Matsuno *smiles* as he says

  “Then they all die, good plan!” Hironaka *sighs* as he says

  “At least try and control yourself somewhat, at the very most we’ll only need two of them alive but we only need to capture one!” Matsuno cracks his knuckles as he says

  “As long as I don’t see them, they get to live. But if I see them, they're as good as dead!”

  At the same time Kenji is sitting on the front of the ship and looking out at the water as Okada notices he’s not moving and he starts to slow down and Kenji notices the ship slowing down as he looks back and says

  “Okada, are we ok? Why are you slowing down?” Okada says

  “No problem at all, the ship is just a little old sometimes I can’t keep pushing it that hard for long periods of time” Kenji says

  “That’s fine, just try and keep it going as well as you can” Kenji stands up and walks over to Okada as he says

  “Okada, do you think you can teach me how to sail a ship?” Okada is *confused* as he says

  “Why do you want to learn how to sail a ship?” Kenji says

  “Well when we get to the Fujiwara region and finish our mission we’ll need a way back, and I want to impress my team and father. Plus when we get back to the Yahoku village I’ll repay you for your kindness!” Okada says

  “There’s no need to, I’m just following orders” Kenji *smiles* as he says

  “Even though you are just following orders you're still helping us out immensely, and you have all of our gratitude!” Okada *sighs* as he says

  “All right then kid, come over here and I'll show you how everything works” Kenji stands behind Okada as Okada shows Kenji how to sail the ship and Okada says

  “There you go kid, you know everything I do now. It just comes down to experience now” Kenji says

  “All right, now move over” Okada says

  "For what?" Kenji says

  “So you can take a break” Okada says

  “Why are you so worried about me? This is my job” Kenji says

  “Were friends, whether sailing is your job or not. You need a break” Okada says

  “We just met a couple hours ago and you know nothing about me in the slightest, how could we be friends?” Kenji says

  “You're right I know nothing about you, but all of us are putting our lives in your hands and that means we have some level of trust between us right?” Okada *smiles* as he says

  “You're…Just like my son, always so trusting of everyone. Never knowing the real malice in people, I truly admired that about you both” Okada let's go off the wheel as he steps back and Kenji grabs the wheel as he says

  “If you don't mind me asking, where is your son?” Okada closes his eyes as he looks into the air and says

  “...He died a few years ago, he was in a hard battle with an unknown disease! And because no one could figure out what it was, there was no cure for it. So we just watched him slowly lose himself to that illness!” Okada starts to *tear up* as he opens his eyes but suddenly Okada feels something press against him and Okada looks down as he sees Kenji hugging him and Kenji says

  “I'm so sorry but hey think about it, he’s always watching over you and making sure your safe! The same thing you've always wanted to do for him!” Okada hugs Kenji back as he *smiles* and says

  “Thank you Kenji, you two are exact replicas of each other. You truly could have been brothers” Kenji walks towards the wheel but Okada grabs his shoulder and Kenji steps to the side as Okada takes the wheel and says

  “Kenji…You truly are a friend of mine!” Kenji *smiles* as he says

  “Of course, if you ever need to talk I'm here for you. Until then I'm going to sleep” Kenji walks over to the lower deck door as he looks back towards Okada and *smiles* as he says

  “Night Oka!” Okada says

  “Goodnight Kenji!” Kenji goes into the lower deck of the ship as Okada keeps sailing for a few minutes until he stops the ship and sits on the edge of the ship as he stares at the water and he thinks

  "What am I doing!? All of these people are going to be killed for no reason, Maro you would truly be disappointed in me if you knew of my actions! You're father has disgraced our family name with my cowardly nature! But this was a direct order from Miura, if I don't do this then there's no telling what he's going to do to us...I just wish to protect your mother...She's the only thing I have left! I'm sorry my son" Suddenly Okada looks up as he notices a ship pull up next to them and Okada looks at Matsuno as he notices a bloodthirsty look in his eyes and he thinks

  "No, I refuse to watch someone else I care for die as I'm a helpless bystander! I won't lose him again!" Matsuno walks over to the edge of the ship as he looks at Okada and says

  “It took you long enough!” Okada says

  “They are not here!” Hironaka is *shocked* as he says

  “What!? What do you mean they're not here?” Okada says

  “They all jumped over the ship and started swimming because one of the drunk ones jumped overboard and I haven’t seen them in hours!” Matsuno gets *angry* as he says

  “Damn it! You useless piece of shit, if you can’t handle one simple task then we don’t need you!” Hironaka says

  “Matsuno calm down, we still need him. He’s the only ones they trust and we know where there going to end up, so let's not waste time with this and go back to the Fujiwara region” Matsuno looks at Hironaka as he says

  “If I don’t kill them, I’ll kill you and Okada!” Hironaka says

  “If I die, then the information dies with me. That means you die as well!” Matsuno *clenches his fist in anger* as Hironaka says

  “I thought so, now let’s go!” Hironaka sails the ship forward as Okada watches them disappear into the distance and he thinks

  "I can't take them back to the village or Lord Miura will have me killed! But if I don't follow the path I was given I could become lost at sea as I've never been out this far, I'll have to continue sailing towards the Fujiwara region until I see land and then I'll try and stealthy maneuver around there ship and dock elsewhere!" Okada slowly continues sailing forward

  The morning Kenji wakes up as he walks to the top of the ship and looks around as he sees there still on the ocean and Kenji looks at Okada as he says

  “Okada, you want to switch with me so you can get some sleep?” Okada says

  “No I’m fine, where are the others?” Kenji walks over to him as he says

  “Gyomei, Saigo, and Kenshin are passed out with hangovers! Itsuki, Riku, and Dai are sleeping still. So it's just you and me for sometime” Okada says

  “Kenji, I need you to tell Gyomei to abort this mission and turn back now” Kenji is *confused* as he says

  “Why? If we turn back now we’ll all be killed in an invasion” Okada says

  “I-I… It's very dangerous and the people there will try to kill you” Kenji says

  “You don't have to worry about us, we were trained by my father. The greatest warrior this world has ever seen!” Okada says

  “Kenji, there are two–” Suddenly Dai stumbles onto the deck as he drops to his knees *holding his stomach in discomfort* and says

  “Where the hell am I!?” Kenji is *concerned* as he says

  “Dai were on the ship, are you ok?” Riku and Itsuki walk onto the deck as they see Dai on the ground and Riku says

  “What the hell is wrong with you?” Itsuki *laughs* as he says

  “I thought you would be perfectly fine!” Dai slowly looks up at Itsuki as he *weakly* says

  “Shut...The hell up!” Itsuki and Riku walk past Dai as Itsuki pokes Dai in the stomach with his foot and Dai stands up as he tries to punch Itsuki but Dai falls onto his face as he *holds his stomach in extreme discomfort* and Itsuki and Riku *laugh* as they sit on the front of the ship and looks out over the water as Gyomei stumbles onto the deck and he notices Dai on the ground as he walks past him and covers his eyes from the sunlight as he says

  “Damn, that's bright! How far are we from Fujiwara?” Kenji says

  “If we've been sailing at top speed then we should be there in a few minutes" Suddenly they hit a giant wave as the water flies towards Riku and Itsuki as Riku tries to use his wind to stop the water from splashing him and Itsuki but he *screams in pain* as he falls to the ground *holding his arms in pain* and Gyomei is *shocked* as he says

  “Riku, what happened?” Riku says

  “It felt like my arms were being crushed when I tried to use my wind, I guess I over exerted myself in the last fight” Itsuki tries to cover his hand with his lightning but he's hurt by his lightning causing his hand to get stuck as he says

  "I can’t use my lightning, but I know for a fact I didn't overdue my lightning to this existent” Kenji says

  “That fight must have taken more out of all of you then you realize” Dai slowly stands up as he says

  “I'm fine, my fire works” Dai wraps his hand in his fire but suddenly Dai's fire violently surges across his hand as he *screams in pain* and he presses his hand to his chest extinguishing his flame as Itsuki says

  “You idiot, we were all fighting how would your element work but ours wouldn’t” Riku looks into the distance in front of them as he says

  “I see land...But there's another ship on the land” Itsuki looks forward as he says

  “Yeah there are two men on it...I think they are looking at us!” Gyomei looks towards the land as he says

  “We need to–” Suddenly the ship abruptly turns violently as Gyomei loses his balance and hits his head against the side of the ship knocking him out as everyone falls over and Kenji is *confused* as he looks at Okada and says

  “Okada, what are you doing!?” Okada says

  “I’m sorry, I put all of you in danger! I-” Suddenly the ship completely stops moving and Okada is *confused* as he says

  “What the hell!? What's going on!” Okada runs over and looks over the back of the ship as he sees Matsuno holding the ship in place with one hand as Matsuno looks up at him and says

  “Traitorous pest! I knew I should have killed you sooner!” Matsuno jumps out of the water and lands on the ship as Hironaka is floating on water above the ship and says

  “Bring the fisher men back to the village when your done with the rest, don’t forget Kenji doesn’t die! Everyone else, I'll leave them to you but at least try and keep another one alive” Matsuno says

  “Yeah yeah, whatever!” Itsuki, Riku, and Dai jump in front of Kenji as Riku says

  “Kenji run! If there after you then they won’t get you!” Kenji is *shocked* as he says

  “But they said to kill everyone else! How could I just abandon you all?” Dai says

  “If you think we'll lose to him your dumber than I thought” Itsuki says

  “Enough talk, RUN!” Kenji says

  "...Alright...But all of you please be safe!" Kenji turns around but Matsuno *smirks* as he says

  “Not so fast!” Matsuno punches the ship destroying the entire ship causing everyone to fall into the water but Kenji hits his head as he drops into the water disoriented until he swims up and notices Matsuno holding Itsuki and Dai by there necks as he's standing on the water and Kenji jumps out of the water and his ice freezes the water below him as he lands on the ice and he is *shocked* as he looks down and thinks

  "I didn't do this! Could this possibly be an after effect of my Ice!? It doesn't matter now, I have it and I need to protect my friends!" Kenji rushes Matsuno as he creates ice gauntlets and tries to punch Matsuno but Matsuno uses Itsuki and Dai as human shields to keep Kenji from punching him and Matsuno *laughs* as he says

  "What's wrong? Hit me!" Suddenly both of Matsuno's arms are pulled away from him as Kenji turns around and sees Riku struggling to use his wind as Riku *through his pain* screams

  "KENJI, DO IT!” Kenji turns back around as he hits Matsuno with a barrage of punches and Kenji unfreezes the water underneath Matsuno as Kenji jumps over him and punches him in the top of his head pushing him down into the water and as Matsuno's legs drop into the water it freezes holding his legs in place and Matsuno *chuckles* and quickly pulls his arms forward shattering Riku's wind as Kenji lands in front of him and tries to punch him but Matsuno slams Itsuki and Dai's bodies to slam into him from both sides as he throws them towards the ocean but ice forms underneath both of them as Matsuno tries to punch Kenji but Kenji's blocks the punch and he's pushed back as Matsuno punches the ice around his legs shattering it and he slowly steps above the ice as he rushes Kenji and tries to punch him as there punch clashes and pushes them back as Kenji's gauntlet shatters and Kenji is *shocked* as he says

  "How-" Matsuno rushes Kenji as he knees him in the stomach and Kenji sent flying back as he skips across the ocean until he slams down on the water freezing it underneath him and Kenji slowly reaches up and grabs his stomach as he *coughs up blood* and Matsuno slowly walks over to Kenji and he notices blood coming from underneath his shirt as he *laughs* and says

  "So someone's gotten to you before me, hopefully that doesn't affect our battle too much!" Kenji slowly looks up at Matsuno as he slowly points his hand towards him and Matsuno raises his foot into the air and the water from the ocean flows across his arm and it covers his stomach in thick ice as flows onto his opposite hand forming into an Ice blade and Matsuno suddenly falls into the ocean as Kenji quickly stands up and jumps back as Matsuno explodes out of the ice and walks back onto the ice and he says

  "How the hell did you do that!? I can walk on water!" Kenji *smiles* as he says

  "I simply use my Ice to pull you down as I open up the ice underneath you, unfortunately you're a bit stronger than I expected and I can't send to the bottom of the ocean like it should! But don't worry, I'll still beat you because I won't let you hurt anyone here!" Matsuno *smiles* as he says

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  "Good!" Kenji's gauntlet reforms around his hand as he rushes Matsuno and Matsuno doesn't move as Kenji hits Matsuno with a barrage of punches and slashes until he notices Matsuno isn't moving and Kenji thrust his sword towards Matsuno's stomach but his blade shatters and Kenji is *shocked* as his ice gauntlet forms around his hand and he punches both of his fist into Matsuno's stomach but both gauntlets shatter and Matsuno *laughs* as he slowly looks down at Kenji and Kenji takes a steps back but Matsuno headbutts him as he grabs him by the neck and slams Kenji into the ice underneath them as he stands over Kenji and *laughs* as he says

  "Let's see if you can fly!" Matsuno grabs Kenji by the face and throws him extremely high into the air and Matsuno watches as Kenji starts falling down towards him and he tightly clenches his fist as he *smiles* and says

  "Let's see how strong your body really is!" Suddenly the ice under Matsuno opens up as two hands shoot out of the water grabbing his legs and quickly pulling him down into the water and it quickly freezes once again as Kenji slams down hard into the ice above Matsuno and Kenji slowly gets to his knees and jumps to the side as Matsuno explodes out of the ice and Kenji slowly stands up as he looks forward and sees Matsuno walking towards him as he's disoriented and can't see straight and Matsuno stops in front of Kenji as Kenji stumbles back and puts his hands up and Matsuno *smiles* as he tries to punch Kenji but his fist stops in mid air and Kenji stumbles behind Matsuno as he throws a punch and Matsuno turns around as he tries to catch Kenji's fist but a hand shoots out of the ice and catches Matsuno hand as it pulls him down and the ice opens up as Matsuno quickly dragged into the water and it freezes as Kenji drops to one knee and he *weakly* says

  "Thanks...Riku!" Kenji is *shocked* as he turns around and sees Riku pass out as he falls backwards into the water and he screams

  "RIKU!" Kenji dives into the water and swims over to Riku as he grabs him and he thinks

  "I don't know if I can beat this guy Riku...But-" Suddenly Kenji notices Itsuki and Dai both quickly sinking into the water and he quickly starts swimming over to the both of them until suddenly Matsuno puts Kenji in a choke hold from behind causing him to drop Riku as he tries to pull Matsuno's arm away from his neck and he struggles to breath as he notices Dai slowly opens his eyes and he tries to swim up but he can't as he reaches toward the sky and he quickly continues sinking and Kenji *panics* as he thinks

  “I have to get free, I can’t let them die. Dai! Riku! Itsuki! NO!” Kenji's trying his hardest to pull Matsuno's arm away but he can't as he tries elbowing Matsuno in his stomach and he's completely unfazed by it as he starts to slowly lose consciousness and Kenji thinks

  "I...Have to save them!" Kenji puts his hand out as the entire ocean starts to violently shake until the entire ocean splits open dropping all of them to the seafloor as all of them slam down onto the seafloor and they all slams down with such force it causes Riku,Itsuki and Dai to all *cough up water* as Kenji and Matsuno hit the ground causing Matsuno to let go of Kenji's neck as Kenji quickly rushes over to Itsuki,Riku and Dai as he says

  “Are you all ok?” Kenji notices all of there chest slowly rising and falling as Kenji thinks

  "I'm I let this happen to all of you, but I promise I won't let him get away with this!" Kenji slowly looks over at Matsuno and he is *angry* as Matsuno looks up at the split ocean in *amazement* and says

  “So, this is the power of the son of The Fallen Angel! You’ll be an amazing sacrifice” Kenji slowly stands up as water from the ocean flows out and grabs Riku,Itsuki and Dai as it lifts them out and above the ocean as Matsuno looks at Kenji and *smiles* as he says

  “Are you ready son of–” Suddenly chains shoot out of the ocean as they wrap around Matsuno and slam him to the ground as Kenji slowly walks over to Matsuno and looks down at him and suddenly Kenji's slowly lifted into the air as he continues to stare into Matsuno's eyes until Kenji floats above the ocean and he slowly raises his hand as Matsuno's *laughter erupts* out of the split ocean and Matsuno *smiles* as he says

  "When I get free, I'm going to kill all of them and you're going to make me a new lord!" Kenji says

  "No...You won't!" Kenji snaps as the ocean collapses and slams down onto Matsuno as the ocean freezes and Kenji lands on the ocean as he walks over to Riku,Itsuki and Dai as kneels down next to them but suddenly he feels a giant shockwave shootout through the ice and Kenji looks down as he notices the chains around Matsuno are cracked and Matsuno's hands surges with a red and black aura and Kenji clenches his fist as water forms under Kenji's feet and pushes him into the air as he says

  “I won't let you kill the people I care about! Even if that means you have to die!” Kenji puts his hand up as he lifts up a giant portion of the ocean and freezes it as Kenji is *angry* and says

  "Die!" Kenji points his hand down as it quickly flies down towards Matsuno but suddenly the entire thing stops and Kenji is *shocked* as Matsuno holds the entire thing back with one hand and the chains around Matsuno explodes as Matsuno slowly stands and punches it shattering as he jumps into the air and tries to punch Kenji as Kenji puts up a giant wall of ice but Matsuno easily punches through it as he punches Kenji in the stomach launching him back and sending him slamming into the top of the ocean as he *holds his stomach in pain* and he slowly stumbles to his feet as he gets *angry* and he says

  "I won't lose, I can't lose!" Kenji clenches his fist as the water starts violently circling around him and Matsuno says

  "How are you going to stop me! Nothing you've thrown at me so far has worked, so please enlighten me on how you will achieve victory!" Matsuno notices the water surging around Kenji slowly morphs into water dragons as Kenji *screams in anger* launching the water dragons towards Matsuno and Matsuno jumps back but the water dragons quickly rush into the water and Matsuno is *shocked* as he thinks

  "What the hell, I can't sense them at all!" Suddenly one of the water dragons shoot out behind him as he quickly turns around and tries to punch it but suddenly another one of them shoots out of the water biting him by the wrist as it pushes his fist away and the water dragons bites Matsuno's other wrist as two more shoot out of the water and bites him on both of his ankles and they all start dragging him backwards as another one shoots out of the water and starts blasting Matusno all over the chest with it's icy breath and Matsuno *screams in pain* as his chest starts freezing until Matsuno's red and black aura spreed down his arms as it surges across his legs and Matsuno slams both of his feet down against the water destroying both of the water dragons on his ankles as he pulls his arms forward destroying the waters dragons on his wrists as he slowly starts walking towards Kenji and he says

  "I expected better, this isn't as fun as I expected" Kenji is *shocked* as he says

  "You think this is a game! YOU THINK THERE LIVES ARE A GAME!" Kenji puts his hand up but suddenly Matsuno appears in front of Kenji as he grabs him by the face and slams into the ice and Kenji is *confused* as he thinks

  "What happened? Why am I staring at the sky!?" Suddenly the force of being slamming into the ground hits Kenji as he *screams in pain* and Matsuno punches Kenji with such force it sends Kenji into the water as it freezes around him and Matsuno looks down into the hole at Kenji's unmoving body as he says

  “You can’t die…But they can!” Matsuno *manically laughs* as he walks away from the whole towards Dai,Itsuki and Riku all floating on a sheet of ice but suddenly Matsuno's pulled into the water as it freezes above him and Matsuno thinks

  "I'm starting to get tired of this shit!" Matsuno is *shocked* as he looks up and sees Kenji standing above him as he stares into his eyes and Matsuno thinks

  "He wants to kill me...GOOD!" Matsuno clenches his fist with such force the ice cracks and Kenji flips back as Matsuno explodes out of the ice and Matsuno steps towards Kenji but Matsuno's feet freeze as two water dragons shoot out of the water and bites down on his wrist as they drag him into the water and Kenji drops to one knee as he tries to control his breathing but he notices Dai slowly sitting up as he *clutches his stomach in pain* and Kenji is *shocked* as he *smiles* and says

  "Dai!" Suddenly Itsuki starts *coughing up water* as slowly rolls onto his side and Kenji says

  "Itsuki!" Riku slowly turns and looks at Kenji as Kenji *smiles* and thinks

  "I'm glad all of you are ok, I was worried about all of you!" Kenji stands up as he clenches his fist and looks into the water as Matsuno shoots out of the water and into the air as he slams down on the ice in front of Kenji and Dai slowly tries standing up but Kenji says

  “Don’t! This is my fight, all of your bodies are too weak to step in! Let me handle this” Matsuno says

  “Watch as you lose the ones you care about” Itsuki *weakly* says

  “If you lose this battle...I'll kill you!” Kenji puts his hand in the air and the ice there on is pushed into the air on a small pillar as Kenji and Matsuno are staring at each other and they both swing at each other as both of them dodge each others punch and Kenji thinks

  “How the hell could he become so much better in a matter of a few minutes? He went from tanking all of my hits to dodging every attack perfectly, or is it possible he's forced to dodge now! Could his body have been so weakened in this battle that he can't handle getting hit, if-" Matsuno pushes Kenji's hand away as he tries to punch Kenji in the face but ice shoots up around him freezing Matsuno in place and Kenji quickly slides to the side as the ice around Matsuno shatters and Matsuno flies forward as he tries to punch Kenji but Kenji barely leans out of the way of Matsuno's punch as Matsuno slides past him and Kenji's right hand surges with ice as an ice gauntlet forms and he tries to punch Matsuno in the stomach but Matsuno catches his wrist as he tries to punch Kenji but Matsuno's hands suddenly slams into the ice as a giant ice block forms around Matsuno's arm and Kenji's left hand surges as another ice gauntlet forms around his hand but Matsuno *screams in anger* as his red and black aura violently surges across his hands causing the ice around his hands to shatter and Matsuno quickly stands up as he tries to punch Kenji and Kenji puts both of his hands up as Matsuno punches him and launching him back and Kenji *screams in pain* as his left arm breaks and he slams down on top of the water as ice forms underneath him and Itsuki is *shocked* as he screams

  “KENJI!” Matsuno starts to walk towards Kenji as he says

  "At first this fight was entertaining, but now I'm tired of this!" Suddenly Matsuno's hit by lightning as he drops to one knee and *screams in pain* as he slowly looks up and he's *shocked* as he sees Kenji standing in front of him and Kenji's right gauntlet surges as he uppercuts Matsuno sending him flying back and slamming into the ice as Kenji opens it up but a giant hand made out of water grabs him as it quickly pulls him down and slams him against the ocean floor as he looks up and sees Kenji standing over the whole in the ocean and Kenji thinks

  "I have to end this quickly, I don't think my body can handle any more strain!" Kenji floats back up into the air as he looks down on Matsuno and *screams in anger* as the water starts to flow towards him and wrapping around his arm and snaps it back in place as it freezes his arm creating a icy cast and the water continues to flow around Kenji as it creates eight arms around his back and they stretch down into the ocean as they start quickly striking Matsuno relentlessly all over his but Kenji notices Matsuno's using both of his hands to block all the punches from hitting his stomach and Kenji *winches in pain* as the ice around his arm starts freezing his skin and Kenji shatters the ice around his arm as he thinks

  "I can't keep this up much longer, I have to finish this!" Kenji clenches his fist as his arms start punching Matsuno faster and pushing him into the ground as blue veins start to appear on Kenji's body but his arms continue punching Matsuno faster until Matsuno slams his hand against the ocean floor launching a shock wave that knocks all of Kenji's hands into the air as Matsuno puts his hand on the wall of the ocean and slowly starts pulling himself up but Kenji *screams in pain* as he puts his hand out and Matsuno's pushed back as the ocean around Matsuno turns into a violent tornado and Kenji's fist all rush back down towards Matsuno as Matsuno closes his eyes and slowly looks into the air as the red and black aura completely engulfs his body as he opens his eyes and *screams in anger* launching a giant shockwave that destroys Kenji's other arms and pushing Kenji back as Matsuno screams

  "TIME TO END THIS!" Matsuno jumps into the air with such force the ocean floor is destroyed and he flies towards Kenji as the walls of the ocean collapse behind him and Kenji clenches his fist as the water flows back onto his back forming his eight arms and he surges with his ice creating a gauntlet on his hand as he flies towards Matsuno pushing all of his arms towards him but Matsuno punches the air with such force the shock wave destroys all of the arms as Kenji and Matsuno clash fist but Matsuno pushes through Kenji's punch as he punches Kenji in the face and he's launched back as he slams into the ice and he's knocked out and Matsuno lands on the ice near Kenji and he takes a step forward as he drops to one knee and *coughs up blood* as he looks down and notices an ice dagger deeply stabbed into his stomach and Matsuno slowly stands up as he says

  “You bastard!” Matsuno tries to pull out the blade but he falls to his knees as he *cries out in pain* and he punches the dagger shattering it as he *spits up blood* and says

  “You little…Your lucky I can’t kill you!” Matsuno holds his wound as he slowly walks over to Kenji and picks Kenji by his shirt as he walks across the water and onto the land as Itsuki *weakly* says

  “Kenji...No!” Itsuki covers his hand in lightning as he *screams in pain* and points his hand towards Matsuno but he passes out as Riku slowly flips onto his stomach as he notices Itsuki's passed out and he cannot see Kenji anywhere and he slowly pulls himself over to Itsuki as the ice starts collapsing around them and he grabs Itsuki as he looks over and sees Dai on his stomach as he looks sick and is partially conscious as Riku *weakly* says

  “Dai...Let's go!” Dai doesn't even look Riku as Riku *weakly* says

  “Damn it...Don't freeze up on me now!” Riku slowly crawls over to Dai as he pulls Itsuki behind him and he reaches for it but suddenly the pillar of ice collapses as they all fall through the air and Riku pulls Dai towards him using his wind as his finger is bent extremely far back and he *screams in pain* as he pulls Itsuki and Dai close to him as they land into the water and Riku pushes Itsuki and Dai up onto the ice on the ocean as he slowly pulls himself out of the water and Riku *weakly* says

  “Where the hell is Gyomei and the others?” Riku looks around until he notices a giant dome of ice floating on the other side of the destroyed ship's debris and it starts cracks as the ice starts breaking and it shatters as Riku sees Gyomei,Saigo,Kenshin,and Okada all knocked out as he *chuckles* and says

  “So that's where all of you were, Kenji must have sealed you all in there the moment he started fighting! He’s always worried about everyone else” Riku *slows his breathing* as he uses his wind to pull them next to him and Riku *screams in pain* as his finger is dislocated by his wind and Riku pops his finger back into place as he slowly pulls Itsuki and Riku onto the ice with everyone else and Riku sits down on the ice as he thinks

  "I'll need a couple minutes before I can follow that guy and get Kenji back...Be strong Kenji!" Riku tries to stand up but Riku falls backwards as he passes out until Riku suddenly sits as he notices there all washed up on the beach and he slowly stands up but he notices burned down buildings and destroyed houses and he is *shocked* as he says

  “What is this place? It looks like hell!” Suddenly a voice from behind him says

  “Where am I?” Riku looks back as he notices Gyomei sitting up and he says

  “We’ve made it to the Fujiwara region!” Gyomei stands up as he looks around and notices Kenji's missing as he says

  “What happened?” Riku says

  “Two men stopped our ship, one man jumped on and the other one told him to take Kenji and kill the rest of us! We tired to help, but Kenji was the only one who’s element still worked and he fought him. But he lost and was taken!” Gyomei *grabs his head in pain* as he says

  “Damn it...Where did they go!?” Riku says

  “I don’t know, but i’m sure it's probably the only village left standing here” Gyomei walks up next to Riku and sees the burned down villages and destroyed homes as he says

  “It’s worse than I ever thought!” Riku is *angry* as he says

  “If they could do this to their own people then...We have to get Kenji back, no matter what!” Riku starts walking towards the burned down villages as Gyomei says

  “Riku!” Gyomei grabs his shoulder as Riku turns around and *looks at Gyomei with anger* in his eyes as he grabs Gyomei's hand and says

  “You won’t stop me, I won’t lose another person I care about!” Riku pushes Gyomei's hand away as he looks over at Dai and Itsuki as he says

  "I won't let you take them either!" Riku walks over as he picks up Itsuki and he reaches for Dai but Gyomei grabs Dai by the back of his shirt as he puts him on his shoulder and he crouches down to Riku and says

  “I’m not going to stop you Riku, but we can’t rush in with no thought!” Riku says

  “Why not!? Were strong enough, and we are more skilled than any of them!'' Gyomei says

  “They are sacrificing their people, if we rush in then they might kill Kenji preemptively. So we have to be more tactical for his safety! Please calm down and think about what will happen if anyone else gets captured! They could use that to lure Lord Kaito here and overthrow the region, and if that happens everyone we've known and loved there will be killed!" Riku slowly looks at Gyomei as he says

  “Fine…What's the plan?” Gyomei says

  “We need to get to the village where they are holding Kenji and we can finish our recon, then we can see how we could get him to safety. Then we’ll send somebody back to inform Lord Kaito as we watch them to make sure they don't hurt Kenji" Riku says

  “Let’s be quick with it, and find somewhere to go. They are not going to get up for a while" Gyomei says

  “All right, let’s go” Gyomei tosses Dai towards Riku as Riku catches him and puts Dai on his shoulder as Gyomei walks over to Saigo and Kenshin and picks them both up as Riku starts walking towards the burned down villages but Riku notices Okada on the ground and he looks at Gyomei as he says

  “What about him?” Gyomei turns around and sees Okada as he says

  “He’ll find his own way” Riku says

  “No, we need to help him” Gyomei says

  "If you can find us a good hide out with enough space to hide all of them, and you still want to comeback and get him then be my guest" Riku *sighs* and says

  "...Can we really just leave him here?" Gyomei says

  "As warriors we have to make drastic decisions, even some that feel unethical. We don't know if we will have space in the hideout and plus we're carrying just barely enough for both our bodies to handle, if we get caught by soldiers with too many people to protect them we will also be the ones in need of help!" Riku says

  "Your right...I just feel bad" Gyomei says

  "As long as he stays away from main roads and the villages, he'll be fine" Riku says

  "All right, but where are we going?" Gyomei says

  "To the nearest village" Riku is *shocked* as he says

  "Didn't you just say as long as he avoids the villages he'll be fine, why the hell are we going to the villages then?" Gyomei says

  "We're warriors, we can defend ourselves. Besides I don't want to be out in the cold, we should be able to find a building that's still at least partially standing" Riku *sighs* as Gyomei says

  "Do you have a better idea?" Riku says

  "Let's just get some place where I can sleep, I feel like my bodies going to give out" Gyomei and Riku walks towards the burned village and Riku notices the damage inside of the village and they start walking through the village as Riku says

  “What happened here!?” Gyomei says

  “One of the four sons of the former leader claimed a god come down and speak to him, and enlighten him in true divine ways! But after that the son started to see all others as “disgusting lowly creatures'' that needed to be saved and he convinced his brother there father was the reason for the unholiness in the entire region. The brothers came together, killed their father and took the throne and started what they called the “cleansing of the entire region". They knew no better way of cleansing than with fire and they burned down,murder and pillaged the homes of people they saw as impure! But if you accepted the laws of their god then they deemed you worthy of saving" Riku is *shocked* as he says

  “That’s terrible, they killed people for not believing in the same thing, then forcing the scarred into submission as loyal followers! Even forcing them into being warriors, and forcing them into a war they do not want to be a part of!” Gyomei *smiles* as he says

  “Then let’s stop the war before it starts and save the innocent people!” Riku is *angry* as he says

  “Yeah, people don’t need to be killed. Especially not for something they don’t believe in!” Gyomei says

  “There!” Gyomei walks over to a burnt out house and Riku looks up and see half of the building is still standing and Gyomei walks over to the doorway as he moves the curtain and sees a giant pillar blocking the door but he notices there enough area to crawl underneath and Riku walks next to him as he says

  "This is fine I guess, but will this hold up?" Gyomei *chuckles* as he says

  "I don't know, we'll have to wait and see" Gyomei crocthces under the pillar as he looks around and sees the burned out house is intact and he walks over and sits Saigo and Kenshin against a wall as Riku crotches down underneath the pillar and walks over and sits Dai and Itsuki against a wall and Riku *sighs* as he looks at the ceiling and closes his eyes as he says

  "Gyomei, the hard part hasn't started has it?" Gyomei *sighs* as he looks at Riku and says

  "No...I wish I could tell you that it had and it will all get easier, but this is the easiest our journey will be from this point forward! This is simply the calm before the storm, we don’t know what is ahead of us. But we can only face whatever is out there with everything we’ve got and hope for the best!'' Riku says

  “I guess you're right” Riku sits down next to Itsuki and Dai as he leans his head back and falls to sleep and Gyomei *chuckles* as he sits down next to Saigo and Kenshin as he leans his head back against the wall and falls asleep until Riku suddenly sits up as he looks through the ceiling and sees the moon and Riku thinks

  "What woke me up this late at nigh-" Suddenly hundreds of footsteps start marching through the burned out village and Riku peaks through a hole in the building as he sees an army outside carrying Okada away while he's tied to a post and Riku quietly rushes over and shakes Gyomei awake as he slowly looks up at Riku and opens his mouth but Riku covers his mouth as he whispers

  “There outside! They have Okada, we have to follow them!” Gyomei moves Riku's hand as he whispers

  “What!? Who’s outside?” Riku whispers

  “The army were hunting down, we have to follow them now!” Gyomei whispers

  “No, we can track them in the morning when we have everyone up and ready! I understand you want to save Kenji, but we still can't rush in without understanding our enemy!” Riku whispers

  “Fine, I’ll do it by myself” Riku quietly rushes over to the pillar as he crouches down and quickly rushes out as Gyomei is *shocked* and whispers

  “No Riku wait!” Gyomei stands up and he quietly rushes over to the pillar as he crouches down and crawls out as he pushes the curtain out of the way but he doesn't see anyone outside and Gyomei is *frustrated* as he says

  “Damn it, Riku!”