Power Rangers: Yokai

Prologue

Feudal Japan, A.D. 1823

A samurai, no older than 20, ran through a mountain forest near Mount Fuji. He knew that the creature wouldn't be far behind. The warrior panted, his dark brown eyes weary from the long night he had had. The samurai came to a halt, tired and panicky.

"I tire of running," he said to himself, his long black hair drenched with sweat, "If I am going to die, I will die with honor."

The warrior drew his sword, a wicked katana with carvings made to look like wind, and waited for the monster. As it appeared, its shape was revealed. It was 6'11'', with one leg and one foot wearing one sandal, two arms, a gaping mouth, and one eye. Out of the mouth protruded a long tongue and it stuck out in a menacing way.

"Karakasa!" shouted the samurai in disgust, sneering at the monster, "Decided to finish me off yourself rather than send one of your Tsukumogami?"

The spirit chuckled and said, "Sumisu Daizo, the last samurai of the clan. It must be a shame to not want to fight."

Daizo felt a heated rage build inside him, but instead of doing something rash, he replied, "I'm not afraid of you."

Karakasa smirked and said, "Someone unafraid would engage me in combat."

"Then let us do battle," shouted the Japanese nobleman, charging forward with his sword.

"Let's," Karakasa replied as he smiled evilly and extended his tongue.

The tongue wrapped around Daizo's sword, yanking the weapon out of the samurai's grasp. The warrior gaped as his weapon left his grasp, surprised at the monster's strength as it began to close in.

"Any last words, Daizo?" Karakasa asked, an evil smile on his face.

The samurai looked behind the spirit and gaped, utterly surprised.

"Mizumi?" he asked skeptically, still gaped.

Karakasa turned around. A beautiful maiden with red and white kabuki makeup stepped out of the shadows onto a nearby boulder, her red kimono swishing in the wind.

"Hello, Karakasa," she said grimly.

Her brown eyes turned green and the pupil became like that of a cat's.

"What?" exclaimed the spirit, his evil grin dissipating, "What are you doing here?"

"You threatened my betrothed," the actress told him very calmly. A bit too calmly.

Karakasa turned and looked at Daizo, who smiled sheepishly, a bit worried that his fiancé was here to confront a yokai.

"Someone of your status is engaged to her?" raged Karakasa.

"And I brought friends," Mizumi informed them, gesturing to her left and right.

Suddenly, the river to the right of them exploded as a blue half-man, half-turtle with razor-sharp fangs walked towards Karakasa. occasionally using his arm to steady his body. A few seconds later, a black lupine creature jumped into the clearing, followed by a scuttling giant orange half-minotaur, half-spider. A black half-woman, half-eagle circled the scene, and landed, folding her arms. All five wore determined looks.

Karakasa laughed and roared, "Just four Yokai and a human?"

Mizumi smirked, and said, "No, five!"

Suddenly, Mizumi jumped off the boulder and transformed into a fox, but light blue and with nine tails.

"Mizumi, you're a kitsune?" Daizo said as he gaped, dumbfounded.

"But of course," the fox replied, with a kind smile, "Didn't you notice?"

"Notice what?" the samurai asked, dumbfounded. He looked at his fiancé, puzzled.

"The way I'm good to you," she replied, her light blue fox cheeks becoming a bit darker.

Then it donned on Daizo that kitsune make excellent wives.

"I'm so sorry, Mizumi," the nobleman told her, the ground his main focus.

"It's okay," Mizumi replied, smiling compassionately.

Karakasa began to clap, an insincere smile on his face.

"Well, isn't this touching?" he asked cynically.

"Oh, shut up," said the wolf-like Yokai rudely, tossing his head slightly and rolling his eyes.

"As rude as Okami is, I must agree," added the half-minotaur, half-spider, cracking his knuckles as his spidery legs twitching with excitement.

"Ushi-Oni, I believe we have a bigger problem," replied the half-human, half-eagle, flexing her legs.

"Indeed, Tengu," said the half-human, half-turtle, a strange half-smile on his face.

"Alright, Kappa," Okami replied, shaking his wolf head in a joking manner.

"So, you think you can stop me?" Karakasa replied, the spirit's tongue poised.

Mizumi trotted forward and began to chant, Daizo scrambling to the sideline. Soon, Kappa joined in, followed by Okami, Ushi-Oni, and Tengu.

"No!" screeched Karakasa, hands to where his ear holes would have been, "Not the Youth Spell!"

Immediately, Karakasa began a counter chant, and as the two parties' chants progressed, each rose in volume and intensity. Karakasa began changing back into his original form, and the five began to become more and more human. After both parties finished, there were five near-death humans lying on the ground, and a parasol hanging in a tree.

"Mizumi!" Daizo yelled, running to embrace her.

Mizumi, however, held up her hand and said, weakly, "No, Daizo. N-not, at least, in this life."

And, with that, Mizumi and her comrades died on the spot. Daizo cried over his fiancé's dead body until he heard a search party of sorts, so he decided to go hide behind the boulder. The warriors entered the clearing, saw the five dead people, shrugged, grabbed their bodies, and left. One recognized his wife's parasol and took it, too. Daizo sighed, lamenting that his love had died.

"I know, right?" a voice said, frightening Daizo out of his wits.

Standing beside Daizo was a hairy hominid, much like Bigfoot. Daizo automatically knew what to do, shutting off his thoughts to the Satori. Immediately, the creature collapsed.

"Why, Daizo, why?" the Satori cried out, then adding in a whisper, "Why?"

"You are a Satori," Daizo replied, shocked at the creature's reply.

"Yes, but one who holds the key to your happiness," the Satori told him, a gentle smile on his face.

"Come again?" Daizo asked skeptically.

"I, Omoi the Wise, endow you with eternal youth until the cycle is broken," the hominid whispered, his strength fading away.

And with that Omoi touched the samurai on his forehead, giving him all the knowledge to complete this seemingly impossible task.

Daizo flinched and said, "I will not let you down, Omoi."

"Good," Omoi said as he too passed away.

The samurai retrieved his sword from a tree near the clearing.

"The last chapter has ended in the cycle," Daizo said to himself introspectively, "And the first one begins in the year 2011, in Little Tokyo, Nevada."

And with that, Daizo trudged to a boat and sailed to America, the waves battering the boat as the samurai, burdened by his newfound knowledge, contemplated the coming chapters.

Trivia: Omoi is part of Japanese folklore canon. He supposedly lives on Mount Fuji. Also, a Satori is a creature that can read minds and repeats them to you. The only way to get rid of one is to free your mind. Then, they will either leave, run away, or die.