O. I suppose I should explain the origin of this story for anyone who doesn't know Shinto mythology. So basically, Susanoo (Amaterasu's brother) came to the Celestial Plains under the guise of saying goodbye to her before he was sent to Yomi. Obviously, he didn't do what he said, and ended up destroying the majority of her home. She got angry with him and fled to a cave, locking herself in, ultimately bringing eternal darkness to the world.

O. And now I'm going to explain what differences there are (at least the big ones): this is set in Nippon (obviously), there is not eternal darkness everywhere because of Chibiterasu occupying the Celestial Plains. So there's sunlight there. There's war, that being the thing that drove Amaterasu to bring eternal darkness onto Nippon.

O. Anyway, now that all those details are out of the way... This is my newest story: a two-shot. This is the first part - as if you couldn't guess that on your own - and the second part will be up later today. Or tomorrow. Whenever I have time.
One more thing: this is kind of an early birthday present for Pinkdesi101. Her actual birthday isn't for another week (I believe) so this isn't official. But it is dedicated to her.

Never would I have believed that the peaceful land that I had traversed could fall into war. Everything there that was once beautiful was destroyed by fire. No longer was the land covered in lush fields and thick forests; the former healthy blue water surrounding Ryoshima Coast had been polluted, replaced by a sickening yellow-green color.

"War..." I muttered as I looked over the earth, hands on my heart. "Fighting..." A frown formed on my face as I noticed a pillar of smoke rose from the land below, blotting out the sun. "I have to stop it."

O.o.O

"Issun..." I whispered to the Poncle as I approached him, attracting his attention. He turned to face me, the ever-present smirk on his face. Although his smirk fell and shifted into a concerned expression as he noticed the frown on my face. "Do you know where Waka and Chibiterasu are? I need to speak to you three."

He shook his head, indicating his answer. I crossed my arms as my frown deepened, closing my eyes. "You called?" a voice asked from behind. My lips twitched up slightly as I turned around, noticing Waka standing there, the little wings on his hat still moving. However; my expression was quickly brought down again as I noticed that Chibi was not with him.

"Waka, do you know where Chibi is?" I asked quietly, shifting my gaze around the area we were in.

He nodded silently and took a step towards me. "Does he need to be summoned here, ma chérie?" I stopped looking around and focused my golden eyes on him, letting them portray my answer. He nodded again and lifted his flute to his mouth, quickly blowing two short notes.

Silence was heard among us as we patiently waited, a smile pulling at my mouth as I heard his voice in the distance. "Mama!" he called, running towards me, arms reached out in front of him. I embraced him as he came closer, holding him tightly for a moment. I let out a deep breath as I pushed him away slightly, standing up straight.

"I should tell you why I wanted to speak to all of you," I started, turning away from the three.

"What is it, Mama?" Chibiterasu asked worriedly, taking a step towards me. I looked at him from over my shoulder, almost melting at the concerned expression on his face.

I turned my gaze ahead of me again, biting my lip. "As you may or may not know, war has plagued Nippon." I heard a small gasp from Chibi. "It's been going on for years, and it shows no sign of stopping. Therefore, in order to stop this merciless fighting, I've decided to lock the sun away."

"But how will locking the sun away do anything to stop the war?" Issun asked, his voice skeptical.

"Without the sun, crops cannot grow and demons will again come out from the shadows. If the people in Nippon expect to survive, they're going to have to rely on each other. When I see that people have learned to work together and no longer have the urge to fight each other constantly, then I'll bring back the sun."

It was Waka this time who spoke. "Do you really feel this is necessary, Amaterasu? Surely there has to be another way."

"I can find none," I answered quietly, turning around to face them. Issun jumped up onto my shoulder, surprising me slightly.

"You don't have to do this, Ammy," he whispered, ignoring the curious glance he was getting from Chibiterasu. "We can find another way. Don't go into hiding," I looked at him, giving him my own curious glance. "And yes, I know that story. Just don't go away. You have no idea what that will do to Chibi."

I nodded discreetly, closing my eyes in thought. "I'm sorry, Issun. I have to do this. It won't be for that long, I'm sure. But please," I murmured as an after-thought. "Watch over Chibiterasu." I carefully took him off my shoulder and placed him on the ground, looking at him solemnly.

I walked over to where Waka was standing, giving him a friendly hug. "I know you heard what we were talking about," I whispered to him, still hanging onto his neck. "I trust that you'll help as well." I lingered slightly longer than necessary, and then let go, making my way over to where Chibi was.

I crouched down and ruffled his hair with my hand, offering him a smile. "Be good while I'm gone, okay? Behave around Waka and Issun." He blinked at me, confusion swirling within his golden irises. I leaned in to kiss his cheek. "I'll miss you."

"Hey!" Issun interrupted, jumping up and down. "Where's my kiss?"

I rolled my eyes and stood up straight, starting to move away towards the direction of a nearby cave that I knew of. "Wait!" Chibi's voice stopped me. He grabbed my hand as he approached me and squeezed tightly, confusion still present in his eyes. "Where are you going, Mama?"

I bit my lip. How was I supposed to answer him? "I'm going to help Nippon..." I said slowly, my eyes shifting around. "And I might be gone for a long time."

He paused. "...Can I come with you?"

I shook my head. "No. I'm sorry, Chibiterasu, but you're going to have to stay here." I noticed that the confusion in his eyes was now replaced by disappointment and sadness. I decided to embrace him, hoping that it would somehow make him feel better. "You'll have much more fun here with Issun and Waka. They'll take care of you."

"I don't want you to leave," he whispered, swallowing deeply. "I want you to stay and I want to play in the fields like we always do." I saw the beginnings of tears starting to form in his eyes, and looked away, not wanting to see him cry. "Can you stay?"

I let go of him and placed my hand on his head, gaze turned to the ground. "I want to stay, I really do. But I can't. In order for my goal to work, I can't exactly be out in the open."

"What's that mean?"

"Nothing important. I'll see you when I get back." I removed my hand from his head and started to walk away, not being stopped the second time around. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him look to the ground, a single tear dropping out of his eye. I felt my motherly instincts kick in and attempted to ignore them, trying to focus on my main goal.

My ears perked up slightly as I heard Issun whisper something to Waka. "I miss her already..." his tone held no sarcasm, only longing.

O.o.O

"What would they think of this...?" I murmured as I walked through the Celestial Plains, gaze turned to the ground. "Kushi, Mr. Orange, Oki... I'm glad they're not still alive to see this." I eventually found my way to the cave I was looking for, letting out a sigh as I walked inside it. I quickly took out my Celestial Brush and used Vine to pull a nearby boulder over the entrance.

I leaned my body against the cool rock wall, exhaling deeply; the words 'I miss her already' echoing throughout my mind.