A/N: My first Okami fic! Yay! This one came out to me out of the blue since I had a really hard time writing fanfictions for some reason. This idea was the one that appealed to me most and why not? I love Okami! There is a slight deviation in the story regarding the characters but hey, it's fanfiction :) I hope you guys will enjoy this as much as I have typing it!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
Summary: A person's life is limited by time. Rather, it's what you do with that time counts. For Mrs. Orange, it's making cherry cakes that count.
Cherry Cakes
Three months have passed by since the defeat of Yami. Three months have passed by for the world to return back to its normal self, under the blessing of the great Okami Amaterasu. Three months have passed by as Kamiki continued to flourish under the sun's smile. Time was something a normal human couldn't control with the exception of the great goddess herself. Mrs. Orange's eyes looked up toward the heavens where she knew, Amaterasu was looking down at them, protecting the people with her blessed sunlight. Her fragile body moved to the drying rack pulling down Mr. Orange's robes.
Kamiki has changed little since the final battle. Cherry blossoms continued to flourish, crystal clear water continued to flow from the waterfall and the wind continued to blow petals from the branches. Tossing Mr. Orange's robes into a basket, Mrs. Orange slowly made her way back to her house, passing Kushi. The maiden continued harvesting rice in her field, humming away a song, obliviously. Mrs. Orange smiled; finally Susano and Kushi wed. Young love was something Mrs. Orange missed. She continued walking and passed Hayabusa, Mushi's dog digging turnips behind Mushi's mother.
Reaching her home, Mrs. Orange entered as her nose caught the scent of bubbling stew.
"I'm back," Mrs. Orange called out.
Placing down the laundry basket, Mrs. Orange made her way to the bubbling pot, picked up a ladle and stirred. Humming an old lullaby to herself, her mind was fixed on one thing: Mr. Orange. Mr. Orange was sound sleep in his comfortable cot as usual. She stopped stirring listening to the sound of Mr. Orange's dry coughs. Mr. Orange fell ill a week after Amaterasu ascended to the Celestial Plains. She knew, all too well, Mr. Orange loved talking about the rascal or Amaterasu and how strange things always happened when the white wolf appeared. He always mentioned the white wolf was a 'blessing in disguise'. Always talking about Shiranui, Mrs. Orange thought.
Pouring soup into a ceramic bowl, Mrs. Orange made her way to Mr. Orange placing the soup bowl beside him. Touching his forehead, his skin burned. Removing the cloth off his forehead, Mrs. Orange dipped it into a bucket of cold water and dabbed her husband's sweaty face. Mr. Orange slowly breathed but with much difficulty. All Mrs. Orange could do was watch her husband struggle against the illness.
Upon nightfall, Mrs. Orange was making cherry cakes; Amaterasu's favorite snack. She had no clue why she all of a sudden wanted to make cherry cakes. As Mrs. Orange pounded the flour, she silently spoke to the great goddess.
Okami Amaterasu, my husband and I miss you very much. How have you been? Are you hungry? Do you have lots to eat? Right now I'm making your favorite snack, cherry cakes…
Mrs. Orange trailed off. Listening to the sound of dry coughs again, a tear slipped down the side of her cheek. Shaking her head, she continued pounding the flour.
My husband fell ill sometime after you left. He misses you dearly, Okami Amaterasu.
Mrs. Orange paused again, placing down the wooden stick and stepped out under the starry skies. Looking up, she pressed her hands together and prayed.
If only he can see you one more time, Okami Amaterasu then his soul will be at peace…
A cold breeze passed by Mrs. Orange; her robes silently fluttered. Opening her eyes, she watched the clouds part revealing the ivory moon. She couldn't explain why but watching the full moon comforted her. Wiping away her tears, Mrs. Orange made her way back to her home to finish those cherry cakes.
Next morning, Mrs. Orange placed a dish of cherry cakes by a cherry blossom tree, close to the stream. With hands pressed together, her mind once again spoke to the goddess.
Okami Amaterasu, here are some snacks for you. You can come down and eat them whenever you like. I'll always be making more!
Turning away, Mrs. Orange made her way to where she always did her laundry. The sun continued to shine bright and Mrs. Orange every so often looked over to the dish of untouched cherry cakes. Maybe Amaterasu wasn't hungry? Throwing Mr. Orange's robes into drying rack, Mrs. Orange felt the sun burn brighter. Maybe she was just thinking about it too much; she knew every time the white wolf appeared, the sun magically appeared close to her, drying her clothes within an instant! A sudden strange feeling washed over Mrs. Orange; she dropped a piece of clothing onto the grass and turned around, paying attention to her home.
The clouds above swarmed the sky, hiding the sun's ray. All except one patch of sunlight, shining down upon her house. Mrs. Orange quickly made her way to her house, moving her fragile body as quickly as she could. Sliding the door open, a white light burst in Mr. Orange's room. Entering the room, she shielded her eyes and blinked. Removing her hands away from her eyes, Mrs. Orange thought her aged eyes focusing on a white wolf adorned with red markings and a round plate exploding with colors of red, orange and green with white strings fluttering on its back. She paused in silence watching the wolf sniff Mr. Orange and nudged him with its nose.
Mr. Orange's fingers twitched. His tired eyes opened focusing on the white brilliance before him. Without words, he smiled, forcing himself to reach out to touch the great goddess.
"S-Shiranui… No… Amaterasu…" he spoke in a raspy voice. "You came…"
The wolf nudged Mr. Orange's side. A big smile appeared on his lips. Mrs. Orange felt her spirits lifted, watching her husband run his wrinkled hands through the goddess' fur.
"I don't have much time in this world," Mr. Orange spoke, followed by a cough. "But I'm happy to see you… Okami Amaterasu… You make me a happy—"
His voice faded. The hand which touched the goddess fell by his side. Mrs. Orange rushed to her husband's side, touching his face. She momentarily locked eyes with the goddess who licked Mr. Orange's hand and disappeared within a burst of light. Stroking Mr. Orange's forehead, Mrs. Orange was unsure of what to feel yet, the feeling of joy washed over her.
"See that? The great goddess came for you!" Mrs. Orange smiled with tears slipping down her cheeks. "You finally met her…"
Sobbing onto Mr. Orange's lifeless body, Mrs. Orange knew what she had to do. Forcing the tears to stop, she grabbed the blanket and pulled it over her husband's face. He was finally at peace. She slowly made her way out of the house, to the dish of cherry cakes. With the sun almost setting, Mrs. Orange hastily picked up the dish and walked as fast as she could to the edge of the village, holding the plate high into the sky for the sun.
"Thank you, Okami Amaterasu for granting my husband's wish. Thank you for making him happy…" Mrs. Orange choked. "Please look after my husband—"
The sun grew brighter and Mrs. Orange closed her eyes, lowering the dish. Once the dish was on the ground and the light quickly fading, she opened her eyes gazing at the form of Amaterasu. The goddess sniffed the cherry cakes, eating them one by one. Looking up at Mrs. Orange, Amaterasu trotted over and licked Mrs. Orange's hands. Tears overflowed the elderly woman's eyes, falling on her knees and wrapping her arms around the goddess's neck. She heard Amaterasu whimper as Mrs. Orange continued to sob.
"Please look after my husband," Mrs. Orange whispered. "He longs for happiness, even after death."
She felt Amaterasu slowly pull away. Her gaze was locked on the setting sun. Licking the side of Mrs. Orange's face, Amaterasu's body glowed brightly until the sun slipped behind the horizon. Only white orbs floated where she once stood and they too, disappeared upon nightfall. Finally wiping away her tears, Mrs. Orange looked down at the dish with no cherry cakes left.
Looking up at the heavens, Mrs. Orange's eyes glittered with the stars. She watched as the stars twinkled one by one into a familiar shape. Rubbing her eyes, Mrs. Orange was now looking at the face of her husband now looking down at her with a smile. Her fingers rubbed the side of the dish remembering something very important.
"Next time when you come down, Amaterasu, bring my husband as well. There will be cherry cakes waiting for both of you. I will continue making cherry cakes until the day I fall asleep, under the setting sun."