My first fanfic… I love the game Okami, and this is just what I think might be a possible future after the end of the game. It's long and paragraphs aren't spaced often, but please bear with me.
One hundred years ago, the godly wolf Amaterasu defeated Yami, the embodiment of evil, and ascended to the Celestial Plain. The Goddess then assembled the 13 brush gods in what is known as the Celestial Counsel.
When all were gathered, discussions began on how to best protect the mortal world in the coming ages. It was agreed that the many divine weapons that Amaterasu had collected during her time in Nippon would be scattered throughout the mortal world to be used in time of need
But Amaterasu, in her divine wisdom, foresaw a terrible tragedy looming on the horizon. It was then that she devised a solution, and asked two of the brush gods for a great favor. Thus begins the legend of the Children of the Sun.
100 years later
The capital of Nippon is usually a bustling place. Traders from across the land gather each day to entice their target customers with exotic novelties and art. Diplomats, politicians and royalty come to have counsel with the great and wise Queen Himiko IV. And, of course, the city children run amok among the crowds, trailing their innocent mischief behind them.
But there is another side to Sei-an city that can only be observed during the darkest hours of the night. Those that happen to venture outside their beds and their homes find the city deserted and quiet.
Denkou knew this side of the city very well. As he walked the empty streets, carrying his father's medicine, he attempted to find his favorite constellation in the night sky, Gekigami, the tiger god of thunder. He thought he had finally spotted it when a lock of his pure white hair fell down and obscured his view. He had just cut his thick mane of hair that morning, and already it seemed to have grown back to its former shagginess. He quickly brushed it away with a pale hand before speedily walking on.
Denkou had always been a pale child, his gray skin accented by his pure white hair. It had been a rough childhood, full of taunts and teases, but now, at the age of seventeen, Denkou had matured to accept his strange appearance. His mother had always told him that his strange looks only proved that he was different than everyone. She continually told him that he was destined for something great.
Preoccupied with his thoughts of appearance, maternal advice and thunder gods, Denkou didn't notice the quiet shadow waiting at the entrance to a dark alleyway until it was too late. Within a second, his arms were empty.
Denkou stood in shock for several seconds before he finally realized that he had been robbed. The amber bottle of his father's pain medicine now rested on a stranger's open palm. The unidentified man seemed amused by Denkou's bewilderment, seemingly ready to burst into laughter.
"Too easy," he said with a sly smile, "when are kids like you going to learn to stop wandering the streets at night?" His smile got bigger. "It's not safe, ya' know.
Denkou lunged at the bottle, but the robber casually dodged to the side, still smiling. He held the bottle close to face and peered at its contents. "Medicine?" his tone was less amused now. "I don't have a use for it, and I don't think it will sell," he said, his smile returning, "but it's the thrill of theft that makes it all worthwhile anyway."
Another lunge at the bottle proved ineffective. "Who are you?" Denkou whispered. He needed that medicine; his father had sent him out at this late hour to fetch something to ease his old back.
The thief grinned, tossing the bottle up and down repeatedly. "Ya' know what? I'm pretty bored tonight. You seem kind of gutsy, so I'll cut a deal with you. If you can catch me, then not only will I tell you my name, but I'll also give ya' back you're precious medicine. Deal?"
Denkou glared at the unknown thief, prompting an amused laugh. Denkou lunged a final time, to the same results. The robber leapt backwards, and turned immediately to a sprint down the open street. "Too slow!"
Denkou glanced around, but the only other person in sight was the thief, already growing distant. He took a deep breath, and let it out. Again, in, out. Slowly he felt the change all along his body, crawling through his muscles, surging through his bones. He felt his organs shifting, his skeletal system twisting and bending. His skin stung like it was being stabbed by millions of microscopic needles, numbing him.
The force of the transformation brought him to his knees, gasping. Along his arms the snow-white hair was already sprouting forth in multitudes. His chest heaved as his body contracted. His entire shape and form was changing, becoming lower to the ground, more sleek and aerodynamic. He watched as his fingers recessed into paws. He could feel his face elongating, his teeth growing, his ears moving and changing. His clothes fell away with one last seizure, and then the transformation was complete.
The entire event had lasted less than five seconds. Where the young man Denkou once stood, there now crouched a pure white wolf. The beast shook itself vigorously, as if ridding itself of something unpleasant. Then it eyes focused on the retreating form of the unknown thief, barley visible down the wide street. The wolf flexed its muscles and gave what one might mistake for a smile before launching into motion, running smoothly and confidently after his prey. The hunt was on.
When Denkou was fourteen, his life changed. He remembered the day he changed like it was yesterday. In the final weeks leading up to his first transformation, he felt irritable, tired, depressed. Then, a stormy night brought him relief.
He was lying on his sleeping mat in his small room, listening to the thunder, when it began. Suddenly, each explosion of sound seemed like it was happening inside his head, booming throughout his body with unbearable pain. He remembered gasping, trying to call out, but he was home alone. He watched in horror as his body convulsed and changed. He felt his humanity falling away with every flash of lightning, every clash of thunder.
And then, in one miraculous instant, it was done. He was no longer man; he was an exultant animal, a proud white wolf. He had never felt so good, so alive! Energy coursed through him, surging to his newly formed muzzle, which he raised to the heavens and howled a song of rejoicing, swaying in time to the storm.
Denkou did not understand his ability to change from man to beast at will, but it did not matter. The simple joy of running the streets at night in his new wild form gave him more ecstasy than he had ever imagined.
For the following three years he learned how to control his new shape, and mastered the ability to shift between bodies. Every time he changed the process became easier, and the thrill became greater. Soon his wolf form became more natural than his human body, and every day he longed for the night, the only time he could release himself.
There were times he almost did not return home at dawn, times when he nearly left the city to explore the world in his new animal form. Almost. Every time, he was stopped by thoughts of his parents, who he loved dearly. He couldn't leave them without a reason. They knew nothing about his inner wolf or his nightly prowls around the city. So he contented himself with his late night jaunts, until the night of the robbery. That's when his life began to change again.
Denkou slid around the street corner, his nails leaving a trail of curved lines in the earth. His sharp eyes caught the fleeing thief rounding another corner, closer than before. The wolf sprinted on, not losing any momentum, and rounded the next corner.
The thief glanced back at his pursuer, and Denkou saw his eyes widen in surprise as he noticed the white wolf gaining on him.
"A dog!? Where did you come from, Pooch?" His smile long gone, the unknown thief jumped onto a large crate placed outside a merchant's shop, and from there onto a small veranda. He gave another glance at the wolf below before leaping to the roof of the building and sprinting out of sight.
Denkou did not hesitate, as he jumped full speed onto the crate and up to the veranda. This isn't over yet! He shouted, which translated into a ferocious snarl. He slipped as he attempted to jump to the roof, just managing to hold on with his front paws. After a few seconds of fevered scrambling, he pulled himself up. A few rooftops over, the thief jumped across alleyways and streets with almost superhuman agility. The wolf pushed off again, his lean muscles straining as he leapt to an adjacent building.
The beast was gaining ground, and the robber knew it. Something drastic was needed to shake this strange follower. The thief looked ahead at a huge gap between buildings, one of the city's canals. The canals were large waterways sunken below street level and bordered by concrete walls. "That'll do," he whispered.
Denkou saw the canal ahead, and formulated a quick plan. Veering off to the left, he jumped from the roof to a street down below, not losing a step.
The thief landed on the last rooftop before the waterway. Hesitation would mean failure now, so he didn't slow down as he neared the edge and jumped. For an instant, it was pure bliss. He was hanging in the air above the canal, feeling invincible, exalted. The water glistened below him in gentle starlight. Most of all, he relished the feeling of a plan succeeding. He had escaped, proving that he truly was the greatest thief that had ever lived, something that he had expected for quite some time now.
Denkou was nearing the end of the street, where the sunken canal waited. Praying that his timing was correct, he searched the approaching water. There! Denkou almost howled in relief. There, floating in the middle of the waterway was the city ferry.
The ferry master was one of the only people that Denkou regularly saw each night when he went prowling. An insufferable insomniac, the ferry master drifted through the city canals each night, searching for any rare late night passengers.
Denkou centered himself with the ferry, which was nothing but a large raft, and leaped from the canal wall at full speed. A few short seconds of flying, and then he landed on the soggy deck boards of the raft, sending out a voluminous amount of water in all directions.
The ferry master, who was lazily propelling his boat along with a long pole, had only milliseconds to gape in surprise at his new passenger before the wolf leaped from the small craft to the other side of the channel and dashed onwards.
The thief landed hard against the side of the canal, barely managing to grab the top of the concrete wall with one hand. Groaning, he pulled himself up and over. Landing on the ground waiting on the other side, he allowed himself a quick triumphant chuckle. The nearest bridge was several blocks away; he had lost the wolf for sure.
A deep growling interrupted his celebration. Out of the gloom ahead stalked the white wolf, its lips curled in obvious hostility.
"How…did you…?" For once, the thief was at a loss for words. His back was to the canal wall. He was effectively cornered. The chase was over.
The thief regained his composure quickly. "So it comes full circle."
Strangely, he abruptly changed subjects. "Have you ever heard of my great uncle? He truly was the greatest thief of all time. He was known as the great…Hayazo." The thief appeared to get lost in memories, his face blank and his eyes dull. Denkou continued to watch him, confused on what to do next.
The thief smiled in adoration as he spoke his next words. "One hundred years ago, my uncle held this city in his horrible grip. Those that walked the streets at night were guaranteed to come home with less yen than they left with. The people were terrorized, afraid of every shadow in the city, locking their doors and holding their valuables tight."
The thief's smile ceased, and he bowed his head. "Until…one night. A white wolf appeared without forewarning, and attempted to chase down that masterful thief."
Denkou stopped growling and perked his ears. He knew the thief was most likely trying to distract or stall him, but something seemed sincere about his story. A white wolf…one hundred years ago? He thought. Surely he wasn't speaking of the great Amaterasu?
The thief continued with his head down. "That night, the white beast put an end to my uncle's reign of terror over this city. Now it appears I too am about to be ended by a white wolf."
The thief raised his head, allowing Denkou to see that his eyes were once again filled with cunning. The thief was shouting now. " But I am greater than my uncle! A mere animal will not best me so easily! I will make this city my own! I will become the greatest thief in Nippon! I am Hayazo the second! And YOU WILL NOT STOP ME!"
His shouts echoed across the city. The thief smiled at the confused wolf standing before him, and whispered something barely audible after his bout of yelling. But Denkou's sharp ears heard it loud and clear. "Catch."
The next instant was the longest in Denkou's life. The thief threw the amber bottle of medicine, which the wolf caught easily in his mouth. At the same time, Hayazo exploded into thousands of copies of himself, running in different directions, leaping above buildings. The crowd overcame Denkou, washing over him like an ocean wave.
And then all was still. The white wolf stood alone on an empty street, with an amber bottle clenched between its teeth…
To be continued…Maybe…
So that's part one. I know it's kind of long but I think it's not bad.
If I get some good reviews I'll write part two. Constructive criticism is always accepted.