Chapter 1: Foreboding Omen

Issun's POV

A year. It's been a year, and Issun still isn't used to his responsibility as the Celestial Envoy. He sighed and continued to hop around with his paintings, refilling the hope and belief of the great god Amateraseru Okami. He looked to the sky. Ammy, Chibi, and that half baked prophet, have you guys restored the Celestial Plains yet? You've better be working your hardest, even when I'm not there, Ammy! He sighed and continued to work.

Suddenly, the sky overhead got dark. Issun looked up again in confusion. "That's impossible…" he said, thinking aloud. Then, just as it suddenly came, it dispersed. Strange…he thought.

A dark chuckle came behind Issun. He turned, only to face a pair of demons. Hannya. And apparently, they took to human hosts. Issun took out his brush. "Just cut the mask, right?" he said, while he did the Power Slash brushstroke. The masks split in half, and the hosts, one a young woman, the other a middle aged man, were freed.

"What happened to us?" said the two victims. "I," announced Issun, "The legendary 7th Celestial Envoy, Issun-sama has saved you two."

"Where are you, our savior?" The man searched for the supposedly invisible hero.

Issun fumed. "Right here!" he yelled, hopping mad, his aura red.

Both villagers leaned down to view the miniscule poncle. "That can't be right. We couldn't have been saved by a talking beetle." Issun was, at that time, boiling with anger, but he relaxed a bit. By now, he was used to being belittled by others. "Whatever," he said, handing them each a copy of his latest work, The Rising Sun." Here, a gift from me to you." While the two villagers were awing at his work, Issun hopped out of the fields of the village. Well, he thought, I should go see Sakuya-san to see what the big deal is. With that thought in his head, he made his way to Kamiki Village.

Sakuya's POV

She gazed at Kamiki Village and her tree, Konohana. Fallwas approaching in a few months, and the Village was making preparations for the autumn harvest and festival. Sakuya stretched, and gazed at the afternoon sky. The days were slowly getting shorter, and shorter. The nights colder and longer. Soon, she thought, soon I will be able to rest.

Sakuya sighed. In the recent months, the darkness has been stirring again. Earlier in the year, Sakuya had to awaken Amaterasu Okami to defeat the uprising of the Seven Followers of the First Lord, the Spider Queen, Crimson Helm, Orochi, Blight, Ninetails, Lecku, and Nechku with their leader, The First Lord of Darkness, Yami. After the Great Mother defeated Yami, the Followers of the Second Lord, Master Anura, the Witch Queen, Bullhead, Sen, Ryo, King Fury, Asteroidean and Mizuchi, appeared, lead by their leader, the Second Lord of Darkness, Akuro. Chibiterasu appeared to defeat him. Now that the two lords were defeated, no one else should be able to lead the weaker demons on a revolt.

The sky overhead grew dark. Sakuya screamed. Her head was pounding terribly, her breath was coming up short, and in her heart, she could hear the cries of agony. She cried. My saplings. She agonized. They're dead. Is this even possible? My Guardian Saplings were incredibly sacred. No demon should be able to touch it without getting purified first. I poured a part of my soul into each sapling. She looked to the sky again. The dark cloud passed through. No, is this- Her thoughts were cut off, when she noticed a little green speck hopping toward the gate entrance. She floated down to meet her little bouncing friend.