A/N- My first ever serious thing in the Okami section... Wow. You must all be amazed and bow before my awesomeness.
Disclaimer- Even after all those disclaimers I put on A Random Waka Story, you still don't believe me?!
I stared across the plains in silence. What was to be done of this? This death, this pain, this hurt...? What could be done? Was there truly anything that could be done right now? It seemed that nothing could be the answer to this problem that we faced.
I knelt down, whispering a soft prayer to myself. "O Amateratsu, please, save our peoples from this horrid destruction. I fear for the fate of mine people. Can't thou help us in our terrible time of need? Hast thou abandoned us forever, leaving us to die in the face of these demons and burn for all eternity?"
None answer reached me.
A demon of human appearance appeared in front of me and I felt my eyes widen at this. It wore a long, black cloak that covered its entire body. It held in one hand a large, bloody, black sword that was perhaps six feet long. He seemed to have the intent of taking away my life, an intent he would most likely go through with.
"Please, demon!" I begged. "Leave us be! We are but lowly humans to thee, so why hast thou taken it upon thine selves to remove us from this world? Do we not have any more right to live than you do, demon? I beg of thee, leave us be!"
"If thou hast wished it, it shall not be done. In the name of the Izanami, I shall let thine life become mine, peasant. If thou hast wished for death, thou shalt be receiving thine wish. There is not to be humans, as our high priests have foretold of long ago. Thou shalt die, human!"
His sword was above his head, and I felt a stab of fear. Was I truly to die? Was mine life nothing? After all I had done in an attempt to please the Gods, they were willing to throw away mine life so quickly? I was nothing...?
I looked to the sky, my heart full of fear and anger. Where was our Goddess? Why did she not come to our aid in our most needed time since Yami? That had been over one-hundred years ago, and it was long since behind them.
"Please, demon!" I begged, suddenly remembering something. "Spare mine daughter at the least! She is but a child, and I do not believe it be right for ye to kill children! Save the children, but take mine life if it pleases thee. Remove this cup from me."
The demon's face became one of a sneer. "I shalt make none promises to ye, fowl human! Thou art pathetic and a swine, destined to die. I be making it shorter is all. These "children" of ye shalt be the next to feel the blade of my sword. Goodbye, infantile human!"
The sword began to come down and a sense of panic came over me. I was to die. It was as simple as that. And my daughter... Yuuki... she was to die as well. I could not stand the thought of her leaving this world at such a young age.
As the sword was at the half-way point, I began praying desperatly to my Goddess in hopes that something might happen. That I might not die in vain and that the children might be saved from the demise that they faced.
I felt an explosion of pain as the sword reached my head and I screamed those things that I was never to say, those things that would have made me die anyhow, the things that were forbidden for anyone to say, the thing that would release a power that none knew besides the Gods.
"Maitsu yo kashimeruta ute!"
The words seemed to make the world stop in the moment that the demon's sword touched my head. It was as though my life were spared for the moment. I saw the great Lady Amateratsu standing, waiting for me with her hand outstretched to me.
"Thine time has come, loyal servant. To the afterlife is your place. Your daughter will be saved as thou hast wished, along with the children of thine village. I shall see to it that thine child is well taken care of, for none of the other people in thine village cried to me in thine time of need. One will come to save thine child in three years, and they shall be my chosen child."
"My Lady, forgive me for thinking that thou wouldst ever leave. I beg thee..." I whispered, kneeling down in front of the beautiful woman. She gave me a soft smile.
"Any mortal would do the same as thee in the position that thou were in."
She then turned from me and I seemed to awaken from mine vision to face the horrible fate of death. I seemed to realize that death wasn't as horrid as I had thought but moments before. It was just another challenge for me to face.
I laughed.
It was over within a second and I was dead.
And I laughed.
In the dreams of red I sing of blood
That drips from the sky...
It will one day stop raining
But for now take shelter.
Take shelter and love them.
A/N- What do you think? Should I write something really really long, or leave it as a one-shot? Please R&R, no flames!