Chapter One: I'm Leaving

A/N 9/28/09: I'm revising this story, chapter by chapter, in an effort to have it reflect my current skills and to clarify some things. I will try to get new chapters up quickly. Enjoy this revised edition of "The Journey". (Revised chapters will have the new page breaks and some kind of Author Note to show that they are revised)

A few points:

If you need a translation of the French, ask me. I know how to use Google translator.^^

Sakura is eight; Sasuke is five(they're just really mature(being part wolf is partially at fault)).

Their names are a coincidence; I didn't notice until I'd already written a few chapters and I refuse to change their names now.

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"Come on…." Sakura growled in annoyance as she pawed at the ground. She knew something was here; she could feel it. Dirt flew back behind her in large clumps as she swiftly moved the damp soil. Finally, her paw struck something and a treasure chest appeared. "All right!" she shouted in glee. Her tail wagged back and forth as she looked it over. Upon seeing no handle, she looked to the ground. "Wait. How am I supposed to open it?" She whimpered and her ears flattened against her head. Then, they stood straight up.

Frustrated at having wasted so much time, she stepped back and headbutted it. Instantly, the chest opened and a shiny mirror fell out. "Hm?" She sniffed at it, intrigued by the sacred aura surrounding it. As her reflection appeared in it, her red markings glowed. The mirror took to the air. It flew around her in a circle before coming to rest on her back. "It's a weapon?" she cried, bewildered that she had found one. The silver flames surrounding it surged and swirled with strength, giving her an idea.

Smiling, she raced off down the path toward a Demon Scroll. "Let's go, you dumb monsters!" As she brushed the Scroll, a force field appeared, trapping her with a group of low-level imps. She growled and raced at them, dodging their attacks and striking at them with her new weapon. She quickly finished off two of them and was about to go after the third one when a large imp, one with a drum, appeared. She raced to attack it, but it disappeared underground in the blink of an eye and a torrent of dirt. She snarled and turned toward the low-level imp, who was busy trying to sneak up on her. "Die!" The mirror struck loudly, turning the imp into a clump of flowers. "Oh, yeah!" she shouted, smiling. "That's what you get for-" She was cut off as the larger imp struck her from below, sending her flying into the air. She landed with a loud THUD! "Oww…" she whimpered, struggling to her feet. The imp began playing its drum; another attack was coming. Her body refused to move. It felt as heavy as lead. She closed her eyes and cried, "No!"

No blow came.. She looked around in shock. The force field was fading. The imp was cut in half. "How…?" She was answered as she caught sight of a familiar pink shirt and purple pants. "Oh, no," she whined. Her body lightened. She moved, racing away down the path. Unfortunately, her leg hurt and slowed her considerably.

"Sakura…." called a familiar voice. She ignored it and raced as fast as she was able toward the Dojo. "With this Mermaid Coin, I can go anywhere I want! I can prove I am worthy of the title Okami!" She glanced behind her; her father was nowhere to be seen. She sniffed the air. His scent had disappeared as well. "Has he finally given up on me? Does he think I can handle myself? Maybe he figured I was heading home…"

"Aahh!" she yelped as she tripped over a rock and tumbled into the pond that lay in front of the Dojo. "Oh, man…." She coughed up water as she struggled to the bank. She hauled herself out of the water and shook herself off. The reflector on her back disappeared in a flash of light. "Stupid water…." She whined loudly and laid her head on her paws. Her leg ached, she was freezing, and her parents would be fuming by the time she managed to drag herself home. It just wasn't worth it. She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, hoping her strength would return to her after some rest.

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"Sakura…." said a soothing voice.

Her eyelids fluttered open. "Hmm? D-Dad?" Her father was kneeling beside her, his hand on her back. He sounded concerned, but she knew that she would be lectured sternly and grounded when she returned home. Her new weapon would most likely be taken away as well, if it ever reappeared.

She whimpered and covered her eyes with her paws. She felt his hand move around her waist. He effortlessly picked her up and held her to his body. She didn't bother struggling. Waka asked, "Ma fille, are you injured?" Sakura shook her head.

"No, no, je suis bien."

"Good." Waka stood up and jumped into the air. He landed just outside of their house in Kamiki Village and walked inside. Amaterasu, a tall woman with long, white hair, stood as he entered. She strode over to them, amber eyes full of concern.

"Where have you been?" she asked, looking the pup over for wounds.

"Sakura collapsed, and I did not want to move her until she awoke." Amaterasu's eyes narrowed and the mirror on her back surged with enough power to bathe the whole room in a fiery glow.

"So you waited until it was pitch black outside? Until I'd worried myself sick about her?" Waka backed up a step and nervously raised a hand.

"She was very tired, ma cherie." Amaterasu shook her head and took the pup from his arms, her anger dissipating. She stroked Sakura's head and laid her on a mat. She pressed a hand to the pup's forehead. The goddess' markings pulsed, and her child changed from a wolf to a human.

"Sakura," said Amaterasu, caressing the girl's cheek.

"I-I'm fine, Mom." Sakura pulled herself up into a sitting position and straightened her long sleeve. "Really."

"But what were you thinking? You know it's dangerous outside after dark." Sakura frowned and crossed her arms. She turned up her nose, blue orbs staring holes in the hut's roof.

"I'm a demi-god, Mom. I can handle whatever comes after me."

"Ma fille," said Waka, "you did not seem to handle that Drummer very well." Amaterasu grabbed her daughter's shoulder and turned her around.

"You took on a Drummer? What were you thinking?" Sakura shrugged her hand off and looked away again.

"Hey, I managed to finish off the three small imps with no problem! That guy just snuck up on me!"

"Of course he did! He was a monster! Monsters never fight fair!"

Sakura clenched her hand, forming a fist. She stood, shouting, "Stop treating me like a baby! I'm a god in the making!"

"You are a baby! My baby!" Amaterasu stood and looked her in the eyes. "You're still too young to go out fighting monsters! You don't know any Celestial Brush techniques, and you don't even have a weapon!" Sakura held her tongue. Why mention the randomly appearing mirror? "Go to your room and stay there until further notice!" Sakura groaned and stormed off to the room she shared with her brother, Sasuke.

She collapsed on the mat that served as her bed and became immersed in her thoughts. She mentally talked back and forth, pretending there was someone else in her mind. "I should run, as far away as possible. But your leg? My leg is fine! No, it's not. It will not carry you away fast enough. Yes, it will! I just need to make it to the Dojo and use my Mermaid Coin to teleport somewhere. But you must have been to a Mermaid Pool to be able to teleport to it from another one. Aw, you're right! Use a Brush Technique to get to Agata Forest. But I don't know any. It's in your blood. The Brush Strokes will come to you. Really? Yes."

She opened her eyes and looked around. The house was dark; her mother was probably asleep and her father was most likely back at the shrine. She stood up and looked over at her brother. He was asleep on his mat. She quickly grabbed her Astral Pouch and packed a little bit of food into it before heading for the front door. However, before she could reach it, a hand grabbed her white and red kimono.

Sakura looked down at the black-haired boy, who stared back with wide amber eyes. "Sister, why are you going out at this time of night?"

"Sasuke, I need to go train myself, to prove I'm able to care for myself. I have to show I can be a great goddess like Mother."

He slightly smiled, showing small fangs. "Can I come, too?"

"No, you need to stay here and keep Mom and Dad calm while I'm gone. If we both leave, they'll become frantic and forget their duties as guardians of this area."

"Good point," said the boy. His black wolf ears flattened against his head as he yawned.

"Now go back to bed and make sure they don't notice I'm gone."

He cocked his head. "You want me to lie?"

"No, just cover for me." He looked to the floor, thinking, then nodded.

"Oh, okay. I think I can do that."

"Thanks."

"No problem, Sis." Sasuke then headed back to his bed, his wolf tail swaying as he moved. Sakura slipped out of her house into the dark night. She shifted to her wolf form and raced off for the passage to Agata Village. When she reached it, however, she was forced to stop.

"Oh, man, the ferry doesn't run at this time of night." She stood on the bank, her hopes of escape dashed. Suddenly, a voice in her head spoke up.

"Use the Water Lily Brush Stroke."

"Who...?"

"It matters not. Just use the Brush Stroke."

She shook her head. "I can't. I don't know it."

"Just a draw a circle on the water."

"Okay. I'll try, Mysterious Voice." She imagined a large brush drawing a circle on the water and yelped lightly as a water lily appeared.

"Now jump on it." She obeyed and was surprised to find it supported her weight. She repeated this process again and again and soon found herself at the bottom of a small cliff. "Wall Jump." She jumped against the wall and jumped over the edge to the landing.

"Wow, I did it!" She looked back at the lily pads, a bit disappointed that they were fading away. She thought, "I suppose it's for the better… Now, to find out just what lies ahead." A bright light flashed and the reflector from earlier appeared on her back. "Ah, awesome!" The silver flames surged, as did her markings. Standing tall, she walked through the opening in the wall, unsure of what lay on the other side but fully willing to face it.