How Okami should have ended...
This is my version of an epilogue for Okami.
The sun shone high and bright in the sky. I was enjoying the warmth of the sun on my fur, and was confident the sun would never go away unless of course I wanted it to. This may sound like something out of a fairy tale, but it truly is not. For I am Amaterasu, the Sun Goddess. I have many names. Shiranui, O Great Beast of White, the White One, etc. I prefer the name Amaterasu, or Ammy, if you please.
My form is of a wolf (And a beautiful one at that, mind you). I currently live on the Celestial Plain, the place of gods. When I say currently, I say it because I truly don't feel I belong here, even though I am the mother of the gods. I feel I belong down in Nippon, with my true friends I have made over the months. I deeply miss my comrade and guide Issun, the wandering artist. You could say he was sort of my mentor, and he is only about two inches tall. He's a Poncle, a sort of sprite if you will. It's odd, but I sort of miss the way he used to drool every time we met a maiden. And he complained about wolf slobber. Oh, the times we had.
I could explain things about Issun all day, but I'd like you to have a little backstory on the rest of my friends. The first friend I really ever made was Kushi, the sake brewer of Kamiki Village. Along the way I learned to trust others as well. Kokari was one of my favorites. I remember how Issun and I used to help him catch fish. Now he is a young, strong man who adores adventure, more thanks to his dog Ume than me. There are two whom I admire greatly. One is Waka. He was the one that took me here to the Celestial Plain, my true home. He helped me restore it to its full power, and now nothing could be better. He also saved my life when we faced off Yami, the Ruler of Darkness.
The other whom I admire is the Oina tribe warrior Oki. I never got my chance to thank him for helping me defeat Nechku and Lechku, the twin owl demons. Although he took the sacred sword Kutone without permission, he proved to be a selfless warrior. Instead of taking his chance to finish off the twin demons, he helped me and Issun save the old version of me, Shiranui, the one who had saved Nagi and helped defeat Orochi. To think it was me a hundred years ago. I do not remember my life a hundred years ago. I am Shiranui reborn. And while Shiranui lay there, slowly dying, he stayed with her until Ishaku, Shiranui's Poncle mentor, appeared and instructed him to help me. We found the twin demons and defeated them. Oki then returned to his tribe, where he made peace with the chief Samickle and restored power to the Ark of Yamato, the same ark that brought me here, by putting Kutone back in its rightful place.
I am not sure if I would ever admit it to Oki, but I feel like I need him. He was the one I admired the most, with his selfless acts to save Shiranui, and although I have known him for only about two weeks, I wanted to stay with him. Oki is not human. He is Oina. He may have a human appearance, but he chooses when he can be his other form. A wolf. Sometimes, when nothing is on my mind, I think of him, wondering if he is watching the same stars as I. It is the same with Issun. Such thoughts lead me to believing I need to go back to Nippon, like maybe my business is not over there.
I stand and stretch. Over the few months of being here I had learned to talk, finally, so others can understand. I had only been able to understand language, not speak it. Fortunately, I had also learned to change my shape as well. I could appear human when I wanted to, but I preferred my wolf form. It was also good for when I reunited, if I ever do, with Oki. I trotted from my napping place, in the middle of a clearing in the beautiful cherry tree orchard. Luckily, Waka lived close by. Also very lucky, he lived under a pond. His house floated about twenty feet in the air, so I could not easily jump up onto his porch. Lowering myself into the water, I used my Celestial Brush Technique Watersprout, making the water form an ascending column of water. I rode it to the top, where I could easily hop onto Waka's porch.
I head-butted his door. "Waka? Can I speak to you for a moment?" I asked, hoping he was home. Luckily he was. He came to the door, his long golden hair sparkling in the sun. He was wearing the usual costume, the pinkish coat with red buttons, the red pants. (Don't tell him I said this, but in my mind I like to call him Captain Fuzzy Buttons. It really fits!)
"Ah, Amaterasu. What can I do for you?" He asked me. I wasn't sure I was prepared to tell him what I was about to.
"I was wondering. Is it possible you could return me to Nippon? I feel like I have unfinished business there." He looked at me, a skeptical look on his face.
"Do you really feel you need to go back? Do you not like it here?" He asked me, giving me a look, his face registering hurt.
"No, I love it here, Waka! I really do. But I miss my friends, and deep down I have a nagging feeling something is going on. I must go back." I told him. I hoped he understood how I felt, as he did not make friends with anyone where I had made many. He had done the smart thing.
He sighed. "If you feel you must, I suppose I can take you."
"Oh thank you, Waka!" I exclaimed, jumping up and licking his face. He laughed.
"Stop! Stop, that tickles!" He laughed, gently lowering me down.
"Alright, meet me at the base," He said, entering the house. "I'll be right there, I need to put something away really quick," He said over his shoulder. I gave a quick bark to symbolize I understood, and jumped down into the pond. I swam to the bank, gave a quick shake, and took off west, in the direction of the underground base where the Ark of Yamato waited.
I ran past the Hanagami's garden, the place the three gods of flora lived. Sakigami was out, making the flowers bloom, and he waved as I zipped past. I yipped to him. I entered the woods, dodging trees, until I came to a sunlit clearing. There was a crack in the ground. I used my brush to create a cherry bomb, which transformed the crack into a large hole. I jumped down into it. In front of me stood a large metal sword. I equipped my lightning sword, the sword that utilizes lightning power, and zapped the metal one. To my left a large door opened. I replaced the sword with my rosary beads. I walked along a narrow bridge, where the view was amazing. Below me stood the beautiful ark, the rectangular patterns on it glowing blue. I found steps leading down.
As usual, Waka had arrived first. How he did it, I will never know. Excited, I wagged my tail and jumped into the ark. I was hoping we would land in Laochi Lake, near the place Oki lived. I figured I would make a request to land there. Waka smiled at me, clearly pleased to be using the ark again.
"Did you want to go back too, Waka?" I asked him. By the way he looked at me, I knew what the answer was. Of course, why he wanted to go back was somewhat of a mystery to me. Yet Waka was a mysterious character. Being of the Moon Tribe, he had special powers. Yes, that includes flying. Lucky for him.
"Indeed, Amaterasu. I have awaited the day of the return. I do prefer the Celestial Plain, but visiting won't do me any harm, right?" He said. I grunted playfully. I was about to transform to my human appearance, but thought I would save it as a surprise for Oki and Issun. I know exactly what Issun will say. For Oki, I am not so sure.
"Shall we get this show on the road?" Waka asked, smiling at me.
"Indeed we shall! Onwards, to Nippon!" I exclaimed excitedly. Waka pressed one of the many buttons in the cabin of the ark, and at once we suddenly teleported into the evening sky.
"Sun or moon?" I asked Waka.
"Nighttime would be more fun, don't you think?" He responded. So I got out my Celestial brush and drew a cresent, the mark of Yumigami, the moon goddess. Instantly the evening turned to night. There were stars in the sky, and to add to the beauty, I created a few shooting stars with my brush. I yawned. Nighttime made me sleepy.
"I'm gonna go take a nap. Wake me up if we arrive." I said. He nodded. I turned around and walked out onto the deck, where I curled up under the watch of the moon and the stars.
It only seemed like a couple minutes later when Waka woke me.
"We're here." At that moment, I remembered I hadn't told him to go to Laochi Lake. I scolded myself. One of my flaws. Memory. I got up, and a feeling of relief swept through me. I swear it's like Waka could read my mind. Issun once told me he could read me like a book. Perhaps that is the reason, I'm easy to read. We had landed in Laochi Lake, which had ironically frozen over. We unfroze the lake when the ark was restored, when me and Waka made our way home, to the Celestial Plain. I jumped down onto the ice, and immediately slipped. Such grace, I thought. I stood up, cautiously, and walked the rest of the way to the shore.
"I'm so glad to be back here," I said, sighing. Waka materialized beside me.
"Indeed. Now, shall we explore?" He said, leaping into the air and disappearing. I snorted. Waka and his magic tricks. It was somewhat cold, but it would be worse if I didn't have a nice furry coat. I shook myself, then trotted down into the village of Wep'Keer. I wasn't sure who first to greet. From my position, Oki's house was the farthest away from me. I didn't have to decide who to greet, for a figure had seen me and come towards me. I recognized the light blue fur immediately. Samickle, the chief of the Oina Tribe.
"Amaterasu? Is that really you?" He asked, running up to me. He transformed to his human form.
"Indeed. It is me. I'm glad to see you again!" I said, and I wagged my tail. I nearly died when I caught the look on his face. The whole speaking thing was new to him.
"I didn't know you could talk!" He exclaimed. I snorted playfully. I wanted to change to my human form, but still I wanted to save it for Oki.
"I've learned. Where's Oki?"
"Oki? Well, this may come as a surprise to you, but he is the chief of the Oina tribe now. He lives in Kemu's place." He said. I looked at him in surprise.
"What happened to you being the chief? And what happened to Kemu?" I asked.
"Kemu, unfortunately, has passed. I surrendered my authority to Oki when I realized he was more prepared than I had ever been. Plus, I had always admired him."
"Surrendered? You two didn't fight, did you?"
"No, of course not! I meant, I gave up the authority for him to have it. He deserved it."
"Oh, I see. I am sorry about Kemu." I said. I wanted Samickle to take me straight to Oki, so I could see him again. See him with this authority.
"There was nothing that could be done. He passed not long after you had left. There is also something I have to tell you. It might be against Oki's will if I tell you this, though." He said, looking around to see if anyone else had noticed us.
"What is it?" I asked, getting a bad feeling in my stomach. I hoped it wasn't something that could change my thoughts about Oki. Samickle changed back to wolf form. He leaned in close to me, his muzzle next to my ear.
"I think Oki has suffered the most when you left." He whispered. I stood, dumbfounded, trying to make sense of what Samickle was implying. The feeling in my stomach turned to a warm feeling. So Oki loves me? Well, that makes things easier for both of us.
"Take me to him." I instructed. He nodded, and I swear he could understand my feelings towards Oki. I followed him to Kemu's old house. Now I shall be calling it Oki's house.
"You can go. Thanks, Samickle." I told him. He dipped his head, turned, and ran off. I swore I saw a mischievous smile on his face. I pushed the door open. The feeling in my stomach turned to butterflies. Now that I could see him again, what could I say to him? Telling him first off that I loved him didn't seem like an option.
"Who's there?" Someone asked. I recognized Oki's voice. Then I saw him. He was in human form, still wearing that silly mask that I had learned to love. He looked at me. I looked back at him. We stood that way for a while.
"Amaterasu? What? How? What are you doing here?" He asked. I couldn't read his face because of the mask, but the tone of his voice implied surprise and joy.
"I wanted to come back. I wanted to see my friends again!" I said, making the closest thing to a smile as I could on my wolf lips.
"That's great! I've missed your fiery spirit, Ammy." He said. He turned to wolf form. I ran up and nuzzled him. If wolves could cry, I thought.
"I'm so glad to see you again," I said. I sat there, leaning against him. He let me. In fact, I think he rather enjoyed it.
"Me too," He said.
"I've got a surprise for you." I told him.
"Like this surprise isn't enough?" He asked, and I backed from the comfort of his fur. I focused from inside, imagining myself as human. There was a flash, and a small amount of pain. I heard Oki gasp. I was now taller than he in his wolf form. When he had recovered his wits, he turned back to human.
"A-Ammy... I never knew!" He said, and I imagined behind his mask his mouth must be open in surprise.
"I only just learned to do this. Pretty cool, huh?" I asked. I had looked at myself in human form before, from Waka's mirror, and from the ponds and lakes around my home in the Celestial Plain. I wasn't exactly sure what to think of myself. Soft skin, white hair resembling my fur, and a white dress with the red spiral pattern. My eyes were a soft orange, symbolizing the sun. Oki just stared.
"Wow," He whispered. "You're so... beautiful," He said in awe. I smiled a warm, reassuring smile. I did something I've wanted to do for a while now. I walked up to him, put my hands on his mask, and removed it. He didn't try to stop me. I pretended to gasp. I dropped his mask and put my hand over my mouth. I nearly fainted. He had an absolutely handsome face... and his eyes! They were a dark red, almost brown color. Everything about him... so, well, perfect. I stumbled forward and he caught me.
"W-Wow," I managed.
"I'm not ugly, am I?!" He said, a hint of a joke in his tone.
"Far from it..." I started. I didn't know what else to say. I didn't have to say anything. He leaned in and kissed me, a quick kiss, but enough for that warm feeling to spread through me. I think he realized what he did, the way he pulled away so quickly.
"S-Sorry, I didn't mean to, I-" He started, but I pulled him close and kissed him. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and we stayed that way for a while. Suddenly Oki quickly pulled away. I gave him a questioning look, but he wasn't looking at me. I turned around and saw little Lika, the young Oina girl I had rescued before I left for the Celestial Plain. She sat there staring. She, too, had a mask on like most of the Oina tribe, so I couldn't see her expression.
"Whoa," She finally said. "You have a girlfriend?" We both stared with surprise at her, for she had sneaken up on us at a bad moment.
"Lika, I, uh, no..." He started. Lika looked at me.
"Hey, I know you, don't I? You're that wolf Ama something or other, the one who saved me. Didn't you leave?" She asked. I didn't say anything. I just stood there, dumbfounded. "You look cool in human form. Aren't you cold? You're only wearing a dress." She told me.
"Uh, I'm not cold, thanks," I said, recovering from the surprise.
"Oh, right." She said, and I knew by the way she said it she probably had a sly smile on her face.
"You came at a bad moment," Oki said. His face turned from surprised to serious. "What do you want?"
"I was looking for my sis. She went out hunting a while ago, she hasn't come back. I thought maybe you would know where she is." She said. She looked down, at my hand. I realized I was holding Oki's hand. Immediately I let go.
"I'm guessing my sister isn't here... Well, goodbye!" She said, turning and skipping away. She was singing "Oki has a girlfriend, Oki has a girlfriend," I guess it was lucky she didn't say anything about my hand, but really? I wondered how long it took for Oki to realize she was there. How long was she watching us? Hopefully not long. No doubt the whole village will be at Oki's doorstep, asking about me and how I'm in love with him.
"Sorry, I, um, well, I'm gonna go find my other friends before I'm hunted down," I told him.
"No, Ammy, wait!" He said as I turned. I turned back to him, seeing the hurt in his eyes. "I'm sorry. I should have noticed her before but-" He started to say, but I hugged him. He shut up.
"It's okay. It's my fault, I'm the one who kissed you." I said, tears welling up because I wanted to leave before I was interrogated by everyone. I didn't want to leave. I wanted to stay there and be with him... It was the main reason I came here. Of course, I wanted to see Issun again too.
"No, it's not. It's none of our faults. Well, someone would have found out eventually." He said, resting his forehead on mine. Found out what? That we were kissing? In love? Well, it didn't matter, it goes along the same line. I can see it now; everyone will be coming after me, asking me about my form, if I did it just because of Oki, all that stuff. All heard from a little girl. I know next time I hear the story it will be exaggerated. A single tear fell down my face. I didn't want to leave.
Oki must have realized how I felt. He took my hands and led me to a chair. I looked up at him, and he smiled reassuringly. I sat down. He brought me a cup of something warm. I wasn't sure what it was, but it tasted really good. He sat down in a chair across from mine. He also had a cup of the warm stuff. I didn't ask him what it was. We just stared at each other; my stare sad, his concerned.
"Are you okay?" He asked. I stayed silent, looking down at my lap. I heard him get up from his chair. I looked up, watched him set his cup down. He came over to me, kneeled in front of me. He took my hands. I stood up, and so did he.
"I love you," He whispered in my ear. "That will never change, Amaterasu." I looked towards the door, wanting to lock it so no unwanted visitors would come. We could stay here, not worry about the whole tribe coming in, asking questions. Or...
"Do you want to go somewhere more private, where no one will find us?" I ask him. He looks at me, then at the door.
"Come on," He said, taking my hand and leading me towards the door. We slip out silently, and now I feel the intense coldness. I shiver. Remembering that I was only in a dress, he apologizes quickly and runs inside. He comes out, carrying a heavy coat. He wrapped it around me. It felt like it had been in front of the fire; it was nice and warm.
"Thanks," I said. He nodded and took my hand. I followed him out, and we walked down the hill in front of his house. Ahead, there was a large gate. Oki opened the gate, and we slipped inside. I was worried about our footprints, but it had been snowing heavily. I hoped it covered them. We were in a small field, surrounded by hills. Hopefully no one would look for us. Oki was the chief. I was a goddess who saved Nippon. Our chances of not being found was about the same as a cheetah not being able to catch a turtle. Might as well make the time last, though.
"I know this isn't a very good spot, but hopefully they'll all be at my house before they check here." He said, putting his arms around my waist. I buried my face in his fur coat. "Are you still cold at all?" He asked, starting to wrap his coat around me.
"Not when I'm in your arms," I said. It was true. I didn't feel cold, the warm feeling spread throughout my body. I looked up, and he smiled. I smiled back. I looked into his eyes, seeing love and care in them.
"I have an idea," I said, pulling away and setting the coat on a nearby tree. I turned into wolf form. I had noticed a large snowball nearby, something kids had probably made. I started rolling it. The snowball was picking up fallen snow, and it was getting bigger and bigger the more I rolled it. Oki caught on. He turned into wolf form as well and helped me push the snowball. Soon, it was about as tall as Oki's shoulder in human form. We rolled it in front of the door. I felt a little bit more secure. Turning back into human form, I tried pushing it. It barely budged. Good enough, I thought.
"That was a good idea," Oki said, turning to human form. I smiled at him. He smiled back. He grabbed my coat off of the tree branch and wrapped it around me again.
"Shall we resume?" He asked, taking my hands. I smiled.
"Yeah," I said. He leaned towards me, putting his lips on mine. I imagine we kissed for a long time, but when he pulled away, it had only felt like seconds. As Oki went to kiss me again, we heard it.
"Oki! Amaterasu! Come on, open up!" Someone called. I knew who that was! Surprise caused my mouth to drop open.
"Ammy! Hey, do me a favor and open the gate? Don't make me use my sword!"
Someone laughed in the background. "Calm down, my little bouncing friend!" I heard Waka say. I turned to wolf form, and looked to Oki. He turned to wolf form as well. He helped me push the giant snowball out of the way. Immediately, the gate opened and Waka appeared. On his head sat Issun. Issun jumped off of Waka and landed on my head. He walked to the end of my muzzle, on my nose.
"Ammy! You're back! I missed ya, ya big furball!" He said, bouncing up and down on my nose.
"Yeah, I missed you too," I said. He stopped bouncing. He was so small that I could barely see his expression. Probably surprised that I could talk.
"Whoa, you can talk! Wait, how come you didn't say anything to me on our big adventure?" He said, bouncing again.
"I learned on the Celestial Plain," I said, shaking him off my nose. "There is another thing I have to show you." I backed up, focused on my human form.
"A-Ammy?! How?" Issun asked. He stopped talking. I imagined him drooling over me right now. "I'm gonna find the Lucky Mallet and make you my size!" He exclaimed. I laughed.
"Sorry, I'm already taken," I told him.
"Taken? What do you mean?" He asked, sounding very confused.
"I'm taken by a handsome hero, this guy here," I said, putting my arm around Oki. Issun didn't say anything. Then he started bouncing again.
"Why you..! Oki, I knew I should have killed you when I had the chance!" He exclaimed. Oki put his hands up in surrender.
"Please don't, mighty warrior!" He said, in a joking tone. Issun was raging mad. It was almost amusing. I had never loved him like I love Oki, but he is still my best friend.
"Alright, you two. Issun, calm down. Oh, I almost forgot. I have questions. How's it been? Are the monsters gone completely? Anything I need to go on an adventure for?" I said, and at this point Issun had jumped up onto Oki's shoulder and had his sword at his throat.
"Issun! Stop trying to kill Oki!" I snapped. Issun sheathed his sword. Oki glanced my way and gave me a thankful look.
"Everything is fine. Mostly," Issun muttered.
"Mostly?"
"Yeah, mostly. Kushi is missing from Kamiki Village. Princess Fuse is missing from Kusa. Otohime is missing from the Dragon Palace. Kaguya hasn't come back from wherever she went. Kai is missing from the Oina tribe."
"You call that 'Mostly'?!" I exclaim. Apparently, I had another adventure on my hands. Wait, let me rephrase that. We had a big adventure on our hands.
"Okay, it's not fine!" Issun said quickly, realizing that trying to kill Oki would get me to kill him. He knew he was already on my nerves. At least, he thinks so. I don't have nerves for my closest friends. Luckily he doesn't know that.
"Well team, I guess we have a big adventure to go on." I said with a smile. Then Oki took my hand.
"Ammy, I am the chief of this village. I can't just leave the village to fend for itself!" He said sadly, looking down at his feet. "I'm sorry, but I can't go." Disappointment worked its way into me.
"Oh..." I said. I leaned my forehead against his, thinking about what I should do. I wasn't sure if I could go on without him. He is also the strongest warrior of the Oina tribe. I looked into his beautiful eyes. If we left him, I would never forgive myself if something happened to him or the village. The tears started again. Having to leave Oki. With a possibilty of never seeing him again. It was too much to bear.
"Ammy, I really want to come, but my loyalty lies here, in the village. I promised to keep it safe. I can't go back on my promise." He said. As if the rest of the gang wasn't there, I leaned forward and kissed him. I'm glad everyone else watched respectfully, even Issun managed to keep his tongue.
"I'll go with whatever decision you make," I told him sadly.
"I have to stay here, it's my duty to protect the village. I am so, so sorry, Ammy." He said. "But I hope you know that I love you. And if you ever need my help out there, you muster up the loudest howl you can, and I'll come running, regardless of my duty." He managed a weak smile. We kissed one last time. He whispered "I love you," into my ear, and then I let go of his hands.
"You two lovebirds done kissing over there?" Issun asked impatiently.
"Shut it, Issun. How would you feel if your lover had to stay behind?" Waka asked, which sort of surprised me. I had never really seen Waka speak up in my defense before.
"Come on, guys. Let's go before the brokenheartedness of this moment kills me." I said, turning back into a wolf. My team follows me, Oki turns into a wolf and walks next to me. I rest my head against him as we walk. I could tell he wanted desperately to comfort me, but he knew anything he said would make it worse. Waka and Issun wait by the path while I walk with Oki back to his house.
"Wait right here." He says as he turns into human form and walks into his house. A moment later he reappears with a necklace. It somewhat matches his own, a large fang with a black symbol, shaped like a sun, etched in it. He puts it around my neck. I look up sadly at him. He turns back into a wolf, and motions for me to come to him. I walk over and bury my muzzle in his long fur around his neck, wishing he could come with us. We sit there for a while, cuddling.
"I had better go," I said. "I don't want Issun to flip out on me again."
"I understand. Know this, Amaterasu; there is light from the demons through the sun. If you ever find yourself lost, find the light and it will shine the way." I didn't understand what it meant, but I didn't ask. I knew the time would come when I understood it. I touched my nose to his, turned, and reluctantly walked away.