"…and that is the story of how the great swordsman Nagi, along with the help of the white wolf Shiranui, defeated the dreaded monster Orochi and saved all of Nippon."
Old Man Orange completed his tale and beamed at the children looking up at him with their wide eyes. Today was the Kamiki Festival, and people from all over Nippon came to visit. There was Yui, the daughter of the merchant; Umeboshi, the great-granddaughter of Onigiri Sensei; Camille and Camellia, who, despite being made fun of by the city girls her age, decided to listen to the stories and keep her faith alive; Mushi, along with his baby brother Tonbo; Kokari and his dog, Ume; and the cousins, Jun and Daisuke, who had difficulty staying in one place for too long. Mr. Orange had taken the children and told them tales, finishing off with the legend of Nagi and Shiranui, which was his personal specialty.
Susano's boy, Nushi, was particularly enthralled, though perhaps less with the morals of the story and more with the fact that his ancestor was the main hero. The little boy jumped up, a wooden sword in his hand. He looked the spitting image of his father, complete with the square, angular face and unruly, charcoal black hair. "Nagi's my ancestor!" he chortled proudly. "And I am the son of the greatest swordsman ever! Tell them the story of how my pops single-handedly destroyed the demon for the second time!" Nushi waved his sword about for greater effect. Mr. Orange rolled his eyes. Sometimes he wondered if there was any part of Kushi in that boy at all.
"Did you forget, Snowy was the one who saved us," Mushi replied, leaning casually against the doorframe. He was already fifteen years old, which Mr. Orange found hard to believe. He was getting tall and lanky, with thick curly hair and a handsome face to make his mother proud. "I would never forget a dog like that! He was the Digging Champ, right, Hayabusa?"
Hayabusa barked and wagged his tail.
Nushi pouted and was about to make some retort when Mrs. Orange popped her head through the door. "Just finished a batch of cherry cakes! Anyone that wants some, come out and get it!"
The children all scrambled outside after her, squealing with delight. Mr. Orange chuckled. There would be no more cherry cakes left by the time he got his old bones to move. He sobered up a bit thinking about his old bones, and hobbled his way out of the house. It was a beautiful, clear night tonight. The moon was as full and round as the belly of Mushi's Mama, who had miraculously gotten herself fully pregnant again less than three months after having her second son. The air was fresh and warm and smelled of cherry blossoms, which was always a pleasant sign that things were going well in the village. Konohana was blooming around this time of year, and he had never seen her prettier.
He hobbled up the path to Konohana's shrine, where he had also erected another statue of Shiranui to replace the one that was destroyed earlier. Some fireworks boomed in the distance, casting a magnificent display of colors over the water surrounding the village. It was very beautiful.
Mr. Orange approached the shrine and bowed his head to give his thanks to the white wolf, as he did every year during the festival of the moon. As he did so, he thought of something strange. It seemed as if the statue had come to life. A warm pressure was on his knees, and something cold touched his cheek. Startled, he opened his eyes and found a small white puppy staring at him with its deep black eyes, a playful expression on its face. He blinked rapidly. Was this a dream? Had the statue of Shiranui come to life? He glanced at the statue, but it was intact. Then where had this puppy come from…?
The puppy snatched his moment of confusion to attack his face with its tongue. "Gah! Stop it! That tickles! What are you doing, you silly pup?" he cried. He grabbed hold of the squirming puppy and held it a safe distance away from his face.
"A white wolf, hmm?" he mused. "You really do look like Shiranui."
The pup wriggled and squirmed with delight. It must be a sign of good luck! Mr. Orange thought, and carried it down to the village with him.
"You really are just like your mom, aren'tcha?" said Issun to the white wolf up at Sakuya's tree, minutes before Old Man Orange arrived. The pup had bounded up on Sakuya, and the tree sprite laughed delightedly at its irresistible cuteness. While the pup appeared white to a casual observer, the Poncle and the tree sprite knew better. The signature red markings of a divine beast painted his sides and his face, and the ends of his white tail appeared to have been dipped in black ink. "You sure are small…a little Ammy-chibi, huh?" Issun's face brightened with an idea. "Chibiterasu, huh? How's that? Since we don't know your name or anything…"
The pup wagged its tail. Just like his mother, he had no qualms about garnering nicknames, and to be honest, he would much rather be called Chibiterasu, after his mother's name, Amaterasu. From what he had heard of her from the little Poncle, she had been an amazing goddess, and he felt stronger having a name derived from hers.
"Chibi it is, then!" Issun said happily. "So, Sakuya, what'll we do with Chibi now?"
The tree sprite became sober, a sad shadow darkening her pale, peachy face. "It's quite strange," she murmured. "I called upon Amaterasu, and yet her son appears. It makes me wonder what could have happened in the heavens, for her to be so occupied as to send a half-fledged godling in her place."
"Woah, woah, woah, back up one step, babe," said Issun. "You said 'half-fledged godling'?"
Sakuya nodded, looking just as perplexed as Issun. "Chibiterasu is very young, so he hasn't had time to make his presence known in the human world. If no one knows of him, it will be hard for him to gain the power he needs to help Nippon, right?"
Both Chibi and Issun cocked their heads at her with a lost look on their faces. Sakuya sighed. "Issun, you remember how Amaterasu was before she defeated Orochi the second time?"
They nodded. "She was weak because few people believed in her, correct?"
Another nod. Alright. At least they were getting somewhere. "Gods are like that. They need people's faith and praise to grow stronger. Chibiterasu has none of that, making him a fledging god. See, he is not nearly strong enough to wield a divine instrument."
Chibi bowed his head, embarrassed and ashamed.
"Now now, don't beat yourself up about it!" Issun said. "At least you've got your mom's Celestial Brush, right?" He gestured to Chibi's tail. "You'll show them whatcha got, and then you'll be loading all those praise before ya know it!"
"Yes, you mean you'll show them what you've got, Mr. Celestial Envoy," said Sakuya, folding her slender arms over her scantily clad chest.
Issun cringed. "Don't look at me, my job was done one year ago!" he argued. "Besides, there can only be one Celestial Envoy per god. Standard Poncle rules!"
"What Poncle rules? I bet you just avoid working, don't you, little bug?"
"I told you, I'm not a bug!" steamed Issun.
Chibi barked, and the two of them ceased arguing. Mr. Orange was walking up the path.
"Aha!" Sakuya's face lit up. "Of course! Why didn't we think of this before?"
"Erm, think of what, babe?"
She ignored him and bent down to talk to Chibi. "Chibiterasu, if you want to become stronger and rescue Nippon from the shadows in its future, there is no better way than to join forces with a human. Together, you will protect each other, and at the same time, you will make a presence for yourself in their world. Aid them in their quests, Chibiterasu. I'm sure you will find what you seek in the end."
So that was how, twelve hours later, Chibi found himself staring into the face of a red-cheeked young boy with unruly black hair.
"Why do I hafta take care of the dog?" Nushi asked. "Can't Mushi do it? He actually likes dogs. And plus, I'm busy with my training." He chopped the air a couple times with his sword.
"Nushi, this isn't just any dog," Old Man Orange explained. "This is a white wolf, just like the ones that helped your father and ancestor defeat Orochi."
That got the boy's attention. He stopped swinging the sword and looked up at Mr. Orange, deadly serious. "I thought they beat Orochi all by themselves."
Gah! Thought Mr. Orange. What has Susano been teaching this boy?
"I'm sorry, Mr. Orange," said Kushi. "We try to teach him to respect the gods, but he just hears what he wants."
Chibi cocked his head. Nushi snorted and crossed his arms. "Why should I believe in the gods anyway? Do you see them fighting demons?" The boy pulled out his sword and held it in front of him, kendo style. "I won't believe in anything I can't do with my own strength!" He sprung forward suddenly and brought the sword down on a tiny sapling, which broke clean in half.
"But you are not nearly strong enough to go out there on your own," said Mr. Orange. "That's why, if you want to defeat demons so badly, I'll only let you go if you take this wolf with you. White wolves bring luck, and he'll keep you safe. Right, Snowball?"
Chibi barked.
Nushi frowned down at the puppy. Sometimes he wondered if Old Man Orange had finally lost it. Wolves that bring luck? The only thing he'd ever seen them bring were dead mice. Even so, it was only a small favor in exchange for freedom...
"Alright, Poochie, you can come along. But don't get in my way, cuz I can't guarantee you won't get sliced!"
