.:Tragedy Strikes Young:.
Mitsuki and Tomo welcome a small, squalling boy into their lives in the Lunar Realm. He is their first child, and will be their only, and his name is Ushiwaka. Like the entire Moon Tribe, his small head of hair is a startling gold and his eyes are a steel-blue that shines with intelligence.
As soon as he can walk, Ushiwaka receives another trait of the Moon Tribe: clairvoyance. Yet, despite his youth and inexperience, his visions are unusually clear and precise. Teachers take interest in the skinny boy of five as soon as he enters schooling, hoping to receive praise for training the more than likely choice for the Tribe's next prophet.
Ushiwaka is only seven when tragedy strikes.
He only hears a dull roar coming from the east side of the Realm, but think nothing of it, preoccupied with his schoolwork. Then there is screaming, the wails of the dying, erupting closer and closer to his home in the west part of town. The noise is so unbearably loud by the time his mother and father go outside to check.
He doesn't hear nor see the flames until all is quiet.
Ushiwaka jumps at the sound of his mother's scream. Rushing outside, he stops dead in his tracks at the sight of eight pairs of glowing red eyes.
He's heard about this dreaded monster that thrives on others' pain and lives in the darkness bordering the Celestial Plain and the Lunar Realm. Orochi is just as fearsome as the tales that surround him suggest, with his gleaming crimson eyes and gold-colored plated armor. Sharp teeth grow crookedly from the eight maws that devour Ushiwaka's fellow Tribe members.
There's an eerie roar, echoing across the flames that run unchecked within the confines of his home. Ushiwaka does not think as he runs from his house, does not dare glance again at his parents' bodies that lay twisted and broken, ripped open by the monster's demon minions. He runs to the only place that he knows is safe, that is not touched by the ravaging fires that spring up around him.
The Ark of Yamato never looked so welcoming, despite its cold gray surfaces riddled with glowing blue runes. Ushiwaka's heard tales of the Ark but does not yet understand the warnings they give that could have stopped everything following the slaughter of his race from happening.
When he clambers onto the ramp that lays open, it starts to close and he slides down into the somber Ark, landing with a squashed 'oomph'. The room has complicated rune designs that resemble grotesque monsters, and paths that lead in multiple directions, but he stays where he lands.
There's another roar. This time, Ushiwaka can vaguely make out the words ripping through the feral howl.
"Lord Yami! Where is this infernal barge that confines you? Let me find you! "
Ushiwaka does not know what the words mean. He does not realize what the cruel and clipped phrases imply. All he knows is that the Ark is safe and that, even though he is but a young boy, he can control it with a simple thought of where to go.
Sitting there on the cold metal of the Ark, Ushiwaka realizes he still grips the flute his father gave him to practice with that very day. Tomo had told him that, when needed, it can turn into the signature weapon of the Moon Tribe, a beam sword, the blade of which comprised of glowing turquoise plasma. It is the last remnant of his father, whose life blood now belongs to the unforgiving earth, and he buries his face into the sleeve of his kimono and cries.
He tries to ignore the distant growls that almost sound like they come from within the depths of the Ark.
Ushiwaka wishes to get as far away as he can from the site of the massacre. He only gets to the Lunar Ruins, located along the western edge of the Celestial Plain, before he must return to solid ground.
Sojobo find the young boy unconscious outside the massive Ark and takes him to his home atop Mount Kurama, where he nurses Ushiwaka back to health, dehydrated as he is. The young boy does not see any reason to deny the kind prodding of the True Tengus to stay with them, and he soon learns their way of life.
Sojobo realizes quickly that Ushiwaka, if given the proper training, will be skilled with the sword. When offered schooling of swordplay, Ushiwaka, then called Waka, accepts but refuses the sword they give to him, instead preferring the sword he has taken with him from his home.
When he is about fifteen years of age, he receives a vision. A picture of young boy that bears a striking resemblance to him, only with shorter hair and lonely eyes. Anyone but him wouldn't notice it, but in the crook of his elbow, instead of smooth skin, there is a joint, like the boy has been made of some type of material. A living doll.
He does not know why, but he finds himself walking aboard the Ark of Yamato once more, without anyone's knowing, and returns to his home. The land is desolate and dying. He walks towards the school where he used to learn, not daring to steal a glance towards his former home.
He enters the lab the school had dedicated to technology. Without so much as an idea as to what he will do, he follows the instructions the teachers always repeated to the class. Soon, he is staring into the wide eyes of a doll, but for all the meaning of the word, he is a young boy, unsure of his plan in life.
There is still a few escape rockets left over from all those who tried, in vain, to flee the massacre, left open and quiet like robbed tombs of so many dead. Waka places the boy inside, hands him a pendant he knows will allow communication between the two of them, even if he is lost in the dreamless comatose sleep of extended animation, and closes it.
It will leave the Lunar Realm when it is needed. Waka leaves, already knowing he has sealed the fate of another living being. Waka doesn't tell anyone what happened then, but years later, after the Child of the Sun goes on his journey, he will meet Kurow, and the small boy will finally understand his destiny for what he is made to do.
Years pass and Waka grows in prowess with the sword, progressing so much he is given a second blade, a katana, to use in conjunction with his sword, which he has named, naively, Pillow Talk.
Balanced on the signature geta shoes of the Tengus he has grown accustomed to since his youth in the Lunar Realm, he can take down enemies many will cower before with relative ease.
It is during one of these fights, at age twenty and when his immortal life of no growth begins, that he catches his first glimpse of Amaterasu.
Amaterasu appears full tilt from the brush surrounding the clearing he fights the giant komainu in, in her lupine form, growling and surrounded with radiating banners of light. There's a single flash as Solar Flare slams into the monstrous feline-canine's side and the komainu falls to the ground before dispersing in a cloud of smoke and petals.
The Wolf, as white as the snow that often burdens the roof of Sojobo's small home, looks at him with far more interest and intelligence than any animal could. From the swirls of crimson and cloud-like fur growing from her shoulders, hips, ankles, wrists and tail, Waka realizes who it is.
Sojobo, as wise and strong as he is, holds the Sun Goddess in great respect, after all.
"May I ask what a Moon Tribesman is doing on my territory without my permission? " Amaterasu asks, her voice reminding Waka of sun-washed brooks and the sounds of spring-on-the-cusp-of-summer days. "I would hate it if Tsukuyomi thought he could claim this land again."
Waka, still startled by her appearance, nearly forgets his voice. He does not wish to give his identity readily to strangers, even if she is the Sun Goddess. Instead, he peppers his words with terms he's studied and knows come from the mortal plain to confuse her. "Desolé, but I do not know of this Tsukuyomi you speak of."
With a sniff, Amaterasu regards him with a gaze that makes him feel exposed. There's a flash of light and she returns to her human form, black eyes gleaming with an animal curiosity. "Hmm. You look just like Tsukuyomi...But never mind that. What is your name?"
With a backwards glance towards the place that has been his home for the past thirteen years, Waka sheathes his katana and Pillow Talk returns to its dormant form. "My name is Waka, Mother Amaterasu."
She laughs, a sound like singing rivers and chiming bells. "Do my fellow god's kin need to be so formal?"
Abruptly, he's so uncertain of why in the heavens he's looking at her directly that he shifts his gaze to the ground beneath his feet. "It is a given, Mother Amaterasu. You are the origin to all that is."
She's so close, suddenly, that he can't breathe. "Why do you live here, Waka? I have been told that the entire Moon Tribe had been wiped out." Noticing how her words seem insensitive, she adds with a sympathetic smile, "Not that that is a good thing, mind you. I am terribly sorry for your loss."
Waka simply shakes his head and tries his best to step back without offending the Goddess. "It's alright; I was only but a young boy when it happened."
As if deciding something, Amaterasu nods to herself and grabs his hand. "Come. If you so wish, you may live on the Celestial Plain."
Waka feels his throat seize up at the thought of leaving the only home he's known for so long. "But, Master Sojobo will probably—"
A voice cuts him off. "Sojobo will what, boy?"
Turning around, the pair find themselves face-to-face with the leader of the Tengus. Sojobo smiles and nods his head respectively towards the Goddess, who only smiles a canine grin in return. "Mother Amaterasu."
Waka can't find the words to express his thoughts, with two of the most powerful entities standing right there. Instead, Amaterasu speaks for him. "If you will allow it, honorable Sojobo, Waka may return with me to the Celestial Plain as my guest."
Smiling, the old Tengu nods his head and looks knowingly at Waka. "He will go with you, so that he may spend some time in the sun instead of in his study constantly like he does."
Waka regains control over his voice. "But, Master Sojobo—"
"You will go, boy. That is an order," the Tengu says before taking out a gold detailed katana from under his ceremonial robes of feathers. Waka always thought they looked like wings. "And take this sword with you. It belonged to one of your ancestors, who I believe you will meet."
Waka knows he won't be able to change Sojobo's mind. So, instead of protesting, he smiles nervously at the blue-haired Tengu and accepts the katana. "Thank you."
They take the Ark of Yamato as transportation, despite Waka's apprehensions.
Waka spends only a short time on the Celestial Plain, but it soon becomes a home to him, in more ways than one. He's given a position in Amaterasu's guard, oddly, and often sees her, though she rarely has the chance to speak to him because of her duties as Sun Goddess and Protector.
Amaterasu convinces him to stop calling her 'Mother Amaterasu', and he even dares to call her 'ma chèrie'. She laughs and does not mind, and even defends him when Yomigami tells him to show more respect towards Amaterasu. Waka, over the years, finds himself smiling when he thinks of her and enjoys the fact that she likes to hear him play his flute.
He's glad he hasn't had a vision in years.
The Celestials, the first race created by Amaterasu, is a jovial kind that is light-hearted, if not slightly fickle in their interests, though many know how to fight. There is a large war-ready population, thanks to the training of Tachigami, Gekigami and Itegami.
But no one is prepared for what happens.
With a giant earth-splitting roar, the air is rent with the howls of demons. Eight pairs of glowing eyes appear in the dark sky, and Waka immediately recognizes their owner.
Orochi looms over the Celestial Plain, ignoring the fighting Celestials, whose swords, arrows and assorted weapons fail to pierce the magical barrier erected around the monster. He roars again, searching for something, just as Amaterasu appears from her rounds.
With the same power she showed that day they met, Solar Flare smashes into the barrier but immediately bounces back. Though it is clearly ineffective, Amaterasu is stubborn and refuses to give up. Waka joins her in her efforts, though his sword strikes, however powerful, glance off the shield and are rendered useless.
Celestials give up and many are overtaken by the incoming darkness that ravages the land, burning grass, melting the earth and uprooting trees in a crown of fire. Demons run amok, ripping open victims as they go, leaping over bodies and pools of shining blood without so much as a tear of grief or a pause of uncertainty.
Suddenly, in the surge of battle, Waka collapses to the ground. The timing of the vision, which always put him in a slow state of thick sluggishness, could not be worse. In a burst of multi-colored light, an image of a warrior clad in white and red armor appears in his head, followed by a picture of what could barely be recognized as Orochi's body, ridden with curls of dark purple smoke and fog. Words appear in his mind's eye, relaying a message he wishes would vanish with the vision.
Then Waka's suddenly back in the present, battle heaving around him, Amaterasu leaning over him in another part of the meadow outside the Home of the Celestials.
She brushes a hand over his forehead. "What happened? Are you okay, Waka?"
Eyes still bleary, he does not realize the words he says. "Orochi can only be defeated with the power of the Chosen One."
Amaterasu glances to the battle, eyes wide, before looking back at him. When she does, he realizes what she wishes to do and his heart leaps to his throat. "Amaterasu, you can't—"
She changes into her lupine form and her thoughts pierce the deafening noise of the battle. "What is his name, this Chosen One? "
Waka shakes his head, getting to his feet on weak legs. "Ma chèrie, this is foolish. You can't simply—" She'll die, that he knows, if she goes through with this.
With a growl so terribly unlike her, she leaps to his chest and bares her fangs. "Now! Tell me now! " But her eyes are not vicious: they are compassionate, and he knows they only want to do what's best.
So, with a heavy heart and tears stinging his eyes, he tells her. "Nagi. His name is Nagi."
She returns to her four paws and looks at him with worried eyes. "Thank you. And I am sorry, Waka. "
And then she's off, across the Plain, driving Orochi closer and closer to the Plain's edge. With a snarl that rips the night, she launches herself at the eight-headed monster, sending them both over the lip of the ground and down, down, down, to the mortal plain.
Seconds pass like years and he takes a deep breath. The remaining Celestials, battered and hounded by demons, huddle in the corner of their Home. The Brush Gods must have been dragged down with Amaterasu, Waka realizes, noticing the volley of electrified arrows has stopped.
The Ark of Yamato jumps to mind. He thinks it is their only chance and escorts the Celestials to its docking site, some refusing to go, swearing it will be their demise.
They get on the pulsing gray and blue barque and pray for the best as Waka takes the helm.
Loss finds Waka again with piercing wails of the doomed. This time, it is when he tries to tend to some of the wounded, and then there's screaming from the farthest side of the crowd. Demons, this time far more powerful than those he faced on the Celestial Plain, leap onto his already hurt charges.
Though he fights, he cannot stop the bloodshed. There's the sound of bones snapping and veins tearing, and he swears he will never be able to forget the picture of a Celestial being eaten alive by a woman-spider beast.
Sometime during the fight, the ship shudders beneath their feet, and suddenly their listing off to the right, and Waka knows that the ship has lost its rudder. They are going down, falling to their doom like Amaterasu before them, joining the land of mortals in a shower of sparks and the silence of demons finishing their meal.
Just as they are about to strike the ground, as Waka kills yet another demon, a large, lumbering figure rolls into the gigantic compartment, yet he recognizes the unmistakeable evil of the Emperor of Eternal Darkness, Yami. Though he will see his true face, the Ark of Yamato's jarring landing on the mortal plain arrives and the world disappears behind a black curtain.
When he wakes up, Waka is under some type of weight, pinning him down to the cold floor of the Ark. He manages to get himself free himself from the heavy shard of metal after much effort. Light pours in from a rip in the metal of the Ark's side, and Waka realizes something with a sickening jerk of reality. There are no demons in the Ark.
They have left the Ark of Yamato for the mortal plain.
The Ark screeches in teeth-jarring noise as it slides on whatever it is resting on. Faster and faster it slides and he barely manages to leap from the ramp as it lands in Laochi Lake and breaks the ice that covers it, letting it sink into its depths.
Waka sits in the freezing snow in northern Kamui, bleeding from wounds that do not surpass the shock of what has just happened.
What would Amaterasu think?
And, so then, before anyone can find him, he leaves the resting place of the funeral barque and disappears towards the only place he knows from his studies: Nippon.
People regard the man with the strange helmet as odd, but many women find him handsome. But they don't realize the helmet hides the golden hair of the Moon Tribe or that his sword has been stained by the foul blood of demons.
They don't realize Waka cries when he hears about the story of Shiranui, who he still calls Amaterasu in his heart, because he understands how terribly lonely it must have been to be hated by everyone you seek to protect, to be thought of a simple goon of a vicious monster you wish to vanquish.
Waka visits her statue under Konohana every single day, even after he has to go to the capital to report to Queen Himiko, because he's found favor in that court, as well, which he did not seek.
A hundred years after Amaterasu's passing, she awakes, and Waka greets her when he finds out, only a few days late, to learn something.
She does not remember him.
And that, he knows, hurts more than a demon's bite or torture ever could.