Summary: The city of the Moon is attacked, setting off a chain of events that reach far beyond its source. One of the survivors journeys across Nippon, trying to stop what his people have released.
Disclaimer: I do not own Okami, it belongs to Capcom and Clover. Okamiden also belongs to Capcom.
Last chapter, we were introduced to Shin, the Moon Tribe arrived at the Celestial Plain, and we have yet to stick with a POV character for more than one chapter.
Waka was in a sitting position, meditating, attempting to divine answers.
Who had wielded the Tsukuyomi? Waka asked himself as he stared blankly at the sword in question. Tsukuyomi. The name was the only thing he'd recovered from his faded memories of the attack.
What was the demon they fought? In his memory he only had the ache, the feeling that he had known, but the knowledge was now buried away. He didn't know how he'd forgotten. But the flowers here, they seemed so sweet, pushing all of those sad memories away…
No. Focus. He closed his eyes, attempting to find an answer, some glimpse of the future, but no vision came. No success, as always. He shouldn't have asked so much about the past, anyway. Visions wouldn't show that. And if the memories were still buried, no amount of meditation would recover them.
Waka opened his eyes again and stood up, looking again at the sword where it lay unsheathed on a table. Though there were strict instructions—given by who, Waka didn't know—that the blade should not be touched and so was never cleaned, not a single speck of dust could be seen on its surface, and the stains on both edges of the blade looked as though they were still moist. Waka gave the sword one last glance before exiting the small hut—one of many things that had appeared after their arrival.
"The Celestial Plain is beautiful, isn't it?" One of the Moon Tribe, now wearing a white robe-like cloth, greeted him. "I hope you've enjoyed visiting our home."
"Quite an extended visit. We've got no way of leaving." He only received a blank look of confusion in response. "Is it so much of a home that you can't remember your own?" Waka asked out of reflex, even though he knew the confusion he would receive in response. To tell the truth, he didn't remember much of the Moon either, not after the years they had spent here. He glanced around. Even more of the Moon Tribe were dressed in the same white clothes.
Waka saw Sugawara navigating his way through the crowd towards him and silently thanked him for keeping them both sane. Sugawara's expression was even more solemn than usual.
"The ship is now operational."
"Do you have to leave?" Waka looked up at him. "I don't want to be the last one who still remembers." He managed a strained smile. "And is leaving your student alone with a bunch of cultists a good idea? What if they try to sacrifice me to the flowers or something?" Sugawara sighed.
"I am afraid this place seems to have spoiled your humor slightly… Do not worry. They will not. Soon, you will be leading the Moon Tribe—no, the Celestials. I know you will not fail." Sugawara gave a small smile. "I am sure we will meet again someday. Until then, keep practicing what you have learned." Waka nodded, and watched his mentor walk away towards the shuttle that would take him to the mortal plain. When he felt too pained to stay any longer, he hurried away, not caring where he was going, just anywhere away, away from everything.
Waka didn't know how he'd ended up at the edge of the Plain, or why it looked so different. Where there should have been blue sky below the edge, instead it tipped off into a strange, shadowy plane. The sweet scent of flowers, before unnoticeable, had vanished. The depths seemed to call to him, and then everything else was just a simple distraction of colors against the shade of the void. Hypnotized, he reached out to trace the line between the light and the darkness when a hand caught his wrist.
"Don't." Shin's voice came from behind him. Waka freed his hand and turned to face his friend, grinning. Shin remained unusually serious. "You nearly reached into Yomi, the land of death." Waka's smile vanished as he glanced again at the edge. With every inch of space in the Plain covered in color, the shadowy, empty space now looked unnatural. Waka cradled his hand, feeling a sudden chill. "Is this what gone means?" Shin whispered to himself.
The wind began to blow gently, carrying the scent of flowers. Waka felt his fear slip away, and then there was only calm. Shin was staring at him with wide worried eyes.
"Don't worry. This place seems to be capable of healing any brush with death." Again, only a blank stare as Shin tried to listen for any hint to the joke. Waka sighed. He should've learned by now that puns and Shin did not mix well. I'm fine, he thought pointedly.
"Oh." Shin blinked. "Why didn't you just say that?"
When Waka returned to the hut he immediately slipped back into meditation, and the vision struck him. He could see the demon, a picture now clear in all its terror, and its name came to his mind.
Yamata no Orochi. The rest of the scene was coming into focus. He could see the Celestial Plain, the demon ravaging it with fire, poison, and darkness… Waka squeezed his eyes further shut as though that would block out the future he had seen, but that only made it clearer. The time was coming closer, he knew, and now with the demon's name he could try to find answers.
When will Yamata no Orochi attack the Celestial Plain? He only saw more images of the future, of the sword Tsukuyomi, to be wielded by a man in white armor against the demon. That was when it would be defeated, and that was how. But Waka pushed the images away and continued searching for an answer.
A faint roar came from outside and his eyes snapped open.
It's too late.
Orochi was already here.