Yay! Chapter 4! Thanks goes out to all the reviewers for supporting my first multi-chaptered fic! Arigato gozaimasu! Special thanks to dragonwolf maiden for correcting my spelling of the Poncle village name. ::Hands dragonwolf maiden an Ammy plushie::

In response to people commenting on Ammy's nickname, remember that the pair has been together for a hundred years. There's going to be familiarity there and since Waka has heard Issun's name for Amaterasu, it's natural he would adopt it. Or at least I think so.

I'm thinking of looking for a beta that knows the Okami game. Any volunteers? Check out my profile for more details!

Now then. On to chapter 4!

Restoring Faith

Chapter 4

His life, Waka decided, had hit a new low.

After five days of rest, he and Ammy had set off for the Poncle village of Ponc'tan. It was brisk going until they had hit the forest. Yoshpet Forest was just as dense, if not more, as it had been a hundred years ago. After struggling through the increasingly thick undergrowth for hours and getting nowhere, the pair had broke down and gone looking for a guide.

Which explained why Waka was following a rabbit, which was supposedly was leading them to the village of the Poncle sprites. Except that it didn't.

Waka was about ready to skewer the annoying rodent when the wall of trees disappeared and the sun was as visible as it could be in Kamui. He followed the goddess as she approached a stump in the middle of a clearing. He stared as she stopped in front of the stump.

"Ammy? Wha…?"

Reflex caused him to draw his sword as something appeared in front of the white wolf. Upon closer examination, Waka found the object be a… rubber hammer?

The hammer floated over to Ammy and Waka watched as it tapped Amaterasu lightly on the head. The prophet blinked in shock as the goddess vanished, then began to back away as the mallet floated in his direction.

"Oh no you don't!"

Waka halted at the sound of a high-pitched squeak. He glanced around for the source of the sound, only to have his eyes drawn to the white speck by his feet.

"Ammy?" The white speck yipped in response.

Taking advantage of its target's distraction, the mallet had floated within bonking distance of the prophet. The man felt a light tap on his back and suddenly found himself looking at the normal size Amaterasu.

He cast a slight glare at the wolf, which was wolf-laughing at his confusion.

"I suppose you think this is funny, don't you? Mangy mutt…"

Amaterasu gave him a wolf-grin before leaping up to a hole it the stump, using the suddenly huge blades of grass as stairs. Waka grunted before climbing up after her.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Amaterasu was puzzled. The haven of Ponc'tan had not been near as crowded when she had last visited. She had to walk carefully to avoid tripping over a small Poncle child and getting berated by its overprotective mother.

She leaped to the side as yet another Poncle came barreling towards her. She sighed. This was taking far too long. Fortunately, the house that had once been occupied by Ishaku, but which she hoped now housed the annoying Celestial Envoy she had grown so fond of.

Waka glanced at his lupine companion as they came to a halt at one of the many houses. Amaterasu gave him a look, and he obediently knocked on the door.

"Go away! I'm busy!"

Waka frowned as he recognized the voice. That damn bug could be so annoying. Amaterasu growled at him though, so he knocked again.

"I said I'm busy! Leave me alone you damn busybodies!"

Waka knocked for what he swore was the final time when he heard someone moving around inside the dwelling.

"Fine, fine, I'm coming. Bet you'll leave me alone once I stick my sword through your chest..." The grumbling steadily got louder.

Waka stepped to the side as the door was opened and a sword was stabbed at the air where he had just been standing. A semi-familiar head poked around the open door.

"Who's there?"

There was a squawk as the Poncle was tacked by an overly-excited wolf goddess.

"Oi! Get off me, ya mangy… Ammy?"

The wolf yipped in response, climbing off her old companion so he could get to his feet. Issun stood, brushing dirt off his clothes. A smile broke across his face.

"Good to see ya, furball!" He glanced at Waka. "What are ya doing with the half-baked prophet Ammy? You shoulda ditched him a while ago."

Waka bristled in response. "Better than a would-be painter who gave up on his dream!"

Issun started towards the prophet. "Take that back you…!"

The impending fight was avoid as the pair was halted by a commanding bark. They turned to see Amaterasu glaring at the both of them. They threw a last glare at each other before following the goddess inside the house, Issun closing the door behind him.

Waka followed the sprite as he led them to the sitting room. Amaterasu plopped down on the floor with a huff and Waka perched in one of the squashy chairs. The painter gave the prophet a final look-over before addressing the traveling pair.

"As much as I wish this was just a meeting of acquaintances," he glared at Waka, "I suppose you're here for something."

Waka remained silent until the goddess nudged his foot from her position on the floor. She graced him with a 'talk NOW!' look. Waka sighed. Now was one of those times when he REALLY wished Amaterasu could talk. He hated dealing with the bug.

"We're here for information. We arrived in Nippon not long ago and found the land completely changed. Then we met an Oina who said something about the people abandoning the gods. What's happened?"

The sprite sighed. "I wish I could tell you it's nothing big, but that would be lying. I guess I should start from the beginning.

"We had peace for a while. No monsters, no fighting. After a while though, a few monsters started to pop up. A few here, a few there, nothing too big. Susano took care of most of them. Then he died and the monsters increased. Since there was no one to fight them, they sotra… took over."

Issun gestured out the window. "That's when all the Poncles moved back to Ponc'tan. It's the only true safe place in all of Nippon. Even Sakuya's trees didn't last long…"

"We've seen it," Waka replied shortly. Issun nodded.

"Yeah. After the Guardian Saplings were destroyed, Sakuya was forced to leave too. Anyway, it was around this time that it was revealed that the monsters had been lying in wait, because not long after Sasuano's death, tons of monsters appeared. More than I've ever seen."

"We've seen no monsters since our arrival," Waka protested.

"They all probably sensed Ammy's celestial powers and steered clear." Issun casually waved his hand in a dismissive manner. "Guess even monsters have some common sense.

"People prayed to the gods for help, of course. They'd all heard the story of the goddess in the form of a white wolf that had once restored peace to the land. The people believed the goddess would return and drive out the monsters. But she didn't."

Amaterasu whimpered, ears and tail drooping. Waka bent down and rubbed the goddess between the ears, offering what comfort he could.

"After a couple of years," the artist continued, "this guy showed up, killing most of the monsters and accusing the gods of allowing their people to suffer."

Issun stood, strode over to a table, and began shifting papers and scrolls aside. "Think I got a picture of the guy somewhere…" Eventually he straightened up, parchment clutched triumphantly in his hand. He placed it on the table before Waka.

"Here it is. Guy's name is Sasori. Creepy lookin' fella, isn't he?"

Amaterasu placed her front paws on the table and pulled herself up to see. The man painted on the parchment had long black hair and a warm, comforting smile. He seemed to be waving to a large crowd, seen in the background.

However, as the wolf examined the picture further, she felt her lips pull back in an involuntary snarl. The man's eyes did not match his kind smile. There was death in those eyes, eyes the deep red color of blood.

The prophet took one glance at the red eyes. "Those eyes are the sign of a demon."

Issun shook his head. "Nah. I painted that picture. Double and triple checked him after I noticed the eyes. He's human, through and through. Definitely involved in demon activity though."

Waka's eyes narrowed in thought. "You think he's the source of the demon activity?"

"Probably."

"Did you get any more information on this guy?"

Issun grew thoughtful. "Well, his headquarters are in Sei-An City. That's protected by a barrier though. Oh! And he's got a strange affinity with ravens."

Amaterasu started at the mention of the ravens. Waka glanced down at his partner.

"Ammy? Do you know something about this Sasori guy?"

Amaterasu looked troubled, but shook her lupine head. Waka turned back to the Poncle.

"You said there was a barrier around the castle?"

The sprite nodded. "Yeah. Officially it's there to keep monsters out, but the truth is it keeps EVERYTHING with high energy levels out, weather it's celestial or demonic."

"There's no way to destroy it?" the prophet pressed the sprite.

"Well…" Issun trailed off, "I've heard that Lady Otohime knows a lot about barriers…"

"Then it's there next," said Waka decisively. "Well leave tomorrow morning."

"Good," Issun replied. "Gives me enough time to get my supplies together."

Waka got a bad feeling. "Your… Supplies…?"

The sprite grinned. "'Course! I'm coming with ya! Couldn't let Ammy go off on her own and all that. Besides, who wants to be stuck alone with YOU all the time?"

Amaterasu gave a bark of joy as Waka threw a death glare at the artist. Issun's grin only grew wider.

"You can stay here for tonight. We'll move out early tomorrow. And prophet…" Issun glanced over his shoulder from the doorway. "Try to give us USEFUL prophesies for a change, will ya?"

Waka resisted the urge to strangle the bug, as Ammy chortled good naturedly. Outside the safe heaven of Ponc'tan, the sunset shone red and orange.

To be continued…

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Gods I hated this chapter! But look! It's long! (Well, longer anyway…) And there was less time between updates! Go me! And Issun has appeared, some of the plot's been revealed, and there's foreshadowing!

Review please! They're what keeps me going when inspiration vanishes!