~ A Recap ~
Amaterasu slowed as she thought. "I only have a few; Sunrise, Power Slash, Bloom, and Cherry Bomb. Looks like I have work to do." She looked around the seemingly deserted field before continuing. "But before that, let's go check out the Temple down there. Seems pretty sketchy to me."
Issun nodded. "Yeah, but you may wanna give that Sapling a hand first. It ain't lookin' so good."
The Goddess turned to face the withering Tree, and drew a big circle in the air around it, watching as only a few blossoms appeared on the branches.
"What's going on? That was weak!" Issun spouted as Ammy examined her brush.
"My power's weakened…" She said. "Whatever's causing all of this is strong. Really strong."
( Waka's P.O.V. )
The green expanse of Shinshu Field quickly became more visible as Waka flew low to the ground, looking for a certain white-haired Celestial gal…after a few moments of looking, he caught sight of Amaterasu and Issun standing near Shinshu's once-magnificent Guardian Sapling.
"Bonjour, you two~" He said as he floated softly to the ground. Amaterasu turned around upon hearing his voice and gave a nod of greeting.
"What's going on?" She said curiously. Waka shook his head slightly.
"Things are worse than we thought they were, Amaterasu. I was just in Kamui…"
Amaterasu's deep eyes widened slightly as he told her what he had heard from the travelers.
"N-no, they can't be gone! I was just in Ponc'tan!" She said in disbelief, her eyes brimming slightly.
The blonde watched as Issun hung his head in sadness. "I knew I should've visited Uep'keer more often…" He mumbled. Amaterasu shook her head.
"It's not your fault, Issun. It's….it's mine…"
Waka tilted his head slightly. "What do you mean, Amaterasu? Why would it be your fault?"
He couldn't help but feel pity for the Goddess when she sniffled slightly. "All of this time, I sat and did nothing, when I could've saved them! It's my fault that Nippon is like this now!"
She fell to her knees and buried her face in her hands, her quiet sobs shaking her from head to toe. Issun patted her head from his place on her shoulder.
"None of it's your fault, furball," Issun said. "There's no way you could've known what happened here…"
Ammy shook her head. "If I had just stayed here…just to make sure everyone was safe, then…then everyone I knew and loved would still be here…!" With this she broke into another fit of sobs.
Waka, having watched the whole thing take place, crossed his arms over his chest. "My, my. It certainly is a pity to see the powerful Sun Goddess wallowing in her own self-pity, no?" He smirked slightly when Amaterasu looked up with confusion in her eyes. "You're right, I suppose there's nothing left for us to do than just, give up and go home…~"
He turned away from them and began walking away. He heard Amaterasu stand from where he stood.
"W-wait!" She said, her voice slightly stuffy from the crying. "We can't give up…not yet…Even though those that we once knew are gone now, we have to protect their children, their grandchildren. That's why I'm here…I am, and have always been, the savior of Nippon."
A white glow erupted from her body as Waka turned around, and a soft smile appeared on his face. "That's what I like to hear, Amaterasu."
The almost-blinding light faded to a dim glow as the Goddess blinked and smiled slightly at Waka. Issun bounced up and down excitedly on her shoulder.
"Yeah, Team Ammy is back! WOOHOO!"
Waka laughed a little. "Slow down, my little bouncing friend. Methinks you're getting a little too old for such enthusiasm."
The Poncle's bouncing slowed slightly. "Gah, you're right…My back's gonna feel that in the morning…"
Amaterasu wiped the last of her tears away and laughed, using her free hand to pat Issun on the head. "Thank you, both of you. I don't know what I'd do without you."
Waka flipped a strand of his long blonde hair. "That's why we're here, mon cherie."
( Amaterasu's P.O.V. )
The tenderness in Amaterasu's eyes was almost instantly replaced with fierce determination as a new motivation sprung up inside her. "Alright, back to business then. We were going to go check out the Shinto Shrine down by Harami Lake," She said, mainly addressing Waka. "Are you in?"
Waka nodded. "Of course, what if you two numbskulls need my help~?" Upon receiving two deadly glares, he held his hands up in surrender. "Just kidding! Lighten up, you two."
Ammy rolled her eyes at the sound of more irritated mutters from Issun. "Alright, enough. Let's get going."
She took off running toward the Shrine, while Waka floated along beside her with ease. In just a few short minutes, they had reached the Cliffside that led to Harami Lake.
"Ew…" Issun said at the sight of the place down below; it was falling apart slightly, several of the rafters splintered and rotted. Amaterasu dismissed its dank appearance and kept going, Waka following close behind.
As the trio neared the base of the cliff, Ammy squinted her eyes. "Hey, I think I see someone…" She said quietly, her pace slowing as she approached what seemed like an old woman, with a hood covering her face.
"Hello, children," She said, her voice scratchy with age. The Goddess leaned forward slightly to try and peek under the woman's mask; her entire face was covered by a black veil that prevented any of the features above her neck from being seen. Amaterasu quickly hid Issun inside her kimono and smiled at the woman.
"Good afternoon," She said sweetly. "Do you live here?"
The cloaked head of the woman moved up and down. "Yes, I've lived here for many years. Please, won't you come inside for some tea?"
The Goddess raised an eyebrow; there was something about this woman that was extremely creepy. She looked at Waka, who shook his blonde head.
"Um, no thank you. We were just passing through, but we appreciate your offer."
The black shape tilted slightly to the right. "Oh, but I'm terribly lonely here…won't you come inside just for a moment?"
Amaterasu took a step back. "No, really. We must be going."
"Alright, but at least…come closer, child…" The shape didn't move an inch.
The Okami approached slowly, carefully, as a pale, strangely young-looking hand emerged from the black form and lightly ran the fingertips along her cheek.
"So young and beautiful, you are…" She said, caressing Ammy's jawline softly. The Goddess felt a strange shiver pass through her as the woman continued to touch various parts of her face. Finally, she pulled away.
"Well, it was nice talking to you," Amaterasu said awkwardly as the clammy hand disappeared inside the black void that made up the shape of the woman. She said nothing as Amaterasu and the others turned and hurriedly made their way back up the cliff.
"Well that was weird," Issun said once they had reached the top of the cliff again.
Waka rubbed his chin with his hand. "Yes, it was indeed strange…"
Amaterasu shuttered. "Ugh, something about her was so creepy! There is definitely something off about her…"
"Well, if she was a monster or something, she wouldn't be able to touch Ammy, right?" Issun observed. "Maybe she's just a regular creepy old lady."
"Au Contraire, my little bouncing friend," The Tao Master replied. "Just because she was able to touch our little Celestial here, that rids her of all suspicions?"
Amaterasu's brow furrowed. "It's very odd, yes," She said. "But let's not jump to conclusions. Let's go around Shinshu and see if we can gather any more information."
Waka shook his head slightly. "Before you do that, I have a little surprise for you waiting in the Cave of Nagi. You may want to check it out, mon cherie."
Before Amaterasu could even ask, the Prophet pulled out his flute and began playing a mystical, other-worldly tune. A faint breeze picked up and Issun clung to Ammy's sleeve.
"Wahhh, what did you do!" He fumed at Waka as the breeze died down. Waka simply waved at them and began floating off.
"Tata for now, you two~ And don't forget to tell me what you think~!" He called to them as he disappeared in a shower of sparkles.
The Goddess looked toward the gate that led back into Kamiki Village. "Well, should we go see what he's up to?" She said, addressing a still very flustered Issun.
"Bah, I don't care anymore. That prophet always finds a way to irritate me, whether he's on our side or not!"
Ammy laughed and picked him up, plopping him down on her shoulder. "I know you don't like Waka, but I'm curious. If you don't wanna go with me, you can always pay a visit to Sakuya~"
She could almost feel the heat start to come off him at the mention of the busty Tree Sprite. "I may just take you up on that offer…" He said, sounding slightly dazed. She nodded and, making sure the lovestruck Poncle didn't fall off her shoulder, took off at top speed back toward Kamiki Village.