Chapter 4: Duty

In the middle of a room in Oni Island, Ammy sat cross legged on the floor meditatively, completely naked as her kimono would just get in the way. Breathing slowly she focused as her form glowed slightly. Before long, she felt her body shift, her humanoid features fading, and before long she was back in her feral form, sitting on her haunches. Opening her eyes, she turned towards a few training dummies placed nearby, and growled, darting forward and striking them with her Divine Instruments. Rebounding and skidding to a halt, she charged forward, her form shifting as she ran, and in a flash she passed one of the dummies, now in her anthro form, the dummy falling in half, having been cut in half by her glaive.

Letting out a breath, she closed her eyes again and focused, reaching into herself. As she did, a dark aura appeared over her...before a bright light flashed and the two energies canceled each other out, causing her to be blown back to the ground...or she would have if someone hadn't caught her.

"Careful there dear," Ninetails, or rather, Kaito as was his real name chuckled. He had recently told her his real name as a sign of trust in their new status as mates, something she appreciated, and quite liked as she had quickly gotten used to calling him by his name rather than his title. Currently, he'd managed to catch her after the backlash, having been watching her train. He had to admit, she lived up to her reputation as a Goddess to be able to take control of the spell he used on her to this extent, and within a day at that. However he could tell even she was having a hard time with the new power she'd gained from accepting her other half. To begin with, being the goddess of the sun she wasn't exactly inclined towards dark energy. On top of that, she had only just started to accept that side of her, so learning to shift to that form again without help...would probably take some time.

"I'm alright. I just need a bit more practice," Ammy reassured as she steadied herself. However, as she tried to go back to practice, he didn't let go.
"I don't doubt that, but you've been working at this for a while now. The fact you managed to wrangle control over the spell I used to turn you into your current form in such short time is incredible enough. But trying to master your other form so quickly too...you shouldn't over do it," he said gently.

Ammy wanted to protest, but now that she wasn't throwing herself into her admittedly rushed training, it was starting to catch up to her. Realizing that she sighed. "I guess you have a point," she conceded. "But still...I have to hurry…"

Kaito sighed, knowing why she was like this. Having once accepted a deal from Yami in exchange for power, he could feel his 'master' growing stronger. Right now Yami was still 'asleep', which was why he wasn't facing any repercussions for his betrayal. Once Yami fully awoke, that would soon change. As much as he hated knowing his mate was heading towards a battle where she could very well lose her life, he knew she was right. With that in mind… "Let me help you," he said.

"Hm?" Ammy blinked in surprise, as Kaito let go of her, and soon discarded the fine robes he had been wearing. "I don't think now is a good time," she snorted.
Kaito chuckled at that. "As tempting as that sounds, that's not what I meant," he said as he moved over and lightly wrapped his tails around her limbs. "Even if you've accepted the darkness as a part of you, as the shadow your light casts, you can't expect to master it so quickly," he explained. "For transforming...for now I can help you with that." With that said, he pulled Ammy close and she felt the dark energy cover her.

Ammy gasped but quickly focused. Closing her eyes, she focused once more on the part of her she'd accepted, and without realizing it, drew some of the darkness into her. As she did, her fur turned black as her marks turned a shade of purple. But when she opened her eyes they remained the same as her normal self. "This is…"

"You may have accepted this part of yourself, but you're still the sun goddess," Kaito chuckled. "I'd honestly have been surprised if you DID master this form so quickly without help."

Ammy nodded slightly as she called her divine instruments. The moment Divine Retribution appeared on her arm, it changed into Infernal Judge once more, but unlike the last time, it felt like merely its form changed, while its core remained the same, much like herself right now. "I see," she mused. "Thank you, Kaito," she smiled.
"Anything for you my dear…" he smiled.

At that she chuckled. "Anything, huh? Care to help me get used to this form?" she asked as she readied her weapon.

Kaito grinned almost savagely, summoning Ninestrikes. "Of course. Now prepare yourself." With that the two charged at each other.

[hr]

Ammy sighed as she lowered herself into the hot springs, the warm waters washing away the fatigue and exhaustion from before, her coat back to its pristine white state after the end of her practice session. She was about to lean back and relax but… "Doesn't privacy mean anything to you?" she sighed half heartedly as she felt a familiar furry chest against her back, his arms wrapping around her and pulling her into his embrace.

"Well, these hot springs are ideal for relaxing. Not to mention soothing injuries," he said, idly nursing a bruise on his side. "Did you have to hit me that hard?"

"Well you weren't holding back much, so neither was I," she chuckled slightly, before frowning. "I have to go soon. I can't put it off for much longer," she sighed.

"I know," Kaito nodded.

"You can't stay here either you know," she sighed.

He frowned at that, his ears drooping. He knew what this was about. Even if he did what he did for his people, the fact remains he had essentially tried to gas a city to death AND he'd murdered their ruler. If the chances of a peaceful resolution were hard before, they would be near impossible now. Not to mention if the humans knew Oni Island was still here...it wouldn't take much to realize she had not did what she had originally set out to do when she first stormed his fortress. "I can change. This fortress is tied to me. I can move it, change it even," he said, hugging her tightly. "Then someday, we can be together after this is all over."

Ammy smiled, and rubbing her cheek against his, she murmured, "I know you can. That's why...promise me you won't hurt anyone again. You don't have to hurt people to protect your home and followers anymore. Don't make them hate you anymore than they probably already do…"

Kaito sighed at the request. "It won't be easy. There's been too much bad blood already but...I will try. I can't promise anything if anyone attacks us first though…"

"That's all I ask," Ammy smiled, before turning to face him. The two gazed at each other lovingly, before pulling into a tight embrace, their muzzles locked in a deep kiss.
"Please stay safe. If anything happened I'd…" Kaito trailed off.

"I promise, I will be alright, and one day we can be together," Ammy reassured as she patted his cheek gently.

He chuckled slightly at the gesture, a small smile gracing his muzzle as he stroked her gently. Moving slightly, he grasped her arms, pushing her to the edge of the pool. Ammy blinked slightly, before smiling seductively when she realized what he was doing.

He grinned lustfully at her as she was soon against the edge of the pool, her arms spread out, leaving her defenseless as he started kissing and licking her neck, before going downward slowly, eventually making his way to her breasts. "Kaitou you...ahn…!" Ammy moaned and sighed in pleasure as she felt him licking and suckling on her breasts again. "You should know by now dear...I just can't get enough of you…" Kaito smirked, his eyes gaining a predatory gleam to them. Moving his tails through the water, they grasped her legs, and spread them, revealing her entrance before he pushed his cock into her vagina, both of them crying out in pleasure. Their muzzles were soon locked once more in a deep kiss as they made love to each other, hands roaming all over, while their hips slapped against each other in an almost frantic rhythm, both of them climaxing several times throughout the session. Eventually both were completely spent, laying on the ground at the edge of the pool, panting in satisfaction as they held each other lovingly, both savoring this for as long as they could.

[hr]

Ammy sighed as she paded through the sand, once more in her feral form. Stopping for a moment, she looked over her shoulders one last time as behind her Oni Island 'crumbled' into flower petals. A testament to all of Lord Ninetails' 'death'. "I will come back to you. I promise," she sighed as she walked down the path...while trying to shake of the slight headache she had. Before she left Oni Island, Yumigami wanted to 'make sure' she was making her decisions of her own free will. Her method of checking? A clonk to the head with that hammer of hers…

Shaking her head irritably, she noticed a familiar glowing ball of light coming up the end of the path.

"I finally made it…" Issun sighed...right before he was met with a large wet tongue, covering him in slobber.

[hr]

The journey that followed was hard, but all her efforts so far had paid off. Now she stood alongside Waka as they were ready to face Yami. However, Yami had one more card up his sleeve, using his power to steal her brush techniques. However, she wasn't deterred as she fought back, taking back her powers one by one, their ties to the other Brush Gods allowing her to quickly regain control, till all that was left was her Sunrise, which unfortunately would take time. Fortunately it seemed it was enough, as Yami fell back, his armor sparking from the damage he'd taken so far.

However, in that small moment, be it her own feelings or Yami playing one last trick, she had let her guard down when an image of her friend Issun, who couldn't enter the Arc, appeared before her, causing her to let out a mournful howl...and gave Yami the opening he needed. Her body was wracked in pain as she felt him channel his energy through her, badly damaging her connection with the Brush Gods, before throwing her to the ground, leaving her weaker than she'd ever felt in a long time. Panting as she got to her feet, she knew she had to keep fighting, but as it was, things weren't looking good. But she couldn't give up. Too much was hanging in the balance, and above all, she had promised she'd return, a promise she fully intended to keep!

Fortunately, hope hadn't been lost, for she heard it, Issun's voice. He'd made his choice, and had decided to accept his role as a Celestial Envoy. Furthermore, she could hear them, the voices of Nippon's people. They hadn't given up, and what else could she do but respond to those feelings. However, she knew it would take time. Even with Issun helping to gather praise, Yami wasn't going to sit still and just let it come. No, she had to buy them time, even if just a bit more. With that in mind, she strained her tired muscles and with a snarl charged towards Yami, her form shifting as she ran. At the same time she felt it, Yami's dark aura permeating the room, and for once, it would work to her advantage for now. Snarling savagely, she slammed into him, now in her Dark Anthro form.

Yami actually stumbled back, the move and the transformation catching him off guard. Ammy skidded back a bit, panting slightly. Even with this form, she was nowhere near full strength, but with this...she'd be able to fight and buy time just a bit longer. With that, her marks returned, albeit fainter than normal, but enough so that she could use her Divine Instruments again. Grabbing hold of Heretic Beads, she lashed out at Yami with the whip-like weapon, keeping him slightly off balance. Yami didn't stay down for long though, as he lashed out with his whip-like arms, but Ammy quickly defended and countered with Infernal Judge, followed by a strong strike from Tsukinokage. Yami stumbled back, his armor sparking from the blows as Ammy continued to strike him with all the strength she had left. However, following her last strike, one of Yami's tentacles lashed out, and grabbed her arm. She tried to resist, but the exhaustion from the fight and her ordeals so far made her unable to resist as she was pulled towards him.

Yami didn't waste his chance and painfully dragged her across the ground, before slamming her a few times. Ammy cried out in pain, but acting quickly managed to cut off the tentacle holding her, sending her rolling on the ground. She tried to get up, but Yami was relentless, as both his whip-like arms lashed out, and wrapped around her wrists, pulling her into the air. She tried to struggle, but he pulled her towards him and slammed her into his armor. Ammy cried out in pain, but suddenly she couldn't move, as restraints had suddenly formed from Yami's armor, trapping her arms and legs. Growling, she tried to break free, but Yami wasn't about to let her. His armor glowed, and he started channeling his energy into her. Ammy screamed as she felt her energy being drained away.

If Yami could, he would have been chuckling in glee at what seemed to be his imminent victory, as with each second Ammy's struggle grew weaker. However, he suddenly felt a sharp pain as a foreign energy surged through him. "I won't let you hurt her!" came a familiar voice, as Yami stopped the flow of energy, unable to focus, instead roaring angrily at the interference.

Ammy slumped in her bonds as the drain stopped, having reverted to her normal form albeit without her marks, but despite her exhaustion, she recognized the voice. "K-Kaito?" she managed to ask, as a faded image of her mate appeared.

"Just a little more Ammy, don't give up!" he encouraged, right before Yami hit him with a strong pulse of dark energy, completely severing the link they had from when he had accepted his deal.

Ammy grit her teeth, as she resumed struggling. She could feel it, everyone's hope, they were praying for her, praying for Nippon's future, and now, all their prayers had gathered. Everyone in Nippon was with her! And as she felt the praise flow into her, she let out a mighty howl, while Yami roared in pain as the restraints and part of his armor was torn off from being at point blank range.

The light subsided, revealing Ammy in her feral form again, but she was different. Her Divine Markings had become more intricate, while a mane of light seemed to extend from her fur, as the prayers had finally restored her to her full power once more, into the true Okami Amaterasu.

Yami roared defiantly as he shifted once more, becoming a hand-like form, the hand that would commit evil deeds. He wasn't going to go without a fight. However, his defiance proved ultimately futile. Against Ammy in her incomplete power he might have stood a chance, but now that she was fully restored? He had no chance, as his evil was overpowered by the hope and prayers of Nippon channeled into the light of the sun, and after a fierce battle, Ammy let out one last roar as she ran towards Yami's exposed core, and with one last attack, shattered it, causing his power to go haywire, before finally collapsing in on himself, vanishing in a burst of darkness.
With her enemy now truly and well defeated, she faced skyward and let out a triumphant howl for all of Nippon to hear.