I searched and searched. In Rioshima and Shinshu; In Sei-an and Kamiki. Still, no sign of Amaterasu.

But, while in Kamiki, I heard tales of a strange cave that had appeared a few weeks before; The Moon Cave, they called it. It was near the village, and people who tried to find out what purpose it had never returned. The people there had learned to stay away from it.

The villagers invited me to stay for their annual festival. Of course, I felt obliged to stay. They might be able to help me in my search. And also, I had a strange feeling that this place was connected to Amaterasu and Orochi, somehow.

On the night of the full moon, everyone was in high spirits. There was singing, dancing, sake-chugging contests, and more. But, as the moon rose to the highest point in the sky, a strange mist appeared. It all pooled in the center of the village, curling and twisting. It was ominous, yet seemed familiar in some way. The mist rose up until it formed the vague shape of an eight-headed serpent.

No. It- it can't be... Orochi's eight heads writhed and twitched. I stared in disbelief, then thought, Why are you so surprised? You knew Orochi had fallen to the mortal world.

"Ah... so this is the famous Kamiki. I would like to thank you all for celebrating my arrival."

My voice was shaky, but I managed to say, "You- What are you doing here?"

The demon looked straight at me, "Oh. It's you again. What are you doing here? You're ruining my festival."

"This isn't your festival!" I shouted, gaining courage, "Where is Amaterasu?"

"Amaterasu? You mean that annoying, tiny, weak woman that tried to kill me? Oh, she's somewhere. I don't know, and, frankly, I don't care. What I do care about is that I am hungry."

"So? Go snack on some bunnies or something, you sexist snake!" A woman from the back of the crowd yelled before anyone could stop her.

Orochi's Fire Head seemed to be smiling, "I think you know what I'm in the mood for. Hear me, tiny villagers! I decree that from this day forward, on every full moon, you must deliver a young maiden to me as a sacrifice."

The villagers gasped. The women gathered in a huddle, trying to hide behind each other. I stepped in front of them, "Orochi! What makes you think they'll comply with your wishes?"

The Lightning Head zipped forward and snatched the woman who had insulted him before, "Because if you don't, I will devour each and every one of you. I will leave this village in shambles. I will burn it to the ground, and then I will maul the woman and children. Then, I shall take care of the rest of you." He began to fade into mist once more, "Remember... Every full moon. I will send a white-plumed arrow to determine the victim. She will come to me. If not, well... too bad for you!"

The woman screamed one last time, and the mist dissipated.

I scrambled out of the village as fast as I could. I couldn't help but think that all of this was my fault. How many have died because of me? How many more will?

My chest throbbed in time with my heartbeat at the thought of the Celestials.

I contemplated going after Orochi, but soon realized it was futile. Orochi can only be defeated with the power of the Chosen One.

It was fated to be.

And I could do nothing.

I wandered around Shinshu until the first light of the sun was barely visible over the horizon. I was tired, hungry, and devastated. I thought I would never find Amaterasu.

Then, on the road toward the Moon Cave was, I spotted a large patch of flowers. At least they haven't been touched by the evil that has arrived in this land.

As I drew closer, I spotted a glimpse of red and white amongst the pink and yellow flowers.

"Amaterasu?" I whispered, walking closer. No, it couldn't be her. It wasn't right. I could see now that it was just a wolf. It was a curious sight, a white wolf with red markings. Then, it occured to me. This might very well be the great goddess, Amaterasu. But something was not right. My heart told me I had found her, but something inside told me otherwise.

I stepped a little closer, unsheathing Pillowtalk. From there, I could see the wolf was injured. I bent down and stroked its muzzle.

Suddenly, the wolf's eyes snapped open. It pounced on me, knocking me back. Its face was dangerously close to my throat. I pulled off my newly-acquired hat. My golden hair fell in wisps, covering part of my eyes; strands of it blowing gently in the breeze, "Amaterasu! Wait! It's me, Waka!"

The wolf snarled at me, and I closed my eyes, waiting for its teeth to sink into my neck.

Minutes passed. I slowly opened my eyes, and found the wolf had passed out on my chest. It was surprisingly light for a wolf. I realized it must not have eaten in days, maybe weeks. I gently sat up, then slid it off my chest.

"There you are!" A familiar voice called out.

I turned and saw Ishaku bouncing up, "Ishaku? What are you doing here?"

"I came to find you! You disappeared without a word, and I didn't even get your name!" He hopped up and down next to me, "By the way... who's that?"

I looked back and forth from him to the wolf, "I- I'm sorry. My name is Waka. And this," I gestured to it, "Is Shiranui." I don't know where that name came from. It just popped into my head.

He looked up at me in confusion, "Who?"

"Shiranui. Have you- well, you do know of the Celestial Plain, do you not?"

He nodded, "Well, yeah. If you count those stories that Old Man Rashku tells about gods and goddesses; Celestials and Celestial Envoys. I, personally, think it's all a buncha' cow dung."

"Well, it's not. This wolf, Shiranui, is really the goddess Amaterasu."

He stared at me even harder, "How is that possible?"

I shrugged my shoulders, "I don't know. Ask the millions of fans who decided that Shiranui is completely different from Amaterasu. Or the people who made Okamiden, who think that Shiranui is Chibi's grandfather."

"Um..."

"Oh, sorry. I'll try not to break the 4th wall again. The point is, Amaterasu and Shiranui are the same person. It's just that, at the moment, Amaterasu is inside of the body of Shiranui. At least," He said under his breath, "That's what the writer wants you to think."

"Wha-?"

"Nothing."

I think Ishaku was beginning to think I was crazy. "So... if she's a goddess, how do you know her?"

"Well, you see... I think I'm going to wait to tell you until after the writer ends the chapter because she's too lazy to explain everything the readers already know."

"I heard that," a voice from the sky yelled.

"Oh. Okay!" Ishaku settled down, and I explained everything.

Okaaay. Sorry there's been no updates on this story for a while. And sorry that Waka has suddenly become aware of my presence. I was half-asleep when I wrote it. Anyways... C U L8R!