Woo-hoo, one of my longest chapters yet! This is the final chapter to Dog Days. I know, it's so sad . . . I could just cry. I hope you enjoy it. I've worked really hard on this one. Oh, and a word of warning: **MAJOR SPOILERS IN THIS CHAPTER!** If you haven't played through to Wawku Shrine yet, I suggest you turn back now. But if you don't mind spoilers, then go right on ahead.

Chapter 10: Play Your Flute

"Who is that I see beyond my reflection . . . ? The last, sweet notes of my favorite melody carry me to my destiny . . . to my eternal rest . . ."

90 Years Later

A total of 100 years has passed since Shiranui and Waka came to the land of mortal men. Both have been waiting all this time for the Chosen One to be born so that Orochi's reign of terror may finally end.

At last, after 100 long, long years . . . Nagi, the Chosen One, is ready to take on Orochi. The only thing left to wait for was the night of the full moon, the fateful night when the terrible Orochi will be slain.

Shiranui looked up at the night sky, at the waxing moon. Soon, she thought. Soon Orochi will be no more.

Waka gazed up at the moon with her, contemplating his most recent prophecy. He has seen a vision . . . and he knows that Shiranui will not survive the impending battle. She will die a hero in the eyes of the villagers, but she will die nevertheless. But he has also seen a vision of the two of them returning to the Celestial Plain together. What does it mean? he wondered. He looked over at Shiranui, who met his eyes with a look of determination. He knew what that look meant. It meant that she was going to fight, even if it meant certain death.

A tremendous roar shook the earth. Orochi was becoming restless. It knew that the festival drew near, and it was hungry for another sacrifice.

Shiranui glared in the direction of the sound, toward the Moon Cave. The Moon Cave, a desolate place where no light shines through, where Orochi makes its lair. "Don't you worry," she said aloud. "We're coming for you soon, you snake . . ."

o~*~o

The night of the Kamiki Festival, the night of the full moon, the night Orochi will die was finally here.

Like all the years before, a white plumed arrow materialized and pierced the sky, penetrating the house of the chosen maiden. This year it was Nami, the most beautiful maiden in the village. Nagi, who was in love with her, was enraged at this. He charged full-speed toward the Moon Cave, resolute in his desire to end the sorrowful tradition that has been a part of Kamiki for 100 years. Shiranui, sensing what was about to happen, followed close on his heels.

Man and wolf ran together through Shinshu Field, racing down the path to the Moon Cave. Nagi went on in unhindered. But when Shiranui tried to enter, a mysterious force locked her out. Curious, she placed a paw on the invisible "wall" only to receive an electrical shock. She let out a yelp, drawing back her burnt paw.

"Ow! What the heck was that?" complained Ishaku, a Poncle that had befriended Shiranui a while back. He bounced up to the mouth of the cave only to be fried by the invisible barrier once more. "OWW! THAT FRICKIN' HURT!" His golden-yellow glow turned red as he got irritated. Then, to Shiranui's amazement, he approached the cave a third time, getting electrocuted yet again. "YOW! WHAT THE HECK'S UP WITH THIS THING?"

"It's a barrier, Ishaku," Shiranui pointed out to him. "Stop touching it, you idiot." But of course he didn't hear her. No one but Waka can understand her, so all Ishaku heard was a bunch of yaps and barks. But, due to the bond they came to share over the years, he does know what she's thinking most of the time.

"Shaddup, Ammy!" Ishaku said to her. He didn't know exactly what she was saying—he can understand animals for the most part, while Shiranui was a little difficult to read—but he knew she was making fun of him.

"You shut up!" Shiranui barked back. "And where did you come up with that nickname, anyway?" She didn't particularly like "Ammy" as a nickname for her. It didn't even make sense. How do you get "Ammy" from "Shiranui"?

Ishaku sighed, ignoring her like usual. "Looks like we're just going to have to wait out here for the time being."

Shiranui sighed as well, laying her head on her paws. "Yeah, it looks that way . . ."

o~*~o

Amaterasu looked around the Moon Cave of the past, still wondering how she got here. She went through the Spirit Gate, and ended up in the past, 100 years ago to be exact. She was also wondering where her former incarnation, Shiranui, was. Shiranui was the one supposed to be here, not her.

She reached the top of the stairs, looking down at Orochi's lair. The ground suddenly started shaking, and from the ground emerged Orochi, Orochi of 100 years past, Orochi at its full power. Staring up at its blood-red eyes, doubt bloomed in Amaterasu's heart. This was Orochi at its complete and entire strength. What if she wasn't strong enough? What if she failed?

"Snap out of it, furball!" Issun, her Poncle companion, said. "We gotta focus!"

"Y-Yes!" Amaterasu said, snapping to attention. He was right. This was no time for thinking. This was the time to fight. To affirm her resolution, she raised her head and howled to the dark skies above. "Let's fight!"

"You think you can take me, wolf?" Orochi hissed, baring its hideous fangs. "Then take this!" The head of Fire opened its mouth and breathed red-hot flames toward the wolf.

"Too easy!" Amaterasu smirked, blowing away the flames with a Galestorm technique. She's fought this serpent before. And its moves are way predictable. Next, she supposed one of the heads was going to lunge at her.

Oh, look. She was right. The head of Poison lurched forward, fangs glistening with venom. Without a second thought, Amaterasu placed a dot on the ground with her brush, which grew instantly into a large tree. Orochi crashed into the tree, just like she predicted would happen.

This game of cat and mouse continued on into the long night. Orochi would launch its overly predictable attacks, and Amaterasu easily deflected each. But it couldn't go on this way. Amaterasu was getting nowhere. Orochi had a barrier of some kind to protect itself, and Amaterasu couldn't get a single scratch on it. Amaterasu was getting tired, and was rapidly losing heart. Just when she was about to lose all hope, in came Nami, along with her sake—the sake of legend, 8 Purification Sake. Amaterasu took the sake from her and poured it into the convenient pits located around the cave.

"Now you're in trouble," Amaterasu sneered. "Take this!" Using Waterspout, she poured the sake into one of the head's gaping jaws, getting it drunk. She repeated this procedure until all the heads collapsed, giving her access to the bell atop Orochi's back, the source of the mystical barrier that protected it. She swiftly destroyed it, thus destroying Orochi's barrier and rendering it vulnerable to her attacks.

At last, her attacks connected, and she managed to severely injure Orochi. Only then did Nagi step in. He raised his sword to the sky. Amaterasu immediately knew the cue to howl to the heavens, separating the dark clouds and revealing the glorious full moon. Yes, she thought. This is it . . . the death of Orochi is close at hand . . .

o~*~o

Shiranui heard the howl and knew right then that something had changed. She tentatively placed her paw near the edge of the entrance of the cave. Nothing happened. The barrier had been broken. A sense of urgency propelled her forward as she ran into the cave, a feeling of foreboding chilling her down to the bone . . .

o~*~o

Nagi's sword started to glow a beautiful and majestic gold color. Wielding what little power he had left, Nagi cut off Orochi's heads one by one, until the beast was finally dead. The curse over the land dissipated . . . or did it?

A menacing aura swirled in the air above them, as if to say that it wasn't over. In an act of payback, the lingering spirit of Orochi shook the cave, causing it to start to cave in. Large boulders fell left and right, threatening to flatten them. Amaterasu fluidly dodged the boulders with easy grace, but Nagi wasn't so lucky. A boulder even larger than the rest came right down on top of him. For a frightening moment, Amaterasu thought that he was dead. But what was this? A light shining from beneath the boulder . . . Could it be?

It was none other then Shiranui, Amaterasu's past self.

o~*~o

Shiranui found herself looking at . . . herself? No . . . this wolf must be a reincarnation of her. But how? Of course! The Spirit Gate, as she recalled, was a special gate that could take one to a different place . . . and a different time. She had come in just in time to save Nagi from the falling boulder when she encountered her future self.

She heaved the boulder aside, and examined her reincarnation, her other self. Her fur was white, and her markings were similar, but not quite the same. The Divine Instrument on her back was also similar to hers, but it also looked somewhat weaker than Shiranui's Solar Flare. Is this what she is to become? A weaker version of herself?

The other wolf reflected her curious gaze, looking at Shiranui with her golden eyes. Her eyes . . . those were exactly the same as Shiranui's.

Before Shiranui even had the chance to ask the wolf her name, she had turned around and fled the cave, which was probably a good idea. The cave was falling apart, and would soon cave in.

But as soon as her other self left, everything just . . . stopped. The world seemed to be frozen. She could still move about, but everything else was paused. A portal of some kind materialized in front of her, further confusing her. In the distance, she could hear a howl . . . Wait a second! She knew that howl. It was the same howl she heard earlier, the howl of her future self. Shiranui peered into the portal, which seemed more like a tear in the fabric of reality. Could it possibly be a tear in time? Could it possibly be that her reincarnation is calling her from the future?

Again, she could hear the familiar howl. It rippled like a wave through time, yet it rang loud and clear in the still air. That was the answer to her question. Yes. Yes, her future self needed her help. Yes, she would travel though time if she stepped through the portal. Shiranui hesitated, her intuition telling her no. She knew then that if she went through the portal, she would die. But all the same, she felt something deep inside her pulling her towards the portal. This was her destiny.

She took a deep breath, which might be her last, and leapt into the portal.

o~*~o

Shiranui was instantly transported to the future, to the time that her other self resided in. There, she met her other self—looking bewildered at Shiranui's appearance. The wolf was getting ready to battle a giant, robotic . . . owl?

"What the . . . ? Shiranui? What are you doing here?" her other self asked.

"I'm here to help you," Shiranui replied. "How is it that you know my name and I don't know yours?"

"Oh, sorry. My name is Amaterasu. And how I know your name . . . I'll tell you later. Right now, we got a couple of birdbrains to beat!"

"Yeah!" Shiranui howled a rousing howl. In response, Amaterasu howled, as well. Then in an act of unity, the two of them howled together, the two unique howls blending into one.

The two wolves together were the perfect team, flawlessly coordinating their attacks and brush techniques to damage the robot owl. When Shiranui used Galestorm, Amaterasu added her own power to it with another Galestorm, making for twice the wind and nearly blowing that owl away. When one used Cherry Bomb, another would appear right behind it for double the explosive power. But whether Amaterasu would like to admit it or not, Shiranui did most of the work. Shiranui felt a little disappointed about this. She had hoped her future self would be more powerful, not weaker. But Amaterasu was a great help anyways, Shiranui thought.

"Wow! You guys really did a number on birdbrain there! Quick, Ammy, before your old self steals all the glory! Finish that demon off!" Issun, Amaterasu's Poncle companion said. He sure talked a lot. It made Shiranui miss her Poncle friend, Ishaku.

Suddenly, another one of those strange owls came flying in. But it acted strangely, its flight pattern jerky and erratic. It was under attack by a man who appeared to be of the Oina tribe.

"What the . . . ? That's . . . The Golden Demon, Lechku!" Issun commented. "And look! Isn't that Oki?"

"At last . . . At last I have you cornered! I'm going to finish you off this time," the man Issun had called Oki said. "Kutone shall blaze silver once more!" Why was he so intent on killing these demons? That sword of his, Kutone . . . It will only awaked when . . . He looked about ready to attack both the demons at once, which would be almost certain suicide.

"No, Oki! Don't!" Issun said, voicing the thoughts of both Amaterasu and Shiranui.

"This is what separates a hero from the rest! You are about to witness history in the making! Kutone, trusty sword of the great hero Oki, shall awake!" Oki said, shifting into wolf form. How arrogant, thought Shiranui.

He charged forward to attack, but Shiranui stopped him. Though she didn't like him too much, he was Amaterasu's friend, which made him her friend. And she wasn't about to let any friend of hers to get killed on her watch.

The two owl demons, through some kind of mysterious magic, freeze time. Everything stopped, just like before. Except now Shiranui can't move, either.

"Hm? Grr!" Oki growled as he struggled to move. "You . . . demons . . . Curse you!"

One of the owls raised its weapon, ready to strike the final blow. Shiranui, through sheer willpower alone, broke free of the time spell and knocked Oki out of the way, receiving the fatal blow meant for him. In one last act of defiance, she lashed out at both demons, becoming a blur of white light as she did. But in doing so, she sent herself flying, almost falling off the edge of the cliff. She was instantly reminded of that time on the Celestial Plain, when she sent herself off the edge of the Celestial Plain to kill Orochi. But now, instead of Waka hanging on to her, Amaterasu caught her, just barely holding on. Amaterasu struggled to pull Shiranui up.

"Now's the chance! I can finish them off!" Oki said. With the damage Shiranui was able to do, he could easily deal the killing blow.

"C'mon, Ammy!" Issun rooted her on while pulling futilely on her tail to try and help. "Pull! Just a little more!"

Then an alarming crack could be heard. A nearby tree was falling . . . right where Shiranui and Amaterasu were. Shiranui closed her eyes, bracing herself for death.

But nothing happened. Oki had sliced the tree in two, letting the demons get away to save Shiranui.

"Oki! Your sword!" Issun cried.

"Hm?" Oki examined his sword, which had started glowing silver. "Kutone . . . It's glowing silver! By the great spirits of the air, earth, and sea! I was so blind. I should have known! At last I understand. The sacred sword Kutone, defender of Kamui, could not possibly wake while the heart of its wielder was clouded with selfish desire. That is why I couldn't defend Kamui with this sword, let alone protect the lives dear to me!" He held his hand out to Shiranui, which she licked. He finally got it.

Shiranui, gravely injured by the demon, was left to be guarded by Oki, who felt indebted to her after she saved his life. She patiently waited while Amaterasu went to find those demons again. After a while, Ishaku showed up. She immediately perked up, happy to see him. Oki left after Ishaku came, but that was okay. She'd be just fine with Ishaku.

"Hey, Ammy," he said. "Man, you look pretty bad . . . You sure you going to be all right?"

"I'll be fine," Shiranui said, her voice a hoarse whisper. "I missed you."

Ishaku hopped up to her face so she could see him smile. "I know, furball. I know . . ."

o~*~o

Oki and Amaterasu returned, victorious. They defeated the twin owl demons. Shiranui noticed that his sword was glowing silver. Finally, she thought, mustering a smile. From this, she knew that Amaterasu would be okay. Gathering up all her strength, she heaved herself up to her feet and made her way through the gate of time made by Ishaku. She knew that she was going back to die. She knew that she had fulfilled her destiny, and she would die. But that was okay, too. Because that was the way it was meant to be. "Amaterasu . . ." she said to her future self, " . . . May you succeed in your quest. Save this darkened world with your divine light. I know you have it in you somewhere. You just have to find it."

"I will," Amaterasu said, feeling strangely sad at this departure. Well, it wasn't so strange, considering that Shiranui was returning only to die. But what exactly will she find?

Shiranui crossed the threshold of the gate, and she was back in the Moon Cave. Nagi was standing there, looking slightly surprised that she had helped him. Yes, she was back. Nagi gently scooped her up in his arms and took her back to the village.

Waka knew. Ishaku knew. They both knew that Shiranui was going to die, yet they were still sad. Waka was particularly upset. When he first had the vision of her dying, it had brought him to tears. He's known Shiranui her entire life. He loved her. Ishaku only knew because Waka told him, and that was because he was Shiranui's friend, so he deserved to know.

Nagi laid Shiranui down beneath one of the sakura trees. She wasn't moving anymore. The village elder, Mr. Grapefruit, stroked her fur gently. She lifted her head ever so slightly and barked a soft, frail-sounding bark.

Waka had resolved to stay strong when she died. Partially because he already knew it was going to happen, and partly because that's what she would have wanted. But Shiranui's last words caused that resolve to fall apart.

"Play your flute, Waka," she had said, her voice a soft murmur. "Like you used to . . ."

Her words brought back a wave of memories. He recollected all the good and the bad times at once. It was too much. His tears falling silently as the rain, he granted her that last wish, playing his flute for what probably would be the last time. He laced the sweet notes with his bittersweet emotions, making the music even more beautiful.

With all the strength left in her body, Shiranui managed a small smile. I am so happy, she was thinking, in spite of all that's happened. Thank you, Waka. She then closed her eyes and drifted off as if into sleep.

And the rest is history . . .

And that is that. The end . . . or is it? I might write a sequel to this, if you guys ask nicely. Don't forget to review and tell me what you think!