Author's note: I thought it would be fun to see how Amaterasu reacts to these events, don't you think so?
Disclaimer: I own neither the Legend of Zelda nor Okami
She awoke with a start. The stench of pitch and cave dust hung in the air like a clothesline of wet rags. Amaterasu was painfully aware that compared to the delicious air of the forest she had been wandering through a moment before, this musty cave stank worse than a year-old carcass. Oh, what she wouldn't have given to have even a taste of that sweet exhilaration once more…
She struggled to further recall the dream she'd had only moments before. Hadn't there been someone else there? A young, golden wolf with the most amazing of eyes, eyes that had seen much more than white fur and gentle curves. Eyes that had seen straight into the tortured soul and had winced in sympathy.
Wait... White fur? Gentle? TORTURED SOUL? That didn't sound like her at all! No wonder Ninetails was getting worried; she was starting to sound like one of those oh-so-delicate brush goddesses. Blech.
Come to think of it, where was Ninetails? Surely it didn't take that long to track down a couple of travelers? Especially every other measly creature who shared this group of islands was either dead, dying, or in hiding.
And no one could stand up to the hordes. Not for long, anyway.
"NINETAILS!"
Wow. She hadn't realized how loud she could be. Her voice was almost on-par with the sound of an earthquake. It certainly carried the power of one, evidenced by a couple shaking stalactites, flickering torchlight, and a sudden shower of small pebbles.
Ninetails didn't keep long. Spry as ever, he raced into the room like a tail-chopping madman was just behind him.
"You're awake!" he nearly screamed, voice almost completely disguised by pep as he slid to a complete stop.
Amaterasu felt more than a little need to raise an eyebrow. Now what was he hiding? The last time she heard him like this was when he had allowed that foul, immature poncle to escape (thankfully, the poncle had been so weak he hadn't even made it to the entrance).
"What have you done this time?" She was somewhat amused; it was entertaining to see an old fox like Ninetails acting like a pup that's done something wrong.
His surprise was so fake, it was amazing that Ninetails didn't choke on his words as they exited his mouth.
"Something wrong? ME!? Why would you think that?"
Yep. There was definitely something going on. But already she was getting tired of his games…
"Just tell me. The sooner you do, the sooner it can be fixed."
Huh. Where did that come from? Not only was she sprouting words of wisdom instead of spewing vulgar curses, but her hard knot of anger had shrunk to a small thread of annoyance.
But before she could ponder over the issue further, Ninetails lowered his head and mumbled something unintelligible.
"What was that now?"
Slowly, Ninetails raised his masked head, sulfuric yellow eyes filled with the embarrassment of failure.
"The hordes… well, they've been destroyed. Mutilated, even."
Never mind. That knot hadn't vanished; it was back now, full of fire just waiting to be released.
"WHAT!?"
"I think we've underestimated our little friend in green. No one has ever done what he's accomplished in his first three days here."
"OHOHOHO, YOU THINK!? WE HAVEN'T HAD THIS MUCH TROUBLE SINCE WE TRIED TO CATCH THAT INFURIATING CAT GODDESS KABEGAMI! IF THIS CONTINUES, WE COULD EVENTUALLY LOSE OUR GRIP ON NIPPON!"
Ninetails silently watched as she used her brush work to utterly demolish every stalactite and stalagmite in the area. He stood mountain-still as stone chips whizzed around him like they were pieces of shattered glass, while with every flick of Amaterasu's tail, an invisible sword sent another stone tooth flying into pieces. It was quick, brutal work, and soon the only things that remained of nature's magnificent maw were the red-stained pebble slices that littered the ground like the fleas on a wild dog.
When she noticed there was nothing left to smash, she started pacing angrily back and forth, barely noticing the sting of pain as she cut her over the jagged rocks that littered the cave floor. Finally, she was able to calm herself down enough to the point of sanity. Through it all, Ninetails stood so still he may have been frozen in time, if not for the fact that his chest was slowly moving up and down.
When Amaterasu had finally turned to face him once more, not even glancing at the streaks of red that stained his fur, he asked, as gently as he could:
"So… what are your orders, Amaterasu?"
She pondered this for a moment, then asked in an equally soft voice:
"Do you know where they were headed next?"
"According to several of the imps who came crawling back, they were last seen near the Eastern Sea, heading directly west towards Shinshu Field."
"Then they must be headed for Kamiki Village. Who did we send to watch that area?"
"I believe it was the Crimson Helm."
Slowly, a smile began to grow on Amaterasu's face. Finally, something was going right.
"That's right. I relocated him a few days ago to block off their main source of water."
"But doesn't a river run straight through the village?"
"It used to, until I had one of the hordes dam it. Crimson Helm guards the dam. Since that stupid barrier still protects the village, I thought that I'd try something different."
At this, Ninetails expression turned… was that pride plastered over his face?!
"That's good. It seems that you've finally started to pull your own weight around here."
"WHAT!?"
"Nothing."
Amaterasu knew that she would have to find a way to get back at him, but there were more pressing matters to deal with first.
"Whatever. Inform the Crimson Helm of the current situation. He's been dying to do something ever since the annihilation of Kamui."
"Of course. What should I tell him?"
Amaterasu thought back to her dream. One of the wolf's many forms had been similar in appearance to the very same child who was now threatening to compromise their plans. For a moment, she hesitated, unsure whether the decision she was about to make was wise or not.
"Well? Should I send him after our little 'heroes'?"
"Hmm? Oh, no. If they're going to Kamiki, they'll come to the Crimson Helm, there's no need for that."
Something inside was stirring… something she hadn't felt in a long time. A certain positive emotion that hurt to even think about. It was silly, but…
Amaterasu breathed out a long sigh, and lowered her head to the floor.
"Tell him to kill the Oina and the poncle, but if at all possible, leave the blue-eyed boy alive for questioning."
Author's Note: *Sigh* Well, this still took a long time to get out. And it's still kinda short. Probably still need to work on that. But there isn't much else to say. Villains are villains, after all. I already have an idea for what happens next, though. Until next time.