Summary: The city of the Moon is attacked, setting off a chain of events that reach far beyond its source. One of the survivors journeys across Nippon, trying to stop what his people have released.
Disclaimer: I do not own Okami, it belongs to Capcom and Clover. Okamiden also belongs to Capcom.
Last chapter, Waka updates the readers on his new life as a civilian in Kusa Village, doing community service work. A bit boring? Probably, but he's still worried about Tsukuyomi (aka Takefutsu). With good reason, because last chapter was also when she landed in the ruins, completely blew a fuse, and is now headed (somewhat murderously) towards the nearest inhabited place searching for a lost sword. Also, Obieta meets the wind again, and it's only slightly less friendly than last time.
I am so sorry that this chapter is up late. It just slipped my mind... And it's probably not good quality, either.
The sun was rising high into the sky, bright white on a cloudless blue. Waka walked down the dirt roads of Taka Pass, but his mind was on things far away.
Only a few nights ago, he had seen it. It had been unmistakable. The glimmer of a rocket, slipping across the horizon towards some distant landing place. But who did it carry?
Perhaps it is Kaguya. Perhaps she has returned. Mr. Bamboo would be overjoyed, he knew that. Waka tried to imagine what she might be like. He hadn't seen another like him for many, many years. Not since Sugawara's passing. He doubted she would recognize him, of course—not with him disguised as he was. Would she know their language? Perhaps he would have to practice. And together he could confide all of those locked-up stories of older times, when the Moon was a haven...
…But none of that would happen, would it? Some part of him already knew it was a false hope. Kaguya wasn't the one in that shuttle. Tsukuyomi had reached the planet, and who knew what she would do...
A cheer rose from the pass entrance, and Waka broke off his train of thought. He looked over. The pile of rocks blocking the passage was nearly cleared away, and some of the civilians climbed to stand atop it in victory.
"Hey!" One of them called to him. "Spread the word, tell the village—the way to the city is open again!" Waka smiled and nodded, heading back the way he had come at a faster pace.
Kusa Village celebrated at the news as soon as it arrived. Already, the few villagers that had business in the city were packing to set off together. Waka would be going with them. At least, he would for a little while. Very kindly, they had agreed to take Moegami to the city—perhaps there were better treatments there. Waka wasn't going back there, though.
An island… a tower by the coast… Whatever Moegami's words were pointing to, he was going to find out.
Obieta was out fishing again. For more than a few nights now, Shin had been the one who had woken to find his companion occupied. Her thoughts, though he had only heard a few from when she was—increasingly rarely—nearby, were almost unusually quiet. He had debated listening further, but there was a presence on the edge of his senses that made his hearing fuzz and mind-voices grow faint. Of course, there was always the chance that the quietness was simply due to that, whatever that presence was, and had nothing to do with Obieta herself. Shin closed his eyes, a persistent worry still gnawing at him. But he tried to concentrate.
Kabegami, are you there? There was little else he could do at this point. Moegami was still unreachable. He had gone over the ship's controls with Kyokugami several times, and though he was nervous…
I am here. Shin's vision shifted back to the vibrant, welcoming colors of the Plain. The silver of the ship came into focus in front of him. The transparent layer that would seal the cockpit shut was lifted, leaving it open. He stepped forward, unsteadily, trying to synchronize his will to move with Kabegami's movements. Kabegami easily jumped up onto the ship, but nearly slipped, claws gripping frantically for any small crevice on the ship's smooth surface. Shin was so distracted that he didn't notice the voices approaching.
"Hey, whoa! Wait up!" His newly-maintained balance nearly toppled. Carefully, he turned to look. A young white dog, marked with brush god's red, stared up. His thoughts named him as Amaterasu. Shin blinked, puzzled. How was this one brush god still awake? But before he could think any more, Kabegami's attention had fixated on the small, glowing, bouncing object next to him. She crouched, tail flicking with mischief.
No—Kabegami, that's a person! A very tiny person, yes, but Shin could hear his mind-voice as clearly as any other.
"Kabegami, do you know what the heck happened to all the other brush gods?" Kabegami stopped, and Shin hesitated, guilty. Independent of him, Kabegami deliberately shook her head. "You don't know either, huh… What're you doing on our ship, anyway?" He sensed suspicion from the small person—Issun was his name. "Do you need to go somewhere?" Shin nodded. "Well…" He was still suspicious that Kabegami's mysterious awakening might be a sign of something demonic.
"I don't mean any harm," he spoke unsteadily.
"Alright then…" Issun was still reluctant. "It's about time we got out of here anyway. Right, Chibi?" Amaterasu—the "Chibi" in question—was looking curiously back at him, but barked in agreement. Both Kabegami and Amaterasu clambered into the cockpit, and Issun hopped in, bouncing and tapping buttons on the console. The glass hull snapped shut and the ship easily whirred to life, rose to a hover, and shot off.
"I still don't get what happened…" Issun had turned some of his attention away from the controls, having apparently set them on autopilot. "The brush gods are all zoned out, Amaterasu's nowhere in sight…" Shin glanced over at Amaterasu, who just gave a quiet huff of resignation.
Why is he still awake…? Perhaps he could just ask Amaterasu. He tried to reach out, to find the link to the embodiment of the sunrise's power… Shin felt his grip on Kabegami's world loosen. But the link to the sunrise no longer connected him to Amaterasu. Instead it led into Yomi, somewhere beyond that threshold of life and death… And yet, at the same time, it led somewhere else. For some reason, it gave him the image of a blue-beaded necklace, and beyond that a flickering flame. How had the link been severed? Amaterasu looked over, apparently having picked up a little from Kabegami's body language.
The thing that took the other brush gods' powers away and put those into new little bodies… It didn't work on me. Why? The thoughts were undirected, musings mostly from frustration. Instead it just took my body, leaving me as a puppy… Shin couldn't determine anything more about what had happened, not with what he knew now. So instead he turned inward, directing his thoughts to Kabegami.
Is there anything you want me to tell your daughter? …Before you two can meet again, of course. Outside the glass, the landscape had changed to brilliant shades of blue, strewn more and more with chunks of frozen white.
You have my gratitude. Just tell her— A hissing whoosh suddenly swept into his mind. Shin saw the world fuzz before his eyes.
"…So," Issun's voice came distantly, "where should w—"
Kabegami was unresponsive.
Shin opened his eyes, and instantly knew something was wrong. Despite the fuzz clouding his senses, there was a distinct voice… A voice with clearly conflicted thoughts... He rushed outside.
I'm sorry, Shin, the voice said, over and over. And as he watched, the tiny figure of Obieta drew further and further away, lilypad by lilypad. The fuzziness disappeared as she did, as though its presence followed her. He looked out at this from the island of Catcall Tower, watching his only way of leaving disappear.
Swimming would be nearly hopeless, he thought. So Shin was stuck. I hope Waka understood my message.
So he went back inside, and waited.
