Chapter 1: Black Dawn
Heaven was supposedly the place where she would finally relax and enjoy her newfound freedom and praise as a fully-fledged goddess, and yet all it did was bore her.
The Celestial Plain had beautiful flowery fields, clean rivers and lakes and a gentle breeze always blowing around. All that blended harmoniously with the luxurious white marble and gold buildings, befitting of the gods who lived in them. After being imprisoned for so long, most brush gods flaunted around power and riches, much to Amaterasu's dismay. The sun goddess missed so badly the simplicity of running through the fields of Nippon with her friends, the wind on her lupine fur, the feel of grass and dirt on her paws- it was such a contrast to her current life.
It was not like she loathed the companionship of the gods or the Plain; they were her family and they were right there. She had missed them all before, worked hard to return and rebuild all they had with the other gods — she could only wonder what was missing now to make her feel like this.
Day after day, Amaterasu would sit on her throne and listen as the other gods interceded for the mortals or made requests for themselves — the Celestial Plain was still being restored, after being destroyed by the demons from the Ark of Yamato, and new shrines and temples on their honor were being built all over Nippon. If not that, she was visiting the other gods and drinking tea with them, while they flattered her in hopes of attaining a higher status among the divine court. It seemed the only visible consequence of finally returning to her human form was that now, the gods could also sweet talk her about her beauty. All in all, Amaterasu was constantly bored or frustrated.
Neither the gods nor the Celestials seemed to notice this, apart from her Right Hand. Indeed, the Moon Tribe prophet was always by her side, being the only reason she hadn't thrown herself off the Plain yet. He was the only one who could still amuse and entertain her. He would tell his stories and listen to hers, always in such an exaggerated way, gesticulating as he spoke; she couldn't help but finding it amusing. The Moon Tribe prophet was so different, she dared to say unique. ' If you consider he's from a dying race… ' Her thoughts trailed and she shook her head to dismiss them. That was probably what brought them close; all of their remorse and sorrow mixed with the loneliness of feeling like they didn't belong there.
Before the other gods she had to maintain her composure; she was their leader, their reference. Without her, the Celestial Plain would fall apart, and she couldn't bear that thought. She had to seem amiable, but set an example at the same time. Had to be their guide and protector.
No one could know the strain all that responsibility put on her, it could bring disorder to their little paradise and that was unthinkable.
"Lady Amaterasu? What happened, cat got your tongue?" A purring voice called. She forced herself to focus on the feline deity talking to her. it was Gekigami; at the Plain, the tiger took the form of a man on his late twenties, his hair spiked in a way that looked like it had been struck by a bolt - and considering his powers, it was likely it really was - he was slim, but his muscles were toned and he had a wild look in his eyes, much like the predator he took the form of. She mind slapped herself for not paying attention to the task in hand: now her 13 faithful companions were all looking at her, waiting for her words on the matter. The goddess didn't know what matter, though, as she wasn't paying enough attention.
"Pardon me, can you repeat that, please?" The goddess asked in a timid voice, making Gekigami's feline smirk widen. Their noble leader never lost focus on a reunion before, yet now she seemed tired and fidgety.
"Is everything alright, m'lady?" Kabegami inquired, a worried look on her face. Her voice was sweet and filled with genuine concern, unlike Gekigami's provocative one. Amaterasu felt grateful for that. She gave Waka an anxious glance as a silent plea for help.
"Mon chaton, we've all been losing sleep over the festival that is approaching. It will be the 105th anniversary of our great Amaterasu's battle and the 5th of the Celestial Plain's reconstruction!" Waka rose to his feet, flaunting his hands in his ever flamboyant way, directed to the tiger god. Amaterasu snickered at him, the other gods hoping he wouldn't start a speech right then. Gekigami gave a low growl at the name, but said no more.
"We have to join forces and make this the best festival ever!" Amaterasu exclaimed triumphantly, briefly distracting all the gods. She could see the excitement on their faces and couldn't hold back her own smile. She looked over to Waka, and found him staring at her with an unreadable smile on his face. It seemed full of admiration, making her feel slightly uncomfortable. She dismissed it as just Waka being silly.
Then came the celebration of her first battle with Orochi, as Shiranui. The gods had planned a big feast, and the Celestials had decorated the whole palace with flowers and paintings depicting the glorious fight. Amaterasu could hardly keep herself from skipping with joy; any break from the monotony of her divine routine was more than welcome (especially if good food was involved).
On the day of the celebration, she awoke alone. There was a strange chill in her chambers, and uneasiness settled in her gut. She knew in her mind that it was still morning, though the weakness she felt seemed to indicate otherwise. She left the room without changing out of her sleeping robe.
The rest of the palace was no better; there was not a soul in sight, and an unnatural silence had taken hold in their stead, that same chill filling every room. Getting even more anxious, she cursed under her breath as she left the palace.
Outside, she was met with deep, overwhelming darkness. It wasn't silent as inside the palace; she could hear the dark laughter of demons all around her. Clenching her fists, she readied her Reflector and followed one of such voices. Before she could get there, however, something jumped at her and pinned her down.
"I got her, I got her! The great Amaterasu! Hahaha! Your ours now!" Sang the imp as his friends came to his side. She growled and managed to throw him off her, but other imps took his place, their claws digging into her back as they pressed her down, holding her limbs in place and disabling the use of her weapon. She tried to struggle, but it only made it worse. "She really is a lot weaker without her precious Sun, eh?" The goddess felt a chill run down her spine; there must have been an eclipse.
"Quick, let's get her to the boss while she's weak!", one of them said. She tried one last time to shake them off but her body felt slow and tired. She hurled insults at them as they dragged her away.
Soon after, she found herself standing on the edge of the cliff that overlooked Nippon, her arms and legs bound. Her view of the world was blocked by a large, eight-headed beast. Amaterasu gasped.
"No. Not you. Not again." She whispered. Orochi gave a laugh-like growl at her.
"Did you really believe you could destroy me that easily, little goddess? You should have known better."
"What did you do to them?! Where are the other gods and the Celestials?!" She barked at him, struggling against her binds.
"What do you think?", he retorted in a mocking tone. The goddess felt chills run down her spine. "I made sure they would not get in my way."
"You bastard! After everything we went through, after everything we did to fix what you had destroyed, how dare you come back here and ruin it all over again!" The anger boiled inside her, causing heat to emanate from her body. One of Orochi's heads bit deep into her side, and she howled in pain.
"Do not worry, little goddess. This time, I will make sure there is nothing left to restore." And with that, Orochi released a loud, menacing growl from all of his eight heads; suddenly, Amaterasu felt all her powers being drained from her. The markings on her skin slowly began to fade away along with her consciousness. "Farewell, Amaterasu. May we never meet again." She felt Orochi's fangs on her body again, then the air rushing past her as she fell, and then nothing.
Waka Translation Corner:
Mon chaton - My kitty
I'm wide awake
Yeah, I was in the dark
I was falling hard
With an open heart
I'm wide awake
How did I read the stars so wrong (goddammit Waka)