A/N: Welcome to the beefer chapter!

11 pages. 6,181 words. Jeebs, I know I wanted to make up for my lack of not posting anything, but man. This isn't the longest fic I've written (it doesn't even come close to my other beefer chapter), but man.

Anyway, I just wanna give a quick heads-up: Chapter Four of this fic is gonna take longer than expected. I don't know if I mentioned this before or not, but, when it comes to multi-chaptered fics like this, I have all of them on one document and then copy-paste them onto a new one and save it. I use OpenOffice as my default word processor, and it has a tendency to (close to 90% of the time) replace all the words I've already typed to hashtags.

This fic was no exception to that. I had some of chapter four typed out (which is "Sharp Teeth," by the way). I was working on it some last night and was planning to continue this morning (the day this chapter is being posted, 5/23/18). So, after turning on my computer, I opened OpenOffice and a text box I'm all-too-familiar with popped up. After hitting "Okay," it opened up and all 32 pages of "Sun Set" were replaced by 12 pages of hashtags. I posted a picture of this on my writing Tumblr, oldfashioncdvillain, a little bit ago if you wanna check it out.

It also happened with i am the mastermind (underline mastermind)'s Hope Arc fic, which is why that hasn't been posted yet, either. I actually got scared since it happened to "Sun Set" that I had to check another SPN crossover I've been working on. Fortunately, it hasn't happened yet. That one in particular is 45 pages long, and I'm only on chapter three (that's the fic that has the beefer chapter that's longer than this one). I'll be posting that one eventually.

Anyway, hope you like this chapter! And I'm sorry about the wait. And the fact that I'm gonna be making you wait even longer for chapter four! *puffy face*

Two days after Dean got the mark from Cain, Aline found herself, along with both Winchesters, right outside the gate to Sei-An City. It didn't seem like there was much of a trigger to cause these trips anymore.

Maybe that would change the further she went.

That left her mind the moment the three of them entered the commoner's quarters of Sei-An City. The whole area was veiled under a deep, hazy, green mist. All the cherry blossom trees were not bloomed, and Aline didn't bother blooming them. The waterways that ran through the quarter was all dried up.

"Huh? What the...!?" Sam said, clearly shocked. "I thought the big city would be a happenin' place. What's up with this funky looking mist!? It looks downright hazardous to your health! I wonder if people can actually live normal lives in this nasty stuff."

"This stuff really does look nasty," Dean pointed out. "Can you bloom the trees?"

"No point. They'll just go back to being dead," Aline answered, and she began walking, Dean following behind her. She walked over to the tool dealer.

"Oh, this is terrible," he complained. "The Water Dragon is causing so much trouble out in the sea. It's gotten to the point where I can't produce any goods to sell. There used to be tons of fish both in Ryoshima and here in the city. But the Water Dragon's antics have scared them all away. The price of fresh fish has gone through the roof. What is it, pooch? Been sent to do the shopping, have you? I don't have much for sale, but feel free to take a look."

She sold all the treasure she'd found before buying the Blinding Snow fishing rod, earning questioning looks from both brothers.

"Why are you buying that?" Sam inquired.

She grinned. "You'll find out," she replied. "I thought you guys said you didn't want any spoilers." Grabbing Dean's hand, she ran past a city dweller trying to pull himself up off the ground with the wall, over a bridge, and stopped in front of a kneeling samurai. He was wearing a yellow kimono and purple hakama. A katana with a light gray handle was on his side in a lacquered black wood sheath. His face was quite large, his mustache was thin, and he also had a small beard. His hair was tied up into a ponytail, with the hair on his temples pointing horizontally. A flag was on his back.

"I was traveling the country to perfect my martial arts," the samurai said with a growl. "But when I arrived here in Sei-An, I suddenly started to feel ill. I'd heard rumors before that Queen Himiko's holy power was incredible. Surely this can't be her doing! This mist across the city is suspicious, too... But I won't let it get the better of me. Nothing gets the better of me!"

She continued on past the guards, noticing Dean had a thoughtful look on his face. Sam stopped her, though.

"The city's bigwigs live across the bridge ahead. That area's crammed full of awesome palaces. One of 'em belongs to Queen Himiko, ruler of Nippon. You can tell because it's really huge. I've no idea what she's like, but I'm not sure I'll like her. I mean, she doesn't seem to be doing anything about this mist. Plus, I make it a point to never trust queens and the like anyway."

Aline smiled and laughed to herself as she walked through the door leading to the bridge between the commoner's and aristocratic quarters. But...

"It looks even worse over here," Sam pointed out. "And the bridge is up!"

The bridge, the Gojo Bridge, was indeed up. And the source of the waterways, Lake Beewa, was all dried up. Off in the distance, the mist seemed to be swirling up from across the bridge.

"That's where it's coming from," Dean said.

It wasn't a question, but Aline nodded none the less, confirming Dean's suspicions.

That's where it is, she thought, the image of the one causing the mist popping up in her mind. She changed into her wolf form, pulling Dean onto her back as she did so, and ran down the bridge, stopping where it was split in half.

Standing at the edge of the commoner's side of the bridge, staring at Lake Beewa, was a man wearing a white hood with many weapons on his back. White bandages were on his arms and ankles, and he wore a blue jacket with gold circles. His lower body was covered by a cloth held up by a yellow rope, and sandals were on his feet.

"Hrmmm... Where did all the water go?" Aline heard the man grumble (and grumble some more) when the trio got close to him. He turned around, jumping when he saw Aline. "Oh, hello, pooch. Thinking about crossing Gojo Bridge? Well, think again! This bridge is a very special contraption! With one command, I can make it passable, and another, impassable. But there's a reason why I cannot operate it right now."

"Why not?" Sam questioned.

Aline poked the man with her paw, causing him to get angry.

"Stop pestering me. I cannot make the bridge passable right now! At least not until the lake's water is restored and I get that elusive item..."

"Who does this guy think he is?" Dean asked, glaring at him.

"That's Benkei," Aline answered, turning around and running back to the commoner's quarters. "He's a traveling Buddhist monk."

"And that item he's looking for?"

The brunette grinned, now running past the samurai and jumping into the dried up waterways. Left, right, opening chests along the way to her destination. "Spoilers. I just wanted to talk to him so that way you wouldn't get confused when I head to where we needed to go in the first place."

"Well, I don't know about Dean, but I'm already confused," Sam said. Right now, he was sitting on top of her head in between her ears, holding onto her fur as she ran.

"It'll make sense, trust me. And we're here anyway."

With one last jump, she landed on a wooden platform above the dried-up canal where an elderly man with a white beard stood. He was wearing a hat that appeared to be a model of one of the many large buildings in the city. A wooden hammer was on his back. The man looked disgruntled, angry even.

"Curse that confounded Water Dragon, causing such a commotion!" he grumbled. "How can the god of the sea be ruining the peace like this? I bet the dragon is to blame for the state of this canal, too. All that fuss has caused the lake to plug itself up!"

Dean leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Who's this old timer?"

"That's Naguri. He's a master carpenter," Aline responded.

Sam had stood up the moment Aline stopped in front of Naguri, bouncing as he said, "Hey, Ammy, looks like there's trouble over here, too. Seems the whole city's a complete mess."

Naguri looked up, shocked to see a wolf standing in front of him. "Oh, did you come here for a drink of water, wolf? I'm afraid it's completely dried up. This canal was a really important source of water for us. That's why I'm digging a whole to see if I can tap into it again. So many people are sick now that there's hardly anyone to help out. In fact, I'm the only one left. One lowly carpenter. But I'm determined not to give up. You get quite fit doing my job. Now I can reap the benefits. I built almost everything you see here in Sei-An, you know. So there's nothing I don't know about the place. Wanna know where the key to this water source lies? It lies in Lake Beewa's drain plug!"

Aline barked to catch the carpenter's attention again after he looked away from her.

"You seem to listen well for a pooch. Maybe I should tell you about Lake Beewa's plug then. Sei-An City is floating in the middle of Lake Beewa. The water from it is what fills the canal around the city. But the Water Dragon's antics have made the plug seal up. No wonder the canal is dried up. And that's why we're in this sorry state now. I'm pretty sure the plug is located beneath this area. If I can dig my way to it, the water should come gushing out! It's pretty exciting, don't you think? If you think so, then maybe you could help me out!"

Aline said "Yes" without a moment of hesitation.

"It's a shame wolves can only answer with their eyes. Still, it doesn't matter what you are if you're willing to help. Now listen carefully while I explain what you have to do. Like I told you, Lake Beewa's plug is right below us here. I'll concentrate all of my efforts on finding it. All you need to do is use those claws and get digging! I'll use the hole you dig to get the plug, and when I reach it, I'll give it a good whack and open it up! If no water comes out, you might need to give me a hand. So, do you understand what you have to do?"

Once again, Aline said, "Yes."

"That looks like a yes to me. It's time for wolf and human to pool their energy together! Let's get going!"

Minutes later, the canal was unclogged and Aline and Sam were back at Gojo Bridge (Sam and Dean had stayed on the dock while Aline and Naguri searched for the plug AKA digging minigame number two of three).

"Maybe hoodhead will let us through this time," Sam stated. Dean had disappeared while Aline was searching for Lake Beewa's plug with Naguri. (According to Sam, he just poofed away, freaking him out.) The younger Winchester was currently sitting on her shoulder.

Aline rolled her eyes and chuckled a little as they neared the wandering Buddhist monk. She'd switched back to her anthro form the moment she set foot on the bridge.

"So, what have I been missing on the adventures of Dean and Aline?"

She froze, but she recovered quickly. Both she and Dean swore to each other that they wouldn't let Sam know what happened, about the mark. Talking about hers was definitely fair game (as much as she didn't want to), but Dean's? Not a chance. "Took out some demons, went out for drinks," she replied (better a half-truth than a full lie). "The usual stuff. What about you and Cas?"

"I still had some of Gadreel's grace in me."

That made her stop in her tracks and move Sam to her left palm. "Seriously?"

"Yeah. It would've gone away if Cas kept healing me. Cas was gonna extract it, and we were gonna use it to track him down, but I was gonna go back to the way I was before he possessed me."

"You mean how you were after trying to cure Crowley." The image of Sam lying unconscious on that hospital bed made her blood run cold. Sure she wanted to find Gadreel, but Sam going back to the way he was before...that was just not acceptable. "You better have stopped it." Her teeth were clenched when she said it. (please tell me you stopped it, sam. please.)

"The thing is..." He trailed off, like he didn't want to continue.

"What? Come on, Sam, tell me!"

"I wasn't the one that stopped it, okay? I wanted to keep going, but Cas stopped the procedure and completely healed me."

It felt like the whole world stopped in its tracks, and her heart cracked. Robotically, she put him back on her shoulder and didn't say anything else.

And she kept walking toward Benkei, pulling the Blinding Snow fishing rod out of her pocket. Sam kept trying to speak, but she held up her free hand every time. He stopped trying when they reached Benkei.

The man chuckled. "At last," he stated, "the time is near! Benkei the fisherman monk shall lay claim to his 1,000th sword! I have traveled far and wide challenging master swordsmen. And 999 swords have I claimed by my own hand. But now I have defeated all who would dare challenge me, that last sword has eluded me. I need but one more to make 1,000! And thus, aimlessly I have wandered... That is, until a legend drew me to Sei-An City. It is said that a Living Sword lies in the depths of Lake Beewa!"

Aline poked him the moment he looked away.

"Have you heard the legend about Lake Beewa? Even I could barely believe it when I first heard, but they say a Living Sword swims freely about in these waters! If true, it would make a fitting addition as my 1,000th sword! This bridge is a very special contraption! With one command, I can make it passable, and another impassable. As you can see, it makes for a fine place to fish. It grieves me to cut off access to the city, but I'm afraid this bridge shall stay this way while I fish for the Living Sword! Of course, that may be easier said than done..."

This time, she poked him with Blinding Snow.

"This is no mere fishing trip for me. This is a true battle with the Living Sword! I must therefore arm myself with the right weapon. That fishing rod over at the Tool Dealer in town would be perfect! Oh, you should see it! It is the purest of white, like new fallen snow. There is no chance of victory without that rod! Alas... It would appear that I cannot afford it. Oh, what am I to do... Hrmmm..." That was when he noticed that said-fishing rod was in her hand. "Hrmmm? Th-Th-That's...! That's Blinding Snow, the rod from the Tool Dealer! With that fine rod, I would at last have a chance against the Living Sword! Now be a good doggie and give it here!"

As she handed it over, she noticed Sam's eyes widen in realization.

"So that's why you bought that!" he stated, earning a nod from the brunette while Benkei took it and raised it in the air in triumph.

"Oh, happy day! I have never fished before, but it should not be much different from a good swordfight! Now, to catch that 1,000th sword. I shall engage in mortal combat with the Living Sword!"

After catching a smelt and a killifish, the Living Sword appeared. After powerslashing it multiple times, the cutlass fish, the Living Sword, was Benkei's.

"The gods be praised!" Benkei cheered, a wide smile on his face. "At last! At last I have fulfilled my dream!"

Right after he said that and saw what he'd been chasing, his smile fell, and there was an awkward silence as it sunk in.

"So that is the Living Sword?" he finally stated. "That is what I have been pursuing all this time?"

"Aw, don't take it so hard," Sam reassured him. "I mean, that WAS one big Cutlass Fish. And a cutlass IS a kind of sword, isn't it? Plus, what're the odds of catching an ocean fish in a lake!?"

Benkei glared at him. "Spare me such solace!" His glare lessened. "But enough of that. A monk never goes back on his word! I shall make this jigsaw bridge passable once more!"

With a single buttstomp, the Gojo Bridge rose into one giant bridge, and Aline and Sam left him behind, heading to the aristocratic quarter, but not before Sam stopped her.

"Whoa! Stop, Ammy! I thought this mist was coming from the lake or mountains... So what's that stuff rising from the Imperial Palace!? Let's keep going, furball!"

And they kept going, but not before running into Dean, back as the half-baked prophet himself. Behind him was a line of people waiting to enter the giant building in front of them.

The Lecture Hall.

That was the moment she felt a surge of pain coming from inside of her, and she doubled over before falling on all fours. Sweat poured down her forehead as she groaned.

"ALINE!" Sam shouted, catching Dean's attention.

The older Winchester brother's hazel green eyes were wide, and he looked like he wanted to move, but he was stuck in place.

However, as fast as it had began, the pain disappeared just as quickly, and she stood up again, panting heavily.

"'m fine, guys. I'm fine," she reassured them with a smile as she continued walking toward Dean before he finally spoke.

"Well, well...," he stated. "Look what the cat dragged in... What took you so long, ma chérie?"

"Ack...," Sam cried out. "Not you again! Well, you can't fool us! We're not gonna forget what you did to us back at Orochi's cave! And why do you keep popping up wherever we are anyway? What are you up to this time?" He was (both literally and figuratively) hopping mad.

"Hm?" Dean looked up as if he hadn't heard his brother. "Excusez-moi, but I have no time to follow you around. You see, I'm busy looking for something."

"Bah... Some prophet you are. Shouldn't you already know where to look?"

"Well, maybe 'look' isn't the right word. I already KNOW where it is. It's just... Getting there is proving to be a bit of a problem. Suffice it to say, I want it quick and easy!"

"Quick and easy...? Wait a sec... Don't tell me you're behind this funky mist? Is this part of a plan to conquer the city and take over the world!? You're always up to no good, so I wouldn't be surprised..."

Aline laughed, already knowing what Waka was looking for. It was difficult to get there, even for him. Especially getting inside.

"The world? Not bad, my little bouncing friend. You're only half wrong... I seek the other world... I desire a path to the heavens."

"A path to the heavens? Oh, stop beating around the bush and let us know what's on your mind!"

Dean let out a chuckle before adding, "This path concerns you, too, ma chérie."

"Huh?"

"This city is in quite a bad state, is it not? Especially this ghastly mist that torments its people..."

"You think we're stupid? We see right through you, pretty boy! Ha! We got ya all figured out! This funky mist and your so-called path to the heavens... You're in cahoots with Queen Himiko!"

Dean ignored him and kept looking at Aline, making her blush as he kept speaking. "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. So just take it step by step. You must first deal with this mist. It is slowly but surely killing the people of this city. Wait too long, and it's au revoir! The damage will already be done."

"Why you—! Talking about it like it's someone else's problem! You're behind it all! Admit it already!"

That was when Dean finally looked at Sam. "Even if I was... What good would come out of arguing about it here? Methinks you should be doing something about the mist now. How about a tip this time instead of a prophecy?" With some fancy footwork, he added, "'Go through the hole in the wall, little ones!'" After a bit of an awkward pause and a shrug, he cleared his throat with an "Ahem". "Let me put it this way... Even the most solid defense has a tiny gap like the eye of a needle! Or something like that... Understand, ma chérie?"

Aline walked past Dean and talked to man a few inches away from Dean.

"I wonder how long it'll be before it's my turn," the man said. "This horrible choking mist is driving me crazy. I'm lucky if I can get any work done at all lately. I have to see Rao at least once a day to stay sane!"

"Wait," Sam stated as Aline ran past the other people that were in line and up the stairs.

She stopped right at the door. "Yeah, Sam?" she answered.

"We're gonna see Rao?"

Aline knew there was a grin on his face, probably remembering back when he'd bought the costume for her to wear to that convention four years ago. She glared at him before entering the lecture hall. There were piles and piles of rolled-up scrolls on shelves pushed against the wall. In front of one set of shelves was a desk. Sitting at the desk was a familiar looking woman.

The woman was wearing a nun's hood, a necklace of red beads, and a purple dress with a yellow sash. One of her eyes was covered by her bangs. Her hair color looked extremely familiar to Aline.

Right then, Dean appeared next to her, back in his own clothes.

"I'll never get used to that," he said, shuddering before seeing where he was and his eyes landing on the woman in purple. His wide eyes quickly moved between the woman and Aline. Dean and Aline (with Sam on Dean's shoulder now) walked toward the desk, catching the woman's attention.

"Well...," she stated, her voice as familiar as her hair. "Who'd have thought there'd be a wolf in here of all places? The world is in turmoil. Have you come to listen to one of my sermons, wolf? Then allow me to introduce myself. My name is Rao. I'm the regent of Sei-An City. Appointed by Queen Himiko herself."

Rao stood up and backflipped over the desk, landing on her feet. Her large breasts jiggled once before she placed her hand on her chest. The three hunters' eyes were locked on her chest. Aline looked up at the priestess's face, azure eyes locking on azure.

That was when she figured out why Rao looked so familiar to her, and her eyes widened and her jaw dropped in shock. She took a step back, looking at Rao up and down because this isn't possible.

But it was.

"Th-That's...she's me!" Aline exclaimed in shock.

Rao's hair was, indeed, brown, the same exact shade as Aline's. Same with her visible eye.

Dean looked between Rao and Aline, and he noticed it as well.

"Son of a bitch," he mumbled.

"So what's troubling you then?"

Sam, however, didn't seem to hear anything his brother and Aline were saying, his eyes locked on Rao as he cried out, "Holy cow, this sister's stacked!"

If she wasn't shocked to her core, Aline would've laughed at hearing Sam talk like that, but this...this was crazy. Had something like this happened with her half-siblings? (she knew it didn't happen with Chibi.) She'd have to find a way to contact her mom (if it was even possible).

Why did this happen?

Why?

(whywhywhywhywhywhywh—)

[Dean sent a quick glare Sam's way, but he laughed nonetheless. It was strange hearing Sam even utter the word 'stacked'. Maybe he could find a way to record this if it happened again...

...but then he looked at Aline. Her face was pale, eyes wide. He grabbed her hand, hoping it would pull her out of her own brain.]

Rao jumped in surprise, her breasts jiggling again (they did so every time she moved). "Excuse me? Oh! You've got a cute little fairy with you!"

(she even sounded like Aline. It was crazy. This was crazy.

Wait...did that mean...)

"The name's Issun! And by the way... It only looks like I'm staring at your melons!"

"...Melons?"

"Aw, never mind... Anyway, so you're runnin' things around here? Well, there's a funky mist covering the city... And there's talk of a Water Dragon or something off shore. So what's up with the queen holing herself up in her palace? The people of her city are dropping like flies, ya know. How can she be so lazy at a time like this?"

Snapping out of her daze the minute she felt something hold her hand, she looked at Rao, studying her. The signs were obvious if someone was looking for them. It looks like I'm right, she thought to herself before beginning to listen to the conversation.

"So, you've sensed the evil forces over Ryoshima too, then? I heard that dreaded Orochi was resurrected in Shinshu Field, though a brave swordsman vanquished him again. The ripples of those waves of chaos are reaching Ryoshima, too. The Water Dragon terrorizes the sea and an ill mist covers Sei-An. And in these last few days, the situation has intensified. I don't know what's happening to our peaceful Nippon!"

"She said something about waves of chaos growing stronger recently... Hmmm...," Sam muttered to himself, Aline, and Dean. "A creepy shadow did scurry off when we defeated Orochi... Wonder if whatever it was took root here on Ryoshima Coast."

"What are you muttering about, Issun?" Rao looked curiously at Sam.

"Well, this will no doubt come as quite a shock, but... The great slayer of the dreaded Orochi is right before your eyes. Behold, the great Amaterasu!"

The busty priestess jumped in surprise. "What!? This wolf!? But... I heard it was a swordsman called Susano!"

Sam began sweating a bit. "Huh!? Oh, uh, well... he may have dealt the final blow... But Ammy here did most of the work, I tell ya! And if you don't believe me... Ammy's gonna show ya some divine powers, right now!"

Without talking to either Sam or Dean about it, Aline drew an inferno line from one of the candles on either side of the desk to Rao herself, surprising everyone.

"...why did you set yourself on fire?" Dean asked her.

Aline only shrugged while Rao jumped in surprise.

"What was that!?"

Aline could tell Sam was beaming. "You like it? That was one of Amaterasu's divine powers. A mere taste of what the Celestial Brush can do!"

"Celestial Brush...?" Rao's blue eyes locked on Aline's own. "What a mysterious and fearsome power you wield, Amaterasu!"

"Ya got that right, sister! There ain't nothing Ammy can't do!"

"Maybe this wolf... Maybe this wolf could help me with my quest!"

There was something in those eyes that made Aline shiver. It wasn't something she could've seen while playing the game back in the bunker, but it was there at that moment.

Both Sam and Dean, however, were oblivious to that something, Sam moreso than Dean because, at that moment, he was Issun, not Sam Winchester.

"Your quest? What more could you want? You're already stacked to the ceiling!"

That made Aline laugh, but Rao got a depressed look on her face (it was as if Aline was looking in a mirror. The expressions this...clone? twin?...made were the exact same as her own) and looked at the hardwood floor.

"...never mind. Forget I said anything. Now that I've lost my Prayer Slips, the situation is completely hopeless."

"C'mon! Tell us what you want!"

"It doesn't matter. Just forget about it. I have many favors I want to ask, no that I've seen your powers. But without my Prayer Slips, there is nothing anyone can do."

Before leaving the hall, Aline, motioning toward Sam, sent a quick grin Dean's way before switching to her wolf form and headbutted Rao.

"H-Hey!"

Sam immediately started beaming, hearts in his eyes, as he said dreamily, "Oh, the wonders of nature! A deep valley between two lofty peaks!"

They left the hall, Dean and Aline laughing while Sam's face turned crimson in embarrassment.

"I can't help what I say. You guys know that!" he exclaimed while Aline morphed back to her anthro form.

"We know, but it's still hilarious!" Dean replied as they walked through the misty aristocratic quarter.

"I didn't know you had a crush on me, Sammy," Aline teased, making Sam's blush darken.

"Shut up, Gimli," Sam grumbled. "...Wait a minute...that was you!? But...you're..."

Aline nodded. "I'm gonna find out a way to ask my mom because I don't get it either. Let's just find the Prayer Slips and get outta here."

It turned out the Prayer Slips were just outside the Emperor's palace, the source of the acrid mist. There were two guards at the gate, preventing the trio from entering the palace. The Prayer Slips, however, were in front of a small crack in the wall where more of the mist was leaking from. As soon as the trio were close to the Prayer Slips, Aline was able to hear the conversation between the two guards, but she didn't look their way to see which one of them was talking.

"Psst!" There was a pause that lasted less than a minute. "Psst! Can you hear me?"

"What? We're supposed to be on duty!"

"Well, it's just... I wanted to ask you something. Um, what's your opinion of His Highness?"

"What do you mean? Surely you're not doubting the worth of our honorable Emperor! True, he's had to take to his bed because of this strange illness. But I'm full of hope that he'll soon make a speedy recovery."

"And I am too, of course! But there's something about his strange illness that bothers me. That swirling mist is a little out of the ordinary, don't you think? The moment the Emperor took ill, it started to come from his room. And then, before we knew it, it had taken over the whole city! People are really starting to suffer from it, too. Well? Don't you think it's all a bit of a coincidence?"

Another pause. "It's definitely odd. I'll grant you that. But it's no use trying to ask His Highness how he feels. He just sends everyone away, and he won't even see a doctor. So I don't see that there's anything we can do about it."

"But what about that girl locked up in the cell all alone? She shouldn't be locked up like that. She's done nothing wrong!"

"You mean that girl called Kaguya, right? Hm. Orders are orders, so we had no choice but to lock her up. But I can't quite see why His Highness wanted us to do it. The city's in a real mess ever since he took ill like this. I wonder what's going on inside the palace..."

One more step up, and they found the Prayer Slips.

The minute she got close to them, Sam spoke up, "Hm? Check out these slips of paper. Looks like each one has a spell or something on it. But I have no idea how to use 'em. Don't think they'd do us much good."

After picking them up, Aline looked at one at the top of the pile. She clenched both her free hand into a fist and her jaw, trying not to tear up...

...but it didn't work since she felt a tear fall from her eye. She quickly wiped it away and led them back to Rao's Lecture Hall, putting the Slips into her pocket.

[Both Dean and Sam looked at her curiously. They noticed that tear. First, Aline'd almost cried at the mention of the Water Dragon. Now, she'd almost started crying just looking at a Prayer Slip?

Dean hoped that whatever was causing him to not know what was going on would go away. And fast.]

It didn't take them as long to get back to the Lecture Hall as it did to find the Prayer Slips, but they were back, nonetheless. And Aline had pulled them out of her pocket, holding them out to the busty priestess.

Rao jumped in surprise. "What have you...!? My Prayer Slips! You found them? In this huge city!? Thank you! They're indispensable in my fight against the evil beings. I was sure one of them had stolen from me. Thank goodness! Yes, your ability to sniff things out really is a divine power," Rao said gratefully as she put the slips into her own pocket. "Your name's Amaterasu, correct, wolf? Well, Amaterasu, would you put your powers to use for us?"

"Hm? You saying we're the answer to your prayers?" Sam asked.

"I'm saying you are our only hope. As you have seen, Ryoshima Coast is in turmoil. All because of the evil rising from the darkness... Because of the forces of darkness."

"Forces of darkness?"

"Yes. Next to them, the monsters out there in the wild are nothing! They're starting to spread over Ryoshima Coast. And with Queen Himiko confined to her palace, it all falls to me. Normally, I'd use my holy powers to dispel any threat to the city. But this foe is too strong for me. So I have no choice but to ask this favor. Lend me your powers!"

"So that means we'd end up helping Himiko after all? I dunno... Sounds kinda fishy to me."

"There are some who think the queen is a coward to shut herself away. But she cares for her subjects. She's praying for our protection. But even she can't calm the Water Dragon and exorcise the city. Not without that sacred treasure to enhance her holy powers. That's what I want you to help me find!"

Aline was noticing it was starting to grow easy to forget what was going to happen later, easy to trust Rao. But she shook herself out of it. The signs were all there. She just hadn't dropped the biggest one yet, but Aline knew that was coming.

Gritting her teeth, Aline tapped on Rao's shoulder to get her to continue speaking.

"Please, Amaterasu! Let me ask you once again. Will you listen to what I have to ask?"

"Sure," Aline said, crossing her arms over her own chest.

"Aw, what the heck... Let's hear what this stacked babe has to say," Sam stated, earning chuckles from both his brother and Aline.

The "stacked babe" looked confused for a second. "Stacked? Anyway.. When you came here to the city, did you see it? Right off the coast near the Ryoshima border, there lies a sunken treasure ship, a victim of the Water Dragon's rampage. That ship was a trading vessel, working between here and abroad. It was transporting a great treasure, ordered by Queen Himiko. But the Water Dragon attacked every ship in the water. It sunk the ship and its precious cargo right in front of the port! The Fox Rods that the queen had finally managed to locate, a matchless treasure with the power to defeat any foe, would have been Sei-An City's. If we had the Fox Rods now, we could drive out the evil beings. Amaterasu, will you come to the treasure ship with me, and help me search its cargo for the Fox Rods?"

"You want us to search for treasure on a sunken ship? Well, I'd do anything for a cute babe, but... If my boss here says no, there ain't much I can do. Well, boss? We gonna help this busty babe, or what?"

"Sure. Why not?" Aline responded with a shrug.

"Bummer! Well, the boss has spoken..." But then it seemed to hit Sam what she'd actually said. "Huh? What was that, Ammy!?"

Rao was practically beaming as she jumped up and down for joy for a few seconds. "Thank you, Amaterasu! You're a true savior! OK, let's go to the treasure ship right away, then! Although..." She trailed off, thinking for a moment. "We must wait a while until the new moon rises in the night sky. In the shallows where the ship ran aground, called the Lunar Lagoon, the tide only recedes when the new moon is seen from the Moon Turret. When the tide's out, it's easy to get into the treasure ship. We'll meet at the ship, on the night of the next new moon."

Right when Aline and Dean were about to exit the Lecture Hall, Sam let her have it, hopping mad. "Boy, Ammy, you seemed really eager to help her!" She heard the grin in his voice (that disappeared after the next sentence) as he added, "Well, I couldn't say no to those two either. But we can't let our guard down. I mean, who knows? That busty babe might be Himiko's puppet. And if they're up to no good, then we should get our hands on those Fox Rods before they do!"

Before they could even exit, the world around them began to blend together, and it was replaced by the puke green ceiling of her's and Dean's motel room.

A/N: Yep. Surprise! Not only is Aline playing as Amaterasu, she's also playing as Rao! Also, there is a reference to a SPN season 4 fic I wrote that I haven't posted on here yet called "Cowboys & Priestesses." Here's the summary of it: 'Aline and the Winchesters decide to go to a convention, at Sam's insistence. Aline, unfortunately, has to deal with Sam's costume choice for her after losing a bet.'

I'll post it (along with the other SPN season fics I wrote) eventually, but, if you wanna read it now, it's on both my writing Tumblr (oldfashioncdvillain) and my AO3 (DeanGirl2Y5, just like on here). It's in my AO3 series called DeanGirl2Y5's Seasons of Supernatural. The fic it's in is called Oh Lazarus, Were You So Afraid? (Season Four). Anyway, hope you liked this chapter, and I'll try not to keep you waiting too long for chapter 4!

FUN FACT: That "Holy cow, this sister's stacked!" scene is one of my favorite Issun scenes in the game. Heck, most of the conversations between Issun and Rao I love. But we're not even close to my another of my favorite Issun scenes. That's not gonna be for a while yet.