OMG! Could it be?? A chapter about Ammy and Oki?? Gasp! It's Oki's big moment…
On another note, who likes imps?
Green shadows scuttled about the ground as the sunlight struggled to find a way through the leafy canopy of Agata Forest. Oki moved cautiously in his beast form, making sure to never make a sound as his paws padded softly against the forest floor. He couldn't find Amaterasu. She was too fast and she'd left no scent behind for him to track, but that wasn't his only worry.
He was being followed.
His pursuer was toying with him. Most of the time he was as quiet as Oki, but every now and then, as if on purpose, he'd make a sound to let Oki know that he was still there. Whoever it was also remained upwind to elude Oki's nose. Oki had tried changing direction, but his pursuer remained elusive and Oki was unsure of what to do. Did he continue searching for Amaterasu, even though he was possibly leading danger to her?
Despite that thought, he couldn't abandon his search for her. He didn't like the idea of her running naked across Nippon…
There was a rustle close by, closer than he'd heard yet. Oki reverted to his human form. There was a brief moment of pain that stretched through all his limbs before he was standing on two feet. Urgently he grabbed Kutone and turned in the direction the sound had come from.
Bird cries flittered through the forest, but the leaves of the trees and foliage were perfectly still. Oki fought the angry urge to go thrashing through the undergrowth. He didn't like being followed and he wasn't used to this kind of land. Back home, Yoshpet was impenetrable and there were no other forests in Kamui. This forest was a dark realm unto itself. Even though it was midday, the heat and glow of the sun were blocked by the dense canopy.
Another noise; this time from behind him. Oki turned. He should be able to smell something by now...
Something leapt out of the undergrowth and suddenly Oki had the sensation that the forest had been filled with light. He dropped Kutone as he was thrown onto his back and forcefully pinned against the ground by a naked girl.
"Amaterasu!" he gasped.
She smiled smugly as she licked his face. Oki felt frozen beneath her. Something still seemed to prevent him from looking at her directly, but he didn't need to look at her; just knowing her naked body was pressed against his was enough to make it harder to breathe…
She jumped off him. Oki was still for a moment as he tried to get his breath back, but when he turned he saw that Amaterasu was already disappearing amid the trees as she continued to hurry through the forest.
"Wait!" he called.
Even though he was in his human form, his sense of smell was strong. She was bleeding. As she stopped and glanced back at him, he saw the scratches and cuts that mingled with the red patterns criss-crossing her body.
"You're hurt," he said.
She didn't speak and Oki couldn't stare at her directly for long enough to read whatever expression was in her eyes. He had a feeling that she wasn't bothered by the marks the forest had given her, but he didn't like the smell of blood coming from her. He didn't like the thought of anything hurting her or scarring her perfect skin. He'd never wanted to protect anybody as much as her.
"Please take this." He held out the dress, which was now covered in dirt.
She stared at it. Oki tried to look at her face, even though he felt unbearably warm as his eyes glided briefly over her naked form. For the split second that his gaze was able to rest on her he saw amusement in her expression. He also had the awful inkling that she knew exactly what he was feeling. Did she understand? He thought about how confident she seemed in her human form. She had to know what effect a naked woman had on a man.
She moved close to him and Oki wished that he wasn't wearing his mask so that he could feel the breath from her lips on his face. She stared at him intently, as if she was reading his mind. Finally she gave a small laugh, the prettiest sound Oki had ever heard, and then she was turning away and moving through the forest again.
"The dress… Amaterasu, please, "Oki gasped.
She didn't look back.
"It will at least stop you getting scratched by this forest," he said.
She suddenly stopped, but she didn't turn to him. Instead, she spread her arms wide and tilted her head back. Abruptly a wind appeared, which she had no doubt summoned. The trees swayed and Oki smelt the sweet pollen that the breeze carried. Amaterasu kept her arms outstretched until the last breath of wind had vanished and then she glanced at him and smiled.
Suddenly she was away, bounding through the forest with the same blinding speed that had carried her across Shinshu. Oki couldn't help but watch her, even though he didn't want to lose her again. She looked incredible as she ran… so wild and clearly not of this mortal land.
He stared at the dress. She would never wear it. She seemed to love feeling everything around her too much. Even so, he scrunched the garment into his hand before taking after her. On the Celestial Plain there was nothing to stop her doing what she wished, but in Nippon humans wore clothes. Beautiful naked girls doing whatever they pleased confused matters. Especially men.
Thinking of the Celestial Plain suddenly made Oki think of Waka. He almost tripped. Didn't Waka live with on the plain with her? Amaterasu had obviously been human before — she moved too well and confidently, but Oki didn't like the idea of Waka being around her in human form. Without thinking, he found himself coiling his hand into a fist…
Keeping up with Amaterasu was almost impossible. He could already barely see her as she wove effortlessly between the trees. If her pale form hadn't been so bright then he knew he would have lost her instantly. With every moment he could smell more blood. The forest was littered with thorns, twigs and stones. Amaterasu's feet must be torn to pieces, but she didn't seem to care.
Abruptly though she stumbled out of sight, yelping in surprise as she did. Oki gripped his sword hard as he fought to reach her. "Amaterasu!"
As he emerged between two trees, he suddenly saw the ditch gaping in front of him, but it was too late to stop. He slipped and grunted as he hit the mud at the bottom.
Amaterasu was beside him and Oki felt his chest lurch as he realised that he had almost fallen on top of her. Her hair and skin were painted brown and several dead leaves had stuck to her. She smiled as she held her filthy hands up to the light that filtered through the canopy and Oki saw her wriggling her toes deeper into the mud, as if she enjoyed the feel of it.
He stood awkwardly and tried to back away but the ditch was too narrow. Silently he swore and told himself to get a grip. It wasn't like him to be so distracted and he felt strangely guilty for his infatuation. It didn't feel right to think of Amaterasu in the way that he was.
He held his hand to help her up. "Here."
She stood by herself and attempted to climb out of the ditch, but she slipped. Without thinking, Oki caught her as she fell, but as soon as his hands gripped her bare skin he felt how wrong it was to touch her. Something inside him screamed for him to release her, but Oki didn't want to.
A stubborn determination had always been present in his personality; it had been what led him to remove Kutone over a year ago when the twin demons had attacked. That part of him had reawakened again. He didn't want to let Amaterasu go, but as hard as he tried he couldn't keep his hands on her. His fingers fell away from her bare skin.
She stared at him and Oki desperately tried to meet her gaze. He realised that he'd never looked at her eyes long enough to be able to tell what colour they were.
Amaterasu backed away as much as she could in the narrow ditch. Briefly Oki glanced at her face. She was frowning, but she didn't look angry. He stared at the ground. His hands tingled from the memory of the feel of her skin.
How on earth could anything make him feel like this? Nothing had ever filled his mind this much before and the worse thing was that he knew he shouldn't be thinking like this.
Amaterasu still frowned at him. She seemed to be thinking. At the same time, she played with Waka's flute that she still carried in her hand.
"Whassis then? A lady and a beast dude frolicking in the mud?"
Oki glanced up.
A red imp stared down at him.
The Moon Palace was uglier than Waka remembered. He vaguely remembered a time before Vel when it had been beautiful. Stained glass windows had poured coloured sunlight into the corridors and the ceilings had flickered with elaborate displays created by machines that gave the illusion of a summer blue sky. The building had been open to anyone who wished to see it.
But that was so long ago that Waka could barely recall it. He'd still been a child at the time. He'd been one of the last to be born, along with the princess that Vel had killed with the rest of the original royal family. Shortly after that, Vel's experiments into the creation of monsters had wiped out most of the civilization.
Children among the Moon Tribe were incredibly rare, as was necessary to prevent overcrowding in a species that never grew old once they reached adulthood. The Moon Tribe would never be able to recover from what Vel had done. And Waka would never forgive him for it. His parents had died because of Vel's monsters.
And Vel had ruined the palace. The walls were now covered in portraits and sickeningly bright tapestries that depicted Vel as if he was a god.
Waka counted the number of ways he knew of killing someone with his bare hands as Raik and his cohorts escorted him down the garishly decorated corridors of the palace.
Unfortunately, he ached all over from the rosaries and the amount of blood he'd lost made him light headed. He didn't fancy his chances against his little entourage. Still, it might be worth another beating if he got to snap Raik's neck just before it happened…
He'd always been wary of Raik. He remembered the day Vel had sworn him into the guards of the Moon Tribe. He'd been a nervous, harmless looking man but Waka had noticed the way he lurked quietly in the shadows, and the way he told the Moon King everything he overheard. People had been executed because of Raik, and there had been several occasions where Waka had been forced to talk and smile his way out of an awkward moment with the Moon King after Raik had whispered something in his ear.
Without Raik, maybe Waka would have had more time just before he'd left. He could have searched that cursed ark properly…
He shook the memory from his head. He'd promised himself a long time ago that he wouldn't think about the 'what ifs' any more.
He glanced back at Raik briefly. "How on the moon did you become captain? You were useless two hundred years ago and you seem pretty useless now. You can't even find my sword."
Raik puffed out his chest, but Waka didn't miss the irritation in his eyes. "Loyalty elevated me to my position."
"Whoever is Captain of the Moon Tribe is supposed to defend our people, not chase around after royalty. Anybody who serves Vel is not Captain."
"You served him when you were Captain."
"Because I was plotting against him." He'd intended to kill him before he left but there hadn't been time. Pity.
"And look where it's got you: locked up."
Waka smiled. "There are worst things that could have happened to me. Being you for one."
Raik moved in front of him. "Do you think your favour with the goddess will save you? It's going to get you and her destroyed. You'll see." Striding forward, he unlocked a door at the end of the corridor. "You'll be staying in there. The Moon King says he advises you not to escape unless you want to be tortured again."
Waka leaned close. "The question you need to ask yourself, Raik, is whether he'll torture me before or after I've killed you."
Laughing, Raik drew his sword, a red beam of crackling light. "I'm the one with the sword."
Waka grabbed Raik by the neck with one hand and used his other to twist Raik's arm until he dropped the sword. The air hummed and fizzed the other Moon Tribe guards drew their swords, but as Waka stared at them he knew they weren't going to attack. They looked uncertain, as if they weren't sure whether to help Raik or Waka. Waka knew that most people loathed Vel. They only served him because they were afraid.
"I don't need a sword to kill you, Raik. Remember that," said Waka.
Waka squeezed his neck for a moment and smiled at the horrified expression on Raik's face, but he couldn't kill him. He didn't know what the other men would do and there were still too many men for him to fight. Instead, he released him and stepped into his prison. He slammed the door behind him.
Glancing around, he frowned. Well, this was interesting. He'd noticed that they hadn't led him to the dungeons, but he'd expected a worse place than this. It was a guest room. The carpet was thick and orange and there was a huge bed by the window. Faint patterns on the wall glowed blue, telling Waka there was electricity in the room. Yes, there was even a computer in the corner.
"I don't hear irritating voices," Issun mumbled from Waka's blood-soaked pocket. "Are your fellow hairy freaks gone?" He leapt onto the floor. "Gross! Do you know how disgusting that was? I almost drowned in your blood! I mean, what a way to go. Drowning in my own blood would be bad enough, but yours? Blech! How the heck can you bleed so much? Aren't you immortal?"
"Being immortal doesn't mean you can't be killed, I assure you." Waka stared down at Issun as he bounced on the carpet. "Are you all right? I was worried in case that rosary hit you."
"You worried about me? Gimme a break. You're probably disappointed I'm not dead."
"Au contraire, despite what you think I'd rather you lived. We are friends are we not?"
"The only thing we have in common is that we both like Ammy. Ha! And it sounds as if you like her a lot more than I do. I heard what Vel said. You're in love with her. You've got no chance. You said slugs were below her remember?"
"Your bitter jealousy really can be a bore. I'm not insulted easily so stop trying. You, on the other hand, can be easily squashed so shut up."
"Just try it, half-baked prophet." There was a ring of steel as Issun drew his pin-like sword. "I heard what you said about having Ammy in your lap and I don't like people talking about her like that. I don't care if you were just winding that weirdo king up, you shouldn't have said it."
Ignoring him, Waka moved to the window. It was locked, but there was no electric field around it. It could easily be broken. He frowned. This wasn't right. Vel wanted him to escape…
Issun bounced up onto the windowsill. "So gimme the gory details then. What happened with you and Ammy? Did you confess your undying love? Did she slap you? You were gonna tell me when we were on that boat so spit it out!"
Did Issun know how annoying he was? Waka kept his face calm even though cloying memories were beginning to swarm into his head. "I turned her down actually."
Issun laughed. "As if! She'd never make a move on you. Come on! What happened?"
Waka moved to the computer and sat. As soon as he pressed the first button a holographic screen appeared. Access everywhere was denied but it wouldn't be difficult to hack into it. If he was going to escape he'd need to deactivate the alarm system so that Vel didn't have the entire tribe looking for him. Nearly everyone outside the palace may have hated Vel but they also feared him. They'd do anything he asked.
"Hey! I asked you a question!" Issun bounced up beside him.
"I was ignoring you."
"I have a right to know what happened. I was there the moment Ammy was reborn in Nippon a year ago so I'm like a father to her. Therefore, you have to tell me everything."
Waka stared. "Huh?!"
"Just tell me before I stab you in the ear!"
"We have more pressing matters to attend to, such as escape. I don't like this situation. It's too easy."
"You once said you liked it 'quick and easy'. I bet you do. You know, you can find that in certain streets in-"
"Not when it's suspiciously easy," said Waka, fighting the urge to snap. "Vel is up to something."
"Well, you're a prophet so prophesize and find out."
"I've already seen the future. I know how it ends but I don't know how it starts, or how Vel is linked to what will happen." He rested his head in his hands. He hated seeing the future. He thought of Amaterasu and wished she was with them. It was always comforting when he pressed his fingers into her fur, or sat with her in human form stroking her hair.
"How does it end?"
Waka stared at the computer screen. What had he been trying to do again? Damn it, Issun had distracted him. He was thinking of that prophecy… and how much he liked just sitting quietly with Amaterasu back home…
"Come on, tell me what happens. You pop your clogs?" said Issun.
Waka felt himself freeze. For a long moment Issun was silent. "You die don't you?" He paused. Waka had never seen him uncomfortable before. The taunting sound to his voice was gone. "Whoah, prophesising your own death is kinda harsh. What happens?"
Waka closed his eyes, reliving the prophecy in his mind. "Amaterasu kills me."
"Hey, guys! Look at this!" the red imp called.
The undergrowth of Agata Forest rustled as another two imps appeared. One was red, like the first, with a lute slung over its back while the other was huge and yellow with a mask that looked as if it had been scribbled on by a child.
Struggling not to slip, Oki used an overhanging tree branch to help him clamber awkwardly from the ditch. He held out his mud-covered sword. "I advise you and your companions to leave," he said. He drew as much strength as he could into his voice but he felt horribly warm with his mask on.
"But it's just getting interesting doncha think?" said the imp, pulling the lute from its back. "I'm Azgo. The other red guy is Pazgo, my brother. The stupid yellow one is Gruggs. He's really thick so he's more like a pet than an imp. We're going to cook him on a bonfire and eat him if we get too hungry one day."
"Cuk!" said Gruggs happily.
Oki eyed the big imp warily. It held a drum that Oki knew could be used as a weapon, but it seemed more interested in picking up a stick from the ground than it was in Oki.
"I haven't seen any of your kind in a year," said Oki.
"Oh it's such a sad, sad tale!" Azgo wailed, slowly flicking the strings of its lute. "We're lost without Orochi! He bought us together he did! He made us feel so special and life is such a bore without him. We're the Wandering Wailers. We wail and howl about how good the old days were under Orochi. But those days will be back! You'll see. The air already has a different feel to it. Something is happening. Even if Orochi doesn't return then we'll have a new lord to serve."
Out of the corner of his eye, Oki saw Amaterasu beginning to climb out of the ditch. Without letting the imps out of his sight, Oki moved to her and held out his hand to help. She took it, and again he felt warm as her fingers clasped his, even though she only held him for a moment.
Azgo jumped. "Argh! Isn't that… the goddess? I thought she was a wolf. What you done to her?" Hurriedly he slung his lute over his back again. "I don't wanna fight! You killed loads of us already. I just wanna wail across the land!"
Amaterasu smiled. She made no move towards the imps but as she twirled Waka's flute with her fingers the vibrant green blade erupted from the end.
Azgo and Pazgo jumped. Gruggs chewed on the stick he'd found and then used it to pick his nose.
"We don't wanna fight! Honest!" said Azgo. "Oh hailed be ye goddess!" He and Pazgo fell to their knees and bowed.
"What did you mean about a different feel to the air?" said Oki.
"I dunno. I just sense it," said Azgo. "Trouble is coming!"
"But trouble is good for us imps," said Pazgo. "We're treated like crap most of the time. It aint fair. If we join with evil forces then people begin to notice us more."
"You could just be good and kind to people," said Oki.
The imps glanced at one another.
"Urhg… ki-ind?" said Gruggs, shoving the stick deeper up his nose.
"Imps don't do kind or nice or ote like that. Part of being an imp," said Azgo. "What you looking for anyway? Or you want that we leave you and the goddess in that ditch?"
"We…" Oki paused. What were they looking for? He glanced at Amaterasu. She must have come here for a reason. She'd left Kamiki so quickly.
"Ah, you wanna be left alone. That's OK. We get it. You want any tips weird beast man before we go? You looked a bit nervous in that mud," said Azgo. "Look, just grab hold of her and-"
"The Moon Tribe," said Amaterasu.
Oki gasped. He'd never heard a voice like that before. It was the sound the sun made as it reflected from water. It was the softest he had ever heard and yet it held so much authority that he knew everybody who heard it would listen intently.
"Uh, what?" said Pazgo.
Amaterasu lunged forward. Pazgo yelped and covered his head as he cowered on the ground. Amaterasu stood in front of him, holding the sword above his head. "The Moon Tribe. Golden hair," she said. "Beautiful."
"G-g-g-g-g-gold?" Pazgo stammered, quivering like a leaf.
"Gold!" said Gruggs cheerfully, who was once again munching on his stick.
"Like the guys in Taka Pass?" said Azgo. He pulled the lute from his back. "Yeah, if that's where you're going we can't let you go. See, we bumped into some guys with gold hair. Got some weird boat parked by that huge cherry tree. They said we, uh, shouldn't let anyone go to them."
"And why are you doing what they say? What's in it for you?" said Oki. His mouth felt dry. He couldn't shake Amaterasu's voice from his mind.
"Dunno. They just sounded convincing. They said they created us and so we should do what they say. They say they created all monsters. They sounded like a bunch of fruitcakes so we decided not to hang around in case it was catching since Gruggs is thick enough anyway, but we'll do as they say because we know trouble when we see it and they is trouble. You never know, maybe they're the ones who made the air evil. Though they don't look half as impressive as Lord Orochi. Still, if they're evil then they'll do as evil overlords."
"So you're going to stop us?" said Oki.
"Yeah, suppose we'd better." Azgo suddenly slapped Oki about the head with his lute. Pazgo grabbed his own lute and swung it between Oki's legs.
Oki gritted his teeth and swallowed hard. He swung his sword, but suddenly Amaterasu was in front of him growling, the sound somehow sounding much worse coming from a human than a wolf.
She moved so fast that he couldn't keep track of her as she leapt from one imp to the next. The rosary streamed from her neck, making a noise like a whip as it slapped Azgo and Pazgo. At the same time she swung Waka's sword and the imps shrieked as they ducked away from the fizzing blade.
And before Oki had even finished taking a single breath the fight was over. Azgo and Pazgo were groaning in a heap of tangled imp limbs on the ground.
The only one unhurt was Gruggs, who Amaterasu had ignored. He'd finished eating his stick and now looked as if he was thinking about eating a stone on the ground. "Gold!" he grunted. "Booti-full!"
And then Amaterasu was away again, running as fast as she could through the forest. Oki glanced at the mud-covered Kutone in his hand. He felt useless. More than anything he wanted to protect and help Amaterasu, but it didn't seem as if she needed help. The only reason he was still with her was because she was letting him follow her. He'd never have caught up with her if she hadn't jumped him earlier.
Well, maybe she could take care of herself, but he wasn't going to leave her. He broke into a run to chase her.
Behind, he heard Pazgo's scratchy voice. "Hey, Azgo. Maybe we should worship her instead of monsters. She packs as much of a punch as Orochi ever did…"
A shame Waka's been captured. It would have been interesting if he'd wondered into the scene where Ammy and Oki were in the ditch…