I'll just say now that I'm REALLY SORRY this took so long.
I'm also sorry the fight scene sucks, but it was the best I could do.
Hopefully the next chapter won't take so long.
Enjoy!
NOTE!! Italics spirit speech
Restoring Faith
Chapter 8
As the two landed, Waka took the opportunity to gauge their enemy. It was not on the same level as Yami and Orochi, or even on that of Blight and the Spider Queen, yet it had to be taken seriously. Waka had learned that to underestimate an opponent – any opponent – could be disastrous.
The demon had the general form of bird. A falcon, Waka noted. It was not shocking, as birds had a strong affinity for fire. Yet there was something distinctly… off… about it…
Waka had no time to dwell on such thoughts further. The demon, finally noticing their presence, sent a stream of flames in their direction, forcing both wolf and man to leap out of them way. Waka drew his blade as Amaterasu readied her own weapon. They were tense, ready for a fight.
The fight which could not begin because Issun, that annoyance, was attempting to talk the thing to death. (Or so it appeared to Waka.)
"Give it up now, ya hunk of Yami spawn! There's no way you'll ever be able to defeat the Great Artist Issun and his pal, Ammy!"
Waka sighed in exasperation, placing a hand to his temples in a vain attempt to prevent the oncoming headache. Amaterasu dislodged Issun with a quick jerk of her head before trapping him in her jaws. Issun was less than pleased when he was released.
"Oi Ammy! What was that for?"
Amaterasu gave the Poncle a bark of disapproval. Grumbling, Issun settled back into the wolf's fur.
The demon had been temporarily distracted by the pair's confrontation. Waka seized the chance to launch a surprise attack. Leaping at the bird, he was able to land a solid blow before the creature pulled away.
Amaterasu leaped behind the demon, unleashing her glaive, chasing the bird back into Waka's waiting sword.
Unfortunately, the bird took to the skies, soaring far above the reach of either man or wolf. The fiery bird summed its energy and unleashed a rain of fire. Waka felt a surge of Celestial energy before a strong burst of wind extinguished the flames. Another surge of energy left the bird squawking on the ground.
Waka quickly attack the bird in a barrage of sword strokes. A bomb appeared at his side, and Waka leapt away, avoiding the explosion.
The demon, however, had no such luck and was caught by the full force of the blast. The explosion tore gashes in the creature. When the smoke cleared, Waka could see the blood oozing from the bird's wounds.
Sensing that the end of the fight was approaching, Waka and Amaterasu unleashed a joint attack. The bird let out a screech before finally stilling. Waka turned from the corpse, wiping the blood from his blade.
At a surprised bark from Amaterasu, Waka turned back. The corpse of the fire bird was disintegrating before his eyes. Suddenly, a surge of Celestial energy filled the pit. Waka was shocked to discover that the source of the surge was the decaying corpse of the demon, which soon vanished into thin air.
In its place there was a glorious glowing falcon. Its aura was similar to that of Sakuya's. It was one of the spirits of nature.
Amaterasu yipped happily. Waka felt a sense of relief that eased the worries that had been plaguing him since their return to Nippon. Pieces of nature had survived.
You have released me. For that, you have my gratitude
Waka bowed to the spirit. "It was our pleasure."
I will also tell you what you must know in order to achieve your goal.
"What are ya talkin' about?" Issun exclaimed from Amaterasu's head.
You wish to banish the evil from this land, do you not?
Amaterasu nodded her head solemnly as she trotted to Waka's side. The falcon flapped its wings once to stay aloft before continuing.
To kill the Raven you must soak you weapons in Father's tears. But in order to get to the place where He sleeps, you need a token from each of the four Spirit Guardians. I am one.
Waka looked at the bird in shock, shock that was shared by the Poncle alone. Amaterasu did not look surprised.
To show you my thanks, I shall give you my part of the energy that will open the path to Father. You know how to use it Sister.
Amaterasu nodded again, and Waka realized that she had never seemed more human than in that moment. Allowing himself a moment of weakness, he pictured what she would look like in human form.
She would be beautiful. She was a goddess; of course she would be beautiful. Would her red markings remain? Would her white coloring carry over to a human form? Perhaps her hair would be white, or maybe her skin would be almost-white pale.
Waka fought back an irrational blush. It was silly. Ammy was a wolf. She would never be human. It was ridiculous.
But he couldn't help but wish that she could be. Then, at the least, she could reply to the numerous questions he asked her everyday.
However, there was no point on dwelling on that which could not be. Waka would have to settle for what he had.
The prophet watched silently as a ball of green energy emerged from the spirit and buried itself in Amaterasu. The wolf's aura glowed briefly before settling back to its original state.
With its task accomplished, the spirit vanished. Amaterasu turned to look at him expectantly. Waka was still for a few moments before he realized what she wanted.
Reaching into his pocket, the prophet drew out the pendulum given to them by Kaguya. The object tugged in the direction of one of the many piles of rubble scattered about. Amaterasu walked over and began digging through it. Eventually she emerged with an object clutched carefully in her jaws.
Waka took the object from his friend's mouth and carefully examined it. It appeared to be a normal black feather, but there were two things off about it. First, it was much too large to have come from any normal bird, even the sparrows of Sasa Sanctuary. Second, Waka could sense the large amount of demonic energy pouring from the feather. It was giving him a headache.
Silently he placed a small seal on the feather to reduce the amount of demonic energy it produced. Once the seal was complete, he placed the feather securely in his pocket before turning back to Amaterasu and Issun.
"How do we get out of here?"
Issun blinked at him before answering.
"Ya know, how did we get out Ammy?"
The goddess snorted. She backed up a ways before running full-speed towards the spiral path and with a huge leap managed to alight upon the end of it. Waka quickly followed.
It was not until they reached the Shinshu Field that someone spoke.
"Oi, prophet," Issun grunted. "Any idea on where to go next?"
Waka glanced over at the artist. "Why would I know?"
"You are a prophet. Shouldn't ya get some vision or somethin'?"
Waka rolled his eyes. "Contrary to popular belief, divine intervention in not that convenient."
"So we have no idea where we're going?"
"None at all."
Issun glared at the prophet. "You should probably be more worried about that, ya know."
Waka winked at the Poncle, which only served to irritate Issun further.
"One of these days, my little bouncing friend, you will learn that no matter where you are, you are exactly where you are meant to be."
"Gah! Is this another one of your annoying prophecies?"
"That, little one, was merely an observation gained through life."
"Don't call me little!"
Amaterasu gave the wolf equivalent of a laugh before she trotted towards Kamiki Village, the two greatest friends she could have along side her.
To be continued…
That's all for chapter 8! Review please!