I'm back!
Another thing I should mention is that I make little changes to the flashbacks to make them more interesting. I'm not completely veering off course here, just making it more to my liking and less video game-y. Also I've been going through the game as I write this and doing my research so I think I've got stuff down pretty well. :)
Fun fact: When I first played Okami and fought Oki, I was really freaked out. I was like WTF WHAT IS THAT WHY'S IT TRYING TO KILL ME! And Oki actually killed me. Luckily my Astral Pouch revived me, but it was the closest I ever came to game over. :c
Chapter 6
The light inside the Spirit Gate was blinding. Oki noticed it was considerably warmer too. He stood there for a minute, squinting against the harsh light, trying to adjust to his surroundings.
When the world finally came into view, the first thing he noticed was the incredible amount of green that coated the landscape. Not a single spot of snow blemished the green grass around them. Leafy trees stood tall in the night, gently swaying against the breeze. This place—whatever it was—was far unlike Kamui.
While he marveled, Amaterasu landed softly on the ground next to him.
Oki turned to her, feeling smug. "This doesn't look so bad. What was all that talk about the Spirit Gate and misfortune?"
Amaterasu ignored him, looking about in wonderment, her ears pricked.
"Hey…this place looks familiar…" Issun said slowly.
Amaterasu's tail shot straight up and began wagging frantically. "We're in Kamiki!" She exclaimed, with an overjoyed bounce.
"Kamiki?" Oki murmured, "You mean that tiny village in the legend of Orochi? …I've never crossed the sea and set foot on Nippon before." He looked at his surroundings, appreciating the warm air and the lack of snow. It was foreign to him, but…nice, somehow.
"Yeah, that's the place." Issun answered, "But it looks different. Isn't the Guardian Sapling supposed to be here?"
Amaterasu was deaf to Issun's observations. She was wriggling with excitement, pleading, "Can we go to Mrs. Orange's house and see if she'll give us any cherry cake?"
"Well…sure, I don't see why not." Issun said, but he still sounded uncertain.
Oki snorted, "And here I thought saving Lika was your first priority."
"Hey! Give us a break!" Issun snapped, turning red with rage, "We haven't eaten in ages! Right, furball?"
Amaterasu nodded vigorously. Oki could see a string of drool steadily sliding out the corner of her mouth. Once more, he had to question whether or not she was truly a goddess. But her red markings and divine instrument were always there to prove him wrong.
"Fine. Go be coddled by the villagers, then." Oki said, striding ahead of them, "I have a prophecy to fulfill."
He could hear Issun make some snide remark, but he was already walking swiftly down the hill, towards the little village. He appreciated the scenery as he went. It was a calm, clear night without a single cloud in the sky. A full moon hung low over the mountains, casting its glow on the landscape beneath it.
That's odd… Oki thought, Isn't it a little bit early for a full moon?
Movement from the shadows caught his eye. He had entered the village, and he was surprised by what he saw. Its residents were huddled in the shade of their houses, dressed in nothing but rags. They eyed him warily as he passed by. This struck him as strange. He had always imagined Kamiki to be a cheerful place, ever since Orochi was defeated. However, these people looked even worse than his own terrorized tribe.
Thinking nothing of it, Oki hurried on through the village, going down a path that led towards the exit—a small trail between two cliffs. A merchant sat along the path, wearing the same colorless rags as everyone else. He perked up slightly upon Oki's approach.
The Oina warrior reached into his pocket and pulled out a decent amount of yen. "One bag of dried beef." He asked quietly, offering the money.
The merchant accepted it graciously. As he passed over the dried beef strips, he said in a hushed tone, "You'd best be on your way, traveler. It isn't wise to loiter in this cursed village for long…"
Before Oki could ask what he meant, Amaterasu came bounding up, her dark eyes wide with confusion. "Oki!" She barked urgently.
In the same instant, the merchant threw up his arms and started screaming, "Shiranui! No, please! I don't taste good! I'd be a terrible sacrifice!"
"Him too!" Amaterasu panted, looking wildly from Oki to the merchant.
"What's going on?" Oki demanded.
"Please, traveler! Save me!" The merchant wailed, hiding behind Oki and his sword. Oki ignored him, waiting for the white wolf to answer his question.
"This way…!" Amaterasu said urgently, leading Oki back towards the village. They hid behind a house so that Amaterasu could explain everything. "Everyone seems to think I'm Shiranui!" She said breathlessly.
"Why would they think that?" Oki said, narrowing his eyes disbelievingly. Shiranui was the wolf of legend, who slayed Orochi alongside the hero Nagi. Amaterasu and Issun were nothing like the legendary hero and her pint-sized companion.
"They think that because the Spirit Gate took us 100 years into the past!" Issun said anxiously. "This is the night of the festival…and Orochi has yet to be defeated! So that means there's going to be a sacrifice!"
"That still doesn't explain why the merchant nearly had a heart attack…" Oki mumbled. "Shiranui was revered by all, am I correct?"
Amaterasu shook her head. "Before Orochi's defeat, Shiranui was thought to be his familiar because she…I mean, I, always showed up on the night of the sacrifice."
Oki was still highly doubtful of their claim. "Then where is the real Shiranui?"
Amaterasu and Issun paused, exchanging a glance. "I don't know." The white wolf said, speaking quickly, "But we have to find Lika and leave before we completely destroy the fabric of the past!"
Oki was no longer listening. He had just realized something: Orochi, one of the most feared beasts of all time, was still thriving. He could defeat the eight-headed serpent in Nagi's place. Not only would he save the past, but perhaps Kutone would light up. Then he would return to the present and save his own people as well.
"I know what I must do!" Oki gasped, rushing from their hiding spot.
Amaterasu charged after him, growling, "Oh, no you don't! I know what you're thinking and it's not going to happen!"
Oki skidded to a halt and glared at the goddess. "I'd like to see you try to stop me."
With a snarl, Amaterasu launched herself forward and grabbed the hem of his shirt in her jaws. But just as she did so, a high-pitched scream rang out across the village. A young maiden was standing on a small bridge, watching the scene play out in horror.
"Someone help!" She shrieked, "Shiranui is here!"
"Don't worry, Nami!" A middle-aged man came running out of nowhere, wielding a rather large sword. "Your hero Nagi will save you!"
Oki let out a dry laugh. This was the hero Nagi? A balding, pot-bellied man? He looked like he had just woken up from a nap. How pathetic.
Despite all this, he moved with incredible speed and came streaking towards Amaterasu, blade pointed directly at her. She let go of Oki and turned to meet the onslaught, baring her teeth. Oki saw his chance and he took it.
Without another word, he turned and ran off into the night.
After getting something to eat and drink, Oki recovered a fair bit of his strength. With no time to lose, he set off for Kamiki Village. The path lined by cherry trees was slightly familiar. It was hard to believe he had walked this road one hundred years ago.
He passed by a humble sign that welcomed travelers to the village. As it came into view, Oki was surprised to find that the village looked exactly the same as it always had. The same houses stood in their places. The same bridge crossed over the winding stream. Cherry trees could be found in every corner, their pink petals cascading down through the air. Even a merchant was sitting in nearly the same place as his ancestor, dozing under an umbrella. The resemblance was almost…comical.
When the merchant saw Oki, he perked up. Oki half expected him to start screaming (he was still a wolf, after all), but instead, the heavyset man motioned to his wares spread before him on a mat.
"Hey pooch!" He called in a friendly manner, "Has your master sent you out to shop for him? Or would you like to buy a bone?"
Oki just stared back, feeling slightly insulted. Couldn't this ordinary man see that he was no average wolf? Then again, he couldn't have expected mere humans to know of his race.
With a small snort, Oki turned and trotted away indignantly. The merchant just shrugged and returned to his nap.
Much to his surprise, Oki soon found that not a single villager harbored any fear for large, shaggy wolves. In fact, it was quite the opposite. They seemed to welcome his presence. A young maiden tending to her rice paddy saw him and came running up to pet him. Oki pulled away, uncomfortable with this show of affection. He was still very aware of the curse within him as well. Any moment, he could snap and rip out someone's throat. Though right now, he felt relatively calm…as if the curse were already a distant memory that only existed back in the land of Kamui.
As he padded along the side of the river, an old woman doing her laundry greeted him. "It's so nice to have visitors! Can I call you Raspberry?" The old lady asked, hobbling towards Oki and extending her hand. "You remind me of the red and blue raspberries I used to harvest as a little girl."
Oki flattened his ears and took a step back. "Do you know where I can find…Amaterasu?" He tried.
"What's that, Raspberry? Are you hungry?" The old woman guessed, "I have some nice cherry cake back at my house if that's what you like."
Of course she wouldn't have understood. Oki turned and began to pad away, wondering where to go. Amaterasu only said to come here. But now that he was here, he had no idea what to do.
"Hey!" An excited flurry of barking reached his ears.
Oki turned to see an overexcited brown dog with black stripes and pointed ears bounding towards him. A short, stocky boy chased after him, yelling, "Oh, Hayabusa! Did you find a new friend?"
"Hi!" The hound called Hayabusa said, skidding to a halt in front of Oki. His tail was wagging so hard it seemed it would fly off. "This is the first time I've seen you here! What's your name?"
"It's Oki." The wolf said, relieved to finally be able to communicate with someone, "I'm looking for someone."
"Who are you looking for, Oki?" Hayabusa asked, sitting on haunches and tipping his head to one side.
Oki hesitated. "I'm not sure. I think it may be Amaterasu."
"I'm sorry," Hayabusa whined, looking disappointed, "I haven't seen Amaterasu for months. I wonder how she's doing?"
Oki gave a brief nod. "I see. Thank you for your assistance."
But as he turned to go, Hayabusa gave a loud yelp, exclaiming, "Ooh! Ooh! I know who you're looking for!"
"Who?" Oki wondered, perking up hopefully.
Hayabusa grinned mischievously. "I'll tell you if you can beat me in a hole-digging contest." He declared, pointing his nose towards a woman tending her turnip garden. As if sensing the dog's evil intentions, she shot a glare in their direction.
Even though he couldn't understand them, Hayabusa's owner still seemed to know what was going on as well. "Oh! Do we have a new challenger for the title of Hole-digging King of Kamiki Village?" He said, crossing his arms and observing Oki, "What do you think? Can you beat past victor Snowy for the title?"
"I have no time for such games!" Oki growled. He whipped around and stormed off, ignoring the pleading whimper that sounded from Hayabusa.
I'll find her myself! Oki thought, annoyance turning into a boiling rage that burned deep in the pit of the his stomach. It unnerved him. He wasn't ready to become a demon. Not when he was so close to finding Amaterasu...or whoever had been sent here to meet him.
Quickly growing desperate, he broke out into a run and charged up a hill that led to the Guardian Sapling. This was where the Spirit Gate had put them 100 years ago. If Amaterasu wasn't waiting for him here, then he had nowhere else to look.
As he crested the hill and approached the giant cherry tree, his heart jumped into his throat. A white wolf was sitting at the base of the pink-flowered sapling, sniffing the air. Red markings were prominent on its face and the tip of its tail was black. Oki picked up the pace, sprinting towards the wolf with unbridled enthusiasm.
But as he came closer, his steps slowed.
The wolf was far too small to be Amaterasu. In fact, it was a mere puppy. Disappointment threatened to overwhelm Oki, but he took a few more hesitant steps towards the strange visitor.
The wolf pup whirled around, letting out a short yelp at the unexpected sight of Oki. Then it turned and scrambled behind a large tree root, its pudgy paws scrabbling for a firm hold on the bark. With a barrier between them, the puppy peeked over the root to stare at Oki with wide, coal-black eyes.
"…Amaterasu?" Oki mumbled, feeling at a loss. Surely Amaterasu wouldn't have reverted to this weaker form and forgotten him completely?
But when the puppy spoke, he realized it was a male. "Amaterasu?" He yipped, "That's my mommy's name!"
Oki just stared at the pup, trying to grasp what he had just said. "Your…mother?" He whispered.
The little wolf nodded, his eyes widening drastically. He placed both of his paws on the root and pulled himself up, craning his head towards Oki. For a long moment, he stared at the blue and red wolf, observing him. Then he tilted his head and looked curiously into Oki's eyes.
"Mommy said she was sending me here to meet my daddy. Are you him?"