"Kick this guy's butt, Ammy. He's no good, I can tell." Issun snorted.
Amaterasu was way ahead of Issun already. The sight of Ushiwaka's sword excited her and she was ready to test out her new strength. She let out a roaring snarl before making the first attack, launching into the air much higher than an ordinary wolf could. She flew right into the rays of the sun so only her outline was visible in the intense light. With her glaive raised with the celestial aura she manipulated with the movement of her body like a sixth appendage, Amaterasu struck down at Ushiwaka with terrifying force. If the blow connected, Issun knew that it would deal some serious damage.
Ushiwaka kept his unflappable smile as she drew closer, seemingly rooted to the spot. At the last second, his eyes angled in concentration that only a skilled swordsman would notice. Issun caught a glimpse in Ushiwaka's unreadable face and had a twinge of nervousness.
Not a millisecond before Amaterasu's glaive sliced through Ushiwaka's helm, he placed a hand on her head and used it to push himself in a jump right over Amaterasu's head, just barely missing the sharp blade. Ushiwaka did enjoy putting on a show and making things more dramatic than necessary. Unfortunately, he was good at it too.
"Damn…! He's quick…" Issun muttered angrily after cursing Ushiwaka out for being a show off.
Amaterasu spun around and slashed at Ushiwaka while in midair. This one HAS to connect, he can't dodge in midair! Issun thought triumphantly. Ushiwaka, however, was about to impress them once again. As the blue blade of Amaterasu's divine instrument came his way, he kicked the tip with his sandal in just the right angle. The sword missed and the momentum from the blow sent Ushiwaka summersaulting through the air onto the opaque but still surface of the water. As he skidded to a stop on the top of the water, only a thin ripple from his movement was created.
Using magic wasn't unheard of and definitely wasn't hard for humans, many didn't have a reason to know it though. The only beings that bothered with its use were gods, spirits, fighters, some mercenaries, a few priests and exorcists, and powerful demons. Issun kept this in mind while he watched the fight progress further. He was impressed by Amaterasu's increase in skill and speed and, in a strange, angry way, by how Ushiwaka was keeping up so easily.
Ushiwaka pulled the sword from his scabbard and the glowing green one that came from his flute up to his head to block another downward strike from Amaterasu that might have hewn him in two. With all the power and grace Amaterasu used, Ushiwaka countered it with his own.
Amaterasu changed tactics. Brute force and agility wouldn't be enough to take down this foe. She leaped backwards to give her time for a more premeditated attack, trying to find a weakness in his defenses.
Taking the opportunity, Ushiwaka raised his normal sword in the air and a ring of fire burned from the ground and circled just above his head. From the flames materialized a burning sword. He moved his sword to point directly at Amaterasu and the sword shot at her like a speeding arrow.
"Look out, Ammy!" Issun called to her.
Amaterasu knew what to do out of her keen instinct. She raised her glaive and brought it down; performing an even more powerful Powerslash than Issun had seen her create before. The force was almost visible as it shot to counter Ushiwaka's sword. The Powerslash met Ushiwaka's burning sword in the air and knocked it spinning back at him. He just barely got out of its way, causing almost no ripples on the lake surface as he moved.
Amaterasu jumped over the lake to chase Ushiwaka. Issun admitted that this was hardly a good tactical move in the least. As far as Issun knew, Amaterasu couldn't walk on water like Ushiwaka could.
Issun hid his face in his hands, not wanting to watch the humiliating defeat that they were about to suffer at the hands of such a flamboyant man. She's so stupid…!
Amaterasu howled and let another even more powerful Powerslash lose over the surface of the lake where Ushiwaka was standing.
"Ah-!" Ushiwaka exclaimed, showing a bit of fear for the first time in the fight. He only just jumped out of the way to avoid the attack that hit the surface of the water, cleaving it in two and causing two large, thundering waves to nearly wash him away.
Issun had to admit, that last move was very nice to look at and incredibly powerful, but it had not connected with its target and Amaterasu was still over the water although the kickback of the attack had pushed her farther into the air. She was still doomed to loose. Issun didn't think he could take it.
The instant that Amaterasu's paws touched the water, a huge lily pad burst from the depths of the lake to support her weight on the water. The Greensprout technique was handy in fights too when used correctly.
Using the lily pads, Amaterasu pursued Ushiwaka to one of the small islands in the lake, lashing at him from all directions that she could reach. He dodged her every move easily, which only caused her to fight faster and push him back more.
"Stop running away and fight like a man!" Issun shouted angrily at him. Ushiwaka glanced in Issun's direction, but this was all Amaterasu needed. She stomped on the ground in front of Ushiwaka after landing on the island. A tree instantly shot out of the ground below Ushiwaka and it knocked him into the air and all the way to the shore of the lake on the other side.
Amaterasu snarled in satisfaction, sticking her nose off and doing a sort of wolf smirk.
"Ahahaha! That was a great hit, furball! Way to go!" Issun doubled over with laughter. Amaterasu barked and wagged her tail at Issun, pleased that he was pleased with her.
Ushiwaka struggled to his feet, holding the side of his chest where he suspected he might have a cracked rib or two. "Ah, how clumsy of me to get distracted during a battle…"
"That's right! Not as awesome as you think you are, are you?" Issun crowed as if he had fought and won the battle himself.
"Still, I can't say that I'm impressed. It was a rather clumsy attempt at a battle, especially for you, Amaterasu." Ushiwaka said.
"Whaddaya mean, clumsy? She kicked your butt!" Issun nearly screamed in outrage.
"The power that you possess has yet to reach its full potential." Ushiwaka said, a playful grin spreading across his face. "You still have a long way to go before you will stand a chance against the massing forces of darkness, baby."
"…Baby?" Issun repeated, raising an eyebrow while trying to keep a straight face. "Boy, buddy. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you had a thing for Ammy here."
Amaterasu cocked her head questioningly.
Issun had struck a nerve on Ushiwaka and a ripple of fury coursed through him for the blink of an eye. He quickly recomposed himself with an even bigger smile.
"You're rather short for a sixteen year old, are you not?" Ushiwaka commented.
Issun would have thought Ushiwaka's phrase to be out of context if it weren't such a slap across the face.
"I'm nineteen, thank you very much." Issun's face fell while he glared at Ushiwaka.
Amaterasu sensed danger swiftly approaching and fled behind a tree with her tail tucked tightly between her legs. Sparks flew from Ushiwaka's and Issun's eyes as a deep rivalry was born.
"Ah, escuzes-moi." Ushiwaka gave Issun a thickly patronizing apology bow. "I could not tell."
"You looking to die, you fruity half-baked prophet?" Issun screamed, much less composed in any way than Ushiwaka was. "I'll chop your head off with my sword, Denkomaru!"
"Tell me, small one, how would you reach it?" Ushiwaka asked in a cute but less than innocent way.
Issun's face went bright red and his eyes popped. Very few people were capable of infuriating Issun and that smile on Ushiwaka's face only made it worse.
Issun drew his sword and ran down the beach at Ushiwaka, screaming at the top of his lungs for the flamboyant man's blood. Before he made it too far, Amaterasu grabbed him by the back of his pants with her teeth and held him back.
"All fun and games aside, I came here for a reason and now I must depart for another. I would love to assist you but there are things that I need to take care of." Ushiwaka returned to a more formal and business like composure. His smile never entirely disappeared, though. Traces of it were still left on his face.
"Yeah right…" Issun muttered, prying his pants out of Amaterasu's mouth. "Coward."
"I will leave you with this." Ushiwaka said. He spun around once and posed for the two of them. "I foresee a tangled web of terror!"
Issun stared at Ushiwaka in astonishment, confusion, and disgust. "…what?"
"That's all I have for you. Au revoir, baby!" Ushiwaka said before jumping into the trees and disappearing.
"…What a FREAK! I mean, who the heck does he think he is?" Issun began to rattle off all of Ushiwaka's flaws.
Not listening to Issun, Amaterasu groaned and twitched her ears. There was an annoying buzzing sound that would not go away. It seemed as though her mind was trying to recall something but she could not bring it all the way up in her mind. In an attempt to get rid of the feeling, Amaterasu scratched her ear with her foot.
"…I was saying some time before that fruitcake came along, we should really check out the rest of the forest to make sure none of the curse stayed behind." Issun said, not sounding like he would return to his usual persona any time soon. Instead, he jumped onto Amaterasu's back and crossed his arms angrily.
The duo walked through the forest, following a path used by travelers and merchants. Soon, they came to where the path split to go out of Agata or further in. They chose the one that lead deeper into the heart of the forest. As the trees grew thicker and covered the sun, Issun began to understand why so many people felt a touch nervous about the place. Even Amaterasu seemed on edge as she swiveled her head around to each unknown sound.
They eventually came to a clearing that was nestled beside the cliff face near the exact opposite side of the forest that they had come from. Agata wasn't very big as far as forests usually go. Placed into the side of the cliff was a huge stone door. The vines that usually would have cradled the rock of the door had snapped and some were lying on the ground. Someone had pulled them off of the door for some reason.
"These are the Tsuta Ruins. There's stuff like this place all over Nippon but no one ever bothers with it. No one knows what they're for or why they were built or who built them." Issun shrugged, completely uninterested. He lay back on Amaterasu's fur to continue brooding about their encounter with Ushiwaka.
Amaterasu didn't catch Issun's hint about how the ruins were of no interest. Instead, she trotted right over and sniffed all over the door. Oh, the mix of thousands of different smells. There were two that she found familiar. One was the faint scent of Ushiwaka and the other was something she couldn't quite place. The scent had all but eroded away in the years that it had first been placed there.
"Leave it, Ammy! We can't get in anyway." Issun tried to pull on her fur to get her to move away from the door but she refused to budge. She was finding that, somehow, she liked the smell of Ushiwaka and kept her nose pressed directly on the spot that it was strongest. It was fresh too.
Issun hopped off of Amaterasu's back and tried to push her away himself but she was far too strong and refused to move an inch. While Issun struggled, the sound of an alarmed cry echoed through the forest. Amaterasu's head instantly shot up and pointed in the direction of the cry.
"Sounds like trouble!" Issun commented. He barely had enough time to climb back on Amaterasu before she ran off to locate the sound. They eventually came upon the lake shore again. To their right was a hut and in front of them was a very small and empty island. On the island stood a young boy. The boy wore an orange rabbit skin coat and a backpack with a strap running through his middle to support it. On his head rested a hat made from a rabbit, ears still attached. In his hand was a fishing pole with a snapped line.
"Hey, kid!" Issun cupped one hand over his mouth and called to the boy from the lake shore. "What's wrong, are you hurt?"
The boy looked up at them, his eyes and cheeks red from tears.
"Oh, jeez…" Issun muttered, feeling a bit awkward. He looked around for a way to get onto the island and join the boy. "There, by the hut. The water doesn't look too deep, let's try there."
Amaterasu waded through the water, which turned out to be two feet deep. It wasn't a problem for her at all, considering her size. She trotted up to the boy and sniffed his cheek.
"What's going on, kid?" Issun asked, climbing off of Amaterasu's back.
"Are you lonely too, doggie…?" the boy asked, hugging Amaterasu around the nose. Amaterasu didn't seem to mind.
"What happened?" Issun asked more persistently.
"Ume and I finally found the key to the ruins and we went inside… but when we heard this huge roar, I got scared and ran away as fast as I could! When I looked, Ume wasn't with me!" The kid said.
"Who's Ume?" Issun asked.
"My dog, I've had him forever! I think I might have left him in the ruins!" The boy looked close to tears.
"Then what the heck are you doing fishing? Get off your butt and get your dog!" Issun scolded.
"I'm trying too! But when I was running, I tripped and the key fell into the water! I've been trying to fish it out but my line broke! That was my very last hook! Now Ume's going to be trapped forever and it's all my fault!" The boy cried.
Issun instantly gave him a smart smack on the top of the head.
"Crying about it isn't going to bring him back, you have to take action!" Issun informed the boy. "What's your name?"
"Kokari…" the boy looked up at Issun with respect.
"Kokari… if you want something, you can't just sit around. Only you can make things happen."
"You're right! I have to save my dog!" Kokari shouted determinedly. "…but I still need a hook…"
Issun took his pack off and pulled a hook and some line out of it. "You never know what you might need on your travels."
"Oh wow! Thank you, sir!" Kokari took the fishing hook and line out of Issun's hands.
"My name's Issun, there's no need for 'sir'." Issun said bashfully. "But if you want, you could always call me Issun, the great and powerful-"
Amaterasu cut Issun off by sitting on his foot and licking his face.
"Knock it off, furball!" Issun pushed her face away but she was determined.
Kokari watched them for a moment, his eyes tearing up but his body filling with even stronger determination. He tied the line onto his pole and put the hook on; making sure everything was secured correctly. He put some bait on the hook and then tossed his line into the water.
"Look at that, he's going for it…" Issun smiled proudly as if Kokari's actions were all by his own actions. "Glad to see that the little crybaby is getting his act together."
Amaterasu ran to the edge of the lake, wanting to help too. She snapped and bit at the water, submerging her head completely into the murk while digging at the ground beneath the water.
"That's not helping, yam stupid furball!" Issun shouted, running over to her and grabbing her by the tail. He slowly pulled the unwilling wolf out of the lake. "You're scaring away off all the fish!"
Soon, it began to get dark and Kokari was getting discouraged once again. He was having no luck fishing out the key.
"What if I can't catch anything before it gets too dark!" Kokari panicked. "What if Ume has to stay in the ruins all night long?"
"Hey, kid. Calm down! Screaming and panicking never got anyone anywhere in life. Ume's a dog, his instincts will take over and he'll at least find a warm, safe spot to curl up and sleep in." Issun yawned. How long had it been since he had a good night's sleep again…?
"Yeah… I guess you're right…" Kokari said slowly, as if trying to convince himself. "Do you guys have a place to stay for the night?"
Issun stopped mid yawn. Honestly, needing a place to sleep never really ran though his mind. He was used to sleeping under the stars, but Agata Forest wasn't well known for its safe and peaceful nights. Sleeping outdoors was pushing their luck farther than Issun wanted to push it.
"You can stay at my place. We have more than enough food; I caught a lot of fish while I was looking for the key to the ruins." Kokari motioned to a woven basket that stood about at his waste that was overflowing with large fish. Issun was shocked to see that such a small boy could catch so many fish. Amaterasu seemed pleased enough; she wagged her tail and barked repeatedly at the basket.
"I think we'll stay with you…"
I loved the epic battle during this chapter and how Issun was doing what he does best; cheering from the sidelines and laying down the smack talk. He's such an idiot, gotta love him though!