Chapter 19, who would have thought it…?
Oh gosh, I just remembered that chapter 14 had a booboo in it! Part of the story disappeared and I don't have a clue where it went. I tried to revise it and put that part back in but I don't know if it worked, my computer isn't very helpful. If it didn't work, it's the part where Issun and Amaterasu were crossing the bridge into Taka Pass after saying goodbye to Kokari. The bridge broke and Ammy grabbed Issun by the butt to keep him from falling in the river. Yes, breaking bridges is going to be a theme that will be addressed by Issun later on. Sorry that I just now decided to mention that…
I also noticed that my strategy for keeping my comments separate from the story isn't working very well… dang it…
I feel like this chapter stinks even worse than the last one I attempted. This is me trying to be funny again, dang it. Oh well, I'm just trying to get the story out. I'm not looking to be on Comedy Central or anything. XD
Forgive me.
…...
A soft groan brought Issun and Amaterasu back to the reality of what was going on. The young woman was stirring on the ground where she lay.
Issun was at her side in a heartbeat to help her back into a sitting position. She gave him something of a grateful smile when he held his hand on her back to keep her steady. Amaterasu followed Issun to her side, though she was nowhere near as fast about it as he was. She sat at the woman's other side and watched her carefully. She had a pink kimono on and eight very strange orbs were floating around behind her. Amaterasu found them very distracting but Issun hadn't seemed to notice them yet.
"Have I been freed from the evil curse…?" The woman asked in her light voice, looking around. Her movements reminded Amaterasu of long grass swaying in the wind. The woman's entire body flowed gracefully with her smallest movement. Amaterasu found it strange, but Issun found it to be wonderful.
"Yes, you have. The monster that held you within its evil grasp was strong and fearsome. Do not feel saddened that you were trapped so easily by its dark power; I have never seen it's equal. I battled with it for hours, but I was not tired, no… for you, I could have fought into the night…!" Issun told her. He might have been stretching the truth slightly, but it couldn't hurt anything, could it?
The young woman wasn't listening, however. She was too busy petting Amaterasu.
"What a pretty white wolf, and so kind hearted and sweet as well…!" The woman cooed as she scratched Amaterasu behind the ear. Amaterasu leaned into the woman's hand, her tongue sticking out of her mouth slightly from the pleasure of being scratched in one of her favorite spots. Her tail thumped hard against the ground, sending up small clouds of dust.
Issun pursed his lips as he glared at Amaterasu with narrowed eyes for a moment. He pushed her away swiftly, forcing the woman to return her attention to him.
"Yes! I saved you…" Issun said again, but with his original thunder gone, his story had much less flourish. He had Amaterasu to blame for that.
"How did you ever manage…?" The woman asked cluelessly.
Issun frowned, not wanting to go through the less that true story once again. Instead, he simply shrugged.
"What happened, sweetness?" Issun asked once he helped the woman to her feet. Amaterasu took the initiative to sit on the woman's side to keep her from tipping over, or just to rest.
"Are you familiar with my family, the Satomi house?" The woman looked over at Issun with big eyes, immediately and most likely unknowingly changing the subject.
"…Uhm…" Issun's brow furrowed. This girl was pretty and all, but she was definitely making the impression of being none too bright. He didn't quite know how to respond to her question.
Ignoring Issun's awkward silence, the woman continued seamlessly, as if she had planned to keep talking whether Issun made an answer or not. "No… I can see now that you are not. Still, you may be of great service to me yet."
Service, huh? I can go for that… Issun smiled broadly, a few quick fantasies running through his mind.
Amaterasu looked at Issun. She didn't understand how Issun called her spacy when he himself got a blank expression while looking at girls. Where they really all that wonderful to behold? She found herself curious and so she sniffed at the woman's kimono; she smelled of incense and dog food. Odd. She withdrew her nose with a confused expression.
"Will you not listen to what I have to say?" The woman asked, flashing her eyes between her dark eyelashes.
"You just keep talkin', pretty lady. Issun's listening." Issun said with his best suave voice.
Amaterasu began to worry that something might be wrong with Issun. She walked over to him and whined, pawing at his leg and tilting her head. She wasn't used to being this small in comparison with him, but she would make do.
Issun nudged her away with his leg. "Not now, furball! I'm about to score big time with this babe!"
Amaterasu sat on the ground a few feet away as confused as ever.
"Oh, thank you!" The woman said joyously. She reached over and pulled Issun into a large hug. He smirked broadly, blood rushing to his face as she held him. There was one great advantage to being shorter…
The woman eventually pulled away, beaming gracefully at Issun who was still in a trance-like state from the hug. "I'm Princess Fuse, priestess of the Gale Shrine."
"P-priestess…!" Issun stuttered. It felt like the thick air was choking him and pulling him down to the ground. He couldn't breathe. Issun staggered a moment and hunched over, letting out a melodramatic sigh. He always had the absolute worst luck… He noticed Amaterasu had moved from her spot. Her nose was in his face and she was staring at him intently. She let out a single whine and inclined her head once. "Yeah, shut up…!"
"The Gale Shrine stands atop Mount Kamiji." Princess Fuse gracefully inclined her flowing hand to where the shrine was located; her body seemed to follow her arm. Amaterasu and Issun both followed her arm. Her movements were a bit distracting.
"Kazegami, the god of the wind is enshrined there." Princess Fuse continued to explain in her melodious voice.
"A god of wind, eh? You don't suppose that might be one of your missing techniques, Furball?" Issun crossed his arms with an adventurous smile on his face. Things got more interesting.
Amaterasu let out a bark of agreement and wagged her tail.
"The wind that blows there keeps the monsters away. Known as the Divine Wind, it is venerated as our protector. However, it stopped blowing one day. That has allowed monsters to sneak into our village. Even I, the last remaining priestess here, was nearly slain. That horrible monster is behind all of this!" Princess Fuse began to sob into her hands; her entire body shook with her sobs.
"All of the priests were killed, by what?" Issun asked, his eyes widening. The situation was indeed bleaker than he had originally gathered. Sure, he had sensed an abnormal evil when they entered the village, but he had not thought it to be particularly powerful. However, if it had been the cause of the death of priests, he and Amaterasu could be up against more than they had originally bargained for.
"There is only one explanation for why the wind stopped." Princess Fuse immediately stopped crying as if she had never begun in the first place.
With his questions once again completely ignored, Issun stood there as if slapped across the face. Was this becoming a pattern?
"It was that horrible beast, Crimson Helm!" Princess Fuse said spitefully, turning her head dramatically to the side as though she could not bear to hear herself say the name.
Amaterasu's fur on her back prickled slightly. Something buried deep in her subconscious awoke, however slightly. She knew that name-Crimson Helm-but she could not remember where. All she knew was that it was equated in her mind with anger and sadness. She strained to remember… she had to remember… she was so close…!
Issun had been watching Amaterasu ever since a small growl had rumbled from within her at the mention of this monster, Crimson Helm. Was she trying to recall something? Did she know this creature from her mysterious past? Did the monster have something to do with the strange dream that they had shared? He watched her intently as she tried to focus; her strain was obvious in her face. He had never seen her concentrate this hard ever before! Then-…! She lost interest and her eyes followed a bird that flew overhead. Issun threw his head back in aggravation. He should have known better than to trust her to think.
Knowing that he couldn't rely on Amaterasu, who was now rolling in the dirt to relieve an itch on her back, Issun turned to Princess Fuse, deliberately ignoring everything about Amaterasu in spite. "Could you tell us more about this thing, Crimson Helm?"
"The beast now dwells within the Gale Shrine. The monsters in this area have all been under Crimson Helm's control ever since he appeared in Taka Pass about one hundred years ago. My people, the Satomi House, keepers of the Gale Shrine have been battling the beast and his minions ever since." Princess Fuse explained with a hint of sorrow in her voice. "Last year, the fiends came and attacked the head priest while he was weakened by sickness, and the Gale Shrine fell into their hands. To celebrate their victory, they even sacrificed the head priest to Crimson Helm to be devoured."
Anger bubbled up from within Issun's gut. Attacking a sickened man; that was beyond low. He may not have taken much from his past, but Issun had departed his home with the wisdom of his grandfather and a very strict code of honor that all warriors, especially swordsmen must follow. It was a special credo that the valiant wielders of the blade were expected to conform to. His grandfather had said that there was a time that this code was respected by all, even the demons. Issun knew very well that both humans and demons had broken the code long ago, but Issun had scarcely heard of something this awful. To attack a sickened enemy and then refuse to give him the proper respect for the dead…
"I can't stand for this!" Issun announced.
Amaterasu and Princess Fuse looked at him in confusion.
"I knew demons were low and dirty, but for a greater demon to treat a powerful adversary with such disrespect is intolerable. As an artist and a swordsman, I will not allow this blatant offence to the ancient warrior code of honor to continue." Issun drew his sword. "I swear by my blade, Denkomaru, that Crimson Helm and his lackeys will pay."
Amaterasu barked determinedly and jumped into the air, spinning once in excitement. To see Issun so passionate about avenging lives and to protect the peace made her feel inspired as well. Even though she was still weak and nowhere near ready to fight anything, Amaterasu was already determined to begin fulfilling Issun's oath.
It seemed that Princess Fuse was also inspired by Issun, but her inspiration swiftly died and turned into depression. "If only I could vanquish Crimson Helm and free the Gale Shrine… But I am no match for the evil barrier that bars entry."
The arm that held Denkomaru in the air flopped to Issun's side. "Barrier…"
The moment had died instantly and Issun's plan had been crushed; even Amaterasu moaned in deflation.
"Couldn't have mentioned that one a bit sooner, could you, sweetness…?" Issun muttered with a trace of malice in his voice. He couldn't insult a priestess full on for stupidity, but he could think it.
"There is only one hope now." Princess Fuse said distantly.
"Spit it out, we're willing to try anything!" Issun said.
Amaterasu barked in agreement.
"Only the warriors that serve the Satomi House can right this wrong." Princess Fuse explained.
Issun was starting to grow somewhat impatient with Princess Fuse. She ignores my questions and she takes forever to get to the point… COME ON, TELL US ALREADY! Issun screamed mentally as the priestess continued to unintentionally build unnecessary suspense.
"Our last remaining hope for defeating Crimson Helm are the Satomi Canine Warriors!" Princess Fuse announced to the heavens.
Issun finally snapped. "CANINE WARRIORS?"
Amaterasu moaned and lay on the dirt, covering her face with her paws.
"Canine warriors, whaaa-…? Come ON, you have GOT to be kidding me! What's a bunch of flea bitten mutts going to do against a powerful demon! We're dead, we're all dead…" Issun ranted as he walked around. The weight of their imminent failure began to sink in and he leaned up against the tree. This woman was going to kill them both and not have the slightest inkling about it. "Gods, whyyyy…?"
"The Canine Warriors have protected the shrine and served the Satomi house for ages…!" Princess Fuse said quickly, hoping to instill the duo with the courage she had meant to inspire from the beginning.
"OLD DOGS!" Issun screeched and he fell to his knees, hitting his head on the trunk of the tree. He muttered about his funeral preparations while Amaterasu tucked her tail between her legs. "I can't see how this could POSSIBLY go wrong…! We're all going to die."
"Well, it has been a very long time since they have been needed… so they are scattered all over Nippon. If we could bring them back together, they could break the barrier and retake the shrine." Princess Fuse said distantly.
Issun jumped to his feet and rushed over to Princess Fuse, his eyes wide. "Get the dogs…!"
Princess Fuse leaned away from Issun slightly, since he was in her face. Amaterasu grabbed Issun by the seat of the pants and drug him backwards to give Princess Fuse more space, but his crazed expression didn't change.
"I have summoned them… but I have yet to receive word of their coming…" Princess Fuse said sadly, covering her mouth in one of her dainty hands as if to prevent herself from crying.
Issun leaned over and whispered to Amaterasu. "I can't say that I blame them for staying away…"
"I sense their presence nearby but I have yet to find them. What if they were attacked, or injured, or even worse…! I beg you, please sniff out their whereabouts!" Princess Fuse fell to her knees and directly addressed Amaterasu, placing a hand on either side of her face.
"Woooaaah, no can do!" Issun pulled Amaterasu away from Princess Fuse. "She's still a bit weak from the nasty air you got going on here."
"If its rest you require, there is an inn in the lower part of town. I could make it so that you can stay a night for free in order to rest up since I am asking so much of you." Princess Fuse begged them to help.
Free room and board were too good for Issun to pass up and he agreed quickly.
"Good! I would like you to begin early in the morning, we don't have much time before Crimson Helm issues another attack on the Village and I fear that we may not recover if he does…" Princess Fuse said with fear in her voice. Issun could tell that she truly cared about the people of the town below despite her airheaded behavior.
"Not to worry, Ammy here is quick to recover." Issun reassured her with a big smile while giving Amaterasu a good pat on the head. Amaterasu panted happily and angled her head up at Issun, closing her eyes to enjoy the attention. No matter how often or how little she got petted, she enjoyed it and attention from Issun was a special treat.
"This may help you." Princess Fuse handed Issun a small trinket on a dog collar.
"What is this thing…?" Issun asked as he held it up to his face to inspect it carefully and doubtfully.
"This is the Canine Tracker. It can guide you to the Canine Warriors by sensing their Chi." Princess Fuse explained.
Issun raised an eyebrow and nodded in approval. "What's up with all the tiny magical artifacts lately?"
Amaterasu pawed the ground once and gave Issun a confused look.
"Yeah, I don't get it either." Issun sighed as he pocketed the Canine Tracker. Things were definitely getting weirder, but he figured that's just what happened when you decided to travel with a god or goddess.
"I sense five of the Satomi Canine Warriors here in the village. They're a temperamental bunch and don't take kindly to strangers, but they should return to me once they see the Canine Tracker. Please use it and all of your strength to find them...!" Princess Fuse waved them off.
Issun and Amaterasu headed down the same path to the walkway that would lead them back to the village while Princess Fuse continued to shout advice at them. Issun wasn't sure about Amaterasu, but he was glad that they would be spending the night at a nice place, indoors, on actual beds. Not that their previous sleeping conditions had been terrible, but it was nice to sleep in civilization with a roof over their heads and a bed. Issun also knew that their sleeping conditions would be good for Amaterasu, who desperately needed to recover from the cursed zone. She was still small and showing no signs of her true godliness.
"This is going to be a bit of a pain. Still, Princess Fuse should be happy when we get them back to her. Then we can get on to the Gale Shrine and teach that Crimson Helm a lesson!" Issun said determinedly.
Amaterasu woofed in agreement, her eyes focused and determined as well. She still couldn't shake the feeling that she knew about Crimson Helm previous to her meeting Princess Fuse. One thing she did know, the impending battle was personal. She would make sure that Crimson Helm fell.
"Princess Fuse might be weird and more annoying than a merchant in a marketplace… but I can't wait to see how she thanks us." Issun said with a dirty laugh.
Amaterasu could still not understand his fixation with women. Perhaps she would never know.
…
LAME! I know. I can't get my writing to sound good. Someone please tell me honestly how I'm doing because I think I'm driving the struggle bus while pulling the fail boat on a broken trailer with this one. Encouragement and/or telling me how bad it is will help. If I'm doing well, I'll keep going. If it's horribly painful, I'll go back and do my best to fix it. Either way, you (you being the readers) win.