Chapter 5
"Whaa? You're a prophet?" Amaterasu and Kabegami exclaimed in unison. Yumigami gave another of his frowns and rolled his eyes.
"Surprise, surprise…" he muttered.
The four were sitting down on the shore of a pond, making crowns of fallen petals underneath the giant sakura tree. The petals that has worn off the branches was now flying off with the breeze, leaving an aroma of early spring cherry petals behind them. The petals on the pond water looked as if it were resting peacefully along with the croaking frogs. A cool shade was built underneath the tree to block the sunlight. It was a beautiful scene indeed.
Ushiwaka ignored him and shook his head.
"Well, that's what I've been trained to do, but I don't think I've ever gotten a vision before. Or maybe I have but didn't even notice it. It just, you know…comes all of a sudden, ma cherie." he gazed off into space.
"Well, why not try now? Come on, prophesize something!" Amaterasu urged him.
"Eh… fine, alright."
Ushiwaka grinned and closed his eyes. He made a weird gesture with his hands and dropped them back on his lap. Suddenly he opened his eyes again.
"So?" Kabegami asked.
"I foresee treating you to ramen soup!"
It took them a moment for them to transfer his words into their minds. Their blank expressions made Ushiwaka want to laugh. After a minute or so, Kabegami and Amaterasu's face squinched up and they both broke down into a laughing howl. Yumigami sighed and stared at them both in disappointment.
"It's not even that funny. He's just trying to impress you two." he glared at Ushiwaka. "Aren't you?"
Ushiwaka felt anger rise up inside him, but managed to cool it down. One false movement at the god and he would be suffering through death.
"Hahaha," Amaterasu wiped a tear away. "no, that's just how he is. Unpredictable. Literally, hehe."
Yumigami glanced at Kabegami, who was now laying facedown on the grass. He laid a hand on her back which made her jump a bit.
"We mustn't laugh at ourselves, we should be high and proud, not to be fooled by some crippled, old loner." he lifted his chin up.
That ticked Amaterasu off once again. It's like he enjoys making her angry.
"YOU LITTLE…LITTLE…." it took her a minute to think up of a not-to-offensive word.
"YOU STUCK UP OLD PIECE OF MEAT! WOULD YOU STOP BEING MEAN TO HIM FOR JUST ONE SECOND?" Kabegami had to hold her back so she wouldn't get too hot with her temper.
Yumigami just shrugged, stood up, and walked away as if nothing had ever happened. Kabegami gasped, jumped up, and caught up with him.
Amaterasu puffed out a cool, deep breath and looked at Ushiwaka who was struggling, too, from breaking his temper. She touched his shoulder which made him flinch and cool down.
"Look, I'm real sorry. It's just…well…it's hard to explain, but he's been pretty upset lately, and I just can't quite catch what he's all worked up about. He won't tell anyone about it even though we all know that deep inside he wants someone to help him."
He glanced into Yumigami's path and sighed.
"No, it's okay. I understand him well, I've been into those kinds of situations before." he said.
"Like…like the situation you're in now?" Amaterasu quietly said, trying to look at him.
He turned his head away from her and nodded softly.
"Yeah." he said. "Like now."
It has been over 500 years now. 500 years since he's lost everything. Ushiwaka rested against a tree on the north edge of the Celestial Plains. Gazing up at the bright, silver moon, he suddenly felt more homesick than ever. Clutching his flute close to his side, he closed his eyes and drifted off into thoughts.
Thank you, mother. Thank you for making me aware of all the painful memories I've met. Thank you for explaining to me about this strange world and for saving my life. Je'taime.
He opened his eyes, sighed, and frowned.
And last, but not least, thank you Yami for making all this possible. I've met so many great people, or gods as I should say, while living here. I've learned so much and I have a good feeling this place will be much better than I'll ever imagine. But one thing is for sure, I'll never forget what you did to my people. Never.
"Hi, sleepy-head."
Ushiwaka yelped and looked at the stranger that had suddenly appeared beside him.
"Amaterasu what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be inside?" he pouten. "And I was not sleeping."
"I can't spend a little time in here with you?" she plopped herself down next to him. Her hair had grown fast throughout the years, though she still keeps it in a ponytail that meets up to her waist sometimes. The small, black tip that used to be at the end was now even larger in size. Ushiwaka sighed.
"No, it's okay. Besides, I was only going to spend a few minutes here anyway." he grimaced as he felt a hand sliding down through his hair. He looked at Amaterasu with a stern face. She wasn't paying any attention to him at all.
"Ma cherie…"
"Yeah?"
"Stop touching me…"
"Huh?"
"I said stop touching me."
"Ahh…what?"
He grabbed her hand and pulled it away gently. Amaterasu gasped and raised her hands up high.
"Oh sheesh, I'm so sorry! It's just been a habit lately, your hair is so-"
"No, it's ok. A lot of people do that, it happens almost everyday, I'm pretty used to it. I just don't like their dirty hands wiping against my hair. It looks really weird too, I have to admit." he said. He noticed a hurt look forming on Amaterasu's face. "Ah, not that your hands-"
"You think my hands are dirty? Well, excuse me, missy. I didn't know you liked to keep your hair clean and silky." she teased. Ushiwaka chuckled.
Suddenly, voices started shouting at a distance behind them. Ushiwaka stood up and pulled Amaterasu off the ground. Her ears lowered when she saw what the commotion was about. "Uh oh…"
They both saw a big, bulky figure waving his arms around wildly. A tall, thin person was too arguing with him and seemed to be glancing up at the sky every other minute as if waiting for something. Amaterasu looked at Ushiwaka with curious eyes and ran off to meet with the two strangers. Ushiwaka looked back at the night sky one more time before catching up with her.
"Well, what did you expect, you old hag?"
"You are better than this, Yumigami. And you know it too."
"Arghh!" Yumigami snarled and clutched his mochi hammer. Aiming it at the elderly man, he sucked his strength in, swung his hammer back, and released an overwhelming blow against Yomigami. Although before he could hit even an inch at Yomigami's face, the elder stepped back swiftly and ,as Yumigami saw, stretched himself into a long, ferocious pale gray dragon, fixing his stony, coal black eyes unto Yumigami.
The hammer's blow had missed the dragon and pulled Yumigami along with it. Yumigami yelped and landed hard on his ribcage. Hard. Hearing his ribcage crack, he cursed out loud and clutched his side tightly. Ignoring the pain he glanced at the night sky, eager for something to come falling down.
Hurry up already…
"You have blown your last chance already, young god. We loved you as a family, Yumigami, but you, you've just pushed us all away. You've pushed all of your opportunities away. When I first saw you as a baby, I just knew in my heart, you were going to be a very wild one. I saw it through your tiny pair of eyes, the putrid darkness beginning to swallow you whole, Yumigami. I wanted to change that." Yomigami's soft black eyes shifted into piercing cold rocks.
"But I guess it will be no success. You have forsaken yourself, young one. And I will leave it as you wish." he curled back his lips to reveal a set of large white fangs. He drew back his head and suddenly lunged toward the poor, helpless god.
Yumigami held out his arm in front of him, ready for the beginning of death. Taking one last glance toward the night sky, he noticed a small bright light gliding toward the Yomigami dragon.
The dragon let out a horrifying cry and landed sideways on the field. Yumigami could make out a smaller figure beside it. Amaterasu.
"You know, I didn't really need your help, you stinkin' mutt."
"Silence, Yumi!" Amaterasu snapped. She had transformed into her zodiac form, a brilliant white wolf with crimson markings, inky black eyes, and a tail dipped in ink, it so looked like.
"Yomigami, you must control your temper. You know it will not help killing a helpless god. Are you okay?" she poked her nose against Yomigami's forehead.
The dragon exhaled real loudly and shifted his head a bit. A rough deep voice filled the air.
"Forgive me, most honorable Amaterasu. And you too, Yumigami. It pains me to think of how depressed you are, young god, and how you refuse to tell anyone about it. You take out all your anger toward innocent celestials, causing a riot. But you are right, Amaterasu. I should have not taken my own anger in that way. Please forgive me."
Yomigami slowly turned his head to face Yumigami.
"And I hope you know that I did not mean to do such damage on you. I would never, in my swore everlasting life, think of to hurt you in any way. But I am begging, to please let me know if anything is bothering you. I can not imagine what would happen if one of my dearest brothers will live in agony and depression."
Yumigami stared at the dragon for a minute. Then at Amaterasu.
"What emotional jerks."
All of a sudden, Amaterasu's large canine figure lunged at him and pinned him down, hackles raised. Her eyes filled with fury and she let out a terrifying snarl.
Her claws dug deeper into Yumigami's chest. Oh, she was so going to kill him now. Too bad Yumigami's zodiac wasn't as horrifying as hers. Not even close.
Her breathing slowed down and her hackles relaxed. As her claws loosened, the human god pushed her away.
"Dear Amaterasu, leave him be. He will soon cool down, I am sure of it." Yomigami growled in the distance.
"Hey-" Amaterasu started.
"And there it goes." Yumigami grinned. Amaterasu cocked her head in confusion.
"What?"
"Orochi."
Amaterasu's ears perked up. She wasn't sure what she was hearing.
"Come again?" she was struck dumb.
"Where's your blondie friend? That weirdo from the moon." Yumigami said, still staring at the sky.
"Ushiwaka? I thought he was following me. Gee, I even forgot he was following me." she began to scan the horizon.
"Yeah, well…that's the demon that destroyed his home. His life." he pointed at the sky. Amaterasu and Yomigami followed his finger upward, but didn't see anything but the earth and the stars. Yomigami growled again.
"Look closely." Yumigami urged.
Finally, Amaterasu saw what he was talking about. Small speck of rays were breaking into the atmosphere and quickly falling down onto the plain. Yumigami tensed.
"Yumigami? Orochi? Wha? How…how did you know?" Amaterasu struggled to speak in full words.
"I am the god of the moon aren't I?" Yumigami smirked.