Chapter 5: Fireflies

With the day coming to an end, we returned to Kamiki Village. Settling by my favorite spot by the sacred tree Konohana, I saw that its condition was worsening. The evil running rampant now affected the tree—and Sakuya. She grew weaker and weaker by the day, until it came to the point where she could not even appear before us, only able to rest within the tree. This curse needed to be lifted soon, or Sakuya will . . .

I banished those thoughts to the back of my mind. I knew that this curse would be broken, and hopefully soon. In the darkness, there flickered small glints of light. Everyone knew right away what the source of these lights were.

"Fireflies!" Kiyoko exclaimed in wonder. "They're so pretty!"

"Well, what do ya know?" Issun said. "You don't see many fireflies around this time of year!"

We watched as the lightning bugs danced around us, their glow bringing light to the dark night.

"You know . . ." Kiyoko started, a bit quieter than usual. "I heard once that fireflies are actually remnants of the souls of the dearly departed." Her expression became somber yet peaceful, as if recalling a bittersweet memory. A firefly landed on her finger and she held it up to her face, smiling sadly.

Another one brushed past my nose, causing me to sneeze. We all laughed, and looked on as the fireflies slowly drifted off into the night sky.

o~*~o

The next morning, I got up early as usual to find that Kiyoko was also up. I would expect Waka to be awake at this time—he's always up before me—but Kiyoko should have been asleep. The sun was just starting to peek above the horizon, and everyone else still slept. But there she stood, staring intently at the rising sun. There were circles under her eyes, as if she didn't sleep at all. Did she stay awake all night?

When I walked up to her, she failed to notice me, so I nudged her with my nose to get her attention. She acknowledged my presence with a glance in my direction, sadness in her amethyst eyes. I whined softly, expressing my concern. She smiled weakly.

"Hello, Amaterasu," she said. "Mind if I call you Snowflake? I think it's a nice nickname." I barked to let her know that I like it. Snowflake. That's actually quite close to what her mother Kushi always called me—Snowy. Kiyoko then went back to being uncharacteristically serious.

"I couldn't sleep last night," she sighed, "but you probably already figured that out. I had a dream—a premonition, almost. I know I'm probably being paranoid, but I just can't shake the feeling that something horrible is going to happen to me. And that scares me."

I wished I could talk then, so I would be able to tell her that nothing bad could ever happen as long as she stayed with us. I slid my head through her arms, and she responded by hugging me. She was trembling, shaken by her premonition. As much as I wanted to do more for her, this was all I could do to comfort her. She gazed over at the tree, most likely trying to take her mind off things.

"I probably would be able to revive that tree," she said thoughtfully, catching me by surprise. "I have great spiritual power, or so they say. I could do that dance, like Old Man Orange used to do." That brought back memories. Mr. Orange danced to the sacred tree, claiming he could communicate with the spirit of the tree. I did not expect Kiyoko to claim to have that same ability. Anyway, that was a bridge to be crossed later.

Later on, with everyone now awake, we set out once more in search of the dark force infecting the beautiful land we call home. Home . . . ? Memories of the Celestial Plain, my real home flashed through my mind. That day . . . I had been so close. It was just within my grasp, so close I could almost touch it!

"Ammy!" Issun's voice broke through my thoughts. "Ammy, look out!" Unfortunately, he didn't warn me fast enough, so I ended up tripping and tumbled into the river. I gave him a glare and a low growl.

"It wasn't my fault!" he said. "You're the one who wasn't paying attention!" Apparently, everyone thought that was funny. Issun burst out laughing, Kiyoko giggled, and even Waka was trying to hide his laughter. Well, I'll show them!

Whipping out my Celestial Brush, I drew a line from the river to each of them—another of my techniques called Waterspout. The water flowed into the line I made, drenching them all.

"Oh, Ammy!"

"My goodness!"

"Eek! Cold!"

Their complaints only satisfied me more as I dragged myself out of the river. With a wolfy grin on my face, I put the cherry on top by shaking out my wet fur, giving them another shower of water. I smirked at the expressions on their faces. But now it's time to get back to our mission. For some reason, Ryoshima Coast seemed a good place to start. Only thing was, Ryoshima Coast was quite some distance from where we were. Then I remembered something very useful . . .

I led the others to a small spring near the local Dojo, where I would occasionally go to train and become stronger. Although for now, I focused on the spring nearby. It may look like an ordinary spring to many, but it was much more than that. At its center, there was a spot where the water there was slightly different, glowing a soft sea foam green. I took out a Mermaid Coin, a grungy-looking coin necessary to activate the spring. I tossed it into the water, and the waves swirled around, creating a small whirlpool. This is called a Mermaid Spring, one of many portals that are rumored to be used by mermaids.

I motioned to the others to jump in. Only Issun and I knew of these special springs, and it caught the other two off guard.

"W-Wait," Kiyoko said, somewhat nervous. "Are you sure that thing's safe?" She pointed at the mini whirlpool.

"I'm sure it'll be fine," Waka stated, taking things into stride as usual. He gracefully leaped in and disappeared into the small portal.

"Here I come!" Kiyoko yelled, already over all nervousness. Taking a running start, it came as no surprise when she stumbled and literally fell head over heels into the water. I leapt in, and away to Ryoshima Coast we went.