Hello again, readers. Sorry for the long wait. I had this chapter done for a while, but then I hit a big ol' writer's block and didn't feel up to even editing. I haven't even been online lately. Anyway, enjoy. Oh, and 'Annonymous,' sayonara is the casual form of goodbye, whereas sayounara is polite and formal.


He lay motionless in the middle of a circle of candles, which flickered as Amaterasu entered. His long blond hair was splayed messily, precariously near the flames. These candles, which threatened to set the boy's hair on fire, were an old purifying ritual which rarely worked, in Amaterasu's opinion. The girl quietly stepped over the ring and knelt at the foreigner's side. She shook him a few times to bring him to consciousness, and he moaned so loudly that Amaterasu had to check that no one had heard. She lightly slapped his face until finally, he opened his eyes. Dark blue eyes. Confused, he rested on his elbows and rewarded Amaterasu with a smile.

"Who are you?" She asked.

"Who are you?" He matched.

"This is no time for jokes! My dad's gonna wake up soon and come looking for me, and then we are both going to be in serious trouble." He shrugged and crossed his legs indian-style, folded his hands, and sniffed. This was infuriating to Amaterasu, "Quit being so nonchalant! Who are you?" She repeated.

"Fine. My name is Sugawara and I am the king of the universe." Amaterasu huffed at his smirk, which told her he was fibbing.

"No, your not. Now tell me who you really are."

"Well, mon chérie, I suppose I could offer you a bargain."

"You're in no position to bargain. And what does that even mean?"

"Mon chérie? Is your civilization very close-minded?"

"Excuse me?"

"Er… have you, perchance, heard of les français?" Amaterasu was non-responsive, "La español? Die deutschen? Gli italiani? Mamma mia. Well, nonetheless, I am Waka, the god's gift to man!" He announced.

"That's funny, I've never heard of you."

"Mm?"

"We are the gods, you idiot! You're on the Celestial Plain!"

"Well, that's certainly a surprise. I suppose my plan was to meet the last three tribes eventually-"

"What are you talking about? What are the last three tribes?"

"Non, non, non. Let us not discuss this, for I do not even know your name."

"Fine! My name is Izanami and I am queen of the Celestials!"

"I do not believe you."

"Eeugh! Why won't you just answer my questions?"

"And yet you don't answer mine?"

"You are our prisoner. I don't have to comply to anything you ask!" Waka crossed his arms.

"You're not treating me like an average prisoner, now are you?"

"Stop turning the question around!" Amaterasu hissed.

"I am going to reply like this until you answer." Amaterasu hit her forehead with her palm and decided that the precious time she had out of her father's watchful eye was running out, and she needed a straightforward answer.

"My name is Amaterasu." She complied.

"And…?"

"And I need to know who you are! I didn't think there was life elsewhere, but apparently there is, so what's it like? Do you have a family? Do you-" Amaterasu said this in one full breath.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. One question at a time, mon chérie."

"Hurry up!"

"I think your time's up." He informed, pointing to the entrance behind Amaterasu. There stood Izanagi, in his nightshirt and pants, barefoot. Amaterasu would have laughed if she wasn't about to be torn away from all men forever. And yet she was allowed to fight humans? Or was it help humans, and kill demons…? Or maybe they were both a threat? She didn't know. She did know one thing, and that was if she didn't think fast and come up with an adequate excuse in a second, Waka would be whisked off to the guillotine, for fraternizing with the heir to the throne. Amaterasu's mind raced through her previously effective excuses, but none of them related to this situation. She would just have to improvise.

"Father! I was just- I was out for a night walk when I caught this filth trying to squirm away! You were sound asleep, so I thought I could punish him myself." That was probably the lamest improvising known in the history of the Celestials. Amaterasu thought. She cracked a tiny smile for good measure, but the stone-cold face of her father remained in a tight frown. Frown was a bit of an understatement. There was a bit of loathing that crossed his expression. Hopefully it wasn't for his daughter… Amaterasu began to perspire, as did Waka, since no one had spoken for a long, awkward moment. Amaterasu cleared her throat, and shifted her weight from foot to foot. She nearly jumped out of her skin as her father's roar of a laugh sounded. Waka snickered a bit, as well. Amaterasu remained in confusion. Did her father believe in her strength to withhold a prisoner, or…?

"Do not try to fool me, Amaterasu! This child and I had an intriguing conversation before you awoke, and he is no prisoner of ours, but a guest! Meet Ushiwaka, a refugee of the Moon Tribe!"


Oh, Waka. Such a trickster. Anyway, I figured that Waka knows a ton of languages, but he likes the way french sounds, so that's what he uses most of the time. See you next time! :)

~ChattyCat