~ A Recap ~
Ammy gave him a little scowl. "Hey, it's worth a shot. Better than sitting around doing nothing, right? Now come on. There are only a few Shrines throughout Nippon. How hard could it be to find him?"
Issun hopped out of her kimono and onto her shoulder, flicking her cheek with his miniscule fingers. "Think again, furball. It's been 100 years since you've been here, remember? Shinto's spread to the bigger cities, so there are Shrines around every corner."
"It's a wonder that people need my help so badly if there are so many Shrines everywhere…" Ammy muttered. "But anyway, we'll start close to home. We can start in Agata Forest, then work our way from Taka Pass all the way to Sei-an. If we're lucky," She paused to scratch behind her ear with her hand. "He'll be close by."
With a sigh of defeat, Issun sat down on her shoulder. "Fine, fine. I just hope you know what you're doing, Ammy."
She gave him a crooked grin and leaned forward, tensing her muscles to take off running. "Of course I do."
( Amaterasu's P.O.V. )
A light breeze rustled the leaves of the many trees in Agata Forest as Amaterasu and Issun emerged into the deep wood from the passageway that led back to Shinshu Field.
"Man, this place seems creepier than before," Issun observed, looking around at the deep mist that surrounded the bottoms of the massive trees.
"It looks the same to me," Amaterasu said happily, gazing up at the thick forest canopy. "Remember, this is where we first met Waka?"
The Poncle made a disgusted noise. "How could I not? One of the reasons I don't like this place."
Ammy disagreed, but she didn't say it; she had many fond memories here of fishing with Kokari, getting her fortune told by Madame Fawn, and helping Kushi with the spring water she used to make the Sacred Sake on the day of the festival. She smiled as that nostalgic feeling washed over her once again.
"Ammy? Hellooooo? Earth to Furball!"
Ammy shook her head a little as she was pulled out of her reminiscing by Issun's high-pitched voice. "Now, the Shrine should be around here somewhere…Aha, there it is!"
He pointed, and the Goddess followed the direction of his pointing to see a small Shrine constructed near the Tsuta Ruins.
"This Shrine is dedicated to Tsutagami," Issun explained as Ammy started towards it. "They call it the Flora Shrine."
"It's good to hear there's still some faith in the Gods," Amaterasu said quietly.
A few minutes later, they arrived at the entrance to the Shrine, where a monk wearing a floral kimono greeted them with a bow.
"Hello," He said in a serene voice. "I don't believe I've seen you around these parts. Have you come to pray to the Gods of Flora?"
"Of course I will pay my respects to them," Ammy replied. "But I was actually wondering if you could give me some information."
"Certainly. It is always a pleasure to educate young minds."
She smiled at him and when he beckoned for her to follow him inside, she went without hesitation.
She walked through the door and sat down cross-legged on a tatami mat in the center of the floor, while the monk took the other side. In between them was a large piece of canvas, along with an ink stone and a brush.
"What would you like to know?" The monk said, folding his hands into the sleeves of his kimono.
"Well first, could you tell me how this Shrine came to be?" Ammy asked. "I'm afraid I haven't been here in…awhile, and I'm curious as to how the Gods of Flora came to be known."
The monk nodded in understanding. "Ah, so you wish to know about the founder. "I'm afraid I haven't been here in…awhile, and I'm curious as to how the Gods of Flora came to be known."
The monk nodded in understanding. "Ah, so you wish to know about the founder..." He reached out with his right hand and picked up the brush, dipping the fine black tip into a pot of ink that sat next to the ink stone.
"Well it started about 70 years ago," He said as he drew a few fine lines to illustrate what looked to be the Tsuta Ruins. "A man by the name of Kokari, who was raised here in Agata, traveled across Nippon in search of adventure." Ammy's ears perked when she heard the name Kokari.
He dipped the brush again before continuing, drawing what looked to be a man and a dog. "Kokari and his faithful dog, Ume, traveled the land, from right here in Agata, to the Northern Lands, the capital city, you name it. But as he got older, he remembered a certain white wolf that he used to play with as a child, and longed to find her once again."
Amaterasu listened carefully as he spoke, occasionally switching her gaze from the painting to his face, and back again. "Now, Kokari remembered having prayed for the wolf when he was just a sprout, and did more and more research on the subject. Eventually," He made a few lines that made up an image of what looked like a tiny person. Ammy glanced down at her chest, where Issun was safely tucked inside.
"He found several scrolls illustrating the wolf's good deeds with what was called, 'The Celestial Brush.' It explained, from the artist's point of view, how the wolf traveled across Nippon looking for Techniques for this Brush, and that each Technique was represented by a Brush God. Three of these made up one technique, what we know today as 'Greensprout'."
The Goddess motioned for him to keep going, her interest captivated. "This technique contained three Brush Techniques: these were Bloom, Water Lily, and Vine," He illustrated each of the brushstrokes needed to perform the technique. "With this knowledge, Kokari returned to Agata Forest and, after exploring the Tsuta Ruins, founded this shrine in dedication to the Gods of Flora."
Amaterasu nodded as she studied the monk's drawings a little longer. "How interesting," She said. He nodded once and set the brush down.
"Indeed it is," He said. "Since the beginning of this Shrine, to Kokari's passing of old age, and up to the present, we've kept the faith of the Gods of Flora alive here in Agata Forest."
The Goddess gave a small bow from where she sat, her hands positioned on her knees. "Thank you for sharing such wonderful information," She said. "And I was also wondering…"
"Yes?"
"Well, I was wondering if you knew anything about the old Shrine on Shinshu Field."
The old monk's kind, aged face creased slightly at the mention of it, as if it were taboo. "I don't know much about it…but the last I heard, the head Priest there just up and left, and hasn't returned since."
"So you wouldn't by chance, have any idea what the purpose of the Priest's journey was?"
The monk shook his head. "I'm afraid not, my dear."
Amaterasu's face fell, and he smiled at her once again. "Do not fret, child. Perhaps if you pray to the Flora Gods, they will assist you with your quest."
She nodded and stood. "Thank you," She said simply, bowing yet again. He also stood and gave her a bow.
"You may pray outside, where the three Flora statues stand to the entrance to the Ruins," He said, directing her with his hand. Giving him another smile, she left the Shrine and walked around to the entrance to the Ruins, where sure enough, three beautifully carved statues of the Flora Gods stood.
Just then, Issun popped out of her cleavage. "Wow, who knew Kokari would make somethin' outta himself after all!" He said, gazing at the statues. Amaterasu nodded, her eyes glazed slightly as she thought of all of the fun times she had with that kid, who worked so hard to be a man like Susano.
Without another word Amaterasu knelt down and closed her eyes, her hands coming together as she summoned them. A moment later, she opened her eyes to see the three Gods of Flora; Sakigami, Hasugami, and Tsutagami. They banged their instruments rhythmically as they hopped steadily in unison.
"Amaterasu," Tsutagami said. "Origin of all that is good and mother to us all…"
"Since your first journey, we have known peace," Sakigami continued. "But all is not well…"
"An evil stronger than ever before is now threatening our rein of peace. And now," Hasugami said seriously. "You will need the help of Greensprout to restore the land to its former glory."
"And so," Tsutagami said. "We see you have already mastered Bloom, but you have yet to reacquire Vine and Water Lily."
Hasugami clumsily tried to speak and hop at the same time. "I bestow upon you the power of Water Lily. Use it to cross right over any obstacles in your way, and get closer and closer to restoring Nippon to its former beauty."
"And I," Tsutagami said, as part of the ceremony. "Bestow upon you the power of Vine. Use this to reach new heights and rise above evil."
Amaterasu nodded gratefully as Sakigami stepped forward once more. "Even though you have already mastered Bloom, your light has dimmed due to the evil in the area. Only with the conquering of such evil will you be able to rise up to your highest potential once again. I give you these words of advice, in hopes that they will assist you on your journey."
"Thank you," Ammy said, feeling reenergized by the new techniques. "I will use these techniques to their full potential to fulfill my role as protector of this land."
The three primates nodded in unison and began glowing, signaling that they were taking their leave. "We bid you safe travels, Amaterasu," They all said simultaneously as they faded away into the faint moonlight that shone on the once-again-statues.
As Amaterasu turned and began walking away from the statues, Issun spoke up. "Awesome, two more brush techniques at once! You're on a roll, furball!"
Ammy laughed a little and looked down at her brush. "Well at least we gained something," She said. "Guess we'll have to keep looking for our man, though."
"Yeah, but now you don't have to swim through the canal to get to Agata anymore!" Issun contradicted.
"True," She said, shrugging as they walked away. "But where should we go next?"
A moment of silence as, she assumed, Issun pondered her question. "Let's try working our way to Taka Pass," He said eventually. "I'm sure we'll find something there; I've heard lots of travelers have been settling down there."
Amaterasu nodded in agreement and changed her direction, heading onto the path that led to the river.
"I wonder if that log Kokari put there is still there~" Ammy said jokingly as she passed into the clearing and saw, to her great surprise, that the very same log had been made into a sturdy bridge that arched over the rushing river below.
"Wow," Issun said as Amaterasu began walking across, the planks creaking under her weight. She smiled. "I always knew that kid would make it in the world."