Author's Note: First of all, I just wanna thank everyone who's reviewed and favourited my story. It means a lot! Every review gets me more eager to write the next chapter, so again, thanks! And may the fresh scent of flowers be with you always! ;)
~ Love, Haachi ~
~ A Recap ~
"When she died," Mizaru said. "She became a malicious spirit, and her senses were engulfed by darkness and evil. Only her mouth remained, which she used to cast an enchanting spell over the land, and all who were caught in it became possessed."
Amaterasu nodded, her attention apt. So that explained the girl back in Kamiki…
"She is gluttonous," said Kikazaru. "And fed off of those who came to this shrine, where she resided. As time wore on, she continued feasting on travelers and villagers from Kamiki until there weren't any left."
"Aw man…" Issun said. "This sounds worse than we thought…what if there really aren't any villagers left?"
"We don't know that for sure," Ammy replied, trying to remain optimistic. "But there's only one way to find out."
She looked back up at the door as the three monkeys hovered up around her, and revolved in a circle.
"We'll help you," The three said in unison. "Use the knowledge we have given you to defeat Taishoku and restore the land to its former state."
Amaterasu nodded and focused all of her holy power on the door, where the evil seal still barred it shut. She felt three more focused beams of energy conjoin with hers, and with a burst of white light, the seal and the door behind it both exploded.
"Nice work!" Issun praised them. "Now get in there and show that hag who's boss!"
( Amaterasu's P.O.V. )
The Shrine was no longer a sacred place.
As Amaterasu cautiously entered through the hole where the door had been, accompanied by Issun on her shoulder and the three monkeys hovering around her, every hope she had that the Shrine wouldn't be affected by the evil presence vanished. The place was virtually unrecognizable; the racks that had held sacred scrolls and prayers were vacant now, the documents replaced with only a few dry bones. Incense burners were piled into a corner, their ornate lacquer dusty and cracked. Statues of the gods that had sat so uniformly in a line were scattered throughout the room.
No one said a thing as they gazed around at the wreckage. Amaterasu felt her heart ache at the sight of such a safe place, defiled and corrupted by that horrible evil. But as she proceeded further into the room, careful not to step on the many fragments of clay statues and lacquerware, her thoughts were broken by a faint sound.
"Do you hear that, Ammy?" Issun said, keeping his voice down. Amaterasu perked her ears and, after a moment, she heard the slightest sound of a voice.
"Yeah, I hear it," Ammy replied. "It sounds like…crying."
Her dark eyes scanned the room a few times as she tried to pinpoint where the sound was coming from. A moment later, she caught sight of a small staircase in the far left corner that led down into blackness. She approached it and fearlessly began walking down into the swallowing darkness, the rotted wooden steps creaking under her feet. Only the faint glow the monkeys emanated helped her to see where she was going as she emerged onto the lower floor of the Shrine.
"Damn, it's so dark down here," Issun commented, breaking the muffled silence that now bore down on them.
Amaterasu held still for a moment, letting her vision adjust to the blackness. Although there wasn't much to this room, she could make out the shapes of a few spent candles and some more old bones. She leaned down and began carefully rooting through the piles of junk and, after a moment of searching, found a candle with a little bit of wicker left.
"Aha," She said upon the discovery of the candle. She looked around in the blackness for something to light the candle with, to no avail.
"Leave it to me!" Issun interjected. "I didn't master all of the brush techniques, but Inferno is one of my fortes."
He pulled out an almost microscopic paintbrush and drew the stroke needed to create Inferno, and with a burst of orange light the candle wick lit. It glowed warmly and illuminated the whole room, automatically making Ammy a little safer.
"You could've mentioned you've mastered some of the brush techniques," Amaterasu scolded Issun. "But thanks."
"Sorry about that. Must've slipped my mind," Issun said as he stowed his brush. "I'm gettin' old, in case you haven't noticed."
"Oh, I've noticed." Ammy joked, and she could imagine him scowling at her.
The Goddess turned her attention to the room that was now illuminated by the small candle. Other than the small piles of rubbish here and there and a door that led into more darkness on the far wall, the room was empty. She set off in the direction of the door, the wooden floorboards squeaking dangerously with her weight. She tried her hardest to step lightly as she emerged into the next room, which wasn't all that different from the first.
"Hmm…" She pondered as she looked around. The crying they had heard at first had stopped now, so Amaterasu had no way of figuring out where the sound had come from. She grimaced when she saw that this room split into three different areas, and any one of them could be the way that would lead her to Taishoku.
Suddenly, a whooshing noise drew her attention away from the situation at hand, and she cried out in surprise as she felt the all-too-familiar presence of evil.
"Gah!" Issun cried out. "What's going on!"
Amaterasu let a very wolf-like growl emanate from deep in her throat as she spun around. "I know exactly what's going on…" She muttered, and reached up to where her reflector was mounted on her back. Flames had surrounded them, barring their only way out.
Her eyes narrowed and Divine Retribution lashed out its Heavenly flames as three imps with masks over their faces appeared and began circling them. The Goddess snarled and, with her weapon floating between her hands, lunged for the first one.
The Reflector sliced through the imp like it was butter, but it would take more than that; after hitting it a few more times, she pulled out her Celestial Brush and power-slashed it, then watched it split into two and fall to the ground with a thud.
"I still got it!" She said to Issun as she hurriedly sliced and diced the other two, their bodies turning into masses of flowers as they fell to the ground. The flames around them dissipated and she picked up the yen that had fallen from the monsters' corpses.
"Oh YEAH! I haven't seen that kind of action in years!" Issun screamed, clearly hyped up by the fight. Ammy looked around to make sure there were no other demon scrolls before picking up the fallen candle. Miraculously it was still burning, and without a word Amaterasu walked toward the three doors.
"Which one do you think we should take?" Ammy asked in general, not really talking to anyone in particular. She felt Issun shrugging his little shoulders and sighed.
Just then, Amaterasu heard it again: that faint sound of someone sobbing desperately. She looked at each of the doors as she tried to figure out where it was coming from.
"There," Issun said, pointing at the door on the left. "I think it's coming from that door."
Without hesitation the Goddess used her free hand to push the wooden door open, the rusted hinges making a horrible squeaking sound that made all of them cringe.
What awaited them in the next room almost made Amaterasu scream.
Bodies upon bodies were piled up in the center of the room; some reduced to nothing but skeletons, others fresh. Ammy squeezed her eyes shut for a moment at such a horrible, repulsive sight. So this is the reality of how many victims she's taken… She thought as she slowly opened one eye halfway. She felt her stomach twist into a knot when the dim light of the candle in her hand shone upon the dead eyes of the fresh bodies, and she looked away once again.
"Oh man…" Issun said quietly as he jumped off of Ammy's shoulder and onto the ground. "I can't believe this! Who could do such a thing!"
"Taishoku, that's who," Ammy answered, as she began to carefully pick her way around the huge pile. As she passed, she noticed most of those that still had flesh had been…fed on. She bit her lip and averted her eyes, desperate to get past this awful sight. Finally she reached the other side, where a door awaited her. She gratefully pushed it open to hear that the crying sounded closer and louder now.
"Thank goodness we're outta there!" Issun exclaimed as he hopped back onto her shoulder. "I've never seen anything like that…"
Amaterasu didn't reply, she simply kept her eyes straight in front of her, desperate to un-see what she had just seen. But as much as she willed the image to go away, it remained fresh in her mind as she continued through the next few rooms, which harbored no obstacles, much to her satisfaction.
Finally, they reached a point where the crying sounded like it was coming from right in front of them. Although it would stop every now and then, Amaterasu kept a firm course until the sound would start again. As the time wore on and they got deeper and deeper into the labyrinth, Ammy noticed that it wasn't one voice simply crying. She would hear several hushed voices conversing, although she couldn't make out what they were saying. It filled her with a new hope that some of the villagers were still alive, and so she pushed on.
"You'd think we would've made some progress by now!" Issun said, an impatient tone in his voice. "Hey Monkeys! Some assistance please?"
The three remained silent, just hovered around Amaterasu's form like they had from the start. Issun's glow went from green to red and he began bouncing up and down on Ammy's shoulder to let off steam, she guessed.
"Wait, Issun. Shhh," Amaterasu said, her voice hushed. She could hear it clearly now; they were so close to whatever hostages Taishoku was holding that she could hear them changing positions, or feebly scratching at the walls. The Okami looked to where the sound was coming from and saw what she was looking for: a large door that was barred shut by another evil seal.
Ammy couldn't help but grin a little as she once again focused her Holy energy into a beam. The three monkeys also provided more assistance, and with the blinding light came the satisfying sound of the door breaking open.
"You ready, Ammy?" Issun asked, the red that had surrounded him now faded back to his usual green. "There won't be any turning back once we're in there, y'know."
Amaterasu nodded and took a deep breath. "I know," She said, feeling surprisingly calm. "But it's like we always used to say: Leap before you think!"
"That's the furball I know!" The Poncle cried. Ammy smiled and, with another deep breath, walked fearlessly into the blackness.
_
Amaterasu groped around for a moment in the smothering dark, a darkness so deep and impenetrable that even the candle in her hand didn't make any difference. She began walking slowly what she thought was straight, and after a moment found what felt like a door.
The next thing she saw was light. Bright at first, but after a moment it dimmed into the soft glow that emanated from paper lanterns that were lined up along the sides of the long hallway she now faced. Slowly she began walking, her footsteps making harsh echoing sounds that shattered the eerie silence. The sounds from those being held captive had stopped, and Amaterasu could feel the stifling air closing in around her. But she kept walking, and as she progressed down the long, almost never-ending hallway, even Issun didn't dare make a sound.
She walked, and she walked. The stretching corridor seemed like it went on forever and ever, when suddenly, it ended. Ammy looked around as she emerged into a circular room whose floor was littered with more bones and skulls. The room led out into a larger, almost cavernous room, where the light was dimmer.
Ammy followed the path that led into this larger room, and suddenly the silence was broken by muffled screams. She jumped a little and looked around, and upon further inspection she saw what looked like cages made out of bones, lined up in the dense shadows of the room. Inside these cages were the source of the noises that had led them here; dozens of frightened villagers occupied them. A few of them began to struggle feebly at the sight of her. She put her index finger to her lips to signal them to be quiet, as she looked on to the far end of the room.
Then suddenly, a bone-chilling laugh cut through the air. Amaterasu looked for the source and saw, once again, the hooded figure from before, who she now knew as Taishoku.
"I see you have found my domain…"
A vicious snarl erupted from Amaterasu as her lip curled upward, and she braced herself. The demon took a few steps toward her from where she stood, and the black cloak slowly fell to the ground.
Amaterasu couldn't help but take a step back as Taishoku's face was revealed; she was sickly pale, her face a blank slate except for a gaping black mouth full of razor-sharp teeth. She flashed her an eerie grin and continued walking toward her slowly. Ammy couldn't help but shiver at the uncanny feeling that the demon could see exactly where she was standing, even though she had no eyes.
"So, you wish to fight me..?" Taishoku said, her mouth not moving as she spoke. "I sense something different about you…fine. If you wish to challenge me, I'll eat you up like I did the others!"
Amaterasu barely had any time to think before Taishoku lunged, her black mouth gaping as she closed the distance between them in a split-second. But Ammy was also fast; her Reflector was in her hands just in time to block the blow with it. The three monkeys surrounding her glowed brighter and moved from their positions, coming into a line in front of her.
The same white Heavenly light radiated out from the three forms. "We will protect you," They recited in unison. "Let not the darkness smother your senses."
Amaterasu felt the strength of the monkeys meld in with her own, and she growled viciously as she landed a few more hits on Taishoku with Divine Retribution. The demon fell to the ground, her hideous mouth wide open, and Amaterasu took the opportunity to power-slash the gaping hole with her brush.
Taishoku jumped up with incredible speed and rushed her again, this time a little too quick for Amaterasu. She slashed at her with her fangs, successfully cutting into the Goddess's skin. She growled once more and repeated the process of before, by hitting her a few times and power-slashing her when she fell.
It was only a few moments before Amaterasu was left gasping for breath, her body covered in cuts and bite marks. She barely dodged a few more blows from Taishoku, but every movement she now made sucked more energy out of her.
Suddenly, she felt a revitalizing energy fill her body from the inside out, and looked down to see that her wounds were healing. She smiled up at the monkeys and, with a new flame, landed the last crucial blows to Taishoku's now-battered body.
There. Amaterasu saw her chance to deal the final blow as Taishoku fell to her knees, massive amounts of red, sticky blood oozing out of her mouth. She struggled to her feet to give one last final attempt, but it was too late; like a flash of Heavenly lightning, Amaterasu jumped on top of her and plunged Divine Retribution right into her hideous mouth.
An ear-splitting screech rang through the cavernous room as Taishoku struggled with her last breaths. Amaterasu pulled the reflector out and sprung backward into a crouching position, watching as the writhing, bloodied body began to disintegrate, the black ooze created by the pure evil rising into the air like black tendrils.
And then, she disappeared entirely.
The writhing black mass was transformed into dozens and dozens of flowers, and a sense of peace enveloped everything. Amaterasu stood as her Reflector mounted itself on her back once more.
"Well done, furball," Issun said from inside her kimono, where he must've snuck into to stay safe. "I knew you still had it in ya."
Ammy breathed a sigh of relief as her heart calmed, and she sensed no more evil. The Shrine was no longer corrupt, and from now on she would make sure it would stay that way.
"The evil from this place is gone, Amaterasu," The three monkeys said. "You have our greatest thanks for ridding this land of evil. We will watch over you always."
The four of them all exchanged a respectful bow, before the three faded away, leaving nothing behind but a faint glow in the air.
After enjoying the moment of peace, Amaterasu turned to the situation at hand; freeing those who had been possessed by Taishoku. "Hey, Issun," She said, addressing the Poncle. "Mind helping me getting all of these people outta here?"
"You got it, Boss!" He said with a salute. He bounced out of her kimono and she watched as the little glowing green ball began unlocking cages. She also walked over to a cage and with her trust Celestial Brush, power-slashed it right open. She peered in to see two people in this cage, a couple, both quite elderly.
"Thank you so much," the man said once they were both out of the cage. "You have our greatest appreciation. I thought we'd never get outta there! I'm Mr. Kumquat." He bounced the little fruit that sat on top of his head before motioning to his wife. "This is Mrs. Kumquat. We're the elders of Kamiki Village."
"Nice to meet you both," Ammy said. "I'm Ama-"
She stopped herself, not really wanting to cause a fuss. "Amaya. My name's Amaya."
Mr. Kumquat squinted his eyes as he examined her, his long bony fingers running through his knee-length white beard. A moment later, he just smiled and dismissed any suspicions he had had a moment ago; after all, all he could see was a regular girl with snowy-white hair. Although the hair colour was probably peculiar, to mortals there was nothing else different about her.
"So, Amaya," Mrs. Kumquat said, her sweet old voice just like honey. "How would you like to come back to our house for some of my world-famous cherry cakes? The recipe was handed down to me, you know."
"That sounds wonderful," Amaterasu replied. "But first I have some other business to take care of."
She dismissed herself, and when it seemed like they were fine with it, she went off to unlock the other cages. As it turned out, Taishoku had been holding most of the villagers hostage, while eating travelers that happened to pass through. Everyone they found was virtually unscathed, save for some cuts and bruises here and there.
"Good, everyone's safe," Amaterasu said, relieved, as her and Issun finished unlocking all of the cages. She looked down when she felt a tugging on the hem of her kimono, to see a little boy standing in front of her.
"Can we go home now?" He asked. "My mom and I got a turnip field to take care of."
Ammy nodded, and felt a smile come to her lips. "Yes, everyone can go home now. You're safe, little one." She knelt down to ruffle his hair.
Just then, a massive rumbling shook the whole room, causing people to look around in confusion. Amaterasu looked up just as a beam of light erupted through the ceiling, and before any of them knew it there was a gaping hole that let the daylight in. Waka was hovering next to it, and he peered down and smiled at the Goddess.
"Bonjour, Amaterasu!" He said. "I figured you would need an easier way out!"
Ammy looked around to make sure no one had heard him, but the villagers were too caught up in their happiness and relief. She looked back up to the Tao Master and gave him a single nod of thanks.
"Okay, Issun," She said, looking over at the Poncle. "Let's get these villagers outta here."
Wow, long chapter. Oh well, this makes up for the shorter chapters! Please remember to review! ^^