~ A Recap ~
Just then, Miya intervened. "Wait, concussion? What're you talking about? Did you get hurt? Are you okay?"
As she fussed over him and Seiichi left the room, obviously bored, Ammy smiled and laughed to herself. It would definitely take some time to get used to the fact that Issun wasn't the ladies' man he used to be. But seeing little things like this, people raising families, preparing the next generation to take things over, gave her a tiny spark of hope for the future. Even though Yami was at large and the secrets of the Oina loomed ahead of her, she felt rejuvenated with a new hope.
She sighed happily and backed out of the door as Issun was swept away by his concerned wife. She turned and breathed in the fragrant air, knowing that whatever was to come, she would face it with all of the bravery and strength she could muster.
( Waka's P.O.V. )
Waka stood outside of the little tree stump known as Ponc'tan with the Oina girl, Kai, hugging himself to keep warm and trying to push the awkwardness of the situation out of his mind.
Hurry, Amaterasu... He thought, casting a sidelong glance at Kai, who was currently stroking a baby deer on the head. It made sense that she would get along so well with animals, after all she could turn into one at will.
After a few more minutes of Waka feeling extremely awkward about not trying to make any kind of conversation with the Oina girl, there was a glowing within the stump and a moment later, Amaterasu and Issun appeared, followed by the Lucky Mallet. In a few short pounds, Amaterasu was back to her normal size, and shook herself off a little as she looked around.
"Sorry to make you wait," She said sheepishly. Kai and Waka both dismissed it as she positioned Issun on her shoulder and took a few steps forward.
Just then, the fawn Kai was petting pricked its ears up, looking over at its mother, who was looking around warily. The fawn got up, wobbling slightly, and hurried over to the doe.
"What..." Kai muttered as she straightened up, her brown eyes watching the deer as they suddenly turned and fled into the bushes. A few birds that had been scavenging for insects or berries suddenly took flight, their startled chirps echoing throughout the vast forest.
"What's going on?" Amaterasu said as more and more of the animals in the area fled. A few moments later they all gasped as the ground started trembling, filling all of their ears with a deafening roar.
There was a low groaning sound, and all of them slowly turned their heads in horror to see a massive tree beginning to topple over, threatening to crush Amaterasu. Its roots tore out of the ground and it gathered speed, casting a long, dark shadow over Amaterasu's frozen body.
It took a moment for Waka to register what was happening, and in a flash he took off running toward the rigid goddess. The leaves of the giant tree were falling to the ground in masses as the tree continued to topple, and at the last second, right before it hit the ground and crushed Amaterasu, Waka tackled her, sending both of them sprawling onto the ground beside the fallen tree.
A cloud of dust erupted from where the weight of the tree hit the ground, causing them all to cough and choke until the dust finally cleared. Waka opened one eye to look around, not quite sure of his surroundings anymore; he could feel Amaterasu's pounding heart somewhere underneath him, and he heard the ragged coughing of Kai somewhere to his left. He coughed a few more times and looked down to where he thought Amaterasu was, and his eyes widened as he realized the kind of position they were in.
Amaterasu was safe, just obviously in shock, lying on her back with her arms spread out on the ground. Waka had landed on top of her and was now straddling her hips with his hands placed firmly on her shoulders. He looked down at her and saw her wide-eyed with terror and adrenaline, and her cheeks bright red.
Waka felt his face grow warm as well and got off of her, slumping down onto the ground beside her. She slowly sat up and brushed herself off before standing shakily and fixing her gaze on the tree that had come so very close to taking her life.
"What...I..."
She struggled to form some kind of words, but all that came out was meaningless gibberish. Waka stood and walked around to examine the base of the tree before turning to face the others.
"How did this happen?" Kai said, the fear of the last few moments clear in her shaking voice. "I don't understand..."
"I think I do," Issun said from where he had been knocked off of Ammy's shoulder when Waka tackled her. "Look."
He bounced higher than usual to indicate they should all look at the sky, and as they did they all gasped in disbelief.
"Wh...what does this mean?" Amaterasu said, her voice shaking; where the sky had been clogged with clouds before, now the sun was easily seen, except for the fact that it was a dark red colour and had some very familiar markings...
"Oh no..." Kai muttered. "That...that is what I saw all of those years ago..."
Waka felt a sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach as this evil omen blazed down on them, casting its unnatural light over the forest.
"Yami...he's trying to warn you," Kai continued a moment later, her voice quiet. "He's trying to prevent you from seeking after him."
"Well he was certainly almost successful, wasn't he?" Waka put in, taking a few steps to stand near Amaterasu, who was staring at something in the distance, her eyes unfocused.
"Amaterasu?" He said uncertainly. She shook her head, as if the sound of his voice had jarred her back into reality. She quickly dismissed it with a wave of her hand and advanced toward the entrance to inner Yoshpet, where they would need to go through to reach the Spirit Gate.
"Come on," She said, her voice unusually brisk and business-like. "Let's get moving. We don't have all day."
( Amaterasu's P.O.V. )
The rest of the journey into the heart of Yoshpet was spent in silence as they hurried along under the ever-thickening dark canopy of trees over their heads. They walked in a single-file line with Kai leading, then followed by Ammy and Waka walking at the rear.
Ammy's eyes stayed fixedly ahead for the whole journey, her thoughts not really there. She was still incredibly shaken by what had happened outside of Ponc'tan. So now Yami was going to try and use the forces of nature against her? She had an ominous feeling in the pit of her stomach as they walked, not sure what to expect when they arrived at their destination.
Finally they reached the last stretch of forest and sprinted through it, all of them eager to get out of these eerie woods. Amaterasu could feel something exerting an odd sort of pressure as they entered the last clearing in the very heart of the forest, and a dim glow caught her eye. She looked to the center of the clearing to see it emitting a soft glow that almost seemed to prod her gently as she stepped toward it, her eyes captivated by the strange markings and patterns and the soft hum that seemed to call to her.
"Well, this is it," Kai said as all of them stood side by side to admire the odd artifact before them. "I…I can't go with you. I experienced the horrors of what happened once already, I can't do it again. I'm sorry, Amaterasu."
Amaterasu turned to the last Oina and smiled gently. "Thank you for everything, Kai. You are truly the bravest person I know."
With that the two exchanged a bow, and Ammy took a deep breath as she looked back to the Spirit Gate; Waka and a bouncing Issun were already standing in front of it.
"Ready to go, ma chérie?" Waka asked, and Ammy nodded as she stood in front of them and watched as Issun bounced forward.
"Remember, only Poncles can open this door," He said as he unsheathed Denkomaru and held it out in front of him. With a fierce cry, he jumped up and came down on the middle of the door with the blade, and all three of them watched in silent awe as the door opened slowly, revealing a bright white light that pierced all of their senses. As Ammy stepped forward, she almost felt comforted by the soft warmth that the entrance emanated, but she wouldn't let herself be fooled; after all, legends say that opening the Spirit Gate invites chaos and disaster.
With a deep breath Ammy straightened up, her dark gaze fixed determinedly on the opening as she took a few steps forward, not even bothering to think about it. She made her way into the light, her eyes closing as an odd sensation enveloped her, and when she opened them she knew something was different.