THE 14TH BRUSH GOD

Chapter one – Constellations –

The sun shone bright in her eyes, the soft grass tickled her paws and a gentle breeze blew through her fur. Yes, this was how it was meant to be: resting in the grass of the Celestial Plain.

About a week ago, Amaterasu and Waka arrived at this heaven-like place. It was like they had never left the floating island at all, everything just looked-like the same. Even the other Gods were still there.

They all had warmly greeted her and given the wolf-goddess the feeling she really was home. Oh, and how couldn't it be true? This place, the sphere... everything was so peacefully.

You could forget passing of the time easily...

Amaterasu lifted her head from her forepaws and sniffed the air. She sneezed and raised from her spot. The wolf paddled down the hill and stopped to look around.

There he was, kneeling beside the Guardian Sapling they both had planted. Waka looked up when he noticed the sun-goddess was watching him. He waved.

Amaterasu made her way to the blond-haired man and sat down beside him. Her big brown eyes flickered to the Guardian Sapling. She and Waka had brought it from the mortal world to plant on the Celestial Plain. The small tree's leafs were raised up to the sky.

The wolf tilted her head a bit to one side and with one whip of her tail, the sapling wore pink-coloured blossoms. The man next to her smiled lightly.

''You haven't lost your touch, ma chérie.''

She turned her head to him and noticed the puzzled expression that crossed Waka's features. Amaterasu nudged the side of his arm with her snout. His eyes found hers.

''You shall need your power again. Darkness has returned to Nippon once again.''

The goddess made a low growl in her throat. How could that have happened? She had defeated Yami for good. At least, that was what Ammy thought.

Waka got back on his feet and looked down at the white wolf. ''I'm sure Kabegami will be able to tell you more about this situation then I can do.''

''Ah... Amaterasu. Origin of all that is good and mother to us all.'' The white cat began to speak as soon as the sun-goddess and the blond-haired man entered her home. Though it was a small cottage, it was comfortable and warm inside.

Waka and Ammy took place at the so many spread pillows on the floor. Kabegami leaped down from her high placed place and settled herself in front of the wolf and man.

''Your anxious foreboding has told you the truth, Waka.'' The Goddess of Walls said. Her head lowered a bit and the cat's eyes averted to the floor. ''Darkness is spreading over the mortal world once again.''

The blond-haired man gave a nod and folded his arms in front of his chest. ''Could you tell us more about this, Kabegami?''

''Naturally.'' The white cat gave a hint of a catish-smile. ''From this place, I observe the world below and it's descent. And I've seen what you've forgotten, great Amaterasu.''

Cat-eyes crossed wolf-eyes.

The sun-goddess tilted her head to the side. She didn't know what she had forgotten down there. Her job was to destroy Yami and that was what she had done. So how-

''The 14th brush-god.'' As if Kabegami had seen what Amaterasu was thinking, the cat had interrupted it.

''What? But that's nonsense.'' Waka shook his head. ''If I'm not mistaken, there are no more than 13 brush-gods.''

The cat nodded slowly. She focussed her eyes back at the white wolf and wrinkled her nose. ''Rejuvenation, Power Slash, Sunrise, Cherry Bomb, Bloom, Water Lily, Vine, Waterspout, Crescent , Gale storm, Inferno, Catwalk and Blizzard are the divine brush-techniques you mastered, Amaterasu.''

''And they all were protected by different Gods in the time of your long slumber.'' Kabegami paused for a moment and took a breath. ''However, for two techniques no God was skilled enough to protect. The power of Sunrise and Erase.''

Waka raised his eyebrows. ''Erase?''

The cat nodded. ''The divine strength to wipe out every detail of life. As if you removed a sketched drawing from a paper by using your eraser. However, Erase can do this to real life.''

The sun-goddess let out a small howl. This was bad. Really bad. Imagine what it could do if a demon or other dark being got his hands on this brush-technique.

Waka noticed Ammy's ears falling flat against her head. He clenched his jaw. He knew what she was thinking and he feared the same thing. The man turned his face back to the God cat in front of him. ''Where did this Brush-technique go after the Gods couldn't take care of it?''

''As if it dissolved in the thin air. And every creature, divine or mortal, forgot about it.'' A pair of green cat-eyes became stern. ''But now the time is there where we will see the signs of Erase coming back again.''

A deep frown was formed on Waka's face. He lowered his head and was in silent, deep thinking for a moment. His eyes turned to the corners and his gaze crossed Amaterasu's. ''Do you think what I am thinking, ma chérie? We need to head back to the mortal world and find your lost brush-technique.''

The white wolf barked loudly and raised abruptly from the pillow she was laying on. Kabegami mimicked the goddess' movement.

''There is only one difficulty.''

Waka looked down at the cat. ''What is it?''

''There is no way Amaterasu could return in the mortal world in her God-form.''Everybody will recognize you and thus you won't be able to get your power back.''

The wolf whined. Why couldn't she? What was the problem for her returning in her normal state in the mortal world?

''When the creature - that's carrying the power of Erase - notice the rightful owner, it won't hand it over. This creature will only show her true strength to beings equal to itself.''

''So you're saying-'' Waka rubbed his temple weary. ''-Amaterasu should take a human-like form and get closer to this creature?''

Kabegami nodded. ''Indeed.''

The wolf whined softy.

Stupid cat. Stupid prophet. Why did she had to change? It wasn't fair.

The sun-goddess shook her head and clenched her jaw. Okay, it was for the sake of the world. Again. She had to do this. Again. She bet Issun had laughed about this situation.

No, don't think about that little bug. She needed to concentrate.

Amaterasu could – like all the other divine beings – change to every appearance she would like. Though her original form was that of a white wolf. And that was the form she preferred the most. All she needed was to concentrate, breath in a slow rhythm and think hard.

It had been ages ago when she used her human-form. Did she need to speak again too this time?

The wolf didn't like that. But then again, she couldn't just bark when she had a human appearance...

Anyway, this was for the world. She reminded herself once again. All for the world's sake.

A familiar feeling clouded her senses. Amaterasu could feel her paws warmed up and her fur begin to get thinner. She was changing.

Waka waited, with his arms folded in front of his chest, against the wall of the cave. The sun-goddess was in it, trying to change herself.

He pitied her, though he was curious of how she would look like. He had never seen her changing her appearance. Okay, her 'old' wolf-form and her 'new' wolf-form, but that had to do with the belief of the humans.

He had never hear her speaking or such. The other Gods could, so why couldn't Amaterasu?

The blond-haired man sighed loudly and blew a lock of hair out of his face. He unfolded his arms and straightened his back. What was taking the goddess so long?

''Amaterasu?''

Waka heard a cough and a sound of clearing one's throat. He stopped himself from looking around the corner of the cave.

''Waka?'' It was a weak sound of a voice. A female voice. ''Don't... don't come in.''

The prophet eyes softened. So the sun-goddess had done it. ''Pourquoi? What's wrong?''

''I am naked.''

The man could feel blood rushing to his cheeks. He coughed and rubbed his face. Well, that was something he hadn't expected. Waka did his best to regain his normal voice.

''...Didn't you brought any clothes with you?''

''No.''

Oh brother, now what? Perhaps the other gods owned clothes. Than he could get her something. ''Wait here.''

The young woman in the cave heard footsteps leaving. ''Where can I go to if I don't have any clothes?'' She murmered sarcastically and rolled her brown-coloured eyes. Though the goddess waited for Waka to return.

When she heard his footsteps coming near the entrance of the cave, the wolf - ex wolf, mind me – covered her flesh quickly.

''Lay it down near the entrance and turn around.'' Amaterasu demanded. ''And don't dare to look over your shoulder.''

She got up from the cold floor and crawled steady to the clothes that were laying by the entrance of the cave. The sun-goddess snatched it away and put it on quickly.

One eyebrow raised slightly. The silk-white kimono fit perfectly. Waka surely did know her measures well, or he just guessed right.

Her fingers touched the silk and felt the red-coloured decorations. It was beautiful.

''Are you ready, Amaterasu?''

His voice interrupted her thoughts. The young woman's eyes looked up and noticed the tall man standing in the way of the entrance of the cave. A scowl formed itself on her face.

''I didn't gave you the permission to look!''

''Acting spoiled already, aren't we?'' Waka smiled lightly and walked closer to the goddess who was sitting on the ground.

He had to admit he just guessed the size of the kimono when Tachigami asked him. The rat made all kind of kimono's in all different sizes just for fun. All that when he wasn't wielding that enormous sword!

He had allowed Waka to take one he liked for Amaterasu and one male-kimono for himself. Tachigami knew about the plan of the two to return to the mortal world and wanted to give them his 'goodbye'-present.

The blond-haired man blinked with his eyes and found himself staring at the goddess. She was also looking him straight in the eyes with those big brown orbs of hers.

Bangs of her long, white hair was falling over her forehead and all the way over her back. Her skin was pale too, but not as pale as her hair.

''Come, we need to depart.'' Waka held out his hand. Amaterasu took it and he helped her standing. For a moment, she wobbled and almost fell back. The young woman got hold of his sleeve to keep herself standing straight.

The man looked down at the puzzled face and showed a comforting smile. ''Standing can be difficult, walking can be even harder.''

Amaterasu huffed. ''I just haven't walked straight for a long time.''

''Just as speaking?'' Waka teased her a little. The sun-goddess bit her lip and averted her eyes to the ground. The man decided he would let it pass and just help her to get comfortable with walking.

In silence the couple walked down the path of stone and through the grass fields. Amaterasu let go of the sleeve and walked further on her own.

When they reached Waka's airship, all the other gods had gathered in front of it.

The sun-goddess smiled at all them politely when she passed them. Their glances and stares mad her feel uncomfortable and made her want to get into the airship as soon as possible. Waka just followed her and when he entered the ship, he made it ready to head for the mortal world.

The hatch closed and Amaterasu let out a heavy sigh when the airship hovered above the ground. The blond-haired man observed her from the corner of his eyes. ''Fearing of what you might come across down there?''

The young woman raised an eyebrow. ''Why should I?''

''6 years have passed since the day we headed for the Celestial Plain.''

''What?!''

Waka swallowed, maybe he should have told her earlier. ''For every day we spent on the Celestial Plain, passed a year in the mortal world. So a lot must have changed in the time we left it.''

''Oh.'' The white-haired female looked down at her hands for a split-second, then looked up determined. ''Whatever comes across and may cause trouble, I'll use my divine brush then.''

''Talking about that, where is your brush anyway?'' Waka knew Amaterasu couldn't use her tail anymore in this human form, so where was it now?

The goddess smirked lightly and conjured up a narrow golden case. She opened it and showed the man the brush in it. A bottle of ink was next to it.

''I'll only use it when life-danger asks for it. Otherwise people will know in a short time I'm the sun-goddess.''

Waka nodded and turned his face back to the view from the airship. He pointed at Shinshu Field below. ''You better hide it again, because we're going to land.''

Amaterasu followed his gaze and slid the small golden case back in her pocket. This was it.

Her return to Nippon.

Author Note: I hope you like it so far :)

If I made any grammar mistakes, or other mistakes please let me know! Only then I could change it.

I know I made Waka slightly OOC, but the way he speaks in the game is so hard! That's why I changed him into a little teaser (laughs). I hope you didn't mind that!

Please leave a comment! Those are really appreciated! (Smiles)