Chapter 4

Odachihime ran on the snowy hillside. The cold wind in her fur making her feel absolute freedom. She looked down the hillside to see her father running alongside her leading a pack. She slid to a stop before turning and darting off towards him. Since her mother was killed she had grown in the past 6 months, and now in winter she had gained a new coat. She suddenly tripped and rolled down the hill before she slid past her father and the pack, snow flying through the air and covering them. The other wolves growled at Horkew Kamuy, he gave them a sheepish look before he shook himself off.

He then walked over to where Odachihime had come to a stop. He looked down at her as she piped her head out of the snow and shook herself off, “Are you alright?” He asked her,

“Yeah! I’m fine!” She said full of joy, “Did you see me slide down that hill?!”

“I did, you covered myself and the others with snow.”

“I’m sorry! I didn’t think I would trip and fall!”

“It’s alright,” he said as he helped her up out of the snow, “Come with me, I want to show you something.” He then turned his head to the side and began to walk off. She watched him walk off before she turned back to the pack. One of them growled at her so she quickly jumped up and ran after him.

“So what is it?! What do you want to show me?!”

“Patience,” he said as they then headed through some trees and eventually into the woods. She looked up at her father as they walked along. Although she was about 6 months, and in a regular Wolf or Fox she would be indistinguishable from the adults, with maybe her one defining difference being her size, however with her father’s case she was still a baby. At the very LEAST her father was anywhere from 30 to 50 feet tall, so she still had plenty of room to grow. However, she liked the fact that her father was so big, it gave her more of a reason to look up to him. “Odachihime, do you ever wonder why I’m so large?”

“Huh?! There’s a reason?! I figured it was because you’re my papa and I’m supposed to look at you!”

“That’s one reason,” he said, “However, I come from a place much different from here. So did your mother.”

“But, this place here, there’s others like Mama! Lots of others!”

“Yes,” he said, “This is where she and her kind reside, where they are born and where they wait for the others. I come from a place far away from here, a bit up north, the people there call this place Kamuy-Mosir. The Land of the Gods.”

“Woah, so the Gods are real?!”

“Yes, and I’m one of them.”

“What?! Are you serious?! That’s awesome! Does that make me a God too?!”

“You’re a Half-God.” He said,

“Oh, so Mama wasn’t a God?”

“No, she was a messenger of the Gods. However, she was divine much like them. She came from their land, however, she could be killed if she ever left this safe haven.”

“Why did she leave?”

“She came North to my home, we conversed and I wasn’t too fond of her. However, she continued to chase after me. I eventually changed when she licked me.”

“Ewww, she licked you?!”

“Yes, and she touched her nose to mine.”

“No! No! I don’t want to hear this! That’s so gross!” She said as she pounced onto the ground and covered her ears with her paws. He chuckled as he turned around and lowered his head to hers,

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to tell you that story. However, when you’re older, and if you ever want to know how you came to be then I’ll tell you.”

“No thank you!” She said as she buried her head further into the snow,

He chuckled before he licked the top of her head, “I wish you could stay this pure forever my love.” He then backed up a bit before he turned his head to the sky. He opened his mouth causing the wind elements to swirl toward him, a small ring formed in front of his nose before it broke apart as a beam of air shot into the sky. The air vibrated and the earth shook, if anything the beam was more like a monstrous howl. Odachihime looked up at her father as he then closed his mouth. She stood up before the two were then swallowed by a colorful light and they were instantly moved elsewhere.

Odachihime looked around before she looked back to her father. She looked in the direction her father’s nose was pointing to see several large beings. She looked around at them all before she saw an immeasurably beautiful woman, “Who’s tha-“

“Don’t speak,” he said, cutting her off, “If you must speak to her, don't do it casually.”

“She’s fine,” the woman said as she rose and advanced towards them, “Who is your guest Horkew Kamuy?”

“Amaterasu-Ōmikami, this is mine and Vulpesaki’s daughter, Odachihime, my heir.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Amaterasu said as she suddenly knelt and lowered her enormous hand down to Odachihime. Odachihime sniffed the woman’s finger before she gave it a gentle lick. Amaterasu gave a soft giggle as she smiled and said, “She’s simply adorable.”

“Thank you,”

“And what’s with the Ōmikami?” She asked as she pet the top of his head, “I did help you ring your people to life.”

“Papa, what does she mean by that?” Odachihime asked,

“N-Nothing! Don’t worry about it!” He said as he turned to her,

Amaterasu giggled with enough force to make her shoulders bounce, “So what brings you here?”

“Well, I wanted her to see this place. I also think it may be time for her to meet Takemikazuchi. It involves Kagu-tsuchi and his inevitable return.”

“I see,” she said as her eyes began to soften,

“Who are they?” Odachime asked as her tails began to wiggle with curiosity,

“Long ago your father and I, as well as the other Gods, were in a battle with Kagu-tsuchi. He’s a god of Fiery Destruction. He destroyed your father's people after he got a taste for real power. We were barely able to fight him off, and eventually, he was sealed. We knew one day he would return, so once your father's people were restored, the Gods began having children. All the Gods from every Pantheon did as well. We needed to create a new and powerful God, one that could destroy Kagu-tsuchi once and for all.”

“….what?” Odachihime responded,

“You’re special,” she said to her as she knelt, “You’re destined for great things, we know you can become strong.”

“She’s telling the truth,” Odachihime’s father said to her, “This is who you are, what you’re destined to become.”

“Did Mama know?”

“Of course she did, and she was rather happy with it.”

“Well, if Mama was happy with it, then I guess it’s not so bad!”

“Then are you ready for your training?”

Odachihime looked around before she looked into her father's eyes and nodded, “Yep! Let's do this!”

Present Day

Odachihime ran through the forest before stopping every now and then. She then turned her head as she heard numerous pounding sounds. She then saw Kara off in the distance punching and kicking a wooden post. She smiled as she walked over to him. “What’re you doing?” She asked as she approached,

“Staying sharp,” he said as he gave the post another punch before he huffed before turning to her. “A martial artist or any warrior of any kind, who doesn’t train and stay sharp will be useless.”

“Ah, I see, I really understand that.” She said as she folded her arms, “What’s your fighting style?”

“It doesn’t exactly have a name, at least not yet. However, I’ve applied it to some words I live by. One’s movements should all flow like water: always straightforward, never jagged, never struggling.”

“That’s pretty cool,” she responded, “Does it have any rules?”

“Not really,” he said with a chuckle as he rubbed the back of his head,

“We can make some,” She said as she rubbed her chin, “Let’s see,” she then began to walk in a circle as she said, “Planning, endeavor, enjoyment.”

“I like those,” he said as he folded his arms, “Self-searching is always nice.”

“Yes! Yes, that’s good! And also-“

They then turned to each other and spoke in unison, “Continuity.” Odachihime’s eyes widened before she laughed.

“Sorry! I didn’t mean to speak at the same time as you!”

“You’re fine.” He said as he stretched his arms over his head, “What about you? What’s your fighting style?”

“Oh, well I do Kendo, Iaidō, Yagyū Shinkage-ryū, Shin musō Hayashizaki-ryū, Kōden Enshin-ryū, uh…”

“No no,” he said with a chuckle as he waved his hand, “I meant hand-to-hand.”

“Oh, like that,” she said as she gave a soft chuckle, “Well, uh, I know how to kick and punch and scratch, but I’ve had no training in that.”

“Perhaps I could train you while we travel.”

“Yeah, that sounds nice. Should I punch the same log you do?”

“No,” he said, “You’re a bit too tall, and I’ve been training with this since I was a child.” He then turned and pointed to a tree, “You can use that tree over there for now.”

“Oh, okay,” she said as she walked over to it, “So what do I do?”

“Well, let’s start with basic punching and kicking. Once you start there you’ll be able to grow.”

“That makes sense,” She said as she turned to the tree and threw a punch striking the tree on the trunk. “How was that?”

“Good, just keep going.”

“Alright.” She then started to throw more and more punches.

“That’s good, but try to have more flow to your attack, try more circular and powerful motions. Like a river.” He then began to show her how he attacked and Odachihime fell in love with his movements. They seemed as if they had trails showing the flow of their movements. He then punched the center of the log causing it to shake. “Once you get the movements down, it’s easy.” He jostled his hair as he turned to her with a smile.

“That’s so cool,” she said as she looked around, “Anyways, I uh, well, I caught dinner so I guess I kind of came here to bring you back.”

“Yes, of course, I’m glad you found me. It’s likely I would’ve gone without eating.” He then grabbed the log and pulled it out of the ground before tucking it under his arm, “Let's get going.”

“Of course,” She then turned and started to walk back to the camp with him, “How long have you been doing martial arts?”

“Probably since I’ve been able to walk,” he said, “My dad taught me, and eventually I began training on my own. I felt myself getting faster and stronger, and I eventually surpassed him.” He smiled before saying, “What about you? Where did you get your training?”

“From my dad and also the other Gods. After I gained my human form I was trained mostly by Takemikazuchi.”

“Sounds intense,”

“Yeah, for a human it would be intense. Gods seem to be the only ones who can challenge Gods and actually walk away from it.”

“I see. So how did you get your human form?”

“It was a long process, I had to grow some more myself, plus I had to get stronger while waiting for my weapon to be finished. Once I was strong enough and the weapon was finished I then got my human form. It was a little before I had that fight with the Oni and I met all of you.”

“How long did your training last? You look pretty young.”

“Thanks. My training only lasted about 10,000 years.”

“Wow, that’s a long time.” He said as he rubbed the back of his head, “I would’ve guess probably only ten years, with you being about 21 yourself.”

“Oh, wow, that’s a rather short time.” She said with a chuckle, “Do I really look 21?”

“To me you do,”

“Is that good?”

“Yeah, it’s fine, it’s absolutely fine.”

“And what about you? How old are you?”

“I’m 29, I’m about to turn 30.”

“All this time and you never have gotten married?”

“I almost did,” he said as he adjusted the log beneath his arm, “I was about 15, my parents arranged a marriage for me. I spent time with this girl for a few weeks, and we eventually fell in love. However, she got rather sick. We eventually found a cure, but the person who had it wasn’t willing to go down without a fight. So I fought him, the fight lasted nearly an entire day, I was basically finished. I went to land what I hoped would be a finishing blow when my father ran down to stop me, he told me that she had passed.”

“What?! While you were fighting?!”

“Yeah,” he said with a nod, “From that day forward all I did was beat myself up, as I did I trained harder and harder. I knew if someone were dying with the same condition, this time I’d be strong enough to end him quicker.”

“Then what happened?”

“Well, she had a younger sister. She was about 13 and I had just turned 18. I was still upset about the girls I was supposed to marry. However I wanted to try again, this time I’d marry her younger sister to let her family know I was sorry for letting their daughter die. Eventually, her sister fell ill. I trained for a week straight and went to fight that man again. This time I won, but because of how many years had passed he had already given away the cure.”

“Did you find it?”

“I tried, I got halfway across the island after a month or so before I eventually returned home. It was then that I found out that my fiancée had died once again, her father couldn’t handle losing his second child so he committed suicide. And the mother eventually left the island.” He sighed before saying, “So every day, I’ve been training harder and harder, pushing myself to be the best. I trained with my father, he was also so happy and passionate about training me, and he helped me get over the ones I lost.”

“What happened to your father?”

“Well, he told me every day that because of how I trained myself to be better, that I was destined for greatness. Eventually, I had a little brother, and my father was distant with him because my mother had him at such an old age. This caused her to eventually die. He lost passion in training me, but once my brother was able to walk and do basic things I trained him myself. Soon my father saw us and he got his passion back, so he trained with us.” Kara smiled as he remembered the good times, “Eventually, I left the island, and that’s when I met Commander Kaguya. I’d get letters back and forth from my father and younger brother, they’re still alive and well.”

“Wow…” She said not being to contain the tears, and blush stained color on her face, before she stepped in front of him and looked him dead in the eyes, “You’re so cool…!! You’re honestly such a badass….!!!”

“Oh, really, it’s nothing.” He said with a chuckle as he waved his hand dismissing her kind words,

“No, seriously, I mean it! I’ve never heard something so cool!” She said as she stepped to the side as he continued to walk,

“Are you kidding me? You’re an actual God, what I do isn’t as cool in comparison.”

“That’s not true…! Your martial arts, your dad, you training your brother and helping your dad..!”

“Those were all just coincidences.” He said, “What about your dad? Did he teach you anything?”

“Well…” She rubbed her chin before saying, “He once told me, when I was very young, that we never have infinite options. Because of what I am, we act on instinct. What happens in that split moment we must do on instinct. That split moment is what can make or break you.”

“That’s interesting, what do your instincts tell you now?”

“Now?” She then turned to him before she began to speak, “They-“ The two suddenly turned to the sound of Hanako screaming. Kara then dropped his post before he then darted off. “Wo-Woah! Hey!” Odachihime bent over and picked up the log before she then began to run after him.

Hanako crawled backward on her backside as she kicked at a demon with many eyes and a centipede for a tongue. “No! No! Stay away!!!” The demon hissed as it continued to approach her, “No! Get away! Someone help me!!!” As Hanako screamed Kara flew overhead before he landed a few feet behind her with a crash, his arms tucked into his sides. He then stood up and turned and faced the demon as its eyes then turned and looked away from Hanako. “M-Mr. Ka-“

“Get somewhere safe,” Kara responded as he moved his hand to the side gesturing for her to leave. She got up and ran as fast as she could, but she stopped and peeked out from behind a tree to watch. It was then that Odachihime finally caught up, she gasped and froze when she saw the demon.

“No! Kara! He won’t be able to-“

At that moment Kara gave a firm and heavy Kiai as he raised his hands to a fighting pose before he then took off. The demon charged him before swinging its fist, Kara quickly ducked before he sprung up off the ground and delivered a powerful downward punch to its face. As he landed the demon went to grab him, he raised his right forearm and blocked the oncoming punch before jabbing the demons bicep with his left fist, he then performed a Gedan Uke block to the demon’s torso before he delivered a powerful punch to its chest, sending the monster flying. As the demon caught itself it charged Kara once more, Kara delivered a powerful flurry of punches which only grew heavier with each blow. Kara gave another Kiai as he then delivered a powerful punch to the demon's gut before he backflipped and landed a few feet away. He then pounded his fists together before crossing one arm over another out in front of him.

(< Translated from Ryukyuan>)

“<Here’s your ticket to the other world! As of now, I release you!>” He then curled his arms back into his side before he threw them in the air and gave a mighty and powerful scream that could be heard from the heavens, “HARAE!!!!” The demon’s chest began to glow before an enormous pillar of white light erupted from the ground and shot into the night sky. Odachihime’s eyes widened in disbelief, she didn’t think a human could have such power. As the light began to clear a small spirit stood where the demon once stood, she gave a soft smile as she gently touched Kara’s face before she and the light then quickly shot upwards into the spirit realm.

Odachihime stood there in disbelief. So much happened in that fight, but also so little. Did Kara really just open a gate to the Spirit Realm while also being human?! “Wh….what the hell is he….? What’s the deal with the Eternal Harae…?”