"T-This, t-this!" The little Ama clone stretched prone across my lap, sniffles and stutters out, "This wasn't h-how this was supposed to go!"
I pat her on the head, soothingly, shaking my left hand out as it buzzes with faux pain, "Should have thought of that before you got yourself stuffed in my soul." I reply, giving her half a smirk and a side eye.
"N-Not in your soul!" She stresses and whines for the umpteenth time.
"Same difference." I huff back to her, also for the umpteenth time, prompting a whine from her as she finally gives up.
"Good girl." I nod, only causing her to pout, "Now, what did we learn?"
It took her a moment, but eventually, she responded, lowly, "...Not to be attached to someone's soul without their consent."
I nod, continuing, "Or?"
"Or…" she lets out a low whine, as if remembering it was the same as experiencing it all over again, "Spanking."
I nod once more, this time fully pleased, "Excellent. You may sit up now."
She sniffles, before doing exactly that, sliding off my legs and sitting up on her knees.
Only, as she went to sit, she yelped and suddenly shot upright.
She looked at me, all teary-eyed, the accusation clear in her gaze.
I just shrugged. "I'm not healing you. For one, you're not actually wounded; two, this is your punishment. Won't mean much if you didn't have to deal with the consequences."
Her eye twitched at that, guilt crossing her face before, without another word, she moved once again.
In short order, she was no longer on her knees but instead sat on her side. Despite how careful she was, I could see the wince as she lowered herself done, and her shaky breath out as her body settled.
All in all, she's very lucky that's all she got.
And that's only because she's right; she's attached to my soul, but she isn't really a part of it.
I'm not sure if that's due to the Sacred Beast Inheritance Ritual, or the modified form of it, Ama made specifically for this, but in either case, the result is the same.
Attachment, not embedding. There is a very important difference.
If she were embedded within my soul like a proper Sacred Gear, she'd be attached to my literal everything.
Most importantly, that would include my memories.
For obvious reasons, I can't have that.
Second to that, getting her out wouldn't be pleasant if she were properly nested within my soul.
Sacred Gears kill a person for a reason when they are pulled out. It's spiritual mutilation. Not fun. That would most likely kill me, even for all my regeneration; I can't heal my very soul.
I think. I haven't really needed to try.
Hopefully, I won't ever have to.
So, yeah, she should count herself very lucky in that respect.
Now, on the flipside, her merely being attached to my soul does have its own host of issues.
For one, she's significantly looser spiritually, our connection isn't so concrete, and this means that it can be severed pretty easily.
Hell, I get the feeling I could eject her myself, right now, if I wanted to. Someone with mastery over Senjutsu, like say Kuroka, could probably easily steal her away.
It also means I can't use the powers of the sword fully, whatever those may be. If there is something like a Balance Breaker here, a super state of some kind, I can't access it.
I should be able to use the base powers at the very least, though. Good enough to show off the idea I'm building towards here.
Speaking of!
"Now that's all taken care of," I make a show of brushing my hands together, "what can you do, hmm, Wa-tan?"
"Please don't call me that," she weakly whines out, before sighing, "and, um, don't be mad more, but I…" she slowly looks away in sheer embarrassment, "I don't actually know?"
I blink at that, "Really?" before tilting my head in consideration, "I'm not mad, but I thought the sword would just have your powers, like your natural abilities, nothing else?"
She shook her head, before looking back at me, "I can't really do much beyond some light manipulation, although I am pretty good a changing the color of my light and such, that's really it."
Huh. Yeah, when I was making my way down here, the sword didn't look like a lightsaber, did it?
It was covered in cloth and thread. More so than when Inari wrapped it, and the thread specifically just came out of nowhere.
I tap my chin, letting out a low hum, before deciding, "Oh, well!"
Wa-tan blinks at that, "...Oh, well?"
I nod, reaching over and petting her on the head, "Yup. Oh well. We'll just have to figure it out through trial and error."
She perked up at that, before steadily leaning into my hand, "R-Really? I thought that…" she trailed off.
"Eh. Whatever you thought?" I look her straight in the eyes, "Throw it away. I'm not going to toss you out, call you a failure, whatever, because this didn't turn out exactly how we probably expected it to."
In fact, this is a far more interesting outcome, if anything!
"I-I…Right! Okay!" She nods, resolutely, a single tear or two gliding down her cheeks before she smiles, "Mother and Lady Uzume left you to rest, while they went about their day. To be honest, we didn't expect you'd wake up as soon as you did, so they probably won't be back to check on you until tonight."
I scoff at that, "They should know by now, I'm just built differently."
Wa-tan giggles back, a hand coming up to cover her mouth as she does so.
"Though," I continue, "that also means we have plenty of time to figure this out without being interrupted, yeah? And, say we do, then…" I trail off, a smirk slowly growing across my face.
The girl across from me blinked, before her eyes widened, and she gasped, "You mean to suggest to interrupt the court!?"
"Mhmm~!" I hum out, "See, what better way to absolutely humiliate our older brother, then by showing you and the concept for, hmm, Sacred Treasures off, then have him march on in after the fact spouting the same old bullshit as before?"
Wa-tan pursed her lips at that, considering, "Well, that would certainly make him look like quite the fool…"
Oh yeah, it's all coming together.
"But, if you interrupt the court, that would also be proving his point, too, wouldn't it?" She brought up.
Eh, how so?
I think back on that day, and immediately figure out what she means.
If I break into the court and be all like, 'hey ya'll, want some soul weapon candy?' that'd be eschewing tradition and procedure, and all that.
I could do it, too. Because really, who is going to stop me?
But that'd be throwing around my power, so…
Aw, fuck.
I slump, crossing my arms and sighing, "Oh, fine. I'll wait in line like everyone else." I grumble out, almost painfully.
"Good." Wa-tan giggled at me, her hand reaching over to gently pat my head, "There, there~!"
I sit there, letting her do so, because it's that cute, and also somehow making me feel better about my future loss of sanity and free time.
Of course, if we're going to do this, we can't sit here forever, so after only a little while of doing so, I let out a huff and waved her hand away.
"Alright, Wa-tan!" I stretch, before standing up, "Let's get this show on the road!"
"Right!" She nods resolutely, pumping her fists in front of her chest, only for her to stop and blink midway through and look at me again, "Hey! What did I say about calling me Wa-tan!?"
Her sputtering whines and my chuckling filled the space where the last things I heard as I pulled out, and my focus returned purely onto the physical world.
[Mmmm!] Wa-tan whined in the back of my head, [You're mean! Just like the rest of our brothers!]
I shook my head at that.
No, for you see, they're dicks. I'm a competitive dick. Very big difference.
[Same difference!] She tries to clap back at me, using my words back at me.
I snort at her adorable attempt, as I hold a hand out to the side.
Ready?
[No!] She immediately shot back, I could feel the pout even if I couldn't see her.
With a shake of my head and light smirk, I snap my fingers anyway, and in a multicolored flash, the sword appears in my hand.
Let's get to work!
~ A New Sun ~
Amaterasu sat upon her throne and tried her best not to lean back and slide down the entire thing.
Truthfully, the only thing keeping her back straight and posture correct is the little bits here and there of worry still in her heart over Nori.
It's irrational, she knows all too well, but she can't help herself.
Even as some random kami from somewhere: look, she doesn't know, okay!? Omoikane announced their arrival, their name, place of residence, reason for being here, and all that, but she didn't pay attention!
Most of the time, these random mob characters that show up never want anything actually important.
Most of them live here, in Takamagahara. They do not need anything at all!
So, that results in them coming here for a stupid and downright deranged list of reasons instead.
'This tree is hanging slightly over my yard!' 'The grass on the sidewalk is a fraction too long!' 'My neighbor is this, my neighbor said that, I hate my neighbor!'
Her personal favorite, and reminder that this is why her Mother and Father gave her life, is that time a Kami came in complaining that the color of their hair was not to their liking.
Yeah, Amaterasu considered the cave again that day. Dying to the seal put before it would be far better than suffering here.
So, even as Amaterasu is physically looking forward, she doesn't truly see the Kami waving his arms and hands around in an exaggerated motion; his mouth is moving alongside it, but she doesn't even hear the words.
No, her senses are focused elsewhere, on her son.
She can feel him there, still in the room where they had left him.
For a moment, she had thought she felt him awaken, as his power spiked and fluctuated oddly for a brief moment.
But then it returned to normal, and stagnated, before going back to rest.
It took everything in her power not to abandon this place and go check on him, but ultimately, she knew he'd be fine.
At this rate, though, if she keeps on worrying so much, she's going to end up with gray hair. Somehow.
To her right, Omoikane stepped forward at her right side, clearing his throat, "Alright, alright. I believe that is enough, Mr…well, I believe that is enough."
It took everything Amaterasu had not to snort. Even Omoikane forgot this guy's name. It's all coming full circle!
"This court has heard your pleas, and proper action will be decided upon." Omoikane droned on, the same old practiced lines, "You may go."
The no-name kami cleared his throat, gave a completely overdramatic bow, and waxed upon her glory and Omoikane's wisdom, before turning and strutting out of the palace.
At least Amaterasu thinks he did; her mind sort of stuttered there for a moment, and every single other time that had happened sort of blurred together into one dull memory.
"Right, then. The next Kami may present themselves." Omoikane called out, though the court was so quiet he didn't even need to raise his voice.'
The doors slipped open and shut as they always do.
Amaterasu's gaze began to unfocus almost immediately, the silence replaced by a droning white noise in the back of her head.
She didn't notice Omoikane stiffening in shock next to her, right as he was about to take a step back, as he usually did.
"Yo."
Amaterasu's attention snapped back into place.
Because she knows that voice.
That voice should be in bed.
Not right in front of her.
And yet, as her vision sharpens?
Nori. Noriaki, about to be grounded for the rest of his fucking immortal lifespan, Kusanagi, is standing there before the whole court.
Over his shoulder? The sword sat lazily, still clad in the thread and cloth that appeared around it when Wakahirume went inside it.
He gave her a look, and almost immediately, she understood why he was here.
'You decided to surprise me, so I'm surprising you.'
He smiled and gave her a wink before snapping his fingers.
The him she felt in her room? Gone.
At the same time, his presence filled the throne room, where there was once nothing at all.
Ohoh, this petty brat!
Her whole body tenses, ready to stand up and say some choice words, but then she promptly remembers where she is.
Her gaze sweeps across the room, finding everyone in similar shocked states, all like fish out of water.
Even Uzume, who was sitting before the steps to the throne, roleplaying a concubine, seemed completely caught off guard.
So, with a huff under her breath, Amaterasu remains seated. Under the shade granted by the curtains wrapping the edges of the throne, she makes sure her golden eyes shine as she makes a show of leaning forward.
"Son."
In one word, one acknowledgement, the entirety of her court seems to wake up, their focus sharpening, their minds actually awake.
"Mother." He replies smoothly, his smile becoming a smirk as he bows, "It was a pretty long line."
"About as long as it usually is." She replies, a hint of tiredness coming through, but nothing more.
She turns her head and nods toward Omoikane.
The God of Wisdom coughs into his hand, before his composure returns and he speaks aloud, "Akaruihiruotoko. Our Prince, is there a grievance you have to bring before the court?"
For a second, Amaterasu catches the confusion that enters Nori's eyes before swiftly being replaced by realization.
Yeah, the court is absurdly formal. Even to that degree.
With his freehand, Noriki waves Omoikane off, "No, no, nothing like that. Instead, I've come to show you all something. Something, which I believe, will revolutionize our Pantheon with enough support."
Omoikane blinked at that, "In what way?" He naturally asked.
Noriaki smiled, "I could tell you, but wouldn't a demonstration be more practical?"
Omoikane looked toward her, and Amaterasu nodded, giving him a simple, "Proceed."
Inwardly, for a second, Amaterasu refused to believe Noriaki had already figured out what that sword could do.
Then she reminded herself of what he had already done and decided that was a stupid thought to have in the first place.
Of course, he already figured it out.
Noriaki stepped forward and held up a hand sign with one hand.
Two puffs of smoke burst from either side of him, as two identical copies of himself flung out from them.
She wanted to compare what she just saw to her manga and anime, she really did, but if she started doing that, she'd have a geek out in the throne room.
Bad idea.
So, she sat, patient and still, as the clones landed equal distance away from his sides, before immediately springing back toward him.
At last, he took the sword off his shoulder and swung it.
The cloth around the sword immediately lashed out, almost like a whip, in a wide arc that would fool most, considering its size plastered around the sword didn't seem that large.
The clones of Nori, however, weren't such fools; one jumped over the cloth, the other slid under, and continued their advance.
As the cloth fell, Amaterasu could finally see the sword's blade, and what she saw legitimately shocked her.
The sword no longer resembled a normal Japanese straight sword, and instead, its blade held a closer resemblance to a European rapier.
No, maybe, a needle? A sewing needle!
With a flick of his wrist, the thread along the hilt of the blade shot down the needle-like point of the sword, light bursting from the tip as the thread reached the end, and vanished.
Only to reappear on the cloth, near instantly changing its shape and design. What was once a straight sheet of white cloth was now a red tasseled banner, strips of cloth sewn suddenly onto the ends, creating something akin to rays or axe blades.
Noriaki took a big step back as both clones lashed out with punches and kicks where he was standing, and with it, pulled the sword and thus cloth back, as the cloth was still attached to the sword by the hilt.
He raised his arm, dragging the cloth to the sky, before flicking it back down.
Amaterasu could hear the air crack as the cloth whipped back toward the ground, the clones forced back as the banner slapped against the ground harshly.
Noriaki stepped forward and, at the same time, twirled the sword around in his hand, gathering the cloth around the blade, before stabbing forward.
Light flashed under the cloth, and the entire banner flashed before abruptly whipping out again.
Except it wasn't whole this time. The banner had fragmented into several strips of red cloth, each coiled up like a spear or lance point, and with a few having run through both clones before they could really react.
The clones vanished into smoke, as the cloth slowly retracted back to the sword.
As it did so, Noriaki smiled and held it up, letting everyone watch as the blade coiled with thread, and the cloth shifted.
He showed off more designs, the cloth shifting into strips shaped like kama, before combining into a ball, then popping out and combining into a sheet once again, and wrapping around the blade like a sheath.
That done, he set the sword back on his shoulder and bowed.
A simple, yet somehow also elaborate display.
Likely due to the weapon itself, which looks rather complicated to use truly effectively.
Then again, as Amaterasu thinks about it, Wakahirume manifesting something like this makes sense to her.
It isn't her power, but rather her passion, something she loves doing, something she does even to this day because of that fact, even if no one needs her to do it anymore.
As Noriaki raises his head, one of the courtiers speaks up for the first time.
"That was certainly unique, Prince." An older-looking Kami spoke, stroking his long gray beard.
That was her general, Futsunushi, and honestly? Amatearsu can't remember the last time she heard him speak at one of these things.
"Usually, I'd write it off as the weapon itself being a unique piece." Futsunushi continued, "But that sword, it's not just another Holy Spirit Sword, is it?"
Noriaki smiled and nodded, "You'd be correct, Lord Futsunushi. You see, it isn't because the sword is unique that it is the way it is; it's what was put inside it. Or rather, who was."
The older kami's eyes widened, "I thought I recognized that whiff of holy spirit power in the air…"
Several other courtiers began murmuring.
Noriki nodded once again, holding the sword within both his hands, "I crafted the sword used as a base myself. It wasn't special at all; it was a vessel meant to be filled. And when it was, it became this." He holds the sword up, aura rippling throughout the cloth, "And let me tell you, this can be just the start!"
Amaterasu couldn't let it slip, not until she was sure no one was looking her way.
She was sure then, as all the courtiers looked toward Noriaki, waiting with bated breath and rapt attention, she smiled, wide and proud, all other feelings temporarily forgotten.