(Misaki)
I rocked my body back and forth and back and forth again. I screamed to the goddess in my mind, begging her to save me. No one came. My hand covered the right side of my face as I tried to focus on anything but the pain. The terrible man never visited again but, in all actuality, I had no idea how much time had really passed by in this dismal place.
"Well, are you not a sight for sore eyes…"
I jumped hard at the sound of the voice, a different one from the one before. This one was smoother, like velvet. It was almost calming. Then came a sort of demented chuckle.
"Opps.. it was just too tempting not to say."
Opening my left eye drew tears and abrupt sharp pain. This man looked like the other. Just as beautiful and eloquent. His smile was sad but coy at the corners. He tilted my chin up with a pointed finger and clucked his tongue a few times. "apologies for my brother. He can be extreme."
I trusted nothing he said but was too scared to smack his hand away from me.
"I will not hurt you child. My quarrel is not with you, you are simply a means to an end. A worm to real in the fish. But I must comment on your lack of knowledge in things that involve you. Would you like to understand why you are here?"
My voice was reluctant to raise so I just nodded, my guard up.
"You have never met your mother I presume."
"N-no. She d-died when I was born."
"Yes of course." He paced in front of me. "Well to put it simply, your mother is not dead."
Wh-what? How was that possible? I visited her burial site many times throughout the years. The entire country knew that my mother passed away in childbirth. They chastised me behind my back for it my entire life.
"Your earthly mother is dead yes, but she is not the one who gave birth to you. Not truly. Your real mother is a goddess. Amaterasu to be exact."
He said the name with such disgust that it caught me by surprise.
"That cannot be possible."
"But it is, foolish mortal. Amaterasu made a deal with her brother and lost. Susanoo birthed five boys from the goddess of lights necklace, and she birthed what we now know is four female deities from Susanoo's blade. But the almighty 'goddess' cheated Susanoo of his victory and then humiliating him by cheating and hiding one of the deities she had. When Susanoo found he was enraged and wreaked havoc on your delicate human realm. In Amaterasu's fear I assume she hid you quickly, gifting the Emperor and Empress of Japan with the child they so longingly prayed for. She betrayed her family all for you. PRECIOUS child."
My head whirled and I felt nauseous listening to this story. How could this possibly be true? I could not be the divine goddess's daughter! He had to be lying to me, playing tricks on me to be deceitful. He sighed dramatically in front of me before placing his palm to my forehead.
Instantly I was back inside of the palace. The sky was transitioning from early evening into night. I stood near the open balcony doors of one of the living quarters. Incense burned in bowls on tables and the room was bathed in warm yellow and orange light. My father's voice was unmistakable as he entered the room speaking quickly and fluently.
"I worry about her…she is so sad these months."
He was so much younger here. His hair was rich and coated his forehead while his beard was still thin. He had to be a bit older than I. his frown was permanent as a physician entered the room behind him.
"And there is nothing you can do?"
"I am sorry your majesty, but the queen is unable to bear children. Praying to the gods for a miracle is all that can be done now."
My father faced me, seeming to look through me as he waved his hand over his shoulder.
"You may leave."
The physician bowed twice before backing from the room, shutting the doors behind me. My father's shoulders slumped, and his neck hung low. I'd never seen him look defeated like this. A knock sounded and the door opened again. A guard stepped in. "Your majesty, the Empress is here."
"Let her in."
I held my breath as I waited to see my mother for the first time. Tears sprang to my eyes as she stepped through the door. She wore a long golden Kimono, a gold crown resting on her head. Her cheekbones were high and eyes round. She was even more beautiful than I'd imagined. She outshined all the portraits that hung in the palace. My hands trembled as she traveled through me and over to my father. He pulled her close as she rested her head on his chest.
"There is no hope my love. I am sorry that I have failed you."
"You have never failed me; you are my wife. We must have faith and pray to the gods for surely they will hear us."
I watched as they both sank to their knees beside each other, facing the sky outside the balcony doors, and I listened as the desperately pleaded to the goddess for help in producing a child.
Abruptly, my form was whisked upwards and away from my parents. I was pulled through clouds and even higher up until I saw her, the goddess. She was in the form of what looked like a large opal colored dragon with a fox's head with the suns flames at her heals and back. A jade orb floated just above her shoulder blades. She bounded from cloud to cloud until I heard my parent's voices on the breeze. She whipped her large head downwards and stared, ears forward and alert. Faint screaming sounded all around me, but I saw no one. The dragon curled in on itself before it changed into the form of a woman even more beautiful than the mysterious creature that had been in her place.
It was the same woman I'd seen in my dream on the bridge! That had been the goddess?! Her eyes were frantic but concentrated as she looked down on the palace far below.
"AMA!"
My body closed in on itself as the familiar voice of the one who'd stolen my eye, hollered somewhere in the distance. My heartbeat fast as I felt her fear root itself in me. She closed her eyes quickly and murmured as her hands created elaborate symbols. Yellow mist formed as she made those symbols electrifying the air around her.
"I hear your prayers my children, and I bless you. In a seasons time you will become pregnant with the royal heir. She will be the light in your lives. She will be intelligent and tactful. But she will also be unruly and not easily swayed. Take care of my child, for she will never know her identity. I bless you in the name of the sun and the heavenly realm."
Thunder sounded, and as the yellow mist sprinkled down to the palace she smiled only momentarily before disappearing.
"As you can see, you are no mere mortal. You are the child of my archaic sister, only alive because she sent your eternal essence down to a human woman. You were born in the summer heat that next year. What Ama never considered was that your life was not hers to gift. The world demands balance, so when you were born…"
Horror struck me hard in the dark once again as his ocean blue eyes stared at me. "my mother died…"
"precisely. Now, Susanoo has found you and has many tricks up his sleeve. He will kill you if our sister fails to come to your aid, and I will not stop him. I demand retributions as well little girl. We must become worthy to our father once again. And what better way to do that than to kill dear old Ama and gift her power to father. Susanoo and I can return to heaven together, as the human world falls apart, paving the way for us the begin again."
They were seeking the destruction of the entire world! This personal feud of gods, how did I get so stuck in the middle of it all? Was there any hope of me living through this? He had already taken my eye, and the pain rocked my skull to the point of insanity.
I needed to speak to my father. I needed him to tell me if what this unhinged…god said was true. Was what I saw between him, my mother, and Ama, the truth behind my birth and the death of my mother. It was nearly impossible to wrap my brain around any of this. The man, once done sneering at me stood up straight again and shook his head.
"Well, I've had my fun. Now we wait. She has until sundown before we flay you. Tik Tok my dear, Tik Tok."
My entire world had just been uprooted and flipped on its side. Is that what the goddess had meant by the truth when I'd seen her on the bridge? Was I really the daughter of the heavenly goddess Amaterasu?