They searched everywhere close to Shinsu Field and even went deep into Agata Forest. Their next search point started at Taka Pass and Oki was still unsure of exactly of where he was going. Oki stopped to rest by the mermaid spring near where he had seen Amaterasu. Issun bounced about Agata Forest while Oki sat and waited for his tiny companion to return. He swiped his paw at the water's surface and watched the ripples vanish into the center. He looked around for his tiny companion, and when he saw no sign of him a wolfish smirk crossed his lips. The woman standing near the spring was soaked when Oki flopped in the spring. He splashed happily until Issun's laughter brought him from his happy splashing. Oki grinned wolfishly as he exited the pond and shook himself dry.

"So you take baths? Ammy hated water." Issun laughed and Oki changed back to human form and ran his hands through his hair. "It is understandable her not wanting to take a bath, she is the goddess of the sun after all..." Oki said and Issun shrugged. "I guess so..." Issun replied as Oki changed back into his wolf form, since he was now dry after his momentary lapse in self-control. He allowed Issun to hop atop his head and he took off towards Sasa Sanctuary. "Someone told me a woman in white went to Sasa Sanctuary. That arch over there, go through it instead of around or you won't be able to go in." Issun said and Oki turned and walked under the old arch. The wall before him disappeared and he stood there astonished, as if he hadn't expected it to vanish before his eyes.

His nose crumpled when he felt the sand in between his toes, this was a new feeling for him. He grunted and Issun laughed. "The sand? Yeah it's always annoying when it gets between your toes." Issun said and Oki huffed. Ok approached the gate and the sparrows tweeted excitedly. "Issun! You bring a new wolf companion?" the one on the left asked and the one on the right chirped excitedly. "No! This here is Oki, from the Oina Tribe." Issun said and Oki transformed back into his human form and the birds chirped loudly in their awe. "An Oina Tribe member? I heard they were a legend!" the one on the right chirped and Oki raised a brow. "Legend? Why would my tribe be a legend?" he asked and the lead bird chirped. "Oh! The master is...excited!" the one on left chirped. "Because before Ammy and I went to Kamui, no one knew it existed, except me of course. But no one from Nippon knew about the Oina Tribe or the Poncle. They just thought Nippon was all there was." Issun said and the three birds chirped in agreement.

Oki shrugged and made his way into Sasa Sanctuary. He admired the beauty of the place. As they passed by the spring Oki eyed it with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Please don't jump in it, it isn't very deep." A female voice sighed and Oki looked towards where the voice came from. An older sparrow woman sat on a rock across from the hot spring. "How did you know he was thinking that?" Issun asked curiously. "I saw that very same glint in a woman's eyes before she just made the biggest splash I had ever seen...the woman was odd, she was a warrior. I have never seen a female warrior before." the sparrow chirped. "Where did the woman go?" Issun asked and the sparrow pointed towards the bamboo path.

Oki and Issun hurried along the path and found a woman in white sitting in the center of the circle of bamboo. Her eyes closed and hands folded in her lap as if she were meditating. Issun was left breathless as he watched her. Issun fell from Oki's head and landed with a thump on the ground. The woman spun to her feet. Her legs spaced apart in a fighting stance, her delicate hands ready to pull the blades from their sheathes faster than Oki or Issun could move. She looked at them and her brows knitted together.

The woman looked fierce as Issun studied her features. Her sun kissed skin clashed against her the pure white hair that fell over her shoulders, her red bangs blended in with her eyes. She tossed her head to the side and the bangs swept away to reveal dark red eyes with a lighter red line curving to follow the contour below her eyes and another line lining her eyelid. She wore a sleeveless fighting kimono that was white with a red obi. The kimono was short so she wore red leggings beneath it. Her arms were crossed before her reaching to grab either sword that rested on her hips.

"Whoa, babe. Chill for a moment. Waka sent us to seek you out, he said you would know what the location of the one we seek is." Issun said, but the white haired woman and Oki seemed to want to fight it out instead of talk. She stood to her full height and uncrossed her arms from her chest. Issun coughed and hit the ground once more. "Not only is she hot, she is stacked too." He said from the ground. Oki and the woman sized each other up. Walking in a circle like two predatory animals fighting over territory.

She lunged first, pulling both her swords before Oki could pull his own blade. Oki withdrew his blade and sent ice at her, which she melted just as quickly as it came. Oki smirked and lunged for her, knocking her swords from her grasp and managing to knock her to the ground. "You smell familiar, who are you?" he asked and her red eyes burned into his own. She smiled sadly and reached to touch his face gently. He reached for her but her image shattered and turned into a glimmering dust as the wind blew. Oki shook his head and Issun stood.

"Where'd she go?" he asked and Oki sighed. "She wasn't real, Issun." Oki said simply and Issun fumed. Waka hit the ground laughing lightly to himself. "Waka..."Issun grumbled. "Ah, bonjour my little friend." He said. "So you found the woman in white?" He asked and Oki nodded. "I see... and she vanished before your eyes?" he asked and Oki glared at him. "I will take that as a yes. Tis no issue my half lupine friend!" Waka said and Oki sighed. "The woman in white is a companion of mine, but she is not whole. She is broken. Hmmm. Did she not have what you seek Oki?" Waka asked and Oki shook his head. "No, she did not know the location of Amaterasu." Oki said and Waka shook his head. "The goddess was not the thing you sought; she is the one you seek. The thing you seek lies within the grasp of the woman in white, or does she not have it anymore?" Waka trailed off, more so asking himself than Oki.

Oki thought for a minute then his eyes went wide. "She has Tsukuyomi. The blade I was looking for." Oki said and Issun sighed. "So we must seek her out again?" Issun asked and Waka nodded. "I have a prophecy for you two! In the light of the moon, you will see her soon. In the light of day, she has nothing to say." Waka said and with an au revoir, he was gone. Oki changed back into wolf form and they set out for Sei-an city, they would search for the woman in white later, the sword was not as important as the goddess.

The darkness fell fast as they spoke. Waka had vanished into the darkness leaving them alone to ponder his prophecy. The moon glistened in the night sky. A wolfish whine drew their attention from the moon and stars. Oki and Issun were debating on whether or not to be Happy about seeing the white wolf before them, or skeptical. She stood and took off running. They chased her out of Sasa Sanctuary and straight through the city checkpoint. She skidded to a stop and tossed her head to the sky. The stars twinkled and Issun could hardly make out her constellation.

Before Issun could attempt to place the missing stars in the constellation Amaterasu whined and burst into dust with the wind, leaving only something dark stuck deeply into the ground. Oki and Issun walked over and eyed the object. Oki forced it from the ground and dunked it into the mermaid spring nearby. He carefully washed the dirt from it and sighed. It was Tsukuyomi. The golden crescent shined with the light of the moon. He tied the sword to his back and stood. He looked up to the sky to see her constellation twinkling. He furrowed his brow and allowed Issun to get on his shoulder.

"What do you think this could mean Issun?" Oki asked as they entered the city. Issun had been silent up to this point. "I don't know, but something doesn't seem right. I believe she is trying to contact us somehow, but I don't know. We could just be going insane..." Issun said and Oki snorted lightly. "That may be so, but if we aren't we still have to help her. It looks as if someone has stolen stars from her constellation. More and more vanish every time she appears to us." Oki said and Issun sighed loudly. "I tried to put them back, but before I could she vanished and her constellation had some sort of curse on it because it soaked up my ink like it was nothing but air." Issun said and Oki looked deep in thought for a moment.

"I don't know, but it doesn't feel right, what if the five tails has trapped her in her constellation?" Oki asked and Issun looked at him in wonder. "That could possibly be so...but how do you know about the constellations?" Issun asked and Oki stretched and his shoulders and back popped audibly. "The Oina Tribe has prayed to the wolf constellation since the very beginning. The wolf constellation is what granted us the ability to become wolves. We cherish the wolf constellation because she is the mother of the Oina Tribe." He said and Issun was grinning. "That's incredible." He said and Oki nodded. "Is that why you are so intent on helping me find Ammy?" Issun asked and Oki looked at him.

Issun began jumping up and down eagerly. "Oooh! I know why you want to help! You got that whole wolf mate thing going don't ya!? You want Ammy!" Issun laughed loudly, which ended up him getting thumped off of Oki's shoulder. Issun hit the ground fuming while Oki just ignored him. "I owe her my life Issun. I am the reason she died the first time..." Oki said and Issun stopped ranting. "If I hadn't been so brash and unthinking in trying to kill those demons...she would not have died the first time. I killed her and I am the reason Orochi was able to be reborn, because I killed her and Susano was able to remove the sword. If she hadn't saved me, she would never have died in the first place." Oki said glaring at his fists.

"It was her choice. She would have saved you anyways. She would have saved you, me, Waka, Kushi, and even Susano. There isn't anyone she wouldn't have saved, anyone can tell you that. Amaterasu would give her life a million times over if it kept the darkness at bay...if it kept them safe, she would die a horrible death ten thousand times over." Issun said sadly. Oki grit his teeth loudly. "Why would she do that? Even gods have their limit." He growled and Issun chuckled. "Because she loves each and every being she meets. Sure she spaces out at the worst times, but she would die for us an infinite amount of times until she was sure everyone was safe." Issun said and Oki's tense shoulders relaxed. "Like a mother caring for her children." Oki said wistfully as he stared at the broken constellation one last time before he entered the city inn.

Outside Sei-an city...

"You have made quite the impact on him, ma Cherie. I have but one more question for you, ma Cherie." Waka muttered staring at the see through woman sitting beside him. "Has he made an impact on you?" Waka asked and the white haired woman peered up at him from under her red bangs. "I need help, Waka. I am dying. I need the sun, but trapped where I am trapped, the sun shines not." Her voice hit him like wind and he actually seemed shocked. "So you can speak, ma Cherie. So why not tell them how to save you?" Waka asked and looked at her. "Because, I cannot utter a word of where I am, for I do not know very much. And if I speak of what I do know, I will not make it to morning." She whispered and Waka frowned.

"Yes, Waka, just so you know. That man made an impact on me. Why else would I leave him one of my sacred swords?" her voice drifted to his ears as her visage faded completely. Waka smiled slightly, and watched her drift off as stardust to rejoin with her constellation. "You know, ma Cherie, I made a prediction about you two." He said and her constellation twinkled. "As I said, It takes two to tango." He said with a small chuckle before he began playing his flute once more. The calming sound of his flute echoed into the night and he could have sworn Ammy had made a contented whine before her constellation dulled out to greet midnight.