Interlude 1

Before Amaterasu, Uzume kneeled, face completely flushed and unable to meet her eyes.

She just explained, well, everything. Right up to, all the…copious amounts of sex Nori is giving to that cat devil.

Slowly, Amaterasu closed the manga volume she was reading and set it gingerly on her room's nearest table.

"So," she began, tone dull and neutral, "that's all then?"

Uzume slowly nodded meekly.

Then waited to be blasted into pieces.

And waited. And waited…

And – wait. Is that giggling?

"Snnnnrrrkk!" Ama suddenly flung her head back, a loud poorly restrained chortle spurting forth, "Damn, he played you, huh?"

Uzume sank even further down, her face flushing a deeper red hard.

When she left, he and the cat were still going at it, and she, well…

She doesn't wanna think or talk about that anymore!

Ama nods sagely, "Yeah, that about serves you right," casually, she puts one leg over the other, and looks down at Uzume amused, "and honestly? That's practically the same punishment I was gonna hit you with when you got back, anyways."

Uzume blinks, and finally looks up at her, "R-Really?" she stutters, dumbfounded.

Ama hums in confirmation, "Although, honestly, Uzume…" she closes her eyes, her amused smile slowly turning into an annoyed frown, "I didn't think you fucked up quite that badly."

"A-Ama. I–"

"No," she didn't even raise her voice to interject, "I don't wanna hear it. But you have something you need to hear." with a huff, Ama continued.

"Do you know why I put you in charge of him in the first place?"

Uzume blinked at that and just stared.

After a moment, Ama sighed.

"I mean. It doesn't make sense at first glance, right?" Ama chuckled slowly, "Goddess of Revelry, raising a child? Doesn't make much sense. But, I wanted you to do it because it could only be you, Uzume."

Ama stands up, walks over to Uzume, and gently puts a hand under her chin, "When Susan drove me into my cave, you dragged me out. When my marriage to him fell apart, you were there…" a sad, nigh fragile little smile appeared on the Sun Goddesses face, and Uzume's heart cracked, "since the beginning, you were there, always there. When Nori was born? Hell, you helped make him, Uzu!"

Ama fell to her knees, right in front of Uzume, putting their foreheads together, the two looked straight into each other's eyes.

"And after Kuni died, and I nearly flash fried that Leviathan bitch, her whole Peerage, and that degenerate crow and his cronies when they came flying over demanding shit, who was there?" she asked, softly, so softly.

"I…I was…" Uzume answered quietly, tears budding on the sides of her eyes.

"That's right," Ama confirmed with a smile, "You were. Not my fucking court. I had my aids and advisers telling me to prostrate myself before them like I was in the wrong." she sneered, full of contempt and malice, "Tenjin. Omoi. All of them. Cowards scared of the watermelon and strawberry devils!"

She shook her head slowly as Uzume reached up and slowly wrapped her arms around her.

"You were the only one who made some sense, then…and it was after that, Uzume that I knew it could only be you," she said pointedly, "not my dumb as fuck court, who would mold him into the perfect pawn while I'm not looking, not his fathers, they'd do the same but mundane."

Ama took a shaky breath, "The Earthly Kami were all far too busy to take care of a child, none of the other Heavenly Kami would ever descend, and Nori would have died as a baby if brought here." Ama grabbed and held Uzume tightly on either side of the face.

"Only you can walk freely between Heaven and Earth, Uzu. Only you I trusted enough to even think of watching him. And yeah, ever since the war you've been a bit put out! But, I thought…well…" Ama slowly looked away, tears forming in her eyes, "you loved him too, didn't you?"

"I do!" Uzume cried out, latching onto Ama's waist tightly, "Of course I do! I still do! Kuni and Nori both! I just…! I…!"

"Then why, Uzume?" Ama asked harshly, her gaze snapping back to her, "Why? It's not hard to pick up a parenting book! Hell, you saw me raise my other sons and daughter! What changed!?"

"I…" Uzume shivered, slowly looking away from her, as tears broke from her eyes.

During the Great War, Uzume died.

Luckily, it didn't take long for her to revive.

But, that void, where dead Gods go to sleep. She saw…things.

Things that keep her up at night. Things that make her stop wanting to think.

Machines and flesh things, duking it out on thousands of stars. World's consumed by parasites like Devils, but thousands of times worse.

The Old Gods sat there. Watching her. Enjoying her suffering. They wanted her to stay, be their new playmate.

The only thing that kept her sane and able to come home was the thought of seeing light again. Ama's light.

When she came back, the only thing that could keep her from slipping back into that spiral was drinking, partying, and doing literally anything else.

How is she supposed to tell Ama any of that? What she saw? When just thinking about it cracks her min—

Light envelopes her.

And she's at peace.

"Uzume…?" Ama's now staring at her, concerned, her pupils like magatama whirling around her eyes as the area is bathed in flaming light.

Purifying white flames.

"Beautiful." Uzume muttered breathily, as she waved her hands through the purifying flames, and grabbed hold of Ama, refusing to let go.

Ama blushed slightly and wiped the tears from her eyes, "Now's not the time for that, Uzu. No flirting."

"Not flirting," Uzume states dazedly, "just stating the truth!"

Ama blinks, before slowly patting Uzume on the back with a small smile.

Then she sighed, remembering what was supposed to be going down.

"Regardless, Ame-no-Uzume," Uzume froze at the announcement of her full name, "the punishment my son set for you stands. Go. Pack your things and head down, you will stay with him. Answer his will absolutely. And as for you being his Guardian? No more," she announces, "I'm going to call in a favor. She's fairly busy already, but he's old enough now that he doesn't need a babysitter, just someone to check in once in a while."

Uzume slowly, reluctantly, let her go. "I…I understand, of course, Ama…" she slowly trails off, looking away once more. "I'm sorry." she mutters, brokenly, tiredly, "I'm so so sorry…" and with that, she curtly gets up, and walks away quickly.

Ama just stood there, watching her go, her eyes slowly shifting back to normal.

"I know." Ama mutters, quietly, "Me too. To you and Nori…" she slowly sits down, now mumbling, "I don't know what's going on with you…"

She thought that maybe, just maybe, giving Uzume this job would help break her out of…whatever all that was, earlier.

Help her get out of this funk she's been in since the Great War.

But it looks like it wasn't to be.

She slowly leans back in her chair, staring dead up at the ceiling, "And Nori? Well…I'm preparing myself for the worst when we finally meet."

He was born into such a broken family, after all.

And in the end? It's all her fault.