Sora then looked to the odd warrior who was brushing himself off and bristled with anger as he saw him. He didn't look the least bit worried or sad for his friend; in fact, he seemed to be deep in thought.

"Shiranui is...gone, and she tried to save me." He whispered to himself as he gazed at Oathkeeper. Donald and Goofy crawled out of the pond, soaked and sputtering, but had also witnessed Amaterasu's final deed. Ishaku bounced to Waka and took his place on his winged hat, silent for once in his life.

"She is not gone." Waka answered blandly as he felt his vigor return to him. "Amaterasu's mortal body is gone, no doubt about that, but, thanks to that divine weapon of yours, she might be complete again."

"Amaterasu?"

"It is her real name, only given to those who are strong enough to carry the burden that comes with it." The tao master answered looking to the sky where the north star shone brightly. Ishaku bounced off of Waka's hat and examined Sora's blade.

"Oh, I see!" Ishaku smacked his forehead which went unnoticed by his much larger friends. "I can't believe I didn't notice. It's obvious."

"What?" Sora asked the small bouncing light.

"This blade unlocks things right?"

"Yeah. It is a keyblade so it's kind of required to unlock things."

"Then this sword must've dispelled that slimy serpent's curse." Ishaku said with a nod. Sora was utterly lost; had he not seen Amaterasu slain before his eyes? Waka noticed the trio's looks of confusion and decided to explain it to them.

"The slimy serpent my minuscule friend here is talking about is the dreaded Orochi. He cursed Amaterasu in the most horrible way. He locked her beauty away into the deepest confines of her heart. He had turned her from a maiden to a vicious beast, doomed to walk this land, and to be feared by every mortal who dared gaze upon her." Waka said in a sad way, as if Amaterasu's curse was his fault. Sora shook off the feeling as he felt more questions bubble up inside him.

"Then, why don't you fear her?"

"Same as you, young warrior. We're not mortal or at least not completely." He said with a smirk. You and your friends have special gifts to see people for what they truly are."

"You're not mortal, then?"

"You sure ask a lot of questions don't you kid?," Ishaku laughed. "No, the prophet here isn't human. Don't ask him either. He gets pretty moody about that stuff."

"What are you then? A fairy?"

"Fairy?" Ishaku huffed. "I'm a Poncle. And not just you're run of the mill poncle, I'm the fifth celestial envoy. I write about Amaterasu's travels, battle a couple of demons, and hope to get a babe or two on the way." Waka silently laughed to himself; it would be surprising, 100 years from now, how similar he would be to his grandchild or rather more irritating in his case.

"Excuse moi, but we must get going. We'll have to travel now if we want to get to Amaterasu before the ritual." Waka interrupted.

"You mean all of us?" The keyblade master looked to his friends to see if they disagreed. They didn't oppose his decision.

"Of course." Ishaku answered. "You stab it, you help it," Sora smiled sheepishly at this, "Besides, five or six, counting furball when we get her, will stand a bigger chance against the Dark Lord and it's minions."

"Wait, you didn't say anything about a Dark Lord!" Sora yelled, running after them.

Sora brought up the rear of the rag tag group and was still fuming about how they always seemed to find themselves in the plot of some dark master's twisted schemes. Night had already fallen as they finally set out, looking over the expansive Shinshu field. If it was even possible, it was worse at night with demons multiplying like rabbits in the inky blackness. He looked ahead to see Waka discussing something with Ishaku and, even for such a tiny being, he could hear him all the way in the back of the group.

"To the Ark of Yamato? We'd be lucky to get there in a month if we even had money for the ferry!" The orange glow once again ranted in the annoyed prophet's ear.

"Calm down, petite one. I have a plan that'll get us to the ark by sunrise." The prophet had walked off to the direction of an enormous cliff before Ishaku could remark. With the aid of his winged hat, he jumped the height of the cliff easily. Always competitive, Waka glanced Sora a look that dared him to surpass Waka's jump. Sora dared and with his ability to glide, flew over them beside an old, ruined tower. His friends followed, but not as gracefully.

"I swear, you two are as bad as Amaterasu and Waka when they fight each other." Ishaku shook his head but couldn't help grinning, as there was something to finally laugh about in these dark times. The group looked up at the old tower covered in ivy that had a thin rod sticking out of it that looked ready to snap at any minute. "What the hell is this?"

"This is our way to the ark." Waka put his hands on his hips and looked triumphant. The poncle thought the prophet had really gone more mad than he was before. "Do not look like that, my friend. Ma cherie and I have found this ancient contraption on our many travels." He turned to Sora and his friends. "Can any of you summon lightning from the sky?" Donald eagerly steeped up and pointed his multicolored wand to the sky and shouted 'Thundaga'. The lightning bolt streaked from the heavens and struck the rod, causing the tower's walls to move. A secret passage was revealed after the walls had shifted. The group silently proceeded into the dark, damp tunnel.

It had been an hour or two, Sora wasn't sure, since they had left the entrance of the tunnel. All they had for light in the tunnel was Waka's green celestial blade which gave the tunnel a more eerie presence. They were huddled so close, thanks to the confines of the rocky tunnel, that he was pushed right up against Goofy's shield. He thanked the heavens when he finally saw the light of the exit and to be rid of the humid heat suffocating him and the horrible cramp in his side. He was so eager for fresh air that he ran out of the tunnel and was met by a chilly surprise. He had ran right into the blizzard ravaging the North. The air was so fast and icy that it had knocked the breath right out of him. He backtracked into the tunnel, grateful for it's warmth.

"That's one bad blizzard. I can't even see Ezofuji." Ishaku remarked as he looked out into the white North. Indeed, it was bad; the snowy wind was so thick and fierce that the great tress that dotted the North were nothing more than gray blobs on the horizon.

"We cannot give up after coming so far. Now, let us bid this tunnel adieu, and continue." Waka said pointedly and walked into the blizzard, lost to the howling wind. The others followed close behind.

Even with the enchanted clothes the fairies had made for him, Sora still felt the icy cold pummel his body as he waded through knee-deep snow. Fighting organization members looked like a vacation to the storm he was enduring now. Conversation was at a stand-still because whenever anyone talked the wind overtook their voices. Just as Sora was sure his legs were icicles, a figure was approaching them from the white haze. It was no demon; the cold had destroyed all the scrolls. No, it was a wolf shaped figure.

For a split second he had thought Amaterasu had come to them and save them from the blizzard that swirled about them. But realization soon hit when he saw the shimmering black fur of the beast and it's crimson eyes glinting at them. Waka stopped and made no inclination to draw his blade but allowed the wolf to approach them. His blue tipped fur and fox shaped mask glinted with snow as it warily sniffed each traveler. It snorted, seemingly at ease with them and ushered them forward to follow him. Sora had to nearly run to keep the wolf within sight and grabbed onto his friends so he would not lose them in the wicked wind. Waka leaped with the wolf and matched it's speed, shouting something to it that Sora could not hear over the storm. Finally, a hut came into view.

Sora and his friends each sneezed as they were handed steaming cups of broth from a dark-haired woman. They were sitting cross-legged on hand-woven mats and were looking at the quaint hut. Antlers and various animals stared down at them from a fire-place, and animal skins were hung here and there. The wolf joined the dark-haired, slender women who's face was also concealed by a mask, one in the form of a great stag. Waka, with Ishaku curled in the warmth of his bird-hat, was absently picking at his cup of broth and was more interested in the many swords and blacksmith materials laying about the house.

"Wawku, my friend, you've been busy with making a sword. But I have thought you've given up the art of blacksmith?" He pondered out loud and was examining the hilt of an unfinished sword. The wolf, Wawku, shimmered a bit before transforming into it's human form. If Sora had ever known Oki he would've guessed that Wawku was his ancestor or maybe a great-grandfather. He was built like Oki, muscular, but was more brutish in his strides and had a much more rougher voice. His hair was longer and unkempt, and his clothes were plain. There was no doubt, Sora thought as he saw Wawku's many gashes on his arms, that this man had a hard life.

"As I have told you, Waka, I am not making swords anymore. I'm only selling this equipment to the merchant." He crossed his arms, decision made. His wife sighed as she tended to the stew.

"You know a merchant will never come in this blizzard and I also know that you have saw the demons that are creating this blizzard." The prophet's eyes glinted in the flickering of the fireplace.

"You know not to make predictions when they are not wanted, Tao Master." Wawku said gruffly, his black, blue tinted hair shifting as he turned to face away from them. Waka sipped his broth, a faint smile gracing his lips.

"Why don't you make swords?" Sora asked quietly. He heard the blacksmith sigh in his mask and watched as he sat himself on a makeshift stool.

"It's a long story." Wawku began.

AN: This one's even shorter than the last one:( Oh well, I tried. Please R and R.