Wawku looked impressively at the mysterious maiden that drifted from the starlight that descended from the heavens and then looked to Waka and Sora who walked serenely out from the gate to the stars. The sky cleared to bright high noon filled with the chorus of awakening animals.
Amaterasu shivered a bit from the chill without her fur to warm her pearly skin or the velvety pads of her paws to bar the cold from her bare feet. But her warm aura could not be pierced by even the most cold of Ezofuji's wrath.
"That's it," Wawku sighed as he watched Amaterasu give the group a motherly examination, "Celestials, and warriors with a blade shaped as a key and demonesque companions, I can handle, but pulling lovers out of starlight? You're too much for me, Waka, my friend." When the blacksmith had mentioned the word 'lovers', Sora was sure he could feel Waka's whiplash as he turned to the snickering Oina tribesman.
"Lovers? Absurd! Ma cherie and I are just good friends bound by consequence. Nothing more. Right, Amaterasu?" Waka retorted, looking to the goddess who was feeding the sparrows that had circled the group. The goddess gave an absent nod of the head while she dumped an entire bag of bird feed in Sora's hands. She gave a soft giggle that sounded a bit like a wolfish growl as they all perched on the laughing keyblade master. Wawku nodded his head sarcastically and started the treacherous descent down Ezofuji. Waka knew that what the Oina said was just in jest but he still could not shake off the feeling Wawku knew what he was talking about. Though the Oina was a bit brutish and stubbourn, he was much more inquisitive than Waka gave mortals credit for.
He had never thought of Amaterasu as more of a friend because of the blunt fact that she was a wolf and he thought that she woud remain one forevermore. Yet, he would gladly spend the rest of eternity walking by her, not for payment for saving his life, but simply because she had grown to be almost an extension of himself.
He couldn't think of how it would be like without her waiting for him by Sakuya's sapling, or even without her and Ishaku causing havoc for him to clean up. It didn't even seem likely that he had a life before the goddesses' companionship. He struggled to remember those dark days on the Moon but the memories were blocked by memories created by the wolf: lying on the grass on hot summer days, sneaking Amaterasu into his home for a quick visit to the celestial statues, or just playing when Ishaku wasn't looking. Though his mind vehemently denied the feeling growing in his chest, he couldn't ignore.
Amaterasu had become his heart. She had shattered the cold fundamentals that bound his heart with her undeniable warmth and happy-go-lucky personality. She had utterly destroyed the Moon warrior and built him again with a stronger material than he was before. Before Waka could deeper comprehend these feelings, Amaterasu had leapt off the mountain into the abyss dragging a terrified Sora and his friends off the cliff. It seems someone needed to save them from the savior.
Sora thanked the heavens for what seemed the hundredth when Amaterasu had landed them safely on a rock protruding from the mountain. Wawku was standing right before them overlooking the land and Sora felt a sigh of wind where Waka landed behind them. Once released from his death grip on Amaterasu's arm, he looked at the white tundra surrounding Ezofuji. It was as if he was looking at a picture that had once been in black and white but was restored to color. The white was as bright as the sky, a divine wind shook Sora's hair, the bare trees became lined with birds, and powdery snowflakes twirled happily down from the light blue sky. The land was in it's own celebration of the death of Lechku and Nechku and nature's praise was already warming the air around Sora.
"Who would like to accompany ma cherie and I to Ishaku's home?" Waka asked as he eyed the surroundings and the dark forest far to the East. Sora was the only one with enough vigor to go on so, with a bit of apprehension from his friends, joined the two ethreal beings. Though Donald and Goofy were wary to let Sora out of their sight, they trusted Waka's judgement and Amaterasu's strength. The group split and departed down the mountain. The fog which had proved so trecherous on the ascent parted and the tattered fringes left of it sailed northward to the Ark.
Sora was amazed at how much life the icy tundra kept hidden under it's white blanket: animals of all variety came from the once-dead land to see the procession of other-worldly beings march to Yoshpet. The trees grew thicker around them, pushing the travelers right to the menacing stony gate of Yoshpet. Sora hesitated a bit before realizing that the pathway dissolved before them revealing an archway of thorny trees leading to a dark, little used pathway. Sora was starting to regret his decision.
"Stop here." Waka whispered, holding out a hand to halt. They had just proceeded a little way on the weed infested path and the woods was startying to get so thick that the sunlight could no longer pierce through the canopy of branches.
"The pollen starts to fall from the canopy at this point." The prophet pointed to the thicket of barren branches above them. Sora could notice a slight purplish powder gently falling from the twigs. It looked beautiful the half light of the forest but like most beautiful things, it had an evil twinkle of malice.
"The forest will put all of it's might into preventing us from leaving it's grasp," When Waka had mentioned this, Sora thought, at first, this was absurd. He was speaking as if the forest was truly alive. Then he noticed the life of the forest for the first time; the branches pulsed like a heartbeat around him in the shifting wind, and the thorny thicket slid from the shadowy depths, trying to grasp at his ankles and drag him away forever. Now, Sora really regretted his decision. "We must be quick." He said, and disappeared down the pathway.
'Like I really like to take a tour,' Sora thought sarcastically before running after him.
They ran quickly, barely daring to touch the ground in their long, graceful strides. The forest had no chance of catching the three that slipped so agily through it's deadly branches. The group kept close with Amaterasu in the front. She guided them through the forests pathways that were etched into her memory by Ishaku and she whimsically thought of the Poncle hopping on her shoulder.
'Take a left, furball.' He would chide her on their many occasions to and fro from his home. He would drill her on every path, giving her no leeway. She found these practices annoying but soon became fond of these little practices. It felt as if she knew this path, memorized it well, that her other paths will become easier to follow.
'Don't space out, now! You've got a kid to look out for.' Amaterasu nodded to her non-existent friend and looked back at the boy who was following her dutifully. Here she was, leading a boy from another world who had slain yet freed her soul, to the land of Poncles. 'Dear Ishaku, I could memorize Yoshpet's paths and all of the paths in Nippon a thousand time and yet I find myself on a new one I've never seen!' Amaterasu gave a slight laugh before bouncing forward with more strength, leaving blossoming flowers in her wake.
The run through Yoshpet was, blessedly, short and uneventful. Except for a couple of narrow misses from some flying fruit by a couple of cursed trees, they had made it out unmarred and bit covered by pollen. They took a minute to sit in the green clearing in the heart of Yoshpet and rest. Sora looked around the clearing that was nestled in a circle of elms.
This clearing was the rarest thing the Keyblade master had ever and would ever see in his lifetime. It was a tiny land completely unaffected by time; a land that evaded seasons and mocked ages by staying evergreen and bright. A land in the constant state of noon that would never see a twilight. Sora was glad he came to this small clearing despite the trials of Yoshpet.
He had wondered this whole time while trapped on this world why he was needed. It was obvious that this world did not need him like the other worlds he visited. It was reverse for him; he needed this world. Somehow it gave him hope that for every dark land like Yoshpet, there was a clearing. For him, Destiny Island, his friends, was the clearing that he was fighting for. He remembered that little island and how he used to feel so confined by how lazily time seemed to move but now he longed for a world where change was slow, like this one.
"Is something the matter, Sora?" Waka asked, noticing the frown lines creasing Sora's usually chipper forehead. The keyblade maste sighed and fell back on the grassy land. It was incredibly warm and silky for grass.
"Sleepy." Sora smiled before closing his eyes. Waka shook his head. Why was it that everyone went to sleep when he talked?
"I know you'll listen to me Ama-" Waka turned to the goddess and stopped short. She had curled up pn the grass and fallen asleep a while ago. The prophet suppressed a chuckle as he looked at the two. The Moon Tribesman took of his winged lat, letting his golden hair heir fall to the ground. He laid on the soft, warm ground and looked to Amaterasu. She seemed so peaceful under the sunlight, perhaps just as beautiful as she was in the Celestial Plain before that dreaded curse. Even her wild hair seemed to soften and ripple in the green grass. In this tranquil, unmoving time that possed him, he felt the tug of his heart stir those confusing feelings within him. He turned away from Amaterasu. 'Some things are better left unsaid,' he thought before sleep plunged him in the dreamworld.
Author's Notes: A little on the short side but I did add some AmmyxWaka fluff. Even if it's a little one-sided, for now. Ah, fluff is fluff, right?