Oki flipped back into his human form, watching as the Ark of Yamato descended from the clouds overhead. The iron ship's surface glinted, as if it had just been washed, and the blue engravings adorning it swam with many shades of aqua, teal, and ultramarine. Oki caught his breath as the Ark hovered above Laochi Lake. The hatch in the side opened, and a long, slender rainbow came arcing out, touching down at the edge of Kutone's shrine.

It was real. The Ark had returned.

A woman ducked through the hatch and began walking down the rainbow bridge. She was a couple inches shorter than him, but still fairly tall. Her bright red lips were parted in a smile, and her alabaster hair was tossed over her shoulders, wind-swept and wild. She was very pale, with intelligent golden eyes outlined in striking vermilion.

Amaterasu had returned.

It took all of Oki's self control not to run to the rainbow bridge and meet the goddess halfway. Instead, he waited for the few agonizing moments it took for Amaterasu to step lightly onto the edge of Kutone's shrine. She skirted around the sacred sword, stopping in front of Oki.

"Oki!" she said, her voice filled with delight. "I decided to come back to Nippon, just for a little while. I set the Celestial Plain in order, but afterwards I got kinda bored."

"Amaterasu?" There was no doubt it was her, but Oki still couldn't believe his eyes.

"Yeah, it's me," she said, sounding amused. "Are you pleased?"

"Uh... sure," Oki replied, wondering what she meant by that. Of course, she couldn't know that he had fallen for her. Surely she would have no way of knowing.

Oki stepped towards her and briskly rubbed her bare shoulders. Her skin was smooth and cold under his hands. "You must be freezing," he said, locking his crimson gaze with her amber one.

"Um, yeah, a little bit," Ammy replied, shrugging. Oki could feel her shivering next to him.

"Let's go back to my place," Oki suggested, glancing up at the sun. It was partly hidden by clouds, offering little warmth. It had already begun to set, giving the sky a pale mauve hue. The days were always shorter in Kamui, so sunset came earlier than usual.

"'Kay," Ammy said agreeably. "Lead the way, O mighty warrior."

Oki shot her a look and flipped into his wolf form. To his surprise, she did the same. He had thought that she had lost her wolf form, but it seemed that she was like the Oina tribe now.

The two set off through the snow at a run, spraying glittering flakes from their paws, tails streaming out in the wind. Amaterasu lengthened her stride, sprinting at full pelt, and pulled up alongside Oki. She gave him a tongue-lolling grin and began pulling ahead. Oki sped up as well until he was close enough to give her a good-natured shove with his shoulder. She stumbled but kept her footing. It was enough for Oki to get ahead by a few paces.

"Cheater!" Ammy teased from behind him. Oki kept on running until he felt Ammy jostle into his haunches. He skidded in the snow, and Ammy darted ahead, stopping at his new hut in Wep'keer.

"You just said that was cheating," Oki protested, loping up to where the goddess was waiting with a self-satisfied grin on her face.

"It's not cheating if I do it," she replied smugly, wagging her tail.

"Whatever," Oki said, willing to let the subject drop. Both canines flipped back into their human forms. Oki held the door back so that Amaterasu could enter, following her as she went in.

Inside, a fire at the center of the room was blazing, scattering red and orange light over the walls. Ammy sat down, hugging herself to stay warm. Oki sat across from her, but she scooted over until their shoulders were nearly touching.

"I'm still cold," Ammy said, looking up at Oki with round golden eyes.

Oki sighed inwardly. "Okay, but only because I can't resist you when you give me those sad puppy eyes."

Ammy made a small victory noise and huddled closer to Oki. Oki slid his mask away from his face and set it behind him, then put his arms around Amaterasu. The goddess made a contented noise and rested her head on his chest.

"Mmm," she murmured sleepily, already nodding off. "It's warmer here."

And it was.