~ A Recap ~

"Your heart shines brighter than the sun ever could, ma chérie," He said softly, and she closed her eyes as he pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.

"Hey, what's going on over there?" They heard Issun shout from the edge of the lake. They separated, Ammy absentmindedly pushing a strand of her hair behind her ear as she smiled sheepishly at Waka. If only she had known the emotions that came with being human…

As the two of them made their way back to where Oki and Issun stood, Ammy tried to un-jumble her thoughts. Something about Waka made her feel something she had never felt before, like how her heart beat fast whenever he smiled at her or gazed at her with those clear, crystal eyes. For now, when everything was falling apart around her, she knew he would be there to comfort her, to help her through anything when she needed him. For once, now, as they rejoined Oki and Issun, the problems at hand were pushed out of her mind.

Maybe this feeling is what humans call…love.

( Yami's P.O.V. )

He could sense her there, her footsteps making small thudding sounds on the ice. It was fresh in his memory; his humiliating defeat, being thrown out of the Ark and being buried here in the ice. It had been a long time, and he knew she had come back to seek him…

Everything has gone as planned…

His peacefully closed eyelids slowly opened in spite of his encasing of ice, and he flexed his fingers slowly. His red, snakelike eyes glowed brilliantly in the cold darkness of the ice as a smile spread slowly across his face.

"You may have defeated me last time, Amaterasu…" He hissed, his exhalation causing the ice surrounding his face to shrink back as if it were afraid of him. "But believe me when I say, things have only just begun…"

In just three short days he would be at his absolute strongest power, and Nippon would be covered in eternal darkness and that foolish goddess would be defeated. He could almost taste the sweet victory on his tongue as he ran it across his teeth.

"You can prepare yourself all you want, Amaterasu," Yami hissed. "But it's no use; your precious Nippon will finally be mine…all mine."

( Amaterasu's P.O.V. )

The shaky, sick feeling that had sunken in when they first arrived had not dissipated from Amaterasu's gut as the sun dawned the next morning, giving her only two days left to find 3 more brush techniques; she had visited all of the places she could, looking for Brush Gods like a maniac until she managed to find Waterspout and Inferno. Nuregami and Moegami had both given her the same warning about the trials ahead, only making Ammy feel worse.

Bright and early the next morning, Ammy stepped out of the animal skin door of Oki's hut and stretched her arms above her head. She shivered a little as her skin automatically responded to how much the temperature had changed from how it had been the day before.

It's already beginning… She thought in dismay as Issun bounced slowly out of the hut, followed by Waka and finally Oki.

"Brrr, it got cold!" Issun commented immediately, his vibrant green aura turning a bit blue.

"This isn't normal…" Oki mumbled, his eyes hard as he surveyed the surrounding area. "It's summer time; it should not be this cold."

Ammy nodded and rubbed her arms quickly to heat up a bit before turning to address the others. "Come on, we need to get started. Oki, go to the village. I'm afraid you can't get involved with these matters."

Oki nodded and turned to go back inside, probably to start a fire and hide from this bitter cold. Ammy silently thanked him for not arguing and instead turned to Waka.

"Where should we start?" She asked, not really sure of what to do. After all, there was so much to do she couldn't help but feel overwhelmed.

"Why not track down Itegami," Issun suggested. "I mean, we're already in Kamui. He's probably in Wawku Shrine."

"Hm, good idea, Issun," Ammy said after a moment as she scooped him up to place him on her shoulder.

"You're crazy if you think I'm gonna ride out in the open when it's this cold!" He said in disbelief before hopping down to settle into the warm crevice of her breasts. She rolled her eyes and motioned for Waka to follow.

He shook his head. "I think I will stay here and keep an eye on the village, ma chérie," He said. "Make sure nothing goes awry in your absence."

Ammy opened her mouth like she wanted to say something, but closed it after a moment and smiled. With Issun snuggled safely in her kimono, she turned on her heel slowly and began her journey up to Uep'keer, and then out to Laochi Lake where Wawku Shrine stood proudly at the base of Ezofuji. She walked slowly, her thoughts wandering far from where she was now. The thought of what was to come still weighed heavy on her mind, like an ominous fog clouding her thoughts.

I hope I'm strong enough for this, She thought, her brow furrowing as she walked quietly up the hill and through the village. It was quieter than the day before, and she assumed that everyone was indoors because of the sudden cold. She couldn't help but feel her stomach lurch when she remembered Kai's recounting of what had happened…that's why she was here now, to fix her mistake of not being there to protect the people of Nippon, to do it over again and save the countless lives that were lost.

Finally she reached the end of the path that led around the edge of the lake. Tuskle's small shrine was dark inside except for the small glow of a fire that lit the inside just a little. Ammy turned her attention from the shrine to Affun Gate, which was open a little; she assumed that anyone from the village was allowed to visit and pay their respects to Itegami and Ezofuji. Quiet as a mouse, she slipped through the gate and began climbing a set of stairs that must've been built for easy access to the top of the shrine after she, Oki, and Shiranui had ridden it of Lechku and Nechku.

The climb up was slow but steady, and once she made it up the icy steps she emerged from the cover of the temple into the open air at the peak of Ezofuji. The air was cold and dry up here and Ammy shivered as she looked around; the sky was a dark grey but surprisingly clear, and the sun's eerie red light shone dimly over everything.

Issun poked his head out of Ammy's kimono and looked around. "Wow," He said. "Something in the air feels…odd."

"You can say that again," The Goddess replied as she walked toward the center of the platform. "I can feel the evil surrounding the peaks, pushing and prodding to break the serenity here."

"I can sense it too…" Issun mumbled. "Hey, look!"

Ammy looked up to where Issun was pointing and saw what she had come here for; a constellation in the shape of an ox was illuminated in the already-darkened sky. The Goddess pulled out her Celestial Brush and traced the missing dots, watching as the constellation came to life and Itegami charged down from the heavens.

"Ah, Amaterasu, origin of all that is good and mother to us all…"

They exchanged a deep bow and Itegami swung his head around a bit. "There is a great evil threatening the Northern Lands once again…I can feel it here, suffocating me. I grant you the power of Blizzard to freeze evil in its tracks and rid the world of it once and for all!"

Ammy closed her eyes as the technique was reabsorbed, and in a flash of white light Itegami was gone.

As soon as the Brush God vanished, she felt the darkness pressing on her even more. She felt an involuntary shiver creep down her spine as she slowly turned to head back inside the temple.

"Going somewhere, Amaterasu?"

Ammy gasped and spun around so fast that she lost her balance slightly. Her eyes narrowed when she saw who the voice belonged to.

"You…?"

She knew there was no mistake of who this person – no, thing - standing before her could be. The way darkness pulsed from his form and his deep red eyes bore into her very soul could only mean one thing; Yami.

"You…what-'

"You seem at quite a loss for words, Amaterasu," He said, his voice coming out in a bone chilling hiss. A dangerous smile was fixed on his thin, pale lips as he took a step forward. Ammy automatically jumped back, all of her senses on high alert.

"Ooh, jumpy aren't we?" He smirked slightly.

"What are you doing here?" Ammy said firmly, straightening up and scowling; she was determined to stand her ground.

Yami flicked a piece of his long, icy white hair over his shoulder and narrowed his snakelike eyes at her. "Just thought I'd drop in."

A low growl vibrated from Ammy's throat as she crouched into an attacking stance, her hand moving for Divine Retribution.

"Now now," He held up his arms in surrender. "None of that."

Ammy let her hand hover over Divine Retribution, not daring to let her guard down with him.

"What's going on? How did you return?" She asked, her voice quaveringly slightly this time.

"Oh, all of that will come in time, Sun Goddess," He said, the teasing tone of his voice infuriating her. She snarled and charged at him, her long strides closing the distance between them in a matter of seconds. Ammy swung her reflector, aiming straight for his chest, but right as contact was about to be made, he vanished and rematerialized behind her.

She spun around, her breathing heavy with the adrenaline that pumped through her veins. Yami let out a low chuckle, his whole body shaking as his eyes narrowed at her.

"So, that is how things are going to be, hm?" He said. "I look forward to meeting you again when the time comes. For now..."

He held his hands out and a spinning ball of pure blackness formed. He smiled at her again and thrust his hands outward, sending Ammy into total and complete darkness.

"I'll be waiting for you…" Ammy jumped at the voice right by her ear and looked around wildly until the darkness cleared, and she was alone.

"T-that was…?" Issun peered out from inside her kimono.

Ammy nodded, feeling another chill ripple along her spine.

"We need to go," She said. "There isn't much time."