~ A Recap ~

"Atta boy, Half Bake!" He screamed. "Go, go! We have to find Ammy!"

Waka felt a scowl come to his face, but his annoyance with the little Poncle was drowned out by his worry for Amaterasu. She had disappeared so fast, he hadn't known what to think, and he had hightailed it as quickly as he could to Oki's hut to fetch Issun and warn Oki to protect the village.

Now even his ability to soar through the air was hindered by the thick darkness in the atmosphere, making it hard to breathe. He trudged on stubbornly, desperate to get to Amaterasu. She was indeed strong, but not nearly strong enough to face this on her own. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he just sat back and watched Amaterasu meet her downfall.

We'll be there soon, he thought. Don't give up yet, Amaterasu.

( Waka's P.O.V. )

After what seemed like hours of climbing and trudging through snow, Waka could finally see the gates to Laochi Lake. Issun urged him on as he felt a new strength flow into him and he somehow managed to run the rest of the way, skidding to a halt on the icy surface of the lake, his heart thudding in his chest.

The sight before him was shocking; the endless abyss of writhing darkness, the raging skies above them…and Amaterasu on her hands and knees in front of Yami.

"Amaterasu!" He cried out, running to her and kneeling down to see if she was alright.

"I-I'm fine," She said hoarsely, her breath coming in ragged gasps and a stream of blood gurgling out of the side of her mouth. She tried to stand on her trembling legs, but she was too weak.

"Shh, ma chérie," He soothed, stroking her hair softly with his hand. Issun hopped off of his shoulder and bounced closer to Yami.

"You evil little…!" He yelled up at Yami, who simply raised an eyebrow. "You've got some nerve coming back for a second beating!"

Yami let out a chuckle, which just seemed to infuriate Issun even more. "Second beating? I think the only one receiving the beating here is your beloved Sun Goddess, Bug."

Issun growled and unsheathed Denkomaru. "I. AM. NOT. A. BUG!"

He leaped with all the strength of a warrior at Yami, but the dark being only laughed more as a barrier zapped Issun just like an insect. He dropped to the ground, dazed by the blow, his aura almost going out completely.

"Issun!" Waka called. "Get away from there!"

The Poncle shook his head a little and stumbled back over to where Amaterasu was now slumping over into Waka's arms. He pushed her hair away from her face, willing her to stay awake.

"You're foolish, Amaterasu," He said softly, looking up as Yami spoke.

"All of your efforts to stop me are futile!" He said triumphantly. "As we speak, the Celestial Plain is being devoured by evil, and soon this world will be next!"

He looked down, indicating the bottomless churning pit of blackness. "I've sucked the energy out of Amaterasu, and the darkness craves more…soon, Nippon will be reduced to nothing but a giant cursed zone. So you see, you should just give up now."

"No!" Waka said, and he turned back to look at the fading Sun Goddess.

"Amaterasu, I'm so sorry…sorry I didn't arrive sooner, or provide more help…" He said to her, but she only blinked foggily a few times.

"Aw, Ammy…" Issun said, bouncing onto her chest and rubbing her cheek vigorously with his hand. "You gotta get up…"

She mumbled something incoherent in response and Waka stood, resting her head gently on the ground. He fixed his eyes on Yami in a hard stare and approached him fearlessly.

But Yami only chuckled as Waka was faced with the challenge of overcoming his force field. "Foolish boy! It's no use, you'll never make it past my barrier! Nippon's last hope now lies near dead, all of her sun energy inside my cursed zone now. You don't stand a chance!"

Waka turned his attention back to Amaterasu, who seemed to be recovering a bit. She stood up shakily, her eyes widening as she saw what was before her.

"Waka! Get away from him!" She yelled, running clumsily toward him. She stumbled and tripped, and he held out his arms to catch her.

"Keep still," He said to her, trying to sound as reassuring as possible. "You're weak from battle."

Surprisingly she obeyed, her black eyes wide as she gazed up at him. He turned when Yami gave a growl of impatience.

"Enough! Amaterasu will belong to my darkness!" He gave a yell of rage and lashed out his hand, sending huge, black tendrils of blackness careening toward Amaterasu. Both of them let out a cry and Waka tightened his grip on her.

"No! You won't have her!" He yelled, but the darkness had closed in around them, creating a black, swirling typhoon. He could already feel his grip on Amaterasu slacken from the power of the gale around them, but he clung on for dear life.

She struggled weakly, but it was no use; she was still worn out and weak from the battle she had already fought. Her eyes were wide with terror as she opened her mouth in a silent scream. Waka clenched his teeth as he expelled all of his strength in keeping a grip on her, but as the winds became stronger she was ripped away from him, and there was nothing but empty space.

"No! Waka!" She cried out as the tendrils sucked her back in, snaking their way around her body and binding her tightly. Yami let out a chuckle as she was pulled down into the blackness, the top of her head vanishing just a few seconds later.

Waka let out a cry of determination as he sprinted toward the quickly-closing gap. He snatched Issun up and jumped, his head sinking into the darkness just as it closed, leaving nothing in its wake.

( Amaterasu's P.O.V. )

"Ughh…"

Amaterasu groaned as she hit the ground, hard. She felt her bindings release her and she rolled onto her back, every part of her hurting like never before.

She opened her eyes slowly only to find that it was pitch black. A moment later she squinted a little as an icy white figure appeared in front of her.

Yami smirked at her and advanced toward her, the power pulsing off of him in waves in this deep, murky darkness. Ammy stood clumsily and growled feebly, trying to make herself as intimidating as she could.

"Aw, poor little pup is frightened. You really are pathetic, Amaterasu."

This enraged Ammy and she pulled out her Celestial Brush, drawing the correct stroke and unleashing a blazing trail of fire at Yami. He jumped back, his eyes narrowing at her.

"Still not giving up, eh?" He said as he bent into a fighting stance. "Fine. I'll end you once and for all."

"You won't win this, Yami!" Ammy sneered, and drew a horizontal line across his chest. He staggered a little as the cutting force of Power Slash ripped a hole in his clothes.

Ammy smile triumphantly, but her attention was drawn away from Yami for a moment as a figure appeared out of the darkness, his blue eyes desperate.

"Waka!" She cried, her heart filling with joy at such a friendly face. She ran to meet him and he caught her in his arms, burying his face in her hair.

"I'm so glad you're safe, ma chérie," He said softly, his voice muffled by her hair. She pulled back and turned to face Yami once more.

"Ugh, you again?" He said with a disgusted tone. "I thought I lost you when we came here, but evidently not. Oh well, I guess I will just have to dispose of all of you."

Ammy snarled and readied her reflector, and Waka removed Pillow Talk smoothly from its sheath. Issun pulled out Denkomaru in a flash and jumped up onto Ammy's shoulder, his green aura bright with excitement.

Yami let out a roar, his red eyes deepening with rage. "Argh, I've had enough of these games! I'll destroy you all!"

He growled and closed his eyes, his hands clenching into fists as he focused all of his energy. The darkness was drawn to him like a moth to a flame, and it engulfed him within seconds. Ammy squinted into the dark ball and saw his shape transforming from human into something much more deadly; he bent over on all fours, his face elongating, back arching, hands morphing into grotesque paws. Within seconds his new form dropped to the ground, jowls dripping as predator instincts took over.

Ammy felt a sinking feeling in her stomach as this new Yami stepped forward in the form of a giant, demonic wolf, his red eyes glittering as his huge head swung back and forth, eventually pinpointing Ammy. It let out a bellow and charged toward her, giant paws pounding as it ran at her.

The Goddess let out a cry and hopped out of the beast's path just in time as it came to a screeching halt and spun around in confusion, taking a moment to pinpoint its target before charging towards her once more. She made a split-second decision and jumped above the wolf's head just as it was about to ram her, and spun around in the air to land several blows on its back with Divine Retribution. She landed lithely behind him, a smirk of triumph appearing on her face. Now that she knew his weakness, she could use her speed and agility to exploit it.

Waka and Issun caught on, and soon all three of them were dealing blows to the confused beast. Finally, he stopped charging at them in fury and slumped a bit, his sides caked in his own blood. The darkness engulfed him again and he was back in his human form in a matter of seconds. He bent over to catch his breath, a small pool of dark, sticky red blood forming around his feet as his wounds poured.

"Y-you think it will end like this…?" He said hoarsely as a soft misty blackness engulfed him, and the three of them watched in horror as his wounds closed and his health was restored.

"Nice try Amaterasu, but you won't take me down that easily." He said with a smirk as he floated up into the air and lifted his hands, the darkness arising with them.

"Now, I think it's time to cut out any unnecessary distractions." With this his barrier was back up, blocking out Waka and Issun, leaving only him and Ammy.

"What do you say just you and me, Amaterasu…" He said with an odd smile. Ammy turned her attention away from Waka and Issun pounding frantically at the barrier and focused a hard gaze on him, trying to detect any hint that he had more surprises for her.

"Fine then," She said fiercely, Divine Retribution in her hands once again. "Let's finish this!"

She ran at him, all of her energy focused on tearing him down for good. In a white streak of light she was behind him and smiled a little as her instrument came down…on thin air.

She looked around in confusion and froze when Yami rematerialized behind her, a long, sharp fingernail perched delicately over her throat. She spun away quickly and took a moment to calculate what she would do next.

"You may have taken down my most powerful form, but I'm much faster in this form anyway." He taunted, his snakelike tongue flitting out of his mouth and back in.

Ammy lunged again, but this time she felt an odd sensation overcome her; her body suddenly froze, and as she tried to move her limbs she realized that her will was not her own.

Her eyes flitted to Yami, whose hands were up as if he were a conductor. He smirked and let out a chuckle before jerking his hands to the right, and she jerked with them. She clenched her teeth and tried with all of her might to fight his influence, but the effort was quickly draining her.

Yami approached her, still holding tightly onto her will, and snapped his fingers; she cried out as pain rocketed through her body in fierce jabs, and her head lowered to hide her pained expression. She gritted her teeth and tried again to fight his power over her, but it was no use; with no energy and trapped in the realm of darkness, she was almost utterly powerless. She could feel what little energy she had being drained out of her as if she was being suffocated, and when the pain stopped she dropped to her knees in spite of Yami's influence.

"Good, good," He said. "You're finally starting to cooperate."

"Y-you…" She struggled to even form words, her body now so empty and lifeless she could hardly muster the strength to keep breathing. She could faintly hear Waka and Issun desperately trying to get her attention, but she was focusing the last of her strength on just trying to stay conscious.

"Now, my darkness can finally have the feast it has been waiting for," Yami said. "And both Nippon and the heavens will belong to me."

He let out a low chuckle and knelt down, bringing his claw-like nails up underneath her chin and forcing her head up to look at him.

"Such a shame, you really do make a beautiful human…" He said, a hungry smile appearing on his lips as his snake tongue flicked in and out. She glared and spat at him, sending him reeling back in anger. She fell over sideways, her cheek pressed against the cold floor.

"I may be defeated," She sneered. "but that does not mean I will allow you to take my dignity from me."

Yami hissed and threw his arm out to the side, causing a huge, almost mouth-like portal to open. Ammy gazed in awe as she managed to get to her knees and struggle weakly a little more, but her energy was completely spent. She was as good as done.

"Amaterasu!"

The Goddess looked over tiredly to see Waka giving her a pleading look. "Please, you must not give up! Think about Nippon! Think about all of your friends, of the Celestial Plane! You cannot just throw all of it away!"

Ammy studied him for a moment, tears unexpectedly welling up in her dry, bleary eyes. She could only watch as he threw himself at the barrier again and again, channeling his rage into any form of strength he could use to get to her. Issun pounded on it as well, Denkomaru a little blur of motion as he attacked it again and again.

Yami only laughed as he sent his long dark tentacles out again to wrap around Amaterasu, and this time she could not muster even the tiniest bit of resistance. She moved her head to look at Waka once more, and their eyes met; Ammy saw nothing there but raw emotion, despair and love shining through.

"Please, Amaterasu…it can't end like this! You are so much stronger than this…out of everyone, I know you would never give up!"

Waka, I…

She held back tears as Yami began pulling her in, the huge portal threatening to suck her in.

I have failed…

Failed Nippon. Failed Waka and Issun. Failed herself.

I wish it didn't have to end this way…

As Waka's bright emotions were channeled into her, she felt a flame alight inside her; the same kind of fire she had felt the last time fighting Yami, when the people of Nippon had sent her their prayers and words of encouragement. She could feel that presence now, but it was stronger in this one man, the pure emotion in his heart enough to fill a hundred of them.

"Waka!" She called out as the tendrils brought her closer to the portal of darkness. "I know now...what you said, a few days ago! 'Your heart shines brighter than the sun ever could…'"

He pounded himself against the barrier again, his eyes shining with hope. "Yes, Amaterasu! As long as the flame in your heart stays lit, nothing will ever put it out!"

Amaterasu nodded quickly, a few tears spilling over and running down her cheeks. "We may be apart for a while…but always know, you will be my flame, Waka…"

Waka's figure got farther and farther away and she could feel the hungry blackness nearly right behind her. "And you mine, Amaterasu! I will find you, I promise!" Waka called to her from the other side of the barrier.

Ammy closed her eyes and smiled peacefully; Waka's flame burned brightly inside her heart, and she knew that it would be a beacon of hope for him.

"Goodbye, Waka, Issun…"

She let herself fall as she was thrown into the gaping hole of darkness, but as it churned and tossed her, feeding off of her energy, she felt strangely at peace knowing Waka was still out there, forever her sunshine in a world full of shadows.

( Waka's P.O.V. )

The Tao Master watched helplessly as Amaterasu was thrown into the darkness, her face the last thing he saw before she was completely engulfed.

"Ammy! NO!" Issun screamed, frantically hitting at the barrier.

"Stop, Issun," Waka said, feeling strangely calm. "I think she's alright for now."

"What!?" Are you nuts?" Issun said. "She just got sucked into a vat of darkness, we gotta go save her!"

As he continued to try and beat down the barrier and Waka simply watched, he felt something strange, and a moment later, he heard a familiar voice inside his head.

"Waka…thank you…"

Waka watched as Yami hopped into the portal as well and it closed, dispelling the barrier and sending them both into total and complete darkness.

A few moments later, Waka felt something change in the atmosphere, and he didn't take his eyes off the spot where Amaterasu had vanished. Even Issun stopped and watched as a small white light, dim at first, glowed from where she had been sucked in.

"Thank you for being my sunshine…"

He watched in awe at the sound of her voice again, and the light grew brighter and brighter until he couldn't stand to look into it anymore. He shielded his eyes and braced himself as the brightness exploded with the force of a bomb, bathing both of them in warm, bright light. He heard an agonized scream that he assumed was Yami's as every single spot of darkness was illuminated by heavenly light.

And then, everything went black as both of them faded into unconsciousness.

~ Epilogue ~

All was peaceful as Waka walked slowly through Kamiki Village, Issun perched on his shoulder. It was a beautiful day; the sun shone brightly in the cloudless sky, and the village was humming quietly with activity as villagers chatted and children played.

"Do you think she's up there?" Issun asked suddenly as he looked up into the sky.

Waka shielded his eyes to look up into the bright, warm sun. A small smile came to his face and he felt a warm, comfortable feeling in his chest.

"Oui, I think so," He said softly as he blinked against the bright rays.

"We'll find her someday, right?"

The Prophet nodded and smiled once again, his free hand coming up to rest over his heart.

"Yes, I know she's up there now, watching over her Nippon," He replied. "But in all honesty, I don't think our journey is over yet."

"Of course not!" Issun said energetically. "An Envoy never rests! You should know that, lover boy."

Waka chuckled and sat down on a particularly warm patch of grass by the water, and Issun bounced down to sit by him.

"There will always be hope," He said, mostly to himself. "As long as the sun always shines."

We'll see each other again someday…Amaterasu.

Author's Note: Well everyone, that's it! For everyone freaking out about Ammy, don't worry, there will be a sequel featuring Chibi, so don't worry about it. All will be well, I promise! Anyway, I've had fun writing this fic and hope everyone has enjoyed it! Don't forget to write a review and tell me what you think of the ending. I'll have the next installment up soon! ^-^/

~ With love, Haachi ~