Ai and Natsuki were roasting marshmallows around a campfire. "So." Natsuki began. "These friends of yours. What are they like? The Shark Bakemono wondered.


    "Well first there''s a girl Sato''s age. A Strength Bakemono." Ai explains. "She''s really spunky and has a short temper."


    Natsuki nods, "I see go on."


    "She also likes to tease Sato." Ai continues. "And then there''s this Fire-Bat Bakemono, who''s about seventeen now. At first he was a real big jerk and Sato and him didn''t get along. But now, he''s kind of nice. But he always takes everything so seriously."


    "Interesting." Natsuki says as he bites hi snow roasted marshmallow. "So how long have ya ''all been searching for them?"


    "About six months now." Ai answers."


    Sato walls out of a cabin holding an ice pack to his head. "Hey guys."


    "Good evening Sato. Feeling better?" Natsuki asks.


    Sato nods, "A little."


    "Good. Come join us for some marshmallows." Natsuki offers.


    Sato walks over to them and sits down. "So, what were you guys talking about?" Sato asks as he begins roasting a marshmallow.


    "I was telling Natsuki about Sakura and Arashi." Ai tells him.


    Natsuki speaks "Yep, ya sound like ya got some pretty cool friends."


    Sato laughs, "Well, I don''t know if I''d call them cool. They''re both major hot heads in their own way." He lowers his head. "I still miss them though."


    Ai nodded slowly. "Yeah, me too."


    Natsuki stood up. "Okay then, let''s get goin''."


    Sato stared at the Shark Bakemono puzzled. "Huh?"


    "Why so confused? You do still wanna go to Namakuzi Kingdom, don''t ya?"


    "Well, yeah but..." Sato speaks.


    "No buts." Natsuki interrupts him. "You need to get there a.s.a.p. But I don''t trust two teenagers out on their own at night. So I''ll be tagging along."


    Sato sighs, "Gee thanks."


    Once the three make it to the Kingdom, they realize a festival is going on. Many Bakemono re chatting or dancing. "What''s this?" Sato wonders?"


    "It''s the annual Namakuzi Winter Festival." Natsuki explains. "You two are searching for the man named Kaoru who took over this Kingdom, right?"


    Ai nods, "Yeah. Do you know where he is?"


    "Probably somewhere around here in the Festival." Natsuki answers looking around for Kaoru.


    "Okay, let''s split up." Sato suggests. "I''ll go to the left. Ai, you and Natsuki go to the right."


    "You got it, Sato!" Ai says as she runs off with Natsuki.


    Sato runs in the opposite direction, passing through crows of strangers conversing. A Wolf Bakemono is up on a stage clapping. "And that was Tsubaki, Music Bakemono! Anyone else wanna show off their mad kills up here."The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    Sato ran through the stage but was stopped in the center by the Wolf Bakemono. "Hey kid, how about you? Come on don''t be shy."


    Sato shook his head, "No thanks, I''m busy. And I can''t dance."


    "Wait a minute." The Wolf Bakemono takes a closer look. "You''re Sato of the Heroic Four. Come on, just one little dance number against Tsubaki."


    Everyone watching cheered, "Sa-to! Sa-to! Sa-to!"


    Sato sighs, "Fine, if it''s the only way, I''ll get passed here."


    "I''ll go first." A blue haired woman with pink horns and a tail to match pushes Sato aside. As the radio plays she begins swaying her hips perfectly in sync with the music.


    "Everybody in the audience cheers Tsubaki! Tsubaki! Tsubaki!"


    Tsubaki begins popping and locking her arms. She spins around while still staying in sync with the music. When the song ends she backflips off the stage. "Beat that, hero boy." The Music Bakemono taunts him.


    "Fine." Sato begins flexing his knees and swaying completely out of sync with the music. He hops from side to side.


    The audience sweat drops as the purple haired teen continues to dance. "Get off the stage!" One of them yells. "You suck!"


    A tomato splats onto Sato''s face. "Who threw that?!"


    Tsubaki walks over to Sato and wipes off his face with a napkin. "Looks like I win kid."


    Sato smiles, "Yeah, congrats. Gotta go!" Sato runs off away from the stage.


    "And the winner of the Dance competition is none other than our very own leader Queen Tsubaki!" The Wolf Bakemono declares.


    Meanwhile Ai and Natsuki came to the bottom of a volcano. Standing on the top was a man with dark spiky black hair. "That''s Kaoru!" Ai notes.


    "Okay. Let''s climb that volcano." Natsuki proposes.


    "No need." Kaoru says as leaps down form the volcano. The dark haired man looks around disappointed. "I thought Sato would be here. Oh well. I guess if I make you two scream loud enough he should come."


    "Ai! Be on ya guard!" Natsuki warns.


    Ai nods, "Right." She takes two of her golden keys out of her bag. "I open my contracts with the Spirit of Water and the Spirit of Earth." Water and Earth began to surround Ai.


    Kaoru grins a she turns his own key. "I open my contract with the Spirit of Fire!" A veil of Fire envelops around Kaoru.


    Ai launces a volley of water blades at Kaoru. He quickly defends by sending up swift streak of fire.


    Natsuki rushes in as he elbows Kaoru, catching him off guard. AI them strikes the dark haired man with a large boulder.


    "Damn it." Karou spits out some blood. "You fools are gonna pay now." A wave of fire surges over Ai and Natsuki.


    Ai counters it by sending out a wave of water. The two waves clash, causing steam to escape from the center of the collision.


    Karou charges in at Ai with his hands and legs covered in flames. He sings his leg, planning to trike Ai''s neck. But the Magic Bakemono defends herself with a green shield.


    Ai''s body becomes covered in water armor as he sweeps her foot under Kaoru''s knocking him off balance. She then follows up with a watery roundhouse kick, slamming Kaoru in the side of the volcano.


    Sato stops as he comes to a dead end. "He''s not here. Which means. Hang on Ai, Natsuki. I''m coming.


    Abruptly Sato is atop the mountain again. The pair of golden eyes flashes before him. "This is our fate. Where light and darkness shall battle to the death! You cannot escape this destiny, Sato!"


    The mountain began to crumble as Sato falls off, falling into the dark pit of the sky. He blinks his eyes open, now sweating and out of breath. "Again? What does that vision mean?" Sato shakes his head. "Now time to think about it now. He takes his key out of his pocket and turns it. "I open my contract with the Spirit of the Wind!" A veil of Wind begins to frame Sato as he glides up into the sky.


    Once Sato makes it to the other side of the Kingdom he lands in front of Kaoru. Karou grins, "Sato. How kind of you to join us."


    "Save it." Sato scowls. "Where are my friends?"


    Karou makes a tisk tisk sound. "I told you last time. You''ll have to defeat all my clones first. Come on there''s only two more if you manage to defeat me."


    A blade of Wind forms in Sato''s hand. "Ai, Natsuki. Let''s do this together."


    The other two nods their heads, "Right!"


    Natsuki comes up from behind wrapping Kaoru in a head lock.


    Ai shoots out pulses of water from her palms.


    Sato runs towards Kaoru, his Wind Sword ready. He stabs straight though Kaoru''s chest with the blade. Sato pulls the key out of Kaoru''s hand. "I''ll be taking this."


    Natsuki releases the headlock as the clone begins to vanish. "So then, ya ''all are lookin'' for the Seven Sacred Keys also, huh?"


    Ai nods, "Yeah. I didn''t tell you before, cause it''s better to keep it a secret."


    "I understand." Natsuki states holding his chin. "But if ya wanna know the closet place with another Sacred Key. It''s in Grilama Kingdom of Valville Country."


    "Valville Country?" Sato questions.


    "Yeah. It''s famous for its mountain. Mount Death." Natsuki explains. "But don''t let the name scare ya. It only got the name cause it''s so high people say you''ll die before you even get to the top." He points to mountain stretching out into the night sky.


    "That looks like the mountain in my vision." Sato thinks to himself. "Thanks for your help." Sato waves as he and Ai walk off. "Goodbye!"


    "Goodbye, ya ''all." Natsuki waves. "Take care now, ya hear!"


    Sato looks tensely at the mountain in the distance. "Mount Death here I come."