Scattered Light (Ami Yuuka)

"We're nearing the village," Water pointed up ahead to smoke on the horizon without answering.

The scene was bad. Worse than Ami had imagined. The stone houses, still smoldering from the carnage, barely concealed what was left of the town's population.



"Haven't you had enough?!," a lone dwarf stepped out from behind what was left of a smith's forge, clearly ready to fight if it came to it.

Ami touched down lightly with her hands in the air. "We're not here for a fight. I'm here to apologize for my brothers actions. Our mother just died and...he doesn't deal well with agony. I'm here to offer my assistance."

"Brother?," the dwarf took a step back in shock, "Just how many of you devils are there?"



"The dwarf appears to still be in shock," Water estimated cooly.

Ami stopped and looked at the man with pain in her eyes at the word 'devils' "They're six of us." She whispered the pain still evident in her eyes. "I'm here to heal your wounded and rebuild you're buildings." Amis body looked just as pained as her eyes.

"Six...," he was clearly terrified at this knowledge, but as he locked eyes with the girl, his own softened a bit in understanding, "There's one in every family. My name is Mardin and we'll need all the help we can get."

Ami's pale white skin glimmered in the full moon. Her violet eyes melted. "Pleasure to meet you Mardin. I assure you, none of us are as hot headed as Fire, I'm Ami Yuuka, and this is Water." Ami gestured to Water. "Where can we be of assistance?"

Disasters happen in the blink of an eye, but rebuilding always takes time, and so it was not an overnight project. However, as the weeks passed, soon the others were involved, with exception to Fire who Ice would not allow to leave the cavern and Ice himself who was tasked with guarding him.

In less than a month, the village itself had been restored, and though the loss of life had taken its toll on the villagers, the Dol family had made their share of friends among the humble folk of Kurkeil.



"Good morning!," Wind beamed cheerfully to Shadow as she rolled a barrel of ale like a log beneath her toward the tavern one sunrise.

"Mornin' Wind!" Ami smiled and waved. The people of the town had yet to ask why, when she introduced herself as Ami Yuuka, her family called her Shadow. "Watcha up to?"

"Mardin's hosting a dinner tonight and we're the guests!," Wind chirped excitedly, "There's so much to get ready!"

"Really?!" Ami jogged up next to Wind and kept pace. "Anything I can do to help? Whats Earth up to?"

"He's been guarding the old graveyard," Wind answered as she struggled to keep her balance while rolling the barrel down a hill, "He seems convinced that something's going to attack it. I've tried telling him that's silly but he won't hear it."

Ami giggled. "I'll go talk to him. Make sure he's taking it easy." She grinned and turned on her heels heading towards to graveyard with a wave.

The graveyard had also been repaired, and Earth was taking remarkably good care of the grounds, having planted several saplings around the gates and nourished the plants within back to health.



"Ami, you're well?," he looked up from his shovel in his usual disjointed speech pattern from where he had been working the land when she arrived.

"Yeah I'm good. How are you? You taking it easy?" Ami said with a smile as she took the shovel from his hands.

"The trees are at peace," he smiled softly as he looked over some of the saplings, notably more clear-headed and even profound as he discussed his work, "It made Mother happy."

"What made mother happy Earth?" Ami asked curiously.

Taking Ami's hand, Earth approached one of the new saplings, tilting one of the leaves to spill a single drop of dew into her open palm.

As it splashed over her ivory hand, the sunlight caused the moisture to glitter gorgeously across her palm.

"Like when she smiled," he whispered.

"Yeah, it is like when she smiled." Ami smiled softly. "It really is." She whispered.

"Shadow," she heard Ice calling on the communicator band just then, "Something is approaching from the northeast. Multiple lifesigns at an elevation of one-hundred-thirty miles above sea level. Not particularly hostile, but one appears to possess incredible strength. You'd better check it out."

"Alrighty then, I'll check it out." Ami said with a smile. "I'll see you later kay Earth?" She waved and took off into the air.

"Safety first," Earth smiled and waved, his bizarre approximation of a farewell greeting.

Ami had already soared across the treacherous Onaklov Mountain range within the hour, but the presence Ice had detected was nowhere in sight. Just as she got to thinking he might have made a mistake, a familiar sight came into view across the sea, rising over the horizon as surely as the sun.

A wide grin spread across Ami's face as the ship came into the view. "Hellooooo Zeaken."

Peering across the waves from where he stood on deck, Zeaken crossed his arms, "Alright, the phenomena was sighted near this shore, so we should be seeing something soon."

"Oh yeah bro? For real?! I would love a good fight! When are we gonna doooo somethinggggg?" Danehl whined as she bounced around.

"If my guess is right, we should be seeing some action soon," Zeaken stared toward the mountainside.

About that time, in the sky above, something like lightning began to crackle in the otherwise clear sky, the atmosphere itself turning dark and threatening, but there was not a cloud in sight.

Then, without warning, a palm tree began appearing out of thin air right where Ami was standing, surrounded by a large quantity of sand.