No Prayer For Peace (Ami Yuuka)

Ami sank into a sitting position and turned her face to the sky her ivory skin shining in the light as she closed her eyes. "Its beautiful..." She whispered.

As she took in the warmth of the light all around her, Ami swore she felt a familiar presence. It was radiant, nurturing... motherly.



It was gone in a flash, but she was sure of it. As clearly as the last time she had been held, Ami felt her mother's spirit.

"Mom!" Ami cried her eyes flying open her hand clutching at the empty air in front of her. "Mom..." She whispered.

"The spirits of all living things warm us in the light of the sun," the priest smiled softly as he placed his soft, but strong hand on her shoulder, "She's with you every sunrise."

A single tear rolled down Amis cheek. "Thank you...thank you so much....you have no idea...how much that meant to me." She whispered looking up at the young priests face.

As his hand gripped a bit tighter in emotion, Jordan closed his eyes, "I, too, come here to reunite with my mother."

Ami looked at the pain in his eyes and and blinked away fresh tears. She took his hand and squeezed it lightly. "Thank you for sharing this with me...Jordan..." She whispered.

"In times like these, it does not pay to burden oneself," Light gently massaged her shoulder with his hand as they spoke, "We should simply enjoy the last, calm moments before the storm."

Ami sighed and smiled up at him. "I'm so glad we got to spend some time together before we have to go out and fight. Even if it is just a little bit of time."

As if on cue, a dragon easily as tall as the trees around reared up from below them with a mighty roar, its red eyes glaring hungry daggers their way.

"Back off, Dragzilla!," a more familiar voice rang out as a well-muscled youth in red and blue jumped in to sock the dragon between the eyes, knock it out could, and crouch inches from its snout.



"Shouldn't eat and run," he grinned confidently, "It's bad for ya."

"Well damn, our little bit of time is up." Ami mumbled. "What the hell?! Were you standing back there the entire time?!" She growled in Knuckled direction. "It's rude to spy you know." Ami glared at Knuckled back.

"I wasn't spyin'," Knuckles blinked as he looked back from atop the unconscious dragon's belly.



"He was invited," Brother Light nodded, "I knew we would need some help this time around, so I sent for our greatest heroes. How is your darling wife anyway Mason?"

"We're not married yet!," Knuckles flushed as he laughed it off, "But she's active as ever."

"I know he was invited but he just appeared..." Ami started to mumble. "Married?!" She asked a startled look on her face. "Really? Congratulations Knuckles." Ami grinned as she remained seated on the ground under Jordans hand.

"Will the others be joining us?," Light tactfully changed the subject.



"The cat's still asleep and Kaylea was off at the market when I got the news," Knuckles admitted, "They prolly think I'm still off training for the tournament."

"Yes, I had heard about that," the priest nodded grimly, "I understand that a top-level warrior of the Omerta is the returning champion."

"Yeah, I know," Knuckles stared down at his quivering fist, his demeanor instantly going from jovial to focused, "That's why I gotta win."

Ami grinned. "So focused, if you had been this focused when I showed up. Maybe we would have gotten to fight." She leaned her cheek against Lights hand. "But I'm not under my father anymore. So fighting you is very low on my priority list now."

"Uh, yeah, well, I was passin' by when I heard ya," Knuckles blew it off, "But it sounded pretty heavy. Got a message for me to take back?"



"A new evil threatens to make itself known very soon," Brother Light looked him in the eyes, his own deathly serious.

The two men had only stared each other down for a moment when Knuckles nodded, "I see. Sounds like settling an old score's gonna be the least of my problems soon. Well then..."

With a wave of his hand, the brawler took off to deliver the message.

Ami sighed. "The world needs to stop finding itself in peril."

"If the sea was at peace, there'd be no tide," the clergyman smiled in thought as he sat down, wrapping an arm around her so they could watch the sunset together, "A green-skinned philosopher told me that once."

Ami leaned against his shoulder. "Speaking of green-skinned philosophers, have you spoken to Tal?"

"I received a letter from him last month," Jordan smiled in thought, "Tal reports that the Wetreeds are rebuilding and have nearly repopulated after the disaster in Marrowbrook, Burk is the leader of the Tribal Guard, and he and Cellus have given birth to a baby girl."

"I should congratulate her..." Ami mumbled. "Thats good...its very good. I'm glad they're all ok." She smiled. "I'm not surprised you keep in touch with everybody."

"Naturally," Light raised his brows with a light smile, "But I wouldn't have it any other way. Tell me, how are things at home?"

"When mother died, Fire went on a rampage, destroyed a town. We've been rebuilding the town with the townsfolk. I've been...the mother of my siblings since that time...Ice has been the baby sitter of Fire, who wasn't allowed to help with the rebuilding, Earth, who was damaged when Fire and Water came to retrieve me, has been slowly recovering with the aid of Wind." Ami sighed. "Life was easy until Zeaken came back."

"Captain Pyrek appears to be more the herald than the cause," Light corrected, "Being a Khamele Sentinel, it is his harsh destiny to be at the forefront of the greatest battles in the universe, standing to protect us all, but I fear that even he will pale before this newest threat."

"Yeah, I know. I just wish he had waited just a little longer to come and find me...I just wish life could have been easy for just a little bit longer..." Tears started to stream down her face again.