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"Wh-wha-wha-wha-?!" Luci stuttered, unsure, and was blushing profusely, before she fainted from too much blood in her head.

Meanwhile, the others were already chowing down in the kitchen.

Meanwhile, as Sei entered the kitchen, Saruka had already finished and was getting up, she nodded to Sei, and walked outside.

Sei looked at her nervously, he had been with her for so long, yet now it seemed he couldn't read her, and not only that, he was so nervous near her. He was worried, was she avoiding him? He nodded back, a question in his eyes that was ignored as he sat down.

Outside, Saruka took a ahort walk through the woods, and stopped, hearing something ((Note: this next chara is just a small part chara, a messenger or something, but not a permanent chara... probably)), she turned, walking towards the sound. THe closer she got the more it sounded like a child, crying, until she reached a little clearing and saw a -perhaps 5 or so year old- gorl child, crying, most likely lost.

"W-wah~!!" she cried, "Mommy~ Daddy~! WHere are you?" she sibbed, "WHy did you leave me?" she asked.

Saruka felt pity, and a twinge of something else, an emotion she hadn't felt for quite along time, not since her father had left, not long after her own mother had died of a sickness. SHe had always been stoic, even then, though it had been the only time she'd cried that she could ever remember, she had loved her mother, and she was sure her father had too, or he wouldn;t have left in a such a daze, as if completely lost. He had no reason to live after her, not since he'd made Se promise to care for them in his stead. Sei, she though, with a twinge of sadness, he too had had a sad past, he had lost his parents since before he could remember, she knew he had been ounger, and had been much like her, until he'd become friends with her father, becoming more open as he became hlike a father figure to him.

"..." she shook her head, why would these memories return now of all times? Was it a warning? EIther way, she decided she'd take the child back to the house, "...do you need help?" she asked...

Saruka turned, "..." a silent inquiry, and apology, to Asta, as she led the child to Asta's home, "...I..." she hesitated, "I'm... known as Saruka... You, may call me... 'Ru-nee," she said, going into her native language, when she heard the child speak it.

The child smiled, "Mn" she nodded, accepting it, "I'm Nei," she said, "I lost my mommy and daddy, and now I can't find them," she said sadaly, following Saruka, "Can you help me?"

"AH, then, could you tell me their names?" she asked.

"Mn..." she seemed to hesitate for a moment, as she looked down, her dark hair flashing for a moment as they passed through sunlight, she nearlky stopped, the child's hair was the same as her own, she realized, shivering, it had only seemed dark in the shadows, "They're... Saleth... and... Lina..." she said, and Saruka nearly stopped, shivering for real this time. THose were the names of her own parents! SHe stopped, realizin that this could be a sign.

"Oh, really," she said, outwardly nonchalant, "Odd, my parents had the same names," she said, continuing on to Asta's how, 'How truly odd...' she thought...

* * *

Luci sputtered, "H-wah?" she said, getting up immediately, confused, before she remembered, turning broght red, "Oh, uh, right," she said, stammering as she made her way out of the room, towards the bathroom, then the kitchen

Saruka entered the house, bringing the girl-child, "I'm back," she said, as the door swung closed, "...and I brought a guest," she said.

"Uhn, Hello," said the child, as they entered the kitchen, "I'm... N-n," she stuttered, turning shy among the other people, she hid herself behind Saruka.

"Nei, this is Asta," she waved to each person in turn, "Lucifina, Hikari, and Sei," she said.

"You can call her Luci,' she said kindly to the girl, gesturing at Lucifina, "Hello, Nei." she smiled

"Hiya," he said, smiling at the child, "I'm Sei, as you know,"

Luci had sputtered, meanwhile, when hikari had said her bit, "You have no right to say that Hikari!" she said, turning red with annoyance-anger. "But you can call me Luci anyways," she grumbled to the child.

None of them said a thing about how she looked, and no one asked why she was here, they knew better than to do that, so they just listened quietly as Saruka explained the child's circumstances, and they took turns giving the child food, or holding her in their laps.

Saruka Blinked, "...I see," she said, furrowing her brows, "Sei," she said, as he stood up immediately, "Yes?" "Get that for me, will you?" she asked.

SHe then asked, "Can you really not see this child?" she asked Asta, if her suspiscion was true... then... either it was their god's messenger, or it was a trick.

"G-Got it!" huffed Sei, nearly out of breaht with he got back, "Here," he said, handing Saruka a small sphere, it looked like pearl, and cast a shine like a pearl, but it was lilac and pale grey in color

"Thank you," she murmured, then, holding the pearl up within range of her eyes, but far enough to see, she murmured something, which made her eyes glow the color, after the pearls shine disappeared, and the pearl with it, her eyes widened, and she kneeled, "My Lady," she murmured, at that the others pushed back their chairs, hastily kneeling, "My Lady," they said in unison, except for Sei, and obviously Asta did not know what was going on.

The child beameda radiant smile, then shone a steadily brighter light, until a white figure stood there, "Rise my children," a motherly goddess voice came from the figure, and a perffect, pale white hand offered it self to Saruka, she accepted it, though was careful not to use too much pressure, "Thank you, My Lady," she murmured, not too loud, not too soft. It was almost impossible to see the figure, but they could tell she was smiling, "My children, you have gone through much..." she said sadly, "And yet there is much more that you will go through... I grieve for your sadness and loss, whether it be past, present, or future... (sigh) But I fear, that We can no longer hold the 'Dark One'. He is growing stronger in power, rapidly, steadily, as We lose ours... (a hand reached down to push away a stray hair on her face) I fear that the End of Gods may be coming, but... there may be a way... Though I would under no circumstance wish you to do so... The siti=uation has become dire. And I fear that We will all perish under the Hand of the Dark One... For should he win this battle... Life as is known, shall Perish. And even the Misguided Dark One, whom We were unable to persuade, will perish with all... I fear for you... But I will do the best one can to help you, and so, I leave you with this, (pulls out a pearl similiar to Saruka's only pure white, and shining even without need of light, it seemed to pull the darkness in, removing much of it. Lets it roll off fingers, and it drifts to Saruka, who carefully catches it) You will know what is needed....Hurry... Time, is running out...." the voice faded, as did the light, making ti several seconds before any of the three could see again, but even Sei had been affected by the light.

"Oh, oh-!" Hikari looked striken and sad, "How could this happen!" she had tears running down her face, "OH- how?" she sobbed.

Even Lucifina looked remorseful, awkwardly rubbing her arm, then scowled at Hikari, "How are we supposed to know?" she snapped, "Stop your whimpering, it isn't doing any good!" she glared at Hikari, though there was also something in her eyes, she sniffed, blinked in surprise, then furiously rubbed her eyes, and scowled at her sister, "So? What's up?"

Saruka turned, still holding the sphere, her eyes were slightly wide, but she was otherwise fine, her hand still tingled where the goddess had touched her, and she rubbed it absently against her leggings, her other hand playing wiht the pearl, which still shone slightly, but only wehough to know it was not mortal-made.

"Y-you're right!" she sniffed, "We have to be strong!"

Luci nodded, "Of course,"

Saruka shook her head, "No, but... She said that we would know when the time came," she said, and pocketed the jewel in a satchel that appeared around her neck, she frowned, "I'm worried," she said, giving voice to her anxiety, which was rare, so they all knew something was wrong.

Sei frowned, and looked between all of them, "It looked like it was absorbing the darkness and turning it to Light," he said.

Saruka nodded, "It is a possibility," she said simply, and said no more.

Sei looked up. surprised, "Oh, yes, of course," he smiled, and took her hand. He hadn't really noticed that she hadn't trusted him, but he was glad she now did.