A/N: So this Arc has had the most changes overall compared to the other two. This is the last time that I will be doing a major update to this arc I promise. If you are rereading this you will see a major change here in the beginning, one that changes a lot of events later on in the arc. Also like the previous two arcs I have removed as many of the BLEACH references as possible. As a reminder: 'Forbidden' are now 'Ochita' (Fallen), 'Hollows' are now 'Hoshoku-sha' (Predator),'Zanpakutō' are now 'Tamashiken' (Spirit Sword). There are a couple more changes but I'll bring them up when it's relevant.

As an additional reminder, this arc is intended to show the changes in Sonic's life and build the new world he's a part of. Rather than having a central plot it is split into multiple stories that introduce new characters and places or show the changes to existing places in the Sonic Universe. While it might feel like it's moving slow I encourage you to keep reading and have an open mind. Enjoy and thanks for your patience!

Copyright notice: All original Sonic the Hedgehog characters are property of SEGA and based upon the Saturday AM cartoon. Other characters may come from the video games or the Archie comic books. The AI SWATbots are the original creation of Robert Brown and Francis Tolbert and are used with their permission. All concepts from the manga BLEACH are copyright Tite Kubo. All concepts from Rurouni Kenshin are copyright Nobuhiro Watsuki. All original characters are of my creation and require written permission before use. These fanfics may not be reposted without my permission.

It had only been a few days since Kinos' defeat and the village of Knothole was still reeling at the events surrounding Sonic's death. The villagers that had questioned his intentions were thoroughly put in their place while but at the same time proven right in their distrust. The former Freedom Fighters were the hardest hit as Sonic had not only been their friend and comrade he was also like family to them. Sally, Amy and Alura were all inconsolable while Tails, Eric and Dr. Osaka tried their best to bury the pain. The others coped in their own ways as they prepared for Sonic's funeral. It had been a unanimous vote to give Sonic a general's service and the villagers had gone about collecting the materials to build a funeral pyre. Now that everything was set they only had to accept the fact that Sonic wouldn't be coming back.

In his hut Dr. Osaka prepared Sonic's body, most of which consisted of dressing him in his favorite clothes since they had no official uniform. He had already applied the embalming fluids and perfumes so that Sonic wouldn't decay. "It's days like this that I hate my job," the lynx said with a sigh. "Why did you have to do this, Sonic? There had to be another way."

[You know better than that, Adrian.] Dr. Osaka's fur bristled at the dark voice. [You've known from the first time you set your hands on that boy that this is how his life would end.]

"I don't believe in fate," Dr. Osaka said. "Even if it did exist, the fact that Guardians and Dragoons exist defies what it means to have a set ending." Xiaxos laughed, a dark rumble that filled the hut.

[There is only one destination in life and that is death,] the dragon said. [No one can deny that fate, no matter what title they might bear.] Slowly the environment changed, leaving Dr. Osaka in a chamber filled with bones. Xiaxos sat down on a throne made of skeletons and rested lazily on it. "Just end this charade, Adrian," the dragon tempted him. "You cannot hope to defeat me, even if the other Dragoons join forces with you."

"I told you that I will never allow the rest of your seals to be broken," Dr. Osaka replied, ignoring the sting of truth in the beast's words. "I don't care what you've seen I will not let my mistake doom this planet." Xiaxos sighed before lying across the armrests.

"Fine, if you insist on believing that drivel," he said, waving lazily. "Go then, play doctor and watch your friends die. Because the longer you believe the lie the more of them I will take." The throne room faded, leaving Dr. Osaka staring at Sonic's body.

"Damn you, Xiaxos," he said as he dropped to his knees. "Why did I ever pledge myself to you?"

In Sally's hut she laid on the bed that she and Sonic had once shared. For the first time in her life Sally felt truly alone. Sonic had told them that he was still on their side and then he had brought Kinos into their home. Just when their spirits were broken he turned around and betrayed Kinos and ended up defeating him only to die in her arms. She hugged the pillow tighter, tears flowing freely from her eyes. She had thought back on all the things he had said and done now knowing that the whole time he was working with Kinos. What had been truth and what had been a lie? Had the two of them been a lie?

She looked over on the nightstand at the letter he had left with Geoffrey. She had decked him when he had given her the letter and she had yet to apologize. She knew after speaking with Geoffrey that the skunk had found out about Sonic working with Kinos. The skunk had then been sworn to secrecy but the fact that Sonic had trusted a complete stranger cut right to the bone. She sat up and picked it up and debated reading it. This had been her ritual for the last day and a half. She had yet to read it and she wasn't sure she wanted to. There was only one page, nowhere near enough for Sonic to explain everything.

"Damn it, Sonic," she said, her voice hoarse from crying. "Why did you leave us like this?" She balled her hand, crumpling the letter before tossing it into the corner. She was about to bury her head in the pillow again but she stopped herself. "Get a hold of yourself, Sally," she admonished herself. "This is not how a princess of the Acorn House behaves." She took several deep breaths trying to calm down but to no avail. She was fairly sure that anyone in her position would be doing the same thing she was already doing.

She threw on her vest and boots and stormed out of the hut, taking off at full speed past all of the other villagers. As she ran through the Great Forest she could understand why this had been relaxing for Sonic. Focusing on not running into trees made you clear your mind so you could focus and right now she needed to clear her mind. After almost an hour of running aimlessly she found herself on the cliff they had watched Sonic and Kinos fight from. Whatever Sonic had done had allowed the plants to begin growing again at a rapid rate. Already grass was filling the space where the city had been and a few flowers had even popped up. And yet seeing all of that reminded her even more of Sonic since he had given up his life to give them their home back. Sally ran down the cliff face and into the meadow, collapsing in tears on a bed of flowers.

Sonic stared at the ground, unsure of what was happening. He pushed himself up above the mist covering the ground and looked around. All he could see was mist and more mist against a midnight blue sky. He started walking in a random direction unsure of where he should go. He had been walking for some time before he stopped and looked around again.

"Lost?" Sonic spun around to face a man in a brown business suit with a matching bowler hat. He tapped his cane on the ground twice and two massive gates shot up from the ground, one pitch black with sharp projections and chains hanging from it and the other pearl white with gold trim, its smooth exterior pleasing to the eye. "I wouldn't worry about getting lost in this place. After all, that's what Limbo is for."

"Limbo?" Sonic asked, still staring at the gates. "What on Mobius is Limbo?"

"It doesn't surprise me that you don't know about this place. Limbo is where souls come before being judged and sent to the afterlife," the man said. In that moment four figures appeared in front of Sonic. There were two male hedgehogs and two female ground squirrels, one pair middle-aged and the other young. They seemed scared at first until the white gate began to glow and they walked through the doors.

"W-w-w-w-what the hell was THAT?!" Sonic asked as he fell back, scooting back from them.

"Oh my, that's a bit much on your first time here," the man admitted adjusting his hat. "You've just witnessed a family passing on. One of you, actually. In another time, another world you had a family before being eradicated by Dr. Robotnik."

"But he's dead!" Sonic said, trying to wrap his head around everything.

"Your Robotnik is, but not theirs," the man explained. "It's not worth confusing yourself over. I've been told that someone is coming to get you."

"Wait a sec, this is the afterlife?" Sonic asked, completely ignoring what the man had said. "That I'm going to be 'judged' so I can pass on?" The man sighed and shook his head.

"Some people just don't get it," he muttered. "Yes, you're dead. But you're not being judged or passing on. As I said, someone is coming to get you."

"Coming to...What does that mean? Besides the obvious," Sonic said before the man could say anything.

"There are others like you," the man explained. "You will not pass on. Rather there should be, and there usually is, someone here to greet you. Ah, speak of the devil." Sonic turned and saw a green hedgehog with blue eyes walking up. He was well-built, much more so than Sonic, and his five rows of hair quills were long enough to reach his waist. He carried a large sword on his back made up of three interlocked rings. Sonic had never seen a weapon like it nor had he seen anyone like this hedgehog. "Hmm, you're not the one I was expecting. So he's one of you then?"

"Yes he is," he said, his voice eerily familiar. "Was there anything you needed from us?" The man in the brown suit, Balthasar, waved them away silently. "Well then, Sonic, we should go meet the others." He turned to walk away, Sonic quickly following.

"Wait a sec, how do you know my name?" Sonic asked. "And who's this Balthasar guy anyway?" He turned around and saw that Balthasar and the gates were gone. "And what is up with this place?"

"I'd say 'You'll get used to it' but you won't be here long enough for that to happen," the hedgehog said with a laugh. "Limbo is constant yet ever-changing."

"Constant yet ever...What the hell are you talking about?" Sonic asked starting to become slightly annoyed. "And who are you? You act like you know me but we've never met." The hedgehog stopped, pondering Sonic's comment.

"That's true, at least in the loosest sense of the word," he admitted. "But we've met before, just not as you seem to define it." He continued walking. "You might as well hold your questions until after you meet the others. Then things should become a bit clearer." Sonic was about to ask what others when he found himself in a primitive camp, surrounded by the hedgehog and six other animals. The green hedgehog had vanished but in his place music filled the air. The other animals smiled and seemed to relax until finally taking notice of Sonic.

"Huh, so Syl wasn't kidding," the echidna said. He was about the same height as "Syl" with the same ring birthmark as another echidna he knew. Rather than letting his dreadlocks hang freely he had them tied into two large bundles. "Anata kyōki baka. He wasn't kidding about you. So, how's it feel to be dead, kid?"

"Leave him alone, Terras," a female fox said before Sonic could reply. She had a beautiful orange coat along with a motherly air about her. Her blue eyes struck Sonic as familiar but he couldn't place why. "The poor child probably doesn't understand why he was brought here in the first place." She turned to Sonic, a soft smile on her face. "While this is probably not the best greeting welcome to Limbo, Sonic Hedgehog."

"Who are you people?" he asked finally. "And how do you know who I am? And why is the green guy playing a piano?"

"It helps time pass here," a black lynx commented from his perch atop several crates. He was stretched out as though he'd been napping but still seemed fully awake. "Besides, he's the best musician out of all of us aside from Rosemary's voice."

"I'm not that good, Shada," the fox, Rosemary, said bashfully. "That aside, perhaps we should more properly introduce ourselves."

"I say let the dumbass figure it out on his own," a red-haired mongoose suggested. He was more well-built than the others with several scars across his body with the most prominent being a vertical scar across his left eye that left the pupil a cloudy-red color.

"Will you just pull the stick out of your ass, Vol?" a blue fox said. She was seated near Shada and seemed to be enjoying the music as much as him. "Rosemary's right. I'm Aquira Salnari of the Sōmei clan. It's nice to meet you, Sonic Hedgehog of the In'ei clan."

"Shada Mercalo of the In'ei," the lynx said with a two-fingered wave. "And Aquira, I don't think the clans exist anymore on Mobius."

"So? It's important that he know his heritage," she argued. "He is one of us, isn't he?"

"How dare you call this filthy one-tail 'one of us'!" the mongoose said venomously. "After what his kind did to the Magans?"

"Volcarras Devna!" Rosemary snapped causing the mongoose to flinch.

"Fine, sorry," he muttered. "I'm Volcarras Devna of the Heiwa tribe." He looked around. "Arca must've slipped off while we weren't looking. You wanna look for him, Rosemary? You're the only one out of us that he actually likes anymore." Rosemary glared at Volcarras but nonetheless went off looking for Arca.

"I'm Terras of the Chikara clan, by the way," the echidna said pulling Sonic's reeling mind back. "I trust that my name at least rings a bell."

"Now that you mention it does," Sonic admitted as he tried to remember. "Knux said that you were basically his version of Sylvanix." A realization dawned on him and Volcarras chuckled, seeing the look on Sonic's face. "Wait, you're that Terras? But then that would mean you're a Guardian."

"Dragoon, actually," the green hedgehog said, standing up from the piano. "In fact, there are four Dragoons here. The rest of us are just Guardians." Sonic stared at the hedgehog, the voice finally starting to fall into place.

"You...it can't be..." The hedgehog smiled and gave a small bow.

"Sylvanix Aeras of the Chikara Dynasty, at your service," he said officially. "It's a pleasure to meet you in the flesh at last, Sonic Hedgehog."