The Last Kitsune (Volume 2 in the Piety vs. Malevolence series)

Prologue: Desolation Does Not Come Without Despair

A/N: The Last Kitsune is a sequel to the Lost Answer, but you do not have to read the Lost Answer. In the final chapters of the Lost Answer, Tails achieves his goal, but not without the price of being trapped in the realm of the souls. Sonic's soul was tainted by the Soul Diamond, and Knuckles managed to destroy it, but not after the evil inside him forced him to kill Cream. Zoran, managed to save Cream by using her magic so she could cling to life, but by doing so, he fell to the same state, barely alive.

Though the two characters that are paired here are Mr. Orange and Mrs. Green (Not a very good joke, I'm afraid), the story will not focus on either much in the early chapters, rather it focuses more so on Sonic at first, and the reason will be unfolded as you keep reading. There are several other pairings, but I warn the reader now, one pairing will die.

Thus we begin with Tails, still trapped in the heavenly soul realm.

Tails looked at the Soul Keeper, his beaming, solemn smile unable to do nothing to his mood. He didn't belong here, he shouldn't be here, but something went wrong. Something went terribly wrong. Though his soul felt happy, enriched by the aura of the place, his heart felt miserable. Had he been dead, he would be happy. But he was alive, and misery is the worst thing the living can feel.

The Soul Keeper looked down at him, very thoughtful. "You realize you are eternally stuck here until someone frees you."

Tails nodded. "But the Soul Diamond is the only way, is it not?" Tails asked him. "You said the Diamond was either destroyed or removed from its pedestal."

"I believe it was destroyed. I feel odd, and I think the Diamond has something to do with it."

Tails felt saddened by this way. "Is there not another way?"

The Soul-Keeper thought for a long time. "You are still alive, you can age here, but you cannot die here. There is one way, more dangerous than any other. You may die and come back here. Wouldn't that be a pleasant consequence?" His light joke did little to appease Tails mood.

Tails tried to smile, but he could not help to be afraid. "What way is this?"

The Soul-Keeper smiled. "If you were paying attention, you would have seen that this place is above the clouds. If you look at that window," He pointed to the window to the side of him. "You'll see that if you jumped out of it, you'd fall for a very long time, but very fast. You'd have a 5 survival at your current condition. The question is, if you can raise that chance, and are you bold enough."

Tails thought for a moment. "I'm bold enough."

The Soul-Keeper beamed at him. "Excellent. Now, I'd advise you to practice with those Tails, and get as much rest as possible. It should raise your chances a bit. But are you sure that you'd risk death?"

Tails nodded, his voice filled with despair. "I am already dead if I do nothing."

A mysterious figured looked beyond. Within his cloak, and his hooded face, he looked suspicious. When he removed his hood, he looked terribly evil. Horns like those of a bull grew on his head, and terrible red, gargoyle like wings grew on his back. This terrible figure was called the Dread Lord. Nothing else. He had long destroyed his old name. Evil was now his occupation. He was a humanoid wolf, but that hardly matters. It is the inside of his soul that was despicable, not his species.

He turned to his henchman, who would do nothing but please his master. "The Soul Diamond has been destroyed. I can feel its power vanishing from the land." He raised his hand into the air, examining it with his, green, slit eyes.

"Yet its taint has spread into a certain individual. Follow its source, and then tell me who it has decided to store itself. Then I shall speak to them." His henchman obeyed and left the room. He'd be back in about three days. The Dread Lord wasn't stupid. He was very wise, and very persuasive… and worse of all, very powerful…

A/N: Chapter 1 will be up soon! Please Review, and stay tuned!