Light of the Heart

by Silaya Arctic Prower

Ten years after the defeat of the Metarex, shit is starting to hit the fan. Another Metarex shows up, followed by several strange Mobians claiming to be from another galaxy, as well as the missing SHadow the Hedghog, who had been believed dead. What the hell is going on. T for blood, violence and other things, but no sex.

2. Chapter 1

Silaya "Arctic" Prower proudly presents...

PT. 1 of the Rising Wind Saga...

Light of the Heart

Enjoy!

I don't really like critisism, even the constructive kind, so unless its REALLY important or I ask...

Thanks!

T for excessive foul language, blood, violence, and perverted humor.

A/N: that was a really sad prologue. i almost cried. anyway, sorry if this seems a little rushed, im good at many things, but weddings are not one of them. im sorry guys! it gets better i promise! sorry! anyway, this takes place ten years after cosmo kicked the bucket. maybe thats too long a time gap but as eminem would say, "maybe i need a strait jacket face facts i am nuts for real but im ok with that!" The first few chapters are going to be a little short, but there's a bunch of em. id do not own any of the sonic x characters, they belong to sega. i only own the story line and my own characters. read this over, because there is only one disclaimer! enjoy the story! shadow: i dont think they will. why am i here again? me: because. your one of my faves and tails is busy. shadow: hmph. me: shut up or ill have you die in the first chapter. shadow: you already did! me: yea, but i killed everyone in the first chapter. at least i didnt kill the black guy first. shadow: yeah, you killed the guy with the dreads. so the jamaica dude? wait, was that supposed to be racist? me: bitch no! but you have to admit that most of the time, in the movies, its the black guy, the dog, the woman, or the kid that dies first. and its either the white man that gets out alive, or the kid and the mom. and if its not the white guy, its cause the white guy was being a dickhead. shadow: now that you mention it and i think about it... me: chapter 1! but first, character ages...if their wrong, its cuz i didnt know or it benefits whatever.

sonic: 25

tails:18

knuckles:25

amy:22

rouge:25

chris:physically, 18, mentally, 28

helen:28

shadow: who cares, hes practically immortal! bt in physical terms, 20. mental terms, like sixty.

cosmo:18

blaze:18

silver:18

eggman: ooooooolddddd

cream:16

vanilla:34

vector:36

charmy:16

espio:36

CHAPTER 1: Wedding Crasher

Ten years after the defeat of the Metarex...

Friday, December 18, 2042, 5:01 a.m. Mobius time

Tails' House

"I can't! I can't shoot you, Cosmo!" Tails yelled to the girl on his screen. Cosmo stared at him desperately. "You have to! There's no other way!" A tear fell from the kitsune's eye. "There has to be!" Shadow's sharp voice said, "Tails! Do it now or everyone will die!" Tails stared at Cosmo's face. "Do it, Tails!" she screamed. "I... I'm sorry, Cosmo!" Tails wailed.

"I love you!" he shouted as he punched the trigger. He stared in horror as Dark Oak was destroyed, yet taking Cosmo with him. Cosmo had immobilized him in order for Tails to be able to do what he'd just done, but that didn't ease his grief. "Dammit!" he screamed, an uncharacteristic outburst from the small kitsune. He buried his face in his hands and stayed like that for fifteen minutes.

Sonic slowly walked back onto the ship. "Tails." he said softly. Tails sat up. "Did you guys find her?" he demanded. Sonic bowed his head. "Shadow couldn't. He's gone." Rouge gasped. Sonic sighed and continued, "I did find her though. I tried chaos regeneration, but..." He sighed. "She wanted me to give you this." He produced a small white seed from his quills. Tails hesitantly took it. "She... She's really gone." he said numbly.

Sonic bowed his head. Tails threw his arms around the blue hedgehog and sobbed. Sonic sighed and hugged the young kit. Everyone bowed their heads, including Eggman and his lackeys. Amy and Cream hugged each other, tears flowing down their faces. Chris slid to the floor. The human looked shell-shocked, and Knuckles put a hand on his shoulder, fighting back tears himself.

"Wake up, Tails." Sonic murmured. Tails looked at him. "Huh?" The hedgehog pulled away. "Tails, wake up!"

Tails shot up, eyes wide. "I'm up! What?" Sonic stood over him. "Good, you're awake. You were yelling in your sleep." Tails sighed and sat on the edge of his bed. "You were dreaming about it again, weren't you?" Tails huffed. "What are you doing here, Sonic?" It had been a little over ten years since the defeat of Dark Oak, a little over ten years since he had killed the only girl he loved.

Sonic sighed. "You wouldn't answer the door. Did you forget? Vector's wedding is today and he specifically said he want you to come. He's been talking about it nonstop for ages." Tails managed a laugh, but it was hollow. "Isn't Cream a little weirded out at the thought of Vanilla getting married?" Sonic grinned, glad the fox at least attempted humor.

"Nah, she's cool with it. She's even the flower girl, despite her age. Vanilla's friend Cleo is the maid of honor. She's a brown echidna. Espio is the best man, Charmy is green with envy. Don't forget, you're still a groomsman Tails. You're not getting out of it." Tails nodded. "I know, I know." Sonic had been bugging him for weeks about the wedding. Vector had proposed to Vanilla about three months before.

"Good. Now get ready! It's at five." Tails groaned. "I know! Wait, what time is it?" Sonic turned red. "Er-five... a.m.? Later!" he sprinted off, leaving Tails alone. Tails sighed and got up. "No time like the present." he muttered. He stood and walked down the stairs. In the center of his dining room, a beautiful flower grew in a pot. Its petals looked like whitish emeralds.

Tails ran his fingers over the blossom. Despite their stone-like appearance, they were just as fragile and soft as any other flower. He sat down with a waffle and sighed. "I wish I could have one more chance with you, Cosmo, I would never let you get hurt again. I'm so sorry. I hate myself more every day you're gone. If only I could see you again. If only I had a chance to tell you that I loved you before it happened..."

Friday, December 18, 2042, 4:30 Mobius time

Vanilla and Vector's Wedding preps

Sonic grinned as Vector started to get cold feet. "I don't know, what if something happens? What if she changes her mind? What if-" Sonic cut him off before Knuckles could kill him. "Vector, calm down. You'll be fine. She'll be fine. Everything will be fine!" Knuckles smacked him. "Way to jynx it, you idiot!" This made Vector even more worried.

Charmy hissed to Espio, "Why is he freaking out?" Espio shrugged. One of those anime sweat droplets appeared above Silver's head as Sonic said, "Er-Oops." Knuckles fell in that comical manner we all love. "You are so stupid." he muttered.

Vanilla fretted as Amy adjusted her dress, "Oh, I do hope nothing goes wrong!" Cream scolded, "Mother, don't worry!" Blaze nodded. "She's right, of course, Vanilla." the purple cat purred. "If you worry, it's just wasting time. Just relax." Cheese chirped in agreement. "Cheese! You're not supposed to be in here!" Blaze scolded the little Chao. She grabbed him by the feet and tossed him down the aisle.

"See? Relaxed."

Friday, December 18, 2042, 4:45 Mobius time

Vanilla and Vector's Wedding/Reception

Tails joined the other groomsmen and Vector. Sonic beamed at him. "Tails, just in time! We're walking in fifteen." Tails nodded. Soon, everyone was lined up at the alter. Vanilla, looking gorgeous in a white dress that Amy and Cream had helped make, followed Cream, Cheese perched on her head, who was the flower girl. Vanilla looked slightly nervous, but she smiled warmly at Vector, who blushed.

After the long preaching, everyone grateful that it was over, it was time for the reception. Tails leaned against a wall, feeling drained. Sonic walked over to him. "Hey, come on! This is a wedding, not a funer-" he cut himself off. Tails shrugged. "I know, and I'm happy for Vanilla and Vector, but I can't help but wish..." he trailed off with a sigh. Sonic put a hand on his shoulder.

"I miss her too." he said. Tails looked up, mildly surprised. Sonic nodded. "Yes, I do. So does Amy, Chris, Cream, Cheese, Knuckles, Silver, Blaze, and even the Chaotix. But we have to move on. Live, but don't forget. Never forget what she did, Tails." Tails clenched his teeth. "Never. I'm more worried about forgetting what I did! I killed her, Sonic!" Sonic wrapped an arm around his little brother.

"She told you to. It was for, as she would put it, the greater good. She would have wanted you to be happy. I know she was special. Chaos knows I do. But you have to keep going. Tails-" Whatever Sonic was about to say was cut off as a giant Metarex crashed through the roof. "What the hell? I thought all of the Metarex were destroyed?!" Tails yelled.

"Tell that to this one!" Sonic replied, darting forward and breaking the sound barrier. Tails flew up and threw a piece of metal that had fallen from the ceiling at the creature. The Metarex laughed and swatted him away. He landed next to Vanilla, who helped him up. "Are you alright?" she asked. Tails nodded as Knuckles and Sonic attacked the Metarex, Amy close behind.

Tails darted forward, picking up a pole on his way past. He took the pole and stabbed it through the Metarex's leg. It screeched in pain and pulled the pole out. The creature threw it and the pole embedded itself in the wall. Tails flew up to the Metarex's back. It tried to reach him, but couldn't. It made to drop onto its back to crush Tails and the fox flew off.

The Metarex snarled, then noticed an easy target. Tails saw where it was headed and shouted, "Vanilla, move!" The kitsune darted forward a heartbeat before the Metarex, throwing himself into Vanilla. The Metarex swung its large hand just as Vanilla was clear, swatting Tails instead. The kit flew backwards into the wall. His blue eyes widened, pupils getting slightly bigger before shrinking.

Sonic looked over his shoulder, mouth slightly open, eyes wide, having moved to confront the Metarex. Amy and Knuckles stared in horror. Vector and Charmy, who had been trying their best to help, dropped the objects they had been about to throw. Espio materialized beside Sonic, eyes wide with shock. It was the chameleon who finally broke the silence.

"Tails!" he shouted as the young kitsune's gaze dropped to his stomach, falling on the pole that had been embedded in the wall earlier. The aforementioned pole was now sticking out of his stomach, just to the left of his thin torso. A large cut across his chest showed where the Metarex had hit him. Blood tinged the silver metal red. Tails stared, stunned.

He looked up and his gaze locked with Sonic's before he slumped to the side. "No! Tails!" Sonic shouted. He turned to the Metarex. "YOU SON OF A BITCH!" His fur began to darken and everybody took a step back. "He's about to go dark! Take cover!" Knuckles and Espio shouted at the same time. Everybody fled as Sonic's fur turned black and his eyes turned a darker green.

"He hasn't gone dark since Chris and Cosmo were captured by Black Narcissus!" Amy wailed. Sonic screamed, "YOU BASTARD! YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!" He started doing a spin-dash as he began glowing white. Sonic was thinking in his sane mind, I hope I don't hurt anyone. Except the Metarex. But the dark half of him was screaming, Die, die, die!

Sonic released the spin-dash and crashed into the Metarex's neck. He continued to spin and shot back at the Metarex again. He repeated this several times until all that was left was scrapmetal. The Metarex hadn't stood a chance. Sonic fell to the ground and landed in a kneeling position. The dark color faded from his fur and his eyes became light green once more.

He gasped and held his chest, then looked up at Tails. "No!" he yelled, sprinting forward and breaking the sound barrier. Sonic pulled the pole out of the wall and caught Tails as he fell. Everyone came out of hiding, looking somber. "Tails! Tails, can you hear me?!" demanded Sonic. Cream piped up, eyes wide with tears, "Is he... Will he be okay, Mr. Sonic?" Amy hugged the young rabbit.

Sonic didn't reply. "Tails! Answer me, Chaos damn it!" Tails' eyes flickered open slightly. The kitsune let out a rasping chuckle. "I... hear you... Sonic." he croaked. He coughed blood, which spattered Sonic's fur. He ignored it. "You're gonna be okay, Tails! Just hold on! Somebody call an ambulance!" Tails shook his head. "It's... too late... Sonic. Hey. As you... would tell me... Chin up. At least... I can see... her again."

He smiled slightly. "Dammit, Tails, you're not going anywhere!" Sonic shouted, tears filling his eyes. Tails coughed more blood. "Sorry... to mess up the... wedding." he gasped. "Congrats... you two." He looked at Vanilla and Vector. Vanilla buried her face in Vector's tux, sobbing. Sonic snarled, "You're going to be fine, Tails! We'll get you fixed up, good as new!"

Tails gave him a sad look. "I'm... sorry... Sonic..." he sighed. "I'm sorry... I didn't... hang around you... these past several years. I'm sorry... I let my grief... get in the way..." Sonic shook his head. "Stop talking like that! You can make up for it by getting better!" Tails sighed. "It's... too late... for me... I'm so... sorry. I... wish... I'd... been... around more..." Sonic squeezed his eyes shut.

There was a sudden flash of silver light and a Mobian fox fell onto the ground. She was with a white muzzle, throat, and underbelly, and wore a jade green vest with no sleeves that cut off above her stomach, black leather pants, a blackish belt with a blue gem in the center, and dark combat boots. The underside of her arms was also a snowy white.

Her hair was waist length and blackish-silver, pulled into a braid, with an onyx dragon pendant with a gem in the eye matching the one on her belt to hold it back. "Ouch!" she protested, eyes squeezed tightly shut as tears poured down her face. She sat up, revealing her tail that seemed a little too fluffy. It had a green ribbon tied around the end of it.

The bottom half of it was white. Long, blackish gray hair spilled around her shoulders. She wore silvery-white braces on her wrists and a pendant around her neck. The pendant matched the one on her hair, except the dragon was silver. A tiny blue gem, matching the one on her belt as well, was embedded in it as the eye. The actual necklace part was a black ribbon that clung to her neck, though her vest hid it as she stood.

The silver and white fox dusted herself off with black leather gloved hands, the gloves missing the fingers. and opened her eyes, revealing them to be multiple shades of blue. Sky blue was the most prominent, darkened by navy and given a bright sparkle by a slightly lighter shade of blue. Now that she was standing, it was visible that a thin sword sheathe was buckled to her belt on the left, though there was a lack of a sword.

"Oh... Er-Hello!" She wiped her face off. "I'm sorry. I-" She broke off as Sonic slammed her into the wall and got a hold of her throat. "Who are you, where did you come from, and what do you want? I'm not in the mood to deal with any shit. My friend is hurt and I can't help him! Did you have anything to do with the Metarex-which shouldn't have been alive by the way-that hurt him?!"

"Sonic!" Vanilla protested, but she was ignored. The silver and white fox was wheezing as she struggled to breathe. Her beautiful blue eyes were wide as they slid past Sonic and fell on Tails. Immediately her wheezing became quicker as she tried to speak. Sonic loosened his grip enough to allow her to talk. She coughed and rasped, "He's... poisoned! Whatever... gave him that cut... had poison on it! The hole... I'm guessing... Is from the pole...? That's child's play for a good doctor... but the poison..."

She stopped, panting, and said, "If you let me, I can help him enough to get him to the hospital." Sonic snarled, "Why should we trust you?" Vanilla said sharply, "Sonic! Be polite! What other option do we have? Without help, Tails will die before even you could get him to the hospital." Sonic reluctantly released the silver and white fox, who darted over to Tails' side.

She opened a hidden flap on her vest and pulled out a syringe and a small bottle, which was about the size of a quarter, the lid the size of a dime. She pulled the cap off of the needle and poked it through the rubber lid of the bottle. She got the contents of the bottle into the syringe and tossed the now empty container to the side. Sonic caught it and saw that it was unmarked.

"It's mossient." the fox said without looking up. "The last one I had. The poison is from a plant called Deathlock. It nor either of the plants that made it, nightshade and nightlock, should even be on Mobius anymore. That means that somehow, someone has an extinct plant that happens to be more deadly than anything in the world." Without warning, Tails coughed violently. Blood spattered the silver and white's face.

She sighed, unfazed by the blood. "The poison from Deathlock that I mentioned earlier? It's attacking his vital organs! It'll shut down his stomach first then work its way into his lungs, where it'll dissolve the flesh until he drowns in blood and such from the inside!" Amy snapped, "Nobody cares! Do what you have to in order to save his ass! He can't join Cosmo, not yet!"

"Cosmo?" Tails' voice slurred. "Where?" The silver and white fox murmured soothingly, "It's okay, just stay calm, okay? I'm going to help you." Tails shook his head. "B-But I-I'm going to be with Cosmo." he protested weakly. The young kitsune stared at the other fox's face. "Right?" The she-fox shook her head. "Not quite yet, little one." Tails thought for a moment as she flicked the needle.

"Hey! I'm at least a year older than you. How come you're calling me little?" The silver and white smiled at him. "Because I'm taking care of you. I call all of the people I take care of little one." Tails snorted. "Way to make me feel special in-ah!" he cried out as the she-fox stuck the needle into the exposed flesh of the cut. She squeezed the potion out and pulled the syringe away.

Expertly, she took off the needle, pulled out a bag, and put the dirty needle inside. She tucked the bag into the hidden flap on her vest and put the syringe away as well after putting a new, capped needle on it. She pulled out a small bottle and there were several cringes as the Mobians realized what it was. Hydrogen peroxide, or in simple terms: disinfectant.

The fox shook it briefly, then pulled out a cotton swab and soaked it in the peroxide. Without missing a beat, she started to clean the gash the Metarex had made. The orange kitsune clenched his teeth. Sonic took a step forward, but Blaze and Silver grabbed his arms. "Let her work her biz." Silver admonished. Sonic still leaned over the silver and white fox's shoulder suspiciously.

Rouge was leaning against a wall, looking faint, while Knuckles held Julie-Su in his arms. Amy held Cream and Cheese close, the latter two sobbing in fear. Vector hugged Vanilla tightly. Charmy was on the ground, looking worried, and Espio was doing his invisible ninja thing, probably so no one saw he was just as worried. Sonic watched closely as the silver fox disposed of the used cotton ball and carefully wrapped the gash.

"Okay, he's safe from the poison for a few hours, but the place he was spiked..." She frowned, then shook her head. "Dammit! Why can't Darius and Nico be here? Not to mention the fact that Tris and Shyra are MIA too..." Another flash of light announced the arrival of a black cat with amber eyes wearing black gloves and dark gray shoes.

The cat stood and brushed himself off. "There you are! Darius, Tris, and Shyra are on their way. The tun-" The silver and white fox blinked quickly and the cat shut up, his gaze flicking to Tails and the others. "Oh, my! Can you help him?" The silver and white shrugged. "I'm doing my best." The cat nodded and sat down. With some uneasiness, Sonic and the others noticed the giant sniper rifle strapped to his back.

A few minutes later, the she-fox sighed. "We have to get him to a hospital. I've done all I can to help him until then. She knelt and effortlessly scooped Tails into her arms. She scowled. "What has this kid been eating? Nothing?" There was no answer and she realized that that must have been exactly what the orange fox had been eating. "Oh." she said.

"Then that means we need to hurry even more. Poison spreads quicker in a small body, especially a malnourished one." Sonic stopped her. "I thought you said that stuff would heal him!" The silver and white stared at him with unnerving blue eyes. "I said almost. As it is, it stopped the spread for a while and killed most of it off. But Deathlock is very powerful.

"Even a potion like mine can't completely save him. My medicines are made for use until a professional can look at the patient. I am not suited, physically nor mentally, to make a potion that strong. I can give him a few hours, but the rest is up to the people who's job it is to do the rest. If I could save everyone I treated, I swear, I would...

"But I can't. I realized that a long time ago. Once I accepted that... Who the hell am I kidding. It doesn't get any easier, knowing that you were supposed to save that person, but you didn't, because it was out of your power. The only thing that gets easier is hating yourself. Eventually, you learn to accept what you can't change, but you never forget them."

Sonic froze as she repeated almost the exact words he had said to Tails about Cosmo. Without waiting for a reply, she turned and started walking. "Nico!" she said, refering to the black cat with the sniper rifle. Nico snapped to attention, ears straight. "Yes?" The silver and white fox jerked her head. "Take my sheathe and find my sword." Nico nodded. "And your other weapons?"

"Concealed." she replied as he unclipped the sheathe and took off. She looked thoughtful for a moment, then said, "Where is the hospital? I'm not exactly from around here." Silver said, "Here, allow me." The next thing the fox knew, she was hovering, along with everyone else. Why was she not surprised? Silver used his telekinesis to carry everyone to the hospital.

Friday, December 18, 2042, 6:45 p.m. Mobius time

Mobian Hospital

Five minutes later, the group of ten stood waiting as the doctors tried to save Tails. Sonic was sitting with his head in his hands. Vanilla was sobbing uncontrollably. "This is all my fault! The Metarex hit him because it was trying to get me! Poor Tails is hurt because he helped me!" Cream held her close. "Tails knew what he was doing, Mother! Don't feel sad! He'll be okay! He's Tails!"

Amy left and a loud crashing came from outside as she created nothing but destruction with her Piko Piko hammer. She came back panting and put her Piko Piko hammer away. Knuckles rolled his eyes. Vector, Espio, and Charmy all gave a sigh at the same time. "It's all been going downhill since Cosmo passed." Espio said, knowing that there was no point in tiptoeing around the fact that the Seedrian was gone.

Now that it had been said, everyone began to realize how ridiculous it was to act as though by not saying that she was dead they could change it. The silver and white fox that had saved Tails tensed, her fur starting to rise. "What did you say? Passed? What do you mean?" she demanded. Several awkward glances were exchanged. "Ten years back." Sonic said.

Everyone turned to him. His arms were crossed, his head bowed. He leaned against the wall with one foot propped up against it. "Cosmo died ten years ago. She sacrificed herself to save the universe." The silver and white blinked. I forgot that things are weird now. Whatever. I have to find a way to get her back. Tails must have been crushed. No matter. I'll find a way to bring her back.

Nico, the black cat, burst in. "I found Darius and Tris!" The silver fox sprang to her feet. "Where?!" Nico panted, amber eyes wide. "A robot with a red symbol on it's got them!" Sonic and the gang exchanged a glance. "Eggman?!" shouted Knuckles. "Don't we have enough trouble?" Sonic glared at the door. "Knuckles, Silver, Blaze! Let's go. Nico, lead the way."

"I'm coming." It was the silver and white fox. Sonic nodded. Nico said, "Oh! I almost forgot! I found your sword." He pulled the sheathe from behind him. A dark blue sword hilt now stuck out of it. The silver and white fox took it and unsheathed it, revealing a silvery-blue katana. "Good. Let's go. While they may be tough, not even Darius and Tris can maintain their sanity around a madman."

Nico led them to an abandoned area that used to have old houses, but they'd long since burned down. A giant silver robot stood in the center. A glass sphere sat in its hand. In the sphere, a dark gray echidna and a dark purple lizard were collapsed on the bottom, along with a male hedgehog. The lizard wore a tight black shirt with dark pants. Sonic suddenly gasped, "Is that Shadow?!"

The aforementioned black and red hedgehog looked up. "But that's impossible!" Rouge landed next to them making everybody jump. "Shadow died with Cosmo!" The silver fox pulled out her bow and pulled the string slightly, testing the draw, then fired an arrow. The speed the arrow took off with was astounding. It smashed into the robot with enough force to blow it back several feet.

It dropped the the glass orb, which shattered against the earth. The echidna, the hedgehog, and the lizard fell to the ground. The silver and white fox darted forward. "Darius, Tris!" she yelled. The echidna got up first, followed by Shadow. The fox hugged the echidna. "Thank Chaos! Dammit, Darius, I thought you had gotten lost!" She hugged the lizard with the same fierceness.

"And Tris, you said you'd keep him out of trouble!" She let the lizard go and looked at them for a heartbeat before looking at Shadow. Without warning, she tackled him, clearly surprising him. Just as she did, the robot's hand swung over them, missing their heads by inches. Darius growled and turned to the robot, which had a giant dent in the center of its chest. It looked ready to attack, but Silver smacked it with a telekinetic slap.

Knuckles raced forward and punched it in the face. Blaze sent a fireball at it and Sonic raced around it, making a whirlwind. Without hesitation, it turned and fled. "Coward!" screamed Tris. A black bat with dark brown eyes, wearing a black bodysuit and black boots, darted forward as the fox sat up. "Shyra!" Darius called. The bat nodded to him and darted over to the silver fox.

Darius joined them. Shadow stood. There was a wide grin was plastered to the fox's face as she sprang to her feet. "Now that we're all here..." She snapped to attention. "Team! Introductions!" she barked.

Darius, the dark gray echidna with blue eyes, stepped forward first. "I'm Darius Shade! Weapon of choice, hand-to-hand combat! I'm seventeen years of age." The black bat with brown eyes, Shyra, said, "My name is Shyra Night. My weapon of choice, pistols. I am seventeen." She pulled a pair of pistols from the holsters on her hips and spun them expertly.

The black cat with amber eyes, Nico, said proudly, "Nico Firecharger! My weapon of choice is the sniper rifle! I'm sixteen!" He pulled the aforementioned weapon from his back and leaned against it. The purple lizard, Tris, said, "Tris Goldenglow! I don't use a weapon, as I prefer to heal. I'm a pacifist and I'm fifteen years old." The silvery-gray fox with blue eyes smirked cockily. "Silaya "Arctic"-" she paused.

"Raicha. I use multiple weapons. Including but not limited to the bow, katana, throwing knives, and daggers! I'm seventeen years old!" Her eyes twinkled. "But of course, for the most part, I'm known as Arctic."

"Darius!"

"Shyra!"

"Nico!"

"Tris!"

Arctic smiled. "Now that we're all here, we'd better get back to the hospital." Darius looked bewildered. "Hospital? Why?" Arctic scowled and explained what had happened to Tails. Shyra gasped. "Let's go!" She paused as she got some odd looks and covered for herself. "If one of our friends was wounded like that, I can imagine how we'd feel. You must be anxious to get back."

Without any more questions, the group started back.

Friday, December 18, 2042, 6:58 p.m. Mobius time

Just Outside The Hospital

"Sonic!" Amy wailed. She threw herself at the blue hedgehog, who darted out of the way. Amy, unable to stop herself, wound up hugging Darius instead. The ash-colored echidna stared at her and she pulled away with a yelp, embarrassed. Darius exchanged a glance with Shyra and the bat shrugged. "Beats me." she muttered. Arctic cocked her head.

Shadow rolled his eyes. "How's the kit?" At that moment, Espio joined them. "The doctor says that our little friend will be alright. Vector, Charmy, Vanilla and Cream left, after much convincing." Sonic nodded. "Are you leaving too?" Espio nodded. "Unfortunately, I cannot wait. A friend of mine has something important to tell me." He rolled his eyes.

"It's alright Espio." Knuckles said. The chameleon left along with Silver and Blaze, leaving Sonic, Shadow, Amy, Knuckles, and Arctic's group. The doctor, a bright green squirrel, came out, opened her mouth, then saw Arctic, the others, and their weapons. "U-Uh... You can't have those in here..." Arctic hesitated, then pulled a bag out of her pocket and handed it to Nico. "Take our weapons somewhere safe."

Nico groaned. A sharp growl from Arctic quickly stopped him from complaining. He took the bag and the weapons outside. As soon as he was out of sight, he slipped the weapons into the bag, which was enchanted/engineered to hold a lot of stuff. The big weapons were childs play.

Sonic turned to the doctor. "Is he awake? Will he be okay?" The doctor smiled. "Ask him yourself." She stepped out of the way and Sonic and the others darted inside. Arctic and her friends followed more slowly. "Tails! You're okay!" Sonic yelled. The orange kitsune cringed at the sudden noise. Knuckles slapped Sonic, clearly telling him to chill out. "Yeah... I guess I am."

"Is there a reason you sound disappointed?" demanded a voice. Everyone turned. It was Silaya who had spoken. "Who are you?" Tails asked. The silver fox rolled her eyes. "The one who saved your life. I'm Silaya. Everyone calls me Arctic, if that makes things easier. So, why do you sound so disappointed to be alive with your friends, right here, right now? Huh?"

Tails averted his gaze. How could this fox read him like that? It was like he was a book that she had plucked from the shelf and only had to look at the cover to know what he was about. Arctic crossed her arms. "Well?" she demanded. Tails unwillingly thought of Cosmo, of her laugh, her smile, her sparkling blue eyes as she looked at him...

"There was a girl." Arctic realized. "You cared about her." Tails blushed. "Stop that!" he snapped. Silaya shrugged. "You need to try harder to disguise your emotions. I can see them all over your face. Like right now, you wish I would shut up, go away, leave you alone. You wish that the girl was still here, but you know that she's not. You wish that I hadn't sav-"

"SHUT UP!" Tails shouted uncharacteristically. "JUST SHUT UP YOU STUPID VIXEN!" Sonic and the others looked shocked. Arctic's eyes narrowed. "I will not. Listen to me, you sorry excuse little vulpine. Just because one person leaves your life doesn't mean you go and leave everyone else who cares about you! Think about how you feel about that girl! How do you think they would feel if that happened to you!?"

The silver and white fox waved her hand to Knuckles, Sonic, and Amy, who were looking on awkwardly. "They would be crushed! Do you see them moping and wishing they were dead!? They probably miss her too! Yet you're going to act like an injured sparrow from Earth, flapping its good wing and feeling oh-so sorry for yourself! You're not the only one hurting!

"They're hurting too! Every time they see you doing this to yourself, torturing yourself, it kills them inside! Do you not see them flinch every time Cosmo's name comes up? That's because of you! You are what's keeping everyone from going on! So take a breath, hike up your skirt, and kick your ass into high gear!" Tails froze at the mention of Cosmo.

"Don't you dare talk about her! Do you know how much I would give up to have her back, even if just long enough for me to tell her how I feel?" he snarled. Arctic glared at him. "Don't you dare to act like you know everything. That I don't know exactly what the fuck that feels like!" Then her face softened, along with her voice. "Look, Tails. Cosmo is gone. She would want you to be happy. You are killing yourself more and more that you think like this! Eventually, you'll just fade away!

"You'll be a shell! How will that be better for anyone? Don't you see how depressing it is when everyone at a wedding cares more about your life than you do?" Despite her sharp words, they didn't hurt as badly as it had hurt to think of Cosmo before. "It's because you would never admit that she was gone. That's why you've been like this. You have to move on or your grief will-" she choked, then tried again.

"Your grief will utterly destroy you." Without waiting for an answer, she left. Tails felt slightly guilty. "She's right you know." To everyone's surprise, it was Shadow who spoke. "She's right. You've been living in the past. Just like me. She clearly knows what she's talking about. I'm going to go find her." Everyone stared, stunned at the change in usual behavior of the ebony hedgehog. What the hell had happened to him in the ten years he'd been MIA?

Tris, the dark purple lizard, said to Tails, "Here, let me fix you up. When I'm done, you'll be out of the hospital by the end of the hour." Darius rolled his eyes and coughed, "Modest much?"

Shadow followed the direction that Arctic had taken. He could feel traces of her energy. "Chaos Energy? Coming from a normal fox? That's not right..." He sighed, then shrugged. Just another thing he'd have to figure out about her. Another thing was why did she make him want to go after her? He shrugged. He was smart. He'd figure it out eventually, but for now, one thing at a time.

He found her standing next to a stream in the woods. "Hey." she said. Her eyes were closed and she was leaning against a tree. Shadow didn't bother asking how she knew he was there. "Hey." he replied. "You mind?" Arctic shook her head. "Not at all." Shadow sat down next to her and she looked at him. "So what's up?" she asked. Shadow shrugged.

"Not much. Just wondering why you took off like that." She sighed. For a moment there was silence and Shadow thought she wasn't going to answer. Then she said, "I lost almost everyone important to me. My mother, father, aunts, uncles, friends, everyone. Where me and the others come from, there was a big war going on. Before we escaped, everyone died. That's why I snapped." Shadow was silent for a moment.

"I think you got through to him." he said finally. "The look on his face after you left? It looked like he had been blind his whole life and was able to see for the first time." Arctic blinked. "Oh?" This just means that I have to get Cosmo back as soon as possible. Before he can go back to Mr. Depression. Shadow nodded. "It seems like he's been on the ground for a while now. It did him good to have someone tell him off for it."

The silver and white fox at his side nodded slowly. Shadow continued, "He probably won't be completely on his feet for a while. But eventually he'll be okay. You really knocked him off." Arctic looked thoughtful. She narrowed her eyes at Shadow, who was leaning against the tree. She wondered if she should trust him with the secret of how she planned to bring Cosmo back.

He seemed okay, but you never knew. Besides, she didn't even know how she was going to do it. She'd have to come up with a plan before she even thought about saying something to anyone. Plus, from everyone else's initial reaction to him showing up, nobody even knew he was alive. It was best to keep it to herself, as he could have been brainwashed into serving someone. Unlikely, but true.

A loud crashing interrupted her thoughts. Shadow sat up and Arctic leaned forward. A heartbeat later, a laughing Eggman stumbled through the bushes, holding something cupped in his hands. It was a small flower in a pot. The flower had leaves that looked like whitish emeralds. It glowed softly. It was the most beautiful thing that Arctic had ever seen.

Shadow's reaction, however, was more negative. "No!" he snarled. "That bastard!" Arctic looked at him, confused. "What-?" she broke off. "You know what, forget it. Let's just get that away from him. It's clearly important." She reached for her katana, then realized that she had given it to Nico. "Dammit. Well, looks like I'm doing this the old fashioned way!"

She waved her tail, the green ribbon fluttering, then darted forward, startling Shadow with her speed. She all but appeared next to Eggman and snatched the flower out of his hands. Her eyes widened as she felt a slight stir in the energy of the crystal-like rose. She glared at Eggman and gave him a roundhouse kick to the face. She followed it up with a Sparta kick to the chest.

Eggman stumbled back, fear in his eyes, and fled. Arctic glared after him as Shadow joined her. "Wow." was all he said. Arctic smiled slightly, then turned her gaze to the plant. Her eyes were soft as she brushed the soft petals with her fingers. She froze suddenly and her eyes widened. What looked like a shockwave passed through her, setting her fur on end.

She blinked quickly when it passed and turned to Shadow. "We'd better-"

"It's gone! It's gone! Just vanished!" Tails' voice yelled. "What is it, Tails?" It was Sonic. "Cosmo's flower! It's gone!" Sonic gave a shout of rage at Tails' reply. "Not cool! Not cool at all!" Shadow and Arctic exchanged a glance. "We'd better get this back to him." the silver and white fox said. The black and red hedgehog nodded. They were about to set out, but just then, Tails, Rouge, Sonic, Amy, Knuckles, and Arctiic's friends burst into the clearing.

Tails' eyes widened as Arctic approached with the flower. "This is what is missing, no?" she asked. Tails wordlessly took it, eyes wide. He brushed the petals carefully, as though worried that the flower would turn to dust.

"Th-Thank you!" he finally managed to stammer. The other fox nodded. "But there is something..." she began, then hesitated. Tails looked at her. "What is it?" Arctic straightened. "That flower... How long have you had it?"

"Almost ten years now, why?" Silaya blinked. "Hmm... Normally a flower would have been long dead... And there's a certain energy to it. I think that..." she paused, then continued, "I think that part of Cosmo's spirit is in there somewhere." Everyone's gaze was focused on her. She reached out to touch the plant, then paused and asked Tails, "May I?" The kitsune hesitated, then nodded. Arctic brushed the plant's crystal-like petals, feeling mentally for what she now knew was there.

A small trickle of energy approached her cautiously, like a cat or a dog approaching a stranger. She reached for it and felt a half-conscious mind suddenly and violently attack her. Who are you? What do you want?! Go away! Leave my place! It screeched. Arctic stumbled away, panting. "Yeah. Someone is definately in there. *cough*One who has a deal for cliches.*cough* They just need a little wake up call."

She paused, then asked, "How many Chaos emeralds do you have?" Sonic answered immediately, "Four. I have two, Knuckles has one, and Tails has one." Shadow added, "Five. I have one, too." Arctic nodded. "Fetch them." Several bewildered stares greeted this. "Er-What?" Sonic said. Arctic sighed. "Do you guys love Tails?" They nodded. "Do you want him to be happy?" More nods.

"Then don't fucking question me. I'll explain later, but for now, kick your asses into high gear before I Sparta kick you into next week!" Sonic sprinted off and returned in less than fifteen seconds with the four Chaos emeralds. Shadow handed his over. Arctic took them and placed them in a small circle. "Tails, put the plant right here." She pointed to the center of the circle.

Tails hesitated, then did as she asked. "Darius..." Arctic said. Darius stepped forwards and knelt next to the circle, knowing what his "foxy" friend was going to try. The silver and white fox put one hand to his forehead and gently touched the plant with the other. She closed her eyes and imagined some of Darius' life energy flowing through her and into the plant.

A glow came from the emeralds as they responded to her commands. They rose into the air and started spinning. Wind rose up and the Chaos emeralds began to revolve around the fox, the echidna, and the plant. There was a bright flash and the Chaos emeralds fell to the ground. Arctic fell back, exhausted, and lay there. Darius stepped away and turned to stare at the plant.

It was emitting a soft green glow. It brightened suddenly, blinding everyone. When the light faded, a green-haired girl lay on the ground, next to the plant. Tails turned, blinking. He stared at the girl on the ground who was not the silver fox that had fallen over, his heart pounding.

"Cosmo!"