Hello again! :D
So I personally think I'm doing a good job on updating right now. Only a month and 9 days? I get a pat on the back.
Thank you to the following people for reviewing!
EmberLovesRoses: You're sweetness makes me so happy! :D Thank you! I try really hard to make each chapter awesome. Wait for chapter 8 and you'll see more of the Sonamy goodness. ;D Cardcaptornicole: I hit the Wilders...in my imagination. o-o RubyJewel230: The Wilders totally deserve to be taken down. But there are worse punishments than death. OuO I'm glad you hate them, that was my goal. XD zennyzen: Yes, LL really knows how to humiliate people. XD I'm glad you like it! WhiteRoseDog: Yep, LL and Amy are friends now. :3 And you want Sonamy? Chapter 8 has it! ..Sorry you have to wait .-. Adorablehegi12: I won't slap you, but if the Sonamy gets intense I MAY START SLAPPING THINGS. XD Green-Eyed-Raccon: Very glad you were engaged in the last chapter. I tried to put a lot of feeling into my characters. Thank you for understanding that love at first sight is highly overrated. x) And training with Shadow is sexy indeed. I mean, have you seen what he looks like in training uniform? *fans myself dramatically* Thank you very much for the praise. I love getting long reviews, it makes me smile. :) I always like hearing from you!
ZELZAINIA AND LINA: HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY! I dedicate this chapter to you! Hope you thoroughly enjoy it! *Hearts everywhere*
BluePeach: Well I got this one out faster than the last so yay less waiting! x) LL was pretty awesome out there. The Wilders totally deserved it. XP AWESOMEROCKSTAR101: Thank you for thinking so! :D Diamante8: I hope this is soon enough! Here's the training session with Shadow! ABSOselfRBED: So glad you liked it! LL hasn't quite been established, but as of now, he's Amy's friend for humiliating the Wilders for her in the last chapter. :) Guest: You've reviewed 4 times now! That's awesome! :D I'm so glad someone has such a passion for my story. It really motivates me. I'm sorry that you get impatient, I wrote this one a little faster than the last. It may not be like this all the time so just bear with me. I don't do this for pay or for the praise, I do this because I enjoy writing and making people happy with my work. :) Just for you, I'll set up a deadline on my profile for each upcoming chapter. Sound good? Guest123/Noname/Reader1/Amazing: THANK YOU! Thank you for thinking I'm amazing and loving this chapter. You all motivate me so much to write! :)
Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic characters, they belong to Santa...I mean SEGA. LL belongs to Comrade Athelwine, Kiya belongs to Zelzainia and Lina, and Blitz and Alfonso belong to me.
~ o - Chapter 7 - o ~
Cream nearly squeezed the breath out of me when she pulled the thin metal plate tight onto my chest. I was thankful for the two layers of fabric underneath the bulky chest plate, or I may not have been able to move. She latched on the plate from my back and moved to the table to get the wrist and forearm guards. Irritably, I pulled at the skin-tight layer of black fabric that stretched over my arms.
"How are you supposed to move in this if it's so tight?" I asked exasperatedly.
Cream placed the forearm plating on me and kept her eyes trained on tying, "it is made to move with you, my lady."
I scoffed as I examined my arm, "Yeah, we'll see how well that works out." I said sarcastically. I looked with discontent at the table with all the training gear on it, "it wasn't even made to fit me."
Cream didn't even look up at me as she got the other forearm guard, "There is no female training gear, my lady. Females do not fight."
"I'm the only one? Ever?" I asked, almost hoping I would be wrong.
Cream nodded, "Yes, my lady."
I sighed. Then why was I here? Why was I fighting? I don't want to become more of an anomaly than I already was!
"Cream," I said, the sound of her own name jolted her out of her concentration. "Why am I learning to fight?"
Cream hesitated. Her movements suddenly became slower as she retrieved the last parts of my training uniform. She was silent for a long moment, staring blankly at the fingerless glove she was holding.
"To protect the people of Solstice, my lady," she said finally, in a softer voice.
I watched her as she slid the glove over my left hand, "But wouldn't that only make me another Guardsman? Would that make my only job patrolling the streets for rebels and burglars?" I asked perplexedly.
To have gone through all this, just to become something similar to a Guardsman? There were hundreds of Guardsmen! They didn't need me in the mix as the only female in history to fight. There was no way I could live up to their stature anyway. Their strength would always be double mine, their skills are sharpened and refined, and their bravery surpasses mine ten fold. I was not meant to be on the field, I was not qualified! So why is the castle pushing me to train and fight to protect the citizens of Solstice?!
"Perhaps that is a question for Lord Shadow," Cream said as she strapped on my other fingerless glove.
The nervousness of training with Shadow flooded over me again. I had no idea what to expect from the Commander. I assumed since he's trained some of Solstice's best warriors, that he would be brutal about his training. My nervous mind began to conjure up brutal practices where I would be hit, punched, and sliced again and again. My muscles began to tense at the thoughts.
There was a knock at the door, "Is she all geared up?" asked a familiar voice.
Cream turned to the door, "Yes, Lord Blitz, she is ready."
I flexed my hands at my sides, feeling lightheaded and sticky under the skin-tight material.
Define 'ready.'
Lord Blitz opened the door and swung into the room with a carefree confidence. He glanced around my room until his blue eyes settled on me.
He studied my uniform, "The chest plating needs to be modified a bit for better movement." He came closer and squinted his eyes, "How does the shoulder plating feel?"
I rolled my shoulders a bit, "Fine, I guess."
How the hell was I supposed to know what it was supposed to feel like?
He held out his hands -callused and webbed with faint lines of previous scars, "Give me your hands."
I looked up at him, then I hesitantly put my hands into his. I could feel how sweaty my hands truly were in his rough dry hands. He slowly pulled my arms to their full length, I felt the strap snap on my right shoulder and jab into my neck. I pulled my hands out of his to rub my neck where it hit.
"Ouch," I pushed away the shoulder plate roughly.
"It would have hurt much more had you been in the midst of a fight," he waved Cream away from tying it back on and took charge of it himself, "it would have snapped harder, taking away your concentration, giving your opponent a prime opening to strike."
I watched him as he tied it lower on my shoulder, his movements graceful and rehearsed from the hundreds of times he's suited up himself.
"So let's keep the gear malfunctions to a minimum so you won't get hurt, alright?" He said with a cute crooked white smile.
He patted me on the back and I smiled at him. For a lethal Commander that's a master of killing, he was pretty easygoing and relaxed.
"Oh! And -ah-," he pursed his lips and scrunched his eyebrows together as he looked at me.
He then gestured widely at his upper chest. "Do you have something to -uh-," he laughed in spite of himself, "hold this together...I guess?"
He was talking about my chest! I felt a rush of heat to my cheeks.
"Yes, I'm wearing something," I said quickly.
I was wearing a cloth that had been tied tightly and snugly across my chest. There wasn't much to 'hold together' there anyway. I was nearly hip-less and chest-less, something a seventeen-year-old girl like me found frustratingly self-conscious about.
He nodded and turned for the door, "Good. Just checking. Follow me and I'll take you to Shadow."
I began to walk to the door, weighing the feeling of the gear on me. It was only slightly heavy, but I knew I would walk and run much easier without it on. Everything on me felt tight and stretched when I moved, I was almost afraid it would rip if I moved too far.
"Don't worry about it too much, you'll get used to it," Blitz said, noticing my discomfort, "Don't let it restrict you. Do what you want to do and the material will abide."
"Okay," I became more purposeful with my movements as I walked with him down the hallway.
After weaving through a couple hallways and cutting through some large entryways, I realized two things.
One, the training room was on the far side of the castle, away from where the bedrooms were.
And two, Blitz was a fast walker.
I struggled to keep up with him, on more than one occasion did I find myself lagging and jogging to catch up. His stride was long and natural, so far only once has he realized that I was lagging and slowed down a bit...only to become fast again as we continued. "Last hallway, Miss Rose," he said, looking back at me. He stopped and fully turned to me in bewilderment, "you can't be tired already!"
It was true, I was breathing a little heavier and my calves were a little sore from trying to keep up with his stride.
I licked my dry lips, "I'm sorry, I guess I'm just not in that great of shape." I laughed a little. "And I didn't get much sleep last night." The razor sharp smiling teeth from the nightmare flashed in the front of my mind.
Blitz lightly touched my lower back and led me on, "We'll just have to build your endurance up, then. If Shadow doesn't then I will." We approached large wooden double doors -not as elegant as the Grand Dining Room's but still sturdy and heavy looking. "As for your sleep, you can shower and nap after your training session."
Blitz yanked open the door with one hand and held it open for me to enter. I walked in and was met with sunlight.
The training room was huge. Most of the floor had black matting material, on the side walls were long staffs of different lengths and shorter weapons -with and without blades. None of the blades were larger than my forearm -which I was almost sure there would have been giant swords and knives mounted up on the walls, accessible to anyone. It was a relief to know I wouldn't be encountering those here.
Two of the walls were lined with windows, which was the main source of light. Outside, I could see trees and grass and designated places where people would sword fight. Everything was clean and open, unlike the dungeon-like blood covered floors my imagination conjured up.
The only person in the room was Shadow who turned when the doors opened.
"Good evening, Miss Rose. I'm glad you found your way here," he said in a monotone voice.
By the way Shadow looked in his training uniform, he could be considered a great Guardian himself. He looked very natural in his black training uniform, like he was born to be a great warrior. His skin-tight fabric emphasized the strong muscles in his arms, his movements were limber with no problems with the plates that fit snugly against him. He was menacing, built to kill, but the thrill of seeing him suited up and fighting in it made him that much more attractive. The chiseled features on his face tied together the dark and handsome warrior, the powerful confidence radiated off of him and hit my melting heart.
"You can thank me for that one," Blitz said, still propping the door open.
I snapped out of my daze and looked away from Shadow immediately before he could see my blushing. Shadow's eyes switched to Blitz with a look of confusion, "You brought her? But I sent a messenger-"
"I caught him on his way over and volunteered to do it myself," Blitz said nonchalantly, crossing his arms and propping his shoulder against the door, "I needed to tell you that I can't train her after you today. LL sent me to pick up someone."
"Who is it?" Shadow asked.
"Mistress Kiya, the Master Healer," He took his weight off the door and rested his hand on the handle, "we've taken her out of the eastern field and brought her back here to care for the king."
Shadow was absentmindedly itching at his arm, "When is she arriving?" His stern expression was actually faltering.
"She'll be arriving in Emerald City within the next ten minutes. With the way I ride I should be there and back within the hour," Blitz said with a sly smile.
Shadow was silent for a long moment, looking at the ground.
"Why didn't LL send me to pick her up?" Shadow asked.
Blitz made a noise of disbelief, his face twisting with incredulity, "You're training Amy!" He gestured to me.
Shadow took a insistent step forward, "Scourge can train her today."
Blitz shook his head, "he's training Sir Knuckles today."
At the sound of his name, I perked up in interest. It reminded me that I needed to talk to Knuckles soon. I needed to be brought back down to earth with a relaxing talk with someone who actually knew me. Someone I could finally vent to. After all that I've been through these past two days, I needed some reference to normalcy.
Shadow grunted, "You can take over and I can pick her up!"
"Shadow," Blitz's tone had dropped to a dangerous level, "we both know your history. You can see her when she gets here, but right now," -he closed the door halfway so only his head was visible- "train her."
He slipped out and closed the door, marking the end of the conversation. I stood there, unable to figure out what I should do with myself. Shadow had a hand on his face, his eyes closed with the frustrated lines of his forehead visible. I heard him take a deep breath.
"Good," he said letting his hand drop from his face. He looked at me tiredly, "you'll have more time with me, then."
I faked a small smile, still not knowing what I was supposed to be doing.
"I know you feel uncomfortable," Shadow said, he turned his back to me and started going towards the weapons on the side of the room, "just stand over there." He threw a hand in the general direction of the center of the room.
I did as told and stood in the center of the room watching him pick from the long line of wooden staffs. Once he chose, he approached me with two in his hand and threw one to me -which I just barely caught.
"Do you have any previous injuries that hinder your fighting abilities?" he asked, as he positioned his hands on the staff.
I gripped the staff awkwardly, "Ah, no." I said.
"Okay, then let's begin."
"But I don't know how to use this," I said quickly.
His face was straight, "That's why I'm here to teach you. I'm testing you to see what you can do."
I suddenly felt like I was going to throw up from being so nervous. He -an experienced Commander and master of fighting- was going to throw hits and me to see if I could defend them.
I could imagine the bruises on my skin already.
"Right now, I'm your opponent -you're enemy- and you'll treat me as such," he said as he took a strong stance.
I tried to mimic his stance, holding the staff like him.
"Ready?" He said, an eyebrow raised.
I nodded.
He suddenly got out of position, looking slightly annoyed.
"Give me your staff," he said, his hand outstretched.
I looked down at his hand, then at him. I placed the staff in his hand. He looked it over for a moment.
He moved like lightning, his foot caught underneath me and I lost my balance, falling right onto my rump. I was in shock, I nearly screamed. The staff was poised right between my eyes, Shadow towered over me.
"Rules of combat: never trust your enemy," he said smoothy.
He pulled away the staff and I irritably got up, rubbing away the pain. I felt stupid for failing the first test he gave me.
"Don't feel stupid, this is all a learning process," Shadow said, reading my expression.
He tossed me back my staff, I caught it and we went back into a fighting position.
"Ready?" Shadow said.
I didn't even bother nodding. I don't think I would ever be 'ready'.
"Fight."
He came at me with a hit from my right, I cringed away from it, scooting back so he would miss. He came at me again, this time I was more determined to use the staff, so I laid it out horizontally in front of me. The staffs clicked when they made contact.
"A beginner's defense, but a defense nonetheless," he said.
He did a shallow hit, and I did the same defense. He moved quickly, his hand slid up his staff, grabbing my wrist. He turned my arm over to a point where I had to drop the staff and turn with him. He was suddenly close to me, turning me so my back was against his chest, my arm pinned behind me. The staff rose up and hovered in front of my eyes.
"Rules of combat," he didn't sound winded at all. His voice was deep and even, had he truly been my enemy, his voice would have sent shivers down my spine. A silvery sharp blade slid metallically from the tip of the staff that was pointed at my face. I tensed in his grip. "Expect the unexpected."
The staff -or spear, I guess- dropped from my face and he released me. I rubbed my wrist and looked at him. He didn't look the least bit fazed by anything that had happened thus far. He picked up my staff and went over to put them back on the wall.
"Okay, so we'll start with hand-to-hand defense tactics," He said, his back turned to me.
"Wait," I said, "So that's all the rules of combat I need to know?"
Shadow deeply chuckled, "Of course not." He turned to me, strapping on his fingerless gloves, a scheming smile on his face -an expression only a sadistic killer would make- "You will learn more as we train."
~ o ~ o ~
A shock was sent up my spine as I was knocked onto the floor again. My breath was heavy, sweat dripped down the sides of my face.
"Again," Shadow demanded.
I told myself to get up, but my limbs were telling me they were approaching their limit. The soreness in my arms were going to be unbearable tonight, I could feel it already. After 3 hours of learning and doing and re-doing defense moves, I was beyond exhausted. I didn't think I'd ever breathed this hard in my life or physically pushed myself for this long.
Shadow held out his hand, "I'll help you up."
I looked at his hand then looked up at him, narrowing my eyes dangerously.
Another 'don't trust your enemy' test? This had to be some kind of cruel joke.
His lip twitched a little in a smile, he shook his head.
"I'm glad you are heeding my lessons," he reached down further to grab my hand, "but I'm just trying to be a gentleman on this one."
He pulled me up and steadied me with his other hand. My legs were turning to mush underneath me and sparks of pain flew up my arms at any movement I made. I quickly glanced up at Shadow's face to find that it was completely dry of sweat and he was not breathing heavily like I was. Although I knew I was fighting the combat master of all of Solstice, I felt pathetically weak for not even giving him a sweat.
He threw me my staff, "Start again. Ready?"
I wiped my forehead where I could feel a headache forming. I placed my hands appropriately on the staff and licked my dry lips.
"Go," and he swung at me with his staff.
I defended, feeling my muscles flex to deflect his staff. Our staffs clicked together over and over again, every contact getting faster and faster. I couldn't think about anything else but the movement of my arms and the position of my staff to deflect his. If anything else crossed my mind -even a moment of hesitation- I would be struck and would fall back to the ground.
I noted the way his shoulders would move back, the way he positioned his hips for the strike -noticing these things helped me anticipate his next move. With that mindset, I almost began feeling like a warrior.
I heard the door open, but I couldn't see who is was that entered. My ear twitched in their direction, curious as to who would want to come in. Did they come here just to watch me fight?
Shadow didn't hesitate, he continued, his strikes coming even faster. In the back of my mind, I knew there was someone watching me, I could feel their eyes on my skin.
Shadow made a wide arch strike at me, one I knew I couldn't defend with my little strength. I side-stepped out of the way and let the staff come down next to me. The visitor's body frame and stance caught in my peripheral.
The image hadn't quite registered in my mind. I defended another attack from the side. My mind rushed with realization.
Quickly I turned and looked directly at Prince Sonic, who was lazily leaning against the closed door watching me.
Chaos, I must have looked absolutely revolting all sweaty and disheveled, throwing staffs around like a barbarian-
A sharp pain exploded on the side of my face. My head rushed with pain, a stinging after-feeling left on my cheek. The strength of the strike was so hard I fell to the ground, I let go of the staff and put my hands to my cheek, writhing in pain.
"Rules of combat: never break concentration," Shadow said somewhere above me.
Anger flooded my body, but I couldn't say anything. I gripped my stinging cheek hard unable to think of anything other than pain.
"Shadow!" Sonic's voice was stern.
I was squeezing my eyes shut and willing away the pain. I imagined Shadow had a stoic expression, as usual, unfazed by the fact he just struck me with his staff.
"You know better than to strike a woman!" Sonic said, his voice closer than it was previously.
Had I been more aware, I may have blushed at the fact Sonic considered me a woman. I rolled over onto the ground so I was in a crouching position, my head ducked underneath me. My forehead was against the coolness of the mat, my breath coming out heavily against it.
"This is the only way she will become a warrior," Shadow said flatly, "Besides, if she is the Chaos Guardian, she will be facing much worse than this."
"Well if she will be facing worse, we can't have her beat up then, can we?" Sonic said sardonically.
From then on, I couldn't hear what they were fighting about, nor did I really care. The coolness of the mats sunk into my skin, cooling me down and relaxing me. I somewhat hoped they would continue to fight so I could just put my aching muscles to rest and fall asleep here on the mats. My eyes were already shut, my breaths becoming more even, the pain in my cheek distracting me away from the quarrel above me.
Someone pushed me over so I was laying on my back, "It's not even a bad wound, just a bruise."
My vision was unfocused, but I could tell I was staring up at Sonic as he kneeled over me. Just judging off the look on Sonic's face, I knew it was a bad bruise. I could feel it puffing up on my face, the skin tender and sore.
"Dear Chaos," he was appalled, "Take her to the Healing Chambers.".
I closed my eyes again. I no longer wanted to see the way he stared at me with a shocked expression -like I was the freak of nature everyone said I was. I knew I was disgusting with my disheveled hair and sweaty skin -I probably smelled like sour cheese too. A few moments ago I was swinging a staff against a Commander of Solstice like a savage woman. I would never be the elegant, immaculate princess he was looking for.
And you know what?
Who cares.
"I'll pick her up and take her down there," Sonic said, I could feel his hands scooting underneath me. I didn't move to help myself into his arms.
If Shadow said something in return, I didn't hear it or remember it. I let my mind drift off to a subconscious place. A place where, ironically, I wasn't in Sonic's arms, or with Sonic at all. I was on my own, out in the middle of nowhere. Where I was untouchable and confident about myself and what I did -the way I was before all this. I determinedly told myself a mantra that I repeated over and over in my head.
He may be attractive, the prince of Solstice, and one of the nicest guys I've ever met, but that doesn't mean anything to me right now. I don't need that.
What I need is to become the next Chaos Guardian.
And that's where all my focus has to be.
~ o ~ o ~
I approached the humble town on the main road. Nighttime was just setting in, the townspeople were wearily wrapping up the end of their days and sluggishly heading home. I stood in the middle of the dirt street, dust brushing across my bare feet, the wind throwing my hair across my back and out of my face.
I began walking deeper into town, though I had no control of my pace or movements. I didn't question it either. I was in a dreamlike state, comfortable and submissive to the lulling power that guided me.
Unaware of my presence, a cart approached me, expecting me to move like any smart person would. I stopped walking just in front of the cart. The driver came to an abrupt stop before me, for a moment confused as to why I wasn't moving. His mouth was open in an angry yell, but I couldn't hear it. I watched as he went through his angry gestures atop his cart.
A man came up next to me, more patient than the driver, and gestured for me to move.
Why couldn't I move? Why couldn't I hear?
The man next to me seemed gentle, he put a hand on my shoulder and tried to lead me off the street. A green flame exploded from my shoulder and he stepped back, holding his hand like he was just burned. I couldn't hear him yelling in pain, but the expression of shock on is face impacted me more than his scream would have.
Oh Chaos, did I do that to him?
I reached forward to help him, but he shied away. I took him by the arm and pulled him closer to me. He was screaming now, the lines of his face were stressed, he tugged at my hand on his arm. I looked down.
My hand was alive with green flames of Chaos power, spreading onto his arm, burning away the fur and skin and leaving a charred and bloody mark.
Suddenly my other hand flew up to his face, grasping firmly at his cheek. My hand tingled with heat and suddenly ignited with flames, slowly the skin underneath and around my hand began to blacken and burn. His skin crusted sickeningly and began to peel away like bark on a tree, releasing blood through the cracks.
Stop! NO!
I let go of him and he crouched to the ground. I was horrified with myself. How could I have done such a thing to an innocent human being?! How could this have happened? I looked at my hands, still ignited with green energy. With whatever conscious power I had, I forced into extinguish the flames in my hands. My body was unresponsive, they clenched into determined fists, countering the shaking fear I felt inside. I looked up at the driver of the cart, who was horrified with the sight that had played out before him. He urged his horse on, but his horse reared confusedly. I made a slicing movement in the air and the cart behind him exploded with fire. He tumbled out onto the ground and scrambled on the dirt fearfully, attempting to scuttle away.
I was there, with speed I never knew I possessed, my bare foot against his chest. He was shaking his head, tears in his eyes as his lips flapped with desperate words. I aimed my hand toward his head.
I didn't know how powerful my Chaos energy was until I saw what it did to him. It took only one blast of blinding light and his face was burned to undistinguishable blackness.
I left his disfigured body and continued down the road. Those who had seen me dropped their things to run away. I felt a surge of something malicious run through my veins.
This was not right.
I threw my hand to left, a energy beam slicing through the shops and setting fire to things inside, people ran out in terror. The fire towered victoriously over the terror-stricken townspeople.
Is this what the energy does to me?
I took a running start and lifted my hands to my sides. Great walls of green energy sped across the dirt, barreling through people with enough speed to knock them to the ground with a large burn mark on their body. The action left trenches on both sides of the road, steaming with darkened soil. I lifted a nearby cart as if it weighed the same as a sack of feathers and launched it clear into the market tents further in town.
This can't be what Chaos wants me to do!
Soldiers suddenly lined the road before me, swords and archers poised to strike. I held a steady stance, with fluid movements I set my arms before me as if I had many times before. I could feel the muscles in my arms and abdomen tense. Just as they began to charge, I began an unfaltering set of movements -my fist back, my body angled, then an outward twist. The energy inside me sparked in response, swelling and releasing from my fist in a huge wave. I pivoted to the other side and repeated, the next wave following the first only seconds behind. Both waves tore apart the line of soldiers and impacted with such great force, dust rose up from the ground in a large cloud.
This wasn't me. I never could have done such fluid movements, or released that much energy! I wasn't even sure I had Chaos power in me! I would never tear apart a town like this, or go against castle soldiers!
I was walking towards the cloud of dust before I knew it. Once near, a soldier jumped out of the dust cloud at me, wielding his sword. Had I truly been me, I would have cowered away, but instead I threw a beam to his chest and watched him fly back a couple feet and crumple to the ground. I went over to his body -his flesh now burned away in is abdomen to reveal bloody internal organs- and stoically took the sword from his lifeless hand.
I continued on again, further into the cloud, the sword tight in my right hand. Another soldier charged at me head on. I deflected his blade, twirled, and cut him where his shoulder and arm came together. He stepped back, I followed him as if we were in a dance. I drew back the sword swiftly and speared it straight through his chest. Spearing him was like spearing a sack full of tightly packed meat. It was thick and stayed stuck inside his chest until he slowly crumpled onto his back. His expression was what I predicted, pure astonishment-
Oh mighty Chaos...
Ice settled in the depths of my body.
The soldier's helmet had fallen off and the man who lay choking on his own blood with a sword sticking out of his chest, was Knuckles.
My heart sunk deep into my chest, my emotions exploding with such fear and guilt that I was jolted forward to my knees. All at once, a rush of sound blasted through the barrier of muteness that had surrounded me. I felt every inch of my body, from head to toe, ice cold and shaking. I was back in control.
But it was too late.
I gripped the handle of the sword and tugged at it to no avail. Knuckles moved with the sword in his chest, like a lifeless doll. I crawled closer to his face, tears streaming down my cheeks, all I could breath was needles as I watched his expression of pure shock sober into a blank expression. His mouth poured with dark liquid, pooling down the side of his pale face like water down glass. He didn't make a sound, but I could tell he was drowning -drowning in his own blood.
I didn't know if I was crying or just in complete paralyzed shock. I killed him. I killed my best friend, my brother, my protector -because I couldn't control my abilities.
Control. The word sizzled in my brain.
Knuckles's amethyst eyes darted in my direction, widening in horror as he looked at me. His stare gave me chills down my spine, a last desperate look of pure horror and disgust directed at me, his mouth wide open with blackness pouring out.
His lips moved slowly as he thickly gurgled the word, "Monster."
There was a pain through my heart and my head, like the beginning of a massive headache. Suddenly two soldiers were upon me, holding each of my arms as I kneeled on the ground. Before I could even begin to fight, a soldier stood over me, his face darkened under his helmet and a sword in his hand, shining in justification. In the moonlight I could make out dark blue quills, the emblem of the prince shining on his helmet. Then I saw the shape of his lips, hardened into a stoic line on his tan muzzle.
"Control," the word hissed in the air.
He swung back, a reflection of light flashing up his blade, then he swung with incredible speed across my neck. The pain began as a thin sharp pain, then my world exploded like a flash of light. How could he do this to me?
Sonic killed me.
I jolted to a sitting position, sweating and breathing heavily, my skin cold and clammy. I grasped my neck on instinct, feeling for a cut where Sonic had decapitated me. My hand shook against my neck. I gathered my thoughts once I felt nothing there. I looked around cautiously, slightly paranoid by what was around me. It was a tiny room, I was laying on a small bed, there was a small table nearby and a larger table against the opposite wall. A window and door led to another larger room. I wasn't familiar with the room but I didn't care. At least I was alone.
I wiped the sweat off my forehead and took a shaky breath, bringing up my legs to press my head against them.
Thank Chaos it was only a nightmare.
I was glad the turmoil was over, but I was disappointed I didn't get in any good sleep. I still felt exhausted. I went to rub my temples when I stopped short to look at my hand. I was still wearing training gloves... I touched my face, a flood of memories coming back to me. The skin on my cheek was tender and painful to touch, but thankfully it wasn't throbbing too much. I looked down at the pillow I was once laying on. I felt the pull of exhaustion just looking at the pillow, but the icy fear of having another nightmare was like a slap to stay awake. Just before I could decide wether or not I should get up and look for someone, the door opened.
The girl was about my age, maybe even a year or two older, she entered the room seemingly unaware that I was awake. In her hands was a wooden tray of utensils and bandages and bottles of creams. She set them down on the long table across from me. She looked at me from over her shoulder, her long wait-length blue locks brushing aside as she turned. She was a hedgehog by the shape of her ears and muzzle, and the short blue tail sticking out of her long dark red dress. A small crown was in her hair, but I didn't recognize it as a princess or lady's crown. Nor was it a healer's emblem -she sure didn't look like any of the healers I've seen. She was tall, curvaceous, with long hair flowing down her back, unlike the healers that pinned their hair up in a bun. And she wore a long elegant dress, unlike the robes the healers wore. I squinted more at her crown, it was thin and almost hidden in her thick light blue hair, but it was definitely of some kind of importance. I was suddenly more determined to learn where I was.
"Oh good, you're awake," she said in a sweet voice, "How are you feeling?"
I began to talk but was caught on the dryness of my throat, "F-Fine."
She busied herself with pouring various liquids into a bowl, "I've got something here for your dry throat, but I'm mostly worried about that bruise," she glanced at me over her shoulder, "and the reason you have that stricken look on your face."
I touched my face wearily, "Oh -ah- just a nightmare."
She set aside a small cup and began putting away her utensils. I noted the grace in her movements, the way she stood and the way she moved her things around. Very refined and graceful, things taught in a sophisticated environment. It was very possible she was a lady of the castle.
"Do you have these often or is this the first time?" She grabbed the cup and approached me, "There's a possibility those nightmares could be a result of head trauma."
She tilted her head at me, studying me. Her gentle blue eyes falling over the lines of my face. After a couple moments, she shook her head to clear her thoughts.
She knelt down to my level and mumbled under her breath, "I knew Shadow was rough but this?" She made a noise of disapproval, "He's going to get hell for this."
She handed me the small white cup filled with thick orange liquid, "Drink this. It will replenish your electrolytes and hydrate you. You lost a lot of that when you were training." She rose and went to the door, "I'll get you some water."
She was gone again and I was left in the silence of the small room. So I suppose she was a healer if she was mixing a remedy for my throat and talking about my condition. But why was her crown so different, and her attire so dignified? I sipped the liquid and scrunched my nose at the taste. It was a very strong orange flavor that left a bitter taste on my tongue, I was thankful it was in such a small quantity. I took another gulp.
She came back into the room with a large glass of ice cold water, "This should definitely rehydrate you," she set it on the small table next to me, "drink lots of water all day. A glass an hour should be enough to get you back to your normal energy level."
I downed the last of my orange drink, nearly gagging on the taste. I set the small cup aside and looked up at her.
"Thank you for this," I said.
She shrugged casually, "it's what I do," she took the small cup, "after all, I am the Master Healer."
I straightened at this, the realization suddenly hitting me. It should have been obvious. Blitz and Shadow were talking about her right in front of me before my training started.
I looked at her with wide eyes, "Aren't you supposed to be helping the king right now?"
She took a chair from underneath the larger table on the side of the room. She scooted it towards me and sat down, crossing her legs properly.
"It's kinda hard to help him when he's fast asleep," she said, looking me over with an amused eyebrow, "I suppose I could try another cardiovascular spell to replenish his blood flow," she mused for a moment, looking thoughtfully into the corner of the room. "But let me be the one to figure that out," her eyes switched to me, "The Chaos Guardian should have other priorities to tend to."
Our eyes met when she said my title. She was smiling at me with a beautiful white smile, one that made her look like a mature young woman. Her eyes glittered blue that popped against her blue fur. I smiled politely in return, trying not to be discouraged by her beauty.
"I'm Mistress Kiya, Master Healer of Solstice. I am very pleased to meet you, Miss Rose," she said.
I nodded at her, "Pleased to meet you too, Mistress Kiya."
I took a sip of water, allowing the silence to grow between us. Her eyes dropped to my cheek, examining it with squinted eyes. I looked around the room nervously, as she did so, looking for things to distract myself with.
"So this is the Healing Chamber?" I asked.
She snapped out of her daze, blinking profusely, "Oh. Yes it is," she turned in her chair to point at the window to the outside, "This is only one of the many private rooms in the Healing Chamber. Outside there is where the healers create remedies and pastes for the wounded and sick."
"How long have I been here?" I asked.
She turned back to me, "Almost 2 hours," she laughed a little to herself, "I had just arrived here to drop off some remedies I used on the king when Sonic came bursting through the door with you passed out in his arms." She shook her head in amusement at the thought, "His mouth was flapping but no words were coming out. I asked him what was wrong and he just stared at me. Then Shadow came through the door. Sonic pointed at him and said, 'he did it.'"
I giggled and she smiled with me, "Sonic said Shadow smacked you in the face with a staff. Shadow said he was teaching you concentration," her smiled sobered as she shook her head, "Don't let Shadow be too hard on you, I know he can be pretty...stoic."
I rose the glass to my lips, "You know him personally?"
Kiya's smile sharpened into a smirk, she said simply, "We used to date."
I nearly choked on my water. Shadow...dated?! The stone warrior didn't exhibit hardly any emotion, let alone love. For him to date this girl -this beautiful, sweet girl gifted with healing talents- seemed crazy.
"Oh," was all I could say in response.
"It was a mutual break-up," she assured me, "we realized we had nothing in common and broke it off peacefully."
I can't imagine what would have happened to her had she broken it off violently.
I couldn't help my curiosity, "was there a time when Shadow wasn't so stoic?"
She pursed her lips for a moment, "when he was younger he was more sympathetic. I think war and the death of his family has worn him down, though. And he has a addiction to fighting that he won't admit."
She got up out of her chair gracefully to wander as if sitting could not longer satisfy her. Her lengthy dress moved with her as she paced.
In a daze, she glided her hand across the table, looking out the window, "but I suppose that's where I found my interest. He was all adventure and strength, but still had the gentlemanly modesty and politeness of a castle Lord. He was always the same Shadow -from battlefield to dining room. He would always be level-headed."
"You said you two don't have anything in common, but you both worked on the battlefield," I pointed out, "isn't that something in common?"
She sighed a frustrated sigh, gripping the edge of the table, "but we had different roles. He was too caught up in his own adventure, I was looking to settle down after being out in battle so much with the wounded. But he wasn't ready to give up. He had a fire in his heart that couldn't be satisfied, not even by me."
She turned back to me, leaning against the table, "I always felt like I was in danger. I was the prime target if someone wanted to blackmail Shadow. Not to mention the fear of losing him on the battlefield was tearing me apart. I had to stop the relationship before the paranoia ate me alive."
"None of that was his fault though. Fighting for Solstice his his job," I said softly.
She gripped the back of the chair, "and I don't blame him. It is just not the life for me." She pinched the bridge of her nose as if suddenly realizing something. She sighed, "Sorry I just rambled on about my love life. It's been a long day." She waved her hand as if she could shoo away the frustration she was feeling, "Morale of the story: take into consideration the life you're getting into with your significant other. It's either a warning or an assurance."
I smiled at her, "Not a problem at all. I could use a normal conversation after what I've been through." I pointed to my swollen cheek.
She squinted her eyes at my bruise and swiftly sat in her chair in front of me. She placed her hand lightly under my chin and tilted my head to the side.
"I've read in my studies that the previous Chaos Guardians have had the miraculous ability to heal themselves," -I immediately tensed- "I figured your bruise would be at least a little faded by now."
Was this the unveiling of my fraud? She would surely go tell the king that I did not heal like a Chaos Guardian should. Their suspicion would mean the end of me, I could not prove I was a Chaos Guardian!
Someone cleared their throat, "sorry to bother you."
Kiya and I both looked up at the dark hedgehog in the doorway. He looked hesitantly between us and took another step into the room.
Kiya dropped her hand from my face and turned to him, "is something wrong with the king?"
Shadow looked at Kiya with a softer gaze. The lines of his face were relaxed, the angle of his eyes were less critical towards her.
"No, I came here for Amy," he said, his gaze shifting to me.
I was holding my breath anxiously. He only briefly dropped his gaze to my cheek.
"I think we need to take a different approach to your training," he said.
My heart dropped. More training? After everything he's put me through today he wants to put me through more?!
"Shadow, I don't think the poor girl can take any more physical effort-"
"It's not physical," Shadow said, cutting off Kiya, "it's just a history lesson."
The room was silent.
Shadow took a step toward the exit, "Follow me."
Although I was a little hesitant and confused on the entire subject, I wasn't about to fight Shadow for answers. I set the glass of water aside and stood up. Like a magnet, I felt myself wanting to collapse back onto the bed and fall asleep. A hot sensation spread in the palms of my hands, reminding me of why I couldn't go back to sleep. I clenched my fists and blinked to keep my eyes from closing.
"Thank you, Kiya," I said when I got to the doorway.
"No problem. I'll see you around," she said with a friendly smile.
I closed the door and followed Shadow down the hallway.
~ o ~ o ~
After minutes of silence between Shadow and I, the door to the small study finally opened. An orange fox -maybe sixteen- entered with two thick books in his hands. His eyes flicked up to meet Shadow, who was brooding behind the small wooden desk, looking impatiently at the fox.
The fox didn't seem fazed by his expression at all, "Here at those books you wanted, Shadow," he walked over and set the thick books on the table with a small thud. "I couldn't find the third one, though. I hope that's okay."
Shadow studied the covers of the books, "This will do for now," he slid a book closer to him and flipped open the cover with his index finger, "did you bookmark the pages I wanted?"
The fox nodded, then his eyes quickly flicked towards me, looking me over as if he wanted to take in every feature of me. I smiled politely at him -which was the only way I could cope with curious eyes. He smiled back with a boyish cuteness I would expect from the wide-eyed, orange furred fox.
"Thank you, Tails, that is all," Shadow said without even looking at him.
Tails look at Shadow for a long moment, then turned to me with a bright smile.
"You must be the new Chaos Guardian," he said, holding out his hand in greeting.
That hasn't been confirmed yet, I thought sourly to myself.
"Yes. I'm Amy," I said with a sweet smile, taking his hand.
"It's an honor to meet you. I'm the head librarian here in the Grand Library as well as the head engineer of the castle," he said.
My eyebrows rose, "Head engineer?"
The fox had to have only been sixteen years old. Most sixteen year old boys I knew were still laughing at disgusting things and fighting each other with large sticks. What could he have possibly done to make himself head engineer?!
His smile was unfalteringly bright as he spoke, "I rewired the castle with more efficient electricity and invented a speaker system in the Fey Colosseum that would amplify a voice from a small microphone."
My jaw dropped, "And how old are you?"
He smiled proudly, "turned sixteen three months ago."
To say the least, I was impressed. The passion in his bright blue eyes shone when he talked of his innovations. I smiled, admiring his passion.
"So you must be-"
"A genius," Shadow cut me off. He was leaning impatiently against the desk, his dark eyelids lowered in discontent, "yes, he is. He's also interrupting the history lesson I'm trying to give." His crimson eyes sharpened in Tails' direction.
The shock I felt that he had finished my sentence correctly kept me quiet. I only stared at Shadow.
He continued to stare steadily at Tails and said in an emotionless voice, "thank you. Now if you'd please." He nodded his head towards the door.
Tails' smile faded to a line of disappointment. He turned to me and nodded, "Nice to meet you."
I could only give him a thin smile back before he walked out of the study and shut the door behind him.
"Finally, we can begin," Shadow said in a monotone voice.
I sat down in the wooden chair in front of the desk. Shadow stood over the desk, his palms on the surface, pushing his weight on his hands. He slid forward a book -ancient and torn at the edges, the pages browning from the years. On the cover in faded ornate letters it said, "The Origins of Power."
"We will start with the Chaos Guardian's origins and the other celestial beings at work," he started flipping pages in the book.
"Wait." I said, putting my hand out to stop him from flipping the pages, "Other celestial beings? As in, there are beings assisting Chaos?"
Shadow looked up at me, his expression slightly amused.
"I suppose I should start with some general history then," Shadow said, closing the book. He sat down in the chair and leaned back, folding his arms across his broad chest.
"I'll start by telling you about the other three gods."
~ o ~
And done! I actually disliked this chapter. I felt I got no plot progress with it. :P
But we did meet Kiya and Tails so that's good! :D What's up with Amy and these nightmares? They're really intense. O-O
Other gods! You did not think it was just Chaos did you?! Muahahaaa!
Also, Amy isn't going to chase after Sonic? :o What is this!? She now wants to focus on trying to become a Chaos Guardian? Good girl...but what about the Sonamy?! You would think it would suffer...but Sonic will only want her more. ;)
How sexy was Shadow in his training uniform? Those muscles! *faints* And now he's going to be teaching her about history. What a guy.
IMPORTANT: Because I know some of you are anxious for the upcoming chapters, I'll be putting up deadlines for the next chapter on my profile. Be aware, the deadline may change. Hopefully this will help me put out things faster.
Okay! Thanks for reading! Blitz is out! :D