Sonic Rush: Next Generation
Naruto © Kishimoto
Heartless © Square Enix
Chapter Nine: Anything for Family
The scene opens to an overhead view of the prestigious South Kingdom, the worlds leading center of trades and exports. Once Sonic had accepted his duty as king following the Dark Ruler's defeat, his first order of business was to move South Island to the mainland. The cobalt hedgehog had planned this as both to expand the bonds with their allies and to give Sonic more opportunities to run away when things get too busy. South Kingdom was a modest city that was no bigger than Soleanna or Babylon Garden, despite its high-ranking profile. The city was nestled close to the shore of the Pacific Ocean with a large mountain looming above that also supported the porcelain-white castle. At the main entrance to South Kingdom, two guards wear uniforms adorned with the South Kingdom crest – a crimson phoenix in a ring of fire – were staring off into space in sheer boredom.
"That cloud looks like a saber-tooth." The porcupine guard pointed.
"The animal or the mutant?" The human guard asked.
"Is there a difference?" The porcupine shrugged.
"Wow, you father must not pay enough for protection, kid." A third, deeper voice sniggered.
At once, both guards jumped to their feet with battle ax and spear respectively – Sonic banned firearms from his kingdom – but where beaten to the punch as a covered sword was held to their throats. Kisame Hoshigaki could feel the Samehada in his hand shiver joyously at the fear radiating from the guards. With a superior smirk, the Monster of the Mist sheathed his weapon, allowing the guards to regain their defense. But just as they were prepared to take Kisame prisoner, Rush the Hedgehog stopped into view from behind Kisame with Karma, Mia and Cherry, and Jewel following him. Upon seeing the twin-colored hedgehog both guards lowered their weapons and bowed to him.
"Prince Rush." The porcupine guard said respectfully. "We've been waiting eagerly for your return."
"No eagerly enough." Rush said cockily, tapping his foot impatiently. "So...how's my dad handling me being gone for four days straight?"
"The king feels that you could have handled yourself just fine." The human guard proclaimed, standing in attention with his partner. But the queen is....a little....how do I say this....?"
"Pissed off?" Jewel said helpfully.
"No, it's worse, but we'll go with that." The human said quickly.
"That doesn't sound good." Mia laughed shakily. "We better tell her everything is all right before she calls the National Guard and the SWAT team....again."
Karma and Jewel – the hot-blooded echidna starting to warm-up – unknowingly shared a simultaneous thought. Was Rush's mother insane. Kisame merely sniggered knowingly and followed the youngest two members of the group into the streets of South Kingdom. Since Karma and Jewel were the only ones that have never visited the City of Legends, they were astonished by all the things what South Kingdom had to offer. Being the center of world trade, sixty percent of the area was covered with shops and merchants urging locals and travels to purchase their items. Kisame had to pull away his student before she was tricked into buying a mound of dirt shaped like a pig. After managing to survive the terrors of the market, Rush led his new team through the residential area of the city. Adult and children alike greeted Rush in an informal manner, which the twin-colored hedgehog preferred over his princely title. Few of the younger residence moved closer to get a closer look at Rush and Mia's newest friends, but backed away once catching sight of Kisame. This is one of the negative aspects of have shark-like skin and teeth. The team marched their way up the hill towards the castle – Kisame sulked over the names the children called him – and stopped in front of the twenty foot doorway.
"Ooh, big house." Karma said childishly
"It's called a castle, Karma." Kisame smirked to his protégée
"Ok, before we go in, let's get our stories straight." Rush said urgently to his friends. "I was on my way to deliver the package to Uncle Jet when I was suddenly ambushed by a swarm of Heartless ninjas. I bravely beat them all single-handedly until Kai snuck up behind me and knocked me out with a rock in the back of my head."
"Chao, chao." Cherry rolled his eyes.
"Just stick with it." Rush said exasperatedly. "Anyway. I woke up the next day in Naga's prison and bravely battled my way against an army of Nobodies when Mia showed up in the X-Tornado. We left short after I kicked Naga's teeth out, but the plane was damaged before we could escape. And that's why it took so long to come back."
"Where do Kisame and the others come in?"
"Actually, I didn't think about tha – AHH!!" Rush screamed as he turned.
The twin-colored was captured under the gaze of the only people he could never defeat: his parents. Sonic the hedgehog still resembled much of what he looked like before Rush's birth, including the wild quills and scar on his left cheek. His attire consisted of a sleeveless, red jacket with a golden zipper, red boots with white straps, a pair of white gloves, and a golden ring on his right ring finger. Amy rose had really slimmed down since her days of pregnancy, making her even more attractive with silky, waist-length hair. She had dressed herself in a rosy-red Chinese qipao dress, white formfitting pants, a pair of red/white slippers, and a golden ring on her right ring finger. And before the twin-colored hedgehog could make a mad dash for freedom, Amy grabbed her only son by the ear.
"You are in serious trouble, Rush Elliot the Hedgehog!!" Amy screeched.
"Elliot..." Jewel snorted under her breath.
"Ow! Mom, that hurts!" Rush whined.
"Well, it should!" Amy scolded angrily. "Do you have any idea how worried sick I was?! You'll be lucky if I don't spank you silly by the end of the day!"
"Now let's not go overboard." Sonic said collective, tearing his wife and son away from each other. "The important thing is that Rush is home safe and sound with Mia and some friend watching over him." He turned to Kisame and bowed respectfully, who returned the gesture. "Thanks for taking care of him Kisame."
"It wasn't my intention, but I was glad to help." Kisame said with a toothy grin. "When I first saw him, I never realized he was your son. But after all the trouble he cause with Maido, he reminded of you when you Pein during the Dark Siege's temporary reign."
"Maido the Cerberus?" Sonic said interestingly. "What was he....?"
"Daddy..."
The group went silent and turned to the doorway as a small figure edged cautiously around the edge. The unknown character looked between the newcomers and shiver slightly under Kisame's gaze, but stopped trembling when seeing Mia. And when she saw Rush, the tiny creature jumped out and charged for the twin-colored hedgehog. She was an nine year-old rosy-pink hedgehog with eight dangling quills that reached to her shoulders with the exception of one that reached down her spine. She wore a white sleeveless with red lines intersecting each other, a pair of red slacks with two vertical white lines on each side, a pair of plain white gloves, purple/white running shoes, and a charm bracelet on her left wrist. The little girl allowed a toothy smile to stretch across her features and jumped into Rush's waiting arms, who laughed as she tackled into her chest.
"Yay! Big brother's back!" The little girl cheered.
"Of course I'm back, Alina." Rush grinned mischievously, tickling his sister's stomach. "There's no way I could ever stay away from my favorite girl."
"S-s-stop i-i-it!" Alina laughed. "Yo-ou-r me-e-ean big bro-o-other!"
Even Amy, who was still furious at the older sibling, who not resist seeing her children so happy. Even Jewel, whose heart was as closed as stone, could not resist smiling at them – it still brought back horrible memories. But mixed in with all the laughter, Alina started coughing violently and breathed heavily into her small hands. Karma, Kisame, and Jewel watched worried as the hedgehog family, Mia, and Cheery moved closer to the little girl, looking worried that she might faint. And in the Mist Swordsman's eyes, that seemed like a possibility. Under his sharp gaze, Kisame noticed that Alina's skin was severely drained of natural color and her eyes seemed tired and out of focus. Shooing away his friends and family, Rush rested his sister's head on his shoulder and patted her back gently.
"We better get you back into bed, kiddo." Rush murmured softly.
"You promised me a story." Alina said tiredly.
"And it's a story you'll get." Rush said soothingly. "How about I tell you the one where I single-handedly defeated the evil Heartless Naga and saved the cute princess and her hothead of a brother."
Alina giggled lightly, coughing simultaneously. Rush's usual swagger seemed to have vanished that moment as he slowly carried his sickly sister into the castle. Mia, Cherry, and the parental hedgehog followed in his stead with Kisame stepping close behind them. Even Karma's happy nature seemed to be downcast and Jewel actually felt concerned for the first time. But unknown to the heroes, a small shadow swept across the high wall and over the barracks.
Over and hour later, the scene alternates to Alina's room inside the castle. The chamber had light-blue wallpaper covering the walls and star patterns on the ceiling that made it look like the night sky – Tails had made it to show actual shooting stars. Family photos were shown on a nearby table, toys were littered on one side of the room, and a four-posted bed rested at the head of the room. Alina was tucked under starry bedspread, smiling happily as Rush sat at her bedside and told his um....true story of defeating Naga. Mia and Cherry were peeking into the room from the doorway while Jewel was leaning against the wall – Kisame and Karma were currently speaking with the South Kingdom rulers.
"What's the story with the kid?" Jewel asked suddenly.
"Alina is Rush's little sister." Mia explained. "When she was born, she was perfectly health for the first week. But after that, Alina has been gravely sick for a long time – longer than even I could remember. At first, the doctors thought she was just recovering from the birth process until they realized that he condition was getting more critical everyday."
"More critical?" Jewel repeated worried.
"Chao, chao." Cherry nodded sadly.
"They found out that her heart rate and body temperature was getting dangerously low." Mia said mournfully; she seemed to be trying not to cry. "We've been giving her medicine that can make her as normal as possible, but she inherited Sonic's metabolism and makes it less effective than it should. When she began noticing how sick she was, we've just been telling her that she has a cold and needs to stay in bed. Despite this, she tries to act happy and cheerful."
"She doesn't even realize she's slowly dying." Jewel sighed deeply. "Poor kid."
"We're trying to make her as happy as possible." Mia stated.
Jewel felt a pang of equal part sympathy and jealous in her heart when looking back to the siblings. She was sympathetic because Rush could lose his sister, but jealous because at least she loves him. Both females and chao listened openly as Rush finished his story by explain how he 'heroically' saved Kisame from the malevolent Maido the Cerberus. Alina clapped cheerfully at the end of the tale and allowed herself to be tucked further into the covers. The older sibling brushed his fingers through her hair and gently kissed her forehead.
"Better get some rest, kiddo." Rush whispered softly. "When you get better, I'm taking you on an adventure across the border."
"Promise?" Alina asked innocently.
"Promise." Rush nodded.
With thoughts of possibly leaving the protective walls of the castle, Alina turned on her side and nuzzled her head into her red-silk pillow. Rush slowly backed out of the room and closed the door with a soft click. The twin-colored hedgehog's happy façade instantly diminished and slumped down to the ground with his face in his hands, sighing heavily.
"Are you going to be all right?" Mia asked, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"You know..." Rush said in a hollow voice. "That's about the only promise I've made that I would never be able to keep."
"You never know that." Jewel commented. "You could find..."
"Don't say we can find help!" Rush snapped; this is the first time Jewel has ever seen him angry. "The best doctors in the world have been trying to finds a cure for her and none of them have ever worked! Do you know what I see every night before I go to sleep?!" The other members of the team remained silent. "I always see her shaking and crying in her sleep – the look of pain on her face...."
"Rush..." Mia murmured softly as the hedgehog broke down into hysterical sobs.
"So you're just gonna give up like that?" Jewel scowled. "The great Rush the Hedgehog just admits defeat?"
"What the hell do you want me to do?!" Rush screamed, jumping to his feet. "I don't expect you to understand what my family is feeling! You could never know what it feels like to lose someone you love!"
That was the straw that broke the echidna's back. Without warning, Jewel thrusted her hand forward and latched it around Rush's throat, forcefully lifting him off the ground. Mia and Cherry panicked and tried to pry the hotheaded warrior's hand away, but Jewel was not budging. Rush and Jewel exchanged glares with one another. In was there, in her passionate-violet eyes, that the twin-colored hedgehog could see the truth: she did understand. Meanwhile, Alina was lying awake with her attention directed to the closed door, listening to every word they were saying. Ever since she was five, Alina had known the truth about her condition when she accidentally overheard the conversation between her parents and the doctor. The words still ringed in her minds after four years.
"We can provide her with the necessary medication to give her a few more years. But no one less than Dr. Butterfly can hope to cure this ailment. I afraid that she will die eventually.
Ever since then, Alina has taken the burden of trying to stay strong for her family and make them as happy as possible. But despite all this, it did nothing to stop the pains in her chest when ever she got excited or when she was sleeping. It was like this unknown virus was trying to make sure she was never happy. But Alina was not going to lose that battle. The little hedgehog heard a tweet coming from the open window and looked over to discover and palm-sized blue jay standing on the sill.
"Hello, Azul." Alina smiled. She held her hands open for the bird to land and nuzzled her nose against its beak. "How are you doing today? Guess what? My big brother came home today." The bird tweeted in response; Alina giggled. "Come on, he's not that much of an idiot. He's just a little – maybe you're right."
Alina gave a soft laugh and the blue jay known as Azul chirped in its own form of laughter. However, Azul suddenly stopped chirping and stared into the corner, where a lone shadow was drifted against the surface of the wall. Alina stared at the shadow with equal curiosity and jumped back in her bed with her hand closed over Azul as the shadow suddenly came to life. The dark being drifted closer to the four-poster bed with its long sword twitching in hand. The beast looked much like an angel of death with jet-black skin, a heart-shaped crown, a bladed tail, and a heart-shaped hole in its chest. The Invisible drifted closer to the bedridden hedgehog and slowly lifted its blade overhead.
"Rush...." Alina wheezed softly, coughing roughly. "Rush..."
But her voice was not loud enough to drift beyond the door way – she was as good as dead. Just as the Invisible swiped down its sword, the wooden doorway was rupture into fragments on the floor following the entrance of a red blur. Cherry the Chao made contact with the Heartless' forehead and forced the demon to stagger backwards, granting Jewel enough time to jump over and slam her fist into its face. While the Invisible smashed into the dresser across the room, Mia and Rush could dashed to his sister's side and lifted her into his arms – Azul chirped overhead.
"Alina, are you ok?" Rush asked worried.
"Rush..." Alina said; her breathing was heavy.
"Just get her out of here." Jewel snarled, reaching into her belt for the Shovel Claws. "Leave this abomination to me. I need to vent out my frustrations anyway."
On normal occasions, Rush would have made a joke about her short temper. But Alina's safety was a greater priority. The Heartless swordsman had suspected their plan and tossed its sword into the air at the very moment Rush turned to speed away. The long sword stabbed into the doorway and somehow formed a barrier of pure darkness, preventing the hedgehog siblings from exiting the room. Knowing it had trapped its victims, the Invisible drifted a foot above the ground and raised its tail forward, presenting the bladed edge. Jewel, still aggravated by Rush's earlier provocation, clasped the Shovel Claws forward and swiped at the Heartless swordsman. The Invisible stabbed its bladed tail in the path of the Shovel Claw, suddenly thrown off balance by the superior strength presented by the echidna. While still following in her motion, Jewel pressed her hands into the floor and thrusted her heel into the demon's chin, throwing it into the ceiling. While clearing its head of the flashing stars, which were actually part of the ceiling, the Invisible looked between the expectant Jewel the other children trying to escape.
"Come on, can't you work faster." Rush hissed, rocking Alina in his arms anxiously.
"Oh, I'm sorry!" Mia snapped sarcastically; she and Cherry were trying to pull the sword free. "Maybe you'd like to pry a two ton sword out of the ground. Really, I would have no problem!"
"Man, you two bicker like an old married couple." Jewel commented.
Rush sneered at the feminine warrior, which was the perfect moment for the blushing rabbit. This was the perfect opportunity. While Jewel was distracted by the different responses from her friends, the Invisible jumped down from its place and swiped its feet at the echidna's face. The hot-blooded female was thrown over Rush's head and landed in the four-poster bed, which collapsed over her. Swing its tail like a pendulum, the Invisible drifted closer to the remaining heroes while Jewel struggled to break free from the drapes. Sensing the danger for her friends, Mia stepped in front for Rush's aid and clutched Cherry securely into her palms. The technical rabbit pulled back her arm as far as she could go and rocketed the unusual creature for the Invisible's face. Unfortunately, the Heartless swordsman's movements were much faster and threw its claw out to grab the cherry-red chao. But at the last moment, Cherry activated his phantasmal and phased through the entire length of the Invisible's arm before emerging on the other side. Cherry uncurled in midair, checked himself over, and cheered happily that he was unharmed. He was thrown into the floor a moment later.
"Well, you've gotta give him credit for trying." Mia shrugged.
The Invisible growled at the children, leaving Rush in a compromise. He couldn't fight back with Alina in his arms, giving her to Mia would leave them both open, and she would be dead if placed on the floor. So as a last resort, the twin-colored hedgehog turned his back to the demon to shield his sister as the Invisible lifted its bladed tail. Fortunately enough, Azul the blue jay flapped wildly into its face and started pecking at the Invisible's eyes, evasively avoiding its hands. At that same moment, Jewel finally ripped her way out of the drape, panting heavily from the collective heat.
"Hey, hothead, catch!" Rush shouted.
"Wha?" Jewel slurred.
Before she knew it, the hot-blooded female was holding Alina in her arms. The twin-colored hedgehog dashed to the other end of the room with a burning rage present in his eyes – that monster was dead. Azul instantly fluttered out of the way once sensing the older sibling, leaving the Heartless Swordsman with a bloody eye. And to the unknowing demon, Rush skipped off the ground and swiped his foot across the Invisible's face, sending it spiraling it the ground. But the twin-colored hedgehog wasn't going to let it off that easily – not a chance. Once rebounding off the ground, Rush threw both his legs forward and smashed his heels into the demon's forehead, thrusting the beast into the wall. And for the coup de grace, Rush curled himself into his ball form and remained in place for a few shot moments, collecting energy as the Invisible slowly staggered upwards. Hatred filled the hedgehog and unconsciously inherited a white aura around him – only Jewel faintly noticed it. The twin-colored hedgehog threw himself forward with his father's signature Spin Dash and slammed into the Invisible's hollow chest with a sickening crunch. The force of the impact blast open the wall and tossed the Invisible into the corridor, leaving Rush panting heavily in frustration in the gap.
"And that's why..." Rush gasped tense. "You shoulder never...piss me off."
"Rush, are you ok?" Mia asked worried.
"As long as Alina is safe." Rush said tiredly.
"What was that just now?" Jewel thought curiously. "I haven't seen a power like that since.....since that mongoose girl showed up four months ago. I wonder if..."
"Rush..." Alina moaned weakly.
The children looked back to Alina, who was now coughing much more vigorously than before. The Invisible slowly emerged from the rubble and discreetly kept itself hidden until it was certain to had a chance. It was not going to waste this opportunity. Recalling its lengthy blade with its mind, the Invisible erupted from the rubble and swiped the sword from the air. Clearly catching the children by surprise, the Invisible lunged forward and swiped its blade downwards.
"Sonic Wind!!"
At the call of his signature technique, Sonic appeared from seemingly nowhere with a sphere of cerulean-blue Chaos Energy in his open hand. The Heartless was barely able to register the events that passed before its face was ripped to shreds by the miniature hurricane. The cobalt king stopped in front of the children as the Heartless faded into nonexistence long before Amy, Kisame, and Karma charged down the corridor.
"See, I told ya Samehada could feel evil in the castle." Kisame sniggered. "And that proves it wasn't me for once."
"I knew it wasn't you, Mr. Fishy." Karma commented cheerfully.
"I told you not to call me that!!" Kisame snarled.
"Are you kids all right?" Amy asked concerned, looking them over for injuries. "At the very least you haven't taken any serious injuries. I guess that means we won't have to take another trip to the hospital."
"I wouldn't be too sure of that." Jewel murmured fearfully.
The group looked over their panic-stricken friend before looking down at her arms, where most of her attention was directed. Alina looked calm and peaceful, despite all the trauma that had surrounded her. But Sonic quickly kneeled close to his only daughter and took the rosy-pink hedgehog into his arms – his body was shaking frantically. And when looking closer to his sickly sister, Rush realized the horrible truth: Alina had stopped breathing.
The scene alternates to the South Kingdom Medical Care one hour following the event at the castle. The crew had quickly deposited Alina into the care of the medical staff, who had quickly cleared their schedule to help the princess. Once the rosy-pink hedgehog had disappeared beyond the doors, the heroes had no choice but to wait. Rush and Sonic were more in tuned than usual as they paced back and forth in the hall, literally creating a ditch in the floor. Amy was too distraught at her daughter's health that she didn't have the heart to stop them. Mia and Cherry were trying to cheer up the concerned mother while Jewel leaned solemnly against the wall. Kisame and Karma had left South Kingdom only moments after seeing that Alina made it to the hospital safely. And after a long period of waiting, a wasp doctor emerged from beyond the doorway, attracting the attention of friends and family.
"How is she, doc?" Sonic asked instantly.
"It's hard to say." The wasp responded. "We've tried every medical practice available. The excitement from what you had described intensified the pressure of the virus, spreading the contamination further into her systems. We've tried giving her sedatives to prolong the spread, but her immune system is rejecting them."
"What does that mean?" Jewel questioned.
"Unless Dr. Butterfly suddenly walks into this building, Alina will be dead in sixty hours." The wasp answered mournfully.
All was silent – not even the chirps of the carefree birds could disturb the bubble. Immediately, dread and fear washed over them that Amy could no longer keep her emotions in check. The rose daughter jumped into her husband's arms and wailed with agony into her shoulder. Cherry dropped to Mia shoulder in sadness, who looked down at the ground, and Jewel merely looked out the window indifferently. But Rush seemed to take this news the worst.
"You're...you're lying..." Rush moaned, clenching his fists. "I promised her...we were going to have adventures together..."
"I'm sorry, son." The wasp said sympathetically. "If I could only..."
"You're lying!" Rush screamed, making everyone jump. "She's going to be better! She's going to be fine!"
But denying the truth wasn't going to help. The twin-colored hedgehog turned on his heels and dashed out of the hospital with drops of water flying in his wake. He didn't bother to say sorry to everyone he pushed aside or waited to explain to the guards why he was leaving the city. All that matter was to get as far away from the truth as possible – away from all the pain. Why did Alina had to suffer for everything? She was always innocent and kind. Why did she deserve such a fate? The twin-colored hedgehog did not pay attention to where he was going and tripped on an exposed root, falling flat on his face. But that didn't matter to him anymore – nothing mattered at all. He just wanted to lie there and die in place of his sister. Maybe death would accept his soul and let his sister stay.
"Why...?" Rush sobbed into the grass. "Why...?"
"Reality can be such a harsh and cruel thing." The hedgehog sat up as Naga the Snake stepped out of the shadows. "But these are the facts that we must face. Those we love will eventually die and there is nothing we can do to save them."
"You...!" Rush growled angrily; Naga noticed the white aura. "You are the reason for all this!"
"I will admit that I was trying to agitate you." Naga nodded. "But I had no clue of your sister's condition. It is unfortunate."
"Shut up!" Rush screamed. "You don't give a damn about her! You don't know the pain she is suffering! I don't know how, but I know all this can be traced back to you!"
Consequently, I can't." Naga said smoothly. He cautiously moved closer to the hedgehog and kneeled down, resting a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. "I cannot tell you what it feels like to lose someone ou love because I've never really loved anyone. No even King, the man who raised me."
"I-it's..." Rush wept openly. "It's n-n-not fa-air. W-why he-e-er?"
"I have never been one to comfort those in need." Naga grinned, exposing his fangs and pointed teeth. "But what if I said I know of a way that can save your sister."
"I'd say you're lying." Rush glared, wiping away his tears.
"I am many things, but I am always a man of my word." Naga stated pointedly. "I have investigated a similar disease for months and have developed a way to counteract the sickness." Rush looked at him with hope. "But I am not simply going to hand over the cure to my archenemy. Quite the contrary, I want you to do something for me."
"How can I trust you?" Rush questioned.
"The real question is, Rush." Naga chuckled sadistically. "Can you afford not to trust me?"
Tragedy strikes at the hearts of the bravest. Will Rush partner himself with Naga to save his sister? Will Alina suffer a most horrible death? And what is the true source of his unknown virus? Find out on the next Sonic Rush!
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