Darkest Before Dawn
Chapter 12
Tails' POV
I kept a close eye on Kage as we traveled through the forest terrain. He seemed to trust me because he was walking in front of me without ever turning around, but I could tell he was watching me. I could make a break for it, but the older kitsune in front of me was far more advanced than me in every category of physical strength. He could catch me in an instant. It wasn't worth the risk.
I looked over to Meep, who was gathering sticks happily, to keep my mind on something. And to think, I thought I trusted that little fur ball! No, he just goes and hands me over to Kage. Stupid Chao.......
There was a positive side to all this though: Even though Kage thought he had me, I really had him. Now he couldn't avoid my questions unless he wanted to leave me behind. This hostage situation might be a blessing in disguise. I had a feeling I was going to learn more about Shikyo with this black kitsune than I ever would in the secure doors of Hatsu Palace.
I set my sights on Amy, who had not moved an inch on Kage's shoulder. Even though she laid perfectly still, her face told you that wherever she was in her dream world, it wasn't too happy. She had a disturbed expression across her face as she mumbled out things I couldn't even understand.
I started to think. When was the last time I had seen Amy...? Well, the day I was sick and was sent home from school was May 13 and now it is the 23. Ten days, and only 3 were spent in Hatsu Kingdom. Was I just laying there for the other 7 days? Well, it has been at least ten days since I had seen the pink hedgehog. I slowly remembered that she was worried when the teacher took me out of the room to go to the nurse, but what we were talking about before Math class was blurry. Slowly, everything started to come back to me:
~ F ~ L ~ A ~ S ~ H ~ B ~ A ~ C ~ K ~
"I'm not giving you any more money," Amy protested. The narrow school hall was filled with student's passing to get to their next period class. I had pulled Amy aside to ask her if I could borrow some lunch money.
"Oh, why not?" I asked her.
"You never pay me back!" She answered. "What do you owe me now? 10 dollars. No, let's make that 20 for interest!"
"Interest?" I muttered, "What are you? A tax collector?"
"Yes. Thanks to you." She flipped her head up into the air and started to walk away while saying, "Good day, Tails." I was stupid enough to follow her.
"Come on, Amy!" I pleaded. "I'll – I'll do your homework tonight."
"I don't trust you," she answered.
"Please, Amy!?"
"NO, TAILS!"
"Am---!"
She slapped me, "Just die, why don't you!?" Then she hurried her way to our Math classroom.
~ P ~ R ~ E ~ S ~ E ~ N ~ T ~
"Smooth," Kage told me.
I shot a glare at him, "Stop getting into my personal thoughts."
"Oh, but its fun!" He told me. He decided to change the subject when it looked like I was going to choke him, "This pink hedgehog... what's her name?"
I looked to Amy, "Amy, Amy Rose."
He nodded solemnly, "All right, all right. Well, stupid Amy was out in this forest trying to defend herself from Shikyo's puppets all by herself. When I saved her – and almost killed her, I guess – she told me -."
"Almost killed her?"
I met Kage's glare, "I'm talking."
I moved back a bit.
"Anyway, before you rudely interrupted, she told me she was looking for a 'Sonic Team'. She said they disappeared at a guy named Eggman's house. The house supposively collapsed I guess and none of their bodies were ever found. Knothole's doing a big search for 'em all. I think all of them are dead though... except for you two."
"Sonic can't die," I protested.
He chuckled, "Oh, in the hands of Shikyo, ANYONE can die."
After that no one, except for Meep who had seen none of the conversation whatsoever, talked. Kage was whistling a tone as we walked, but never said a word of the song. The more I listened to it, the more I realized something: that was the Nightingale song! It had to be a coincidence... But then I realized nothing anymore was a coincidence... I was about to ask him where he knew it from, but –
^A lovely song, isn't it?^ the voice asked. ^You never answered my question the last time...^
'What do you want now?' I asked, getting straight to the point.
^I want what I've always wanted, Miles...^
I didn't say anything. I noticed my head was beginning to hurt again and my vision was getting blurry. I shook it off.
^You two can't run away....^
"Come on, runt," Kage quickly interrupted, "there's a stream over here."
I nodded. I remembered that he could hear Shikyo too. I wonder if he had heard her last remark... if it was to both of us.
We went through some bushes to reveal a small stream running across the forest landscape. Kage sat Amy down by a tree and then began to fill his water bottle with water from the creek.
"Kage..." I muttered.
He looked to me, "What, runt?"
"Where are we going?"
He sat down. "Well, if I tell you you'll have to figure out, you would just keep bothering me until I told you, right?"
I nodded. "Yessir."
"We're going to my village."
I tilted my head in confusion, "But the doctor said that your village went under Shikyo's spell a couple days ago and now thinking about it.... you're the only survivor."
He laughed. "Stupid runt. That wasn't my village."
"So you were visiting?"
"I was passing by. My village is in the forests of Mount Meteor."
"What would you're village know about Shikyo?"
He smirked, "Now that's just something you're going to have to figure out for yourself because until we make it there, that's classified information."
"MEEP! MEEP, MEEP, MEEP!" Meep cried, flying right into Kage's head.
Kage groaned, "What now, annoying fur-ball?"
"MEEP, MEEP, MEEP, MEEP, MEEP! MEEP!" He cried terrified, pointing to the west. He went around in circles.
Kage stood up slowly. "Runt, go over to the hedgehog."
"Why?"
He glared at me, "I told you so, that's why."
I decided not to argue with him so I scurried over next to Amy Rose. Kage threw me over his kantana in its holder. "Hold on to that. You might have to use it." Then with that a small box appeared and floated in his hand. Soon it was a giant sickle.
Meep looked now as though he did when Kage commanded him to grab me.
And out of the forest came a white rabbit covered in its own and others blood. Then I noticed something particular about it. It had a piece of glass through its stomach.
Sorry this took me so long. I've had things to do (I do have a life you know). Review please. Thanks!
Tails' POV
I kept a close eye on Kage as we traveled through the forest terrain. He seemed to trust me because he was walking in front of me without ever turning around, but I could tell he was watching me. I could make a break for it, but the older kitsune in front of me was far more advanced than me in every category of physical strength. He could catch me in an instant. It wasn't worth the risk.
I looked over to Meep, who was gathering sticks happily, to keep my mind on something. And to think, I thought I trusted that little fur ball! No, he just goes and hands me over to Kage. Stupid Chao.......
There was a positive side to all this though: Even though Kage thought he had me, I really had him. Now he couldn't avoid my questions unless he wanted to leave me behind. This hostage situation might be a blessing in disguise. I had a feeling I was going to learn more about Shikyo with this black kitsune than I ever would in the secure doors of Hatsu Palace.
I set my sights on Amy, who had not moved an inch on Kage's shoulder. Even though she laid perfectly still, her face told you that wherever she was in her dream world, it wasn't too happy. She had a disturbed expression across her face as she mumbled out things I couldn't even understand.
I started to think. When was the last time I had seen Amy...? Well, the day I was sick and was sent home from school was May 13 and now it is the 23. Ten days, and only 3 were spent in Hatsu Kingdom. Was I just laying there for the other 7 days? Well, it has been at least ten days since I had seen the pink hedgehog. I slowly remembered that she was worried when the teacher took me out of the room to go to the nurse, but what we were talking about before Math class was blurry. Slowly, everything started to come back to me:
~ F ~ L ~ A ~ S ~ H ~ B ~ A ~ C ~ K ~
"I'm not giving you any more money," Amy protested. The narrow school hall was filled with student's passing to get to their next period class. I had pulled Amy aside to ask her if I could borrow some lunch money.
"Oh, why not?" I asked her.
"You never pay me back!" She answered. "What do you owe me now? 10 dollars. No, let's make that 20 for interest!"
"Interest?" I muttered, "What are you? A tax collector?"
"Yes. Thanks to you." She flipped her head up into the air and started to walk away while saying, "Good day, Tails." I was stupid enough to follow her.
"Come on, Amy!" I pleaded. "I'll – I'll do your homework tonight."
"I don't trust you," she answered.
"Please, Amy!?"
"NO, TAILS!"
"Am---!"
She slapped me, "Just die, why don't you!?" Then she hurried her way to our Math classroom.
~ P ~ R ~ E ~ S ~ E ~ N ~ T ~
"Smooth," Kage told me.
I shot a glare at him, "Stop getting into my personal thoughts."
"Oh, but its fun!" He told me. He decided to change the subject when it looked like I was going to choke him, "This pink hedgehog... what's her name?"
I looked to Amy, "Amy, Amy Rose."
He nodded solemnly, "All right, all right. Well, stupid Amy was out in this forest trying to defend herself from Shikyo's puppets all by herself. When I saved her – and almost killed her, I guess – she told me -."
"Almost killed her?"
I met Kage's glare, "I'm talking."
I moved back a bit.
"Anyway, before you rudely interrupted, she told me she was looking for a 'Sonic Team'. She said they disappeared at a guy named Eggman's house. The house supposively collapsed I guess and none of their bodies were ever found. Knothole's doing a big search for 'em all. I think all of them are dead though... except for you two."
"Sonic can't die," I protested.
He chuckled, "Oh, in the hands of Shikyo, ANYONE can die."
After that no one, except for Meep who had seen none of the conversation whatsoever, talked. Kage was whistling a tone as we walked, but never said a word of the song. The more I listened to it, the more I realized something: that was the Nightingale song! It had to be a coincidence... But then I realized nothing anymore was a coincidence... I was about to ask him where he knew it from, but –
^A lovely song, isn't it?^ the voice asked. ^You never answered my question the last time...^
'What do you want now?' I asked, getting straight to the point.
^I want what I've always wanted, Miles...^
I didn't say anything. I noticed my head was beginning to hurt again and my vision was getting blurry. I shook it off.
^You two can't run away....^
"Come on, runt," Kage quickly interrupted, "there's a stream over here."
I nodded. I remembered that he could hear Shikyo too. I wonder if he had heard her last remark... if it was to both of us.
We went through some bushes to reveal a small stream running across the forest landscape. Kage sat Amy down by a tree and then began to fill his water bottle with water from the creek.
"Kage..." I muttered.
He looked to me, "What, runt?"
"Where are we going?"
He sat down. "Well, if I tell you you'll have to figure out, you would just keep bothering me until I told you, right?"
I nodded. "Yessir."
"We're going to my village."
I tilted my head in confusion, "But the doctor said that your village went under Shikyo's spell a couple days ago and now thinking about it.... you're the only survivor."
He laughed. "Stupid runt. That wasn't my village."
"So you were visiting?"
"I was passing by. My village is in the forests of Mount Meteor."
"What would you're village know about Shikyo?"
He smirked, "Now that's just something you're going to have to figure out for yourself because until we make it there, that's classified information."
"MEEP! MEEP, MEEP, MEEP!" Meep cried, flying right into Kage's head.
Kage groaned, "What now, annoying fur-ball?"
"MEEP, MEEP, MEEP, MEEP, MEEP! MEEP!" He cried terrified, pointing to the west. He went around in circles.
Kage stood up slowly. "Runt, go over to the hedgehog."
"Why?"
He glared at me, "I told you so, that's why."
I decided not to argue with him so I scurried over next to Amy Rose. Kage threw me over his kantana in its holder. "Hold on to that. You might have to use it." Then with that a small box appeared and floated in his hand. Soon it was a giant sickle.
Meep looked now as though he did when Kage commanded him to grab me.
And out of the forest came a white rabbit covered in its own and others blood. Then I noticed something particular about it. It had a piece of glass through its stomach.
Sorry this took me so long. I've had things to do (I do have a life you know). Review please. Thanks!
