TYEEB
(Shadow)
This is weird. Way past weird.
I feel my eyes are closed shut, and yet I can still see as if they were
completely open. I see Dr. Quack's face, filled with abject loss, wheeling me
on a roll bed, or something like that, the same thing they use when they're
wheeling people into operation. There are several of his assistants, looking
just as mournful.
They say I have no feeling, but I could feel them putting a tag of identity on
my toes, the sheet….the shroud…over my head. Now I can feel my body
react to the bumps in the makeshift floor of the office. I'm supposed to know
no more pain, but my back is aching from the jolting.
I know my heart's stopped, ripped apart, and my body's stiff to the touch, but
I still feel warm from where the bullet hit me. I feel something within me is
keeping me alive somehow, even in one place, even though the rest of my
body's gone and I'm really dead like they say I am.
This doesn't feel like death. This feels like something totally different. I'm
not supposed to be here, period. I'm supposed to be walking towards the light.
I'm supposed to be looking down from the sky. But I'm looking up, at the bright
lights of a coroner's table, and my unfeeling body can feel the poking of a
satchel as it searches for the right place to cut me up.
Is this really death for me? Or am I just…sleeping?
For some reason, more than ever, I wonder why these lights aren't charring my
skin to the blackest black. It feels like the pallor of death just isn't what
I'm supposed to wear, that donning the darkest color of life's colored
palindrome is the way I'm supposed to look.
---------------------------------
The steps up to Hikawa seemed far steeper than they had been for Locke.
Urrgh…. Locke looked at the ground. I don't feel good…
"Princess." Star Healer looked at Kakyuu as the group of Starlights,
Mars and Locke, still in fighting mode, proceeded up the steps. "Forgive
me, but I believe your decision to fight was incredibly rash."
"You could have been killed, princess." Maker glanced at the echidna
without his noticing. "There are many things you must watch out for. Many
things."
Princess. The word grated into Locke's head. All this time, a
princess. From another world. Yet I must have acting so foolish in front of
her….me, a man of my age, foolish!
"But I wasn't killed." Kakyuu sighed. "Starlights, I do not
understand you. I am a strong soldier as well. I can fight my own battles. Must
you always be so overprotective of me?"
"But there is always a battle that might be too much for you," Maker
objected.
"Come come, Healer, Maker!" Kakyuu tossed her head. "What if I
wished to help those who have helped me in all of my years? Am I not allowed to
at least be given that luxury?"
No one said another word as the group proceeded to the top of the steps. As
they approached the shrine, lights were suddenly turned on.
"Oh no…" Mars turned to the others. "Quick! Hurry! Un-transform
bef-"
"My goodness!"
With a gasp, Mars turned to see George Fortinbras coming towards them from the
door.
"Well, well, staying up was a good idea, no?" With a chuckle. "I
say, but it is quite chilly for that getup of yours….."
He suddenly stopped cold.
"What in…?" He began to stare. "What is….that?!"
The Starlights looked at one another, their ruse found out; first Healer at
Maker, then Maker at Fighter, and then Fighter up towards the sky. Then they
looked down upon Fortinbras' object of posterity. The object of posterity, in
turn, realized his mistake and looked down at the ground.
"In the name of Saint James…" Looking up from the echidna, Fortinbras
looked up to his three aides, now dressed scantily for reasons he had not yet
identified. "What is going on?!?"
-------------------
Sally couldn't bear to look up from the ground.
Sonic…. She felt tears come to her eyes each time she thought of him. Why….why
did this happen…
"It's all my fault."
"Princess?" Julie-Su, who sat next to her, looked at her.
"If I had seen that guy aiming for me, he'd be alive."
"That's ridiculous." Knuckles' low voice came in. "You could
never have known. It's not your fault."
"It is, Knuckles. And don't you argue that it isn't."
Knuckles gave another sigh. He leaned against the tent pole, the siding swaying
softly in the breeze as the Mobian sun began its exodus to dusk for the second
time since he had returned.
It felt strange, almost ethereal, to him, watching the sun set the first time.
It was when he had stormed off to prove himself to his mother. It was when no
one in the town except for Tails (whom, he felt, was acting unnerving and
strange lately - the news of Sonic's abrupt death did not seem to even touch
him when he was informed) had recognized him. Once again, the sun set, and it
seemed more painful because the idea of the sun setting now meant so much more
than just a daily, physical event. Yet another person he knew was dead. His
sun, just like those who had died on the Island on that horrible day…their suns
had set, crossed into another, more invisible setting, the endless, eternal
twilight, a world of moonset, night and peace…their new domicile.
Perhaps, Knuckles suddenly found himself thinking. Perhaps Sonic's
spirit could visit us in this world. The Brotherhood could. Maybe…..no… his
more conventional thought prevailed. It wouldn't be possible. Only Guardians
can ascend and evolve. It's in our constitution, revealed when Steppenwolf
created the Brotherhood. And Sonic…
"Knuckles!!"
From outside came Lara-Le, who promptly went to the echidna and latched herself
onto him.
"My god!" Lara-Le looked up. "I heard what happened……are you all
right?"
"Yeah, mom." Knuckles replied quietly. "I'm fine."
"Now."
"Hmm?" Knuckles turned towards the princess. "What?"
"The truth, Knuckles." Sally, who had only spoken in a
self-depreciatory manner since carrying Sonic's body to Dr. Quack, now stood up.
"About what happened on the Island. And what happened to you."
"The truth…"
Tell them? They won't believe me. Never.
'Hey, well, after that group of Overlanders in the vision slaughtered everyone
on the Island, I was taken prisoner, tortured and brainwashed by an immortal
freak so I could go to another planet, through a warp hole that was
conveniently in the airspace that the Island was moving that day, and destroy
it with the power of their seven Chaos Emeralds! Only when the guy went
to destroy the planet this girl who had this gem called the Silver Crystal came
and not only stopped the seven emeralds, she covered the earth with her power
to cleanse it, and golly gee, I think some of that power came here and cleansed
you guys too! Now I'm back because I thought this place was long gone
cause we slept for about a thousand years and aged as a result of the energies
we were exposed to, and wow, nothing changed! Oh, and did I forget to mention
Dad can become a human now, he thinks you're all dead and he's in love with
that girl who saved the world and that's why he's not with me? Ho ho ho!'
Knuckles gave a breath.
"…is hard to accept."
"Is it?"
"Yes." Knuckles looked at Bunnie. "If I told you, I don't think
you would believe me."
"At this point, I'm sure that what you have to say is believable."
Sally sat down in a chair across from the guardian. "Tell us."
With a look of resignation, Knuckles turned to Julie-Su. The pink echidna
simply shook her head.
"There's really no turning back at this junction, Knuckles…"
"Very well…" Knuckles took a deep breath. "I'll simply start
with what you saw…what you could understand. That was when a group of renegades
known as Mafia came to the island…"
-----------------------------
"Un….unbelievable…"
Eyes wide, Fortinbras simply set down his bowl of rice, staring at Locke.
"Is this to be believed?"
"It is the truth." Locke, back in human form, muttered. "Every
drop of words."
"If this is true…that our planet is experiencing an artificial
disaster…" Fortinbras looked at Rei. "Why does your leader not
reverse it?"
"Our leader isn't here to do it." Rei sipped some homemade tea.
"She's gone into the distance of space to acquire and control the power
needed for the birth of the sacred land. This city, Tokyo."
"The aging is merely only a by-product of the cleansing power that she
unleashed to counter
the emeralds." Locke looked up. "There could be much more,
information I do not know of. But the destruction is not necessarily from the
Silver Crystal - it is from the Cha….the Philosopher Stones."
"Jesus H…" Fortinbras chuckled sadly, shaking his head. "Within
the course of an hour my stance on witches, aliens and every other conceivable
myth has been wholly shattered by people who either speak the brutal truth…or
experiencing the world's most horrifying acid trips."
Locke looked confusedly at Rei, then at Kakyuu, who simply smiled and shrugged.
From the corner of his eye, Fortinbras noticed Yaten and Taiki staring at the
red-haired man who sat across him with expressions that could not be described
any less as cold glares of apprehension.
"Well, well…" Turning his eyes to Locke, whose eyes were cast down
towards his own food. "You seem to be a good man…or, whatever you are…to
be around in a situation like this-"
"Are you married?"
Taiki's blunt question came from left field. Seiya's eyes bulged as soon as the
words left her partner's mouth.
"I beg…"
"It is a question I wish to ask, ambassador." Taiki looked back
towards the seemingly frozen echidna-man. "Are you married? Or ever
married?"
"…………I am not married…not anymore." Locke didn't look up from his tea
as he spoke in a quiet, almost forced voice. "My first wife and I are
divorced for 14 years."
"Figures why."
Kakyuu shifted uncomfortably as Taiki stood up and excused herself from the
room. Yaten then stood up and followed suit, leaving Seiya alone on the couch.
"You…you'll have to excuse my partners, Locke." Seiya embarrassingly
nodded her head down. "They are…slightly tired from the battle and…they
are a bit cranky."
"Of….of course…"
Locke could feel his teeth grit as his body stayed rigid in the position it had
taken. It was not so much the personal humiliation he had suddenly been dealt
by Seiya's seemingly insult-happy partners, as it was another, increasingly
sharp pain in his side. This one, however, ripped into his abdomen into his arm
with the old injury, preventing him from sitting up straight.
"Locke…?"
"Forgive me." The pain subsided, not completely, but enough for Locke
to fake in front of Kakyuu. "I'm slightly cold. A walk will do me
well."
Excusing himself, he left as well, leaving Fortinbras, Rei, Kakyuu and Seiya.
"Well!" Shaking his head, Fortinbras stood up. "I seem to pick
the feisty ones, eh, Seiya?"
There was no reply from the black-haired woman, and Fortinbras hastily changed
the topic.
"Interesting…learning experience," he managed to chuckle. "For
me, of course…"
"…..and of course, you'll do good not to repeat what we told you to
another soul outside this room, George Fortinbras?" Rei sipped her tea
again.
"Miss Hino…" Fortinbras gave a hasty bow. "I am a diplomat for
Her Majesty Elizabeth of the British Empire. I never enjoyed the luxury of the
impartation of information made to me in confidence. I assure you that if a
peep escapes from this room it will not have come from my sealed lips."
With a nod to Kakyuu, the Briton left the room. The moment he left a chuckle
suddenly came from Seiya, her shoulders hunched.
"Star Fighter…" Rei put down her tea.
"'Feisty…'" Seiya looked up at Kakyuu, her teeth clenched, eyes
blazing. "Their nerve. Their nerve."
"It is all right, Seiya." Kakyuu looked down. "Yet I certainly
hope he was not offended."
"Offended or no, princess." Seiya looked up. "They had no right
to ask such a personal question in such a fashion."
"Oh, Seiya..." Kakyuu stood up. "They are…..they are just being
foolish. I will talk to them."
"I would understand if he was a true menace, princess." Seiya turned
towards the door. "But he's not. And save your breath for people with more
respect for your thoughts and feelings," she continued as Kakyuu opened
her mouth. "I will talk to them."
Without another word, Seiya left the room.
--------------------
"Durr!!"
The knife flipped up unexpectedly, almost snapping in half in Dr. Quack's
hands. He suddenly jumped back, grunting in pain as the knife clattered to the
ground.
"Son of..!!"
The sheet went over the subject immediately. Dr. Quack turned his eyes away
from the wound as he hurriedly went to the makeshift sink, turning the water
on. Turning back for a moment, he stared at his subject. The bullet was lodged,
stuck, tangled somehow just under the layers of skin and dried blood on the
hedgehog's chest.
Urrgh…
The stinging began as his hand went under the water. Fumbling with the cabinet
with the aid of his good hand, the doctor-turned-coroner took out some
anti-septic and a bandage box before looking down to see the extent of the
damage.
Of all the… Some of the embalming fluid had come up with the knife, as
there was a sticky foam around parts of the widened stab wound. This is the
third knife in an hour. I can't get the bullet out or deepen any of my
incisions- its almost like the body is completely hardened. I don't understand
it at all…
With another angry huff, Dr. Quack wiped the antiseptic on his hand, wrapped
his hand, and scanned the counter for a scalpel. He had run out of knifes.
As he finally spotted one, a snapping noise caught his attention.
"Hmm?" Dr. Quack's attention immediately went towards the door.
"Who's the-"
His question was followed by a shout as a short figure quickly snapped the tent
closed.
"Hey!" The duck's feet quickly reacted. "Stop! You're not
allo-"
He stopped as he opened the flap. There was no one there. He took several
swipes to the left and right, but it was as if there had been no one there.
Strange…. Dr. Quack shuddered nervously. But a good thing they left.
For a moment…with the was the height was, I thought it was….well, I would
certainly hope that Sally wouldn't just let him come up here and see Sonic in
this condi-
A quiet humming sound from back inside the tent caught his attention. He
quickly turned around and gasped.
"What in…?!"
The sheet was completely white. Too white. It glowed brightly, darkening the
tent, blowing with a breeze that seemed to come from within the sheet itself.
Within the sheet…
My god… Dr. Quack's eyes widened in horror. …Sonic….
Without another word, the duck ran out of the tent, screaming.
"PRINCEEEEESS!!!!!"
----------------------
Seiya's feet stomped out the door, into the garden, and out to the end of the
fencing.
The nerve….
"Seiya!"
The motion of Seiya walking through the grass caught the attention of the two
roaming companions. Without a word, Seiya simply stared as Yaten and Taiki
walked towards her.
"These flowers are rather pretty, even for the fog…" Taiki noticed
Seiya's glaring at her. "Seiya? Is something wrong?"
"….What was that back there?"
"What was what, Seiya."
"Don't play games with me, Yaten." Seiya's eyes flashed knives.
"Don't."
"What's wrong?" Taiki shook her head. "We were just asking a
question."
"A highly inappropriate question."
"It was for the princess's good."
"Don't bring the princess-"
"Seiya." Yaten muttered. "Just because you are the ultimate
optimist doesn't mean you need to be stupid and fall for this old man's tricks.
Our princess has fallen for them, it seems, but then again, its no surprise -
she has unfortunately had many unworthy men in her life she couldn't see past."
Seiya's hand flew up for the hit within the instant. Yaten shut her eyes for
the impact, but it never came. Instead, there was a shout within the shrine.
"Aaaar!!!"
Seiya's head picked up. It was the sound of pure pain.
Is that…Oh no…
Without another second, Seiya bolted back towards the shrine, her anger towards
her fellow Starlights forgotten at the moment.
------------------------
Sally could no longer see the world clearly.
The way in front of her was blurred with shock. She felt herself numbed with
sadness, remorse, and regret. A sense of disbelieving belief.
"Everyone is gone….the Island destroyed….we ourselves found ourselves
in a world different from our own….one that almost killed us…."
Wormholes? Other planets? Earth Emeralds? Sally's thoughts had not
yet processed everything. Can it be?
It seemed too impossible to be true. To think that there was another source of
power to challenge the power of the Chaos Emeralds, that this undiscovered
power was what created the vines and not some freak storm. That it was all
controlled by one girl…a human, as Knuckles has called her…
"Do you think
they understand now?"
Julie-Su's muffled voice came from the other side of the tent. Sally's eyes
widened as she heard Knuckles' reply:
"....I don't think they do." His voice was disheartened. "They
will probably never believe us."
"I think everyone is upset about Sonic right now..."
"I know." Knuckles' voice became bitter. "But mark my words, I'm
going to find out what exactly Gala-Na has been saying about me. And when I
do....I'll put a stop to this madness...."
"Knuckles...."
Sally could almost feel Julie-Su putting her head upon his chest, looking for
calm. She could feel herself become more angered, more saddened. I have no
chest to put my head upon anymore....
"What should we do until then?"
"...........Wait."
Knuckles' voice was calmer. "And hope."
Though she could not see what was happening, Sally knew what was occurring in
the moment of silence around the corner. The look into the eyes. The closeness
of their cheeks. Then the kiss, slow, passionate, but also mournful, confused,
lost...
Like me. I...I feel so lost without....without-
"Princess!!!"
Sally's head snapped up as a grip on her fist suddenly appeared.
"Dr....Dr. Qua-"
"Princess, something has happened."
Something-oh no.... Sally's sadness turned to
fear as she felt herself dragged. Sonic....what's happened to him now...
-
Knuckles suddenly broke the kiss off.
"Knuckles..."
"Julie-Su..." Knuckles' face was a mixture of surprise and horror.
"Impossible..."
"What?!"
"Come on!"
Julie-Su felt no choice but to obey as they quickly came from behind. Knuckles
gritted as he saw Sally and the doctor disappear into the shrub.
This power....the power of the Silver.....wait, not.....SONIC?!?!?
-
The fingers twitched as the sound of the approaching steps.
The creature cocked its ear to listen. Though it was far away, for some bizarre
reason it instantly recognized those who were coming towards the darkened tent.
Sally. Doc.
The light was gone, all there was black mass, a black creature to fill the void
that the blue hedgehog had left. It stretched.
Well. So much for a clo-
"He was right here!" The tent flap opened. "And as I was
operating on him it was almost as if he had come ba..."
Dr. Quack suddenly stopped at the door upon seeing the creature. His eyes filled
with horror and dread.
"What....what
is..."
Sally entered as well, her eyes widening at the scene before her. What she saw
looked like a devil.
"Oh...my..." Everything began to crash in. She began to become
hysterical. "MY....GOOOOOOD!!!!!!"
----------------------------
Doubling over again. The pain intensified.
"Iiiirgh..."
Locke growled, trying to hold the pain back in his room, but it was getting
harder and harder. Splotches adorned his neck, and he had carefully hidden them
with his kimono. But he knew it could not last.
Uuurgh. My side....my..
"Locke?"
The door of his room slowly creeped open, and Luna padded in, her face carved
with a small smile.
"Are you all right?"
"I...have been better."
"Of course." Luna kept smiling. "May I stay with you for a
while?"
"....Of course."
At that, Luna padded to Locke and rubbed her fac against his arm. In doing so
she recieved a slightly unexpected surprise - his arm felt unusually bumpy.
Peculiar....They don't feel like pimples...
"What are you here for?"
"Oh....I wanted to ask...."
Keep calm. Don't say too much to him...he might not know...and too much at
one time...
"Locke...." Luna's tail swished. "What type of guardian system
did you have? Did people have direct contact with you? Or....or did you keep
yourself away from them?"
Locke's head cocked uneasily as he heard the question. His eyes slightly
widened.
"What....did you say..."
"I am asking you." Luna looked up. "Do you have other Guardians
who work with you? Do you watch a specific domain of your world? The sailors,
they work very much like that."
"I..." How? How could this cat.....whom I never met...guess about
the Guardian System so easily when my own son was never brought the knowledge
until years later?!....No.......no, don't think of it, because if you think of
it you'll- "I...have to go..."
He got up to walk away; however, he was suddenly gripped by new pain in his
waist. He tried to will it away, as he had done the past two weeks, grin and
bear, but it was different this time. The spasm was so abrupt, so powerful it
nearly brought Locke to his knees instantly.
"Nnngh..."
"Locke?!?"
"Uuuugh…"
Suddenly, Locke's hand shot out to get the door frame, but instead his feet
fell from under him, and his head smacked the door. His entire body fell into
the frame before sliding to the floor, where he shuddered.
"LOCKE?!?"
"Nnnnnnnnn….NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!"
Locke's teeth gritted, but the onslaught of everything - his memories, his
thoughts, his fight, his new pain - came crashing down on him, and he found he
couldn't breathe.
"LOCKE!!!!!!"
"Ahh….AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!"
Pain………………………….pai-
too much to fast-what happened
Someone stop
"Luna?!?"
At the sound of Locke's screams, and the thoughts suddenly blazing through her
mind, Rei's footsteps came down the hall and into the room, where she gasped at
Locke's doubled-over body.
"Locke!!!! Lu-"
"Rei?!?"
Fortinbras, Seiya and Oji-san came bursting into the doorway, Oji-san under
Rei's legs. He jumped to Locke's side and shook him.
"Snap out!!…What in…?!?"
Locke's shuddering did not cease. Kakyuu immediately ripped off Locke's kimono
as he held his side and his head, screaming. Rei could see tears forming in his
eyes from the pain.
"AAAARRRRRR!!!"
Kakyuu's eyes widened in horror. Dark black blotches covered Locke's body. On
his right arm, patches of green skin were falling off around a dark brown
splotch. The green extended from near his elbow to up near his shoulder.
"REI!!!" Rei's eyes couldn't be averted from the hellish scene.
"Help!!!!! GO GET HELP NOW!!!!"
"Uh!!!"
Rei's mind clicked, and she instantly flung herself to the door, running
outside. Cursing terms Luna had never heard before, Kakyuu and Seiya suddenly
ran out of the room, into the other direction, returning instantly with scissors,
bandages and a bottle of dark chemicals.
No…..Locke…. Luna could only watch as Locke writhed in pain from his
affliction. Kakyuu took the scissors and began to inch her way up on Locke's
arm. Seiya fumbled deftly with the bandage. Don't die. You have the key. You
can't die!!
---------------------
Sally's scream finally stopped. The creature simply looked at her, its eyes
widened.
"Sal!"
"My god…" Sally could only stare at the new creature.
"Are…..you've……uugh…"
Sally, unable to
handle the shock of watching him dead, the surprise of him returning from
certain death, only to find something she had never seen in front of her all in
one day, promptly fainted in Dr. Quack's arms.
"Sal!" The creature suddenly jumped off the table. "Are
you-"
"WAIT!" Dr. Quack stopped him with a sharp voice. "I don't know
who you are, or…what trick you're playing on the princess."
"Trick?" The red eyebrows crimped. "I'm not playing any trick,
Doc. It's me! I survived!"
"….Sonic…?!?"
"Sally!!"
Knuckles and Julie-Su ran into the room, only to see the creature standing in
front of them.
"…Sonic?!?!?" Julie-Su's hand went to her mouth.
"You're…alive?!"
"What?" Dr. Quack turned apprehensively to the two echidnas.
"That can't be…he doesn't look or sound like Sonic!"
"No…" Knuckles stared at Sonic, his surprise melting to realization.
"The energy flowing from him. Like hers and the emeralds…This is Sonic."
"What are you guys talking about?" The creature who was supposedly
Sonic scratched its head. "You make like I grew ten heads or fur or
something like that….but I don't feel any different!"
"Sonic…" Knuckles gulped. He's not quite getting it…
"Take your hand and look at it."
The creature shrugged, holding out his hands so that he might see. He found
himself staring at an arm that was no longer peach, but black. Two small red
streaks lined the side of his arm - one starting at his thumb, one at his
pinky, both ending at his shoulder. Of his entire arm, only his palm, which was
a yellow-orange hue, was not black or red.
"What the…" The creature's red eyes widened. "No way…"
He looked down at
himself, nearly falling over. He was almost completely black, with red stripes
on his legs as well. He was also taller and thinner, but he was too busy
gawking in shock at his darker complexion to notice. He also found that even
his peach-colored belly was replaced - replaced by thick white fur which, he
noted as he slowly rubbed his new hair, covered his bullet injury. He felt the
bump of lead as he ran his fingers through it once.
"My chest…"
"So…" Knuckles' stared at the hedgehog. "You evolved too…"
Sonic looked up at Knuckles, blinking in thought. All of a sudden Knuckles'
story did not seem so unbelievable to the hedgehog.
---------------------
"Diverticulitis."
"What?" Kakyuu numbly looked up. "What was that?"
"He's suffering from diverticulitis, I think." Ami's mother calmly
but firmly pressed on Locke's side, near his appendix. Delirious, Locke could only moan.
"A not entirely uncommon condition for men at this stage of life. Especially
with the weakened intestines that come with middle age. You shouldn't have him
eating seeded food. Among other things, though, that is perhaps the least of
his problems."
"Gangrene?"
"Yes. A very old injury, I can tell, one that went untreated."
The bullet lay in a bag, with the infected green skin which had surrounded it.
The very bullet which had afflicted Locke on so many occasions after it had
lodged in his skin on that fateful day when he lost almost everything he had.
The bullet which Kakyuu understood to be the very thing that could have taken
Locke's life.
"Of course, there's also the chickenpox…"
"Chickenpox?" Rei's eyes widened.
"Yes." Ami's mother looked up. "It's been going around the
younger children lately - there's no vaccine, so we can't inoculate them. Not
necessarily a bad thing for kids. It's hit our friend here rather hard,
unfortunately, since he must not have had it as a child."
The little kid coughed as his mother looked at Locke.
"Please," The mother cried. "My child is sick, and with all of
this aging…devil's work, I swear…..my son is still a baby!"
"Not only that,
but I also see possible signs of an aneurysm."
"WHAT?!"
"I'm afraid so. It may have affected his brain, and given his…unusual….condition, I'm surprised he's still alive."
"God, no…."
"He's very sick." Rei looked back up at
Ami's mother, shocked. "It is very critical that someone be by his side at
this time. Having one of those diseases is bad enough with medicine. All three,
and no medicine….with this horrible attack…"
"Please." Kakyuu stepped up, her eyes tearing. "Please tell us
what we must do."
"Don't feed him seeded foods." Ami's mother looked at Kakyuu.
"Change his bandages as often as you can with what I've given you and use
the antibiotic I've given you. It's crude, but it works." Another shudder
from Locke. "Don't let him exert himself. Be careful of any blood he may
spit up, especially dryied blood. And don't pop the pox on his body. That's
about all the advice I can give you now."
"Thank you…"
Ami's mother passed by the others whom were in the hall - her daughter, Minako,
then a sobered Fortinbras, and Oji-san - before she left the building. Her head
was down; her true age showed with the stress. Wiping her brow with her hand,
she proceeded down the steps of the shrine.
"He must know."
Three shadows watched as Ami's mother descended.
"We must tell him."
"Tell him?"
"Knuckles." Michiru looked at Haruka. "His father is very
ill."
"Oh….yes…."
"We must be very careful." Setsuna looked into her garnet orb.
"It will be very dangerous to reach him."
"Indeed…"
Haruka's head went down slightly at that. Michiru looked at Haruka, perplexed.
"Haruka….are you all right?"
"Fine." Asshole. I'm so stupid. How could I… "We should
hurry."
"Yes." Setsuna held up her orb. "To Egypt."
In a flash of red light, the three shimmered and disappeared.
