DreamWatcher

Chapter 21: Remembrance

"Pasts are pasts

But there are many steps we must take

Before we reach the future.

We must look back and see what we did

History will be repeated if we don't remember."

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Okay, first off, sorry for the long update. I'm really sorry, but education comes first.

~~~Second off all, if anyone has a good memory, I forgot to mention a BIG boo-boo in my fic. Early on, I say before Chapter 4-ish, Remington pointed out that his father, Kragok, was dead, but later on, I'd say, many chapters later he was fine. Needless to say, what I DIDN'T mention in the fanfic was that Kragok (though dead from an accident) was really alive, but took the time to heal before returning home where his family saw him alive an well. This was actually a plot I once plan to use in my Sonic fan comic, but later took it out since it felt too cheap and stupid.

I'm surprised no one has noticed that little error yet...

~Another thing, Rykor and that magic umbrella. True, with the exception of his nephew, Remington, none of the Shinjuku family has magic. So, how does Rykor operate a magical umbrella? Does it do it for him? Sorta. Rykor has been known to have a keen sixth sense, despite his innocent lifestyle (innocent as Dory from Finding Nemo innocent lifestyle), and that's probably why the umbrella lets Rykor use it. As for how he found it, well, he found it in a an attic shortly after his mother's death…as to how it got there…well, another story for another time..

Oh, and I like to thank the following people who supported me and my fic all the way through…

~Daos3 (who's been patient and reading this fic for God knows how long and sticking up to it, no matter how times I waste not updating it)

~Mist (for liking my fic and being a good friend in general and fellow Knux/Amy supporter)

~Blade-Echidna (who seems to enjoy the Knuckles/Amy couple. Heh, I saw your comment you gave to Mist's "Troubled Love" and how you compared it to mine. Teehehehehehehehe!)

There's more, but you three manage to hang onto me like a kid with candy. Thanx.

*Rem's POV*

I've searched for hours for the two; Knuckles and Amy, that is. Where in Oni's name are they!? I kept repeating that to myself as I looked through the ever changing mess of a tower or at least I thought I assumed it was a tower we were on. Just when I was minutes closer to them, the room changes. I was frustrated with the room changings that I slammed my fist on a door and it cracked open to reveal…our weapons! Amy's hammers, a tack of Knuckles' ofudas, my sword…my bag and Knux's bag of supplies. I made no hesitation, I quickly took them all and placed as much as I can stuff in my bag and ran out, thankful something good actually happened for a change.

What kind of madman is this….Mammoth Mogul? His motives are clear when it concerns the whole world domination. Cliché, but still a potential threat to all, especially one who's magic was strong enough to trap all three of us in. Motives are quite unclear concerning why he wants Amy Rose. Does he see her as a love object? Does he want Amy to be his sexual toy? Or…maybe he plans to rape her, or anything in hopes of conceiving a child with as much as great in magic as both her and him. Those thoughts were entering my head at that point and it's disturbance kept me from moving any faster. I tried so hard to shake them off. Oh, Lord.

I grew hungry and luckily for me, Mammoth Mogul didn't take away my utility belt. It doesn't hold 50 different gadgets like Batman would. My belt was built to, but I only carried a couple of things: Common Magic items which is all in a single bag, a cell phone…and a pager, couple of ofudas myself (though I am not as skilled as Knuckles), and of course, food. I didn't need much. I'm a samurai, all they need are swords. Speaking of which, my other two belts each carried one sword. I usually use one at a time, second only when the first was broken or taken out of my hand. I used them both when needed to. Right now, I only had one sword (the other was broken and I haven't the time to get a blacksmith to build me another one). Anywho, in a small bag, I manage to pack a few Hershey KISSes. Hmmm, I don't remember packing them in earlier in my life. I ate a couple to keep my energy going. Sonic always said that I ate nothing but Asian foods. Well…he's 99.9% correct…about. I didn't eat the whole thing, chances are, Knuckles and Amy would want some, too. Throughout the whole time, we didn't see a kitchen anywhere behind the doors.

~~~Another hour passed…I wanted to know what time it was, so I took out my cell phone and turned it on. Unfortunately, it wasn't of much help…the phone went in statics, then it shut off. I groaned. Apparently, phones don't work here. I tried my pager as well. Nothing electronic seems to work here. I sighed and lean next to a door while sitting. I was tired and more hungry. I ate a few more KISSes, but not all. I can't rely on chocolate all day! I want some white rice! Some sushi and miso soup! Or maybe some tempura! I miss grandmother's cookings. She made them Asian food like nobody's business. One taste and you're hooked for life. It's as simple as that. I was so close to falling asleep when something banged against my head.

"What the he-" I muttered to myself. There was another bang to my head, I immediately got up. The door was being banged on…meaning, someone was inside! I heard voices.

"Knuckles, be careful!"

"I can do it! I WILL open this door!"

I found them. I opened the door and Knuckles came flying out and crashing into the wall.

"REMINGTON!" Amy ran up and hugged me. This girl was good for her massively painful hugs.

"You found us!" Amy sniffed back a bit of tears, "I knew you would!"

"Yea, okay." I quickly removed Amy from me, then went over to Knuckles who, when seeing me, just sighed.

"Konnichiwa." I did my usual grin. (I assume it was afternoon).

"Nee Han Wa." Knuckles muttered. Knuckles then got up and dusted himself off, then stared at me, "Well…ummm….thank you…for letting us out.

"Yea, whatever." I sighed, "Anywho hungry, I got KISSes."

Amy and Knuckles immediately took my candy and ate greedily.

"Your welcome." I muttered under my breath.

"Okay, this time, we stay close!" Knuckles commanded, "No one is getting separated! NO ONE!"

We both nodded and started to look for another way out.

"Oh, right, your weapons." I manage to take them all out and Knuckles and Amy rejoiced.

***

~~~For a while, we were silent…dead silent. I could only assume it was nighttime once more.

"I wonder…" Amy spoke after a long period of silence, "…If our friends got the message in the bottle."

"Their not stupid." I answered.

"What if the water current took the bottle elsewhere and it landed near the middle of London or something?" Amy asked again.

"I cast a navigating spell on it, remember?" I answered again, rather annoyed.

"But what if-"

"You as too many questions."

"Is that anyway to treat your girlfriend?" Knuckles came to, with a sarcastic attitude to boot. I remained silent. Amy looked as though she felt good being defended by Knuckles. At the current moment, I didn't care about anything. Who gives a shit? Not me. Unfortunately, that was always my downfall. I was too rude. Too uncaring for my "friends." Never cared about myself either. It would take a long while before I could realize how much my friends needed me as much as I needed them.

The map clutched in my hand, we continued forwards. We made it our business to not enter a room unless we had to. What more could we do?

*Sonic's POV*

I never gave much respect to Chinese food. I never really liked it. I don't know how the hell Knuckles could live with it nearly everyday of his life, but stuck in China, I had little choice on food. I wanted to go to a local McDonald's or something, but the majority opted for Chinese food, so I'm stuck eating this greasy shit. Nasty.

Rykor hasn't returned yet and it was already night. The hotel we lived in was one of the most elegant I ever seen. I wasn't used to it at all. I hated elegant places. It was so…uppity and so high and mighty, it always gave me that sickening sensation in my stomach whenever I see a spotless floor or hanging chandeliers. I just wasn't used to it. I doubt I ever will be. I always considered rich people to be snobby and all high and mighty and for a time, I believed that. Such was the case of Knuckles.

~Oh, Knuckles, what more can I speak of him. As I sat on the hotel's expensive bed with it's expensive sheets and pillows, I thought of the three that were trapped in…wherever. Believe it or not, but those three helped changed my life for the better as I got older. I was only a young 18 year old sitting in bed, eating noodles of a Chinese box, but I thought those three in my thoughts. Knuckles…he was such a case in my past life.

~I meant him when I was 11, when I went to Angel Island for the first time with Tails on his bi-plane. Back then, we had virtually no clue about the island and it's gazillions of secrets. When I first met Knuckles, he was rough. Real rough. He didn't take crap from anyone and he was alone most of the time. He hated working together and only did so when he needed to. But I also saw that he was deeply into his heritage. He took his job as a Guardian seriously and would brag about how important his job was and stick it in out faces that he was more worthy then we would ever be. I hated him back then. Yes, he was a rough guy, but spoke in a royal manner. He never told me he was royalty, no, that happen when Knuckles was about 18 or something when his kingdom returned to Angel Island, having been stuck in another zone for quite some time. He and I became fast rivals and every time we meant, we were always ganging up each other, trying to outdo one another and prove which one of were the better person. It always ended up even, dead even. I had my speed, yes, but Knuckles had exceptionally good eyes (what is it with Asian and eyes so damn fast, they can catch a bullet and yes, I have seen Knux catch one before) and he was more stronger then me to boot. Our rivalry didn't last long. A time came when he grew up…more so then I did.

~I was 18 in that hotel and I pretty much remained the same as I always did: Impatient, fast, and acting before thinking type. Knuckles, however, as I watched him, greatly matured. Every year, he grew wiser, less angry, more patient, almost to a point where I felt he was some wise sage in a young echidna's body. He was always smiling more often, and he hung around with people more. He was calm and thought before acting. He still had that stupid royal speech, but he no longer proved how much he is superior to us, he was friendly and treated us equally, like friends should. He was always smart to begin with, but upon the return of his kingdom was when I truly caught him reading big fat books and ancient Chinese scrolls. I've seen him meditate in beautiful Asian gardens for hours without flinching, I've seen him with reading glasses and him doing calligraphy. He's still gullible, yes, but that was a trait that soon disappeared a he aged. Knuckles was 19 during this time, the time where I sat on that bed eating noodles, but he was an adult, he matured. He was no longer a teenage kid with a rough exterior, no longer constantly angry, he grew up. And I respected him for that, because he matured and age much faster then I ever did.

~Amy Rose was a special case in my life. I first met her when I was 11 and she was 8 back in the Miracle Planet, a planet she grew up in. There, I rescued her from Metal Sonic countless times and she held a huge crush on me since. She explained how the tarot cards helped her destiny, in that the two of us would be together. I was reluctant to settle down anytime soon. She followed me everywhere. And I mean everywhere. It annoyed me to the far moons. Every time she saw me, her Amy senses were tingling. She targeted me and she latched onto me like bee on honey. No matter how fast my speed was, it wasn't even to get rid of her. I don't blame her, she was going through a phase. Always kept that thought in my head. I had hope she'll get rid of her obsession for me and move on. She had a crush on me for nearly 5 years…then she stopped. I didn't know how she stopped. It just…came. One minute, she was latching onto to me like I was her number one stuffed animal, next thing, she would pass me by with a recurring "hi" while holding onto her grocery. No "Oh, Sonic, it's you, I missed you terribly" or no giant bear hug. Nothing. It wasn't suppose to bother me, but it did. I would sometimes end up sleepless because this happened so fast. Was I upset because she stopped leaning towards me? Yes. Back then, I lavished attention and Amy was my number one attention grabber. Perhaps I did all these stupid stunts and crap just to get praised. Yes, I did have justice, I hated what Eggman was doing to the world, but I guess I wanted some sort of praise. I still do get them because I still save the world countless times, but Amy was my number one attention grabber…and then she stopped. I was too afraid to ask her why she stopped. I didn't really ask her, she really came to me first, in Tails' workshop. It was raining and she was soaking, no umbrellas. I asked if she wanted to come inside, but she said, "no" which surprised me to no end.

"Sonic, I just came here to apologize for all those stupid gestures I made towards you. I know now that you're not into me and for that, I'll leave you alone. I won't chase you anymore. I'll…I'll move on…I'll let love come to me."

It scared me that I remembered those exact words that she told me. Countless time I asked her why she did this and she gave me the same answer. The time came a few months back when she said the cards told her I wasn't the one. I believed in her, yet I didn't. I believed in reality, Amy was just growing up, but at the same time, she hung onto those magical cards as if they were controlling her very destiny. She listened to every word it told her. It nearly took her life a few times. But as I watched her grow, she relied more on her heart then those cards.

Amy, the moment I met her, was a true spirited girl. She changed from a highly bubbly young girl with a girl-next-door personality into a mature, motherly woman with love for all others. Her love for people always stayed with her. She got into a lot of heart ache, especially this case with her and her past with Knuckles. I watched her suffer and survive it all. That's what I learned most from her. Amy was a true survivor. She faced dangers, physically (kidnapping, adventures), emotionally (her "betrayal" from Knuckles), and mentally (the strain on her psychic powers), and survived it all to become an exceptionally strong woman. I admired her. Sometimes, I wonder if I regret not loving her. As she got older, I sometimes do regret not even dating her once, well, officially dating, not the ones where Amy took me unwillingly. But at the same time, I don't regret it because if she clinged onto me at all times, she wouldn't be so strong as she is today. I respected her.

~Remington, now HE was a different case. I first met him when I was about, 15, I think. Back then, Knuckles though of himself as the only echidna, so it surprised him when he saw Remington. Once on a quest for one of the Chaos Emerald, I meant him (first time), he was in his samurai garb and he had his Chao, ChoiChi with him. He was so mysterious back then. He didn't speak a word. ChoiChi spoke for him, almost as if they shared a psychic link with each other as ChoiChi spoke in first person like she was Remington. Back then, he was known as the Cherry Blossom Samurai or the Moon Samurai, we didn't know his name. All we knew was that he in neither good or evil. He had an interest in the emeralds and found out he was working for Knuckles' father all along to recover his kingdom with the powers of the Chaos Emeralds.

When I first met him, he was harsh and cruel, thinking I was little to no worth his time, as ChoiChi interpreted. He killed with no hesitation and blood spilled everywhere. Nothing would stop him from receiving his goal. He was acting what a traditional samurai should act. Although he worked for Knuckles' dad who was Chinese, he went with his Japanese beliefs as a Samurai to finish his goals or kill himself. That's what he thought of himself back then. Right now, he's…well, he's still not normal. Insane family, known to have a demented personality, constantly alone, dark, and a deep thinker, he reminded me of Knuckles' earlier years, but with a gothic approach, although Rem has said countless times that he wasn't a goth. Yea, sure, voodoo dolls and talking to his stitched doll, Scrimp, wasn't gothic…well, maybe not, but it was certainly some signs of insanity. He just, barely had enough sanity to make himself from totally going overboard. I heard from his family that if he lost what little sanity he had left, more then likely, he would have gone on a killing spree.

Out of everyone I have ever known, Remington was the one who suffered the most. He was constantly pissed at his family and frustrated with them, but he still loved them. He hated his life to every extend for he spent most of life pondering who he was back when he had amnesia. He killed people helplessly and regretted it all in the end, his father once dated a woman who had a daughter and Remington hated it, thinking not only were they planning to usurp him and take his money and status, but she was replacing his late mother whom he never meant, he hated all of us at first, he was sent to various psychotically treatment and even a foster home at one time because of his demented family, and more, much more. The coup de grace came in the form of a recurring disease he has held since he was child. It grew small at first, but it grew in time. Today, as I finished my noodles, he was still struggling.

I hated him. Unlike Knuckles, he remained tormented and hated himself and others for years, he did not grow up fast. I hated how he treated me (and Bean) like dirt, like he could step all over us. I hated how he hated himself, making us pity him, I bet he wanted attention so he could have someone to love him and then back away for more pity matters. Even I didn't lavished that much attention. I hated him with all my heart. In the end, I learned I was wrong. He didn't hate himself for attention, after all, he did kept to himself and it was us who poked in on his life, not him. He spoke little. It was us who pitied him because we poked into this life. He just wanted to be left alone. I learned to even go as far as respect him, because in time, even he grew to like us. Time did pass by and I learned to respect him.

"How are things going?" I snapped out of my though to see Tails communicating with Eggman on the wristwatch he was given.

"Not well, Mr. Eggman." Tails answered, "Rykor went to check up to see where Mammoth Mogul could potentially hide, but nothing yet."

"We made search parties, but we have to stop tonight, it's pretty late." Big came to talk as well.

"Take your time." Emperor Locke's voice could be heard, "Rushing will only lead to terrible consequences."

I heard them all talk and I shrugged it off. I paided attention when a door slammed open and in came Rykor, looking rather roughed up. His elegant royal black robes were torn asunder and his hair was a mess. He had bruises all over his face, but in the end, he was still smiling.

"Rykor!" everyone shouted. Rykor smiled deeply, but he was tired.

"I…I found them." Then he fell down, and smiled some more.

"Found them!?" Tails' wristwatch cried out. Eggman shouted through it. Big and Vector helped Rykor to his feet and placed him on bed.

"Wow, you look like shit." Bean commented to which Mighty elbowed his ribs.

"Are you okay?" A concerned Ray asked.

"I'm fine." Rykor smiled, "No pain, remember? I can stand anything! Painkillers!"

"Uhhh…okay." I came to, "You found them, where?"

"Okay, this is how it goes." Rykor's child-like voice came in, "I was flying on my umbrella which flies, see. (he looked at the people who didn't believe he could fly and continued), and then, I looked everywhere. It was really, really hard. I stopped and asked people and they didn't know about any huge towers with changing rooms, so I searched around some more and I stopped in another village and another an another. And I saw this cute husky doggy stuffed animal and I know Remmy likes dogs, so I got him on, see?" He promptly showed the stuffed animal to us.

"I like this doll, but it's for Remmy, he'll like it more. It's all plushy." Rykor smiled his goofy smile.

"Rykor, where's the freakin' tower?" Espiode growled impatiently.

"Oh, right, sorry." Rykor blushed, "Anywho, I flew some more and stopped at more villages (everyone groaned as he kept repeating the same thing), and then, as I flew, I smacked into something. It was weird though because I was in the middle of the sky and I smacked into something. I didn't know what, but I think it was an invisible wall I smacked into."

"Invisible wall?" Big repeated. Rykor nodded.

"Yea." Rykor nodded, "I looked around for a door and I found one! I went inside and the room was shape shifting and everything! It was funky! I didn't get to stay far because evil guards attacked me. I fought as best as I could, but they were strong. They tossed me out of the tower and down I fell into a village roof. I was okay."

"Oh, my Gosh, you found them." Cream gasped, "Hooray!" Everyone cheered happily, including me.

"Do you know where it is?" Tails asked, eager.

"Yep!" Rykor smiled, "I remember!"

And come tomorrow morning we were off.

~~~We took The Black Dragon as Rykor pointed in the directions of where to go. We had more chats and conversation, especially towards Rykor.

"So, if your family, except Rem isn't magical, how the hell do you have a magical umbrella?" Vector asked.

"It's special." Rykor would always answer, "I don't wish to talk about it…I'm not ready." It would be a while when he did tell us and it was a story I never forgot. As we flew, we wondered if we should tell Amy to let them know we were coming. We decided it was best. We let Big do the talking. All we had to do was try to speak to Amy with out thoughts…

~Knuckles' POV~

It rang clear as a bell to Amy's head. Rykor found us and he even entered the tower. They were on our way. We were saved.

"So, there is a way out after all!" Amy gasped, "How wonderful!"

"We're saved!" I shouted. Amy and I were in the middle of celebrating and even holding out hands while running around in circles while Remington watched us on with a face that might see us as pathetic.

"So, now what?" I asked.

"Well, Big said to wait, he'll be on his way." Amy smiled.

"Good ol' Big, how I missed thee." I sighed.

For once I felt hopeful that we would be free. Hopeful…

To Be Continued…

Author's Notes: Any question, ask away, I'll answer on my next fic.