Disclaimer: I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this long-coming interaction… especially for the one who understands pain.

~保護者~

"Reckoning"

~保護者~

Azanae blinked her eyes open slowly and looked around. The first faces she saw were Ythene and Teyan's, and that alone had her jolting upright into a sitting position. When she'd died, these two had been locked away for millions of years already. How was it possible for them to be here? That was when she saw her student… who was so much taller than the girl Azanae had left behind. Tears filled Azanae's eyes. "Sona…"

Sona was briefly unfocused, staring into Azanae's eyes before just wrapping her arm around the older woman. "Mama…"

The former deity (a black-furred cat) let out a soft sob and dragged Sona closer. Her hair, which looked like it was made of strands of the starry night sky, fell into her face as she held the younger cat. "Oh, Sona…! I'm so happy to see you…!" Nearby, Ythene and Teyan looked on with wide smiles. Therin watched for a moment before looking away to give the pair a bit of privacy on his end.

Sona buried her face into the crook of Azanae's neck, using every last bit of the strength in her body to hug the woman as if she might vanish again. "No fucking kidding…" she mumbled, gasping sharply to stave off a sob of her own.

After a long pause, Azanae pulled back enough to see Sona's face and stroke her hair with gentle fingers. "How old are you now?" she breathed. "How have you fared?"

"I don't know," Sona admitted quietly. "I lost track of the years so long ago." She didn't dare answer the second question. There wasn't a good answer, not one that avoided exposing her intense eons-long depression.

"I'm here now," Azanae murmured, a promise in her voice. "I'm staying. You hear me? I'm staying. Come Hell or high water, I will never leave you again, sweetheart. Never again."

Sona didn't quite mean to, but her grip tightened further and she scrunched her face together tightly. "I can't lose you again," Sona whimpered weakly, shaking where she knelt in her adoptive mother's arms.

"And you won't," Azanae told her. She resumed hugging Sona close with both arms. "You won't lose me again, Sona. I promise you that."

There was another choked sob before Sona just cried, crying out as years of pain that had welled within her heart seeped out. I missed you so much, mama.

~保護者~

Armaris had left Espio's home for the time being, rolled up in a ball high within a tree. Sometimes being so high up in the air let her relax more, and this was no exception with Espio out of the house to check on his friends and allies. She needed something else to focus on.

She had figured out how to load music onto her communicator, so of course she was freely listening to whatever she could get her hands on without a care in the world. What did interrupt her free time was someone appearing in the air beside her. Darkness, but not a chameleon. Ugh. The cat cracked open a blue eye and stared at the person in question… who happened to look somewhat similar to her father. "Eh? Hell d'ya want? I'm busy here."

The male cat was quiet, assessing her before speaking in a soft voice. "Do you know Ylden?"

"Yeah. That's my father. What do you want?" Armaris demanded more harshly, standing in the tree now. "Don't ignore my questions."

"I'll give you one chance. Tell me where he is, and come with me. You have great potential that he has obviously failed to mentor you about." The man watched as she shifted, eyes observing his minute movements obviously learned from having lived amongst shinobi. How long has she been here?

Armaris rolled her eyes. "Like hell that's gonna happen. Some fucking weirdo wants to find my dad and then says he's doing shit wrong? That's my job," she muttered. "I suggest you fucking leave."

Blades that certainly weren't being carried on his person appeared in his hands, attached to chains that linked to some sort of cuff on his wrists. "Good to know. You're as impertinent and worthless as he's always been. You will die, then I will kill him."

"Weirdo."

He simply hovered there, observing the lack of fear or concern in her eyes before deciding it didn't matter. If she didn't understand the danger she was in, then she was a fool who was doomed to die anyway.

She vanished the moment he made his first attack, bolting off through the Highlands while summoning up her Darkness and magic. Explosions ripped up the earth around and in front of her, but becoming intangible was more than enough to surpass that issue. Her blade in hand, she whipped around and engaged, clashing with the barrage unleashed in her direction.

Ryuji's training alone should have been enough to keep it from happening, but there was so much force behind each blow that her sword was sent flying from her hands. All she could do for several seconds was dodge around and between slashes of the separate blades, stumbling back and dragging up a shield of Darkness to recover. Armaris was able to catch her breath, watching as he tried and failed to pierce the barrier in front of her. It was almost amusing, but she'd been close enough to death for a moment that this was a bit too serious. Still… it was kind of funny to her.

What she wasn't ready for was the explosion centered on her chest, blasting her into the air and away from the protection that she'd simply placed down. She crossed her arms over the afflicted area and made herself as small as possible to slip under another attack, delivering a swift kick to his chin before sending him to the ground with a blast of her own magic. Fuck. He has the same magic as me? Who the hell is this guy?

She let out a breath and twisted in the air to face the ground as she fell, creating tendrils of Darkness around her body. Her energy clashed with those blades over and over, forcing him to back up several steps after they engaged in battle on the ground again. It was difficult enough to keep up with the speed of his attacks, but she couldn't quite focus on attacking and being intangible at the same time. Explosions repeatedly threatened to take her off her feet, but she stayed strong even as one of her legs exploded with pain.

What she wasn't quite ready for was him vanishing and delivering a kick to the back of her head, sending her skidding forward in a tumble that agitated her wounds. With dying not on her agenda today and a foot suddenly pinning her throat to the ground, Armaris took him into her shadow and rolled him through the depths of her Darkness.

Coughing up some blood left a horrendous taste in her mouth and she wiped the drops off her lips, blasting the ground with Darkness when the man finally emerged from her trap. Glowing white eyes stared at her assailant and she vanished, tackling him to the ground from behind and dragging him over a mile away in an instant. Flinging him into the sky afterward only made her feel better, especially when he was sent directly into an explosion of her magic.

Okay… I'm still alive… Gotta get ahold of Espio. Armaris couldn't sense the man's energy anymore, so she began tapping at her communicator. Right as she hit the call button, though, there was a sudden heat and white-hot pain in her chest followed by some brutal amount of force to her back that knocked her to the ground, gasping for breath.

Watching her bleed for no more than a moment, the cat ripped his blades free from her back and teleported away. It was time to go find his brother.

~保護者~

A searingly bright light roused Althea, the previous (and original) deity of the sun, from her apparent sleep. The former goddess found herself laying on her side in the grass. She felt tired and confused. Her previous memories were of saving her student and then losing consciousness due to her wounds. How had she wound up here? Where was "here", exactly?

Slowly, she pushed herself up. Where am I? She shifted a bit to look at her clothes. They were the same clothes that she remembered, just minus the damage and blood. Her attire was entirely tribal in make. Her chest was covered and a thin strap around her neck held the fabric up. Instead of pants, she wore a sort of knee-length skirt with a slit up the right thigh to accommodate further movement. Her shoes were little more than thin sandals that were secured to her feet and ankles with slim straps.

It was all just as she remembered. Running her hands over her head, she determined that her hair was as well. Delicate beads and small, glittering gems decorated her locks, as did a few thin braids. Nothing seemed to be missing other than her Staff of the Sun. But she suspected she knew where that was. Locke should have it. So I can hope, at any rate. He certainly seems to have my role now. I was trying to pass it over to him before I lost consciousness, wasn't I? That she appeared to have succeeded at that was a relief. However, she still had one somewhat related concern. Did I… die?

Althea stood. Her limbs were shaky from lack of use, or maybe just due to her newfound fatigue. She wasn't sure which it was. Maybe it didn't even matter. She took to the air, soaring up high with minimal effort in an attempt to determine where she was. It didn't take long for her to recognize this place as her student's lifelong home. I believe he called it "Angel Island", did he not? It looks very similar to how I remember it… yet also different. Almost as though it's aged greatly since I last saw it.

That made sense, assuming she really had died. Naturally, however, that left with the question of how she was now back. She decided to make her way back down to the ground, lest her distracted thoughts cause her to fly straight into something like a right and proper fool. As it happened, that decision was proven to be a wise one mere seconds after her feet touched the grass.

All at once, her role was returned to her. The shock of it, combined with the sudden resurgence of her old strength and abilities, sent her crashing down to her knees. She took in a deep breath in an effort to calm herself from the shock of it all. It was more of a physical shock, admittedly. That her role had been returned to her so swiftly didn't surprise her much. You always did say that you weren't ready yet, Locke. Are you still of that same opinion, even after so much time has apparently passed? She could think of no other reason why he would have done this so soon after no doubt sensing her return. The newly renewed Goddess let out a sigh and stood up. We will have to discuss this soon.

In a brilliant burst of flames, Pyrun appeared and walked forward with a raised brow. "Fancy seeing you here, beauty. Didn't expect to see the dead rising all of a sudden."

Althea turned to face Pyrun. Her face immediately brightened into a smile. "Pyrun! You're awake! You were asleep for so long!" She hurried over to him and took one of his hands warmly into both of her own. "It's so good to see you, my friend."

The man smirked a bit and (carefully) yanked Althea into a firm hug. "Shit, you're telling me. I didn't even find out something happened to you until recently. Color me surprised to just see you here, revived and all."

So I did die, then. Althea hugged him back and nodded. "I can imagine. I would be just as shocked, in your place."

Pyrun huffed a little and simply held her there for a long moment. "You feelin' okay? I know it must be weird coming back like that."

"It's apparently a tiring process," Althea admitted. She gave him a squeeze and then let him go. "I'm alright, though. I don't know why, but Locke returned my role to me. That means the self-sustaining powers I was born with will be elevated to a semi-Immortal level again. I'll go back to not needing sleep soon, I'm sure."

"Then where the hell is he?" Pyrun dared to ask. "Odd that he'd give back the role and not come to talk to you. Got any clues?" The man pressed gently, crossing his arms.

"I have none, regrettably," Althea admitted. "This island here used to be his home, but I saw no houses when I flew above it a few minutes ago. He doesn't seem to reside here anymore. It's possible he may have moved into my temple, but I don't sense anyone there right now."

"Then we're gonna find him here shortly," Pyrun said. "Long story short, Nareish is a bitch and just got done slaughtering some people. We may wanna figure out where he is before something happens to him."

Althea frowned. "She has become active again? The woman became very quiet for the duration of Locke's life and prior to my death."

Pyrun sighed a bit. "Yeah, and she's causing some serious problems."

"What problems do you know of?" Althea questioned him. "I don't like being left in the dark."

"Honestly, she's just killing, hurting, and corrupting people as far as I'm really aware. Haven't been all too focused as of late. Had my thoughts elsewhere."

"And what are you focused on, then?" she asked.

"Been watching Yareis finally fall for someone," he admitted. "Poor girl's been lonely all her life. Seems happy around someone now."

"Oh? And who might that be? Anyone we know?" A teasing note had entered Althea's tone now.

Pyrun rolled his eyes. "You know better. She hates most of us. At least, that's what she says. Some guy by the name of Kath. Figurehead of sorts on Babylon. People know him."

"I see. Well, Babylonians generally make for good partners. They take their love quite seriously and treat their partners and families well." Althea smiled to herself. "Hopefully Yareis can find happiness with that man."

"I think she will, so that's what's had me so invested. If it turned south, I'd have to do damage control as always. Keeping her from getting herself killed and all."

"Yes, that's very true." Amused, she shook her head. "Well… I should head to my temple and have a look around. Are you staying here?"

"Coming with you," Pyrun replied. "These kids don't need a stranger hanging around with what just happened to 'em. They could use some space."

Althea's sunny yellow eyes saddened. "The death you mentioned… It happened here recently, didn't it?" As she spoke, she opened a gateway through the local sun in preparation to fly through it.

"Yeah," Pyrun said. "And other places. Real shit time for everyone."

She nodded grimly and pulled him along with her through the portal. They emerged moments later at the Temple of the Sun. Once they were there, she flew there in momentary silence. Sure enough, there was no one inside. There were signs of habitation, though. A few children's toys were on the ground in the main room, and some books like the kinds she remembered Locke enjoying were stacked beside her old ornate settee. He definitely seems to have taken up residence here, yet he isn't here now. Where has he gone?

Pyrun followed beside her quietly, hands on his hips as he observed the area. He didn't have much of an attachment to this place, sure, but that didn't mean that he wasn't going to stick by Althea. The woman in question shook her head. "Well, evidently he isn't here."

"Obviously," he answered, looking around for a moment. Currently, he chose to look for any sign of something… unusual, such as a sudden departure. However, there were no signs of any such thing. It was as if everyone living here had just stood up and walked out. "Well, I dunno where he'd be if he's not where you think he'd be."

"I don't know, either," Althea shrugged. "But I can continue the search on my own. Knowing you, you have other things on your agenda besides just following me around."

Pyrun shrugged somewhat. "I was gonna train some of those kids on Mobius, but like I said, they had a lot happen to 'em. I think giving them some space is a good call."

"What will you do, then?" she asked.

"Eh, probably follow you around. Kinda curious where your student went off to."

Althea smiled at him, and soon she gave him another hug. This one was shorter and less tight than their earlier one. "If you're sure, you'll not hear me complain."

Pyrun smiled a little as well and wrapped an arm around her. "Works for me."

"Come along, then. We have a great many places to check and many people to ask." Althea pulled away and disappeared through the nearby sun before he could have answered her. Pyrun moved after her quickly, not daring to let her get too far away.

~保護者~

"God, what a trash-heap…" Kal surveyed her partner's apparent shelter with disdain. She had made her way onto his porch, heedless of whether or not he would notice her. "I should have guessed that you would stay in such a run-down piece of shit." Another chameleon peered down at her from the roof, but she ignored him. Her focus was on Ryuji.

Ryuji let out a soft sigh and stood up, rolling his neck to crack it. "Better than living with one," he commented idly, staring at her with obvious disinterest. "But, I suppose a pile of shit wouldn't know that it's worthless, would it?"

"I see you've acquired a sharper tongue since last we met," Kal drawled. "Are you certain you wish to speak those words to me?"

The man scoffed a bit. "What more do you deserve? I've lived under your heel long enough."

"Clearly not long enough to learn your place," Kal said, crossing her arms.

When she started to draw her weapon, Haru dropped down onto the porch to stand by Ryuji. "This the one you told me about?" he asked the other man vaguely.

Ryuji had already drawn his own weapon, letting his Darkness flare as a warning to Kal. "Yeah, this is Kal."

"Hmph. Figures."

Haru might have been tempted to say more, but Kal had already decided that she'd had enough of him. Gathering up her Darkness, whose unique trait significantly boosted her physical strength, she slammed a physical attack into him. Given the weakened state she sensed he was in, he was sent crashing through the house and then into the woods beyond it, unable to catch himself. Kal scoffed. "Even your 'friend' is pathetic, Ryuji."

Ryuji snapped. The house exploded as he made the simple act of swinging his blade at her. Kal let out a rare chuckle and fully drew her own sword in preparation for a fight. Already enveloped in his own Darkness, Ryuji walked toward her in as calm a fashion as a furious man could. "Leave."

"I will do no such thing," Kal retorted. Her Darkness gathered around her as well. "You have done nothing but waste time since I allowed you to leave. You have not even attempted to deal properly with our disobedient daughter or give our grandson proper training. I once again have to come and clean up after you after giving you the punishment you have earned."

"I dare you to try it. Try harming me, you fucking bitch. I'll break every goddamn bone in your body!" Ryuji yelled, gripping his blade tighter. "I'm sick of you deciding what I am good for and what I do! You make one more fucking move in my direction, and I will end your miserable fucking life!"

Kal scoffed at him again. She simultaneously did two things in response to what she viewed as his empty threats. While taking a meaningful step toward him, she hurled an explosion of Darkness at his friend's distant and prone form. The explosion tore up various trees around the area, and she chuckled. "Hopefully that man won't be missed."

Ryuji did the only thing in his mind at that moment. He snatched Kal off the ground by her chin, ascended to his Dark form, and subsequently launched her into orbit. With her gone, Ryuji teleported himself to Haru. Seeing that the other chameleon was coughing up blood again and struggling to get up, Ryuji took him to Eila (ignoring whatever situation was happening all the while). He then appeared beside his old partner. "I gave you a warning. We don't operate with extra chances. Stand your ground or die a coward."

"'Coward'? Hardly." Kal straightened and readied her weapon again. "I seem to recall you being the fearful one between us, anyway."

You were warned. Ryuji wasted no time, doing the exact same thing he'd done only seconds before and leaving a crater with her body in the nearby moon. "I'll treat you just like you treated me." He snatched her up by the head and backhanded her back into the darkness of space, appearing beside her just to kick her in the throat. "Where are your words? Your sharp remarks?"

Kal spat some blood out of her mouth and let out a genuine laugh. That was even more rare than her mild chuckles were, needless to say. "And you always acted as though I was the only despicable one… yet here you are, embracing who you really are without a second thought. If only you weren't fool enough to ignore this part of you lately. Then, perhaps our grandson would not have been taken by that bitch Nareish. He was nearly killed due to your negligence."

Ryuji grinned and snatched her by the chin once more, pulling her to where she was forced to stare into his eyes. "Oh no, this is special for you. Once we're through here… once I've beaten you senseless and to your death, nobody else will ever see this side of me." He tightened his grip, waiting until he heard a crack. "The only thing I can hope for is that you'll live through it all. I've got eons to repay you for."

When she didn't speak, at least not fast enough for his liking, Ryuji simply made short work of her lower jaw. She wouldn't need it anymore. He gave several forceful punches to her body, making sure he snapped every fucking bone in her. He relentlessly beat her until there was practically nothing left to beat. Never in his life had he delivered such ruthless verbal and physical abuse on any one being, but the sight of the bloodied Kal floating through space gave him the briefest of pleasures before he let all of it fade. He soon reverted back to a normal form without his Darkness. Then he let out a soft exhale and stretched, wincing. Seems I exerted myself a bit much there. Eh, it'll sort itself out in due time.

Not two seconds later, Espio appeared a couple feet away from Ryuji. His normally calm demeanor was replaced with one of anger and worry, and the fact that he had someone else's blood on him seemed to be the main reason why. Still, he directed none of the former emotion at Ryuji in any way despite his choice of words. "What the hell just happened?"

"Beat Kal to death. Figured I'd finish that since she decided to be a problem again," Ryuji replied, approaching Espio to inspect him. "What happened?"

"Armaris was attacked by someone," Espio scowled, crossing his arms. "She's stable. Sleeping. I don't know who went after her."

Ryuji let out a soft sigh and shook his head. "No telling. We may be able to check with her parents and see if they know anyone who might want to hurt her, otherwise we will need external help."

"Only her father is around to ask," Espio corrected, "and I have no means of getting into contact with him. He resides in the Realms of Death."

"Hm… Take me to her. I will see if I can recognize anything unusual about the wounds," Ryuji murmured, frowning. "It may come down to letting her rest so we can gather information from her, instead. I somehow doubt she was taken fully by surprise."

"I don't believe for a second that she was." Espio teleported them both to his house and led the way into his bedroom. He'd laid her down in his bed to rest and covered her with the blankets, but for now he gently pulled the blankets back so that Ryuji could see.

Armaris groaned and her Darkness dragged the blanket back to where it was. "Fuck you…"

"Leave it off for a minute," Espio huffed, tugging it back down. He motioned to Ryuji and said, "You had better be quick. She will not permit this for long."

Ryuji was careful as he inspected the wounds, but something in particular caught his eye. Rather than listen, he pinned the blanket down when Armaris obstinately tried to drag it back onto herself. "Magic wounds for most of it, assuredly. I've come across enough mages to know the looks of these well… and they remind me of the kind of damage she leaves behind with her own."

Espio nodded. "That was my assumption as well."

"And judging by the way the stab wounds on her chest were agitated, I'd gauge they were made at the same time," Ryuji observed. "Meaning whoever did this wielded two large blades."

"Fucking assholes…" Armaris growled, scratching at them halfheartedly with her eyes closed.

Rolling his eyes, Espio covered her back up. "Better now?" he asked her. Without waiting for a reply, he said to Ryuji, "I noticed the same thing. However, it does nothing to help locate her attacker."

Irritated with being ignored (even if that wasn't actually the case), Armaris spoke up again. "Bastard wanted to know where my dad was… said something about training me. Told him to fuck off."

This made Espio frown a little more. …A relative, perhaps…

Ryuji set a hand on her forehead, prompting her to open her eyes. "Rest now, Armaris. You spent a lot of energy fighting. If he returns, I would like you to be rested well enough to blast him to pieces."

Armaris managed an amused snort and whacked his hand away. "Yeah, yeah. I'd like to as well, but… I can't fight him. I'm sure if he showed back up any time soon, I wouldn't last as long. Seemed to take him by surprise when he couldn't cut through my Darkness."

Espio's tone softened when he gently cut into the conversation. "Sleep for now, Armaris. I will be here. We can figure this out later."

"I'm fucking hungry," Armaris groaned, wrapping her hands around one of his ankles. "Lay with me or somethin'."

"I will tend to your needs in a moment," he promised. After extracting himself from her, he added, "Just wait a second, alright?" With that said, he led Ryuji back out of the room. He had one more thing to bring up before setting about his latest Armaris-assigned duties. "You've been living with someone for the last couple of days, haven't you? Where are they?"

"I sent him to the same person who saved his life the first time," Ryuji explained. "Right before killing Kal. He has not been there long."

"You should go join them," Espio said. "I assume Kal hurt him if you bothered to forcibly send him away."

"Yes," Ryuji sighed. "Regrettably. I will join him here shortly. Do you need any help before I leave?"

"No. I can handle this on my own." Espio took a second to glance over Ryuji and make sure the man was unharmed, then sighed and said, "Be safe. Things have gone to hell recently. Nareish has personally begun ending lives. We aren't sure if she has finished for now or not."

Ryuji frowned at this before simply nodding in reply. "I will be careful. That is the best I can assure."

"That is all I ask," Espio answered. He turned away and walked through the front room to find Armaris some food in the storage compartment. If he didn't hurry, he suspected he might have a small fit on his hands.

After watching his grandson walk away, Ryuji turned and teleported back to where he'd left Haru. He really did need to check on him.

~保護者~

Soren was in his room playing his video game and doing his best to stay out of the way. Toru was busy and possibly stressed out. Satsuno and Seiko were helping to keep an eye on Myriu and Lia. His dad was… somewhere. He didn't know where, exactly, just that it was through some portal that was in Shadow's room. For now, he didn't ask about it.

He was just about to beat a level he'd been struggling with when his little sister wandered into his room and started loudly complaining. His character comically died when he jumped. Sighing, he sat up on his bed and looked down at Lia. "Hey, quiet down a little. I can understand you better when you aren't so loud, remember?"

Lia pouted at him for a moment. Thankfully, she did as he'd asked after that. "I don't feel good," she said to him, "and I can't find daddy. Do you know where he is?"

"He's on the other side of the portal in his room." Soren got up off the bed and knelt down in front of her. "You can't go there right now, though. Okay?"

More pouting. "Why? What is he doing?"

"Well… I have an idea, but I'm not exactly sure. That's not important right now, anyway." Soren put his hand on her small forehead. "You aren't running a fever or anything. Do you feel like you're gonna throw up?"

"A little," Lia mumbled. "And I'm all achy like I get when I do have a fever. And I'm sleepy, too, but I wanna sleep next to daddy."

"Dad's busy right now, I think, so… here." Soren picked his sister up and set her on the bed, where he set about tucking her in. "You can sleep here for now, okay? I'll sit next to you, so you won't be by yourself." It kinda feels like there's magic running through her right now… What was in that medicine Ghune had me give her? That's gotta be what's causing this, right? Maybe it finally kicked in or something.

"Okay," Lia agreed through a yawn. She closed her eyes and curled up on her side. "I love you. You're the best big brother."

Smiling, Soren sat down beside her and picked his game back up. "I love you, too. Get some good sleep, okay?" But by then, she had already drifted off.

~保護者~

By now, Sonic had pulled Eila to a couch to sit on. He was still letting her hug on him and, naturally, he was hugging her back. He wished he had the words to make her feel better, but… this was all he could do for her. It didn't seem to be enough. He didn't like that it wasn't. This isn't good… at all.

Eila was no longer sobbing, but she remained inconsolable for now. "I didn't… mean to do something so stupid… You guys have done so much for me…" I wanted to do something to repay you all for it.

"Hey, don't beat yourself up over it so much," Sonic murmured. "I know what your intentions were, Eila. I'm not upset about it. Really."

"I am," Eila mumbled. "What would my sister think? She spent her whole life tracking me down."

"I don't think she'd begrudge you for wanting to do what you wanted to do," Sonic said. "The most important thing is that what you wanted to do was help, not just dive head-first back into black magic. And you stopped before you got that far, anyway. Regardless of anything me or anyone else could have said or done, stopping was your choice. And it was a good choice."

"But it proves that I haven't grown," Eila mumbled. "I had thought myself past the desire to use black magic to suit my own means. I was obviously mistaken."

"You've grown a lot, Eila," Sonic refuted. "The old you that I met wouldn't have even hesitated to use that spell, for one thing. She wouldn't have thought twice about it. You did."

Eila mumbled something under her breath and curled up a bit. "I just fucking hate my life. I'm a mess."

"A mess, sure," Sonic said with a weak smile, "but the point is that you're getting better. Try to focus on that more, alright?"

The cat pushed off of him and buried her face into the couch, instead speaking to him mentally. "I am just so tired of taking steps back when I want to move forward."

"Sometimes taking those steps back is just part of the process," Sonic told her. He kept a watchful eye on her, but didn't intrude upon her newly acquired personal space. "I saw the same thing with Jet a long time ago. He got really used to hiding and burying his emotions and thoughts, not trusting most people, not letting us in… He'd get better, sometimes even taking really big strides forward, only to loop straight back over and over again. But it was just part of growing and getting better, you know? It took time, but he got there."

Eila shifted a little and sighed. "I want to help… but I don't know what I should do."

"I don't know, either," Sonic admitted. "I rarely do, to tell you the truth. It's ironic, because people used to look to me for leadership. But most people really don't know what to do most of the time. We just sort of wing it and hope for the best, I think."

She didn't really like that answer, but it was the best thing she had to work with. After thinking for several seconds, Eila pulled herself out of the couch and stood up, rubbing at her face. "Fucking… I hate crying."

"Yeah, it sort of sucks. It's good to let it out, though." Sonic shrugged and sat back in his seat. "Better'n bottling it up, anyway."

Eila raised up a hand and let out a breath, casting a spell to clean the entire house and the people within it. There was more than enough blood left behind to warrant this… and she couldn't have been the only person crying. "Is it normal to just feel… angry after something like that?"

"Yeah," Sonic nodded. "Anger and grief go hand-in-hand sometimes. Maybe even most of the time."

There was a long moment of silence from the cat before she summoned… something in front of her. Sonic didn't know what. "I'm gonna figure out what is going on. We need… to figure out what to do next."

"Steam would be a good person to collaborate with on that," Sonic said. He would normally have also suggested Jet, but he thought better of that this time. "He usually has plans pretty quickly after things like this. Somehow."

Eila stared at him quietly for a few seconds before simply nodding. "I'll contact him shortly. Sonic… You can go be with your family now. I will manage myself from here on."

"Yeah, alright." Sonic stood up. "One more thing on my mind, though. You seemed pretty… upset with Saran earlier." God, I still can't believe that was him. His fur and eyes were even white because of his Light, just like Dad described. …Focus, dude. "Might want to talk to him, if you ask me. 'Cause I don't think he was upset with you about anything."

"I am not ready for such," Eila admitted. "I wish to wait for the time being."

"Well, don't wait for too long, alright? That can make the emotions worse. Take it from me." Sonic turned with a small wave after that and walked off.

Eila nodded in response to him, turning her attention to the magical device in her hands that she was using to survey the universe. So many things have gone wrong. My friends… my sister have gone through enough.

Ryuji suddenly appeared beside her and uttered two words, ones that she was sure he wasn't aware of. "Fix him." He vanished immediately after, murderous intent in mind. Haru was awake enough to glare at the other man before beginning to cough up blood again.

The cat looked to Haru and set her magic to work on his wounds and removing any blood from his lungs. "He's going to kill someone, isn't he?"

Haru spat some blood out of his mouth with a curt nod. "His ex or something. An abusive fucker. That shit isn't tolerated by our people. He's finally standing up for himself."

"Hm," Eila mumbled. "Stay still and stop speaking. I may need your help soon."

Though Haru glared at her, he did as she demanded. Rather than speak, he opened his mind to her for the first time, just enough that she could hear the thoughts he directed her way. "The Immortal who healed me did it in a way to allow the wounds to heal on their own, didn't they? Fucking asshole didn't just close them fully for me."

"I'm gonna fix what I can. The wounds could not have been fully healed by her. Nareish is a bitch."

"Understatement of the century." Haru glanced around, idly curious about where he was but not so much so that he felt the need to ask about it. He asked about something else instead. "What the hell are you planning on dragging me into?"

"I'm about to start killing people," Eila answered him. "I'm tired of this shit. I'm gonna dictate how my life goes."

"Yeah, fine, I'm interested." Haru had nothing more to say on the matter and just crossed his arms to wait for her to finish.

"Good. I know I can trust you."

"Sure. Yeah. Goes both ways, I guess."

"Don't sound too sure of it."

Recognizing the question for what it was, Haru looked away. "It's nothing against you. I've never had much luck trusting people who aren't family. Shit tends to come back to bite me when I give in and try it."

"Mm. Worst case scenario, kill me. If I betray your trust, that is."

Onyx eyes shifted to her cautiously. "...I never said I trusted you to begin with."

"Don't have to." Eila found herself managing a smile, looking to Haru and speaking aloud. "Besides, you're letting me work on your body."

"That's because I'm not interested in continuing to cough up blood," Haru mentally grumbled. "Most chameleons don't like that taste unless we're in an evil state, contrary to popular belief."

"Wonder what that says about my own tastes…"

"Huh?" Haru asked, giving her an incredulous look.

"A being of Light with a vague desire for blood in her taste palette is probably an odd thing, yeah?"

"...Probably, I suppose. Just don't go around waving a sign in people's faces that says that, and you'll be fine."

"And here I thought I'd go fuckin' tell the world I wanna drink blood. That blows."

Almost, Haru chuckled. "Ah, piss off. Look, if you're gonna go off and do that, count me out."

"It'll be your problem. You're probably the only person I could pin down long enough."

"That's only going to hold true until I heal. Good luck catching me after that."

Eila raised an eyebrow and shifted, pulling a drop of blood from one of his wounds. "What's stopping me from leaving one just open enough?"

That made him glare at her. "I'll give you a similar one," he answered in kind. "Then we'll both be wounded and unhappy."

The cat subconsciously licked her lips and put the drop of blood in her mouth. "Don't make bold assumptions. You won't always be correct." Haru just childishly stuck his tongue out at her in response for a second. There was a brief moment of hesitation before she simply smirked. I like this one.

"What are you smirking about?" Haru internally huffed. He followed that up with, "And can I move and talk normally yet? This is taxing on people without mental powers, asshole."

She let out a soft growl of sorts, that smirk growing. "Yeah, you can get your lazy ass off the floor if you think you can."

"Hey, fuck you," Haru mumbled, flipping her off and standing up as he spoke. "Cheeky fucker."

Her tail thrashed about and she walked up to him. "Asshole. Gonna keep making me fix you?"

"Oi, this time it wasn't my fault. Ryuji's ex or whoever the hell she is blasted me not thirty seconds after she showed up." Haru pulled his hood up like it usually was and then crossed his arms. "It was a lucky shot, that's all."

Eila watched him for a long moment before pressing a hand against his chest firmly, holding it there. "You've grated my nerves in a way I didn't expect."

One look at both her hand and her expression had Haru raising an eyebrow at her. "Really, now? You sure you want to be having those thoughts?"

She let out a breath and briefly inundated his thoughts with her own before pulling back and glancing away. "Got worked up. Sorry."

Being a chameleon, Haru wasn't the slightest bit bothered by what had just occurred. He was curious and confused, but he decided not to press the matter. This time. "Don't worry about it," was all he said.

Eila suddenly withdrew herself, coughing a little. "I- uh… you can go… if you want."

He raised an eyebrow at her again. "Fine. Take care of yourself. You look like a wreck." He vanished before she could reply.

The cat felt warmth in her face and vanished, burying herself in the blankets of her bed with a low groan. God dammit. I lost control of myself for the second time today. Just… in a different way.

Fuck, his blood tasted good.

~保護者~

Xin took a seat on a large rock on the outside of the forge and conjured up some magic in front of him. It formed a sort of screen, one focused on Ryint's face. He established the same sort of connection with Ghune a moment or two later, only after he determined that she seemed calm enough. She must have fed recently. It's been a while since she's done that. The thought reminded him of his own building hunger, but that was doomed to be ignored right now. "Hey," he greeted them both quietly. "Sorry I haven't been in contact for a little bit. How are you two doing?"

Ghune let out an audible, annoyed sigh. "You go missing and you don't come to see me in person?" The woman said, raising an eyebrow. "Smart choice just this once, but I will not excuse it."

Their mutual friend, Ryint, cut in before he could reply. "Good to see that you're still up and moving. At the God's forge, aye?"

"Aye," Xin answered teasingly. Then his smile faded a little. "That's… why I'm calling, actually. I had no memories of my life when you both found me and took me in. I was a bit of a mess back then, as you may recall."

"Am I correct to assume that you have regained your memories, then?" Ghune questioned immediately.

"Yeah," Xin said softly. "It happened because I wound up getting chased here, actually."

Ghune blinked once, then nodded. "Out with it. What do you remember?"

"Everything. Just… everything." Xin sighed and rubbed his hands over his face. "To start with… I never told either of you my real name. I actually refused when you found me, back then. I won't get into the reasons why right now. Point is… my name is Xin, not Akol. My wife used to be Yuma, blood sister of the original God of the Forge. My son is Li, the current god. It's because of him that my memories came back."

"You could've summarized that a touch, but it is nice to meet you, Xin," Ghune said, blinking once at him. "The real you, I suppose."

Ryint tilted her head a little and shrugged. "Yeah, what she said."

Xin smiled a little. "Believe it or not, that is the summarized version. It turns out that I've been alive very nearly as long as you both have. That's the briefest summary I could have given." He wiped at his eyes with a hand. It's been ages since I've been this emotional… hasn't it?

Ghune couldn't stay upset, letting her expression soften. "Are you alright?" she asked gently. "I know a lot has happened as of late with you."

"Apart from what… happened with Fen, I'm alright," Xin told her. "I just wasn't quite prepared for a reunion like this with my family, is all. Dealing with everything is proving to be a bit difficult."

"Take your time," Ghune said. "I am currently with Black Doom after… Well, I will not get into it. It is a conversation for private ears, and as it stands I am not exactly alone."

"Focus on him. I'll get back to Babylon and check on everyone else real fast, make sure shit hasn't gone ta hell and back. Soon as I'm done with this here little one," Ryint grinned.

Only now did Akol catch a glimpse of the baby Ryint was holding. That made him smile a bit again. "I see you have the baby," he murmured. "All is good with them, assume?"

Ryint shrugged. "Shadow's havin' a rough time and Toru's been kinda busy with the other kiddos and everything else. Should be settled if they just have a little time to rest."

"Your barriers should ensure that, yes?" Xin asked Ghune. "I trust that they weren't compromised by anything so far."

"It should be fine, yes," Ghune replied. "Despite my recent activities, I do believe they will remain standing"

"Understood." Xin glanced back to the forge. "Listen… Until I'm needed for something, I'm going to stay here. I don't want to go back to where Fen and I lived, nor do I want to leave my son so soon after meeting him again. Just call if either of you need me."

Ghune stared at him for a long moment before rolling her eyes. "As if I would ask you to leave your son."

"I was merely informing you," Xin huffed. "I didn't ask for sass."

"You will receive it according to my whims," Ghune huffed in return, narrowing her gaze. "Stay safe, both of you. I have concerns that the universe itself has become disarrayed."

"As if it wasn't already." Xin sighed and stood. "Farewell for now. You stay safe as well."

Ghune nodded. "I am trying."

Ryint smiled to them both. "See you guys when we have the chance to meet up again. I'll handle things while you're both away."

"Both of you, come here when you can, by the way," Xin said. "I want to give proper introductions. I'll have to kindly request, Ryint, that you keep your destructive tendencies to a minimum, however."

The woman in question scoffed. "I'll be destructive if I want to."

"Please, my brother-in-law just cleaned this place up," Xin replied, managing a small laugh. "He wields a hammer that even Saethrim can't lift easily, and I would rather he not get angry enough to use it on you."

"Oh, he could hammer me an-"

Ghune forcibly cut off Xin's magic at that point, thus leaving just the two of them to speak to one another. "I will come by when I have a chance."

"Understood, but take your time. Focus on yourself and Black Doom." Xin offered her a somewhat genuine smile. "Farewell for now."

"If I cannot come soon, do not wait for me," Ghune murmured. "I will meet them properly when possible."

"Aye." With one last wave, Xin gathered his magic and prepared to end their contact. "Now go rest. Please. You look exhausted." Ghune huffed at him and ended it herself, not allowing him to do it. Xin shook his head, somewhat amused, and headed back inside like he'd promised Li he'd do once he'd finished. In truth, he supposed he could use a nap of his own.

~保護者~

When Nareish vanished, Jet looked down at the corpse of his student. For the life of him, he couldn't figure out why the fourteen-year-old would have left Gardenia. Cadora wasn't fool enough to think he had the means to help with recent events, surely? I left you on that world for a reason. There was no grief in his heart. No anger or disdain, either. Just… emptiness. He didn't particularly care about the dead boy laying on the floor in front of him.

The Void was pleased by this fact. It showed in its words to him. "No matter how the wind howls, the mountains can never bow to it. Likewise, no matter how your friends and family cry and wail, you must never give in to their words… or their tiny emotions. You know your purpose now. It will forever be beyond their ability to understand."

"They will not be content to be ignored," Jet reminded it simply. He turned on his heel and strode through the wreckage of his home to retrieve a few small items that he intended to have with him just in case. They were medicinal "pills" of a sort, full of healing magic that would most likely be able to get him through until his wounds finished repairing themselves.

"If they exist, they can be made not to," the Void reminded him in turn. "You need only make that choice for them."

"I'm not interested. Not right now." Jet pulled his communicator off and tossed it into the rubble somewhere so that Sonic and the others couldn't so easily track his whereabouts.

The Void shifted, unseen, to stare into his eyes. He felt its presence and its gaze when it spoke. "We met so long ago now, Jet, and still we struggle to understand one another. Tell me something. In that transcendent moment, what was it that I sought in you? And… what was it that you sought in me?"

"Do not touch me," Jet warned softly.

"When you stare into the abyss…" the Void all but purred, "does it stare back at you? Is its gaze as empty as your own? Does such a thing even matter anymore? The past and all of its meaning has been erased from your heart. The erasure will soon be forgotten. The 'lies' I have spoken to you will become the new truth. And you hate that, don't you? You have the capacity to hate everything now, as you should. Let that hatred flow through you… for we are far more bound to Darkness than Light, you and I. And in Darkness, there is only one unassailable truth. Death."

"So this is to be a reckoning in your eyes, is it…?" Jet questioned, crossing his arms. He shook his head. "It doesn't make a difference to me. There is no guilt in this existence… and no innocence. Only that which serves my purpose."

The Void seemed to grin at him. "And what is your purpose, Jet? What is the shape of reality in your eyes now?"

"Whatever you bloody make of it," Jet answered, turning away. "It doesn't matter to me. I care only that Nareish and her armies suffer as much pain as they are capable of enduring, and that they then perish one by one. Anyone who gets in my way will meet the same end."

"Your own body may suffer greatly in the process of this."

"Pain is not an important issue."

Oh, the Void was positively gleeful now. "Death comes in a great many forms," it murmured. "Though you may never succeed, I encourage you to find them all. With every death, you will come back stronger and wiser… and every death you experience will leave with you all the training you will ever need to inflict those same deaths upon those who try to block your path. Nothing can ever happen that is more beautiful than death."

"You're annoying." Jet teleported to the edges of Nareish's realm, inevitably drawing the Void along with him.

"Find this truth," the Void kept talking unabated. "If not in your heart, then in your mind. If not in your mind, then in your soul - the deepest part of you that is connected to the most basic truths. If you wish to survive, then you must embrace death. Kill all who stand in your way. Let no opposition walk free from your fire. Take back the life that was once nearly stolen from you by this woman."

"But know this," it continued. "Your every step here is set upon bloodied ground - a graveyard at the end of existence. Some say they can still hear the screams… Echoes of the lost and damned ringing out from places just beyond our sight. Embrace those voices. Let them fuel you. They are your strength now. Tread carefully, even as other dangers threaten to distract you from your purpose. Death lingers, its grip loose but present, waiting to take hold… waiting to embrace all who dare walk upon these tangled lands."

Jet understood the warning. He wasn't fool enough to think he could kill Nareish right now, much less attempt it. It didn't matter. Wreaking havoc in her lands and killing scores of her bastard followers… That he could do. So that was precisely what he and the Void set about doing as soon as it finished talking. All of this carnage, miniscule though it was compared to what he wanted to unleash, would have to be enough for now.

I will make you watch as I destroy you, he silently promised Nareish. You don't know yet what suffering is.

~保護者~

9,448 words this time. Many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help and support. Posted (at about 7:35 p.m.) 11-10-22.