REVELATION
Author's Note: I am SOOOO sorry it took so long to get this up. So much has happened since my last posting (AP History essay, Breaking Benjamin concert, Lostprophets concert, holidays, the list goes on). Hope you enjoy the concluding chapters of the Chaose Tournament!
"What would you like to eat, perhaps and egg with a slice of meat?" the dark chao asked Grim, who growled in irritation. "You've asked me that every morning…and you know what? IT'S DRIVING ME CRAZY!!! Stop speaking in rhyme!!!" "Calm down, Grim," Cap said. Cap's right hand was bandaged, as was Grim's left. Their backs were a bit banged up, but no serious damage was done. "That was an awesome match with you two yesterday. I didn't think you could fight so well," Espio commented. "Too bad it won't matter in the tournament, since those B.S. rules D.Q..ed both of them," DJ said as he sipped some orange juice. Sally looked over at Sonic and noticed he wasn't eating. "Something wrong?" she asked. "No. Everything's fine!" he replied with a fake smile. He would never admit it to anyone, but what Shadow had mentioned the night before had bothered him. Could Enigma read minds? What did that mean for him if he could? He just wasn't sure.
Julie-Su opened her eyes and knew something was different. Her room seemed different from what it had been the night before. She looked out her window and gasped. It was Echidnapolis. She was back home. Before, there was blackness out her window. She quickly got dressed and opened her door to see that she was in her apartment building. She picked up the newspaper at her doorstep and read the date. It was months ago. Was everything…the break up, Eclipse, Station Square, his death, the tournament…was it all a dream? If it was…Her eyes widened as she ran outside and began to run out of the city and into the woods. As she was running, she stopped at the sight of him. That same smile, those eyes she loved, it was him. "Julie? Is something wrong?" She ran and threw her arms around him. "Woah! Where's the fire? You okay?" he asked. "Everything's fine. I…I just had the most horrible dream. I want things to be different. I want us to be closer than ever." She could tell by his gulp that he was a bit embarrassed. Just like him. "You sure you're okay? C'mon. Let's go get some breakfast." He led her back into the city, blushing at the fact that she was clinging to his arm tightly. They stopped as a forked street with a restaurant in the middle. Before crossing, he pointed over to the right. She looked over and gasped at the sight of Enigma. "I think you'd be happier with him." She looked up at him and said, "But…but you-" "Can't be there in person. Julie, I'll always love you, but I can't let you be happy in your dreams and tortured while awake. It's not fair to you." She couldn't believe it. It was all a dream. It had seemed so, so real. "Go to him," Knuckles said. With tear filled eyes, she kissed him one last time and went towards Enigma. She looked back at him and saw that he was heading to the left. "You won't dream of me anymore. You'll have him to dream of, now. Just remember, I'll always be with you," he said as he disappeared. She turned to see she was face to face with Enigma. "I am sorry for what you have lost. I can never replace him, but…" His hand reached up and grasped the side of his mask, and began to pull it away. She was blinded by a bright light, and when she opened her eyes, she was in her room again.
The arena was filled once again with cheering dark chaos. A section of the arena had been reserved for those who had competed and had been disqualified, so the fighters from Mobius were all seated, overlooking the arena. From a long corridor, Sonic and Shadow stepped out, with their friends following them. From another corridor, Enigma emerged from the shadows. Chaose smiled to himself, knowing that these fights would decide whom he would fight the next day. Being that the semi-finals was only going to be two matches, Chaose saw fit to let them take place in the middle of the day, rather than the morning as the last days had been. The dark clouds looked over them as they prepared for the deciding matches. Chaose stood and said, "You three have come very far, and should be proud of your accomplishment. Being there are only three of you left, you shall have to draw to see who fights whom. Two will fight, and one will have the fortune of getting a free pass to the final semi-match." A dark chao scurried over to the three finalists, holding a black box. "Now it's time for you to draw, but we draw bones instead of straws," it said as it presented the box. Three bones were sticking out of it, and each of them drew one. Sonic sighed as he saw that he had drawn the shortest bone. "It is decided. Shadow the Hedgehog and Enigma the Echidna will now enter the ring," Chaose announced, receiving a loud cheer.
The two figures entered the ring and met in the middle. "I knew you'd make it this far. You and I are the only real competitors now. The other hedgehog makes a mockery of himself," Enigma said. "I will admit, he doesn't take things seriously, but I think he's glad he won't have to face you." "Don't worry. He will." Enigma bowed, and Shadow did the same. "Ready…FIGHT!!!" Shadow immediately jumped back and began to run around the arena. 'I can't let him get too close, or I'm done,' Shadow thought to himself as he watched Enigma standing perfectly still. Shadow timed everything right and went for a powerful kick, but Enigma countered it by flipping him through the air. Shadow gained his balance, but was startled when he realized he had landed on the very edge of the ring! He looked up and saw Enigma throwing a kick, which he barely dodged. Enigma threw a roundhouse next, trying to keep Shadow off balance on the edge of the ring. Enigma bent down and went for a slide-out kick, trying to trip Shadow, but the hedgehog jumped and avoided it. Seeing his chance to attack, Shadow sent a downward kick towards Enigma. Enigma saw the kick and rolled back into a handstand, with Shadow just sailing over him and landing behind him. Enigma, still in a handstand, grabbed Shadow's head between his feet and threw him out of the ring.
No one could believe it. Shadow had lost. "The winner is…Enigma!!!" The crowd cheered as Enigma went back to the center of the ring and glanced over at Sonic. Sonic couldn't move. He thought for sure Shadow would win. "Next is Enigma and Sonic the Hedgehog!!!" Sonic gulped and slowly walked onto the arena and met Enigma in the middle. "You ready?" Enigma asked. "Yeah! Ready to win!" Sonic said, trying to seem confident. Enigma chuckled and replied, "You can't fool anyone, especially me. I can see it in your aura that you're scared. And even if I couldn't see your aura, I can smell your fear." Sweat dripped down Sonic's brow. Enigma was really getting to him. "Ready…FIGHT!!!"
Sonic immediately backed off. He knew he had to keep his distance. Shadow took a chance with an attack, and it cost him the match. Sonic would wait for Enigma to make the first move. "What's wrong? Too scared to come near me?" Enigma said as he stood there. "What about you? You aren't doing anything but stand there!" Sonic snapped back. Enigma chuckled and replied, "I have nothing to prove. I have already displayed how I can defeat any opponent with little to no effort. You, however, have shown that you can run around in circles and attack indirectly like a coward. That isn't fighting. You are a joke. The great Sonic the Hedgehog, champion of Mobius. HA! I'm surprised there's still a planet for Chaose to destroy! You shouldn't even be here! You should have stayed home and let real fighters handle this. You make me laugh." And he did laugh. It began with a chuckle, then Sonic yelled "Shut up!," and it escalated into a deep laugh. Sonic, feeling insulted, charged at Enigma at full speed. Enigma sidestepped Sonic, who began to skid along the floor. "Reverse Sonic Spin!" Sonic yelled as he performed his trademark Sonic spin in reverse, poised at Enigma. Enigma turned around to see the sonic spin coming at him.
'SHING!' They watched in horror as the Sonic spin cut right through Enigma. Sonic slid to a stop and looked at Enigma, who had his back turned to Sonic. "No…I-I didn't mean to k-kill him…" Sonic muttered to himself. "Dude…" Morph muttered as they stared at Enigma. Suddenly, the cloak he had been wearing fell to the ground in two separate halves. Enigma's body was gone. "Was…was he a ghost?" Tails asked. DJ detected something in his visor and looked up. "He's up in the air!" They all looked up to see Enigma landing on the ground where his severed cloak lay. For the first time, they got a look at his physical appearance. He was really muscular, with black flame tattoos under his shoulders and just above his biceps. He wore a black, sleeveless, skin-tight outfit, with a white circle on the back. In the circle was what appeared to be a Japanese symbol. On his wrists were black cuffs, and on his feet were black boots. He turned to Sonic, and revealed that his mask had a large crack in it, which ran through the eye and down the face. As the crack got greater, he said, "I had hoped it wouldn't have come to this."
The mask shattered, and the pieces rained upon the arena floor. Sonic, along with his friends, gasped. He looked exactly like…Knuckles. Sonic glanced down at his hands and saw two spurs on each of his hands, which had always been covered by the long sleeves of his cloak. He was pale, with rings under his violet eyes, which were glaring. Julie-Su felt her heart skip a beat as she gazed upon him. She suddenly couldn't feel her legs and began to wobble. Rouge and Sally saw this in time and grabbed her before she fell. She was down on her knees, staring at him with widened eyes. "Julie-Su! Are you okay?" Sally asked. Julie-Su continued to stare blankly at him, with tears falling from her eyes.
"Kn-Knuckles?" Sonic said as he reached out to him. "I'm afraid you're mistaken. From what I have gathered, he is dead. I am not who you think I am," Enigma replied, in a rather hoarse and scratchy voice. Sonic gave him a confused, baffled look and said, "But…you look just like-and the spurs…You are him!" "My name is Enigma the Echidna. I may resemble your lost friend, but I am not him. And I was born with these spurs on my hands." "Stop with the act, Knux! Why are you denying who you are???" Sonic asked, getting annoyed. "Because your friend is dead and he's never coming back!!!" Enigma yelled as he charged at Sonic. Sonic was too shocked by all of this to move, and took a powerful kick to the side. Sonic stopped sliding along the floor and clutched his side. Enigma walked over and took him by the neck. He lifted him up in front of him and said, "I have heard that this 'Knuckles' would never hurt his friends," Enigma said as he drew back his right fist, "Perhaps if I kill you you'll realize I am not him." "KNUCKLES! DON'T!" Sally pleaded. "Shut up, woman! I am not Knuckles he's dead and buried! And I'll kill this hedgehog to prove it!" Sonic chuckled and said, "Go ahead. Do it. Knuckles would never do it. But if you aren't him…if he's really dead…if my friend is really gone…THEN JUST SHUT UP AND GET IT OVER WITH!!!" Enigma growled as he threw his fist, but grabbed Sonic's shoulder and head-butted him, knocking him out cold.
"The winner is…Enigma the Echidna!!!" The chaos cheered as Enigma threw Sonic over his shoulder and took his over towards Sally and the others. He set him down in front of Sally, who grabbed Sonic and started crying. She looked up at Enigma, who just stared with emotionless eyes. He turned away from her as the others reached Sonic, and began to walk towards the middle of the arena. He glared over at Chaose, who was still clapping. "I always knew it was you. The Walkers invested too much in you to just kill you," Chaose said. "I don't know what you're talking about, but I hope you make the most of your last hours." "And I you." Enigma stepped off of the arena and began to walk towards the corridor he had entered from. A sudden jolt made him glance over to the side, and about one hundred meters away from him was Julie-Su, staring at him with tearing eyes. His eyes widened as his mouth hung open, and he quickly turned away and rushed down the corridor. Before anyone could do anything, Julie-Su sprang up and rushed after him.
"Damn it!" Enigma yelled as he punched another rock, shattering it. "Everything was going so well! That stupid hedgehog! What'll I do, now? They saw my face…they weren't supposed to! …damn it…" "Knuckles?" a familiar voice said from behind him. He turned his head and saw Julie-Su. "Or is Enigma your new name?" she asked. He turned away from her and lowered his head. There was a long silence, until he finally said, "I never wanted it to be this way…I wanted to tell you so much…but I couldn't. The Walkers said I had to keep my identity a secret. Because everyone on Mobius thinks I'm dead, I can't just pop up and say 'Hey! It's me! I'm not dead after all!'. If everyone thinks I'm dead…then I am. I wanted to take off the mask and say, 'It's me! I'm back! Don't cry anymore!'…but I didn't. I betrayed your trust again. For what it's worth…I'm so, so sorry for hurting you like this. Just leave me. After what I've done to you all I deserve to be alone." He felt a hand grasp his shoulder as she turned him towards her. She took off her gloves and rubbed her hand along his cheek. "You're so cold…" she whispered. "That's how I've felt for so long. I can't feel anything anymore…but…I can feel your hand on my face," he said as he placed his own right hand on her cheek. There was a brief pause, then she threw her arms around him and burst out, crying. They fell to their knees with their arms around each other as she continued to cry, and tears dripped from his own eyes.
"She went this way," Rouge said as the Chaotix and the Ravagers followed her. "Dude…this…this is freaky…" Swiper muttered. They were all stunned at what had just happened. Suddenly, they heard someone crying through a small patch of trees. They peered through them and saw the two echidnas on their knees, embracing each other. She was crying uncontrollably as he quietly shushed her as he stroked her hair, whispering, "It's okay, it's okay. I'm here. I'm here." She took her head off of his shoulder and stared at him for a moment with a bright smile. Suddenly, the two became trapped in a passionate kiss. "Uhhh…I think we better go. Let's give them a moment," Mighty whispered as they slowly tiptoed away. After the others left, Julie-Su yelped as she kissed him, startling him. "What's wrong? Did I hurt you? What-" he began, until she put a finger to his lips. "I'm fine! It's just that…heh…you need to shave," she said as she rubbed the short hairs on his cheeks. He sighed and chuckled. "Sorry about that. I haven't shaved since I got here." "Well where would you get a razor here, anyway?" "Well, I don't use a razor," he said as he showed off his spurs. "You use those?" "Well, why not? Easy to use, close shave, don't need to replace it…Fine for me." She chuckled as she eyed the black flame tattoos under his shoulders. "Long story," he said. She nodded and smiled as she rubbed her arms up his enlarged biceps, across his shoulders, and down his chest muscles. "OOOO. I like this." She looked up at him with a mischievous smile and said, "I'm gonna enjoy this sooo much." All he could do was smile mischievously back as he drew her closer.
"When you said we'd give them a moment, I didn't realize it would be an hour," Vector said. They were all packed in the infirmary, where Sonic was still lying unconscious. The door creaked open, and Julie-Su was standing there, smiling. She took a step forward, but something in her hand wouldn't budge. She looked back and said, "C'mon. Don't be shy," as she took Knuckles by the arm and walked him in. He looked up at them, and they just stared. There was an eerie silence for a minute or two, then Knuckles said, "I'll understand if none of you want to speak to me right now. After betraying your trust the way I did that's what I deserve." Mighty walked up to him, stared him down for a few seconds, and threw his arms around his friend, crying. "It's okay, Mighty," Knuckles said as he returned the hug. "KNUX!!!" The guys yelled as they crowded around him and gave him a big group hug. After many smiles and tears, his attention turned to Sally, who had not left Sonic's bedside, and was glaring at him. "It's alright if you won't speak to me, Sally. I-" Before he could finish his sentence, her arms were around him and she was crying.
Sonic began to stir and Sally rushed back to him. The hedgehog opened his eyes and growled at the sight of Knuckles. "Why you-!!!" "I liked the speech you gave at my funeral," Knuckles said with a smile before getting yet another hug. "It's good to see you, my friend," Shadow said to Knuckles with a smile as he walked in. First, the two shook hands, then they had their own quick embrace. "So where have you been? What's with the tattoos? And the muscles, and the suit, and the alias, and the ponytail and-" "Too many questions for now!" he said with a laugh. "And what were you saying on Mobius about three years of training? You were dead for six months? Trying to throw us off?" Sonic asked. "Uhhh…Yeah. Trying to…throw you off." He smiled as Julie-Su wrapped her arms around him with a sad look in her eyes. "What's wrong?" he asked as he lifted her chin up with his finger. "Well…you have to fight Chaose tomorrow and…" "And I'll win. You can sleep tight," he whispered as he kissed her. "Hey! None of that around me!" Vector said. Everyone laughed as the two echidnas tightened their embrace through their laughter. "So what now?" Amy asked. "Actually, can we eat? I'm starving," Knuckles said. "Sure."
They stared in awe as they watched him eat. He was currently on his twelfth serving. "Uhhh…Knux?" Vector said. "Yeah?" Knuckles asked as he paused eating. "You just ate chicken." "So?" "Uhhh…Last I checked you didn't eat meat. Chicken is meat, dude." Knuckles looked down at the chicken bones and shrugged. "Whatever," he said as he finally finished eating. "Wow. You can really pack it away. How long has it been since you ate a full meal?" Rouge asked. Knuckles sighed and said, "Too long. I've been living off of basically nothing for the longest time now." He felt Julie-Su rest her head on his shoulder and felt comforted. How long has he desired this? Too long now. Far too long. And all he had to do to make it official was kill Chaose.
"In a few short hours, I will be free once again! I will take back what is rightfully mine! I will kill the echidna…just like the others before him," Chaose chuckled to himself, "When his blood is spilt, and he draws his final breath, I shall draw my first in my world! The Walkers will fall and I will assume my authority...just as I did millennia ago." Chaose began to laugh. An evil laugh that echoed throughout his chamber. Tonight was his last night in bondage. Tomorrow was his first day in freedom. All he had to do…was kill that echidna.
Author's Note: Didn't see this coming, huh? Well theres a perfectly reasonable explaination for all of this...and it's in a later chapter.