CHAPTER 5

SHERIKAN

When Espio regained conciousness a while later he found Ayame leaning over him. "Good, you're awake," she said standing.

"What happened?" he asked, getting to his feet.

He stumbled and Ayame grabbed his arm to keep him from falling. "Oh, my head!" he moaned, putting his hand on the sore spot, "what hit me?"

"I did," she answered.

Then it all came back. "Vector, Charmy!" he exclaimed, gaping at the blackened skeleton of what used to be the Chaotix office.

"You idiot!" she screamed.

"What?" he asked looking back at her.

"When a ninja, or anyone, rushes blindly into anything, even a fire, he is no good to anyone," she answered, staring at him coldly.

"What have I done?" he asked, getting upset.

Ayame grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him. "You lost your head, that's what!" she exclaimed, "You never do that!"

"How would you know?" he demanded, as she shook him mercilessly.

"Because I know you!" she shouted in his face.

"How do you know me?" he asked.

"We," she began, her eyes becoming watery, "we used to be best friends!"

Espio's face showed surprise. "What?" he asked.

Ayame wiped the tears away with the back of her hand. "When you were training to be a ninja I was too. Master Mimnotko introduced us. We became friends and we did everything together. We even promised we'd be together forever and never forget that we were friends. But one day you left without telling anyone. Since then I've been trying to find you for more the one reason."

"But I don't remember you," he said.

"I know you've forgotten," she said, "I don't know how or why you did, but you did."

"Maybe it's because I didn't want to remember my past," he suggested.

"But why?" she asked him, "Why wouldn't you want to remember your past?"

He looked away. He couldn't tell her. It was just too painful. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Why?"

Espio looked at her sharply. "Because I don't!" he exclaimed, pushing her away so she had to release him, "Now please stop bothering me!"

Ayame looked at him sadly and didn't say anything.

Espio turned his back on her and walked up to the ruin that used to be the Chaotix building and rested his arm against a burned beem. He closed his eyes and, for the longest time, didn't say or do anything.

When he finally opened his eyes he noticed a piece of paper stuck to the chared wood. What's this? he thought, reaching up and grabbing it.

It was a note.

It said:

Espio

We have your friends with us. The only to get them back alive is to give us what we want. If you don't, you'll never see your friends alive again.

It was signed:

"an enemy from your past"

When Espio finished reading the note he slowly sank to the ground, clutching it in his hand. Charmy and Vector kidnapped? But by who? And what is this thing they want?

"What's wrong?" Ayame asked, noticing the distressed look on the male chameleon's face.

Without a word he handed her the note. She took it and read it silently. When she was done she just handed it back to him without any comments.

"What am I going to do?" he asked.

"You could go find them," she suggested.

"But I can't!" Espio exclaimed, "I can't go find them unless I bring that thing they want. I don't even know what it is that they want."

"I think I know," she spoke up.

He looked directly at her. "What?" he asked grabbing her arms, "tell me!"

"It's a sword," she answered.

He loosened his grip. "A sword?" he asked.

Ayame nodded. "Yes, a sword."

"What does it look like?"

"It's a diamond handled sword with a saphire case," she replied, "it's Master Mimnotko's most valuable possession."

"Why do they think I have it?" Espio questioned.

"I'm not very sure about that," she said haltingly.

"Where is the sword for real?"

"It's gone."

"Gone?"

"The day you left two years ago the sword vanished. When I asked Master Mimnotko about it he said he thought he gave it to a very valued student but, he wasn't sure."

"So is that why you left too?"

"No, I left because I missed you," she replied sadly, "when we became friends we did everything together we even promised that if we ever did get split up we'd still be friends and keep in touch. But you left and I never heard from you again."

"Why did you leave?"

"I left because I knew those other guys who were trained where we were thought you had stolen the sword. I had to find you and warn you, but over the past six months of searching I never could until now when it was almost too late."

"But how did you know where I was?"

"I saw a picture of you in a newspaper when I was in Station Square the other week. It was advertising the Chaotix Detective Agency and it gave the location of where the building was. Unfortunatly the other guys saw it too and got here first."

"So you came here to warn me?"

She nodded. "Yes, I did."

Espio looked away. "The sword they want. What is so important about it? What will they do with it? What use is it to them?"

Ayame shook her head. "I don't know," she replied, "All I know is they want it and they want it badly."

"And they'll do anything to get it," Espio muttered.

"I still don't know why they think you have it," she said.

Espio didn't answer, he just knelt down and pried a board out of the chared floor. There was something hidden there that he hadn't looked at in two years.

"What are you doing?" Ayame asked, noticing what he was doing.

The male chameleon didn't reply. He just kept on digging. In a few minutes he'd uncovered a gold box.

"What's that?" she asked, pearing at it over his shoulder.

Espio turned around and opened the case. "Is this what they're looking for?" he asked, opening it and showing her the contents.

Ayame looked into the box and gasped. "Where did you get that?"

The item was a diamond handled sword in a saphire case.

"Did he give that to you?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Something like that," he replied.

"So, those guys were right when they said they thought you had it," she mused.

Espio closed the box. "But how or why would they know I had it?" he asked.

"Because our master always paid a lot of attention to you," she said, "and they always claimed they knew something about you that you never told me."

Espio felt cold. Did they know about his past? And how did they ever find out? Did his teacher tell them? Or did they--?

Espio shook the thought out of his head. He didn't have time for this. He had to concentrate on the problem at hand.

"Now that I have what they want I can get my friends back," he said, heading in the direction of the forest.

Ayame grabbed his arm. "Wait!" she exclaimed.

He looked at her. "What?" he demanded.

"You can't give it to them!" she said. "if you do-"

"I don't care," he interrupted her, "all I care about is getting my friends back."

"Espio..." she began, letting go of his arm.

"I don't want to hear anymore about it," he snapped.

Ayame closed her eyes and put her middle and index finger up to her face. "I see you are devoted to your new friends. More devoted then you were to me."

Espio ignored her stabbing words and began walking into the woods. Ayame watched him go for a minute then followed.

She's lost him once. She wasn't about to lose him again.


Vector wasn't sure how long he'd been unconcious, but it had to have been only a few hours. It had been dark when the ninjas had attacked the Chaotix office and when he opened his eyes and looked at the sky it was only just starting to get light out.

As he became more aware of his surroundings he discovered that he was outside and tied to a tree. He could see a fire pit a few feet away and a few tents. He could not see Charmy.

"Charmy," the crocodile whispered, "where are you?"

He received no answer.

"Charmy," he called a little louder.

Still nothing.

"CHARMY!" he yelled.

Instead of getting a reply from the little bee, one of the ninjas who were guarding him wapped him over the head. "Be quiet," the ninja ordered.

"Make me," Vector growled.

"Don't tempt me, you croc," the ninja said.

"I can do what I want." Vector snapped.

"Oh, no, you can't," said a voice.

The crocodile looked in front of himself. He saw the Espio look alike standing in front of him.

"Not you again," Vector said, aggitated, "what do you want?"

"I need to ask you something," the look alike said.

"What?" Vector asked. Then before the ninja could answer, he said, "No, I need to ask you something."

"Yeah?"

"Why do you want Espio so much anyway?"

"That chameleon has something I want."

"What is it"

"I'm not telling you."

"Why do you think Espio has it anyway?"

"I know he has it! He's the only one who could have taken it!"

"Why is he the only one who could have taken it?"

"Because he stole it."

Vector laughed. "What? Espio stealing something? I don't think he'd ever do that."

The look alike gave Vector that look again. The look that seemed to say. 'I know something that you don't know about your friend', "You don't know him like I do."

"What is that supposed to mean?' Vector demanded.

"You'll find out in time."


When Ayame finally caught up with Espio she fell in step with him and said, "Look, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

"You're right," he said, "you shouldn't. They are my friends."

"Yeah, your friends," she said softly, "I guess you care more about them then you do for your old best friend. The one you forgot."

Espio stopped. He had forgotten all about her, but she had never forgotten him. He was selfish and she was right.

"I...," he said, "I'm sorry."

The female chameleon put a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, Espio."

He shook his head. "No, it isn't. I forgot you but you didn't forget me. I still don't remember you but you never forgot me. I'm selfish and I'm sorry. I should really stop thinking about myself all of the time. It's not right."

He looked down at the sword he held in his hands. He had been selfish about getting that too. His master could have given it to someone else but he had wanted it for his own reasons and now had it. It caused him trouble then and now it was haunting him. It was the one mistake that he knew: No matter how hard he tried to correct it, it wouldn't be fixed.

But, I can try, he thought.

"Don't worry Vector, Charmy," he said in a vow, doing a ninja sign against his heart, "I swear by this sword I will get you back. It was my fault this happened to you and it's up to me to stop it before it gets worse. You'll never know what my childhood was like and I can't change it. But I can change this and I promise I will. No matter what it takes I will get you back."

Espio began unshiething the sword. What is so special about it anyway? he thought.

Suddenly he felt a strange sensation go through his body.He knew what it meant. It had happened to him before. He dropped the sword but it was already too late. It passed through his arms and went to his head.

"ARRRRGH!" he screamed, grabbing his head.

"Espio!" Ayame exclaimed, rushing toward him.

"Put the sword back!" he yelled, crumpling on the ground, "put it back!"

Ayame saw the sword lying on the ground next to its case. She quickly picked it up and put it away.

"Are you all right?" she asked, kneeling beside him.

"Yes, I think so," he said, panting, "but Sherikan."

"Sherikan?"

"Sherikan... wants... ," was all he could come out with.


"Okay, buddy," Vector said, "if you're not going to tell me why you want this sword so much or why you won't tell me what you know about Espio, can you at least tell me one thing?"

"Depends. What is it you want to know?"

"What's your name anyway?"

The Espio look alike grinned evily. "My name is used pretty often," he said, "it's Sherikan. Sherikan Rio."

For some reason the ninja's last name sounded familiar.