Disclaimer: Whoever made these things is just asking to be shot, I swear. They just WANT me to kill them!! Xl
First note of business: I now have dun dun duuuuuun—PHOTOSHOP 7!!!! -throws back head- AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
The Nameless Muse: Weirdo...
Oh, poo on you. Anyhow, that's why it's been taking me oh so long to update T.T I've been working my butt off to figure out how to use this thing, and it's horribly time consuming. And then there's becoming a Bushroot fangirl -.- I should stop while I'm still sane...
Sonic: Then you should've stopped years ago, NM....
Shut up. Second note: I finally got a deviantART account (or rather the MeJin did; I share it with my sister ChaosHavoc, the better writer AND artist) Hurrah! Hurray! Even though I haven't really updated it or anything yet, I'm still in happiness cause I FINALLY GOT ONE!! -.- Now I can draw stuff and show you guys!!! Oh YEAH! 8D
Shadow: Good Lord, no!
You can shut up too. Also, I've learned how to do italics and bold and even underlining!!! I HAVE THE POWER!!!
Eggman: And they say I'm insane....
Do you MIND?!
Chapter One - The Coming Of The End
Pain and suffering
And the struggle to be free
As the shadows close in
Fall across all our yesterdays
But when I see you coming
I can take it all
All the problems, all the fears
And the world seems to disappear
- INXS, 'Disappear'
The Floating Island was a majestic paradise, full of profuse, rich vegetation that bore tropical fruits, some common, others that were so strange in shape, color, and taste that they were unlike anything the world below had ever set eyes upon, let alone have grown themselves. The variety of flora that grew on the floating mass needed just this sort of tropical climate to survive, and no other place in the world had one even remotely like it enough to cause this kind of life to thrive the way it did there.
Knuckles lay sprawled out, arms behind his head, on the top stair of the temple to the Master Emerald, the gigantic jewel bathing the stone platform in eerie green light that mixed with the bright sunlight pouring down from the unmarred blue sky above, and played with the various colors streaming from the recently replaced Chaos Emeralds.
A faint breeze swirled around and through the treetops, and the relaxed echidna sighed sleepily. It probably wouldn't hurt to take a nap, since it was nearly noon, and soon the temperature would rise as the sun climbed into the middle of the sky. The heat was already barely endurable, so it rather made sense to sleep through the hotter parts of the day.
He gave the straw in his mouth an absentminded chew, and idly stared up at the pillow-like cumulus clouds floating leisurely overhead, casting short-lived shadows across the long grass, which the wind was blowing to create a strange, yet beautiful green wave effect. Knuckles sighed in contentment and closed his eyes.
"You're being lazy again."
The voice was female, a high alto or low soprano, and almost motherly in the way it was scolding him for falling asleep on the job, not that the job required hours of paying attention to. It wasn't like the Master Emerald was going to just get up and walk away, no matter how serious he acted about it when the others were nearby.
"Lemme alone, Tikal..." Knuckles muttered, rolling over with every intention of ignoring her. However, when he did so, he met with an annoyed-looking, watery head sticking up out from the cracks in the ancient stone.
It took a few blinks for that to sink in.
"GAAAAAH!!!" Knuckles backpedaled straight into Tikal and pressed his back against her legs as Chaos formed fully, laughing in his strange, gurgling tone. Tikal had her arms crossed and was glaring back and forth between them, trying hard to decide who deserved a lecture more.
"Chaos, please, that wasn't nice at all." She sighed, helping the startled Guardian regain his footing. Chaos looked slightly abashed at her words, but she knew he wasn't really sorry. Playing those kinds of pranks was Chaos's lot in life, and his powers, though formidable when he was angry, were just an easy way of sneaking up on some poor, unsuspecting soul from behind.
"And you," She rounded on Knuckles. "You're supposed to be guarding the Master Emerald, not using it as a sunlamp!"
Knuckles sighed heavily. "Well, I'm sorry if I'm flesh and blood, and that I get tired and bored watching a hunk of rock that does absolutely nothing all day."
Tikal put her hands up to heaven as though asking for guidance. "Ugh, you males! That's the same tired, old excuse Chaos used when he fell asleep on the job!" Chaos patted Knuckles on the shoulder for a show of complete and utter sympathy.
"Yeah, I'm sure he did. The truth is often used over and over." Knuckles grumbled and flopped back down onto the stone stair top. Tikal leaned over him, her skirt blowing gently in the faint wind.
"You know, you'd probably stay awake better if you actually sat up." She suggested, giving his chest a mean prod with a gloved finger, her braclets clinking together as she did so. Knuckles grunted inaudibly, sitting up in a physical surrender.
"I still think that if you people really wanted this rock protected so badly, you should've buried it somewhere."
Tikal scoffed. "It's not just a jewel, you know! The Master Emerald feels too, just as much as any living, breathing creature! Maybe even more!"
"Yeah, well, when it wakes up, I'll let you know..."
Tikal rolled her eyes and disgruntedly trotted off to the Chao gardens; at least they appreciated her. Chaos gave Knuckles a reproaching look that just screamed 'oh-great-now-you've-done-it,' before following the ruffled female echidna, while the Guardian shrugged and flopped back down.
He found her sitting in a huff on the old wooden dock that jutted out into the pools the Chao swam in. Currently, a large percentage of the Chao living in that part of the Island were in the water, trying to cool off. The rest were lying in a dazed slumber beneath the shade-granting trees. She was absently stroking the back of a small Neutral Chao, sleeping on its stomach in her lap, when he came up behind her.
"Hello, Chaos," She muttered, making a point to keep her gaze trained on the Chao in her arms.
Chaos knelt beside her and took a hand in his. If it had been the female echidna's first time holding his hand, she would've been surprised to find that it wasn't wet. While it looked like water, Chaos's hand holding hers felt more like a paper-thin skin, only slightly damp. However, she had held his hand and more before, so it was no shock to her.
Tikal smiled at the comforting gesture. "Thank you..." She looked out onto the lake, and a small smile crept onto her face. "You know, Chaos, he really is somewhat like a younger you..." The water being immediately looked offended, making his orange companion burst out in peals of laughter.
"Well, he is!" Tikal said, soothing the Chao, who had been startled awake when she laughed. Chaos made a disgusted snort and crossed his arms, glaring. "Oh don't give me that look, you know it's true!"
Chaos scoffed loudly before speaking in the ancient language. "He's too serious..."
She smiled. "I guess, if you're looking at it from your point of view..." She poked his shoulder. "But I see a much younger version of a certain Guardian..." She stopped for a moment, thinking as the smile on her muzzle sneakingly became bigger. "Only red..."
"I was better looking." Chaos growled, turning his head to look at the water instead of the priestess. "And I didn't fall asleep..."
"Oooh, how you lie!" she chanted in a sing-song voice, then laughed.
"I didn't!"
"Liar, liar, liiiiiiiii-aaaaaaaar!" she caroled.
His non-existent eyebrow twitched and a growl escaped from his throat. He hated it when she compared him to Knuckles, even though he knew there were some pretty noticeable similarities between him and the Guardian, especially since they were in fact, related. Nevertheless, he still didn't like it...at all.
She giggled at his slightly irked face. It always seemed funny to her when he got upset like this. Mostly because of the fact that since he didn't have a real mouth like hers, he couldn't just frown when she got him mad. It was always entertaining to watch him trying to find some other way to express his emotions, especially the 'angry look' which consisted of him trying to glare at her for hours, but usually only lasted a little while because he was plagued by the inability to stay too peeved with her for very long.
Which of course, she loved, and took full advantage of.
He sighed in defeat and plopped onto the dock beside her. "You were born just to bane me, weren't you?"
She smiled and patted his hand. "You'll survive."
-0-
The Dark Chao rummaged through the thick foliage, searching persistantly for the fallen fruit. He had seen it this morning and had decided it was ripe enough to wait for. He'd been sitting by the tree waiting for it to fall all day and into the evening, and had finally been granted his wish when it had toppled out of the uppermost branches of the tree, but was thwarted when it landed in a blanket of thick weeds nearby. Nevertheless, the little creature would not give up on its desire and had followed it into the grass, determined to have fresh fruit for dinner.
It was harder than it had seemed from the outside, since the dense growth was stubborn and barely bendable, plus it was prickly in some places, and poked and jabbed at the struggling little creature, but it too was stubborn and continued to fight its way through.
Finally it let out a triumphant squeal, and rushed forward, having spotted a rounded object ahead. It leapt up and landed on the sighted article, and bared its little fangs before biting down in victory. A loud yelp followed, and the little thing was kicked off, sent on a brief flight that ended in a jolt of sharp pain.
It impacted with the tree and crumpled to the base, dazed momentarily. While it tried to regain vision and stability, it heard a loud click, then murmured voices, muffled by its confused mind. Then there was a strange, loud whistling sound, unfamiliar to its ears. Its eyes finally cleared and it found itself looking up a long, dark hole with a shining light at the end.
It blinked twice, not understanding.
The discharge of the laser weapon was the last thing it saw.
Oh my freakin' gosh, I KILLED THE CHAO!!! O.O -.- I guess it was a essential sacrifice. Goodbye to the short-lived Chao. Perhaps I shall have you reappear in another story one day. Sorry I made you kick the bucket in this one.
ChaosHavoc: Chao killer.
I am not!!! -.- R&R people, or the Chao'll get it again!!! :)
Dark Chao: -cries-
No! Nonononono!! I didn't mean it! It's just an empty threat to get them to do my bidding! Just calm down no one's getting it, I promise! Please, please stop crying! Everything's okay, I promise!!
Dark Chao: -looks slightly comforted-
ChaosHavoc: ............boo!!
Dark Chao: -wails anew-
Oh no, please don't cry!!
