Trust
Chapter 3: Reverse
Dedicated to Becky and Eve, and all the teachers who'd taught me
Tails stood in front of the door to his room, looking at it tentatively. He had been away from this place for almost six years. But the image of his room was imprinted deep in his mind. He wondered how much had it been changed.
He placed his hand on the wooden material, as if caressing it. Slowly, he slid his hand down to grasp the doorknob. After another moment's hesitation, he turned the knob and opened the door to look into the room.
It was almost unchanged, except for the bed. All his books, toys, posters were still on the shelves, the tabletops, and on the walls. What's more, there was no dust anywhere. The window was open to let air in, so he crossed the room.
Below the window, his grandmother's garden was as beautiful as he remembered, still looking like a scene out of a movie. He smiled happily. Those were the things he had missed and cherished when he ran away.
There was a knock on the door, causing him to turn. Kyla stood there, with another vixen. "Yes, Kyla?" he turned to address the cream-coloured fox.
"Tails, please meet Lady Leisha-ren," Kyla bowed respectfully to him and the other fox before moving away.
Tails regarded Leisha-ren as she entered the room. The vixen had pale green fur, save for her paws, ear tip and tail tip. Her paws were white, the ear and tail tips black. Her deep yellow hair hung down in front of her ears. Dressed in a black dress, she looked classy. But there was something about her that Tails couldn't place his finger on. Ignoring it at the moment, he pushed it to the back of his mind.
"So, you're Tails Prower? A pleasure to meet you," she smiled coyly. "In case Kyla hasn't informed you, I'm your sister-in-law," Leisha-ren informed Tails.
Tails blinked. "What? Gyken got married? Grandma didn't tell me," Tails frowned. It was another indication of what he had missed while he was away. "I'm sorry for not being able to attend your wedding, but I had some matters to be taken care of. Would you mind tell me when it was? And where is my brother anyway?"
"The wedding was almost four years ago, Tails. And Gyken... I'm afraid that he's passed away," Leisha-ren told the younger fox.
Tails staggered a little when he heard her say that. "What? When was it? How did he die?"
"It was about two months ago, Tails. There's a group of rebels who are trying to get the king off the throne. They are angry at being kept here, unable to leave. They wanted to explore the other lands, as well as have people from other lands visit. They claim that it would benefit our entire country. And they attacked Gyken when he was out on patrol. Recently, they have been getting more and more aggressive," the green fox told him.
"Oh god... and Kyla didn't mention this! What has been going on!" he growled angrily to himself as silent tears made their way down his face. "Gyken... I'm so sorry. I should've been here for you... my dear brother..." he growled angrily.
"Are you alright, Tails?" Leisha-ren asked, coming closer.
"No I'm not," he snapped. "But please. Just leave me alone," he whimpered.
"I apologise for heaving to break the news, Tails. Perhaps you might wish to get the details from Kyla. I'll leave you to your rest now," Leisha-ren bowed slightly before leaving the room.
Kyla glanced at the green fox as she entered. "Master Tails, why are you crying?" she inquired softly as she approached. In truth, she had already guessed what had happened. "If it were about your brother, I'm sorry for not telling you. Lady Malkida instructed me not to let you know yet," she told the young fox softly, kneeling down next to him.
"Why, Kyla? Why?" he replied as he threw his arms around her neck and sobbed into the hollow of her shoulder. Gently, she hugged him with one arm, her other hand stroking his hair soothingly.
"This was to avoid placing so much pressure on you, master. Lady Malkida had wished for you to settle down before letting you know," she answered his question as his crying gradually changed to sobs and hiccups. "I too, wishes for you to be settled, and is feeling more secure before I let you know about it. But if you were hurt by my concern, I apologise."
"It's not your fault, Kyla. You were right. This is very pressurising," Tails admitted, downcast, as he continued to hold onto Kyla. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't..." he started as he finally let go of her.
"Nay, master. You needed a shoulder to cry on, and it is my duty to serve to both you and lady Malkida's needs. You have nothing to apologise for," Kyla stood up, hugging the kit. "And I do not wish to see you sad, master. It makes me feel sad too."
Tails looked up at her. "I'm sorry, Kyla. I didn't mean for you to be sad simply because I am. Still, thank you for being here for me," he smiled. Albeit sadly.
Kyla returned the smile. "I suggest you get some rest, master. You'll need to ready yourself for tonight," Kyla reminded.
"Very well. Thank you, Kyla," Tails stood on tiptoes and kissed the vixen's cheek. "You may go back to my grandmother now. I'm sure that you'll inform me when it's time?"
"I'll make sure, master," Kyla smiled serenely, although her smile reflected a hint of his sadness.
Tails sighed and trudged the few steps to the bed slowly, heavily. He took off his sneakers, placing them neatly by the foot of the bed, before lying down on the aforementioned piece of furniture.
He glanced at the familiar ceiling, which he had not seen for many years. He reflected on his relationship with Kyla. Most people who did not know them would assume that he was the young master, while she was a servant. But to him and his grandmother, Kyla was more than just a servant, more than a mere maid. She was their friend, their companion, their confidant.
Tails closed his eyes. He would ask his father to give Kyla a title. She deserved to be placed in ranking higher than that of a servant or maid.
Sonic lay on the bed, wondering about his best friend. He couldn't think of any reason for the young fox to have to leave them so urgently that he told only the two of them, and on the day he left, no less. He badly wanted to start looking for his friend, but he knew it would be a very difficult task.
He had no idea where his friend was in this place. The citizens of this place might not even have seen Tails, so it would be rather hopeless to ask them. Furthermore, as Princess Sally had already told him, they needed to learn the customs of these people to avoid causing problems. He felt rather angry at himself. Why hadn't he looked out for Tails? He had been ignoring the growing child, letting the gap in their relation ship grow because of their difference in age. How could he have been so insensitive?
"Sonic? What's the matter?" Sally came stood at the doorway, leaning against the wood. "You don't seem to be yourself. You've been too quiet, too... I hope I can forgive myself for saying this, but you've been too inactive."
Sonic sat up, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. "I'm just angry at myself, Sal. I should've been looking after Tails better. Instead..."
"Yeah, I understand," Sally answered. "I noticed it too, Sonic. I've been trying my best to understand him. But we just didn't try to know him better. I kinda feel bad too," she admitted.
"I wonder where he is now. I hope he's solving his problems now... and I wonder when we'll be able to see him again."
Tails slowly opened his eyes to the sound of someone knocking on the door. At once, he remembered. Tonight, he was going to be reverted. The night he had been avoiding these past years for fear that it wouldn't work. But now, it was inevitable.
Still a little drowsy from his slumber, he opened the door and greeted Kyla, who stood outside. "Thank you, Kyla. Can you please leave me alone for a while? I better take a shower and get changed first," he told his keeper who nodded. "Oh. And can you please bring along something for me to eat afterward? I hadn't eaten since last night, just for later..."
His instructions given, he closed the door again. He rubbed his eyes gently with the back of his hand, pausing in front of a mirror on the way to the bath. "Looks like this is it," he muttered to his reflection. "Yeah... I really hope that nothing goes wrong. If it doesn't..." he gulped. "No need to worry. Nothing will go wrong. Or else," he growled.
He lingered there for several minutes, looking at his reflection, committing the image to mind. This was probably the last night he would be looking at this innocent and young face. Finally, he sighed and entered the bath for a quick shower.
Once he was done and had dried his fur, he pulled on a new pair of gloves and sneaker. This was also probably the last time he would be needing these as well.
He left the room and headed to the hall, where Kyla waited to escort him to their destination, the lab which had been kept hidden under the building itself. Their walk to the lad was a silent one. Tails, because he was dreading the result of the process which would be taking place in a few moments, Kyla because she was worried for her master.
When they reached the lab, his father, mother, grandmother and Leisha-ren were already waiting for them, while the scientists and engineers checked the machine for any last minute errors.
Tails stood before his father, both of them staring at each other. Both of them held a grudge which had been there since over six years ago. And now, they would see if each other can be forgiven.
"Lord Sevatar, the machine is ready," the chief scientist reported to Tails' father.
"Very well," Sevatar glanced at the machine which stood in the middle of the lab, before looking at Tails. "Young Prower, everything is ready for you. Today, you will decide to either be reverted and separated, or to remain as you are. But I'm sure you already know the complications of your present state, don't you?"
"Yes I do know, father. We've decided to live our separate lives. For the sake of each other, if not for the throne, as you so insisted that either one of us takes," Tails answered coldly. "At least you're offering us a choice whether we want to take the throne or not."
"As I promised," Sevatar placed a palm on his heart.
Tails nodded. "Well, I guess that we'll be seeing all of you later as ourselves."
Lady Malkida nodded. "I'm sure that you two will be very happy to be able to see each other in the flesh, am I right?" she smiled at the young fox. "Myste and Miles Prower... finally I'll be able to see my grand children all grown up and independent."
The head scientist coughed. "Sir? If we may proceed?"
"Yeah, yeah," Tails waved his hand lazily as he approached the chamber of the machine, taking off his gloves and sneakers. He entered the chamber which closed after him, preventing anyone from seeing the process.
The process of dividing Tails took several hours. Despite the scientists' assurance that nothing would go wrong, the members of the Prower family and Kyla were a little tense. It was true that the scientists had almost twenty years to perfect the machine, but it had only been used once before. The result hadn't been as expected though.
Unbeknownst to his friends back at Mobotropolis, Tails wasn't quite what he looked like. Tails was actually two people. Miles and Myste Prower were born Siamese twins, conjoined at the waist, much to the dismay of their father. They were never seen in public, for Sevatar was afraid that it would raise controversy.
When they were six, their father tried to create a devise which would either separate the twins, or cause them to merge into one body. Since Tails' grandfather was a seer, he had told Sevatar that Miles had to be king.
Gyken had no thoughts of wanting to be king after his father, so it hadn't been too much of a problem with the oldest son. On the day the twins were subjected to the separation process, something had gone wrong with the intended sequencing to separate them, so they had to merge the twins into one form, to prevent any complications.
Sevatar had hoped that Miles' mental strength would destroy Myste's presence, but it had not happened. So Sevatar had ordered Miles to keep Myste's presence in check. This had angered Miles when he found out that this was to ensure that there would be no complications for when he would ascend the throne.
Miles and Myste then swore that they would not take the throne. This, of course, had caused their relation to break apart.
There had been another complication that no one had anticipated. Since both the mental presence of the twins was present in the body of a boy, it would mean that Myste would face problems as they grew up. According to the scientists' calculations, once their body grew to the age of puberty, Myste would grow insane. This would in turn cause mental instability to Miles because of their bonding.
So the twins made a compromise with Sevatar when they were eight. They would remain eight years old in physical body through the effect of physical time reverse. It was a machine which was capable of retaining youth. A mechanical version of the elixir of eternal youth. Unfortunately, there was a side effect of the machine. The more years retained, or the more often the machine was used, the faster one would age.
Simply put, it was similar to a drug. It had to be used more often to attain the same effect. But unlike drugs, there would be a time when the person's physical body would not be affected by the machine anymore. Then, the person can no longer retain youth, instead aging extremely quickly. So if the person began using it at the age of twenty and he has a supposed life of eighty years, he would only live to forty in youth and die due to the aging process within the next year.
So the twins remained in their eight year old form for the next six years. Finally, they could take it no longer and left the continent with the help of their grandmother who supported them unconditionally.
They were found by Sonic who took 'him' in, participated in the Mobian wars and defeated Robotnik, then led the life of a normal growing child for the next four years, which brought them to the present...
"The process is almost finished," the head scientist announced as the machine's hum began to die down.
Silence ensued and activities halted as everyone looked towards the chamber.
Finally, the humming stopped. Bleeping, the computer ran through final checks on logging before shutting down completely, opening the door.
The chamber released gases at the doors opened to reveal the results. An enormous cheer broke out as not one, but two foxes were revealed.
Heyasha (their mother) glided towards the chamber, while Kyla pushed Malkida forwards. In the chamber, the two foxes stirred, stretching as if they had just woken up. As they finally started glancing around, Heyasha leaned in and hugged the two foxes, one arm around each neck.
"I'm so glad to see you both fine, my dears," she murmured to them. "I know I haven't spoken to you both for a long time... and I'm really sorry for what you had to go through."
"Aww... mom!" they answered in unison. Both foxes blinked when they heard their voices.
"Well. Are you two going to stay in there all day?" Malkida called from her wheel chair.
Everyone laughed, the tension dispersing quickly at the success and happiness of the event.
Author's notes: Gawd this is a disaster! I can't get the ending right no matter how I try. So I decided to do my best. Anyway, the main focus of the chapter was to explain why Tails would both be adults after their separation.
I hate this chapter.
Like always, I'll update when I get into the mood and am able to write better than this chapter. Hang on till then, people!
