Emeralds are Eternal

There was something intensely disturbing about the empty Shrine. As Knuckles saw the crumbling ancient structure he'd called home for so long not crowned by the shinning Emerald an uneasy sensation crept up his spine. In the past it was the kind of sight that would have filled him with terror, now the worry was eased as it was no longer specifically his problem. Nevertheless as he leant on Shadow for support, a damp wind playing around them he was filled with a sense of unreality, and unease, as though he'd walked into a ghost town, or long abandoned building. For a few minutes they were alone at the base of the Shrine, even with Knuckles injuries the humans hadn't been able to keep pace with them. Knuckles got the impression Shadow had wanted to be here before them. When he looked across at him his eyes were glazed, mildly Knuckles wondered what he was thinking.

Shadow could remember fighting Sonic and Knuckles on and at the base of the Shrine, there were sooty scorch marks in the stone where he'd made a pretty good effort to roast Sonic. All his troubles in the world seemed to be related to these cursed stones. He'd been so pleased to be rid of them. Even from whatever place they'd sent them they were causing trouble. Shadow looked down at his spare hand, the one that wasn't supporting Knuckles. Without the Shards he wouldn't have lived. Without the Shards there would be no Guardians… He sighed, blessings and curses, hope and despair, truth and lies, Chaos and Control. There were so many things he still didn't understand, maybe they were things he would never understand, and maybe no-one could understand them. Maybe that was why the Guardians existed, to protect vulnerable creatures from those things, from the extremes. Maybe that was why he had Knuckles. He looked across; Knuckles amethyst eyes were watching him. Shadow sighed.
"Destroying the Emeralds was one thing… but bringing them back?"
"I'm sure you can do it" Knuckles said wearily, almost as though he wanted to go to sleep on his arm, which was probably accurate "You said yourself you didn't think whatever we did was permanent, really destroyed them" Knuckles yawned and straightened up "You said you sent the Emeralds into the Void, into Chaos" He shrugged "We'll just call them back"

With that the first of the breathless humans reached them. It had taken some time for any of them to cross the Island to reach the Shrine. He seemed annoyed at not being able to keep up, but was too tired to make any complaint. He was shortly followed by the rest of the group.

They were at an uncomfortable loss. Until Cholra arrived they couldn't do anything. Shadow and Knuckles slowly ascended the steps of the Shrine. At the top the wind seemed colder, and wetter. From here they cold look all across this side of the Island. Nevertheless they could not see the school or any sign of life other than the gathered humans and Cholra's little earth hut.
"I used to sit on top of the Master Emerald and look out on the world. From up there you could see over the edge of the Island's horizon all the way to the edge of the world. I used to like it when we flew over the sea; it was beautiful, the green grass against the turquoise ocean and the blue sky… You had to make the most of the simple things." He paused "I would watch the sea birds soar for hours at a time… I used to dream about being one of them… being able to fly away…"
"When I was trapped on the ARK, sometimes I would dream of this place… this view, I only realise now… but it was from here… I remember the mountains, the sky… I felt safe here… In my dream I never did very much, I just stood and watched" Shadow shrugged "I always thought of it as Guardian's home… I guess I was right"
"Funny that, 50 years between us and we still manage to share our dreams…"
"Time's relative, its all about perception remember?"
Knuckles chuckled "Whatever you say"
"I can see Cholra"

Perhaps understandably Cholra looked considerably confused when she met then halfway down the shrine steps. Her words however seemed to suggest she knew considerably more about what was going on than Shadow and Knuckles put together. She seemed ready, willing, and perhaps even eager to see the Emeralds returned. She'd be getting her job back.
"Well no use standing around here lets get this done" She said matter of factly. She seemed far more confident about this than Shadow and Knuckles, who exchanged an uncertain glance. Miserably they walked up the steps of the shrine to stand at the top, closely followed by Cholra. Through the Bond Shadow unconsciously sought reassurance, Knuckles did his best to give it, he was confident in Shadow's abilities, just not his own. Right now staying upright was taking much of his concentration.
"We'll bring the Master Emerald back first. And I'll re-bond to it. I take it you wont need me to bring back the Chaos Emeralds?"
Shadow shook his head numbly
"Master Almer will be along soon to cast the Chaos Emeralds back across the globe… Don't know where they'll end up… the humans can manage without them now… I suppose they'll probably pick them up again… No matter… come on lets do this."
She looked expectantly at Shadow and Knuckles, who looked increasingly uncertain. Below all the humans were watching, and with their cameras, filming.

"I can't help but think we're letting Master Ribern down" Shadow sighed softly
"He wouldn't want this. Maybe one day we can find a better way to fulfil his wishes… until then, we have to restore the Balance" Knuckles looked down the steps "Otherwise more people will die needlessly"
The three of them joined hands, Shadow's tiny ones dwarfed by the Echidna to each side. Just before he closed his eyes he felt Knuckles squeeze gently and send him a pulse of emotion through the Bond. The easy relaxed sensation was either Knuckles way of showing faith and telling him to calm down, or promise a holiday. Shadow sighed and searched for that impalpable power that had sent the Emeralds away.

It was harder to find now. Shadow searched through himself; all the while it seemed that Knuckles remained close at his side. Cholra's touch on his hand had faded away, but Knuckles' had remained strong, now he could hardly tell where he ended and Knuckles began, as though he could feel Knuckles' body too. The sensation in his body just seemed to ebb away as though he had no limbs at all. Then as he searched, Shadow found the dark force. The monstrous power reared its sleepy head in response to his calls. Wearily it uncurled itself and reached out to him. Feeling it waking Shadow and Knuckles took hold of the power and held it in their hands. Shadow began to understand, this creature was his own representation of some kind of gateway, the gatekeeper. The doors to Chaos were opening. Shadow was aware only of dark. He'd never been beyond those gates before. He saw nothing, his eyes closed; everything in this world was felt by some extra sense. For a moment as he stood on the precipice of the gate he feared Knuckles would not follow, then as he took a step through he was relieved to find his Guardian's touch didn't diminish, but somehow he got the impression that it was through Knuckles that he maintained his contact with the world. Here, in Chaos, all was silent, and black. Shadow reached out, searching. The Master Emerald was waiting just beyond the gates, it reached out to him, desperate to return to the world. The master Emerald had been the hardest to send away, and looked like the easiest to bring back. As soon as Shadow touched it, its energy, nothing had a physical form here he felt as though he was pulled. Sharply.

With a sudden bump light flooded back into his senses. He was aware of a sensation of falling, tumbling, then he jerked to a sudden stop. When his eyes adjusted to the light he found himself lying more or less on top of Knuckles, halfway down the Shrine's steps. Knuckles had jammed his fist into the rock to stop them falling and was holding Shadow tightly, almost possessively where he lay on top of him. When they looked to the top of the Shrine they saw Cholra, glowing, her hands pressed hard against the Master Emerald. They watched Cholra Bond to the Emerald. She seemed to be having some difficulty. Knuckles heard why, the Master Emerald just had to get its free word in before it was Bound again.
"I told you you'd regret what you did Guardian. I'm always right, you should know that by now"
With that the Emerald allowed Cholra to take up her position as its Guardian again. That done she promptly slumped into a heap at its side. However unlike a Guardian Bonding to a sentient she remained conscious. Half way down the steps Knuckles prodded Shadow's belly to encourage him to get off him. Mesmerised by watching Cholra he'd forgotten to move. He mumbled his apologies as Knuckles climbed laboriously to his feet. Shadow tried to follow but a wave of dizziness and nausea persuaded him it was better to sit down. Knuckles shouted down to the humans.
"Hey, make yourselves useful, one of you come up here and keep Cholra company!"
After looking at each other for a moment, one of the humans walked gingerly up the steps, past Knuckles and an uncomfortable looking Shadow, to Cholra. There he knelt by her side, and after a moment began to softly talk to her. In the distance Knuckles could see Almer and a procession of Masters, Guardians and Trainees approaching.
"You ok Shadowkin?"
"I'm dizzy…"
"Can you stand?"
"Probably… but I don't fancy trying to walk down those steps…" Shadow looked up and grinned "You're not much good to help me"
"Well we'll sit here for a minute until you feel better" He said flopping to his side.
"Will the world be alright with just the Master Emerald?"
"I dunno, it'll have to be"
"Maybe one of the humans can help-"
"It can wait, look Almer's nearly here. One of the Guardians can help us"
Shadow started to stir "I think I can walk now"
Knuckles looked down at his ankles "Good for you"

Almer and the others reached the bottom of the steps. A few came up towards them, one to tend Cholra, the rest to surround them.
"Can you give us a hand?" Knuckles asked "Shadow's a little unsteady on his feet and I'm well…" he pointed at his ankles.
With that several pairs of strong Echidna hands reached out to them, and they were carried down the steps. At the base Almer spoke to them.
"Please, try to recover the Chaos Emeralds as quickly as possible, the world is more out of Balance now than ever"
Shadow and Knuckles looked at Almer, at each other and sighed.
"You'd better back off a bit" Knuckles said, steadying his limbs to stand. The Guardians did as they were told, and moved away. Knuckles took up Shadow's hands again, rolled his eyes, and they prepared to begin again.

The Gatekeeper was waiting for them, standing guard over the Gates of Chaos. This time Shadow could simply walk through. Again he felt Knuckles maintain his link with the world, the metaphorical over-world. Shadow paused just beyond the gates. He could see nothing, sight wasn't the sense he had, nevertheless it was almost like seeing. He could feel around him a vast void, as though he were trapped in some great dark chasm, aware of the walls and the ground beneath his feet but unable to see them. Only here he was aware of no walls, the darkness seemed to stretch away… probably forever. He wasn't even aware of any solid ground beneath his feet, as though he was floating, but he was pretty sure his body hadn't moved. Shadow reached out, he couldn't feel the Chaos Emeralds anywhere nearby. With a shudder of panic he feared he may have to search eternity to find them. The touch at his hand intensified for a moment, and made him take a step forward. He moved away from the gate, and felt Knuckles presence and his link to the world remain strong. He moved further away, floating on nothing more than his own will power. Then he sensed something, two warm patches of glowing energy slumbering not far to his right. He moved forwards, and with his willpower reached out and called to them. The sparks of energy responded for a moment, coming towards him as though curious. Then as he drew close they seemed to identify him and went to pull away, but his will was too strong and he forced them into his hands. With a pull he was returning to the world again.

Shadow and Knuckles fell apart with a bump, each holding one Chaos Emerald in their hands. Knuckles was grateful the bandages for his wrists extended to cover his hands. Again Shadow felt dizzy, but it was stronger this time. Evidently Knuckles did too as he raised his hand to his face and swayed slightly.
"That's two down, clear and yellow" A voice said
Knuckles' nausea passed, but Shadow had his eyes closed, trying to tell the world to stop spinning.
"Hurry, you have to go again"
"Stay sat down this time" Shadow said simply, and without opening his eyes held his hands up for Knuckles to take. He did so and a moment later they were returning towards Chaos.

Knuckles felt Shadow reach the gates and felt part of him stop. It was like holding the floodgates closed against Shadow's power. He seemed to stand on the brink between Chaos and the world they lived in. The doors around him seemed eager to close, sealing Shadow in the darkness and cutting him in half in the process. All the while the Gatekeeper prowled around him, moving with a certain dark grace like an energy panther, some dark ghost of Shadow's imaginings. This time Shadow seemed to have to go deeper in search of the Chaos Emeralds, the deeper he went, and the longer Knuckles waited the harder the gates seem to press, the faster the panther Gatekeeper prowled, as though waiting for him to show weakness, so it could strike him down and close the gates. Knuckles, for now at least could pull Shadow back at any moment, as long as the contact remained, but the further Shadow wandered the weaker the connection became, the more strained. He hoped he wouldn't have to go far enough to break it. Knuckles remained custodian of their bodies, he could sense them in part, that sixth sense all Guardians developed that would warn of impending danger seemed to remain, but ahead, in Chaos, Knuckles was half blind. He could only see through Shadow, and even that was seriously impaired, he guessed he had only half Shadow's perceptual range, as half his sensation was focused on their bodies. He was unable to stand at his side and watch his back. Shadow was on his own, Knuckles was very aware that the only thing he could do to help him if he got into trouble was pull them back to the real world, and hope he returned intact. Then all of a sudden Shadow seemed to pick something up. He made a mad plunge forward something, with only limited perception it wasn't until Shadow got close that he realised he'd spotted more Emeralds, three this time, but they were running from him. Knuckles sent Shadow encouragement across their emotional Bond, telling him he could hold up a little longer. A moment later Shadow caught the Emeralds and like a spring Knuckles pulled them back.

They again returned with a bump. This time their symptoms were all the more alarming. Knuckles' world was spinning out of control, and as his eyes opened he could only see a certain shifting of dark shapes around him. He could hear concerned voices around them. Then Shadow panicked and he heard him scream out.
"We're blind!"
He was right. Knuckles passed his spinning hand across his face, felt it brush his nose, but perceived no more than a blurred shadow. All the while the world kept spinning. With a flash of heat and faintly blue green light Shadow caught aflame. Instinct took over; Knuckles plunged across the Bond and slammed the floodgates shut. The blue green light went out. It was at that moment Knuckles realised that he could actually see the light. The shapes moving around them were becoming clearer, then he managed to discern an Echidna face leaning over him.
"Is it safe to go near Shadow?" She asked
Knuckles nodded, he could see her eyes now, her dark brown dreadlocks.
"Shadow, your vision will return"
Shadow was already calming down as Knuckles concentrated on watching his sight return. It was coming back quickly now. Soon all he had was a slight haziness, and dulling of his peripheral vision. A few moments later Shadow's vision returned too. Though for both the world continued to spin.

As soon as they could both look around they spotted three more Chaos Emeralds, the two blue and the violet ones lay on the ground around them. Almer trotted forward and picked them up. With their worlds still spinning to a greater or lesser degree Shadow and Knuckles turned back towards Chaos.

Shadow stood just beyond the Gates of Chaos. The last three Emeralds had been expecting him, and had run from him. The last two were almost certainly alerted to his presence. Clearly, in Chaos word travels fast. However his senses were improving. This time it didn't take long for him to pinpoint their position. Again the two were together, quickly he moved forward, feeling his connection to the real world stretch like a rubber band, ready to spring back at a moment's notice. He moved forward, deeper and deeper into the darkness, deeper than he'd been previously. Then he sensed the Chaos Emeralds up ahead, waiting for him, not running or getting closer. Shadow approached them cautiously. They weren't behaving as the others had, that put him on edge. He could sense something else too, though he wasn't sure what it was, it seemed oddly familiar. He reached out to the Chaos Emeralds. Then suddenly he picked something else up, a white flash of metallic energy, just as something sharp lanced across his chest and Knuckles yanked him back.

As Knuckles pulled Shadow through he felt the gates slam shut behind them. The panther Gatekeeper snarling angrily.

This time he was completely blind. However that was not his primary concern. Shadow beside him was crying with pain, his own middle was stinging. Knuckles fumbled to sit up, listening to the alarmed shouts of all the Guardians around him. All of a sudden his spinning world was surrounded by hands, bodies and concerned voices. He felt a hand pull his arm away from his abdomen, and heard someone else groan. Ignoring all else he blindly searched for Shadow. After what felt like an eternity wandering through the swirling, bemusing black of noise and grasping hands that was far worse than the Gates of Chaos, some kind soul took hold of him and guided his hands to Shadow's. Knuckles could hear people shouting about getting the infirmary staff forward, calling more from the school. He knew Shadow was hurt, but not how badly, or by what. Then as his vision started to return he leant close to Shadow and heard him whisper a single word:
"Metal"

Knuckles woke in the familiar surroundings of Angel Island's infirmary. The smell was what he remembered most, sterile, cold, and nauseatingly medical. For a while he lay there, looking up at the whitewashed ceiling, trying to put the pieces of his memory together. He was having only a small amount of success when he heard someone approach.
"Oh, your awake then" One of the Trainees said.
"Yes" Knuckles said simply. He was good at stating the obvious today, whenever today was.
"Your Charge hasn't woken up yet" He started to take Knuckles' pulse "Strange, your injuries looked almost as though you'd been flogged. We could line the two of you up and watch the mark cross your bodies. I'm afraid your Charge took the brunt of it"
Knuckles' mildly peered under the sheets to look at a bandage across his abdomen.
"It's only shallow, you should be fine to walk around by tomorrow afternoon, I'd have said"
"When is it?"
The Trainee paused "Actually I think it's about 1 o'clock in the morning. So I should have said this afternoon" The Trainee chuckled
"What day is it!" Knuckles asked growing, a little frustrated
"Tuesday now"
That didn't mean much to Knuckles, his facial expression must have given him away, for the Trainee hastily continued
"You and your Charge restored the Emeralds yesterday afternoon… we're still waiting for reports as to whether the Shards have receded to come in… But it's only been about 9 hours…"
Finally Knuckles had the information he wanted.
"Is Shadow going to be ok?"
"Yes, he-"
Knuckles didn't catch the rest of the sentence, perhaps a little rudely, he went back to sleep.

The sounds of voices disturbed him. Irritably he wished they would go somewhere else to have their particularly noisy conversation. He tried to hide his head under the pillow. None were voices he recognised, it couldn't be Sonic or Tails, they were never up before him. Despite an intense effort of will on his part the voices were not going away, or getting quieter. Then, it occurred to him that he didn't know where he was. He rolled from his stomach onto his side and opened one eye.

Ok, so he was in the Guardian School infirmary… why? His wrists, ankles and stomach hurt intensely, strange wounds to receive in combat, but he supposed that explained why he was here. Ok, one question answered. So what had happened…? Nope, nothing, only a blank darkness and oddly the smell of metal-blood he supposed. Well maybe seeing as though those voices were intent on making so much noise they could remind him why he was here. Knuckles made an effort to speak but all that came from his mouth was a shuddering noise, resembling no words he knew. Nevertheless the voices stopped, and footsteps approached him. He felt a hand on his shoulder and he was gently pushed onto his back.
"Well he's awake… still looks a bit woozy though" He looked up into a familiar face, but couldn't put a name to it "Mind you with Knuckles' we're never entirely sure if that's just his normal expression"
Knuckles lifted his hands and rubbed his eyes. His wrists had been re-bandaged, they smelt of Echidna rather than human. At length he sat up and looked around. A light breeze was blowing in an open window between his and the next bed. Warm light was streaming into the airy infirmary, evidently outside it was sunny. Shadow would be pleased. There were lots of Shremu around. One young Trainee was patiently mopping the stone floor, moving the water around with a soft slop and abrasive swish. He realised what had seemed to be loud voices was in fact only a soft babble of those in the large room. In the bed next door Knuckles could see Shadow's dark shape half hidden by the crisp white sheets. His head lay flat on the mattress as he'd taken to hugging the pillow, his body curled around it. However what little of Shadow's face Knuckles could see looked swollen, and somehow damaged.
"He'll be fine" The same voice said softly "Just not very pretty for the next few days"
Finally fully awake Knuckles looked to his left and recognised Master Pedra, the School's head physician. She smiled at him "Welcome back Knux, you just can't stay away from this place can you?"
Knuckles groaned, regretting his rash decision to open his eyes, wondering if he could pretend to go back to sleep until she finished her shift. She had for some reason, always thought the Trainees, especially Knuckles, needed mothering, and that she was the perfect person for the job. Some of the younger Trainees, especially the girls liked her, but Knuckles always found her attention stifling, and embarrassing. He'd enjoyed his shifts in the infirmary, but had done his best to ensure they didn't cross paths.
"We're still waiting for reports to come in, but initial indications seem to be good… It seems the Shards' power is receding. With any luck, you'll soon be free to go" The Guardian that was speaking, a young female pointed over her shoulder, at two humans watching the door. "Fingers crossed huh Knux?"
For a moment Knuckles frowned, as his mind drew the memories together and presented them in a form he could understand. He sighed, looked across at Shadow, and nodded his agreement.

It wasn't until late that afternoon that Shadow woke up, several hours later. Knuckles had been dozing fretfully and only woke as a sensation of distress and frustration from him grew beyond the bearable. It was only when he did that Knuckles could see the full extent of his injuries. The aging gunshot wound was now the last of his worries. One side of his face had taken some huge blow, it was cut, bruised, and twice its normal size, although Pedra assured Knuckles that somehow his jaw wasn't broken. The wound continued diagonally across his shoulder and down his left arm, as though he'd been struck by some long blade or whip. Knuckles frowned, thinking of his own injuries, that wound continued onto his stomach. He thought back to their last trip into Chaos, tried to remember everything. He thought about it until it made his head ache, but all he could remember was a brief flash of silver energy, then Shadow's pain.

Shadow was hurting now. His speech was so slurred he was finding it difficult to make himself understood, he was finding it frustrating. The Trainees working in the infirmary were doing their best, but Shadow was singularly failing to get his message across.
"He's thirsty" Knuckles groaned as he roused from sleep. With relief Shadow sank back into the pillow, seemingly glad that someone had finally understood him. "And could probably use his painkillers topping up, on that note, so could I" Shadow tried to smile, but winced instead, and with a whimper curled up in a ball. Knuckles tried to get out of his own bed to go to him, but was quickly restrained, by none other than Pedra herself. Again Knuckles found himself struggling to comprehend what had happened to them in Chaos. What had attacked them still remained beyond him. In the bed next door Shadow was trying to suck his thumb, but was only succeeding in hurting the bruising to his face all the more. As Knuckles listened to him across the Bond he realised Shadow was deeply afraid of something and thoroughly uncomfortable. Pain relief and a sedative were what he needed. Knuckles watched relieved as an older Trainee approached to administer one of the two. Shadow welcomed the drugs with relief and held out his arm for the needle willingly. When he was offered a drink a little later the fast acting drugs seemed to have taken the edge off his pain, and he was able to force a little water into his battered mouth. Pedra had been right though, one thing Shadow wasn't was pretty.

The afternoon was spent in silence for the most part; with Shadow's injuries to his mouth he was feeling decidedly sorry for himself, and not much in the mood for talking. Knuckles managed to walk around the infirmary once before his ankles gave way again. When Pedra changed the dressing again for what felt like an obsessive number of times she said nothing, only made an ominous tutting noise. Secretly Knuckles harboured fears that the damage would be permanent, and something that was beyond Shadow's power to fix. Consequently, he too was condemned to silence, and made poor company. Below that they both shared a fear of what would happen if the Shards didn't recede, what fate would await them, and indeed the world in that case? All the while they could hear the calls of Echidna Guardians coming into and out of the Island, but most were so blurred by the confines of the stone floor that only the occasional word could be made out. While they were awake, Shadow and Knuckles spent their time pondering their own thoughts and fears. It was only when Almer rejoined them just as the sun was setting that they both looked up and seemed willing to speak. Almer's face was drawn. He looked tired, like he'd been up all night, which was probably the case. Knuckles thought he looked as though he'd aged several years since he'd taken over as leader on Angel Island. He came in, casting an obstinate glance at the humans guarding the door, as though resentful of this invasion of his island. He came and sat on the end of Knuckles bed. Only after a pause did he speak.
"I have some good news for you" Assuming he knew the rest Knuckles breathed an audible sigh of relief. Almer smiled. "Reports are coming in from Guardians all over the world; the effects of the Shards seem to be receding. We've had word from two other Guardian Schools, the Southern Guardian School reports that it's affected Trainees have returned to normal, or are well on their way to recovery. Winter's Gate Guardian School sent us a message early this morning saying more or less the same, one of their Trainees seems to have retained her abilities, but they were mild, representing very little change, and certainly not life threatening… Knuckles… We just had a message from Coral. Her Charge has come out of her comma, and is responding to her. It was a short message; she sent no more than that. She couldn't have, we've got every Echidna capable of speaking the language and writing the messages down around the edges of the Island taking and sending them. It's been pandemonium out there. Mind you the Message Network's been on overdrive for days. It's nice to know it still works. It'll be good when this little crisis is finally over and we can go back to running the Island normally."
"What are the humans saying?" Knuckles asked softly
"Much the same thing, none of us are willing to say one way or the other, but it looks good so far."
Knuckles nodded slowly "We'll have to hope things keep going as they are, maybe then the humans will keep their word and let us go"
"There'll be big trouble if they don't. The Guardians and the humans made an agreement; we've kept up our side of the bargain. It wouldn't be wise for them to go back on theirs."
"We donn'tt haave anyware to go, evven if they do releasse uss." Shadow slurred past the pain in his mouth. For a moment he paused to collect his speech "We can't sseriously conssider going b-back to our house"
Knuckles shook his head "I hadn't thought that far ahead"
"Regardlesss of what really h-happened I can't imagine the locals being too keen to havve me backk." Shadow gave up on speech with a groan
"Well it doesn't pay to worry about that yet, take this one step at a time" Almer said
Knuckles sighed "Yeah, I suppose your right"
"Get some rest. I'll bring word as soon as we have any tomorrow morning"
Almer got up and started to walk away.
"Master Almer… Thank you, for… everything"
"All part of the job Knuckles, besides, I'd be letting Ribern down if I let anything happen to you" Chuckling, Almer walked past the guards and let himself out of the infirmary. Relieved Shadow and Knuckles went back to sleep.

A damp wind was blowing in the open window. Outside Knuckles could hear the rustling of damp trees. It was a dark night. The time of the month was such that there was no moon. Cloud cover would probably have blocked out any light it could have given anyway.
"Knuxx are you awwaake…?" Shadow's slurred voice asked
"Yes"
"I can't sleeep"
Carefully Knuckles climbed out of his bed to go over to his side. He was hugging the pillow again. Knuckles hopped up to sit on the side of his bunk, eager to take the weight from his ankles.
"We'll have to get you another teddy…" Knuckles chuckled "Where did you lose Harry? Do you remember?"
Shadow realised he was hugging the pillow and hastily shoved it aside and sat up.
"At the hhouse."
"Well maybe it will still be there when we go back"
In the dark Shadow raised an eyebrow.
"We'll go back and get our stuff… save us raiding Tails' bang account again… then we'll just have to find somewhere else… that desert island is looking more and more appealing, huh?"
Shadow's eyes looked sad
"Don't worry Shadowkin… It'll be alright in the end, you'll see"
Shadow didn't look too confident.

They woke up in the same bed, much to Pedra's annoyance, who gave Knuckles a serious reprimand for being on his feet without a nurse to help him. A reprimand which Knuckles, for the most part completely ignored, much to Shadow's amusement. They'd eaten breakfast, lumpy porridge in traditional school style before Almer appeared for his visit. Promisingly it looked as though he had slept, suggesting that the news had continued to remain good. This time he sat on the end of Shadow's bed.
"Good news people!" At this point he playfully slapped Shadow's feet where they stuck up under the covers. A gesture which a moment later he seemed to think better of, hastily he carried on "The reports are still coming in, things are returning to normal everywhere! It worked! The world is in Balance again, which means we can all get a good night's sleep!"
Knuckles had never seen Almer like this.
"Have the humans released us yet?"
"The leader of the soldiers here expects word to come sometime this morning, which means we can get their stinking plane off our island"
Shadow and Knuckles looked at each other
"Anymore word from Coral?"
"Not as far as I'm aware, but I'll ask for you…" Almer got up "well I have things to do" He smiled "Knuckles, try to be good for Pedra, mm?"
Then he was gone again leaving Shadow and Knuckles alone with the infirmary staff.

A human in a suit came into the room mid-morning.
"You are being released" He said bluntly standing between their beds. "You are to report your place of residence here within the next three months." He gave Knuckles a card, which he looked at blankly "otherwise this will be counted as breaking of your release arrangements, you will be found, rearrested and Project Shadow returned to service in the army" He looked at Knuckles "with or without your approval. And believe me Shremu; we have ways and means of finding you."
The human smirked as Knuckles realised he'd been unconscious in that cell for a long time… The human turned, and left. Shadow and Knuckles looked at each other and despite the stringent terms of their release, were pleased.

Once the human had gone and they had each had time to mull over their thoughts Shadow spoke.
"Knuckles… where do we have to report our location to?" Shadow's mouth had improved enough for him to be able to speak more or less clearly, even though he was still in pain.
Knuckles tried to look casually at the card "Just some department…"
"What's it called… maybe I've heard of it…" Shadow knew what he was doing was cruel, but if he was wrong this would save face. Knuckles stomach did a back flip, and Shadow felt it.
"Umm…" Knuckles began, looking more intently at the card
"You can't read it can you?" Shadow asked softly
Knuckles looked mortified, he answered in a voice Shadow could barely hear "No…"
Shadow looked thoughtful
"How long have you known?" Knuckles asked, his voice unusually weak
Shadow turned to look at him "I've had my suspicions for a while now… the license plates… that was what really made me wonder…then I thought about the human money… My bracelets… the instructions for the furniture… Even when you had lots of things to remember I never once saw you try to write them down. Then I thought back to what you said about your being Storyteller… how you memorised the stories… The Echidna legends were spoken, not written; I figured a good memory for spoken language was how you'd gotten by for so long"
"You w-won't t-tell anyone will you?" his voice was choked
Shadow got out of bed and went over to Knuckles "Not if you don't want me to… It's nothing to be ashamed of though"
Knuckles pulled his knees up to his chest and hugged them. He looked away and was silent for a moment. "The letters… they dance. I can't read them because they won't sit still… I could never understand how lines could represent sounds anyway…" Knuckles sniffed "Do you think I'm stupid"
"No-"
"T-the doctors, they said I had something called dyslexia… that was why I couldn't do it… and why I had problems with things like left and right too…" Knuckles sniffed again "They gave me extra lessons… tried to help me… but I just couldn't do it… they started to say it was just because I was lazy…" Knuckles looked round "I tried so hard! I would sit staring at a page for hours at a time, willing myself to learn it… but every time I learned a letter by the next day it's shape would be gone from my mind, and the letters were always there dancing to mock me!"
"Knuck-"
"They all said I had something wrong with my brain! That I was stupid, retarded!" His voice broke again "I sat there trying until I made myself sick! I used to get Coral, Moonstone, even Custos, anyone who knew to help me and I still couldn't do it…" He sighed and his voice softened for a moment "When I was really little I used to get Coral to read me the extracts from things the night before, and memorise them, to pretend I could do it, that's how my audio memory developed… but then they got wise. I had to start taking extra lessons… I was in the bottom set for more or less everything except spoken and foreign language… I couldn't count… They all used to laugh at me… call me Knucklehead… say I was all fists and no brains… So then I would snap and beat them up… That was one thing I was good at… I used to get into a lot of trouble… Then as I got older I just resigned myself to being stupid… after five years trying I gave up. I didn't ask Coral for help anymore… I just went to my extra lessons… more often than not I got chucked out…" Knuckles swallowed hard "After I was Bound to the Master Emerald I never picked up another book… after four years at its base… I can't read a word" Suddenly Knuckles' strong fist reached out to grab Shadow's arm; he squeezed it harder than he realised "You can't tell anyone! You have to promise!"
Shadow flinched "Yes! Knuckles you're hurting me!"
Knuckles hastily let go "See there I go again, all fists and no brains." His voice lowered to a mutter "If there was any justice in the world the Marchac would have killed me"
Shadow rubbed at his arm "Knuckles dyslexia is a recognised condition, even when I was educated… there are strategies to help you deal with it"
"Yeah, they tried them and they didn't work. Face it Shadow, your Guardian's a stupid idiot"
Shadow jumped up onto the side of the bed "Dyslexia doesn't make you stupid, it just makes you different…"
"Shadow I'm completely illiterate!"
Shadow shrugged "So what? It hasn't stopped you telling stories, and it certainly hasn't stopped you being a good Guardian"
Knuckles looked at him for a long time, and then shook his head "Of course you'd say that…"
"I say it because it is the truth!" Shadow cried exasperated "Knuckles' you aren't stupid, you can speak six languages!"
"So can you"
"I'm a genetically engineered bio-weapon"
That raised a small smile
"I had an education equivalent to a human fifteen year old before I was even born… I often wish I hadn't been educated in that way… they desecrated and violated my mind, taking away any opportunity I ever had of being an ignorant child! I've rarely known what it was to struggle over a puzzle and have the thrill of realisation and success… I would love to have taken a normal school education like most of the children of this world."
"You wouldn't say that if you'd been through it"
"You take it for granted that you were educated in that way… you don't appreciate it. So many times I watched Maria struggle over what to me was a simple problem, for her to be rewarded with a realisation of the answer. I wished for the simple pleasures that came from not having a mind like a supercomputer"
"Then you don't know what it's like to watch all your peers find something so simple, and easy, and be the only one left behind in confusion…"
"No, I don't, but I would have loved to have the chance to learn… The longer I spend in the real world, outside the ARK, the more I realise how unbalanced my education was."
"Shadow, you have the equivalent memories of a three year old… there's bound to be a lot you still need to learn…"
"Things you can teach me" Shadow said grinning "You might not be able to teach me how to read, but that's not what I need, what I need is a guide, to help me through society's little intricacies, things no-one can learn in books…"
Knuckles sighed and smiled "Alright Shadow… nothing you ever say will stop me thinking I'm stupid, or being ashamed but I see your point"
"Good" Shadow said smirking "Sonic warned me about arguing with you… I think that's as close to a victory as I'm ever likely to come"
"Huh?"
"He described arguing with you as being like… arguing with a brick wall"
"He never wins an argument with me because he knows I'm always right"
Shadow shook his head and laughed. "Now, my mouth is hurting again… so I'm going to shut up"
Knuckles looked up at him "Shadow… what attacked you in Chaos?"
He looked nervous "I think, it was Metal, Metal Sonic."
"So you were right… about him not being dead?"
Shadow nodded "And if I ever have to go into Chaos again… He'll be waiting for me… He's likely to be pretty angry… I've more or less condemned him to an eternity in the darkness…"
Knuckles looked serious, but said nothing more.

They stayed on the island for a number of days. Slowly Shadow's wounds healed, and Knuckles regained most of the use of his ankles and hands. A week after the humans left Angel Island Shadow and Knuckles were laid peacefully soaking up the lasts of the early autumn sun somewhere between the School and the Master Emerald Shrine when a young trainee came running up to them.
"Shadow, Guardian Knuckles!"
Knuckles stood up and looked around. He spotted a young Kitsune running through the long grass. Quickly she darted over to them. She took a moment to catch her breath before she spoke to them.
"Sir, you have a visitor" She said, her eyes sparkling with mischievous glee
"Visitors?" Knuckles questioned, wondering who could possibly want them now
"Yes, at the School, come, come!"
The little girl could hardly contain her excitement
Shadow and Knuckles looked at each other "Come on my Guardian, visitors!" Shadow said smirking and ran off beckoning for the girl to follow. After a moment, Knuckles did the same.

They spotted the Tornado first. Shadow and Knuckles skidded to a halt, just before they were greeted by Tails' smiling face.
"Hey guys" Tails called, running up to them
"Tails?"
"Yep, in the flesh, you gave me and Sonic the right run around trying to find you, we got as far as that military place. Sonic saw Shadow being loaded into the ambulance but was too late to speak to you"
Knuckles shuddered slightly and made a gesture as though trying to brush dust from his fur.
"Anyway… We have a surprise for you!"
"We?" Knuckles questioned, bemused
"Yeah, me and Sonic" Tails said smiling "but he's not here, he's waiting back with your surprise, c'mon, c'mon!"
"Is this a good surprise?" Knuckles asked sceptically
"Well I think so… c'mon, c'mon! Get in the Tornado already"
Tails excitement was infectious. The Guardians around them were all grinning, as though they were in on the secret. Shadow at least seemed keen; his exited curiosity was in danger of seeping up the Bond and overriding Knuckles' scepticism. Then Almer appeared in the ranks.
"Go with him Knuckles" He said simply
"Trying to get rid of us?" Knuckles asked
"You eat the food, and the Trainees either idolise you, or are afraid Shadow will cook them. Can't do anything with them as long as you're around!"
Knuckles snorted
"Seriously Knuckles, go with him, the wide world is still waiting for you, you have to start again, you can't hide here forever. You'll always be welcome here, but hard as it is, you have to move on, make that life for yourself"
Knuckles realised that was perhaps what he had been doing, as long as he was on Angel Island he felt safe, surrounded by Guardians and friends. After a long moment's thought he turned to the gathered assembly of Trainees and Masters.
"Before I go, I want to thank you, on behalf of myself and my Charge, for everything you've all done for us over the last few days. For everything you hoped to achieve… we wish you every happiness and success in the future…"
Shadow nodded his agreement. With that, they turned and climbed into the Tornado.

It was only after they'd been flying for nearly two hours that Shadow and Knuckles started to recognise their surroundings. Then as Tails put the Tornado into a slow descent they were certain.
"Tails… are you taking us back to our house… you know we can't go back there… the humans chased us out"
"Just be patient Knuckles" Tails said, smiling
Uncertainly Knuckles sat back in his seat.
Tails brought the Tornado to ground in his traditional landing spot, just down the hill from their house. When Knuckles and Shadow looked out the window they could see Sonic waiting for them, waving and smiling. He ran up to greet them as they all got down from the Tornado's cabin.
"Hey guys! Man, Shadow you've looked better" Sonic laughed
Shadow frowned irritably. Knuckles looked nervous
"Wipe those looks off your faces; we've got something to show you!"
"You do know we were chased out of our house right?" Knuckles asked
Tails and Sonic looked at one another, obviously they didn't know about the fire here.
"Yes… come on Knux, have a little faith in me, yeah?" Sonic asked, sounding a little hurt
Knuckles frowned, but said nothing more.

Sonic and Tails led them up the hill, to the bottom of their garden, seemingly unable to contain their delight. Then as they got higher up the hill Shadow and Knuckles saw what they were so pleased about. Standing outside their house, cleared of the charred and broken remains of their furniture stood a number of Shremu, and what must have been half the Skytop villagers. Shadow and Knuckles came to a halt, as what seemed like several hundred children ran down towards them. Seconds later they were surrounded by brightly dressed children, human and Shremu alike, all chattering and asking questions.
"Welcome home!" Sonic shouted over the noise
Knuckles and Shadow couldn't quite take it all in, and walked up to the house in bemused silence. Here they were met by what turned out to be another pleasant surprise. Sharay and Jintae her father, were waiting with the adults. Sharay, half to Knuckles embarrassment, half to his pleasure welcomed him back with a warm hug. Her father with a friendly handshake. Then once those greetings were over a tall old human, the one who had come with the youngster spouting tales of the fire spewing hedgehog came forward.
"The people of Skytop village would like to offer our most sincere apologies to you both, for our little misunderstanding… we hope our actions have not cost you so dearly… we hope you can find it in yourselves to forgive us… we have repaired the damage to you home and completed all the tasks we are told you yourselves had yet to finish… we only hope that you would still be willing to be our neighbours…"
Knuckles looked around at the expectant faces, Shadow's among them, despite his growing reservations surrounding humans he smiled and relented.
"Nothing, would make me more proud"
Knuckles held out his hand, and for perhaps the first time willingly shook that of a human.
"Welcome home, Guardian Knuckles" The old man said, but his voice was drowned out by the resounding cheer of the gathered assembly.