Chapter Seven

The group came out of the portal in varying conditions. Amy was rubbing her eyes, while Tails was near the point of losing his lunch, and the other three meals before. Cadmus seemed only slightly dazed.

Espio walked forward and presented the new location to the group. "Welcome, friends, to the City of the Cipher…" After glancing back, his tone changed to one of mild comedy, "…or at least what remains of it."

Indeed, the city's ruins even now held a great awe in the new arrivals. Stone buildings of all sorts, ruins of a past civilization, dotted the great plateau they were on. Many of them were laid on the ground, toppled by the ravages of time. Others remained standing, but their pigments scraped away by wind, rain and dust.

One building stood out in particular: a massive structure that obviously was some sort of temple. It had somehow survived all this time. It seemed as if it had just been built…all its colors were still present, all the statues seemed intact.

Tails was especially in awe. "City of the Cipher…this…is the City of the Cipher? Espio…you've discovered the most mythical city of all time! Archeologists have been searching for this place for centuries!

Espio glanced at the bracelet. "Apparently this bracelet is the only way in and out of the city. There's some sort of invisible wall isolating the place and hiding it from sight."

Tails groaned with disappointment. "So…you have to go through that portal every time I need to get something before returning to the city? Uuugggh."

"Heh-heh…just kidding. There's also a passage beneath the temple that goes straight into the plateau itself. I thought I noticed the glint of metal several hundreds from the tunnel.

Tails was now in complete shock. "I've had the capital city of the greatest civilization ever built several hundred yards from my lab? Gragh!"

Amy couldn't help but be somewhat amused at Tails' frustration. "Sounds like it. Now, why did you bring us here?"

Espio smiled and startedtoward the temple."Follow me. I think you'll like what I am about to show you."

-- -- -- -- -- -- --

Shadow stood at the entrance to a very large door, looking it over and rubbing his hand on the stone. Tsuko was munching on some cooked fish Espio had given them to eat, watching Shadow in wonder.

"This temple…I feel so connected to it, Tsuko," Shadow said without even looking at him. "It's as if the answers I've been searching for…are right beyond this door…but it doesn't budge.

"Is that all you look for? Answers?" Tsuko replied nonchalantly. "They only bring more questions, you know."

But before Shadow could reply, he heard Espio calling.

"Hey guys! Look who I brought!" Moments later, Espio stepped in, with Tails, Amy and Cadmus in the lead. Both Shadow and Tsuko saw them. Shadow seemed somewhat happy, but a look of dismay coursed across Tsuko's face when he saw Cadmus cracking his knuckles.

"C'mere you! I oughta to give you a pounding!" Cadmus roared as he charged past Espio toward Tsuko. Amy and Tails didn't bother to stop him, as they were too busy greeting Shadow.

"Wow…Fifteen years!" Tails said as he looked Shadow up and down. The ebon hedgehog seemed to be doing the same thing.

"You've…uh…changed…" Shadow said a little nervously.

"Time does that, you know," Tails replied. "We can't all be forever young like you can, Shadow."

Shadow's eyes turned toward Amy, but quickly he looked the other way.

"Something bothering you, Shadow?" Amy asked. "I think you need a hug."

Amy did so, squeezing him lovingly and tightly. As she did so, Shadow began to feel butterflies in his stomach.

"There…all better?"

"I suppose so…" Shadow said.

"Good. Maybe now we can figure out what to do. Cadmus!"

Cadmus, who had just caught Tsuko and giving him a harsh noogie, stopped what he was doing.

"What?"

"Get over here! We need to plan! And stop beating up on that hedgehog!"

Cadmus got off of Tsuko, who rubbed his sore head. He was thankful that it wasn't worse.

-- -- -- -- --

"So…this sure is a ragtag band we've got here…" Tails said as everyone had finished introductions and greetings. "There must be some reason we got together, and it's not just to catch up on old times."

"…to get even." Espio chimed in. without much expression.

"…to get even? Explain." Amy asked.

Espio began to slowly walk toward the center of the room. "From what I've been able to tell, everyone here seems to be holding a grudge…has scores to settle."

"He's right. I suspect every one of us is hiding some grudge for some misdeed done to us." Shadow said as he looked up toward the ceiling. "Tsuko wants to get revenge on a certain echidna for humiliating him in battle…Tails wants revenge on Robotnik for corrupting Sonic and Knuckles…Espio and Amy each have a grudge against Vector for rubbing out Charmy and Cream…we might as well let it out…who we want to see dead or near-dead."

"Sheesh, someone's sadistic," Tails muttered to himself.

"But for now, we have several main targets…Robotnik, Vector, Sonic and Knuckles. They're the ones who are not only in positions or power, but tore our group apart. I suspect we all have scores among them."

Amy bowed her head. "Yeah…I guess we all do. But all of them are really powerful. How are we supposed to beat them?"

Tails shrugged. "I dunno. Perhaps if anyone gets any ideas, let us know."

-- -- -- -- --

"Yumi! Are you okay in there?" a male red hedgehog yelled as he knocked on the door of the girl's chamber. It had been a week since she had last seen Tsuko, and now she firmly believed that he was gone forever.

"Go away, Bakura!" Yumi whimpered, as she lay on her bed crying.

"You can't stay in there forever!" the red hedgehog responded.

"Watch me." Yumi replied.

"That's it, I'm coming in," Bakura sighed and opened the door

Yumi rolled over in her bed, and turned away when Bakura sat down and put his hand on her head.

"I know you miss Tsuko, and for anyone knows he's dead…but you can't spend your life grieving. As soon as the week ends, you have to start looking for another mate."

"Tsuko could never be equaled! Especially by you…" she replied sardonically.

"Give me a chance, Yumi…I can be just as good as he is, if not better. I am, after all, one of Sonic's Royal Guard. Tsuko…he was just a soldier. Remember…it's either me or the Overlord's harem."

"You don't need to remind me, Bakura. I just wish you weren't Tsuko's brother, so I could smack you right now…"

Bakura raised an eyebrow and laughed. "Cranky, aren't we. Well, I certainly hope you still fit in your wedding dress…" He picked himself up and left.

Yumi remained on the bed, staring at the ceiling. One word was on her lips…

"Tsuko…"

-- -- -- -- -- --

Shadow lay on the floor, his eyes closed in a sleep-like state. Though he didn't need it, Shadow did enjoy a few hours of sleep. But this night would bring an unusual dream into his mind.

Shadow awoke in a starry void that seemed without end.

"Wh…where am I?" Shadow said to himself as he stood up. The void echoed his words. "Oh great, not another one of these dreams…"

Before Shadow could do much, he saw two other figures moving toward him in the distance. One seemed to be running away from the other. As they approached, he could make one out to be Amy, and the other to be Sonic, whose expression seemed to be one of twisted lust. Amy dashed by him and seemed to be silently shrieking in terror. As Sonic whizzed by, a horrid feeling came over Shadow. He could only watch as Sonic managed to overtake her, knocking her down. She tried to get up, but Sonic sat on her legs and began to reach for her dress…Shadow could only anticipate what horrid act he would behold…

Then they disappeared, and suddenly he felt someone squeeze him from behind. He heard Amy behind him, and she was crying…begging him to hold her.

Shadow's eyes shot open, and he sat up. "Sheesh. What a crazy dream…why do I always have crazy dreams?" He looked around at his friends. Tails was leaned up against one of the center columns, snoring a little. He though he saw drool. Tsuko was lying in a crazy position that seemed uncomfortable, but he seemed to be having a good time. Cadmus was sleeping standing up. His attention turned to Amy, who was sleeping fitfully…was she having a nightmare too? In fact, she was.

It was a falling dream…Amy was tumbling through the abyss for what seemed forever, and all around she heard Sonic's crazed laughter. Clips of their progressively violent relationship whizzed by her…and finally, she saw a bed of sharp rocks, poking out of a sea of red water. Downward she plummeted. But she didn't wake up…because she felt something grab her and land safely on a nearby rock. She looked up at her savior. The figure was some sort of hedgehog. All she saw was a glint of red from one of his quills before she disappeared. She then heard a kind but slightly emotionless voice speaking to her.

"If Sonic ever does anything to you, just come to me. I'll make it all better…Amy…Amy?"

Amy woke to see Shadow shaking her shoulder. He quickly withdrew his hand when she awoke.

"Shadow…uh…what are you doing awake?" she said hazily.

"Strange dream. It looks like you were having one too," he replied a bit nervously. He could feel his heartbeat increase a little.

"Well, they're only dreams. G'night."