Chapter Twelve
Crimsa lay on her bed, twiddling her thumbs and glancing over at her phone. Obviously, she was waiting for something. Finally, it rang, and she raced over and looked at the caller ID. It was him.
"Hello?" she said after picking up the phone.
"Crimsa? Hi! It's Miko," said the voice at the other end.
"Miko! Glad to hear from you! What's up?"
"Well…I may sound crazy for saying this, but…I want to meet your mom."
Crimsa stood up with an astounded look on her face. "What are you, nuts! She'll think you're some thug come to rob the place!"
"We've been friends for a while now, right?"
"Yeah…but my mom thinks you're gonna rape me or something…"
Miko was absolutely flabberghasted. "Rape you? I'd never do that! I want to come and prove to your mom that I'm not who she thinks I am!"
"She wouldn't even let you get a word in."
Miko was still determined. "Look, just tell her that I'm coming over to meet you tomorrow, and that she's going to let me in, and that she's going to listen to me before she judges me."
"My mom's more stubborn than a mule. She'll ground me until I'm eighteen!"
"She's grounded you more times than I can count."
"Alright, I'll tell her."
"Tell me what?" Rouge asked sternly as she stood in the doorway.
"Eep! Mom!" Crimsa exclaimed. "I…I…"
"You're talking with that Miko character, aren't you?" Rouge continued.
"Yes, Mom…" Crimsa replied, bowing her head.
Miko overheard this. "Is that your mom? Let me talk to her!"
"Okay." Crisma replied, and handed the phone to Rouge. "Miko wants to talk with you."
Rouge took the phone. "Hello? Are you still there, Miko?"
"Yes…um…how should I address you?"
"Rouge is fine."
"Okay then, Rouge…you know that Crimsa and I have been friends for a while."
"Yes. And I don't approve of it."
"And why? You haven't even met me!"
Rouge's tone was getting angrier. "I've seen your picture in the paper…holding guns and shooting at police officers. I don't want my daughter dating someone like that!"
"I take no pleasure in it, trust me."
"Still…how can I believe that you wouldn't violate my daughter? If you would blast a law officer's head off with a shotgun, what would keep you from raping my innocent child?"
"It's called a code of honor, madam. The so-called 'hooligans' referred to in the papers are simply opposing a force who has no such code."
"You're insinuating that the police are evil?"
"I'm sure they're just following orders, but corrupt orders."
"Still…"
"Look, Rouge, give me a chance. Let me present myself…then you can judge me for all the world."
"Sigh…alright, I suppose so. I'll let you come in two weeks."
"Two weeks? Why?"
"Because that's how long Crimsa's grounded for." Rouge looked over at her daughter when she said this.
"Okay then. It was…um…nice talking to you. Goodbye, ma'am." He hung up.
"Thank you, Mom," Crimsa finally said as she hugged her mom.
"You're still grounded, young lady. Nice try, though."
-- -- -- -- -- -- --
An hour or two after Miko hung up the phone, it rang again. "Talk to me," Miko said as he held the phone between his head and his shoulder.
"Miko?"
"Tails! It's great to hear from you!"
Tails' tone was grim, and he seemed sick. "Yes, but this is an important matter."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"I've found a way to end this mess."
"Really? Start talking!"
After a minute or two of silence, Tails began his explanation. "I've managed to locate four powerful gems…no, not the Chaos Emeralds. Something better."
Miko's excitement was at the boiling point. "WHAT?"
"In the jungle, there is a plateau that seems to have nothing on it."
"Yeah…"
"There actually is something…the lost City of the Cipher!"
"You're kidding, right? That place is just a legend!"
Tails chuckled a little. "It's real, alright. Anyway, I've analyzed the properties of these gems. Each one is affiliated with one of the four classical elements: Air, Earth, Fire and Water. I believe that combining them and using their energy to power some sort of cannon, we can use it to take out those maniacs Robotnik and Vector."
"That's great…but how are we going to build it, and where do we store it?"
"That's where you come in. I don't think I'll be much longer of this earth, and I need you to build it."
"That's crazy!"
"I'm haunted by something evil…I feel…it's consuming my soul…"
"Tails?"
Tails was starting to strain, trying to maintain his grip on life. "I've drawn up the plans, and some friends will deliver it…grrrgh…this is the last…time…you'll hear from…ack…me…goodbye…" then he went silent.
"Tails? Tails! TAILS! Oh crud no…" Miko dropped the phone. "He's…dead…"
-- -- -- -- -- -- --
"He's…gone…" Amy whimpered as she looked at Tails' lifeless body, as Metal Sonic and Omega were finishing the autopsy. Tails had died only thirty-six hours before. She had lost another friend...first Cream, now Tails.
"But from what?" Shadow wondered. "He was perfectly healthy when we left him. Couldn't have been suicide."
Espio shook his head. "His soul was consumed…no doubt by the minions of this 'World Eater' Cadmus told us about. I am now one hundred percent sure that he is the ultimate cause of all of the mess of the past fifteen years…why Sonic and Knuckles turned evil…why Robotnik is in control of the city…and why Vector turned on us."
Shadow clenched his fist. "No…it is worse. This World Eater is the root of all the evil we've faced…I remember overhearing Black Doom say something about him…"
"But…that means if we beat Sonic, he'll come back…" Amy noted.
"True, but we'll be ready…" Metal Sonic noted as he came out the door. "Tails had a plan."
"A plan?" Espio asked.
Omega came out next. "The Chaos Emeralds, the Element Gems and the Cipher Sword…they are the keys to the World Eater's defeat. But our first target must be Sonic."
Shadow nodded. "You're right, Omega. We need defeat Sonic for his own sake. He's not himself."
Amy dried her tears. "Yes…and then the World Eater, Eggman and Vector will pay! Every one of them…that is the score I have."
"We'll avenge Cream, Tails, Big and Charmy!" Espio added.
"I shall repent for my mistake," Metal Sonic said with a measure of enthusiasm.
"Chance of success: One hundred percent!" Omega said, shaking his fist in eagerness.
Tsuko was snickering. "You realize how cheesy this is, don't you? But heck, I'm in! Let's do it! For everyone and everything we hold dear!" He put his right hand in the center of the circle.
"For the memories of the past…" Shadow said, and put his own hand in.
"For the possibilities of the future…" Espio replied, and added his hand to the mix.
"For the life of all things…" Amy said, putting her own hand in.
"For repentance of our mistakes…" Metal Sonic said, putting in his claw.
"We shall not fail, friends!" Omega replied, now bubbling with enthusiasm.
"Let's do this!" they all said together.
-- -- -- -- -- -- --
The group had decided to set out the next morning, and spent the night in the lab. Shadow and Amy were in the same room. Both had wanted to, but neither knew why at that point.
Shadow noticed that the large cut in Amy's arm had opened again and was bleeding. "Amy…your arm…"
Amy, glanced over to it, held on to the wounded limb and looked away a little. "It's okay. Really."
"Let me see it," Shadow said as he reached for it. Amy shied away.
"I'm serious. It's just fine," she replied, now slightly annoyed.
"For the last time, let me see."
Amy finally relinquished her grip on the wounded limb, and Shadow looked it over, his ruby-red eyes scanning it carefully, and rubbing his gloved hand along the wound.
"Doesn't seem major…needs to be bandaged again, though. Should have disinfected it, too" Shadow glanced around, and noticed some rubbing alcohol, cotton balls and some cloth on a .
He put some of the alcohol on the cotton ball. "Okay, Amy. I just need to disinfect this…"
Amy winced as he applied the disinfectant.
"Sorry, Amy. Now hold still." Shadow began to wrap the cloth around Amy's arm.
"Shadow…you're such a sweetheart," Amy said with a tiny squeal. "Let me finish." Amy finished wrapping the clean bandage around her arm, pulling it tight to make sure.
Shadow glanced at his hand. It was stained with Amy's blood. He groaned.
"Shouldn't have touched that spot. This stain won't ever come out."
"Oh, Shadow…you've been so nice to me lately…you're like…Sonic…before he changed."
"Really?"
Amy turned away and stared at a picture of Tails and Sonic on the wall. "Yeah…we did go out a few times…it was great…but then things turned bad, just after he found that…thing…"
"What happened?"
"He started yelling at me…slamming doors in my face…"
"That's it?"
"No…then he…" Amy broke down, put her hands to her face and began sobbing, all before she could finish.
Shadow moved a little closer and shook his head in disbelief. "Oh god…he started beating you, didn't he?" He had known it, but never told Amy that he knew.
Amy nodded, still sobbing.
Shadow was in shock. "And yet…you still love him?"
Amy stopped and lifted her head. Her face was black from her tears. She then bowed her head and smiled a little. Before Shadow could do anything, Amy was embracing him. Her eyes were closed. "No…not anymore. Oh, Shadow, how could I have been so blind? When he was hurting me, you relieved me without even asking me what was wrong! When he insulted me, you made me feel better! I was looking for love in the entirely wrong place!"
Shadow quickly realized what she was saying. Then, everything he had kept bottled up for all those years…his true feelings…they had come out in the fight against Knuckles, but he did not remember having them. He embraced Amy back and closed his eyes too. He could feel her beating heart.
"Shadow?"
"Yeah?"
"Don't ever let go."
-- -- -- -- -- -- --
The embracing pair had no idea they were being watched by spirits…spirits of friends…Charmy, Cream, Knuckles and Tails, to be exact. In the world of spirits, they always take the form of when they were most happy in life…so Charmy, Cream and Tails were much younger in form.
"Aww…isn't it cute?" Charmy chirped.
"I suppose so…reminds me of you and Cream, Tails." Knuckles replied, chuckling a little. Never in his mind had he comprehended Shadow and Amy being together.
"Heh. So…this is what we do, Knux? Watch over the living for all eternity?" Tails asked. "It must be boring."
"I guess that's about the size of it." Knuckles replied, shrugging his shoulders.
"That sucks." Tails sighed. "But then again, I think it was bound to happen."
"Really?"
"Look at them," Tails explained, pointing his hands at them. "It's divine, I tell you! A match made by the angels!"
Cream interjected at this point. "I don't think divine is the right word here...it's a little strong. Spiritual is what I think. It's much less intense than 'divine'."
"Nonetheless…it's a great pair. Better than Sonic and Amy could ever be," Charmy replied.
"But…what will happen when Amy knows the truth about herself," Tails wondered. "I don't know if she could take it."
"She's a strong girl. She'll take it okay." Cream said, putting her hand on Tails' shoulder.
"Thanks, Cream…hey, look! More cuteness!"
Amy had fallen asleep on Shadow's shoulder, and he was twirling his fingers in her hair.
"Teh ShadAmyness! It's too much!" Tails laughed. Everyone laughed with him, and then continued to watch.