Disclaimer: I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this minor clash… especially for the one whose power has only grown.

~保護者~

REVIEW REPLIES:

Hello, MelGamingPlays! He really did, lol. And he's not sorry about it, either. XD Sorry, ruined the interaction between what? I don't understand what you were trying to say there. Also, hope you had a fun Halloween as well!

~保護者~

"Hex"

~保護者~

"Is there some kind of a coat or something I can wear when we go outside?"

Jet paused what he was doing (namely, picking up some of his young student's books in the front room and putting them away) long enough to think for a second. "No. Just wait." He set down the stack of books he'd accumulated in his arms, leaving them on the table while he disappeared back out into the hall.

Sonic traded a look and then a shrug with Tails. "Maybe he has a blanket or something?" the fox offered, half joking.

"If that's the best he can provide, then I'd have to say that he's remarkably ill-equipped to live on a world like this," Sonic smirked. Shadow actually indulged in his own smirk as well.

"I doubt that he has nothing," Espio interjected calmly. His one usable eye was closed as he sat leaning back against a wall, just relaxing. "Just do as he said and be patient."

"If you insist," Sonic replied with false dramatics heavily coloring his tone. Tails snickered at him.

Less than two minutes later, Jet returned. In his hands he carried a scarf. But… Sonic realized that it wasn't just any scarf. It was the scarf. The impossibly soft, unspeakably sentimental ruby red one that the Sonic from the Ruined Future had (through Tails and Amy) given to Jet many, many, many years ago. As if that wasn't surprising enough, he also noted that it was actually a bit tattered at the ends, despite the fact that he knew Jet had taken extremely good care of it in the past. But it was clean, didn't seem to have any fresh damage to speak of, and it was obviously still usable. Jet held it out to Sonic with both hands, expression unreadable. "Here."

Before Sonic could even get past his surprise enough to protest the usefulness of a simple scarf in such extreme temperatures, Tails spoke up. "Oh, that? Didn't you get that coated in magic in the past, Jet? So that it was keep the wearer's body temperature regulated or something like that?"

The hawk nodded once. Sonic hesitated. "Are you… sure?" he asked slowly. "I mean… Jet, this is…"

This evoked a huff from his ancient friend. "I'm offering, Sonic," he pointed out smoothly.

Though still unsure, Sonic finally reached out and accepted the scarf, taking it into his own hands. "...Okay… if you're sure."

"I am." With this simple assurance, Jet turned away as though to resume his cleaning, only to pause and glance out the nearest window.

Crimson eyes also glanced that way. "She's coming."

"Yep!" Tails agreed cheerfully. He stood from his seat on the couch and smoothed out his lab coat with his hands.

Jet slid off his "kitan". Then he grabbed his cloak and swung it around in one smooth and practiced motion, clasping it around his neck with a gold-colored piece of metal before grabbing Alkarus as the pristine fabric settled around his shoulders. Sonic blinked. There's no danger… is he going out to spar or something, then?

Meanwhile, Tails headed for the door. "Let's go say hello!" Jet vanished and reappeared outside before they fox could even finish speaking.

Hurriedly, Sonic wound his borrowed scarf around his neck, then followed his friends and half-brother to the outside world. "So, anyone gonna tell me who's coming or are you lot going to make me just wait and see?"

"Hm… I think we'll make you wait." Tails tossed Sonic a grin while Espio shut the doors. The four of them together started the trek over to where Jet was standing. "She's coming right now, anyway. It won't be a long wait. Sense all that building magic in the air? That's her. Her magic, that is."

"And… who is she?" Sonic ventured to ask. His senses were wide open, straining to memorize and understand every ebb and flow of the gradually building energy around them.

"You'll see, if you just wait," Tails reminded easily.

Huffing, Sonic turned his attention to Jet. The hawk had already strapped his strap his sword to his waist under his cloak and was eyeing intently a seemingly unremarkable area of the sky. As such, emerald eyes began to look that was as well. There, then? Is that where she'll be coming from? He squinted, but for a time he was unable to make anything out. That is, until a large golden portal of swirling energy burst to life right where they were looking. Warmth poured out from it in waves, somehow not melting any snow even while it heated the onlookers up severely. It became almost unbearable within seconds. The hell even is this? It's not the magic generating that heat as far as I can tell… so is it the place on the other side of the portal?

Finally, a figure appeared, bathed in golden light and undoubtedly floating toward them. By the time he blinked, they were emerging, and the portal was beginning to close. His eyes widened a degree when he made out who the person was… and the memories of her past magical might slapped him in the face. "No way in he- Is that Wave, Tails?"

The fox gave a wide grin. "You'd better believe it is."

Astounded, Sonic fixed his gaze on the swallow just as she alighted on the ground not too far from where Jet was. She was too far away for him to make out many details about her appearance other than that she appeared to be wearing the same outfit she had worn in the past. Golden, glowing markings that appeared tiny and indistinct from this distance bathed her in continual light for several moments before gradually fading away into nothingness. Nearly the moment they were gone, she gave their elusive ally a friendly hug. Sonic couldn't hear what was said when she pulled away, but the exchange was warm. And yet… there was this undercurrent of building anticipation that filled the area, one that Sonic just couldn't shake. Something's going to happen. A small frown formed on his face. ...No… not exactly. Emerald eyes zeroed in on the swords each Babylonian was carrying at their hips. They're about to do something.

As always, Tails had an uncanny ability to practically read people's minds without literally being able to do so. And, apparently, he had been watching Sonic as much as Sonic had been watching Jet and Wave. Because of that, he had a response to Sonic's thoughts. "Remember when I said there's gonna be a heck of a show?" he asked in a conspiratorial whisper. On his face was a smile, this one excited and bright.

Sonic glanced at his once younger friend. "Yeah. Guessing their gonna spar?"

"Nailed it," Tails grinned.

Turning his focus mostly back to the Babylonians, Sonic watched them trade a few more words. He'd given up by now on trying to hear them and, besides that, something else had snagged his attention. "If it's just a sparring match… then why are they letting off so much energy?"

"For them, that's not much at all," Tails remarked, expression turning thoughtful. He, too, looked at the pair again. "They've gotten a lot more powerful over the years, Sonic. We all have. But, likewise, so have our enemies."

"Sparring with a lot of power is probably a good idea, then," Sonic mused quietly. "It's good practice, I would assume."

"Yeah, I think so, too. And like I said…" The fox's grin returned. "It's a heck of a show."

Inevitably, Sonic began to smirk. "I should hope so, if they've gotten as strong as you've implied." There was a small, unexpected flash and then the pair were suddenly surrounded by visible but perfectly translucent barriers. Though Sonic couldn't be sure, he suspected that Jet was behind it. Tails was apparently unfazed by this, and he simply took a seat in the snow. Sonic, however, refused. He let out a flash of his own, this one a rather harmless burst of fire that melted all the snow within their little protective sphere. The grass beneath was lush and and dry, but un burnt. Satisfied, he sat down on Tails's left side. Like hell I'll spend my time sitting in snow. He crossed his legs and adjusted his borrowed scarf. Bad enough that I need a magically-enhanced article of clothing in order to not freeze to death.

Though Tails laughed softly at Sonic's actions, he made no comment on it. Instead, he merely gestured toward their two old friends. "They're about to get on with it, I think. You'll want to watch them closely. They move really fast."

This was a comment Sonic waved off. "Thanks for the tip, but I'm pretty sure I can keep up."

Tails smiled… like he knew something that Sonic didn't. But, before further dialogue could be exchanged, Shadow stepped outside and made his way over to them. He stepped into the barrier, eyes already on Jet and Wave. "I take it they're about to battle," he remarked rather casually.

"Yep!" Tails agreed brightly. "And I think they're ready to get started, if you want to sit and watch with us." Shadow shrugged, but ultimately claimed a seat off to the fox's left. "Is Espio coming out, too?"

Sonic jumped when the chameleon himself answered… from right next to him. "Yes."

Before Sonic had the chance to vent his irritation at being startled, Shadow unconsciously mirrored his brother's sitting position and stated, "It's starting."

With a huff, Sonic looked over at the pair once more. They had both drawn their swords at some point. A few more words were traded. For a fleeting moment, Sonic swore he might have seen Jet halfway smirk… and then both he and Wave completely vanished from sight in blurs of emerald green and magenta. Again, Sonic was startled, this time by just how little he was able to follow in the fight as it rapidly unfolded before them. What he did manage to glean from the bright, powerful, and extremely fast strikes in the sky was so vague and uncertain that he was left lost and confused in moments. A quick glance at his companions proved that they were following the growing confrontation with much more understanding. They would react, however subtly, to things that Sonic couldn't even begin to follow.

Still, stubbornness was practically a part of his DNA. He chose to continue to try on his own to make sense of what he was (or rather wasn't) seeing. So far, all he could really tell was that a mostly basic, if far from mild, sword fight was all that was taking place. The bright arcs and explosive collisions told him that the strikes were full of energy (Most likely aura, he decided). But that was all he could tell on his own. Already weary of watching in ignorance, he sighed and reached over to nudge Tails. "What's happening?"

The fox's smile was knowing, but no teasing came this time. "Nothing super exciting yet," Tails answered. "Just aura-infused sword attacks and plenty of flying. Just wait," he tossed Sonic an easy smile, "it'll get better."

Another sigh. "Mind keeping me informed?"

"Sure thing." Tails leaned back on his hands to more easily and comfortably look into the sky. "And, don't worry. You'll be able to keep up eventually. You'll just need some training is all."

That's probably true, but… will I even have time for something like that, with everything that's apparently going on?

Just then, Tails pointed. "Oh, look. Wave's changing tactics."

Sonic opened his mouth to ask, but the swallow moved well before he could. One arm glowing with strange markings that he had no name for, Wave released a concentrated beam of what he could only assume was magic from her hand. Jet was forced to quickly lunge to the side in order to dodge. However, he had a better plan than just that to react to her. With a burst a of speed, he rushed past her attack and launched one of his own, an explosion of aura energy that sent her rocketing backward and then sliding through the snow. Though she managed to keep her feet, she was just open enough for a follow-up strike… but he didn't follow through.

Puzzled, Sonic leaned in to Tails again. "He had a chance there, but he didn't take it. Why?"

Tails suddenly began to laugh. Sonic's confusion mounted. Then Shadow cut in. Crimson eyes rolling, he huffed, "It's complicated… just leave it alone." As he spoke, Wave regained her feet and brandished her sword anew with a cocky smirk. It seemed she tossed a taunt or something at Jet, but they were still too far away to be heard.

"It's not complicated at all," Tails disagreed heartily, wiping a small tear from his eye. "It's actually so simple as to be silly."

Up ahead, Wave and Jet clashed blades again. Sonic watched them for a time while Tails got out the last of his random giggles. Unsure what to make of fox's response but undeniably curious, he finally asked, "Okay, so why did he hesitate like that?"

"Come on, it's so obvious!" Tails declared cheerfully. "I'm surprised you don't see it, Sonic."

"Can't you just tell me?" Sonic groaned. By now, the two Babylonians had vanished from sight again while they clashed.

Beside him, Tails grinned. "Nope."

Sonic grumbled under his breath. Of course not.

"However, I will say this." Tails pointed at Jet. "He's definitely ready to act again now. Keep an eye on him."

In spite of himself, Sonic felt anticipation rise within him. "What's he about to do?"

"No idea." Tails's head canted a bit. "But… whatever it is, it's bound to be bold."

"Bold?"

"Yeah, you'll see."

Curiosity prompted Sonic to focus his gaze on Jet as Tails had directed. Not even a second later, bubbles of all things began popping up around the pair of fighters just as Wave lunged for Jet. Her eyes widened a degree when she saw the bubbles, and she barely managed to dodge around one. This time when she spoke, it was loud enough for her voice to carry to Sonic's ears. "Are you trying to blow me up?!" she yelled at the hawk, though without any genuine anger.

Jet's voice was quiet enough to not carry over like hers had, but Sonic could see his friend enough to read his lips. "I might be," the hawk retorted calmly, a hint of a smirk on his face.

"Blow her up?" Sonic murmured incredulously.

Shadow shook his head. "Those may be bubbles," he murmured back, "but you would be a fool to think that that makes them harmless."

"Each one contains within them a volatile compound of aura energy, storm energy, and magic," Tails explained with obvious enthusiasm. "So, yes, they blow up. Quite magnificently, in fact."

Honestly, this was one of the last things Sonic had ever actually expected to… well, be a thing. But, leave it to one of his wacky friends to create such a thing, and the others to be so unconcerned and unsurprised by it. I don't think I should even be surprised, really…

The pair of fighters blurred back into motion. Wave conjured up magic in the form of disks that she hurled forcefully at her opponent. After dodging the rest, Jet ran forward and hit one with his sword using enough force to send it flying back at Wave. Wave made no attempt to dodge. It hit her without any real impact, dissolving as soon as contact was made. Both were already rushing forward by the time this happened. Another disk formed in Wave's free hand, but Jet seemed to have anticipated it. He jumped and brought his sword down upon her, forcing her to block. The impact was so powerful that a storm of energy was released from the point of contact between the blades. A deep crater opened up beneath Wave's feet. Multiple bubbles were hit by the flying debris and exploded, further worsening the forces Wave was contending with.

Sonic felt a pang of sympathy for the swallow upon seeing the strain briefly written on her barely visible face. "Are you sure they're just sparring, Tails?" he questioned, ears flattened against the noise.

"Oh, yeah," Tails nodded. "Trust me, for them this is nothing. They could destroy this whole world while just sparring, if they really wanted to." He paused for a moment, then thought to add, "But, then, so can our enemies. With threats like that out there, it's best to make an effort to keep up, don't you think?"

"...Yeah, I get it." Sonic watched as Wave blasted Jet away from her using her aura, knocking him into a deep snow drift several dozens of feet away. Somehow, the impact moved Jet's robe just enough to flip his hood up, shadowing his eyes in an instant.

By the time Sonic even registered that tiny detail, Wave was there pressing her advantage. Her aura exploded outward again just as Jet's did the same. The collision was as volatile as Sonic would have expected, full of energy and bright light. The ensuing explosions (both from their auras and more of those bubbles) knocked both Jet and Wave back, but neither seemed fazed in the slightest. In fact, Wave was smirking. Jet was as unreadable as ever, but Sonic had the feeling that his friend was smirking, too… if only on the inside. The crazy bastards are absolutely enjoying this. A part of him was beginning to wish he could join in, too.

Before long, the pair began to speed up again. As such, Tails resumed narrating to Sonic what was going on. From dual magic attacks to violent sword clashes to powerful strikes of lightning to devastating psionic blasts and everything in between, Tails kept Sonic informed of it all… and Sonic could only watch in awe as his friends dueled. If Tails was right and this pseudo-fight really was nothing… then Sonic suspected he had a lot of catching up to do. But, at least I'm finding this out now rather than later. It would be a lot worse if it was later. He'd been in such situations before too many times to not know that simple truth. Still though, if there's really as much danger as Tails and the others have been saying, then when am I even going to have the time to train, anyway?

A burst of magic startled Sonic out of his thoughts. The golden energy struck Jet too quickly for Sonic to track, and suddenly Jet couldn't move. Tails was quick to explain. "She hexed him," he said. "Knowing him, he'll break the spell in just a few seconds here, but that gives her a chance to prepare her next move. When fighting the sorts of foes we see in this day and age, moves like that can be the difference between victory and defeat, life and death." It was a lesson, of sorts, a warning. Sonic wisely took it to heart.

By the time Tails finished speaking, Jet was already free. Energy surged around him and Wave, his magic and hers. The energies inevitably collided, and the ensuing battle between them was… well, cataclysmic was the word that came to Sonic's mind. Somehow, though, he doubted that was accurate. It didn't seem like anything was being destroyed, after all. Still, he was blinded despite closing his eyes and covering them and even turning his head away. Though he swore he didn't hear anything any point from this clash, he felt deafened. Physically speaking, he couldn't feel anything at all. Then, all at once, the magic receded and all of his senses returned to him as though they had never gone. He opened his eyes, blinking and confused.

The questions on Sonic's mind had no chance to be voiced before, suddenly, Shadow stood up. "They're done," he said before Sonic could even think to ask.

Sure enough, a quick glance at Jet and Wave proved that they had ceased their not-so-relaxed sparring and were sheathing their blades. It struck him as rather anticlimactic, but he hardly dared to say such. As Sonic watched, Jet offered Wave a hand and helped her out of a pile of snow. It seemed he'd gotten some small revenge on her for earlier, but there were clearly no hard feelings. He noticed that their fingers seemed to sort of… linger for a few seconds even after the two of them started to pull their hands apart. But then the moment was gone. And suddenly, Sonic knew what Tails had been on about earlier. So that's what it was. Turning his head to face the fox again, he suppressed a smile and asked, "So now what?"

"For now, we should all really get inside," Tails answered. "We may all have our own means of staying warm, and Jet's pretty much immune to this weather by now, but not all of us can stay out here for hours on end without freezing our butts off."

"I dunno, I'm pretty sure everyone's rears are still attached right now."

"I wasn't being literal."

"I know."

Trading grins, the two of them stood up. Shadow was already walking back to the castle by now. Only now did Sonic realize that Espio had already vanished sometime before. There wasn't even an impression in the snow where he'd been sitting. Tails, apparently, noticed what Sonic was thinking about, for he said, "Oh, he does that. Just up and disappearing, I mean. He is a ninja and all. It's kinda in the job description."

Sonic huffed, but only out of amusement. "Whatever you say, Tails." He began trekking through the snow back to the castle, literally following in his brother's footsteps. As much as he wanted to greet Wave and all, he suspected that she and Jet were discussing something at the moment. They certainly seemed to be, at least. So, for now, he opted to just wait and let them be. There would be plenty of time for "hello's" later. Or at least… so he hoped.

Tails hurried on ahead. "Come on, let's get inside. They might be a while, depending on what they're discussing."

With one last quick glance at the ancient (though young-looking) Babylonian pair, Sonic jogged after his friend.

~保護者~

3,873 words this time. I'm so sorry that this is late in the day, but work was hell today and I've only been off for a couple of hours despite having clocked in at around seven this morning. :( Sigh... anyway, hope you all enjoyed. Posted (at about 6:40 p.m.) 11-01-18.