Disclaimer: I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this time of slowly building tension… especially for the one who really does want to help (even if he is rather stubborn about keeping it some sort of secret).

~保護者~

REVIEW REPLIES:

Hello, MelGamingPlays! Yeah, a lot of despair and such for sure. And yeah, poor Sonikku really does want to see Kaden. :( Well, you'll know more about Kaden's situation later on, I promise. Oh, sure thing! No problem. :)

~保護者~

"Horizon"

~保護者~

Life was… surprisingly quiet for the next several weeks. Though, as Jet had promised, Sonic was kept plenty busy. Mostly, he spent his time on Jet's world training as often as possible with Shadow, Espio, and Tails while Wave and Jet did… whatever it was they did. From what little he'd heard, they were busy trying to deal with Tein and his armies. Sonic was eager to help but, as his half-brother just loved to point out, he was just not ready right now. He would be back to his full strength soon (reviving for the first time after so many years of being dead had taken a big toll on him, apparently), but that time was not right now.

Right now, the pair were inside taking a break so that they could eat some lunch. As Sonic took a bite of his food, Shadow idly picked at his own. His gaze was distant and far away, prompting Sonic to worry. "...You okay?" he asked.

Shadow seemed to stir. A second later, he responded, "Yes."

"You sure?" Sonic pressed, now frowning.

"Yes," Shadow repeated. There was a slight pause, then he sighed and admitted, "I'm just tired." That was something Sonic knew for a fact Shadow would never have told anyone in years past.

"Why?" Sonic inquired, head canting. "Sparring with me getting too much for you?"

Unfortunately, this small joke had no effect on his brother. He didn't even smirk, not even slightly. But, that was probably to be expected. "It has nothing to do with that."

Thinking back, Sonic recalled what Wave had told him about Shadow's life these days. According to her, Shadow both ran the full Mobian military and also basically the planet itself. Well, now it was time to see what Shadow himself had to say on that. "Guessing the people of Mobius are getting to you, then?"

Crimson eyes glanced up at him, but there was no surprise to be found in them. "I'm assuming Wave told you."

"Yeah," Sonic admitted readily. "I asked what you guys were up to these days and, well, she answered."

Suddenly, Shadow seemed tense. "What else did she tell you?"

Sonic decided it would be best not bring up the rest of what he and Wave had discussed regarding Shadow. At least… not right now. "Nothing much, really," he lied, tone casual.

Thankfully, Shadow wasn't looking at him (he had already resumed gazing into the steam of his stew) and therefore didn't see any signs of untruthfulness. He certainly didn't hear any. He nodded once, accepting Sonic's words, and visibly relaxed some. "...It isn't the people," he eventually said. "To answer your question."

Getting the feeling that he was on the verge of getting an answer, Sonic pressed on. "The military, then?"

Shadow seemed to give that some thought. "No… not quite." When he paused, Sonic thought he might need to press once more to get further replies. Shadow, however, continued on his own soon enough. "It's less the military itself that is exhausting and more the war that they're helping to fight."

"The same one Wave and Jet are fighting?" Sonic asked, ears perked.

A nod. "Tein threatens all worlds. Mobius is no exception." Shadow set his spoon down. "As such, it is necessary for our world to fight back and help stop Tein and his armies before they can destroy it as well."

The idea of Mobius ever just being gone was just… a bit too much to bear. "He can be stopped, right?" he asked. "We're not just delaying the inevitable?" I know Jet insisted that this was a problem he could handle alone, and he hinted that I should be more concerned about that demon, but…

"He can be stopped," Shadow replied slowly. His words immediately allayed some of Sonic's fears. "However," the darker of the two continued, "it will not be easy. He is Immortal. That alone should tell you enough."

"But there are three other Immortals out there," Sonic pointed out. "Surely together-"

"No," Shadow cut in. "There is no 'together'. Since the Immortals you once met died, the Immortals that have been born all came into being with... dark streaks. Tein outright turned evil. The other two have not, but they have little inclination at this point to help, regardless."

"Why the hell not?" Sonic demanded. "They're Immortals! It's their job to deal with shit like this!"

"Not every Immortal is worthy of the title," Shadow stated frankly, arms crossing. "Kathros alone is proof of that."

Sonic's mouth clamped shut. Kathros… that Immortal who tortured Dad back in ancient times. His clenched his teeth together. ...Yeah, alright, so Shadow has a point here.

"There is a reason," Shadow continued, "why so few of us are standing together and fighting, Sonic. Not everyone we should be able to trust can be trusted. You would do well to remember that, especially once you join the combat."

Without waiting for a reply, he stood up and went to dispose of his uneaten food.

~保護者~

Without Jet home to actively prevent attacks on said home, Sonic and the others were nearly attacked more than once. Cadora insisted that the barriers would hold whether or not Jet was around, but that only held true until it didn't. And when some demonic force punched a hole in the planet's barriers large enough to let a small army through… Well, that didn't go over well.

Really, Sonic reflected, he should have been a bit grateful for the break from his training with Shadow. His brother was not at all gentle about his teachings, especially as he preferred to demonstrate how to do things as opposed to explain them. Usually, that meant demonstrating on Sonic. It was effective though, and Sonic wasn't feeling particularly grateful today. Especially not toward some apparent demon.

The beast was rather large, to put it mildly. And, frankly, it was pretty grotesque as well. He supposed it was meant to be some sort of towering wolf, but… I'll be damned if I put that monstrosity in the same category of species as creatures like Azerel. Babylonian wolves were beautiful, graceful creatures. This thing most certainly was not. It was, however, quite strong. He supposed it would have to be in order to so easily break the barriers of an Immortal.

On the bright side, he finally got to see one his brothers fancy new guns in action.

And oh, how he loved that gun. It was so, so much quieter than the guns from his lifetime and, despite looking like a normal handgun, Shadow proved that it was far more accurate and more powerful. Each shot tore a hole in the not-quite-wolf's reddish flesh, right along Tails's own radiation-powered gun. Sonic's and Espio's swords (the chameleon, quite appropriately, wielded a katana) managed to create deep gashes in the beast as well. However, each wound only seemed to fuel the demon's rage… and Tails had a rather unfortunate assessment to make on that.

As the demon breathed literal hell fire at Espio and Shadow, forcing them to all but dive out of the way, Tails called out to the group, "Guys! I think we have a small problem here!"

"You mean besides the giant mutated wolf monster?!" Sonic snapped just before he, too, was forced to dodge a stream of deadly demonic flames.

"Yes, besides just that!" Tails fired twice at the demon, forcing it back several paces. This bought the fox a few short seconds to sprint out of range of the fires now spreading over the once snowy ground. "In case you lot haven't noticed, us attacking it is just pissing it off and the more ticky it gets the more it seems to tap into normally buried reserves of strength!"

So, this is like the Knuckles or Locke of demons. Sonic paused, made a face, then shook his head slightly. No, I'd rather not sully their memories by comparing them to this. "So what's the plan, Tails?!"

Tails leapt high into the air to dodge a stray burst of flames. Shadow drew the menace's focus toward himself, buying the fox time to answer. Said fox did just that upon landing again on the ground. "Okay, listen up!" he called out, drawing all eyes toward him for a moment. "The plan is simple! Hit it hard and hit it fast! Shadow, blast the hell out of any weak points you can find! Sonic, don't use your fire, just your sword! Aim for any weak points you can find, too! Espio, do whatever you want as far as attacks go, but also try to cover our butts! I'll work on stripping its defenses!"

With the plan set (Sonic just hoped the beast couldn't understand), everyone went into motion. Sonic didn't pay much attention to what Shadow and Espio did overall, focused as he was on his own task, but he was rather curious to see what Tails was going to do. Strip its defences… how? While he worked on hacking and slashing at any potential vulnerable points, Tails distanced himself and closed his eyes as though to focus. Then, before Sonic's very eyes, the fox gave Sonic his answer.

A controlled beam of radiation shot from Tails's outstretched palm straight into the demon's face. Even if the impact itself hadn't damaged the creature enough, the sheer amount of literal radiation it was exposed to was downright crippling. As disgusting and nightmarish as it was, Sonic was helpless to look away as the creature practically melted. Within moments, it was just… gone. Once he was sure the danger had passed, Sonic sheathed his sword. "That was… ghoulish."

Tails was already walking back over and had caught that comment. "Yeah, well," he responded, "it worked. So let's just count our blessings and not complain."

"You're downright moody today, you know that?"

"Tired, not moody."

A small pause. Sonic eyed Shadow and Espio as they carefully examined the surroundings for any signs of further danger. "...So… not that I don't trust you, but we're not going to be affected by that attack, right?"

"No," Tails assured. "It's too controlled for that. Trust me, my attacks are nothing like they used to be. I know how control it now."

Well, that's certainly good. Deciding to change the subject, Sonic remarked, "I didn't think you swore."

"Feh," Tails huffed, though a small smirk finally began making its way onto his face. "Not as much as you. Actually, I'd wager I swear far less than you, in fact."

"How much you betting?" Sonic joked.

"Since we both know I'm right?" Tails returned lightly. "My entire life's savings. You?"

Sonic thought for a moment. "I have… my sword. And my shoes. That's it."

Finally, Tails laughed. It seemed his somewhat sour mood was lifting. "Eh, you keep 'em. I've got my own."

"Shoes?"

"And swords. Dual katana, remember?"

"Ah, right.

More silence. Then Tails brought up a new matter. "So, listen, you know we can't stay here forever, right?"

Blue ears perked in surprise. "We can't?"

Tails shook his head, "No." He was quick to clarify, "Not because Jet wouldn't let us, mind you, but because it's not going to be safe here for terribly much longer."

"Why?" Sonic frowned. "Because of that Tein guy?"

"He is part of the reason, yes," Tails answered. "Our biggest concern by far, however, is-"

"That demonic god."

"Yeah."

Feeling tense, Sonic questioned, "You guys think he'll come here?"

"We know he will," Tails sighed. "I don't know if Jet told you, but he had to… intervene in a fight the god was having and… it didn't go over well. Kind of pissed the guy off, actually. And as you might guess, demons tend to resort to violence we they get pissed."

Sonic pursed his lips together. "So what's Jet going to do?"

"This is likely to erupt into another war, though maybe not a huge one if we're lucky," Tails answered. "Thankfully, he has some time to prepare, albeit not terribly much. All the things he has stored here that can't afford to be lost, ancient texts and Immortal artifacts and the like, he intends to move. He hadn't said where, which is probably for the best. The castle itself can afford to fall. It can be rebuilt. The Sanctuary will remain in essence, so it'll be fine. ...Assuming the God himself doesn't use his own magic to take out the energies containing what's within the Sanctuary."

"And Cadora?" Sonic asked.

"That," Tails admitted with a small frown, "I don't know. This world is the only home the kid's ever known. It goes without saying that he can't stay here, though."

"And what about him and Jet?" Sonic pressed. His question was lame, but he didn't doubt that Tails would understand.

"Jet's not his dad or anything, as I'm sure you know by now," Tails told him. "Not even adoptive, though he doesn't treat the kid any differently than he would one of his own. Still, they don't really have any sort of a familial bond or anything." He crossed his arms lightly in thought. "Their relationship is far more student-teacher than anything else. Jet's certainly the only guardian, so to speak, that Cadora's ever known and it'll hurt him to be apart from that guardian, surely… but for his own safety it has to be done."

The words were true enough. But no one ever said Sonic had to like it. "Where do you think Jet will take him?"

Tails sighed again. "If I had to guess… I'd say to Gardenia. Cosmo's world. Cadora knows her. She can protect him, and teach him."

Well, that was far better than him going off to a stranger's residence. "And what will we do?"

"As much as I wish we could fight, too… for now, we'll just need to go home," Tails shrugged. "Back to Mobius, that is."

Sonic's ears went down a degree. "...I don't… have a home anymore."

Wise eyes glanced to him. "I know. I'm working on that. Don't worry about it."

For a time after that, Sonic occupied himself with just watching his brother and trying not to worry. Said brother was standing quite a ways away from him and Tails right now, conversing avidly (for him) with Espio. The sight of them made Sonic sort of smile. Hard to believe that they're still friends after everything that's happened and how much time has passed. But, it's also pretty damn amazing. Glancing to Tails, he let his smile grow for a moment. Thankfully, that seems true of the bonds between all of us. He savored the feeling of happiness these thoughts brought him before allowing more serious matters to come back to the forefront of his mind again. "Hey, Tails?" he asked, turning his head to look at the fox again. As he did so, he kept half an ear out for Shadow and Espio.

Blue eyes shifted to him. "Yeah?"

Sonic crossed his arms, mostly in a subconscious effort to maintain body heat. Though, he hardly needed it with the magical scarf he was still wearing. "I need you to try to explain something for me." Tails blinked. "The fact that Jet interfered in a fight or whatever with that demon god… that's not the only reason why they might go to war, is it? I mean, there's the obvious 'good versus evil' reason and similar ones, but… aside from that."

For some unfathomable reason, Tails smiled. A very sad, regretful smile. "The God of Demons wants to replace Malevolence as the most powerful evil entity in existence, remember. He can't very well do that when a stubborn-as-hell Immortal keeps butting in, now can he?"

Not for the first time since he'd been revived, Sonic was struck by a strong feeling. There's something I'm not being told… something I'm not supposed to know, maybe? He pursed his lips together, debating. Should he pry, or leave well enough alone for now?

That was a decision Tails made for him. "Hey, guys!" he called out loudly to Shadow and Espio, who were already heading back over. The pair were soon mere feet away. "Listen, we're going to have to evacuate at some point soon, as you know, but there's a small hitch." He turned his head to look specifically at Shadow. "Sonic needs a place to stay."

Shadow raised an eyebrow. "He has one."

"I do?" Sonic interjected in confusion. He chose, for now, not to comment on the subject change.

Crimson eyes met his. "Yes," Shadow answered simply. Sonic didn't follow.

Thankfully, Tails was quick as ever and caught on to what Sonic was missing. "Oh… I get it." He turned to Sonic. "Listen, he's being vague, but basically he's willing to let you stay with him. There are guest rooms in his house."

Silence. Sonic took a moment to carefully process this. Then, all at once, he grinned. "I knew you cared about me!" he taunted.

In response, Shadow immediately whacked Sonic with the butt of his gun. Though, tellingly, he didn't do it hard enough for it to hurt… much. "Press your luck, and I'll leave you to sleep in the snow."

Sonic just grinned, feeling triumphant. And, in spite of all the danger hanging over their heads, he somehow felt better. At least for now. But then Espio chose to speak up. "We should be ready to leave when Jet returns. Hanging about for long after that would be… unwise."

"Yeah, you're right," Tails agreed. He gestured for everyone to start heading inside. "Good thing we don't have much to pack."

Everyone began walking. "I was under the impression that we didn't bring anything with us," Sonic eventually said. "Aside from the stuff we had on-hand, that is."

"Well, no," Tails agreed. He led the way inside, and Shadow shut the door behind them all. "But you have to remember, Shadow, Espio, and I have stayed here plenty of times in the past. That's not to say that we have a ton of belongings here or anything, but we have accumulated some stuff over the years."

Out of nowhere, Sonic noticed that Espio had vanished. Off to whatever room he uses here, no doubt. He watched as Shadow also walked off, presumably to also go to some room and pack things. Ear flicking, Sonic spoke to Tails before the fox could leave as well. "So… what do I do?" he asked. "Since I have nothing to pack, and all."

Tails thought for a second. "You could… snoop?" he suggested, mostly joking. "I mean, Silver had to have gotten that habit from someone."

"Right, because he totally got it from me," Sonic rolled his eyes.

"Thought so," Tails laughed, walking off. "I'll be back."

"Yeah, okay." Sonic half-watched as Tails left, then glanced about the room. There was no denying that he was curious, but… I'm not Silver. I don't snoop. Pursing his lips together, he headed for the stairs to find a decent place to sit down and think or something.

Because he most certainly was not nosy.

~保護者~

Panting, Wave turned her head to look at Jet. Despite the harshness of the battle on this desolate world, he stood immaculate, unruffled and unfazed by the bloodshed around them. Yet, she knew how to see what others did not, what others often refused to see. Her eyes roamed over his form, picking out the slight signs of exertion. Tense posture, deepened breathing, aura somewhat flared, eyes narrowed just a touch… Sighing, she stood from her crouch and sheathed her blade. "Jet," she called, hoping to draw his attention away from all the death. The extreme loss of life bothered him as much as always… despite the fact that every corpse here had once been an enemy.

Blue eyes shifted to her, but he didn't speak. She didn't expect him to. After sheathing her sword, she walked over and laid her hand on his left arm. "We should leave," she murmured. "Staying here isn't good for either of us."

Slowly, Jet looked away again. "...I need to find the-"

"No," Wave cut in gently. "Let me. I want you to go home. Okay?"

He looked back at her. "No," he responded. "No one is safe here alone."

That was true enough, she had to admit. "Alright," she conceded. "Help me, then, but let's be quick about it." Thankfully, he agreed to this without argument. With her by his side, he began walking through the battlefield in search of what had been stolen earlier that day. She shook her head in quiet disbelief and asked him, "How did Tein even get the emerald?"

"The vault," Jet answered softly, "is not foolproof. And even assuming it was… he is Immortal. I can no more prevent his access than he can mine."

She frowned in thought. "Is that why you've been taking things out of there and relocating them?"

A nod. "As quickly as is possible," he answered.

"That requires you to make new storage facilities, doesn't it?"

"Yes."

No wonder it's taken so long, then… Immortal-crafted things, regardless of whether they're buildings or weapons or whatever else, take years to be completed. "If the Vault of Time is compromised," Wave began, "and the other facilities are either full or not yet completed, then what will you do with the remaining artifacts still in the vault?"

"They will have to be moved," Jet shrugged. He didn't specify to where. But, then, she knew already. "It is the only solution right now."

There was silence. Jet bent down and picked up a gleaming yellow emerald. Wave sighed. "Well… at least we don't have to hunt these down this time." Though I don't know how much good they'll do by themselves.

Jet seemed to contemplate the glow of the emerald intently. "That does not mean that they are safe," he reminded, voice firm.

"Yeah… I know." Leaning down a bit, she again laid a hand on his arm. "How much longer do you have?" she asked softly. "How much longer until you can finish this?"

"It will end soon," he answered her, a promise in his voice.

"And the others?"

"Keep them in the dark. The fewer people we involve, the better."

Something in her eyes softened. "What about Sonic?" she inquired, voice gentler than it already had been. "I know you want to protect him from this, but… as much as it will hurt him, he deserves the truth."

"I have not lied," Jet pointed out with a touch of tension as he stood.

"I know," Wave soothed. "Not blatantly, at least. However, as you may recall, some consider omission of information a lie all its own."

She couldn't be certain, but she thought his eyes sparked for a second. As quickly as the look came, however, it was gone. "I am aware," he finally said.

"Then what will you tell him?" she pressed.

His answer was immediate. "Nothing." When she frowned at him, he huffed and elaborated, "Nothing now. It's too soon."

Though a part of her wanted to argue, Wave recognized the truth in this statement. "...Fine," she conceded. "I can agree with that."

"Then leave it be for now."

"Yeah, alright, I will." She glanced around the area one last time. "Come on, let's blow this joint. I don't know about you, but I've had enough of blood and gore for one day."

The corner of his lips twitched up in vague amusement and then, in a flash, they were gone.

~保護者~

Tails had finished packing nearly an hour ago. He and Sonic sat together in the front room of Jet's large home. They had been talking about various, non-important things, but now Sonic had a new topic he wanted to discuss. "Hey, Tails?"

The young fox looked up from Sonic's communicator, which he'd again been working on. "Yeah?"

"Last night, Wave and I talked," Sonic said, "and she told me some of the things you guys have been up to since I died."

"Oh?" Tails smiled. "Learn anything interesting?"

"Kind of," Sonic chuckled, "but I just realized that there were a couple people I neglected to ask about."

"Ah. Shall I fill you in, then?"

"If you don't mind."

"I don't," Tails assured him easily, looking back down at the communicator. He resumed fiddling with it. "Who did you want to know about?"

"Cosmo, first of all," Sonic answered. "I know she's alive still, and Cadora sort of explained before how she's alive, but that's basically all I know."

"Well…" Tails trailed off thoughtfully, then continued, "She hasn't been up to much, really, in the sense that she hasn't been having any grand adventures or anything of the sort."

Sonic watched Tails work and asked, "So what has she been doing?"

"I'm getting to that," Tails replied patiently. "Long story short, since the end of that big ol' conflict with the Metarex, Cosmo has been on her homeworld, Gardenia. She took on the form of what's known as 'the Mother Tree', the literal tree that supplies life to her entire planet. She's only something like… the third Mother Tree to have existed. As the newest Mother, she's single-handedly revived her entire species, saved her planet from dying, and brought in a new era of unparalleled peace there. She defends the world when some rare few threats show up, but mostly hers is a peaceful existence, full of life and love." He smiled fondly. "Very befitting of a person like her, wouldn't you say?"

Gradually, a smile formed on Sonic's own face. "Yeah… I'd say it is."

"Her and Jet have gotten really close, by the way," Tails suddenly added. "They're great friends, even if he doesn't let on to it too much. So you'll be seeing her at some point, I guarantee it."

His smile widened. "I'd like that. After so many years… I'd really, really like that."

"Thought so." A brief moment of silence passed, then Tails gave his friend a gentle nudge with an elbow. "So, who else did you want to ask about?"

"There's actually only one other person," Sonic admitted, settling back in his seat on the couch. "At least, he's the only other one I can think of at the moment."

Bright blue eyes glanced at him. "Okay, shoot," Tails invited.

More than ready to jump right in and get some details, Sonic asked, "What's Locke been up to?"

That made Tails completely pause. He fixed Sonic with a long look. For perhaps the first time since Sonic had been revived, the fox looked genuinely puzzled. When he eventually spoke, he kept his tone carefully controlled. "You… think Locke is alive?" he questioned slowly.

Now it was Sonic's turn to be confused. "Isn't he?" he questioned back. When Tails just stared, which frankly made his answer obvious, Sonic shook his head. He was too bewildered right now to be upset, though that would likely change later. "He must still be around, Tails," he insisted. "He never showed up in the emerald. Ever."

In a tone that clearly communicated Tails's reluctance to dash Sonic's hopes, the fox said quietly, "Sonic… he died during that... mess," God, calling it that had to be the understatement to top all understatements, "with Malevolence, remember? You went to the funeral. We all did."

"I know that. But I also know that there was no body, Tails, no proof that he died aside from the ruins of his house and the fact that he never contacted any of us after the attack." Sonic clenched his fists. "I said it then, and I'll say it now. High-energy or not, a simple blast like that couldn't have killed Locke, no matter how old he was."

Tails looked back down at the communicator in his hands. His brow creased in thought. "Logically, I know I should agree, but… logic also tells me that he couldn't still be alive now, regardless of whether or not he survived that attack. For all his strength and resilience, he was still mortal, Sonic. And, no, his race isn't one of those that can live for countless millennia without being affected."

"There has to be some explanation," Sonic insisted. "Like I said, he never showed up in the emerald. After so many years, he would have showed up if he was dead."

"Obviously I've never been dead, so I'll just have to take you at your word on that." Tails's frown deepened. "I just really don't know how he could still be alive, if he even is. And if he's alive, why the disappearance? Why stay silent for so long, not contacting any of us? It doesn't mesh with his character, Sonic."

Sonic had to concede on that point. "I know… I know. I just…" He sighed and ran a hand over his face. "There's cause to hope, and it's hard not to do it in these sorts of situations, I guess."

Gradually, Tails's frown eased. "Yeah… I get it." Looking over, he laid a hand on Sonic's shoulder. "Listen, I may not necessarily have any answers here, but I'm hardly the only person with a brain around here. I'll talk to people, make some inquiries. If nothing else, maybe I can track down some clues as to what happened to him back then. That could help shed some light on this mess."

The offer of help coaxed a fresh smile from Sonic. "Thanks, Tails."

That smile was easily returned. "No problem." Tails handed off the communicator. "Here, I'm done with this for now. I'll do some more work later."

"Thanks," Sonic said again. He strapped the device back to his wrist.

"You're welcome." Tails started to stretch, his arms reaching high over his head, but stopped abruptly when a small sound emanated from his own communicator. Blinking once, he brought his arms back down and looked down at the device. A second or two later, he was answering a video call. "Uh, hello?"

A voice of indistinguishable gender answered in a language Sonic didn't recognize. He leaned over to look, but the screen was very dark. "Who is that?"

"I… don't know," Tails answered. He tapped his screen once, and a bunch of holographic screens and controls appeared in the air. He began messing with all of them as he stated, "This thing intercepts calls sometimes… it's a bit of a glitch I haven't fixed yet. If you give me a second, I can figure out where this particular call is coming from."

That strange voice answered in that equally strange language again, and Sonic frowned a bit. "I could be wrong, Tails, but this person… thing… whatever, sounds kinda pissed."

"Yeah, agreed."

"Should we be concerned?"

"Perhaps."

Just then, the voice switched languages. "THE DARK HAND OF NIGHT COMES FOR YOUR SOULS," it boomed. Then, just like that, the call dropped.

Trading wide-eyed looks, Sonic and Tails both clamped their mouths shut… then rushed to call Jet.

~保護者~

When Jet didn't answer any attempts to call him, Tails made an executive decision. "Okay, we're leaving. Right now. Sonic, get up." He himself stood up without hesitation. At about the same time, Shadow came down the stairs with a backpack slung over one shoulder. "Shadow, we need to leave ASAP," Tails informed him. "Are you finished packing?"

Shadow walked over to the two of them. "Yes."

"And have you eaten anything recently?" Tails asked him pointedly as Sonic stood.

Black ears lowered defensively a degree. That was a look Sonic had never expected to see on his brother. "...No."

"Go get something from the kitchen while we're waiting for Espio, then," Tails directed, pointing toward said kitchen. Shadow opened his mouth to argue, but the fox wouldn't let him. "No, you're not giving me any of that 'I'm not hungry' B.S. You're getting something to eat. I don't care if it's literally just a slice of bread, but you are eating something." He gestured with his hands. "Go. Shoo. Don't come back until you have food."

Clearly more than a little irritated, Shadow turned around on his heel and stalked off to the kitchen. Sonic, meanwhile, gave Tails a look that was half-puzzled and half-amused. "If we're in such a rush, why are you making him go look for a snack or something?"

"We are in a rush but, like I said, we're still waiting on Espio," Tails answered. "And, besides that, if no one makes your brother eat then usually he won't eat." He glanced toward the kitchen, then looked back to Sonic and lowered his voice. "You mentioned asking Wave about our lives and stuff, but did she tell you about-"

"Yeah," Sonic cut in with a nod. "She did."

Tails returned the nod. "Well, even all these years after he successfully got over his addiction, Shadow's still left with some residual effects. One of those effects is infrequent depression, another effect is some occasional worse insomnia than he used to have, and another is a significantly decreased appetite." He crossed his arms and sighed. "We're lucky if we can ever get your brother to eat more than a few bites of anything. If not for the fact that he's a semi-Immortal like you, he'd be emaciated right now. ...Or he would have just starved to death."

Ears a bit low, Sonic closed his eyes. Maybe it's for the best that I stay with him, then… I don't know if I could rest anywhere else, knowing that he might be starving himself or something. Sighing, Sonic opened his eyes again to look at Tails. "Hey… what about Espio? There wasn't even any food in his house. Does he have some sort of similar issue or something?"

"No, not at all," Tails shook his head. "See… just like we don't know how Espio is even alive these days, we also don't understand a lot of the ways that he's changed over the years, either. One of the ways he's changed is that, for some reason, he doesn't seem to need to eat anymore. Or drink anything." He paused, then added, "Or sleep, for that matter. He certainly never seems to have any desire to do those things."

Slowly, Sonic's brows drew downward. "...That… almost sounds like the sort of self-sustaining ability that higher-level Immortals have."

His assessment earned a nod from Tails. "Yeah, I agree. But you know as well as the rest of us that he's not an Immortal. He can't be."

"Yeah." Sonic closed his eyes again. Man… it's just one mystery after another with these guys, isn't it? "Please tell me there aren't any issues with you that I need to no about."

"No, there aren't," Tails smiled. "Aside from my radiation doing it's usual thing like always, I'm fine."

Sonic frowned. "Any risk of bad mutations?"

"Not thus far."

"Good."

Finally, Espio came down the stairs, carrying nothing. Sonic suspected that the ninja had somehow sent his belongings off to Mobius already. A minute or two later, Shadow came back from the kitchen with a simple slice of lightly buttered toast. Not much, but way better than nothing, Sonic decided. "Everyone ready to go now?"

"Should be," Tails answered. He glanced to Shadow and Espio for confirmation. Neither disagreed. "Alright, then, time to go." Reaching over to a nearby table, Tails picked up the couple of bags he had packed earlier. Out of one, he retrieved a teleportation device. Only, it didn't look like one of his.

Jet's, most likely, Sonic decided. Then they all vanished.

~保護者~

Later that day found Sonic and Shadow walking to the front door of the darker-furred hedgehog's home. He had relocated since Sonic's time and no longer dwelled outside of Empire City. Instead, he was living in a dark and quiet woodland at the base of a mountain. That mountain just so happened to be one of the many that marked the edge of the two-thousand strong range in the far north-eastern corner of the supercontinent of Yueisha. This was the mountain range that had long concealed Chun-nan's ruins. Somehow, Sonic wasn't convinced that his brother had chosen this location by pure coincidence.

The home itself, Sonic noted, looked very much like the sort of house Sonic would be familiar with. It was large, but had no second story. The windows appeared to be plain glass, just like windows in Sonic's time, and the door was by all appearances… normal. It wasn't until Shadow went to let them both in that Sonic discovered how not normal some aspects of this home was. In particular, the security was more advanced and in-depth than anything Sonic had ever seen outside of that military base he'd first reunited with Shadow out. But, leave it to Shadow to ensure that every inch of his home was guarded.

"Paranoid, much?" Sonic asked wryly while his brother swiftly gained them access and opened the door.

Shadow snorted. "No." He stepped inside, beckoning with a hand for Sonic to follow.

Taking the invitation, Sonic followed his half-brother inside and closed the door. "Why all the security, then?" he questioned.

He glanced around the front room. With the lights all off, everything appeared so dark as to be black. Off to the left he spotted a sort of dining space with an rigid rectangular table and four chairs, as well as a doorway leading into what was no doubt the kitchen. Beyond that, all the way to the left of the room, was a hall leading who-knew-where. Dead ahead was a hall that seemed to lead down to the bedrooms. To the right was a large and very open sitting area (essentially a living room) with several couches, a coffee table, a wall-mounted flatscreen TV, and so on. Honestly, Sonic was a bit surprised that this was the only furniture in the room. Then again, Shadow had never been one to be too worried about material possessions.

"Since you've been revived," Shadow said, catching Sonic's attention again, "we have all provided answers to your near-endless questions. Rightfully so, since there is so much you have no way of knowing about otherwise." He turned all of his security systems back on, then turned away from the small holographic projections by the door. They immediately vanished. "This time, I suggest you think for yourself. You should be able to figure it out on your own."

"Is that your way of insinuating I don't think?" Sonic huffed.

"No one said that but you," Shadow returned evenly… but Sonic didn't fail to catch the lack of denial to his question.

Stifling his need to fire back, Sonic sighed and gave this matter some light thought. Sure enough, some potential answers came to him. "I've been told that you're in charge of the entire planet-wide military here on Mobius now. That can make you some enemies.

Arms loosely crossed, possibly just for comfort, Shadow inclined his head. "It does now and then, yes."

Okay, so Sonic was apparently on the right track. He ran with it. "And you've practically taken over the kingdom, right? You're on track to being in a position to fully rule the world like our grandparents and dad did." And like I would have, had I not refused. ...Not that I regret that.

Another vague nod. "That is so," Shadow acknowledged. "Such a thing also creates enemies and, thus, necessitates defensive measures."

Now Sonic nodded. "Yeah, that makes sense." He thought some more, but only one other fact occurred to him. One he didn't want to share. Not right now. You were running with a bad crowd in years past, too… Using drugs, you had to have made connections with dealers and other unsavory folks, and there's no telling how dangerous any of them might have been to you… how much they might still try to threaten you. Though Sonic preferred not to think about it, he had to acknowledge that this was likely another reason for all the security here.

Shadow spoke up again. "Satisfied?"

Startled from his thoughts, Sonic blurted out, "Huh?"

A brow arched. "Is your curiosity satisfied?" Shadow elaborated.

"Oh, yeah." Sonic rubbed lightly at one ear. "I s'pose it is."

Apparently satisfied with that, Shadow turned away and walked to a panel on a nearby wall. With a simple hand movement, he flicked on all the lights in the dining area and sitting area which, together, collectively made up the very large front room. With the lights on, Sonic was suddenly able to see splashes of color that veritably burst out from the monochromatic color schemes that otherwise filled the space. The marble-like floor was, indeed, black as it turned out. The walls were such a deep greyish-blue that it made sense as to why they looked black in the dark. The table, couches, coffee table, and TV were all black as well, but… amidst all this darkness there was color.

Under the coffee table in between the almost-rectangle that the three couches made was a surprisingly pleasing-to-look at carpet of sorts that was nearly crimson in color. The couches (which Sonic could now see were all fine leather) had some throw-pillows of varying sizes and shapes on them, each differing shades of red and each sporting different black and grey designs. The padded portions of the chairs at the dining table were this deep, deep wine red. The carpet under the table was almost the same shade of red as the one by the couches. But that was all Sonic had time to take in before Shadow began walking, silently prompting the blue hedgehog to follow.

Together, the pair of them went down the hall Sonic had seen before. The first door on the left was slightly ajar, revealing a bed that had clearly been slept in somewhat recently. The nightstand was cluttered with various pieces of half-built tech, and Sonic smiled at the sight. "Guessing Tails uses this room?" he asked. Shadow just nodded. Sonic gestured to the door right across from this one. It was shut. "And this room?"

"Espio's," Shadow informed him simply.

They walked on. The next door on the left was wide open, revealing the bathroom, shower, a towel rack, and so on. The room right across from that was shut and, as Sonic soon noticed, locked via some sort of holographic tech. So, of course, he had to ask. "And what're you hiding in here?"

Crimson eyes glanced to the door calmly. "Not 'hiding'," he corrected. "Merely storing."

"Okay, fine. What are you storing?"

"Weapons."

"...I knew that."

Shadow indulged in an eye-roll and continued. The next door on the right was just as securely locked up as the previous one, leading Sonic to suspect that it was concealing yet more weapons. The door on the left, however, wasn't locked at all. That door Shadow opened, revealing an apparently unused guest room. As was the case with many guestrooms in Sonic's experience, it didn't have much in it. Just a bed, a nightstand, a dresser, a closet, a light, and one window. But it was a room, it was a real bed, and that forever beat spending a night trying to sleep in a tree or something. So Sonic was grateful.

Turning back around to look at his brother, Sonic watched Shadow walk the last couple of feet to a door dead ahead at the end of the hall. When he opened the door, he revealed his own room, though it was too dark at the present moment, for Sonic to see much in it (leading him to briefly wonder how in the world it was so dark in here yet so bright outside). Before Shadow could disappear into that darkness, Sonic called out to him. "Hey… thanks." Those crimson eyes flashed him a glance over a black shoulder, then Shadow looked away. With a small nod, he acknowledged Sonic's word, then went into his room. Smiling a bit, Sonic retreated into his own room for now. If Tails's words to him less than an hour earlier were anything to go by, he would need to get plenty of rest today. They all would…

Because the very God of Demons was on the move.

Trying not to think too hard on that, he sat down on the bed he would now be making use of for the foreseeable future. He tried to summon up the willpower to lay down and rest, but rather quickly decided that that would be an utter waste of his time. He wasn't tired, not even remotely, and he had far too much on his mind for him to relax. While he should try regardless and he knew it, he just couldn't.

It turned out that he wasn't the only one who couldn't find sleep. Tails sent him a message out of the blue. All it said was, "Something for you to read if you're struggling to rest again."

Intrigued, Sonic opened up the large file that the fox had attached to his message. "What in the world did you send me, Tails?" he murmured to himself, eyes scanning the screen. He bit his lip in thought, caught himself, then stopped. A moment passed before he decided to just text the fox back.

Sonic:

What is this?

Tails:

Well, you still have a lot a questions about things, so I just compiled some lists of data that might help to satisfy your curiosity some.

Sonic:

Ah. Well, thanks.

Tails:

Sure thing.

Now doubly intrigued, Sonic turned his attention back to the file and read the first page of it.

Things Shadow Has Done Since Your Death:

-Single-handedly took down G.U.N. (which was deeply corrupt at the time) from the inside and then took it over

Somehow, Sonic managed a short laugh. "Well, no surprise there," he told himself. "I expected him to do that ages ago." Shaking his head, he kept reading.

-Invented somewhere around thirteen new types of holographic weapons testing facilities

-Invented numerous new types of guns

-Decided to take on the role your dad inherited and so briefly himself took on: namely, the ruler of Mobius (a work in progress still)

Sonic blinked a few times. "So you guys really weren't pulling my leg, huh… Man, imagine that. My brother, the king." A crooked smile spread across his face. "Won't that be something." Equal parts amused and impressed, he resumed reading again.

-Took in stray and injured/sick animals more than once and nursed them back to health (he kept a few of them now and then)

-Somehow got himself a wolf companion years ago (though the wolf has since disappeared and he won't say why)

-Put much time and money into rehab programs across Mobius after recovering from his own addiction

This time, it was a small sigh that escaped Sonic. "Well… at least some good came out of that mess." His eyes were already roving the screen again by the time he finished speaking.

-Picked up smoking, quit, then started again

-Learned how to drive just about every car, ship, motorcycle, and hover vehicle on the planet

-Took one of my old warp-drive designs and greatly improved it entirely on his own, purely out of boredom

-Discovered Jet's whereabouts after we lost contact with him (approximately two or three hundred years after you died, Jet vanished for a good few centuries, f.y.i.)

Now Sonic frowned. Wait, Jet disappeared? And no one told me? Since no one had, it stood to reason that that incident had no huge importance these days. But, even so, he wanted to know what had happened. It would just have to be later.

-Underwent training under numerous masters (also trained with Espio) and perfected many of his skills and abilities

Honestly, this was surprising, but not surprising enough to dwell on for too long. As such, he moved on.

Things I Have Done Since Your Death:

-The usual inventing, repairing, and so on

-Delved into architecture and subsequently constructed more than three-thousand different types of buildings

-Took the old design of hover vehicles (cars, cycles, trains, and so on) from Future City and improved them, then prepped them for widespread consumer use (they're now used all over the world)

None of this was at all surprising, but it made Sonic smile nevertheless. "Sounds like you've been busy, Tails," he murmured to himself, settling back on the bed.

-Oversaw much of the reconstruction of Future City, now called "Century City" or "Thousand Centuries City", after Malevolence destroyed it (back when the New Babylonian solar system was held under siege)

The news that Future City, one of his past homes and a place that held so many memories for him and Jet and Wave, had been destroyed made Sonic frown. Still, it had been rebuilt, apparently. That's something, I guess.

-Explored countless miles of outer space for the sake of working on my old starmap (which Jet later combined with his own; I retain a copy to work on and we synchronize them often)

-Trained with Jet some more

-Tried my hand at becoming a chef or baker (fun fact: not my thing, though my kitchen survived)

That made Sonic choke on a laugh. "Does everyone know about the time I burned down my own kitchen as a kid and Locke whooped my butt?" he asked himself as though someone could hear and would answer. No one did.

-Took on a few minor governmental positions, that I still hold, in various cities (partly to help Shadow out, partly because someone had to do it, and partly because I was curious and wanted to attempt it)

His eyebrows shot up. "...Wow… I don't know whether or not to even be surprised." A smirk played at his lips. Tails had done well for himself, and that was clear. The good news was welcome, and he savored it as he moved on to the next list.

Things Wave Has Done Since Your Death:

-Became the Grand Sorceress, the greatest Hexan sorcerer/sorceress in history (as you know; I'm pretty sure she more or less told you the story about how she trained and all that)

-Due to her own steady, patient takeover and unification of her father's home realm (the Lost Hex) and not due to anything hereditary, she is due to become the next Hexan Queen (note, she'd only be the fourth ruler, ever)

Completely surprised by both the fact that Wave was apparently the best of her kind in history and the fact that she was apparently taking over her home for some reason, Sonic just stared at the screen. For a long moment, he just stared. "What in the world have you been up to, exactly…?" he mumbled. Then, shaking his head again, he resumed reading.

-Discovered that, aside from her little brother, she's the only half-Babylonian and half-Hexan person in existence

-Continued inventing and whatnot when she had time

-Aided in the reconstruction of Future/Century City

Scrolling down, Sonic saw the beginning of the next list. "Jet's next, huh… Well, this oughta be interesting."

Things Jet Has Done Since Your Death:

-Fought in numerous wars, especially against the Therians and similar threats

-Raised or helped to raise nearly all of the descendants of you and the others up until roughly two thousand years ago

-Changed outfits (as you know), at first with the intention for it to be temporary, after he fought a battle that mostly destroyed his scarf, goggles, and old boots (he later had them all magically repaired, but never switched back to that outfit for whatever reason)

-Created A'latria (that wintry planet we were on, remember) for reasons he's never shared and made his home there

For a long moment, Sonic just sat and stared. He'd been told once, he was rather certain, that Jet had created that planet, but for some reason it was just now sinking in. "My best friend… is powerful enough to create an entire world, complete with a castle." He paused, then frowned. "...What the actual hell must his enemies be like if he can do that but they still cause him problems?" Groaning internally, he resumed reading and just tried not to worry (for now, at any rate).

-Underwent extreme and intensive training to learn how to use and control more of his Immortal abilities

-Explored countless realms and worlds

-Was forced to destroy several solar system to take out an out-of-control demonic threat

Once more, Sonic gaped. To say that he was shocked was probably the understatement of the millennia. "How is he even capable of…" He trailed off. A minute or so later, he realized he was basically inviting flies in and closed his mouth. ...Not that that brother of his would ever let something as irritating as a fly into his home. Or any bug at all, really, because he hated bugs. Despised them, even. But reading was way more entertaining than just thinking about Shadow's distaste for bugs, so he resumed doing that instead.

-Joined a sort of religious group out of curiosity, staying with the group for over a decade before eventually losing interest and leaving (no idea why he was curious enough to do this, don't ask)

-Dug into his ancestry and learned that he's descended from tribespeople, soldiers, mercenaries, hunters, scholars, mages, assassins, notable explorers, and so on

-Continued work on his own starmap, which he combined with Kath's and later mine

-Created a few realms/dimensions of his own, as well as multiple planets within said realms (all of which he still actively maintains)

-Perfected many of his powers (such as his Storm and aura powers)

Though these particular notes all surprised (or even shocked) him to no end, Sonic could think of nothing specific to say or think about any of them. He was just speechless this time.

-Invented many weapons, vehicles, gadgets, gaming systems, and so on

Things Cosmo Has Done Since Your Death:

(Note that, overall, I have zero idea what she's been up to all these years since I haven't seen her much)

-Revived all of the life on Gardenia (her world), including her people, the animal life, and so on and set herself up as the guardian of all of them

-Became close a close friend of Jet's

-Became a tutor for Cadora to help him with his studies when Jet cannot

A smile spread across his face. Despite the briefness of this list, it somehow all felt… right for her. She was peaceful, and so was her life. He couldn't have concocted a better existence for her if he'd tried. His only hope was that she was able to enjoy it.

Things Espio Has Done Since Your Death:

-Penned but never published several novels and multiple books on battle strategies and war tactics and the like

-Endured years and years and years of war with his people, who were threatened with total genocide by a radical group known as "The Ten Hands" (yes, they won and his people obviously survived)

-Oversaw, alongside a small group of others, the total reconstruction of Hyale after the Nocturne War, after the mess with the Ten Hands, and again after Malevolence's attacks on both Mobius and the New Babylonian solar system

-Trained himself for years, as he's done before, and awakened dormant abilities

Sonic's eyebrows shot up. "New abilities? Like what?" Of course, there was no one here to answer him. He was determined to get an answer to the question, regardless, but it would have to wait until the next time he talked to Tails.

-Traveled the world who knows how many times

-Possibly traveled space on his own for a time

-Taught himself to paint (he's actually very good at it), and re-taught himself calligraphy (which apparently he was taught as a child)

-Kept a sharp eye on that brother of yours and did what he could to keep said brother out of trouble (no, he did not always succeed)

After reading that last little note, he snorted. "Yeah… he wouldn't have." Smirking, he shook his head and resumed reading.

-Did a lot to keep Jet in contact with us, despite Jet's habit of disappearing and whatnot

-Learned how to play some traditional instruments one-handed (he learned how to do a lot of things one-handed, needless to say, though there were many things he could already do)

At that moment, Shadow walked past Sonic's open door. Emerald eyes glanced in that direction and he called out, "Everything alright?"

"Thirsty," was the simple reply as the other hedgehog made as he headed toward the kitchen.

Shrugging, Sonic returned his attention to his communicator and scrolled down. He had finished those lists (he didn't fail to notice that there were no mentions of Kaden and planned to ask about that later) and was moving on to the next part of what Tails had sent. He moved on to the next page, which contained…

A yawn broke his focus and made his eyes water noticeably. Deciding to be sensible for once, he shut his communicator screen off and laid down to go to sleep. Honestly, he probably needed it. After all, he mused, there's no telling what the hell's gonna happen tomorrow. Yawning again, he pulled his blankets up and closed his eyes. Feeling overall safe in spite of what he knew was going on in this era, he soon managed to drift away into sleep.

~保護者~

9,934 words this time. Sorry this is being posted so late in the day, I was hanging out with my mum and sisters. :) Hope you all enjoyed. Posted (at about 6:45 p.m.)