Disclaimer: I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this moment of calm before the storm… especially for the ones who are at once hated... and protected.

~保護者~

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Hello, MelGamingPlays! Yeah, Sonic and Jet need to have a lil chat. XD Anyway, the how of how the God of Demons was corrupted was explained before. As for the why... Well... let's just say it's a matter of bloodline and power. Trust me, this little hint will make sense once we reveal his identity. ;) Anyway, thank you ever so much for your patience! Hope you enjoy!

~保護者~

"Escalation"

~保護者~

Shortly after Sonic left him, Tails decided to get up and return to the medical ward. It was a relatively short and silent walk, one he hardly paid any attention to. His thoughts were his focus instead, all of them decidedly negative. His conversation with his friend had rendered them such. The fault wasn't Sonic's, though, not at all. He had every right to have questions, to ask them, to be given answers. Tails just… wished the topic wasn't so dark.

Shaking his head, he slipped into the ward and tiptoed his way toward the beds. Passing Cream's, he quickly determined she was still fast asleep. Something had clearly set her mind at ease for the time being. Truthfully, he suspected it had been Espio. Maybe they had a chat. He brushed that matter aside and continued on. Shadow's bed was the only other occupied bed he had to pass, and just to set himself at ease he glanced over to it.

His intention had merely been to reassure himself that his friend was still resting as he should of been. The blankets, however, had been tossed aside. Where the darkly-colored hedgehog should have been laying, there was only empty space. Concerned but not yet alarmed, Tails quickly started scanning the huge room. It was difficult to see, let alone try to pick out black fur in the dark. His main hope was those red eyes, which oddly contained the faintest of glows in the darkness… Whether it was due to his status as a cyborg or due to his alien heritage, Tails had no idea. He just knew that they were his best shot at easily spotting Shadow right now.

Turning around, Tails spotted a sliver of light coming from the doors leading out onto the balcony. He headed for said doors, feeling suspicious as to why they were suddenly open. Could he had even walked this far? Pulling the doors fully open, he peered outside. Straight away, he felt relieved. Guess he managed it. He stepped outside with a small sigh. "Shadow… why are you here?"

Shadow, who was leaning somewhat heavily on the railing, scoffed at him. "The options were come out here or stay in there. This held the most appeal."

Spying the unlit cigarette in Shadow's mouth, Tails frowned. "I didn't think it would bother you very much," he said. "I realize it's a medical ward, but it doesn't exactly look the part of a hospital." And, thus, a lab. Silence answered him. He looked Shadow over, noting that the hedgehog was straining to maintain his upright position. Maybe it was more than just motor skills that were messed with… Crap. Crap. Given that worrying thought, he questioned, "How did you even get outside? Earlier, you could barely even stand up." The question sounded harsh even to his own ears. It wasn't his intention. He was just worried, he supposed. Worried and frustrated because his friends hadn't deserved these bizarre punishments and he didn't know how to fix anything for them these days. The lack of knowledge was… unwelcome.

Much to Tails's surprise, Shadow let out a small and indelicate snort. He finally lifted the lighter he'd been holding and tried with shaking uncooperative hands to make it work. "It should be obvious. I fucking limped. There wasn't another choice." His fingers refused to work. The lighter wouldn't light. With very obvious frustration and anger, he flung it at the ground. Metal skittered across the stone, stopping a foot or so short of Tails's shoe. "Can't even light a fucking cigarette," he muttered under his breath. This display, coupled with his random openness, would have bothered plenty. Or thrown them way off their guard, at least. But, for Tails, it was normal. The two were open around each other because they could be. They trusted each other. It was normal. For Shadow, it was just easier when there weren't any prying eyes.

Heaving a heavy sigh, Tails bent over and picked up the lighter. "Look, I don't condone this behavior and I normally wouldn't dream of helping you continue it, but… here." Walking over, he helped Shadow get his light and then quickly closed the cap on the lighter again. He then warned, "But this is a one time thing. I just… I know how stressful this is."

Crimson eyes gazed at him for a long moment, but eventually Shadow looked away. "Hn."

Tails set the lighter on the railing. "...I know you're also pretty pissed," he continued carefully. "Hence all the sudden cursing and whatnot. Now, I can't do anything to fix the source of your anger right now, and I'm sorry for that, but…" He looked up at Shadow. "But I think I know I way you can still help us fight the jerks who did this."

Shadow immediately frowned. "You're suggesting we attempt to-"

"Yeah." Tails stifled another sigh. "Yeah, I am. If you can link yourself to our tech, including the various mechs and the like we have on Mobius, you can still fight with us. You can do more than just fight, and you know that."

"Maintaining such connections will be… difficult." Shadow exhaled a puff of smoke. "...But… no more so than every other time we have done this."

His response gave Tails some hope. Perhaps Shadow was willing to go through with his crazy plan. "Do you think you can do it?"

"Is there a choice?" was the dry retort. Then, more seriously, Shadow added, "I will manage."

Nodding, Tails gave the situation some thought. "We'll have to find a safe place for you to work," he mused, "where you won't have to worry about being attacked. I bet your HQ will work rather nicely."

The thought of returning to the Mobian military base where he and Sonic had first reunited, of returning home, seemed to settle some of Shadow's emotions a bit. "It is the best option," he agreed neutrally.

"Agreed." A breeze whispered through the open air and Tails pulled his lab coat closed tighter around him. He let the silence between them linger for a few moments, but he soon broke it. "Anyway, listen… I'm heading back inside now. It's chilly, and I'm still tired. Do you want me to help you, or…?"

Shadow frowned deeply. "I don't need help."

Finally, Tails managed to smile. "Now you sound more like yourself. I was getting worried." Turning, he began walking away. "See you later, Shadow." Receiving no reply, he simply went inside.

~保護者~

Sonic managed to find Jet only after a great deal of searching. The hawk was out on the roof (really, Sonic should have predicted that he would be), gazing out into the stars and rapidly tapping out some silent rhythm with the fingers of his right hand on his leg. Taking note of this sign of stress, Sonic approached as directly as possible in an effort to avoid startling his old friend. "Hey. Mind if I sit with you?"

His voice cause Jet to straighten and turn his head, but his hand never stilled. When he turned back around, he simply said, "Fine." Once Sonic was seated, he then asked, "Why?"

"I wanted to check on you, for one thing," Sonic told him quietly. "And don't you dare say you're fine, because I can already see that you're not."

With a soft tch, Jet forced his hand to stop. That, however, didn't last for longer than a few seconds. Yet, in spite of the obvious proof, he still insisted, "I'm fine, Sonic."

This again… "You're not, and it might help you to admit that for once," Sonic huffed. "But, before you get defensive, I'm not here to make you do that. I just want you to know that I'm willing to listen whenever you're ready to talk. That's all."

Something about Jet's demeanor seemed to relax. Significantly, in fact. That was a good sign, as was Jet's continuation of the conversation. "...There was another reason for you to come here," he eventually said.

Nodding, Sonic explained, "I had a conversation with Tails about some things, but there are some details he really wants me to learn from you. ...Actually, I'm pretty sure Shadow said as much once before, too. Or, at least, he didn't disagree with it."

It really shouldn't have been surprising that Jet seemed to instantly understand what Sonic was getting at. As such, it wasn't. The frown was expected as well, given the nature of the conversation. They were about to start discussing some dark matters, after all. "What all have they told you?" Jet asked slowly.

Sonic shrugged. "Not much. Same goes for Wave. I've learned a bit about the God's abilities and some miscellaneous things like how he came into power, but that's really it. No one's been willing to give me any details about his identity." Jet seemed ready to tell him. He really, really did. But then his focus seemed to sharpen on something else entirely and he quickly stood up. Sonic quickly followed suit. Asking what was going on would have been just plain stupid, so instead he asked, "Is it coming?"

Jet turned his eyes up to the sky. "Yes. Go and get the others."

Looking up as well, Sonic noticed tiny flashes of light in the distance. They looked like flashing stars, and yet they were different somehow. Darker. Harsher. More… sinister. "Those are impacts," he realized aloud, "on the barriers."

A nod. The flashes were growing larger, coming faster, lasting longer. Demons, Sonic decided with sinking dread. Jet drew his sword in one smooth motion but, before he abandoned the conversation entirely, he said, "Your questions…" Sonic looked over. Jet met his gaze. "I will answer them later." With that firm assurance, he vanished, no doubt to confront the threat himself before they could breach the barriers. Barriers Sonic hoped beyond all hope Wave and Jet had managed to fortify.

Turning, the hedgehog dashed inside faster than he had perhaps intended and yet still not fast enough for his own liking. He knew Wave had insisted that this wouldn't be "the big one" (whatever that meant), but Jet still seemed concerned about it and that fact alone was enough to set Sonic's heart racing. Demons were here, after all, and that never meant good things. As such, he hastened toward his friends. He ran into Tails first out in the hall near the medical ward. The fox's eyes were wide as he exclaimed, "Sonic! Cream just woke up and she said she sensed-"

"I know, I know," Sonic hastily cut in. "We're out of time, Tails. The demons are attacking the barriers and I don't think it'll keep them out for very long."

Tails nodded once. "I need to help Shadow into a safer room. I'll do what I can to guard him."

"Right. What about Cream, where is she?"

"Headed outside already. She wouldn't listen to me when I asked her to wait."

Somehow, Sonic wasn't surprised. Sweet though she was, that woman could be freaking stubborn sometimes. Especially when she felt her friends were in trouble of any sort. He chalked it up to her being Merry's descendant. "Got it. I'm gonna go find Steam and the others." He started to hurry off, then stopped and spun back around for a second. "Call me if anything happens!"

"Of course!"

Reassured, Sonic dashed off. He wasn't sure about Steam, but something told him that Armaris and Espio were still outside… somewhere. Espio might have still been gone, in fact, but hopefully Armaris could at least be found quickly. Sonic was considering heading back to where he had last seen her (he was fairly certain he knew how to get back there), but he soon skidded to an abrupt halt upon returning outside. For just a split second, he'd though he'd sensed a familiar - albeit darker - aura… up above?

He looked up and spotted a lonely balcony. Bunching up his muscles, he jumped. He landed nimbly on the railing mere inches from the foot of his normally-hard-as-shit-to-find ninja friend, glanced the other man over, and asked sharply, "The hell are you doing, Espio?"

In that moment, he received the most "What the hell does it look like?" expression he had seen in years. It was fleeting, but Sonic was certain he had seen it. However, all Espio actually wound up saying was, "You have eyes." He deliberately took another drink from the bottle he was holding.

Eyes you told me not to always trust, Sonic reflected as Espio set aside the bottle. Much to his dismay, it was nearly empty. "Are you-"

Espio cut him off pointedly. "No."

Actually, Espio seemed irritated by his own answer. That bothered Sonic greatly. He's trying to deal with something. With what, though? Concern continually swirled about within him, but Sonic forced himself to switch gears instead of lingering on this subject. "Whatever, not important. We've gotta go." He glanced up into the sky. "The fight's about to begin."

"I am aware," Espio answered, appearing oddly unhappy. It seemed strange to Sonic. Whatever happened to the whole loving combat thing? Or… was something else entirely causing this change from his normal mood?

Tense with negative emotions he didn't care to contemplate just yet, Sonic knelt down and reached a hand out expectantly. "Let me see your arm," he said. Espio gave him a long, frustrated look, but eventually let out a huff and obliged. With permission given, Sonic took hold of the torn sleeve that was held out to him and lifted it up. Sure enough, there were a larger number of markings now than there had been before. Damn… He's got so many of this things... He gritted his teeth. "Stay away from any flowing demonic energies, do you understand?" he said sharply.

Clearly irritated, Espio yanked his sleeve out of Sonic's grip, allowing it to fall back down to cover his arm. "I am not stupid, Sonic," he retorted. Before the hedgehog could even blink, Espio was on his feet, sword in hand. His gaze was now on the sky as well, a frown firmly in place on his face. All he said after that point was, "Get going. I will hold this area."

There was no time for an argument. They had probably taken too long already. So, with a nod, Sonic took off again. He spotted Cream and ran to her, skidding to a halt once he was near enough. "Do you know where Steam and Armaris are?" he demanded. "Also, Jet's parents and Wave."

She shook her head. "No. I believe they are keeping their minds guarded." Turning, she met his anxious gaze. "I do not know where they are. However, they will be ready. I am rather certain of that."

Sonic ground his teeth. Dunno about that. It wasn't that he doubted his friends. Far from it. It was more that he was, as always, worried. Worried that they had all been caught too off-guard. Yes, they had known this attack had been coming. Yes, they had done some training prior to it so as to fight better. But was it enough? Could it be enough? Somehow, he didn't feel like it was or ever would be. Were they ready? He didn't know. One thing, however, was clear. Whether or not they truly were ready… they would have to be.

~保護者~

While Sonic did his best to prepare himself outside, Tails busied himself with getting through the task of barricading the room he was in as best as possible. He had run into the queen just moments ago, rushed through an explanation of what was going on and the sort of defense he needed to locate, and she had directed him here. It seemed this was the safest room where his good friend could be left in. Tails could only hope it would be enough.

With the only entrance as barred off as possible, Tails turned to face Shadow. "Are you sure you don't want me to stay in here with you?" he asked. Maybe it was a stupid question, and maybe Shadow resented him for asking, but he had to check regardless.

Shadow, for his part, seemed to be focusing most of his negativity on his situation as a whole as opposed to on Tails himself. Tails was only trying to help, after all. It wasn't his fault that they had just discovered Shadow couldn't even squeeze the trigger tight enough to fire a gun any longer… "No," he muttered rather crossly.

"...Okay…" Tails reluctantly agreed. "But, look, I need you to promise that you'll call if you end up in trouble." Shadow gave him a flat look. Tails wisely switched the subject around. "The queen said there are plenty of weapons systems, vehicles, and the like that are online. She gave us permission to utilize them as needed. So you can still help fight."

Looking away, Shadow only murmured a moody, "Hn," in response.

Taking in a breath to try to steady himself, Tails picked up the teleporter he had swiped fro Jet… however long ago that was. Using it, he brought the Tornado-Z from Mobius to the area just outside of the room they were in. Then, with nothing left to do here, teleported himself out to the ship, climbed in, and took to the sky.

Almost as soon as Tails disappeared above the clouds, Alana appeared out in the grass near Sonic and Cream, all but dragging Sein along with her. Sein struggled to follow for a second, eventually pulling away from her and huffing. "I wasn't done looking!"

His wife levelled him with a flat look. "You are," she told him sternly. "A fight is coming." Sonic watched them both, automatically bemused, while Cream managed a smile.

"Ugh, fine, but I'm going back after we send these bastards back to hell." Sein pulled his claymore free of his gauntlet, eyes narrowing faintly as he eyed the threats.

"They will end up back there, regardless," Alana reminded. "They live within that realm, mind you."

"That wasn't the point."

"Then be more specific with your meaning next time."

Sonic looked back and forth between them for a moment. Now is not the time for this.

Sein glanced over to Sonic, sighing. "I'm kidding. I do this to keep my own tension low before fights. I promise I'll take this seriously."

Emerald eyes blinked. "O… kay?"

"Alana, we should probably take to the air by the barriers to help. Any idea on where the others should go?" Sein asked, quickly turning his attention to his wife.

In response, Alana quickly turned to Sonic and Cream, running an assessing eye over them both. Her gaze then landed on Cream, specifically. "Given your capacity for damage over a wide area… perhaps you should position yourself a small distance from the building. This will give you ample space to release your psychic energies."

Cream nodded. "I was considering the same thing," she agreed.

"I can go over there," Sonic said, pointing, "for kind of the same reason. And that way I'll still be close in case one of us needs backup or something."

"That is adequate," Alana acknowledged. She then turned to Sein. "We should go."

In response, he gave a short nod before turning to Sonic and Cream. "Be safe, both of you," he murmured gently. With that, they both took off.

~保護者~

From outside the barriers, Astra calmly watched the forces far below scatter about in attempts to quickly form a defense against the demonic threat looming over them. Where is the hedgehog…? I see the Immortals, but not him yet.

As though purely to interrupt her thoughts, the God of Demons suddenly appeared beside her. He looked calmly at the violent assault on the barriers happening close by, but soon focused all of his attention on her. "A touch eager, I see," he murmured.

"Why would I not be? That wretched hawk stood in my way before, and now I have the perfect chance to exact my… hm… revenge on him and those he holds dearest."

The God blinked slowly. "Your petty grudge over the Nocturnian War will not serve you well here if you cannot remain on task," he warned.

"I will stick to both plans, properly. Do you think me incapable of such?" Astra asked boldly.

At least for the moment, he didn't seem to care about her attitude. "I think," he answered silkily, "that you are much too prone to… shall we say… toying with your enemies a tad too much at times."

She rolled her eyes. "You might be right, but I have no plans to break these two yet. The hedgehog is best left… capable of living. Jet, however… as much as I would love to see him crumble, he is also best left alive…" She then begrudgingly added, "And capable of normal functions."

"I do not care what you do with him," the god answered dismissively. "He is already broken. The more broken he becomes, the easier he is to deal with." He then levelled her with a cold gaze. Then he simply warned, "Mind yourself with the boy."

Astra sighed softly. "Of course. He will likely come out of this… mostly with mere trauma. I cannot help anything else that occurs outside of my grasp."

"If either he or his brother are damaged because of your interference, you will suffer for it." After that, the God said nothing more about it, choosing instead to return his attention to the barriers. As they shattered and collapsed in on themselves, he got ready to leave. He had somewhere else to be. "Prepare yourself." He vanished without further comment.

Grey magic flowed ominously around Astra's hands, her eyes glinting with an eager excitement as she appeared to sit while watching the battle begin. "I have."

~保護者~

3,762 words this time. Hope you all enjoyed, and many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help! Posted (at about 4:10 p.m.) 10-20-19.