Disclaimer: I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this series of discussions… especially for the one who is needed by so many.

~保護者~

"Old Wounds"

~保護者~

Sein was quiet as he followed after Steam, watching the other man curl up by a tree with his hands clutching at his head. A few thoughts ran through his mind at seeing this, primarily that of it being extremely similar to something Kath had done in the past and that Jet may also do. His arms crossed momentarily as he took a few moments to try and decide how to approach before slowly walking in a circle around Steam and walking up, making sure his footfalls would be able to be heard (provided the hedgehog could focus on anything else at the moment). When he approached, he knelt down in front of Steam and spoke softly, "Hey, Steam. What's up?"

The hedgehog gritted his teeth in response, tightening the hold he had on his head. He couldn't force himself to verbally respond in this scenario. Once Sein noticed this, he moved himself over by Steam and sat beside the other cautiously wrapping an arm around the hedgehog's body. Anxiety flooded through him as Steam tensed up immensely and his muscles faintly twitched, but this went away as he watched the other man slowly relax into it. Seems like he needs a bit of support…

Sein decided to take this chance to speak again, pulling the hedgehog in a touch closer. "I know you don't like accepting help, that much is obvious. For your own sake, though… I need you to let me help you. Talk to me about what's bothering you, since it's obviously tearing you apart lately."

"I-" Steam choked momentarily on his own words, unsure of how to begin. He hadn't really spoken of anything personal since he had left his own timeline. Though, Sein was obviously being genuine… and he wanted to help. "I… I feel like a failure."

"Why's that?" Sein dared to ask, tilting his head as he looked over Steam's body. "You've done really well, as far as I've seen. Jet's obviously got a bit of trust in you, since he agreed to join in on your plan. Sonic and Cream definitely care, at least to some degree. Wave was willing to entrust the safety of everyone else to you. Despite her agitation and general level of, well… violence at times, Armaris obviously trusts you. She doesn't seem like the type to simply trust someone straight off the bat. And on the same note, there's Espio. He hasn't killed you. Those two seem to bear no ill will toward you."

Steam's arms slowly fell to his sides after hearing this, much to Sein's delight. "I just… I feel like I should have done better. Espio was attacked and his energies were stirred up. Armaris was corrupted temporarily. Shadow was kidnapped, and so many people died. What if I hadn't done so awfu-"

"Alright," Sein cut in, tightening the one-armed hug he had on Steam. "First off, you did amazingly. You kept fighting even when you were full of holes. You got near-fatally injured not just once, but twice. You protected Espio, you did what you could to help Armaris, you were a major force in driving those demons back, and you made sure to separate yourself out of fear of hurting Armaris and Espio. You did everything you were supposed to do to an extreme."

"I could have done be-"

"Steam. Let yourself have this one victory. You did it all and more. Just because something went wrong, that doesn't mean that you fucked up. For all you know, everything you did may have just been the best choices. Your decisions might have been the things that did keep everyone alive." Sein smiled softly. "You fight too hard for your own good."

Steam sighed softly, resisting the urge to lean on Sein in this moment. The man's aura simply felt so… comforting and inviting. "I've got to." With that said, he pushed himself to stand, eyes closed.

"Fighting so hard all the time… It hurts, doesn't it?" Sein asked, standing up as well. "It hurts to feel like you've got to give it your all."

"Yeah. It really does. I can't lose anyone else, not again."

Sein walked up and patted Steam's back gently. "You're a really good man, Steam. I wish I could meet more people that care as much as you." He chuckled softly, slowly walking past the other man. "Though, a tip from someone who understands, don't beat yourself up over every little thing."

With the not-so-cryptic advice given by the Immortal hawk, Steam managed a smile as Sein teleported away. I wish there were more people like you.

~保護者~

Steam teleported back to the house to get his bearings and make sure everyone was fine before he left. He knew he would have a few minutes to spare due to a glance at his communicator and several educated guesses. The idea of the mission was returning some anxiety to him, but it all felt so much more manageable now that Sein had spoken with him. He knew that Sein was really good at comforting people, but having it happen so suddenly opened his eyes once more to how purely in tune Sein could be with emotions and people.

Suddenly, the hedgehog realized he was standing completely still and looked around quickly, wandering toward the various people in the home to make sure they would be alright. His primary concern still lied in taking care of them. Sonic and Tails were off a short distance away with Shadow in another hut, that much Steam could glean from sensing the other hedgehog and fox's auras. His gaze shifted over to Li, the God of the Forge, and he frowned as he walked over. "Hey, where's Novei?"

The wolf hadn't exactly been paying attention and was startled briefly by the sudden question. "O-oh! She's wandering around at the moment. Never been here, so I guess she's just curious about everything." Li blinked once and then frowned. "You about to leave?"

"...Yeah. Kaden's already on the move, so we have to go as soon as possible," Steam answered, crossing his arms with a short sigh. Alana, who had been leaning against a wall lost in thought, opened her eyes and looked at them. "I'd hoped he wouldn't go that suddenly, but oh well."

Li nodded slowly, understanding that sentiment entirely. "Best of luck on your mission. If you guys end up needing help, don't hesitate to contact. The last thing I want is to lose more friends." He shifted his gaze to Alana. "I know you're not talkative and all, but do you wanna say anything before he goes?"

Alana blinked at Li, then levelled Steam with a flat look. "Do not allow yourself to die, or I shall ensure you regret it."

Li and Steam were taken aback, the wolf quickly cutting in with, "Hey! You're supposed to try and encourage him or give advice!"

Her eyes closed again, almost dismissively. "My advice is to remain alive," she answered coolly. "Nothing more is required."

Steam managed a faint smile. "Not bad advice, but I've gotten enough of 'not dying' from my mother. Enemies have always found it hard to actually kill me for a reason."

The wolf looked between them both rapidly, confused and concerned. The hell is happening here?

At this, the hawk huffed softly. "This is no ordinary foe, young Balancer. Evade his senses. Get in and fulfil your duty as quickly as possible. Do nothing that will draw attention toward yourself or your comrades. Be intelligent and careful, and perhaps you will manage not to be maimed." She shifted her gaze to Li. "Is that advice encouraging enough, now?"

Li deadpanned, unsure of how to respond to something so outrageous yet so correct. He eventually sighed and relented, giving a nod. "Sure, whatever. You win." Ever quiet in light of her victories, Alana simply closed her eyes again and returned to her thoughts.

The hedgehog gave them both a small smile. "Thanks, both of you."

"Anytime, Steam," Li responded with a smile. "If you ever wanna talk, I'm always down. Alana, not as much." She silently huffed, but didn't disagree.

At about that time, Cream walked out of the back room to see what was going on, having sensed Steam's aura and heard their voices. Steam glanced over to the bunny. "Hey, you wanted to talk about something, right?"

Cream looked over the three of them, then returned her attention to Steam. "Yes," she nodded, "provided you have the time."

"I should have enough time," Steam answered, ushering her over. "What did you want to talk about?"

She approached when he beckoned and clasped her hands in front of her comfortably. "I wished to discuss the situation regarding Espio," she admitted, looking down. "That was the topic of serious nature that I had mentioned to you before."

Steam's lighthearted demeanor faded at this before he gave a nod. "Right, what about it in particular?"

Sighing, Cream said, "To start with… I suppose I have been wanting to know just how… far it all went in your timeline. How severe was it? Was it ever controlled? Just… things of that nature."

"The first thing I'll mention is that it definitely got more severe than it is at this time. Everything we've seen so far is really only the beginning of what can happen," Steam explained as he thought of what else to say. "He also did manage to maintain some control of it later on, otherwise he wouldn't have trusted himself to raise his child, Sako."

His answer caused her eyes to light up and she straightened. "Sako?" she repeated. "He exists within your timeline as well?"

Steam blinked a few times. "Wait, is Sako here now?"

"Yes," Cream murmured, faintly smiling. "Armaris only just helped Espio to name him a few minutes ago."

The hedgehog was baffled. He'd missed so much while he was gone. Though, that didn't matter now. He shifted his attention back to responding to Cream. "Are they both doing alright?"

"They appear to be so far," Cream replied. "Sako seems very healthy and Espio is… calmer now than he has been as of late. Although, I believe he is somewhat distressed over Sako's presence." She nearly sighed again, but refrained. "I believe he will come around, but this… was by no means the best time for such an event to take place in his life."

"It's better that it… does happen, even though it's a bad time. As far as I know, it's better that Sako is with him," Steam answered. "He's gonna need a lot of help, though."

Cream nodded her agreement. "I had already assumed he would. I recall how much he struggled with me as a child, and I was not as young. To suddenly saddle him with a baby is… a bit much to ask. It would be for most people."

"He should be able to manage, especially with all of the supportive people around him," Steam said with a faint smile before glancing to his communicator. "Hey, sorry to cut this short, but is there anything else you need to ask?"

"There was one more thing… yes." Cream took a second to gather her thoughts before continuing. "The village elder granted me permission to read what few ancient writings their people have managed to retain up until this era. One tome I discovered heavily detailed their people back when their Darkness ran free. There were two things that it mentioned that I… wished to discuss with you, to know if you had any experience with them at all." Steam motioned gently for her to continue. "Firstly… it mentioned that when an individual's Darkness 'matured' enough, the mark that normally appears on their skin will no longer show anymore, thus no longer easily revealing what clan they are from and so forth."

"It did happen," Steam started, before deciding he should give more information. "When the Darkness does 'mature', it makes it a lot easier to control. It's something that I actually hope will happen."

"It needs to happen?" Cream asked quietly, seeking confirmation.

Steam sighed softly. "Yeah, as weird as it sounds. The thing with energies is that when it first appears, it tends to be a lot more wild and uncontrolled. As you use them and essentially 'mature' them, it makes them a lot easier to control. Darkness, and evil Darkness by proxy, isn't an exception."

She took a long moment to consider what she had been told before forcing herself to continue for the sake of time. "The last thing I wanted to mention was that the book said something about how when an individual's Darkness rises to the point where they can go into a Dark state but the have enough control to not ascend, their eyes will shift into a more metallic version of their normal color. In this instance, amber to gold."

"I don't recall it ever happening," Steam answered honestly. "I didn't even know that was necessarily… a thing that happened." After a few moments of silence, the hedgehog spoke up once more. "Is that all you wanted to ask for now?"

"I suppose it was, yes," Cream said.

Steam gave her a smile. "If you think of anything for when I get back, don't be afraid to ask when you get a chance. I'll answer you as best I can."

"Alright. I will." Cream started to leave, headed for her guardian's room again, but briefly turned back to Steam. "Be safe."

"Of course. Same to you." With this said, the hedgehog hastily teleported away to join Jet. Their mission was about to begin.

~保護者~

Cere landed on New Babylon in a low crouch, her halberd in hand by instinct as she silently looked over the carnage wrought on the area around her. Her eyes narrowed at the sights she saw as she stood and began walking to the palace, which was luckily still standing. The Hexan's attention locked onto where she felt Kath would most likely be. The observatory… I hope it stands yet still. In a single jump, she launched herself to the palace and stepped inside, deciding it best for time to ignore anyone she walked by. Her presence alone would suffice in preventing any unwanted attention. She soon arrived at her destination, stepping up to the open doors of the observatory and walking in without a word toward Azerel and Kath.

The pair were together in the room, silently bickering as they often did. But, in a sense, that was a good thing. These arguments, this interaction... they allowed Kath to vent his emotions in a way he normally couldn't. That is to say, in a manner that wasn't overtly dangerous for himself or other people. It could be argued that Azerel, therefore, started these arguments on purpose... but who could really say. But that soon ceased to matter, at least for the moment. They noticed her presence at roughly the same time and both turned to look at her. Their argument seemed to taper off, meaning it was (as per usual) about nothing important.

"Kath. May I speak with you?" She asked softly, setting her halberd back into the clip that held it on her back. "There are a few matters I wish to address if you have time."

The hawk shot his wolf companion a look, seemingly in response to some silent comment, then nodded once. "I have time," he confirmed simply.

Cere calmly walked closer, crossing her legs as she sat down. "There is something that bothers me greatly, and it may just come to light if certain situations occur. What I speak of is your past, and how little of it everyone around you knows."

At this, Kath tensed up and crossed his arms. "What about it?" he asked, already unhappy with the situation. There was also a very faint note of wariness in his tone, for he suspected he could guess where she might be going with this.

"I worry that someone, especially those within a particular group of our current enemies, may attempt to use such a thing against you," she responded cooly, crossing her arms as well. "How much are your own children aware of?"

"Only the bits and pieces they learned through eavesdropping," Kath admitted, frowning. How he wished it could stay that way…

Cere sighed softly. "The past comes back to haunt all, especially those who regret." Her gaze shifted away from Kath, seeming to focus onto nothing in particular before returning. "If someone takes advantage of it… What will you do, Kath?"

"Nothing until something is required of me," Kath muttered, looking away. He absolutely refused to discuss his past mistakes, much less with them.

"Unreasonable," she accused lightly. "The gravity of such a situation, I am afraid to say, is far greater than that. You are no normal fighter. You were gifted Light by Eona herself. And Kaden has already shown himself to be quite capable of corrupting Light. Being the descendant of Zenith and his direct heir, I would expect no less. You are not immune."

"I will not succumb to such a form of control," Kath practically snapped at her.

Cere's eyes narrowed lightly, a faint agitation rising in her eyes. "What if you are not given a choice? What if instead he kills you because you refuse to be corrupted? What if Nareish herself comes for you? It is not impossible." She calmed herself slowly, taking a breath and relaxing. "I worry that something will happen that you are not given a choice in, that you might be turned into an enemy. Such a thing would tear Sein and Alana apart from their very beings."

"It will not happen," Kath reiterated, more tense than before. He refused to look at her now, having been put on edge by her brief (and, realistically, not ill-intentioned) verbal attack.

"Kath. There are people who care greatly for you. Even something as simple as an attack on you could shake up the three Immortals we have actively with us," she explained softly, her usually neutral face shifting to show a level of her own concern. "You are a strong figure in their lives, whether you wish to be or not."

In a rare moment of sheer, unbending stubbornness, Kath initially refused to accept what she was saying. Telling them will not change anything. Eventually, he ceased clenching his jaw long enough to say, "Discussing my past with them will do nothing but cause further upset. It will not help them."

"Would you wish them to find out the same way Sonic discovered his father as the God of Demons?" she asked. "I respectfully cannot respect your sentiment." He was silent in light of her comment, begrudgingly mulling things over in his head. "If nothing else," she continued, "I do wish you will give it thought. I can certainly speak for Sein, knowing that he will appreciate you sharing such intimate information. I am sure Alana would as well."

He dug his fingers into his arms a little in response to a mixture of emotions, chief of all irritation, and continued to think about all of this in silence for a moment or two more. "...I have no desire to discuss any of it," he finally muttered. It was an admission of sorts, albeit a vague and indirect one, of his shame and regret and everything else he still felt all these years later.

Cere nodded softly, setting a hand down beside him. "I understand, Kath. I don't wish to force you to speak of it. I mostly wanted to express my concerns and fears regarding it, though… I did get a touch heated." He only sort of shrugged in response, unsure of what to say and having never been the best at accepting apologies and the like. "Regardless, do think of whether you will or not. There is another thing I wish to speak with you about, however. Do you feel that Sein will be emotionally able to fight this war?"

Kath released a heavy breath. "I don't know." Another admission, one he normally didn't like to make. But this time it was deeply necessary. "Normally he would be fine to handle conflict, but this one in particular has already proved itself to be… difficult for many."

"He is a strong warrior, as seen from the last battles. The issue that plagues me is the target on Li and Jet, two of the people he is close to or at least wants to be close to," she answered softly. "He is very… righteous with his anger."

"He is not likely to go out of control," Kath told her. "However, in the event it occurs, Alana or I are more than capable of handling it."

Cere nodded slowly. "I just do not wish to see him charge into battle as a result of seeing one of them hurt. While justified, who knows the ramifications of a battle that he so passionately involves himself in?"

"As I said, should something of that nature occur, it will be dealt with."

She gave another slow nod, unsure of what to speak about before something came to mind. "I am aware you are not the best person to go to regarding handling of emotions, but I have a question regarding the student I took under my own wing."

The sound he let out was something akin to a sigh, but he didn't refuse her. He couldn't, not after all the years she had spent aiding him… "Ask, then."

"She is a troubled child. A demonic mother and a father who could not care for her when she was young. It has left its scars, and she is still troubled by it all to this day…" Cere murmured. "When you raised Sein, what did you do when he got immensely upset?"

This earned another shrug. This one was decidedly weaker than before. "When he became too upset to calm himself… it was often too much for me as well," he reluctantly admitted. "Laralei would normally step in at that point." He paused, thought for a second, then added, "...She introduced him to the idea of working his anger and aggression out well away from people and animals, in a place where he could lash out as much as he so desired. I believe he eventually crafted his own minor realm for that purpose."

"I worry for Armaris doing such a thing, as she…" Cere grew troubled by the thoughts that ran through her mind, forcing them away so she could speak once more. "She often berates herself for acting out in any form of anger. Especially when the source can be related to her demonic ancestry."

He let out another huff. "I would expect no less, coming from an individual raised amongst the chameleons. They strive for no less than perfection in all that they do."

Cere softly sighed. "Sadly, yes. Though, there is more to it. Much that I will not divulge for her own privacy. Thank you for your knowledge on the matter. One more thing and I can leave you to argue with your well-aged friend." The wolf immediately gave her a glare, but whatever silent comment he started to make was cut off when Kath nudged him firmly with a boot. The Hexan managed a smirk before continuing, "I also wish to inform you of Jet's current state."

That earned another, deeper frown straight away. "What about him?" he demanded. There was an edge to his tone, if only because he did not like people being vague with him about important matters.

"He is not doing particularly well. Steam informed me and the others that he has taken a serious mental toll from the previous battle. He was also directly attacked in a mental assault by Astra," Cere explained. "There is also the matter of the Void having attached itself to him."

Kath's fingertips dug in a little harder as he said, "I am aware of the attack by Astra. I was there, along with various others. Little can be done about it at this time. As for the Void, I know next to nothing about it, save for what little he was willing to speak about following the aforementioned attack."

"We know next to nothing as well. He speaks little of it at any given point, as far as I am aware," Cere admitted. "I dislike knowing so little, but it cannot be helped as of now. We will all learn as we get the chance to." Knowing that Kath was unlikely to answer her, she posed one last question. "What are your thoughts on the wandering Balancer, Steam?"

Once more, he shrugged. "I know virtually nothing about him," was the vaguely distracted response. "Certainly not enough to form an opinion."

"I suppose I simply do not know how to feel about his arrival. Coming from your own timeline to help another is… almost unheard of. Not impossible, but certainly rare."

"It is not as rare as one might believe," Kath murmured. "Many have at least attempted such feats in the past."

Cere nodded slowly. "Yes, but… someone of a status like his? He is meant to be a force that keeps balance. I would believe it unusual for someone like him to show up here as he did."

After a pause, Kath conceded. "Yes, it is unusual. However, his travelling has evidently not endangered the balance here or elsewhere. I do not care why he came, so long as that remains true."

"Y-..." Cere fell quiet for a moment before giving a sigh. "I suppose you are right. I still wonder if he had another purpose for being here…" The Hexan stood up without waiting for a response. "If so, I am sure we will learn one day. Thank you for your time, Kath." Her gaze shifted over the hawk quietly before she murmured something that she had used in the past in attempts to soothe Kath. She could only hope it would help now as she teleported away to find Finis (who had the unfortunate habit of wandering off) once more. They still needed to go talk to Sein, Alana, and Jet, and she was going to be damn certain that Finis was there.

Upon having literally reached into another realm and collected the God of Night (try though he might to resist), Cere teleported the two of them to Mobius where she knew Armaris and the others were staying at the moment. Her senses easily picked up on Sein's strong aura inside Espio's home and she began walking, still dragging Finis along beside her. The man glared silently at her and told her through thought-speech, "Unhand me."

"No." Cere answered immediately, jumping up into the home. "You should be here with me." She watched as Sein popped into the room immediately, a goofy grin on his face. "I see you are well enough."

"Oh, for sure. Just getting to a point where we can kinda wind down," he answered, giving a wave to Finis. In response, Finis merely blinked. Alana pulled free from her thoughts at the sound of the two voices and looked over.

Cere managed a gentle smile that slowly faded. "Where is Jet?" she asked, a flicker of confusion in her eyes.

"He has departed with Steam for the Demon God's World," Alana answered somewhat curtly. It was clear that she was not happy about having to remain behind. The way Sein rubbed at his arm said the exact same thing.

This wasn't pleasing for Cere to hear, and it showed as she glanced to Finis. "I suppose… Kaden has made his move far sooner than we would have anticipated."

Finis crossed his arms and, making his mental voice able to be heard by all, said, "This should have been anticipated. He does not take kindly to behavior such as hers."

"Maybe, but I was hoping that those two would have a chance to collect themselves properly," Cere muttered. "Jet especially. He's been through a lot in too short of a time."

"There is little to be done. That he needs respite is clear, but it is equally true that he is desperately needed in this war. He cannot do both."

"That doesn't change much of anything. He's practically always needed," she huffed. "The point- Nevermind."

Sein tilted his head and slowly raised his hand toward Cere to gain her attention. "Hey, uh… you okay? Got a bit fiery."

The hexan sighed softly, shaking her head. "I am fine, Sein. I simply care for Jet." Alana glanced at her in understanding silence. Meanwhile, Finis simply crossed his legs and hovered where he had been standing, as he often did.

"I'm glad you care about him like that, Cere," Sein answered with a smile. "It's nice."

She glanced to him, raising an eyebrow before seeming to understand. "Yes. I have done similarly with Armaris. She is like a daughter to me."

"I am not at liberty to explain it myself," she answered softly. "He should be the one to tell you."

This statement made Alana frown. "If he does not wish to speak of it, then why insist that he do so?" she questioned. Father has never taken kindly to such behavior…

"There is such a thing as regrets coming back from the past. I want him to stop concealing those, especially in the case that an enemy decides to use it against him," Cere explained.

Sein frowned. She says it as if she's got a lot of experience with it… He held back a sigh and glanced to Alana, then back to Cere. "Is everything okay?"

Cere shook her head softly. "When I was speaking to Kath earlier, I…" she hesitated for a moment before continuing. Alana's attention was immediately snagged again and her gaze swung back to the other woman. "I appear to have stressed him out. I didn't mean to, but I went a bit too far…"

"Is he okay?" Sein quickly asked, stepping forward. "How bad was it?"

"He is well enough that I do not fear any issues occurring from the stress, but it was something that I wish for one or both of you to help with. I dislike having others clean my mess, but I know you both care for him. That is primarily why I came to you."

Alana's earlier frown deepened. "That does not directly answer the question. How serious was it, Cere?" She tossed a concerned glance at Sein. "If there is a serious issue, I want to be aware of it."

Cere sighed. "It has been too long for me to truly gauge how serious it was. I do believe it was serious, but not dire."

"How serious?" Alana pressed again, growing somewhat annoyed. But even as she demanded more information, she pushed off of the wall she had been leaning against and prepared to immediately leave.

Sein stepped toward the opening of the home. "She decided it was important to tell us. It's serious enough to check."

"Fine. Come with me." Alana's tone brooked no room for argument, and she was gone in a flash. The blue hawk teleported after her with no hesitation.

Cere sighed and momentarily leaned against a wall. "I am not like I once was, Finis…" He looked at her with his usual silence. "Have you noticed a change?" she dared to ask, looking up to Finis. His answer was a slight incline of the head. She sighed once more and began to leave. "I suppose I will need to look into such. I am not ready to step down from my position." With that, she teleported away to handle other matters with Finis in tow.

~保護者~

5,415 words this time. Hope you all enjoyed, and many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all his help and support. Posted (at about 9:50 p.m.) 03-15-20.