Disclaimer: I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this time of tension and uncertainty… especially for the one possessive one.

~保護者~

"Motivations"

~保護者~

Armaris sat atop Espio's home, lazing about in her shadow (or so it would seem). Truthfully, she was mulling over and trying to sort out her feelings about all of the recent events. The killing of her mother, something she was honestly glad about, still bothered her greatly for some reason. Then there was the matter of Espio nearly killing her… The cat didn't want to think about that. It wasn't an Espio thing to do. Yet still… knowing that he was capable of such a thing shook the cat to her core.

The chameleon in question suddenly appeared on a separate section of the roof, eyes scanning the battered remains of the village down below. Everything about his demeanor was tense and agitated, to the point where he almost didn't seem to notice her. Where the hell…

The black cat debated on whether or not to emerge from her shadow momentarily before deciding that it didn't matter. She moved over to Espio and watched him before saying, "You looking for something?"

He seemed unwilling to divulge any information at first, but after a second's pause he muttered, "She is here."

Almost immediately after fully realizing that it was very likely that Armaris knew who he was speaking of, she emerged from her shadow with her blade in hand. I swear… I'll fucking kill her.

Espio said nothing more to her, choosing instead to focus on scanning the surrounding area. After a long moment, he dropped nimbly off of the roof and onto the ground some distance below. Almost the second he did so, he was forced to dodge a knife that was thrown at him in a decidedly half-assed attempt at causing harm. Thoroughly unimpressed, he ripped the knife free and hurled it back with considerably more force. "Enough of your games," he called irritably. "Come out or leave."

Armaris dropped down after him, her hand tightening the hold on her blade angrily. She already wasn't in a good mood and knowing that someone was attacking Espio sure as hell wasn't going to help with it. "The hell are you doing here?" she called out.

A sharp stab to Armaris's side answered that question. The knife was plunged in with enough force to make most people stagger, though Armaris was not one of those people in this moment. Espio whipped around to face the cat's attacker, striking away a second knife as he did so. The expression he was met with was a self-satisfied smirk. "You are no fun," Nyokae accused lightly. "Not today, at any rate."

"The hell are you doing here?" Armaris repeated, a noticeable hiss to her voice as she pulled the knife from her side with little hesitation, flicking it at Nyokae. "Piece of shit."

"Hm, I suppose you could say this is a little welfare check," Nyokae commented in an almost thoughtful manner. Then to Espio she said, "A little birdie happened to inform me that you were, ah… tainted by the Demonic God himself. I merely wanted to make certain that that energy had not taken hold and turned you into one of them." Her smirk grew a small amount. "I am glad to see that it did not."

Whatever concern she may or may not have actually felt was irrelevant, and Espio was too angry to contemplate it just this second anyhow. "Why are you here?" he demanded. There had to be some other reason than what she was saying. There always was.

The fact that Nyokae knew this much only served to further Armaris' anger, her Darkness flaring enough to start emitting a dark fog around her body. "Explain yourself and stop deflecting."

"I have no obligation to explain myself to you, kitten," Nyokae answered oh-so-sweetly. She dramatically waved her hand in front of her face and added, "And, do cease emitting your tainted energies around me. Demons are quite harsh on the senses."

Before things could escalate further, Espio stepped between them, eyes still firmly locked on Nyokae. "Enough," he told her again, tone more firm this time. "Explain yourself or I will make you leave."

"Will you now?" Nyokae laughed. "I do wonder." His eyes narrowed in a glare, earning a second laugh. "Alright, love. I suppose you win, for now." Her so easily giving in immediately increased his suspicion of her motives, but he said nothing yet. Espio stepping in seemed to curb Armaris' aggression, but certainly not her anger. Almost as if in an act of defiance, her Darkness produced far more of the fog than it was earlier as she stood and attempted to keep control of herself. This appeared to be an amusing reaction to Nyokae, but she remained focused on Espio. "You have a terrible habit of not dying when you are supposed to, you know," she murmured, tilting her head. "By all accounts, you should have been killed… but it seemed that our dear friend Kaden expected quite the opposite. What does he know that I do not, hm?"

Espio frowned at her as she very casually put her arms on his shoulders. "Nothing." Personally, he considered it nothing more than luck that he'd come out of that fucking mess in one piece. Yes, it was possible that his newfound regeneration was the cause, but he knew so little about its capabilities right now that he hesitated to make such an assumption. Whether or not she believed him, he didn't know. Regardless, she let the matter drop for the moment.

More fog drifted into their faces, and Nyokae smiled anew. "Poor little thing… still waiting on her happy ending… Was killing your mother not enough to sate your blood lust? You still desire to take my life as well?" Her gaze drifted to Armaris. "No matter. I do not care for your little emotions, kitten. I have no time for your petty grievances with me. You would do well to calm yourself."

"I will fucking kill you," Armaris growled, claws emerging from her paws. "Watch and wait. I'll make sure you die."

"Understand this," Nyokae returned, smirk suddenly dropping to reveal an expression that fully conveyed the malevolence Espio had always sworn she possessed under her facade. "Stand in my way again, and I will slaughter you."

"Stop, both of you!" Espio cut in, temper flaring.

If only because it was Espio, Armaris listened this once. She flashed a faint smirk at Nyokae, having gotten exactly what she wanted out of the other woman. Try me. I'll teach everyone what happens when you underestimate me.

"So this is all you have to offer… You talk big, but then you hide behind others… is that it?" Nyokae smirked faintly. "Or is it that you are too frightened to do anything yourself?"

Espio unexpectedly moved then, taking hold of her arms and forcing them off of his shoulders. "I said enough," he reminded in a deadly quiet tone. "I meant it."

Armaris stayed where she was, the fog now seeming to slow as her anger ebbed. This little victory had lifted her spirits, and she smirked a bit wider. "One day, we'll see. Today isn't that day."

A casual shrug was Nyokae's response to that, and she just as casually put her arms back where they'd been. Though Espio scowled at her, he didn't make any attempt to stop her from doing so. "On another note… I suppose there is another reason why I've come."

"Say it, then," Espio bit out.

She smiled. "I did some digging recently," she revealed, "and I discovered something rather interesting. However, before I reveal that, I do have a question for you. Are you familiar with Zyr?"

"The Garden of Darkness," Armaris muttered, already concerned as to where this may be going. "Where many beings of Darkness emerged when they were born."

Nyokae tossed her a look that was a bit less than happy, but the expression smoothed itself over in a heartbeat. "Indeed." She looked back at Espio. "Our own race was born within the Garden. However, long before the birth of this little world, a rogue band of light-users entered the garden, intent on wiping us out. Some of us escaped, but most did not. Fortunately, your family was among the few capable of surviving long enough to flee. After that, no children were born in or around our homeland for generations." She canted her head, genuinely thoughtful this time. "But then you were born."

"And you're getting at…?" Armaris prodded, as if she was in a hurry. Her expression almost seemed bored, and she didn't care to hide the fact that it was a front. She felt amused for having seen Nyokae even slightly irritated.

This went ignored. Nyokae stayed focused on Espio, speaking to him as though he was the only other person there with her. "Your proximity to the Garden at the time of your birth has everything to do with the depths of power your Darkness is already exhibiting," she told him. "You were born within it, love… You were molded by it from the moment of your birth. It slept within you four eons, awaiting its release. You possess the power now to harness it." She leaned forward quicker than he could dodge when so focused on his thoughts and pecked him on the lips. "I hope you will one day prove that fact to me… and allow me to see your true nature unfold."

Seemingly unable to muster the same anger he had been displaying before, Espio merely ducked out of the loop of her arms took a step back. He understood what she was suggesting to him, what she was once again offering, and heedless of their silent audience he directly said to her, "I will not join you."

Surprisingly, Nyokae didn't seem upset by his refusal. Instead, she seemed pleased still, somehow. "You do not need to," she revealed quietly. "So long as you are no longer against me… that is all I have ever wanted from you."

"Don't try to sway his actions. He has free will for a reason," Armaris stated plainly, crossing her arms.

"Indeed he does. And which path will he choose, hm? I do wonder." When he narrowed his eyes at her, she laughed softly. The sound wasn't joyous or playful or even malicious in any way, as her laughs so often were. This time the sound came across as just… satisfied. "Or perhaps you have already begun to choose? But I suppose I must wait to find out."

Espio conjured up some of his usual demeanor again and demanded, "You should leave."

"Not yet," Nyokae answered pleasantly, still smiling the same smile. "I have one more thing to say. Something I believe the kitty will want to hear as well."

"Then say it and get lost," Armaris said, narrowing her eyes.

"I suggest you calm yourself," Nyokae warned silkily. Espio's eyes narrowed again at the subtle hint of a threat in her tone. "You may have power, but you are too slow to fight me."

"I'd make do," Armaris suggested easily. "Speak."

Still appearing rather pleased with herself for one reason or another, Nyokae for once did as she was told. "Reality is just made up of pain, suffering, and emptiness. I rather enjoy adding to it all… but though he does the same, Kaden is a rather nasty thorn in my leader's side. So in order to undermine him just a bit, I feel I should give you a warning." Her head tilted to the side again, smile growing. "Besides, anything pertaining to you, love, is also my business."

Espio resisted the urge to curse at her for testing his (admittedly weak, as of late) patience and instead simply demanded, "Explain."

"My lady believes that the God of Demons would very much like you on his side as well," Nyokae revealed. "Given his reputation for keeping no company but his own, I believe you should feel honored… but nevertheless, I would hate to see you be tempted into working with his kind." She laughed a little. "Best if you mind yourself around him and his kind. Demons are rather repugnant creatures, after all."

There was a hint of anger that flickered to life in Armaris' eyes, but she didn't act on it. "Watch yourself, or his kind might just be your undoing."

"So hopeful…" Nyokae turned to Armaris. "Where do you lot go when you run out of hope, hm? Do you simply crawl back into whatever little holes you emerged from?"

"I need not hope," Armaris uttered coldly, her time with Cere showing in her words. "I work for what can be achieved, and I don't need to cling to such a feeble feeling."

Nyokae tutted softly at her, but spoke to Espio. "A pity you did not kill her when you had the chance. Hesitation is so unbecoming of you, love. And for you to hesitate over the matter of merely ending a life…" She shook her head. "Killing is one of those things that gets easier the more you do it… is that not right? I believe you of all people would know this. After all…" She turned her head to look at him again. "I believe you have been taking lives far longer than even I have."

Bothered to no end for some inexplicable reason by her words and determined to ignore the ring of truth contained within them, Espio responded with a simple muttered, "Shut up."

"You've said your piece. You should leave," Armaris said, narrowing her eyes into a glare.

"I believe I have one last piece to say to you, actually." Nyokae turned back around to face Armaris, her smile once again vanishing. "In this world, whenever there is light, there are also shadows. As long as the concept of winners exist, there must also be losers. The selfish desire of wanting to maintain peace causes wars, and hatred is born to protect love. It is a never ending cycle… and you and your friends are fools for thinking that you can change that."

Armaris managed a small smile, holding off the urge to chuckle. "You have such a one-sided view of the matter. There are things much higher than ourselves, and your lot wishes to contend with such a thing. Before you accuse one of being a fool, assess yourself to assure that you are not the one being fooled."

"You think they are the ultimate power, yes…?" Nyokae questioned silkily. "And yet, what is one ultimate power to do when forced to contend with itself? If one True Immortal turns against another… who is to say that any will survive?"

"You still wish to contend with something that is far beyond your capability. What I said still stands. Assess yourself, and whomever you work with."

"Oh, I will not be the one toying with such forces. No… your friend will be doing that entirely on his own." Nyokae smiled anew. "We are merely paving the way for him… nothing more."

Espio was suddenly reminded of a past conversation they had had where she had given him a very similar warning. But he knew that, like back then, she would not reveal the identity of this apparent threat to them. Granted there were only three potential people it could be, but even so… Well, two, given that she revealed the person was male. But that still wasn't enough. They needed more information. Information he knew better than to waste time trying to drag out of her. "It is time for you to leave," he told her instead.

This time, she didn't disagree. "Perhaps. But do think on what I said, will you? I believe my words earlier were rather… important."

More irritation bubbled forth, and he gritted his teeth. "I will not change for you."

"No?" Nyokae turned and mercifully began walking away. "Then perhaps do so for yourself, hm? What is it that you truly want? I suppose you will have to make that choice for yourself… and sooner than you may like." Before he could respond, she vanished.

Armaris growled faintly, her Darkness once again emitting a dark fog around her body as agitation flooded back out. "She's dangerous, Espio."

"No shit," he muttered, his usually formal manner of speaking falling by the wayside in light of his sudden anger. "I know that."

The cat's own anger seemed to stem when confronted with Espio's, her eyes turning away from the chameleon. "I can't tell you what to do, but please don't do anything to side with her."

"I already said I won't," Espio retorted a touch harshly.

"I trust that, but I felt like I needed to say it. What she's saying they want to do is something that threatens all of existence as we know it."

The words were out before he could give them any thought, a testament to the way his emotions were taking hold of him just now. Being around Nyokae always riled him up, and he hated that just about as much as he hated her. "I don't care."

Armaris couldn't bring herself to believe what he'd said, instead turning to the house and sighing. "Can we talk for a bit, Espio?"

In an effort to stifle the urge to turn on his heel and walk away (or, worse, stab something with whatever blade he happened to grab first), Espio crossed his arms relented - for the moment. "...Fine."

Armaris teleported back on top of the house, Espio following suit seconds later. She turned to him and frowned softly. "Back when you almost attacked me, why did you hesitate so much?"

Some of the rougher edges of his anger actually simmered away and he took a seat. It was a long moment before he moodily admitted, "I don't know."

"I appreciated it, nonetheless. It made me feel like you still cared about me, even when something was directly influencing you," she murmured softly, laying down on her stomach. "I just don't want to be separated from you again, really."

Something in Espio's gaze became distant, as though some memory had taken hold of him. "...War always separates people, Armaris," he told her quietly. "There is no avoiding that."

"I can't handle more separation. I've lost so many people," Armaris sighed. "People I thought I was close to, people that I actually was close to, and so many more."

"That is the nature of war," he reminded her, voice still soft for the moment as he continued to relive something in his mind. "It cannot be changed."

"Do you worry about anything, Espio?" she suddenly asked, turning over to face him.

In short, the answer was a resounding no. So he told her such. "I don't."

"Shinobi thing, or mostly just by nature?" Armaris questioned further. He answered with a vague shrug. "Fair enough. Sometimes I wonder if I can even still become a shinobi, or if I've just… been away for so long that I'll never manage it."

"That is not something that can be decided for you," Espio suddenly told her. "It is solely a matter of your own discipline. If you do not believe that you are capable, then you are not. It is your choice."

Armaris shrugged. "I'll handle that when there's actually time to even think about devoting to it." She turned back over, laying on her stomach once more. "So… what about you? Anything in particular on your mind?" He didn't answer that, pursing his lips together subtly and in silence. "...Have you decided how you feel about Sako?"

Unlike earlier with Kial, Espio suddenly didn't feel comfortable admitting the truth. That is, that he still wanted nothing to do with this baby, and struggled to feel anything more than anger and the occasional bought of instinctual protectiveness toward him. No, those things were better left unsaid now. It was bad enough that he had said anything once already. I will not make that mistake again.

"Well… I can't really say how you'd feel. Or should." There was a brief silence before she started again. "So… how long have you known Kial, again?" she asked.

His posture remained tense, but he answered her without hesitation this time. "Since childhood."

"After you left home, I assume?"

"Yes."

Armaris nodded slowly, already understanding that what she was doing would likely be rather predictable. "So, why do you let Nyokae be around you like that if all she's gonna do is bother and upset you?"

If only it were so simple. But regarding her, nothing ever was. "Simple" had never been an apt description of her in any capacity. That, however, was irrelevant. What was relevant was her question, and how much he did not want to answer it. If only he could trust that she wouldn't just pester him about it another time… "...It should be obvious," he eventually muttered quite unhappily. "Everyone else seems to have figured it out."

"I just wanted to hear it from you. Your words mean more than assumptions," she explained. "What do you feel around her?"

How was he supposed to answer that when he barely understood any of it to begin with? God he wished she'd just drop this… "I don't… know," he eventually admitted. Everything around her was such a complicated mess. Trying to put any of it into words just seemed like a fool's errand. Not to mention a waste of time.

Armaris seemed to respect this, simply nodding. "Things get really complicated when you like someone, much less love them. In your situation, I can certainly see it being something… awful to comprehend. How do you feel about so many people being in and around your house?"

That was a question he didn't hesitate to answer. With them having grown up together, he didn't doubt that she knew what his response would be, anyway. "I don't like it."

She shrugged. "Neither do I. You've seen how irritable I am, surely." He acknowledged that with the barest of nods. "I especially don't like Rose being around, no matter how nice she is. Beings of Light bother me." Espio had recently begun to discover his own distaste for the energy and those who utilized it, but that was honestly something he didn't care to comment on just now. So he didn't. "Anyway… how do you feel? Physically, emotionally, whatever you're comfortable telling me."

Physically he was fine, there was no denying that. Given that he actually had the use of both his arms (at least one good thing had come out of this), he was probably even better than fine. But emotionally? That was a whole other set of problems that he was learning he was not equipped to handle. Really, he supposed he never had been. This entire situation was highlighting that in quite exquisite detail, much to his never-ending chagrin. Admitting to any of that just didn't sound ideal to him. "...Fine."

"Are you sure?" He hesitated again and didn't answer, then cursed himself internally for doing so. Nyokae had been right, after all. It was unbecoming of a shinobi, much less one of their stature. But Armaris didn't seem to mind. "I won't pry, then. If you ever want to talk about anything, let me know. I'll do my best to listen." Knowing she wasn't likely to get much of a response, the cat sunk down into her shadow to relax. "I'll leave you alone now." That came as a huge relief and, desperately needing some space, Espio took full advantage of the conversation's end by jumping into one of the few remaining higher branches up above. Perhaps he could finally have a chance to sort through his own thoughts in fucking peace.

~保護者~

Sein stood with his head outside the nearest window, idly staring up at the sky. His gaze wandered throughout what was visible through the ash. Some part of him wished it was nighttime, if only so he could stargaze for a time. It wasn't likely that he would have the chance to do it again anytime soon, though he wanted to. This was a different part of their known universe, after all. New galaxies could be visible, new constellations, new stars... He felt a faint burst of excitement within himself at the thought, only to contain it so he wouldn't be lost within all of the possibilities.

In the quiet of the moment, Alana approached and laid a hand on his arm. "The medics have left," she murmured. "Father is injured, but not so much so that they felt the need to keep a watch on him."

"I figured as much… Otherwise they would have mentioned something." He didn't pull his head back in just yet, his attention lingering on the sky. "It's good to hear, though."

Alana nodded faintly, then said, "The situation with the demon and Calypso… seems to have been enough of a distraction to calm him down." She turned to face her husband more fully. "Regardless, should we wait to question him about his interaction with Cere?"

Sein nodded. "I don't think now is a good time. I hate to say it, since it's kind of just leaving a problem lingering for something else to dreg up, but…" The hawk sighed. "I… think we've got too much else to focus on."

She sighed, but didn't disagree. "I only wish that Cere had told us herself what was going on."

"It was probably… rough on her. She's changed a lot over the years since we met her, that much is certain. Her aura has so much… pain." Sein pulled himself inside and leaned against the wall. "She's beating on herself so much while trying to do everything she's doing already."

With another, softer sigh, Alana turned around and leaned back as well. "I understand that. But I do not agree with keeping others in the dark. It is dangerous."

"I don't agree with it either, but maybe it's for the best, for now? It could've had some serious emotional recoil either way, so…" Sein closed his eyes and sighed. "Not that it makes anything better to think about that."

Alana was quiet for a time before speaking again. "We should return to Mobius soon." Her eyes drifted across the room and some concern filled them. "But I do not like the idea of leaving Father here alone. Not when he is… not coping well."

"I could make a clone to do that, but…" Sein tapped on the wall behind him a few times. "It might be too much energy at the moment."

"If the demon Father saw is as strong as we fear, you will need all of your strength, just the same as everyone else," Alana answered. "Creating a clone costs too much as it is, much less maintaining one."

He nodded. "I wish it wasn't."

She looked at him again. "What do we do, Sein? He will likely object to coming with us right now."

"We can still try to ask. If nothing else, the chance to be around Jet could help, from what I've seen. Though… there's a lot of unfamiliar people there and it may make things worse regardless."

That made Alana perk up. "After Astra attacked us all here, Jet had asked Kath to return to visit with him more at a later time. There was no explicit promise made, but coming from Father… his mere agreement may as well be the same thing. And the two have not really seen each other since then."

Sein managed a faint smile. "That… might just be our best bet to help everyone, then. Should we try for it?"

"Based on our son's reaction to him, it seems as though he was once very close with the version of Father that lived in this reality," Alana murmured. "Perhaps it would benefit them both to have some time together again."

"Should we do it, then? It might be the only chance we have to get him to come with us."

"I will speak with him, then. Unless you wish to help." Without waiting for an answer, Alana walked over to Kath, who was still sitting on one of the couches with Azerel. He was idly petting the wolf still and appeared fairly lost in thought, but he snapped out of them so abruptly that it almost startled Alana. He turned toward the door to the room, then got up to walk over to it. The door swung open before he could take more than a couple of steps. A tendril of very dark purple and black magic slipped away into nothingness, fed to the unnatural blackness that filled the hall beyond. Kath appeared to recognize this strange and foreign energy and was not alarmed, keeping Alana calm long enough to determine that she, too, knew it. She had not sensed this since childhood, but nevertheless a name popped into her mind. Calypso.

Sein didn't do much, surprisingly, instead choosing to watch from where he was standing at the moment. He too was able to acknowledge who this was pretty quickly, and managed a smile. This should help him a bit as well.

The blackness rapidly faded after a few seconds, leaving the woman herself standing in front of the open door with Li and Novei behind her. Having successfully transported the pair of them with her through the depths of space, she left them to their own devices and strode into the room. Her eyes immediately fell upon Kath and she broke out into a smile. It wasn't creepy, wasn't scheming, nothing at all like that. This smile was genuine and even somewhat warm. "It true, den, eh? You are back to life now. 'Tis good to see you, you old fool."

He crossed his arms and huffed. "'Old'? Hardly."

She laughed a bit at him, then went so far as to give him a quick hug. This left him speechless long enough for her to turn her attention to Sein and Alana. "You two grow a lot. You were dis small last I see you, no?" she asked, gesturing with a hand.

Sein flashed a smirk at Calypso. "Maybe so. What about it?"

Calypso shook her head… perhaps even with a note of fondness. "You two were so young. It seem like not so many years ago. But perhaps for you it be different."

Alana managed a smile. "It is," she agreed. "We can't all live for a quarter of an eternity." Her mild attempt at humor earned a second laugh. She turned her gaze on Li and Novei. "You two can come in, you know."

Novei walked in with Li carried on her shoulder, the man looking somewhat defeated and simply allowing her to carry him. "You're all welcome. Her moon is a pain in the ass."

"Only when you stay out wit' da spiders," Calypso dismissed with a wave of her hand. "They eat you, it your fault. You know better. You been there enough time with my sister."

"Shut the fuck up. You choose to live with those things," Novei huffed, dropping Li unceremoniously.

"It safer than living wit' the rest of our kind," Calypso retorted pointedly. "How you think I keep your mother alive when we were young, eh? We stay on the moon and we stay away from the power-hungry bastards down t'ere on our world."

Kath seemed to have enough of their bickering despite it having only just begun. "Enough, both of you."

Novei shrugged. "Fine."

Calypso shifted her focus back to Kath. "I keep my promise, and I come here. The World Eater be comin' as well. You expect my help?"

Setting aside all of his usual attitude for the moment, Kath tactfully corrected, "I ask for it, Calypso. You know as well as I that it will not be taken down easily."

She tilted her head. "No, it will not."

When she didn't say anything more, he pressed the issue. "Have you made your choice, then?"

Another moment of silence, then she leveled him with a firm look. "I already come here. Wastin' time is not somet'ing that I enjoy. Why I come here if I not agree to help, eh?"

"Good, 'cause I'd be pissed if you didn't," Novei huffed, arms crossing. Something in Li's eyes seemed to brighten for just a moment at her words before he finally pushed himself to stand.

"Which planet is this… 'World Eater' heading toward first?" Alana asked.

"Mobius," Kath answered shortly.

Calypso shook her head. "T'at man… he think he can wipe away his memories and the goodness wit'in him if he destroy the place where both were born… Perhaps he could, but it could never be so simple. He will find it take a lot more t'an t'at to accomplish such a t'ing."

"It's likely a step toward it," Sein responded. "That's all I could think of."

Alana stifled the urge to sigh (she'd found herself doing that a lot lately) and instead just said, "I suppose we are all heading back to Mobius, then." As predicted, her father looked ready to object, but she headed him off by saying, "I know it hasn't arrived yet, Father, but I do not wish to leave you here alone. And, more importantly, you have a promise to keep."

That shut him up. Recognizing the truth in her words, he settled down again and muttered a simple, "Fine."

Li looked around the room. By this point, he was a bit lost as to what was happening. "Should we get going, then?"

Sein pushed himself off the wall with a faint smile. "Let's do it, then. We got some preparation to do."

~保護者~

Astra had set herself up a sort of base of operations for the time being where she practiced and created new spells. Already the building was tainted with the intense amount of Black Magic she used so avidly, not that she cared. It made her feel at home, considering her old home was absolutely corrupted like she was. Her gaze eventually fell onto the number of shinobi she had resurrected and she blankly stared at them for some time. She couldn't quite place what she felt about them being present, despite being under her control. Nonetheless, the woman stood and walked over to inspect each of them carefully. An attack on Rose would likely end up destroying a fair few of them. She's resourceful and has an iron will.

Her magic flowed throughout the area surrounding her and over the various chameleons to more fully assess their abilities. If nothing else, she needed to be able to make proper use of each one in any fight. Astra's attention snapped away from her examinations to focus on a new spell she was idly preparing, hands slowly and meticulously arranging the pieces of the magic circle. This should be something that will keep the insufferable bird off of me, should she arrive. I suppose I need to also prepare for fire capabilities, if I am to be involved in a fight with that Balancer. Her thoughts briefly shifted into ramblings before she seemed to remember that she had 'company'.

Calculating strikes, high strength, weapon mastery of the katana in particular, though only a specific make… Burdensome and annoying. Make it with magic. Melee? That should handle the hedgehog for some time if I need to distract him. She scratched at her neck, despite the fact that it tore into her skin enough to cause a trickle of blood. When she pulled away her hand, she was forced to realize that her white fur was now stained red. Not that it matters. I should have plenty of that soon enough.

After some time had passed, and some procession of mental change was enacted, her attention fell on the two specific chameleons that Kaden had oh so nicely told her to focus on. Fucking hell. Guess I'll do it. Her magic flowed over the both of them briefly before her eyes widened, standing up much straighter than before. "This is…" The revelation was shocking enough. Shei and Aniko. Born of two different clans, the strong ones at that. Child is Espio and they raised that Armaris girl? Amazingly skilled shinobi, Aniko more specifically in strength and Shei in speed. Both very powerful ninja regardless. That explains the interest, but… What was he wanting to do?

She found her attention drifting over to her spell that was growing unstable, only to idly wave a hand at it and correct the issues in that manner. These two ninja… they were interesting. He wanted something with them, but I don't know what. A voice in her mind briefly reminded her of what was supposed to happen, and she nodded. "Send the parents after the kid. Cool." With an idle wave of her free hand, she sent them off to go through with the plan. I'll have to ask for help to kill Rose quickly. She and that Balancer are gonna be problematic if they live too much longer.

~保護者~

6,327 words this time. Many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help and support! A quick note: the quote I'll be posting after this disclaimer was not of my own creation, but instead one I saw on Google Images. It's supposedly from Naruto or Naruto Shippuden, but as I've never actually managed to finish that show and haven't watched it in some time, I can't verify that. Nevertheless, here's the quote I'm referring to.

"In this world, whenever there is light, there are also shadows. As long as the concept of winners exist, there must also be losers. The selfish desire of wanting to maintain peace causes wars, and hatred is born to protect love. It is a never ending cycle… and you and your friends are fools for thinking that you can change that."

Anyway, hope you all enjoyed! Posted (at about 9:55 p.m.) 03-28-20.