Disclaimer: I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this conflict… especially for the protective one.

~保護者~

"Taint"

~保護者~

Calypso finally roused from her deep slumber to find herself laying in the grass beside a stream. She had no idea how much time had passed since she had healed Mobius, nor did she immediately recall why she had collapsed. Yes, doing what she had done could never have done anything but drain and exhaust her, but surely it shouldn't have done…

Ah. That was it. She remembered now. She had chosen to heal New Babylon as well, for one reason or another. Perhaps she had pushed herself too far, but knowing the destruction of the home he had so painstakingly built up hurt him so deeply… she couldn't have beared the thought for long. So she had acted without proper consideration of the consequences, thus causing her to wind up here like this. That was… unfortunate. At least nothing had tried to eat her yet, surprisingly.

Pushing herself up into a sitting position, she spied a potential reason for this to be true. Puzzled more than she cared to admit, she quietly addressed her niece. "Why you here? You no have be here. Return your friend. He be wonderin' where you are by now."

"I wasn't leaving you. You were asleep," Novei answered, crossing her arms. "And I remember a certain someone being a dumbass and forcing themselves to sleep by doing too much."

"You no care before, why you care now, eh?" Calypso asked her, pushing off the grass to stand.

Novei huffed, lightly shoving Calypso. "Who said I didn't?"

"You actions say much," Calypso responded with a huff of her own. She batted Novei's hands away, fighting to maintain her balance. Exhaustion darkened the edges of her vision, but she remained on her feet.

"Bring your ass over here," Novei demanded, glaring. "You're not going anywhere like that."

"I going back," Calypso countered. She started to walk as best as she could.

Novei immediately grabbed Calypso by the waist and hoisted the far older woman over her shoulder. "You are not going anywhere. I'm going, and taking you."

"You put me down!" Calypso demanded, already trying to wrestle free. She hadn't squabbled like this since she and her sister had been children, for god's sake!

"What are you gonna do, fight me? If I win, I'll hold it over you forever," Novei answered, tightening her hold and beginning to walk. "I'll kick your ass and drag you by the feet if you make me do more than carry you."

"You wait until I have my magic back, girl," Calypso threatened. "You regret this."

Novei rolled her eyes. "You could act like you care that I'm helping, or you can let me throw you back. Very sure I could get the angle right to put you back at that house."

"You… ...what the word… an ass," Calypso accused.

"Takes one to know one, fuckwit," Novei responded in kind, smirking. "You'll never win the insult war either." Calypso hurled several Therian insults at her, crossed her arms tightly, and finally fell silent. "You know, with all that energy you just used, maybe you actually could have walked back on your own, granny."

"I not your grandmother," Calypso hissed. "You show respect where it be due, girl!"

"Says the woman who's being carried," Novei remarked. "I have the power in this situation. I could very easily hit you on random objects for hardness testing." Calypso sort of hissed at her under her breath in irritation, but made no further comments. "What did you think of Li?" Novei suddenly asked, glancing to her aunt quietly.

"You wolf friend? He too nervous. Need more confidence." Calypso was quiet for a moment before adding, "He seem smart, t'ough, I suppose."

Novei almost smiled at that. "So you approve of him, eh?"

"I not say that."

"'You actions say much'," Novei quoted simply, raising an eyebrow. "You bothered to issue a half-assed compliment." Calypso tossed her niece a glare. "What? You don't like being the one with no power, do you?"

"You shut up now," Calypso muttered.

Novei shrugged. For some reason, the fact that Calypso had said anything nice about Li made her feel… right. Good, even, if that's what she felt. The Therian would've contemplated more had it not been for the fact that she simply felt like being quiet and enjoying what was around her. Also, the fact that she got to carry Calypso around. That was a nice added touch.

~保護者~

Why must it be injections?

Gritting his teeth, Shadow pointedly averted his gaze as Sonic carefully dosed him up on more medicine. His vision blurred and ears rang for a second, but just like that even more of the haze and pain of withdrawals faded into the background. Though he had only been injected a couple of times, to say that he felt substantially better was an understatement. No longer was he incoherent and bordering on delirium, no longer was he off-balance and emotional, no longer was he exhausted but unable to sleep, jittery and fidgety, shivering and shaking, slurring his words and scrambling to understand incessantly racing thoughts… Some shakiness remained, and of course the cravings did as well, but it was mild enough now to be so much more manageable.

This was the relief he had been so desperate for. Not the short-lived reprieve more drugs would have afforded him, but this. True and proper help for the problem, not merely something that would exacerbate it. That he even considered seeking out more Zero earlier was something he couldn't, wouldn't forgive himself for. Or admit to. Much less to Sonic. He wasn't exactly keen on discussing any of this with Sonic, really. His brother, however, apparently had something to say. "Tails showed me how to do this earlier after Jet showed him. I've never injected anyone with anything, though, so sorry if it hurt."

Admittedly, Shadow wasn't in the best of moods right now. Being as tired and yet sleep-deprived as he had been and still was (coupled with everything else he had been dealing with) left him a touch moodier than he really cared to think about. Still, none of that was Sonic's fault. Biting his head off over nothing wouldn't do. "It didn't," he assured simply. Belatedly, it occurred to him to wonder why Sonic was even handling the needle to begin with. Wasn't he afraid of them?

Emerald eyes studied him for a long moment. Just long enough for Shadow to consider the idea that maybe Sonic was somehow fucking broken in some form or another. Then Sonic managed to catch him off guard. "You've gotta be sick of this room by now," he sighed. "I know it hasn't been that long, but with everything you were dealing with… it must feel like you've been in here for years."

It did. That Sonic knew that was surprising. But, then, maybe it wasn't. He was always teased for being blind to the obvious, and yet… it is not for nothing that he was once the most capable leader amongst us.

"I'm betting you want some fresh air, huh?" Shadow's gaze swung around to him. Sonic managed a tired smile. "I won't object to you going on the roof or whatever. My only request is that you stay close, okay?"

That wasn't an unreasonable request. Not by any means. Shadow certainly wouldn't object to having some leeway, being allowed to give himself some space and some quiet outside of this damned room. As such, he had no argument to give. He moved to stand. "Fine."

Looking pleased, because of course he was, Sonic also stood. "Tails and I both have our communicators on. Message or call if you need anything, okay?"

Shadow said nothing more to him. He jumped out the window, the same fucking window he had been agonizing over a veritable eternity ago, and flipped himself up onto the roof. From there, he jumped into the nearest tree branch and settled onto it, savoring the coolness of the night breeze. The weather had been unusually pleasant for this area (despite it being so prone to extreme storms, winds, rain, lightning, snow, and god-only-knew whatever else) as of late, and it seemed that pattern intended to continue for the time being. All the more reason to come outside now, while the skies were still clear.

The tree branch shook lightly as Tyria climbed onto it, releasing her camouflage and glancing to him curiously. "Who are you?"

Crimson eyes turned to her and stared in silence for a long moment before Shadow looked away. "...I should be asking you that," he grumbled, "considering you are the one who initiated this."

"I ask names of all I meet, is that not customary of your kind as well?"

Another long silence ensued, but eventually Shadow sighed. "It is rude to ask another's name without first giving your own."

"Oh. Tyria." The chameleon's head turned faintly, regarding him curiously as she waited for him to speak once more.

Once again, Shadow was unhappily silent for a time before responding. "...Shadow."

"What is wrong with you?" Tyria thought for a moment then corrected herself. "Currently."

That question rankled, and his once somewhat irritable mood turned properly sour. "Nothing," he told her.

"You seem upset. Did I cause it?" This time, he opted not to answer her. Curiosity overwhelmed her and she moved a bit closer, only by a few inches or so. "It persists. You have had it for a few days?"

"Had what?" he demanded. Did she think he had an illness or some shit?

Tyria's eyebrows furrowed. She had definitely said something wrong, but what was it? In the end, she decided to somewhat start all over. "You have been upset. Something plagues you," she explained, trying to figure out what she needed to say to him to not garner further anger.

Though his anger didn't fade away, it didn't immediately decrease, either. "It is none of your concern," he muttered.

"I do not like to know others are upset," Tyria murmured softly.

"You cannot expect to always see others happy," Shadow countered. However, he made an effort to simmer down upon hearing her words. It wasn't her fault he'd been feeling like hell lately. And apparently still did more so than he had first believed.

"Happiness is subjective. I prefer to see others in a state of… 'being okay'. Not deeply bothered by things," Tyria tried to explain, her mind going to work as she tried to stop stunting her sentences so harshly.

"My point stands either way," was the short response.

Tyria raised an eyebrow. "Then what of yourself?"

Shadow closed his eyes with a frown that bordered on a small scowl. "Speak plainly if you expect answers."

"Ah-" Tyria nodded. "What do you feel now?"

"That does not matter."

"Why?"

At this, Shadow did scowl. Not this again. It is bad enough Espio does it. "It does not matter to you. You have no reason to know or care."

"Reason need not exist, but I understand." Tyria settled down and looked around. "Hyale is… different."

"Explain," Shadow muttered.

"The air feels different. Not colder or warmer… but there is something not the same as what is in my village. The area also feels… unusual. That may be due to the outsiders being present, however," Tyria explained. Shadow huffed but said nothing more at the moment. He had no comments to make that weren't scathing and so thought it best to keep his mouth shut. "What is your home like?" She dared to ask.

"It does not matter," Shadow told her. Why ask such useless information?

Her gaze fell on him and she seemed to understand what he was thinking, perhaps because of his responses to the other questions. "What can you do? You would not be here if you were not capable."

"If you are asking about powers, I have none of relevance," Shadow told her bluntly. At least, when speaking of offensive capabilities, he had none that could be of use here. Darkfire was all he had, and it was useless to him.

"You do not? How do you fight?"

"Weapons. How else?"

"What kind of weapons? Swords? Knives? No… you are no blademaster. What do you use?"

Shadow smothered a sigh. More useless questions… "Guns."

"What is a gun?" Tyria asked. "We do not use anything by that name in my village."

"It exists outside of your lands. And if you do not intend to leave said lands, then it does not and will never matter to you."

Tyria blinked once. "I intend to some day. I simply wished to undergo more training." Shadow closed his eyes again and didn't answer her. "Do you have a gun on you?"

"And if I do?" he muttered.

"I simply want to see it. New weapons intrigue me."

"You do not need to."

"Why?"

"Because you don't."

Tyria huffed at this. "I am a shapeshifter," she randomly decided to explain. If this couldn't gain some level of a response she was looking for, the chameleon might just leave.

While that was interesting on some level, Shadow didn't care enough to ask. Not right now. He just wanted to be left alone for a goddamn while. Why was that so much to ask? Can no one ever leave me in peace?

After a few moments of silence, she sighed. "I will leave you. If you wish to talk another time, I would not oppose." Her body transformed into some sort of small bird and she flew back into the house quietly.

~保護者~

Astra landed on Mobius silently, hiding her presence from anyone that might come to interrupt her. Behind her was an obviously ancient home still standing only from the power of similarly ancient magic. She turned, walked up to the door, and forced it open to step inside. It was just as she remembered it, if only because her parents had been the type to never change. Briefly, the cat thought about this before walking down the hallway to the right. Her sister's room… it was exactly the same. The telltale signs of Rose having woken up and deciding to leave home were obvious in the small mess of various items left behind. That had been so… long ago.

Her own room was pristine. My parents never entered my room again. Respect or downright shame, though I suppose neither is impossible. The cat's hand raised slowly and the entire room suddenly collapsed in on itself, followed by the rest of the house. It then exploded all around her and the debris was sent flying in all directions. Some distance away, hidden underneath the home, was what she'd been looking for.

The cat swiftly removed the near-arcane bindings left by several magics and opened the ancient safe. She dropped inside and glanced around. Books, artifacts, and several other items were carefully stored and preserved within their own magic bubbles. Astra rolled her eyes and snapped her fingers, shattering each of these and began collecting them with her magic. They left many books regarding magic. Not to mention some artifacts that may prove useful in my research.

Astra's attention was successfully snagged by an unusual sight. She knew her parents to drink wine on occasion, but to have gone so far as to store a bottle within this magic safe? The fuck were they thinking? She soon decided it didn't matter and finished collecting the minor items before walking up and snatching the wine bottle. The cork popped out and she set about drinking from it as she walked to her real goal. A book similar to the one she had taken when she was young. Using her free hand, the cat carefully removed the seals around it and picked it up.

Why is my vision swimming so much? I swear I haven't drunk much of this… Astra shook her head and left back outside, sitting down for a moment. It didn't take long for her to deduce that it was some sort of effect the safe had within itself, to disorient intruders. A spell later and she felt fine once more, standing up and resuming drinking the wine she had collected. Not like they can use it.

The cat was there for some time, having finished off the wine already and laid on the grass when she sensed something coming. Astra managed to teleport out of the way as a sword came down where her head had been mere moments before, landing on her feet with a sway. Trokkelar army…? Ah, fuck. She is coming after me, then. She tossed the bottle in the air and shattered it with her magic, sending the shards at her advancing enemies with alarming speeds. There was some satisfaction on her face at the sounds of bodies hitting the floor, but she knew it was only because she infused them with magic before doing anything. Her vision was blurred too much to see the oncoming attacks that she knew were approaching, and as such simply threw up a barrier to take the brunt of each blow.

"You'll have to fuckin'... try harder…" Astra slurred, stumbling into a side-step to avoid a hammer that shook the ground when it hit. She raised a hand and threads flew out all around her from her fingers, finding purchase on something and slicing it apart to swing it around her. The cat frowned when it obviously wasn't one of the enemies, but ultimately found that whatever she was battering these soldiers with was effectively slowing them down.

Her senses were too dulled to sense the enemy behind her, and she hardly noticed when metal shrieked against metal as she idly threw out needles and waves of magic to further wound or kill off whatever came at her. She certainly couldn't see the increasing number of enemies, and was quickly shocked out of her drunken state when an explosion of Light sent the enemies flying away with more severe wounds than anything she had done. The cat whirled around to see her sister standing there with her sword drawn and stance stoic. "What the fuck are you doing?"

"You would have died, Eila. I could not let you," Rose murmured gently.

Astra grabbed her by the neck, to which Rose only responded by holding a hand over the corrupted cat's shoulder and firing a beam of Light that wiped the soldiers out. "I don't want your help."

"But you got it," Rose countered, gently removing the hand gripping her neck. "I couldn't let them harm you."

"You had no trouble hurting me in that battle." Astra crossed her arms, glaring at Rose.

"Yes, but because I was forced. You would not stop, so I had to try and do something to prevent you from continuing further."

Astra huffed and turned away, growling. "Get out of here before I kill you."

"Eil-"

"Don't call me that. Astra or Petry. And I would much prefer you use the latter."

"...Petry… please keep my sister safe. I could not live knowing she died."

Astra only scoffed at this and began walking away while Rose did the same. Rose knew that even in her current state, as strong as she was, she couldn't beat her sister. Not alone. As such, she left to fight another day.

~保護者~

"Okay, so I've gotta know," Silver started, his attention on Cyril some time after Armaris and Espio had parted ways, "what in the world kind of magic was that, dude?"

Cyril shrugged softly. "It has no real name. As far as I'm aware, I'm the only one to ever have it. So, I simply dubbed it 'Card Magic'. Very, very original, and certainly quite unique!"

Unable to contain himself, Silver laughed. "That's officially the best name ever."

"It's what I do, my friend," Cyril said with a wink. "You seem to love the theatrics. Do you have a background in it?"

"Not at all," Silver grinned. "I just love to laugh and smile. It's even better when other people do it, too."

"Oh! We have a common goal! Lovely!" Cyril positively beamed at this. "You, Silver, are a gem in this wide world of lackluster people."

Another laugh. "I dunno about that. But I really did mean it when I said I liked you. You seem like a ton of fun."

The bird winked and smiled. "I try to be. That's what it takes to be a magician and in show business!"

"I totally get why Wave likes you," Silver smiled. "You're just the kind of friend she needs in her life."

"I'm always glad to bring some brightness into otherwise dark and stressful lives. I consider her a friend, so I'm making sure to do what I can where I can," Cyril explained softly, sighing. "I hope she is alright."

"I'm sure she is," Silver assured him happily. "She's always been hecka tough, and from what I hear she's only gotten stronger. She'll be back before we know it, I bet."

Cyril's smile settled into something less showy. "I'm sure as well. She's got an iron will and determination. Not to mention she's a bit stubborn, so she can get through this surely."

Silver gave him a bright grin. "Absolutely." It's official. I've met one of the best friends I'll ever have on the whole gosh-dang world.

~保護者~

"Crap."

The unexpected curse drew all attention to Tails, who had been engrossed in his communicator for the past twenty or so minutes. Confused and concerned, Sonic asked, "What?"

Tails sighed a little. "Espio stopped off at some random location just beyond the border of the chameleon territories, and he was there for a couple of minutes, but I think he just teleported."

Admittedly, Sonic didn't… see the problem. "He still has his communicator on though, doesn't he? It should be able to track him."

"Normally, yeah, but… well, to put it bluntly, his communicator is outdated." Tails busied himself with tapping away at his screen. "He never really bothered to let me upgrade it after a certain point since he really couldn't care less, meaning the tech is so old that it just can't function at one hundred percent. Unfortunately, the tracking system seems to be one that's suffering."

If anything, Tails's hard work to relocate their friend only heightened the worry that those around the fox were feeling. "Will you be able to find him again?" Cream asked him.

"Should be able to, but you've gotta give me a minute," Tails answered shortly, more focused on his work than talking. Taking the hint, everyone left him be. A tense few minutes passed by with Tails working his butt off all the while, but surprisingly… Tails soon relaxed. "Got it," he murmured, audibly relieved. "He didn't take it off or anything. I've got his location."

Steam walked over finally, a frown on his face. "Where is he now?"

"You know that continent way up north?" Tails responded. For Shei and Aniko's benefit, he quickly added, "Um, we call it Artika now. I don't know if it's always been called that, but yeah." He refocused on the question at hand. "Anyway, it looks like he's by a bunch of old ruins both near and surrounding this place called Shrine Gate. According to a bunch of old legends and rumors, it's the… gateway to heaven or something. No one actually knows what it leads to anymore, if anything, but I do know that it was heavily guarded in ancient times." He executed a slight shrug. "Supposedly, it takes a substantial amount of Light, or some sort of a 'key' to gain access."

Aniko spoke up, a frown on her face. "Eras. That is the 'heaven' you speak of."

When others looked confused, Shei began to sign - prompting Sonic to act as translator for those who couldn't understand. "It is a portal to the Garden of Light, known more properly as Eras."

"How… do you know that?" Vector piped up from across the room.

"A similar door once existed that served the opposite purpose," Shei answered. "It led instead to our homeland, the Garden of Darkness. But once the genocide on our people began, our attackers destroyed the gate on both ends so as to further impede our escape. The Light-bearing door suffered no such fate."

"Why would something like these even exist?" Silver asked, thoroughly perplexed.

Aniko sighed faintly. "The reason they exist is known to nobody, as far as I have ever been made aware." Shei nodded in silent agreement.

Ceasing his translations for now, as they were no longer needed, Sonic eyed Tails's screen and said, "Well, regardless… I think it's pretty clear what Espio's intending to do. That must mean he has the 'key' needed to access the door somehow. Must be why he stopped off on this continent for a minute before heading there."

"It's entirely possible he discovered the key, whatever it is, on his travels," Tails agreed. "It wouldn't be the first time he's come across priceless artifacts and come to guard them." Things grew quiet for a short time with no one really feeling too concerned anymore… until Tails frowned. "...He's stopped. As in, not at the gate. The tracker's not picking up any movement at all, but he's still a short ways away from the gate."

Steam crossed his arms and very calmly glanced to the doorway of the home. "Armaris, get over here," he said quickly, turning his attention back over to Tails. "Let me know if he makes any moves. I'm gonna prepare to go if something happens." Tails nodded distractedly, eyes glued to the screen.

Armaris appeared by him and frowned. "Espio didn't come here, did he?"

"Nope, and he definitely didn't tell you what he was doing. I need you to be ready to come with me if something happens, okay?" Steam asked, turning to her. "You've got a damn good chance at keeping Espio calm compared to me, on top of handling Ny-"

"If Nyokae harms anyone, I will handle it," Aniko muttered, glancing to Shei. "Stay here. If any others come looking for Espio, make sure to convince them to leave." He answered with a curt nod.

"He's still not mov-" Tails cut himself off, biting his lip, then mumbled, "His communicator just went offline. It wasn't turned off, though. It detected a huge spike of energy, so… I think it might have been damaged." He paused, thinking, then said, "Not that it was designed to even detect this stuff, but I don't think that was Darkness. I really, really don't. And... even if it was..."

Steam gritted his teeth and turned to Armaris and Aniko. "We need to leave now." Without waiting for a response from either, he teleported them all where Espio's communicator had last been.

~保護者~

Has it not been too long? Alana wondered as she wandered through the halls of the palace on New Babylon. She wasn't entirely sure where she was going, but she could sense her husband's energy and used it as a guide. The hour grows late. They should have returned by now. Concerned that there was something the matter with one or both of them, she hastened her walk and headed to the room her boys appeared to be occupying. She arrived before long and opened the door to find her son asleep curled up on a couch and her husband sitting on the floor by his side. Now also confused, Alana walked over and knelt beside her husband. "Sein?" she murmured.

Sein glanced to her worriedly, frowning. "Something happened, but… we don't know what."

"What can you tell me?" Alana asked him, moving to sit.

"He got a headache, it seemed worse than a migraine. It was sudden, as well, and with no perceivable cause," Sein said, giving her a moment to take this information in before adding, "And then… he had some issues with the Void. Energy sparked around him."

Alarmed, Alana looked over at their son. "It did what?" she whispered.

"I don't know…" Sein murmured. "It was there while he slept. When he woke up, it more or less seemed to recede."

"That is not good, Sein," Alana murmured back. "What do we do?"

"I don't know," Sein repeated, frowning deeply. "I just told him to rest in the hopes he'll feel better soon."

"And if it flares again?" Alana asked him. "We are not capable of containing it, and we do not know if he is."

"What else is there to do? If he can control it, then it's likely that feeling weak and still having a strong headache would make it near impossible. I told him I'd wake him up if it flares again… but that's all I've got."

With no better plan to offer whatsoever, Alana resigned herself to this with a heavy sigh. "...I will stay with you, then."

"Thank you…" Sein murmured, wrapping an arm around her. "I would've gotten you sooner, but I didn't want to take my attention away from him."

"I understand," Alana murmured back. With nothing left to do, she settled in to help keep watch over her son.

~保護者~

Perhaps a few minute's walk from the gate he sought, Espio found himself considering how to proceed. Still contained within the sphere of his Darkness, the gem he had earlier stolen hovered above his right palm. Held within thin cloth in his left hand (for he did not dare touch the object directly, given how painful he was learning Light could be) was different but ultimately the same sort of gem. Only, this one opened a very different door. It was his hope to be able cast the first gem through the second door, banishing it to Eras where it would have no hope of survival. With it disintegrated, Malevolence's door would never again be opened. Thus, his mission would be accomplished. ...Aside from the fact that not everyone had been killed within that building. But he would deal with that afterward. This was more important by miles.

Except… it seemed someone deigned to interfere. Because, of course… that was what she always did. And yet, in spite of his initial annoyance, he couldn't quite retain his scowl in its full-force when arms wrapped around his middle from behind. Lips kissed at his throat, then a familiar voice murmured, "I must admit… I never did anticipate meeting you here, of all places."

He huffed and turned his head to look at her with a disapproving frown. "I do not believe you."

"That is your choice," she chuckled. She kissed his neck again.

Fighting off a shiver, he twisted free of her grasp and turned fully around to face her. "You orchestrated this," he quietly accused. "Why?"

Smiling as she always did, Nyokae tilted her head. "Whatever could have made you believe such a thing?"

"That was not the sort of scheme Kaden would have been involved in," Espio answered, his tone slowly growing cold. "His plan for gaining access to that realm is more efficient. If this demon worked for him, they would never have been permitted to do something like this."

"And," she drawled, "you believe this means that they must work for me?"

"The only demons who do not work for him are those stolen and altered by your army."

"Smart man. Although, I must correct you on one little detail. You see, I was not responsible for this. I merely caught wind of it."

Espio scoffed. "Then state your business," he told her, "or leave. I have no intention of dealing with you again today."

His words pulled a thoughtful hum from Nyokae. She drew closer at an even pace, arms casually crossed. She stopped well within his personal space, but not quite close enough for them to be touching. "I do not care one way or another if Malevolence is released from its slumber to prey upon this world once more," she told him after a pause. "It is perhaps too early for it to awaken on its own but, then… what have the people who call this little rock 'home' done to deserve anything less than the carnage it would bring upon them?" She grinned at the idea, revealing perfectly white teeth. What held his attention, however, was the mischief in her eyes… and how it shifted from that to something vastly more dangerous. Intent. Her hand came to rest upon the floating orb of Darkness he was still carrying, pushing it down into his palm. "What I am interested in… is the little jewel you seem to have acquired."

"You will not be leaving with it," he muttered.

She shook her head, still smiling. "I do not want to, actually." Using her free hand, she took hold of his left one. With deft fingers, she opened his hand and plucked the Light-based gem from his grasp. He wasn't sure why he let her, nor why he allowed her to then cast it aside somewhere into the snow. His lack of resistance, however, seemed to spur her on. She placed her hand on his cheek, cupping his face, and admitted, "Whether you cast it out after this or not, I do not care."

"Then why are you here?" Espio demanded, a flash of temper deciding to start to show itself right then.

Nyokae's smile grew. "There it is… I was beginning to wonder when I would see that spark within your eyes. After the way your emotions peaked and then crashed earlier, I had begun to worry that I might have pushed you too far."

At this, he openly scowled at her. "You were not worried."

"I was," she argued, gently rubbing her thumb on his skin. The touch was distracting, but mostly he tried to ignore it. "I had not intended for your past to be brought up the way it was. I was not even aware that you did not remember that little event."

The fact that she was talking about a conversation he had apparently participated in regarding an even earlier event, neither of which he had any recollection of, appeared to indicate that he might have blocked both incidents out. He seemed to recall being told once that he had done something similar as a child… but, ultimately, he decided it was irrelevant here. He really didn't care, not now and not at all. "If you did not intend for it, then why do it?" he asked her rather than revealing that he really didn't know what she was even talking about.

"I had been attempting to gain insight into your parents, actually," she told him in a casual manner. "I knew that they had left you during some sort of minor war, but I wished to know more about them beyond that… given that they now are alive."

Understanding now her intentions, Espio glared. "You will not corrupt them."

"Yes, I am aware of that now. And I am fine with it. I do still have you, after all."

Before he could argue that point, she leaned in and kissed him. That was, of course, far more distracting than her thumb had been, and he soon found himself unintentionally lost in what they were doing. The sensation of her energy beginning to crackle around the sphere of his Darkness pulled him back, a bit, and he separated himself from the kiss enough to murmur, "You are not freeing this, Nyokae."

"Perhaps not yet," she agreed just as quietly, "but you could."

"I will not."

"And why might that be?" They kissed again. More energy crackled. Her Darkness teased more of his to the surface in strangely gentle and unobtrusive ways. And yet, though its arrival was not as violent and obvious as before, it didn't take a genius to realize that more of it was rising up than before. He was simply in better control of it, overall. But whether or not that meant he was less affected by it… well, he wasn't exactly in the best position to contemplate that just now. They separated seconds later, panting a little, and she said, "It is enticing, is it not? To be in such close proximity to such vast malignant energies… Do you not wish to allow your Darkness to feed off of that?"

His mind beginning to work again, Espio started to take a step back. "Why would I?" he countered with a fresh hint of anger.

"It is exhilarating, for one thing," Nyokae smirked. "And with the depths of power already lying dormant within you… this could do so much more than simply awaken that." Her head canted and then she asked, "Does the idea of gaining strength not excite you anymore? I was under the impression that growing your power and skill was something you thrived on."

"Not like this. You know that." Her hand pushed harder. Due to her greater command over Darkness than what he currently possessed, the sphere in his hand weakened and shrunk. Their silent struggle grew more intense, their energies warring and opposing one another like lightning. The sensation of her Darkness crackling through his hand and up his arm sent chills down his spine for reasons he couldn't quite explain.

"No," she agreed thoughtfully. "However… you did not answer my question, love."

"Do not call me that."

"I shall call you whatever I please."

"You are a nuisance."

"Only so much as is required." Leaning forward, Nyokae gave him another quick kiss. "Now cease your stalling. I would appreciate an answer."

"You do not deserve one," Espio told her bluntly. "You do not afford others the same courtesy."

"Actually… I believe I must disagree with that one." With another little smirk, Nyokae pressed harder upon the sphere, shrinking it further. He internally cursed. "It is true that I do not speak plainly to most… However you, love, have always managed to find yourself being the sole exception to this rule aside from my lady. I believe I have made my intentions with you clear right from the beginning."

Knowing already what she was talking about, he angrily reiterated for perhaps the hundredth time, "I will not join you."

"And that is alright," she answered in turn. "I had hoped once that you would, but I have since come to realize that a life of servitude, while ultimately beneficial in this case… is very unbefitting of you. I much prefer you as the rogue, self-serving individual you have always been."

Self-serving? That irked for some reason. Which might have been the point, come to think of it. So he made an effort to keep a lid on his temper. Still, he found himself thinking on her words. Maybe he was to some extent what she'd called him, he supposed, but certainly not to the extent she was implying. He certainly wouldn't become it for her. "I will also not change for you."

"Perhaps not," she agreed. "I have come to realize this, too. Which is why I again implore you to think about what it is that you want."

I do not want this.

"I have seen in you the temptation, love. You have wanted to give in. You have wanted it intensely… and more than once. What is it that holds you back?"

...I don't know.

"Even if you do not wish to aid myself and my lady in our plans, there are things you have found yourself desiring to do. And yet, you do not embrace it. Instead, you defy your own wishes, and indeed your very nature. Do you even have a reason to continue being so obstinate?"

The sphere shrunk to an alarming degree. It did this so sharply and so suddenly that it startled Espio out of his thoughts. A quick glance down revealed to him that his barrier was likely one good push away from shattering completely. Already it buckled and bulged under the force she was exerting upon it. He should have moved away, should have pushed her away, should have done something other than simply remain standing where he was. And yet, he found himself not making an effort to accomplish either. Why the hell he remained rooted to the spot, he had no fucking idea. All he knew was that he was damned pissed at himself over it. And, of course, at her. "Nyokae-"

"Hush. I am not here to argue with you this time, Espio." Nyokae's head canted the opposite way than it had earlier. "I merely wished to make you think. It seems that I have accomplished that."

With no warning whatsoever, she crushed whatever remained of his barrier, slamming the gem into his hand and forcefully holding it there. The sensation of it making contact with his skin caused him to unintentionally freeze as searing agony raced through his body from the point of contact. She said something to him, he didn't know what, before a combination of his Darkness, hers, and the traces of Malevolence's own contained within the gem created an explosion that launched them apart. The gem fell in the snow, so hot that it sizzled and melted away a substantial amount of the stuff. Espio, meanwhile, managed to land in a pained crouch some distance away, clutching his pain-ridden right hand with his left. Strangely out of breath from said pain, he dared to take his attention away from Nyokae long enough to look at the fresh burn that had been left in his palm. To say that it was severe would have been… an understatement. Damn it…

Cursing himself as much as her, Espio took some snow into his hand to help ease the burning somewhat and struggled to his feet. As residual energy crackled with intensity (causing him no end of pain), he observed Nyokae sitting in the snow and actually looking at the gem with a hint of surprise in her eyes. When she finally stood, he heard her murmur, "It would seem your newfound ties to the God of Demons is something Malevolence is very keen to avoid. I did not think such a being was capable of any semblance of fear."

Aniko suddenly landed in the snow not far from her son, the pure force behind her landing throwing the white powder flying away in a large wave before it all settled back on the ground. Keen eyes scanned the people present and she scowled. "Espio, are you okay?" she questioned, walking closer to him.

Forcing himself to stay steady through the pain, Espio bit out a simple, "Fine." He didn't even have it in him to be polite toward her right now. Nyokae watched them with a tilted head, smile gone and expression blank.

"Did she cause this?" Aniko demanded to know, hand already gripping the handle of her sword. Something in her tone commanded compliance and Espio dropped his gaze. Though he didn't answer her, his inability to lie to her and tell her no was good enough. Her gaze fell on Nyokae with a newfound hatred burning within. "I will give you one chance to speak for yourself before you are removed."

"And what, pray tell, are you hoping to hear?" Nyokae drawled.

"The last words you wish to utter," Aniko said, drawing her sword and walking toward Nyokae, unimpeded by the snow.

"Hm… how about this, then." Nyokae drew her sword, locking eyes with Aniko as she boldly stated, "This ending was inevitable. You knew it. Your partner knew it. You sought to avoid it, to deny it, to pretend it was not real. I have no sympathy for you… or for your pain." Shifting her gaze, she looked briefly at Espio as he struggled to remain upright through another agonizing crackle of energy. Soon, he sank down onto his knees. "He is lost to you now… whether you wish to believe so or not. I wish you the very best of luck in coping with that."

Aniko swung her blade with such force that the entire area simply no longer had snow in it, a simple move of her body carrying her all the way to Nyokae. Whether she killed this woman or not, she had to keep Nyokae away from her child. Breaking out into a wide grin, Nyokae snapped her sword free of its sheath and lunged forward to meet Aniko halfway. Their two blades clashed with enough ferocity to unleash shockwaves that uprooted what few trees had actually managed to grow in this harsh and frozen environment.

While the battle raged in the background, Armaris ran over to Espio and dropped beside him, concern written on her features. "Espio, what did she do to you?" Unable to really answer at this point, Espio focused on trying to breathe, still clutching at his injured hand. It burnt like fucking hell… Armaris bit her lip and looked around for the gem, not wanting to leave such an awful thing lying about. Her gaze fell on Steam who was standing beside it and she quickly created a sphere around it with her own Darkness. "Go get rid of that thing, now!"

Steam nodded quickly and grabbed the sphere with his magic and darted about, trying to find the key to open the gate. When he was incapable of spotting it, he quickly called out to Espio, "Do you know where the key went?"

Shaking slightly from the effort it took to move, Espio managed to point in the direction of the gem Nyokae had earlier stolen from him. "Th-There," he muttered.

Steam quickly took off in that direction, snatching the key up as he ran and heading for the gate. While he did this, Armaris gently set her hands on Espio, trying to do something for him. "I… I don't know what to do, Espio…"

Gritting his teeth, Espio shrugged off her hand as best as he could. "D-Don't," he bit out just before he was wracked with yet more pain. Once it finally subsided, he took a second to curse himself for his stupid fucking stutter. God, what was he, fucking six? Wasn't that when his stuttering had started, and only because he had begun learning to speak so late? Hadn't it ended when he'd still been barely older than that?

"Espio…" Armaris murmured, slowly pulling her hands away despite not wanting to. "I should've followed you…"

"N… No," he answered her shortly.

"Don't you dare leave me," she muttered lowly. "I don't want to be on the wrong side of your sword ever again…" Whatever he had initially planned on saying was lost to him when more searing agony hit. Despite sitting, he swayed dangerously, on the verge of collapse. Armaris quickly used her wind to try and help keep him stable, not wanting to touch him due to his warning for her not to. Espio's eyes fluttered shut for a moment, but he soon forced them open again. There was no way in hell that blacking out right now would be in any way wise. "Espio, you can still hear me, right?" Armaris asked quickly.

It was incredibly difficult, but eventually Espio managed to mutter a small stuttered reply. "Y… Yes…"

"Just focus on giving responses. Nod, speak, move your hands, anything. Don't pass out," Armaris quickly said, frowning. "Did she make you touch that gem?" No longer able to form words for the moment, Espio forced himself to just nod as much as he was able to. "The energy from the gem is what's hurting you, right?" Another nod was all the answer he could give. "Do I need to take you away from here?"

When he wasn't able to move enough to shrug without further hurting his hand, Espio managed to force some words out instead. "I d-don't… kn-know."

She frowned. "Let's get out of here. I'll take us somewhere secluded, okay?"

He didn't answer her, largely because he just couldn't right then. A stray attack flew their way and slammed past, barely missing them and he couldn't even find it in him to dodge it. Weak, he chided himself faintly. Weak…

Armaris briefly grabbed Espio and teleported the both of them away to a secluded part of the ruins of the original Hyale. He braced himself against the remnants of some decrepit wood structure in the hopes it would help to keep him upright. Despite her every attempt to stay calm, the cat couldn't keep her nerves in place and she shook briefly as they overwhelmed her. Mostly unaware of her at the present moment, Espio slowly released his hold on his hand and gingerly opened it so as to examine the burn. As he watched, amazingly the outer edges of the wound gradually healed. Armaris noticed this and turned to watch, some brief relief entering her conscience. "God… are you okay…?"

Considering that he was still in immense pain and that energy continued to crackle agonizingly around him at irregular intervals… Espio believed the answer to that was fairly obvious. "N… No."

The cat wanted to reach out and do something, but watching the energy around him made her think twice about doing that. "What do… what the hell do we do?" He had no answer to that. More waves of pain briefly robbed him of his ability to consider it, which didn't help either. His eye squeezed shut briefly when the pain amped back up to a nearly unbearable level again. Energy crackled violently around him for almost too long before finally receding. In spite of his efforts to remain upright, he nearly found himself falling over. As she had done earlier, Armaris made sure to use her wind to keep him upright. "Fuck…"

Around the same time, Steam teleported near to them and jogged over, dropping to a knee and inspecting the healing wound. "Armaris, you haven't touched him, right?" She quickly shook her head, never letting her eyes leave Espio.

No sooner than Steam had finished speaking, a bulky Hollow lumbered into view, no doubt drawn to the rampant energies the gem had unleashed throughout the ninja's body. Another one of slimmer built slunk out of the ruins of a felled home and inched its way closer. Soon, even more of the creatures began to appear in a wide but closed circle around this section of the former village, all eyeing Espio, Armaris, and Steam. None of them attacked, yet, but the amount of danger they presented could not be understated. Especially not when more creatures began occupying the skies overhead as well… and the vibrating underfoot proved there were more below ground as well.

Steam turned to face the Hollows, his hand reaching for his sword and gripping the handle tightly. He might've done more had Armaris not grabbed his sword as well to prevent him from drawing it momentarily. "Don't do anything stupid," she muttered. In response to her voice, one of the lankier Hollows drew in a sharp breath and unleashed it in a piercing scream of rage and ancient hunger. "Okay, maybe draw your sword," she whispered, already reaching for her own. Steam couldn't hear her, his hands having clasped over his head at the sudden and certainly unexpected loud sound.

More screams soon followed, creating an ear splitting cacophony that slowly ebbed away before dying off entirely. The initial quiet was soon broken, however, by a variety of growls, howls, yips, and more as many of the demonic beasts began edging closer. They appeared curiously drawn to the energies of the gem as it again crackled around Espio, each of them no doubt wanting even the slightest taste of the power it promised. However, when several moved too close, Espio's Darkness roared to life. It blasted outward with such violence that even the largest Hollows were tossed back like rag dolls. One in particular that had managed not to be flung far quickly righted itself… but didn't attack. It stood stock still, body tense as stone, claws digging deeply into the ground, and fur bristling in alarm.

One need only have briefly taken stock of Espio's energies to understand why. Within it, his own natural power was blending and mixing with the hint of power Kaden had left within him and, now… a dash of Malevolence's as well. They were there and easily sensed, and even these creatures were left frightened. Many began to flee, albeit angrily. Steam was curled up within a small barrier of Light that he used to protect himself. He'd been lucky enough to sense the oncoming danger, whereas Armaris… had had no way of knowing. She had been hit by the attack when it first appeared, and only after was able to react and hide within her shadow to protect herself. The only bit of good news was that the blast receded almost as suddenly as it had erupted forth and soon all the Hollows were retreating. Further bad news, however, came in the form of Espio finally completely collapsing, drained both from the pain, the extreme damage he was suffering, and the unintentional unleashing of energy.

Armaris emerged from her shadow when she realized it was safe and quickly looked over the two on the ground. She bit her lip and grabbed the both of them (Steam through his barrier, which stung like hell, to say the least), then teleported back to Espio's home.

~保護者~

9,126 words this time. Hope you all enjoyed! Many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help and support. Posted (at about 12:05 p.m.) 04-26-20.