Disclaimer: I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this dire situation… especially for the one who is saved just in the nick of time.

~保護者~

"Lost But Found"

~保護者~

Aniko slammed her blade up against Nyokae's and shoved the other woman back, disappearing in a blur. This damned woman has tainted my son for the last time.

Taking her lead, Nyokae also disappeared from view. They clashed repeatedly, each impact accentuated by fierce sparks. She laughed at the sight… and, seemingly, at Aniko herself. "I see… Angry now, are we?"

"What does it matter?" Aniko answered, glaring. "It is not as if it matters to yourself."

"It does," Nyokae grinned. "I happen to care quite deeply about that which I find amusing. Take your precious son, for instance…"

"Attempting to gain a rise of me further is a futile task," Aniko said coldly, flicking her blade.

"Must everyone always assume I am attempting to earn a reaction?" Nyokae pouted, expression one of false innocence. "Is it truly so hard to believe that I am merely speaking? I do quite enjoy watching people's little emotions flare up, but you… you are one I would much prefer to see the thoughts of." She shrugged slightly. "Perhaps some day." With that, she threw a small bomb at Aniko which exploded on impact, then slammed Aniko into the ground using her Darkness.

Whether either of these attacks hurt, the woman didn't show it. Aniko hit her elbow against the ground and shot to her feet once more with great momentum and a deep glare. Threads began appearing all over the battlefield and Aniko used them to launch herself into Nyokae with her thread-wrapped blade. The sight of this unusual tactic made Nyokae's grin grow. She nimbly leapt about, avoiding Aniko and her threads, then coated her blade in Darkness. Using this, she began cutting threads apart enough that she could land somewhere. "You know… if you are afraid of Darkness, Aniko, then you are afraid of your very soul. Does that mean you fear your partner's as well? And what of Espio's, hm?"

"My soul and Darkness are not one and the same, as yours is," Aniko muttered, more of the same threads beginning to cover the battlefield once again. I fear them not, but for them I do.

"And still you avoid the larger issue at hand…" Nyokae sliced through the nearest threads in an almost casual manner. "The Darkness and evil that you fear so much… it is our kind's greatest weapon. To deny that is perhaps the sheerest of follies."

"To gain strength outside it is a far greater accomplishment."

"You may believe so if you wish… but surely you must be aware that an individual's true strength cannot be discovered until they make use of all of their powers." Nyokae gave her another grin. "I believe I have done your child a favor in that regard."

Aniko merely glared for a moment before sighing. "You delude yourself to believe you achieve far greater power."

"Is it a delusion when it has already become reality?" Nyokae challenged almost gleefully. "I know that he has done nothing but grow in strength since his Darkness has begun to awaken from its slumber. And you would keep that from him? You would call that good?"

"Good is merely a term used to describe what one sees as pleasant or opportune. What you wish to do is force something down another's throat and relentlessly keep it there until they swallow," Aniko bit out, walking forward with her anger now far more controlled. "Yet… you say it grows your strength and you have not killed me? Would that not strike him with grief enough to force it to awaken? Should your awoken strength not be enough to let you make this all happen according to your will, or is it merely not enough?"

Nyokae laughed openly at this. "You fail to see it, then? Just how much I will enjoy watching him kill you himself? Do you not think that that would more vastly affect him, and far more deeply?"

Aniko blinked once. "So you leave alive a source of aid for him? That seems counter-intuitive to your grand plan."

"That you believe even can aid him anymore is charming," Nyokae told her, amused as ever. "With his own evil, taint from the God, and now taint from Malevolence itself… he is far beyond your reach now. Or, at least… he will be very soon."

Aniko didn't seem to fully believe her, closing her eyes momentarily. While it was suicide to do such a thing in a normal battle, she would be aware of any movements. This allowed her ample time to think, despite it being only a second or two. She is ripping my child from me, yet I will not stop. He is a part of my life. She reopened her eyes and sheathed her sword, sighing. "He could just as easily kill you as well."

"He may," Nyokae acknowledged. "However, I believe that the bond he and I have cultivated will stay his hand… for now. If he kills me later on, I do not personally care. I will have done what I wished."

"What is your purpose?" Aniko suddenly deigned to ask. "You do all of this, but that simply cannot be your end goal. Surely there is more to your schemes than this."

"And perhaps there is. But I will not be divulging my plans to you."

Aniko blinked once, slowly. "Watch your back. A predator will kill at the slightest sign of weakness." With that, she began walking through the snow, ignoring the other woman's existence entirely.

Nyokae, however, had one last jab to throw. "You will have no more precious family by the end of this. I suggest you prepare for that inevitability." She vanished without waiting for any sort of a reply.

Aniko's fist clenched and she tapped the ground with her foot (albeit with far more force than intended), clearing the snow around her within a several foot radius. My family is mine, and I will let nothing tear it apart. Your blood will be spilt for this transgression, whether it is by my hands or another's.

She thought for a moment as to where Armaris and Espio may have gone, but ultimately decided that they would return to Espio's home eventually. As such, she teleported there and almost found herself regretting it. Her eyes visibly widened at Espio and Steam's current state, but all of her focus was on her child. Aniko didn't remember moving, but she was at Espio's side in an instant and quickly examined every last inch of his body to determine what needed to be done. Shei was forced to keep back for the sake of Sako, whom he was still holding, but watched these proceedings with barely concealed worry.

Tails, who also didn't dare venture any closer, tossed Armaris an anxious glance. "What happened?"

Armaris teleported over to him, wrapping her arms around herself tightly. "Nyokae forced him to touch that gem we went after… It… had some sort of Darkness that wasn't normal."

"...Not normal?" Sonic questioned. "Not normal how?"

"I don't fucking know!" Armaris snapped, her Darkness flaring momentarily before she got control of herself again. Tails flinched. "I just don't know… it was like Kaden's but… different."

That clued the pair in instantly, and Sonic's heart dropped. "Oh, hell…"

"What?" she demanded, turning to face him. "What do you know?"

Fighting down his rising panic, Sonic quickly asked her, "Ever... heard of Malevolence?"

It took a moment, but Armaris's eyes opened wide and she shrunk away slightly. "Oh, fuck…" she whispered.

Immediately Tails was questioning, "Does anyone have any idea what sort of an effect this is going to have?"

"I don't think something like this has ever even happened before," Sonic countered.

"It will be terrible," Aniko muttered. "Worse than I believe any of us can prepare for."

"What do we do?" Tails whispered. "I mean… what can we do?"

"We will do what we must…" There was some disdain in her voice, not wanting any of these people to be so heavily involved in their family. Despite this, she managed to not sound as if she refused their help. Aniko also did her best to hide the pain, knowing that her child could turn against her… that she might have to fight him… that she might never see him again. She couldn't let these thoughts continue and banished them, effectively stifling her emotional turmoil for now. With the arcs of energy seeming to have finally fully subsided, Shei cautiously approached and laid a hand on her shoulder. He had no words to offer her, for he was just as afraid and desperate as she was. Aniko finally stood and glanced to Armaris and Tails. "Take Espio to his room. I will not have him lie in the grass." Her attention shifted to Sonic, frowning. "Get the other hedgehog and take him some distance away. He is not well, and him falling apart in the midst of others will draw attention as well as damage the emotional states of others."

Tails looked at Steam and hesitated. However, he soon moved with Armaris to help her do what they'd been told. Sonic, however, didn't immediately comply. "Where do I even go with him?"

"Somewhere. There should be a clearing somewhere behind the home. Take him there, and do not waste time. He is coming out of his shock." Huffing, Sonic took Steam and teleported away. Aniko walked past him, grabbing Shei's arm and lightly pulling him with her. "We need to talk."

Shei signed just one word. "Speak."

That alone was enough to make it so that she couldn't speak. Her grip tightened momentarily before she pulled him close and hugged him, gritting her teeth. What was coming over her? She had not lost control like this in… many years. It felt so long ago, but here it was once more. Uncertain himself what was wrong, Shei wrapped his arms around her in silence. Her mind raced as she felt herself sink into his arms, slowly finding herself unable to support her body. I cannot lose either of you… The thought is… too much. Far too much...

Shei held her up and, with one hand, awkwardly signed some semblance of the question, "What is wrong?"

"I cannot… explain… It is too much…" Aniko whispered, her body vanishing with her camouflage. She didn't want to be seen like this.

Continuing to hold her with one arm, Shei answered her the best he could. "You must say it, for your own sake."

"No," she bit out forcefully. The ferocity in her voice took her by surprise and she simply leaned in closer, repeating, "No… I… no." He responded by giving her an insistent nudge. She needed to vocalize, for once, before everything totally overwhelmed her. He wouldn't let her simply avoid it this time. "I will not lose you or my child…" Aniko eventually muttered after some time. "I cannot live knowing I did not intervene early enough…"

"There must still be some way to help him," Shei told her, though his own hope had diminished significantly. "There must be something we can do."

"I am beginning to believe otherwise…" Aniko's mind wandered and something dawned on her. She could have effectively stopped this by stepping in sooner. She allowed Espio to go on this mission, and now he was in an awful state. Guilt overwhelmed her but she didn't cry, if only because she couldn't will her body to. "It… is largely my fault."

"It is not," Shei signed to her forcefully. "We both made mistakes. Large ones. That much is certain. But the fault for this lies solely on the shoulders of that woman."

"I could have stopped this!" Aniko snapped, pulling herself from him and pacing some distance away. "I let him go on that mission, knowing that it was dangerous. I knew he would be going near the energies of that damned creature, and now it has tainted his Darkness with its own!"

"Dangerous or not, he would have been fine had she not intervened," Shei answered her. Their demeanors and Aniko's tone caused Sako to start to fuss.

Upon seeing Sako cry, her anger practically dissipated. It shocked her into realizing that she'd lost control of her anger so deeply. This was all wrong… everything about it. She walked closer to Shei and pressed her head against his shoulder. "It is too much…"

With a sigh, Shei allowed his own emotions to settle as he again wrapped an arm around her. "What is? You need to fully voice your thoughts, Aniko."

"I will lose control again. I cannot," she muttered lowly. "I… the baby should not cry because I cannot handle my own emotions."

With a gentle sigh, Shei laid his chin to rest atop of her head. He didn't reply for a time, allowing her a chance to further settle before he asked, "What do we do, Aniko? We have to act soon."

"I am not sure. I worry that we may be able to do little, however…"

"We must do something. We cannot stand idle."

"I do not know, Shei… I do not wish to be idle, but I simply cannot think of anything that can help."

"...Nor can I."

Aniko slowly wrapped her arms around Shei, pulling him close. "He is our son… I do not want to lose him…"

"We will not," Shei replied… although he was no longer convinced that he was right. The idea that he wasn't plagued him…

~保護者~

Shei returned to Espio's room after making sure that those still in the house knew to stay out (with the only exceptions being Cream, who currently held Sako, and Armaris). He found Aniko there still and joined her. "Aniko," he signed, hoping to gain her attention. When she didn't seem to see him do this, he sighed under his breath but left her be. He knew she was beyond distraught. Now was not the time to be pushing her about anything.

Aniko's attention was firmly locked on something that certainly wasn't there, her eyes somewhat glazed over as she thought deeply on the current matters. Why couldn't she get a grip on herself? The chameleon wasn't even sure why she stood and began walking closer to Espio, then felt her hand grip something. When the very structure of this object seemed to fall apart under her grasp, she suddenly let go and focused her attention on it momentarily. A frown fell onto her face. Hm.

Seeing that she had snapped out of it for the time being, Shei signed to her, "I have instructed others not to come in here. The baby is with Cream."

"Good," Aniko replied, keeping her attention on Espio now. "...Good."

Shei looked at their son for a time before signing again. "The eruptions of energy appear to have settled." That was far from good news. It meant that things were blending, uniting, coming together. Whatever time they had to do anything about this was rapidly diminishing.

"I know…" Her eyes watered briefly, but she blinked this away. Crying wouldn't save her son. It would waste more time, more of the precious time that they were already losing.

"What do you propose we do?" Shei asked her.

Her silence was telling. She had no clue how to proceed from this point on. However, the rest of the house didn't stay silent for long. There was some sort of a ruckus in the front room, prompting Shei to frown and hurry out there. Aniko appeared in the front room, her sword drawn on instinct and some level of fear that another attack may be under way on her son. However, once they were out there, it was clear that there wasn't anything overtly wrong. "Miss Armaris?" Cream was asking, eyes on a person walking inside. "Do you know this lady?"

Armaris glanced up from her shadow and gasped, her body launching out so she could tackle Cere in a hug. She murmured something under her breath to the Hexan, and Cere gave a small smile and carefully rubbed at her back. "It is good to see you again, Armaris."

An unusual frown found its way onto Aniko's face as she watched Cere. Her eyes narrowed and she lowered her stance lightly. "Who are you?" she questioned, a touch more harshly than intended. Shei watched in silence with narrowed eyes.

"My name is Cere," the Hexan said, introducing herself. "I am known as the Goddess of Judgement. Please, put your weapon away. I come bearing no ill will." She ever so gently pulled Armaris from her and set the younger woman where she could stand. When Aniko didn't put away her blade, Cere raised an eyebrow. "Is something the matter?"

"How do you know Armaris?" Aniko asked, glaring. Silver and Vector traded nervous looks upon hearing her tone while Cyril simply stepped away, making sure there was distance between himself and Aniko. "I was not made aware of you, nor any ties with Armaris that you may have."

Cere opened her mouth to speak but Armaris cut in. "Aniko, she's not a threat. Put your sword away."

Upon hearing Armaris defend the woman, Aniko sheathed her sword (hesitantly, at that). "Hm. Why do you associate with her?" she asked Armaris.

"She's my teacher." Armaris commented easily, crossing her arms. Aniko's eye twitched and she felt something rise within her chest. Was that… jealousy? Was that even an emotion she was capable of? All of this made her dislike Cere far more than when she had entered, but she did nothing to actively show this as her stance returned to normal.

Finally, Shei joined the conversation, hoping that this woman would by some miracle understand sign language. "Why are you here?"

Cere almost found herself responding with sign language as well, but she managed to curb this. "I have someone in my company who wished to come here. I simply would not let her go on her own."

"Who?" Aniko demanded.

"Her name is Analia," Cere explained.

Silver perked right up. "Gramma is coming?" he breathed, eyes wide.

Almost as if on cue, a shadow swept into the room. When it faded away, it revealed the God of Night standing there, carefully holding up a still beyond exhausted and unfortunately filthy Analia. Silver was on his feet in an instant, surprise melting away into fear, confusion, and concern. Using thought-speech, he said to Cere, "She nearly fainted again, but she is determined to do this regardless."

Cere glanced at Analia. "You are stubborn and a touch reckless," the Hexan lamented.

"Not now, Cere," Analia all-but whispered. "I cannot argue with you right now."

Not waiting any longer, Silver rushed over and embraced her tightly. "You're alive!" he breathed. Though the impact made her sway dangerously, Analia wasted no time in returning his hug. She murmured reassurances to him quietly before gently tugging herself away. If she was to remain standing, she needed to not have extra weight on her.

"Why have you come here, being of Light?" Aniko demanded, standing upright and at the ready. She… didn't like this. It brought awful feelings as she vividly remembered the stories told about the slaughter of her kind by this hedgehog's kind, the beings of Light.

Eyes dulled with fatigue and pain, Analia looked to her and murmured, "Malevolence has touched another life and is working to destroy it. This may be the only chance we are afforded to repair the damage. There is still time, but very little of it."

Aniko's eyes widened and she looked ready to kill for a moment until it dawned on her that this really might be their last hope. Her fists clenched and she looked to Shei, unwilling to make the decision to let someone like her near their child. Taking the hint, Shei signed rapidly to her. "We must, Aniko. There is no other choice. Even in her condition, this woman possesses the strength to do what we cannot."

There was hesitation in the chameleon woman's eyes but she ultimately moved aside, gesturing to Espio's door. "He's in there. Please be quick." Despite her tone, there was an almost obvious plea in her voice for Analia to save Espio. She didn't want to trust Analia, but… if it meant having her son back, then she would have to.

With a soft nod, Analia pulled away from Finis and carefully limped toward and then into Espio's room. Tossing Aniko a look, Shei hurried after the stranger. Aniko followed immediately behind him, more so anxious and fearful. Would this really work…? Analia responded to the other woman's silent questioning by saying, "I cannot undo what has already been done. However… much of the energy has not yet found its home within him. It can be removed." Too weak to remain standing, she sat on the very edge of the bed. "Such purification would be painful, were he awake, but while he is like this he will feel none of it."

"Do… what you can, please," Aniko found herself saying, watching from a few feet away. "Please." The fact that she simply never behaved like this normally prompted Shei to walk over and wrap his arms tightly around her.

Analia responded by holding her palm above Espio and allowing Light to flow over him. She was quiet for a time, focused on what she was doing, but eventually spoke again. "The corruption from Malevolence is not deep. It only very slightly took hold, though it had begun to work on digging deeper roots. Removing it will not be too terrible." Aniko couldn't do much more in response besides give a quick nod, as if asking her to begin rather than speak. "I already have," Analia softly assured in response to the unspoken plea. "Some of the taint is already gone." Aniko briefly closed her eyes, pulling Shei closer with a bit more strength than necessary and simply standing there like this.

At around this time, Rose poked her head into the room curiously. She saw the purification occurring and her heart stopped momentarily at the sight of who was on the bed. Silent as ever, Rose stepped into the room and regarded Analia with wide eyes and a slightly parted mouth. This… this is her… Analia… Sensing the sudden increased attention on her, Analia brushed badly tangled hair out of her face with her free hand and turned her head to look. "A-Analia?" Rose grew embarrassed with her stutter, shaking her head lightly and standing up straighter. "Is… that actually… you?"

Although she didn't know who this person was and she was just so tired, Analia maintained her manners. "Yes, child," she murmured politely. Though doing so was a bit less polite, she looked away to resume mostly focusing on what she was doing. "Who might you be?"

"Rosalline Moonpetal, daughter of Arkiri and Tarin," Rose answered formally before a sheepish smile broke out onto her face. "I-I'm interrupting something, right?"

"You are alright," Analia answered. "I can continue my work while you speak, if you wish." Off to the side, Shei watched them both with building (but mostly hidden) apprehension.

Rose's hand fell over her chest as she tried to steady her breathing. To meet someone who had so much influence on her life meant so much to her, and she could hardly contain herself. She did so, however, out of extreme respect for the situation at hand. "Thank you." She couldn't bring herself to say much more, her mind racing and attempting to piece together one of the millions of questions she'd always wished to ask this woman.

After a short time had passed, Analia quietly informed Shei and Aniko, "I am working on the last of it now. Most of the energy that was there has been purified."

Aniko gave a brief nod, her eyes falling on the newcomer. Her aura was… everywhere, to say the least. Though, she seemed to be extremely similar in her intentions to Analia. This alone was enough to let the woman stay in the room (not to mention she was very preoccupied with her own emotions). "Thank you for your help, Analia."

"Of course," was the tired reply. Analia's light flickered and weakly died away as she slowly removed her hand. She brushed more hair out of her face and moved to push herself to her feet. "It is done… He should wake before too long."

Aniko walked up to Analia and gave a slow, appreciative nod of thanks before her attention went directly to her son, her hands gently gripping one of his. Shei walked over after a long moment and joined Aniko by the bedside as Analia (still moving slowly) made her way out of the room. Rose was quick to follow behind the hedgehog, a small frown on her face. "Are… you alright?"

Having never been one to lie, Analia answered with the truth. "...No," she whispered. "I am… tired."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Rose asked softly, her excitement fading in the face of immense concern. With a slight shake of her head, Analia found herself leaning heavily against a wall. She felt incredibly faint again… more so now than she had earlier. Rose hesitated, but quickly set a hand on Analia's shoulder to offer what silent support she could.

Cere walked over and frowned. "Analia, you really should rest more. You're not ready for all of this at once." This time, Analia had no argument to give. She merely offered a vague nod in response.

Hearing their voices in this small hall, Silver hurried to them. Upon seeing Analia's condition, he was quick to ask Cere, "Is- Is Gramma okay?"

Though Cere wanted to lie, she knew this would be the wrong course of action and sighed. "She was trapped within Kaden's Darkness for… eons. She is exhausted."

Silver stared in mute horror. Gramps did this…?

Right about then, Analia started to collapse. Only Finis suddenly appearing by her side kept her from hitting the ground, for he managed to take hold of her arms and hold her mostly upright. "It is time to return her," he remarked gravely. "She is safest where she was before."

Cere nodded, crossing her arms. "That is precisely what we must do. She cannot continue like this…"

Rose reached out, then retracted her arm and looked at the ground for a moment. "Is this something that only rest can mend…?" Finis merely shrugged.

"Will… will she be alright?" Silver mumbled, eyes pleading.

"I believe so," Cere murmured. "If she rests like she is supposed to." A sigh escaped the Hexan. "Though, it is unfair to not acknowledge the great help she has done for Espio. I am glad she did so."

"Nevertheless," Finis interrupted, "we must go. Now."

Cere gave a nod and glanced to Rose, gently setting a hand on the cat's shoulder. "If you wish to help, stay here and help where you are needed. We will care for her," she murmured, glancing between both Silver and Rose. Not wanting to waste any more time, she gave a farewell nod to the two and turned to leave, casting a glance at Kial. "Come with us. There is much we need to discuss regarding your status. Kial was a bit shocked at the suddenness, but nonetheless gave a nod and waved lightly to Rose as he left with Cere, Finis, and Analia.

Back in Espio's room, Aniko waited with baited breath for her son to awaken, watching him intently for any sign of movement. She was rewarded after a few minutes when Espio cringed and shifted a bit, his body likely left sore from all that it had endured earlier in the day. Her breath hitched and she found herself forcing her breathing to return to normal as all of her focus went into watching Espio. Another minute or so passed, then the sound of someone speaking a bit loudly in the front room startled Espio awake. He jolted upright (largely due to the fact that he wasn't used to hearing voices of any kind while sleeping), only to pause momentarily when he realized where he was. Then the memory of what had gone on earlier came back to him and he immediately became alarmed again for a couple of seconds. Only Shei's hand on his shoulder startled him out of this enough to fully realize that everything was strangely, bizarrely... fine.

"Y-you're… alright…" Aniko whispered, blinking away tears that threatened to form and fall. "She… that woman actually helped…"

In spite of his earlier stuttering, Espio managed to respond without issue this time. "...What?"

"Analia," Aniko answered in a lower whisper, holding his hand to her forehead momentarily. So much relief washed over her that she couldn't handle it. "I am so happy…"

Happy? Espio pondered over that, unable to reconcile this admission with what he would have expected. Why wasn't she angry, or even worse? It didn't make sense to him, but he didn't like thinking about it and so tried to put it out of mind. Shei, meanwhile, slipped out of the room to fetch Armaris, knowing she would want to be made aware of the good news.

"Espio… I am so relieved to know much of that taint has been removed…" Aniko took a second to collect herself before raising her head finally. "I was worried that they would turn you against us."

Unable to look her in the eye right now, not in light of the extreme failure of what he had set out to do, Espio turned his head away. Apologizing was difficult and not something he normally did, but... he felt it was necessary here. Eventually, he murmured, "I'm… sorry, Mother."

Despite the attempt to collect herself, she suddenly moved and pulled him into a hug. "You did nothing wrong." Without the knowledge of how to really react to this, Espio just sort of sat there. He knew what a hug was and everything, but to suddenly receive one from his mother… How many times had this ever actually happened? Finally able to properly collect herself, she carefully and quietly pulled herself away. "Forgive me for that… I got… carried away with myself."

What she'd done didn't require forgiveness. Espio searched for the words to tell her that. "...It is alright," he eventually said when no other response was forthcoming.

Before Aniko had a chance to respond, Armaris burst into the room and practically threw herself at Espio, pulling him into a tight hug. "Holy fuck, you're okay!" Shei walked in behind her, that quiet sparkle of amusement back in his eyes full-force.

Espio squirmed a little in her grip before finally relenting and just letting her remain where she was. He did, however, grumble, "Not so tight, Armaris…"

She grimaced and loosened her hug, but nonetheless continued the embrace. "I… I'm so happy that you're okay. The Darkness was hurting you so much, and…"

Able to breathe again now that she wasn't squeezing him so hard, Espio responded, "...I know." About a second later, something occurred to him and he immediately found himself tense and asking, "Where is Sako?"

"Cream has him," Armaris said, rolling off him the instant he said this in case he wanted to go retrieve the child. Suspecting this as well, Shei motioned for him to stay put and headed back out again. Espio relaxed a little in spite of himself. Aniko glanced between Armaris and Espio curiously, catching onto the emotions currently going through Armaris's aura. She found herself smiling briefly at this, but she didn't deign to comment. There were more important matters at hand.

Shei returned and placed Sako in Espio's lap without hesitation. Sako, hand in mouth, mumbled a small, "Mmma," up at Armaris, who he was currently looking at.

Armaris's eyes widened immensely at this and she looked to Shei and Aniko, absolutely unsure of what to say or do in response to this. Aniko shrugged faintly. The cat would have to take her own stance on this, which Armaris began to do. A small smile slowly broke onto her face and she faintly chuckled. "Alright, then, I guess. Thank you, Sako." The baby just blinked at her.

With a small huff, Espio scooped the child up and moved to stand. Why thank him for that? he found himself idly wondering, even though it wasn't an important matter at all.

Shei, meanwhile, signed to them, "Word has travelled from the elder of this village. Young Cream gave me the message that was left while we were back here with Analia."

Espio frowned. "What did she say?"

"The elder has instructed the able-bodied members of this community to aid us in whatever ways they can," Shei answered. "The war you and your allies have become so entangled in is one the elder is no longer prepared to ignore, and she expects that other elders from other villages will soon come to the same conclusion."

This was an unusual step, but not an unheard of one. Hyale and various other villages had become somewhat involved in the Nocturnian War, also. Still, though, Espio hadn't been expecting this. I had thought she would seek to keep our people out of this… after the carnage Kaden brought upon these lands.

His father continued signing. "It is possible that some shinobi may come seeking instructions. Given your position in this village, you will have to be the one to speak with them."

Espio knew that and accepted it, as he had done long ago. He nodded faintly. "I understand."

"For now, however," Shei said, "go and reassure your allies that you are alright. They have worried for you."

Though Espio huffed, he inclined his head respectfully and, after looking back over to his mother once more, he made a decision. Walking over to her he quickly returned her earlier embrace with a short hug using his free arm, then left the room. A smile broke out onto Aniko's face as she watched Armaris do the same. He does care… Armaris thought to herself as she followed. I'm glad.

~保護者~

5,818 words this time. Many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help and support. I should have posted this several days ago, sorry that I didn't! Hope you all enjoyed. Posted (at about 2:45 p.m.) 04-29-20.