Disclaimer: I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this collection of scenes… especially for the ones who just did so much good.

~保護者~

"Gateway to Peace"

~保護者~

How many years had it been since he had come here without any intent to wreak havoc and end lives? Kaden wasn't sure, but a few possible answers flitted through his mind as he clutched at his sword and stalked through the trees. He was not pleased to be here, suffering through all the noise and the brightness of the sun and the chill of the breeze, but he had already decided it was necessary to deal with it. He had better be alive, woman… for your own sake.

Kaden continued on his way for a short time before slowing to a stop. Frowning, he reached a hand up and brushed his fingers across the marred wood of a tree's trunk. Bullet holes… So he has been awake, then. Twisting around, he scanned the area further, soon spying tracks in the dirt. Simple predators… but dangerous in their own right when hunting someone so badly injured. Gritting his teeth, he resumed walking toward where he sensed his son, making very certain to let his aura flare long enough to warn all potential threats away.

Upon reaching his son, Kaden felt himself tense. There was a thick pool of blood saturating the ground, and it was only growing wider. He was covered in blunt force and crushing injuries, but what truly held Kaden's attention was the many stabbing and slashing wounds Shadow had been left with. His stomach, chest, and neck had all been torn open. Mostly due to the latter, he wasn't able to breathe properly. Every ragged, shallow breath was accompanied by these sickening gurgling and coughing sounds as he choked on his own blood.

Fury escalating, Kaden roughly snapped his sword back into its sheath and knelt in front of his son. Shadow was laying on his side and was motionless now, but the blood smears and flattened bits of grass were proof that he had been moving sometime before. The bullet holes in the trees proved that he had been conscious, and also cognizant enough to be aware of danger. He was neither of those things now. And yet his gun remained tightly gripped in his right hand.

A weapon of Darkness… Frowning deeply at the newfound implications, Kaden tugged the weapon free and forced it to dissipate. It would not be needed now, and sustaining it would take too much of Shadow's remaining energy from him. As it was, his life was already deeply in danger. He needed whatever energy was left in him in order to survive.

Reaching down, Kaden carefully removed Shadow's left hand from where it was limply resting against his throat. He had obviously been trying to stem the blood flow earlier, but now he was unconscious and therefore unable to do so. Or, at least… he had been unconscious. But being touched abruptly wrenched him out of that state enough for another gun to form with every intention of being shot.

Moving faster than Shadow could hope to in his state, Kaden caught the weapon before it could be aimed at him. "Enough, Shadow," he muttered, forcing Shadow's hand back down. "It's enough. They have gone." Shadow didn't exactly seem to have heard what was said as he continued to cough and choke, perhaps more so now that he had moved again. It wasn't surprising. He was only awake in the barest, weakest sense of the word. Just enough to react to instinct in an effort to keep himself alive. Nothing more. It would have to do. "Lie still," Kaden told him, regardless of whether or not Shadow could hear him. As he spoke, he pressed his own free hand (the one not currently pinning Shadow's down) into the gaping wound on Shadow's neck, applying pressure so that the blood couldn't flow so freely.

He had just started debating what to do next, whether to take Shadow elsewhere or try to somehow fix this problem here, when other people abruptly teleported into the area. Of course, it was them. Members of the rag-tag group of just about everyone he had been wanting to rid himself of lately. However, for now, he resolved to ignore that bit of inner hostility. Unlike a demon or not, he didn't give a shit. His son was on the brink of death, and he would be damned if his comparably petty grievances with these people distracted him from doing what he could.

Toru paused momentarily when he saw Kaden with Shadow, watching the entire time he stood there before understanding what was happening. "We can help him. I just need you to give them space, and we can keep him alive and repair his injuries." His voice was even, but the panic and concern he tried to hide were evident in his aura. He didn't attempt to keep that hidden, for once. "We want him alive, just like you do."

Though his knee-jerk reaction was to scoff and maybe ignore the comment, logically Kaden knew this person was right. Still, his eyes narrowed in vague irritation as he stood and moved away. He didn't deign to reply aloud to Toru, choosing instead to keep his thoughts to himself. "Help"... Indeed.

The chameleon motioned for Rose and Eila to do what they were planning to do. Rose immediately moved over to Shadow and knelt by him, carefully beginning to heal the injuries to his neck while Eila expertly used her magic to temporarily stitch up the other wounds and help him breathe better. Toru's attention turned to Kaden and he frowned. "That woman… Nareish, she took me, Shadow, Silver, Steam, and some other woman there and forced us into some sort of game. When we 'disobeyed', Shadow was the one being hurt. She definitely wanted to piss you off."

Well, she had certainly succeeded at that. It was hardly the first time she had struck at those around him in an effort to garner such a reaction, but for her to so brazenly attack his family… She will suffer for this. Shifting his gaze to Toru, he demanded softly, "Who else was injured?"

"She hurt me a bit, and Silver suffered minor injuries. Silver is safe with the others, and we haven't heard from Steam yet, or that other woman," the chameleon answered, arms crossing. "You're going there, aren't you?" Kaden didn't respond, merely turned on his heel and began walking away, unsheathing his sword as he went. "Well, since that's where I assume you're going, I hope you kick her ass. She more than deserves it."

This time, Kaden gave in to the urge to scoff. However, instead of simply leaving as he had originally intended, he found himself pausing and turning around enough to look at Toru again. "Keep him alive," he muttered darkly, real hatred coloring his tone. With this simple command issued, he vanished.

I won't let him die, you can count on that much. Toru turned back to Rose and Eila, a frown on his face. Eila seemed to have been more disturbed by Kaden being here, but that didn't matter now. "Eila. Bring Tails here and get ready to do whatever is needed of you." The cat glanced at him quietly for a second or so before doing as he'd wanted, teleporting herself away and returning with Tails in tow.

Tails unintentionally yelped when he suddenly appeared there with Eila, but he was quick to collect himself. ...And the tools he had very nearly dropped. Then, upon seeing Shadow, he blanched. "Oh, man."

Toru looked at Tails and decided that, for the moment, the fox needed to not worry about Kaden being here. "What do we need to do?"

The fox took a steadying breath, then directed, "We have to get him back to my place. Remember that workshop you saw that one time? I have equipment in there that I'll need in order to take care of the repairs. Once those are done, Rose can work on trying to heal him."

"Got it." Toru immediately teleported them all into Tails's workshop, Eila making sure to carefully move him with her magic in a way that couldn't further aggravate his wounds.

Only once they were there did Tails notice the energy-based object in Shadow's hand. "What…?" he murmured, quickly approaching. "Wait- Toru, is that what I think it is?"

In the time that Toru had spent focusing on making sure nothing worse could happen to Shadow, this slipped his notice due to his attention being elsewhere. "...Yeah," he murmured softly.

Tails was quiet for a moment before saying, "Listen… I would normally recommend not sticking around too close, since watching this kind of work can be a bit much for most people, but if he somehow makes another one of those weapons, we may need your help. I don't think he'd intentionally use it, but he's likely not going to really be aware of anything."

"You don't have to explain. I'm here to help with whatever I'm needed for," Toru answered, already walking closer. "Let's get this done before it gets any worse."

Not wasting further time, Tails nodded and set to work getting everything ready as fast as he could. "One problem, though. If he's suddenly able to do that, then that might mean that enough of his Darkness awoke to keep himself that Rose won't be able to heal him. It might just cause more damage." He glanced at Rose. "...What do you think?"

"I will attempt to gauge how much of his Darkness is active while you work. If I am able to heal him later, I will say so," she murmured gently. "I do not wish to cause further harm."

They set to work without further conversation, except where it was needed. Tails did as he'd promised, repairing the non-biological components and the like as quickly as he was able to. Once he was done after a long while, he nervously stepped back and allowed Rose to go in. "Anything you can do?" he mumbled.

The cat stared at Shadow for a moment before shaking her head. "I will not risk it."

"Then what the hell are we going to do about his open wounds?" Toru questioned nobody in particular, some flicker of anger entering his tone without him meaning for it to.

Eila spoke up for the first time since the encounter with Zareil. "I can close his wounds in a more normal manner, without Light. They will have to heal naturally, but it would be better than leaving them open."

"That would still be okay, actually," Tails said. "Once he stops actively deteriorating health-wise, he heals very quickly. So, if we can stabilize him, his body will take care of the rest on its own."

"Is that what you wish for me to do, then?" Eila asked, a small frown on her face.

"Yeah, it's our best bet to ensure his recovery," Tails nodded.

She nodded slowly to this and walked over to Shadow, a sigh escaping her as she held her hands over him and carefully created threads from her fingers to stitch the wounds closed with practiced precision. "I'll do my best…"

Toru crossed his arms and watched quietly for a few seconds before walking to the other side of Shadow and making direct eye contact with Eila. "So, you're not trying to prove that you're no longer Astra, correct?"

Eila winced sharply, the exact kind of reaction Toru wanted to see. "I was Astra and to many always will be. If they choose to view me as her, then that is my own fault."

"Good." Toru walked back over to Tails, then decided to instead go lean against a wall quietly. He didn't like seeing Shadow like this, so it felt easier to not see the wounds he'd suffered through at all for the time being.

While Eila worked, Tails bit his lip and paced around a little in thought. He's going to need a safe place to rest for at least a few days, if not longer. This place isn't the worst option, but it's not the best. Hyale won't be too great, either, since it's getting wetter and colder up there and he doesn't do well with that. Maybe his house, then… Releasing his lip, Tails turned to Rose. "Hey, uh, you and your sister are heading back up to the others once you're done here, right?"

Rose glanced to him and nodded. "For the time being, we have no good place to go. I would like to spend time with my sister, but… I know there are many that do not want her alive any longer. It is my current plan to return to the others. Why?"

Tails sighed. "I have to go back, too. I have to get my ship fixed up the rest of the way, because it's going to be needed." So what to do, then? I can't saddle Sonic with this… he has too much on his plate as is, and he's probably safer around everyone else.

Toru spoke up, a frown on his face. "Are you trying to think of where to have Shadow stay while he heals?"

"Yeah," Tails agreed. "I figure it's best for him to go back to his home, since he's got that place wickedly defended, but like I said… I can't be there with him right now. I want to, believe me I do, but I have to finish what I'm working on. I need weapons like that ship if I'm going to be able to fight properly alongside everybody."

"I can stay with him. If you've got a communicator, you can let me know if I'm needed for something and I can show up," Toru answered.

"Actually…" Tails scurried off without explaining himself, but soon returned with one such device in hand. "Kinda surprised you knew about these, but it works out. We used to all have them, and we broke them so often that I started having spare parts and whole replacement devices all over the place. So, basically, I'm drowning in communicators and you can keep this one if you want."

Toru nodded slowly at this, grabbing it and strapping it to his wrist. "I only know about it because I temporarily took Shadow's."

"I… I guess I'll have to ask how in the heck you managed that some other time," Tails soon replied. He did a bit of typing on his own communicator, then nodded to himself. "Okay, you're definitely on the network. We'll have to register your name and all that later, but we'll still know which is yours for now since it's the only one without a name." He paused, thinking, then asked, "Do you happen to know where you're going? I obviously have no idea if you've been there before or not."

"I've been there," Toru answered. "Don't worry, Tails. I've got it, okay?"

Tails sighed and nodded. "Yeah. I'm trying not to worry too much, I promise." He glanced at Shadow, making a quick note of Eila's progress, before continuing. "A few quick things… he'll probably fight you about it, but he needs to eat when he wakes up. I don't actually know when he last had anything. It's been too crazy lately for me to keep on top of him about it."

Toru nodded again, a faint frown on his face. "Do you have any clue if he has food to cook in his home?"

"I guarantee he won't have a lot," Tails sighed, exasperated, "but he should have enough to get you guys through the next few days. If you do run out, though, tell me and I'll help as much as I can."

"Ah, I can handle that," Toru answered, lightly waving Tails off. "You focus on what you're gonna have to do. You and that little fangirl friend of yours."

This earned a nervous grin and a sheepish laugh, then Tails quickly moved on. "Anyway, uh, there are a couple other things. I'll gather some medicine from Sein through Silver, for one thing, and send it your way. He's definitely going to need it soon."

"Understood."

"Actually, I have a question regarding that. In your opinion, has he been doing okay overall, or has he been doing poorly? If he's been struggling between doses, I'll see what I can do to find a medicine to handle symptoms between doses of the stronger medicine."

Toru frowned for a moment before ultimately coming to the conclusion that this was Tails and one of his best chances to care for Shadow properly. "He was struggling with the withdrawals pretty badly, but he apparently wasn't going to take another dose of the medicine we have for him already. Not sure why, outside of him saying that the symptoms weren't bad enough for another dose."

"Right… okay. I'll definitely get some other medicines if I can, then." Tails frowned at nothing in particular as he thought, then said, "The last thing I wanted to ask of you was just to try to keep him in bed as much as possible. I don't want his wounds reopening. Which, you probably know already honestly, but it feels better saying it."

The chameleon nodded. "I'll make sure to do that, for certain."

Seeing that Eila was nearly done, Tails sighed. "Sorry to ask so much of you. But… thank you, honestly."

Toru shrugged. "It's nothing. I've seen and done worse."

Tails offered a small nod and walked over to Eila. "Think it'll be safe to teleport him?"

Eila frowned momentarily as she scanned his body. "It should be fine as long as he is not moved excessively. These stitches are meant to stand up to some damage if necessary."

"Okay. So, teleporting him straight to his bedroom should be okay, right?"

She nodded. "It should be fine."

"Right." Tails turned back to Toru. "It should be alright for you to go, then. I'll remotely disable his security systems long enough that you two can teleport straight in." He was already getting to work on doing that as he spoke.

Toru nodded as he finally walked back over to the small group, setting a hand gently on Shadow's shoulder. You'll be okay. As soon as it was safe to do so, he left with Shadow, heading straight for the house. The sooner the hedgehog was in bed, the better.

~保護者~

Steam teleported into Hyale finally some time after Toru, Tails, Rose, and Eila had all left, landing not far from where Espio's still wrecked home was. He glanced around, trying to take stock of what was going on with a deep, concerned frown planted on his face. Several people turned in his direction when he showed up, but Silver was the first to speak. "There you are," he mumbled, ears a little low. "We were getting hella worried."

The green hedgehog turned to Silver with a relieved yet still worried expression. "I'm glad you're okay, but where's Shadow and Toru?"

"I think Toru is with Tails," Silver said quietly. "They went to go take care of Uncle Shadow. He's, um… not doing so well."

"What happened?" Steam demanded suddenly, walking closer to Silver. When Silver's ears dipped lower and he ducked his head, Sonic joined them with a deep-set scowl and began quietly explaining to Steam everything he'd been told. Blaze, meanwhile, sat with Silver in an effort to bring him so comfort. Steam considered everything he'd been told before softly admitting, "If Tails, Rose, and Eila are all helping Shadow, he should be fine. Both Rose and Eila know how to treat wounds, and Tails is Tails."

"I still don't like this," Sonic muttered, crossing his arms tightly. "He's pretty much never gotten hurt like that before, regardless of the shit we've faced."

Steam shook his head. "It's how that woman is. She's the real threat, and there's not much most of us can do against her on our own."

"That's reassuring," Sonic grumbled.

"There's no good way to put it," Steam answered. "She's a threat to Immortals, for fuck's sake."

"So how the hell are we supposed to have any chance at not just all dying?" Sonic asked, a hard and growing edge to his tone. "Are we just fucking wasting time and delaying the inevitable?"

Steam wasn't sure if it was a bad idea to reveal what he was thinking, but he ultimately did with a sigh. "Allies are waking up. Ancient, powerful allies that are helping us. They've already started moving in their own ways, that much I'm sure of."

Sonic gritted his teeth. His logical mind argued that he should have been grateful, but he was mostly just angry. Perhaps unfairly so. "Fat lot of good they've been doing lately."

"What, do you expect them to magically solve all of our problems?" Steam asked incredulously, a small spark of his temper flaring without him meaning it to.

"Obviously I don't," Sonic answered a bit sharply, "but we've been basically on our own this whole time and people just keep getting injured and/or winding up dead. Some proper help would be fucking nice. People might call us goddamn heroes, but we're not fucking miracle-workers."

Before Steam could answer, someone seemed to take this as their cue to appear. Kial landed on the ground harshly some distance from them, sporting a few nasty cuts on his face that he didn't seem to notice. The hedgehog frowned deeply at his appearance, but didn't say much as the bobcat began walking to them. "I would have been here sooner, but it seemed that Kaden was attempting to keep myself and some of the others away. Forgive me."

Once more, several pairs of eyes turned to face the new arrival. This time, however, it was Blaze who spoke up. "Who are you?" she asked quietly.

"My name is Kial," the bobcat replied gently. "And you seem to be an unfamiliar face to me as well. May I ask your name?"

"My name is Blaze," she murmured. "I have not been here long."

"I see. In any case, it is nice to meet you." His gaze turned to Sonic and Steam, a soft frown on his face. "You two seem tense. Is everything alright?"

"...Fine," Sonic said after a long moment. Tense and deeply upset though he still was, he simply walked over to where his son and daughter-in-law were sitting and took a seat beside them.

Kial turned to Steam for a moment before walking over to Sonic, sitting down by him as well. "You are not 'fine', Sonic."

"Look, I'm not talking about it right now," Sonic said with a heavy sigh. He was doing his best to keep his tone level this time. It was bad enough that he lost his cool the first time. "I'm not in the mood."

The bobcat nodded slowly. "I understand. If you ever do wish to talk, I am here, and I am sure that you have plenty who would be willing to speak with you." Kial then pushed himself back up to stand and walked over to Steam once more. "What about you? You seem to have a lot on your mind."

Steam was quiet before simply sighing. "I'd rather not talk about it. Personal stuff."

Kial winced, concerned for the two hedgehogs but ultimately understanding their wishes. "Alright… I'll leave you be. By any chance, is Rose nearby?"

"No, she went with Tails and this guy named Toru," Silver answered. "They're taking care of my uncle right now." Sonic pursed his lips together and stayed silent.

The bobcat frowned faintly before nodding. "I suppose that I will simply be nearby. If I am needed, just call for me." With this said, he slowly began transforming into an ancient looking bird.

"Hey, before you go… you know Espio, right?" Silver asked.

Kial paused the transformation before turning to face Silver and nodding. "Yes, I do."

Silver was quiet for a long moment, debating what was safe to say, before finally just coming out and telling Kial, "A lot of stuff has happened lately. From what I've heard, you kinda… missed a lot. I dunno how much he'd necessarily be okay it, but since what happened was really huge, I can fill you in if you want."

The cat frowned for a moment then slowly began to return to his normal form. "I would appreciate that." Nodding, Silver gently removed himself from Blaze and walked off with the other cat. There was a lot that needed explaining.

~保護者~

After having checked on Jet for the second time (he was sleeping peacefully now and didn't wake up to her coming in or fixing his blanket for him), Wave quietly exited the room and returned to where Sein had been since earlier. Upon reaching him, she reported with a small sigh, "He's still asleep. No more weird nightmares. I still don't understand what happened earlier, but at least it isn't happening again."

Sein sighed softly, a touch relieved. "I'm just glad he's doing better now. After how he was in the hall earlier... I was worried."

"So far, yeah," Wave agreed, moving to sit down in a chair. "If nothing else, he's definitely calmer. I haven't seen him get that stressed out in a long time."

The man crossed his arms lightly. "I didn't like seeing it."

"It's never easy," Wave murmured. "He doesn't have meltdowns as often anymore as he used to, but… at least by now we know what meltdowns even are so we can help him. In the past, we had no idea and so we could never really do much overall."

Sein looked to her, a frown on his face. "What was his life like as a kid?"

After a long pause, Wave returned his gaze. "Not to be rude, but… do you really want to know that? I mean, you've heard a little bit, haven't you? You probably know that it wasn't… great."

There was a serious look on Sein's face, one that said he had to know. "This is my kid. Whether I want to hear it or not, I want to know what was going on when he was young."

Wave let out a heavy, drawn-out sigh… but relented. "Well… I don't know as many of the finger details as Sonic does, since unlike him I wasn't around when some of the abuse was actively going on. But from what Jet's said to me, his earliest years were pretty… normal. Happy, even. Ross sort of spoiled Jet after his wife died, buying him everything he loved such as trains and video games and whatnot to help keep him happy. Jet even had a best friend, another Babylonian named Arthr who he grew close to again later in life. Up until he was about six, things were… good, I suppose."

Sein's expression darkened a little, unintentionally. "Then it got really bad, didn't it?"

"Not long after he turned seven, Ross started hitting him," Wave said quietly. "I don't know why it first started. If Jet remembers, he's never told anyone, not even Sonic. It wasn't horrible to start, though it was still bad regardless. He was slapped and yelled at pretty often, but nothing more. It got… a lot worse over time, though." She hesitated, not really wanting to discuss this without Jet's consent, but it was for his sake that she forged ahead. "Eventually, things escalated to the point where he wasn't just slapped around. Ross started punching him, throwing him into walls and furniture, throwing things at him, kicking him, and probably a lot worse. He even started using things around the house as makeshift weapons. And whenever he was done issuing a beating, he'd lock Jet up somewhere. It was always either a closet, the attic, the basement, or his room if he was lucky."

Whether he intended to let it happen or not, tears started streaming from Sein's eyes at this. "He… went through all of that because of Ross?" He was choking up already. Hearing that someone had hurt his child in this way, it broke his heart more and more with each detail. He couldn't even feel anger right now, just sorrow and pain. I'm so sorry that I wasn't there…

"Not just that," Wave answered, hugging herself lightly and looking down. "Eventually, Ross stopped feeding him, too. So, when he wasn't locked up, Jet had to teach himself how to make his own meals. Only, he wasn't always allowed into the kitchen. Eventually, he took to sneaking out of the house and stealing food from local stores and the like to get by. He usually got away with it, but there were times when Ross would find out that Jet got out of the house. He'd get beaten and locked up again because of it." She scowled a little at the floor. "He was kept trapped in closets and the like for so much of his childhood that he was pretty terrified of small, dark spaces for a lot of years after that."

Sein had to cover his heart with one of his hands to attempt to stave off the pain this brought. He wished he'd been there to take care of Jet all that time. His son would have never been forced to live through such… suffering. "I… I can't believe it…"

Wave could only nod a little. "It gets worse, so… I won't say anymore if it's too much right now. I know it's a lot to take in."

The man took a deep breath and reminded himself, This is for Jet. "Keep going. Please. I have to know."

"Okay… if you're sure." Wave took a moment to consider what to bring up next before saying, "As you probably already gathered, there was a lot of verbal abuse, as well as emotional and mental, to go along with the physical stuff. All of that affected him so badly that the few times he was ever taken to the hospital because of his injuries, he lied so much about how 'fine' he was at home that no action was ever taken against Ross. Sonic witnessed the tail end of one of those events, and even he said that Jet's lies were so casual and calm on the outside that they were… completely believable. He didn't learn until later on what the real truth was."

Sein closed his eyes for a moment, taking this in with a pained expression. "...What else is there?"

"There were a lot of… I guess you could say miscellaneous events," Wave responded slowly. "There were weird times when Ross would randomly treat him well again, only to later return to the abuse. There were a lot of days where Jet didn't see the outside of the closet or whatever else no matter what he tried to do to get out. Then there were incidents where Jet unexpectedly tapped into some of his then-hidden strength and actually broke himself free of the attic, or tapped into his latent stealth abilities to rob a store blind and feed himself for a while." Wave paused, hesitated again, then let out another heavy sigh. "He also mentioned to me that he had a lot of trouble out of the house, too. He couldn't get along with anyone he encountered and tended to lash out at them, nearly getting himself shot or worse a few times. Just… things like that that really show just how much Ross's actions were ruining his ability to live normally."

It was hard for Sein to open his eyes anymore. The tears kept coming and the pain continued to tear at his heart. All of this, every last bit of it hurt so badly to hear, but he wasn't going to let it stop if there was more. "Is there more…?"

"Nothing hugely significant," Wave murmured. "Not that I've ever heard, anyway. But… I do know that he met Sonic when they were fourteen. It was… maybe six months later or so that Sonic convinced Jet to leave with him. They stole Ross's airship and Jet never had to go back after that. He's been safe from that man since then." ...Aside from that one time… but he wound up being okay then, too. And he awoke his storm powers as a result, so there is that.

Sein pushed himself to stand, shakily, and walked over to Wave. He gave her a sudden hug, his arms wrapped tightly around her as he tried to keep himself composed. "I'm so glad he met you, and the rest of his friends. If he had lived like that for the rest of his life, I don't know what I'd do with myself," he murmured gently to her. All that kept him from outright sobbing was sheer willpower and the need to make sure he didn't wake Jet up.

Somehow, Wave managed to get over her surprise quickly enough to hug him back loosely. "I'm glad we met him, too. I don't know what I ever would have done without him. He's the best friend I've ever had."

The man shook softly as his will was tested slightly in that moment. "Thank you for telling me all of that…"

"Of course," she replied quietly.

Sein took a long moment before pulling himself away and looking to her with a teary gaze. "I'm gonna go take a walk, think about all of this where I can't wake him up if it upsets me too much. Will you let me know if he wakes up?"

"Yeah, of course I will," Wave promised. "I'll be keeping an eye on him. Don't worry." Sein smiled faintly to her and began walking away, wiping at his face only for new tears to fill the void. He needed to take a walk…

~保護者~

Things were finally quiet by the time Espio reached his destination. Flicking blood off of his sword, he walked through the pitch black corridors of the building he himself had once been kept in before finally reaching the cavernous main room. As he'd expected he would, he found Armaris, Marthal, and Shei all in there, each contained with spheres of Darkness that kept them trapped. Scowling to himself, he approached the nearest one (it happened to be Marthal's) and stabbed it once with his sword. This caused the trap to burst apart. Then, turning away, he cut through the air in such a way that a portal comprised of Darkness was torn open. Through it, he could see straight into Hyale and, more specifically, where Aniko was sitting. "Mother," he called simply, barely keeping a lid on his fluctuating emotions as he stood there, utterly surrounded by demonic energies.

Aniko turned to face him immediately, suddenly standing with Zei carefully held in her arms. "Yes, Espio?"

Espio glanced back at the three people behind him. "They will need to be contained again when I send them through the portal. Until someone can purify them, they are a danger to those around them." Realistically, though, they couldn't do too much right now. As had been the case with him for the short time he'd spent demonic, they had not been allowed any amount of free will. They could do nothing without direction right now. But there was no telling how long that would last.

Though Aniko heavily disliked the idea of 'containing' Shei and Armaris, she relented with a nod. "I will have that arranged." Answering with his own curt nod, Espio abruptly tossed Marthal through, then freed Armaris and did the same with her. He freed Shei afterward and tossed him through, then moodily followed him out. The portal slipped shut once he was through. Aniko walked up to Espio and held Zei out to him. "Please take her for a short time while I have them contained."

There was a short pause, as though Espio was ready to refuse, but after a moment he took the child from her without complaint. His eyes then scanned the area for where Sako had been left and he wasted no further time before walking over to the baby. That they were safe managed to relax him a small bit after all the carnage he had carried out earlier. For their sake, he made an effort to calm down further as he sat down.

Luckily, Rose and Eila returned at around that moment. This drug Aniko's attention to them both and she immediately walked over to the two. "What can the both of you do for purification of someone who is corrupted?" she demanded.

Eila didn't take this sudden demand well, perceiving it as a threat until Rose simply frowned. "Who was corrupted? Take me to them."

Aniko led the two over to Shei, Armaris, and Marthal, motioning to the three quietly. "Them. They were corrupted and abducted during the last fight."

"Eila. Conjure barriers around Armaris and Marthal. Layer it three times while I work with Shei," Rose murmured gently, already walking over and setting to work. Eila did as her sister requested, crafting barriers around the other two victims of corruption with an untold pain in her eyes.

As the two cats worked, Aniko walked back over to her son and sat down beside him, a deep frown on her face. "I am very glad you were able to return them here," she murmured softly. Espio glanced at her, but remained silent. Sako and Zei had both settled down in his arms and were sleeping. Aniko turned to face her son, sighing softly. "Espio… you have done much in your life. You continue to make me proud of how far you made it and how powerful you became."

There is nothing to be proud of. Rather than saying that, Espio only offered a vague one-shouldered shrug.

The woman turned her gaze down for a moment, unsure of what else to say for some time before she finally found her words once more. "Your child… Zei. She is absolutely adorable and sweet."

That finally convinced Espio to speak. "...Is she?" he found himself asking, looking down at the child in question.

Aniko nodded. "She is curious about the world, about me. About you, and Armaris, all things around her. She cannot help but ask 'why?'. Does this all sound familiar, my son?"

Espio huffed softly, refusing to admit to anything. "No."

She chuckled softly. "In that case, she reminds me much of you when you were a child. When we spoke, she asked much of you and who you were. If you would love her. I told her that you would because that much I am sure of." Espio nodded slowly, not sure what to say or think about what he was hearing. Aniko smiled to him softly. "There are times when I remember you being a young child, and it truthfully makes me wish I could go back and do it all better for you, because my mistakes have caused you the pain and trouble you deal with today." Her expression remained in a smile, but her voice conveyed how much it was hurting her to think about. "I am sorry for keeping the truth from you."

"I do not blame you," Espio told her quietly, "or Father."

"I still cannot help but think of what may have been had I made better choices, for myself and for you," she murmured gently.

Stifling the urge to sigh, Espio turned to face her more directly. "Mother, you made the best choices you were able to. I do not blame you for what has been happening. I need you to stop blaming yourself."

Aniko's smile faded and a single tear fell from her eyes. "I will amend the wrongs of my past and do what I can to help you. Whether or not you blame me, this is a battle I will face for you and my family."

With a small nod, Espio turned away again. He was quiet for a time before deciding to change the subject - mostly for her sake. "...Thank you for sitting with them," he told her quietly, glancing down at the children again.

"They are a blessing to me," Aniko answered softly. "I will watch over them whenever I am needed."

Espio's gaze shifted to Zei as he said, "She seems… comfortable in this place already."

"She is comfortable because it is far better than how her mother treated her," Aniko revealed softly. "She spoke of that matter, how she did not like the treatment she received. I believe she is very happy to be here now."

Espio nodded a little, considering the truth of what Aniko had said. Knowing Nyokae… she would have been anything except caring. It was far too easy to be made angry thinking about that, so he chose not to let himself dwell right now. Instead he changed the subject again when an earlier event suddenly occurred to him. "...Someone reached out to me earlier," he said slowly, frowning. "Before the attack."

Aniko's interest (and concern) piqued at this. "What do you mean, Espio?"

Though he shook his head, he did his best to explain. "Several people contacted me while I was away with Armaris," he answered. "They forced their voices into my head. I rid myself of the first two, but two others replaced them. They told me to inform you that they were 'coming home'."

The woman's concern skyrocketed and she narrowed her eyes. "Did they give any further information?"

"The man said you would be surprised to see them," Espio shrugged vaguely. "Neither said anything else."

"I do not like that implication," Aniko murmured, frowning deeply. Who could it be? Espio only offered another shrug. Rather than focus on that for the moment, Aniko turned her attention to Rose. "How are you faring with your work?"

Rose glanced to them with a smile. "The good news is that I should be able to clear the corruption since it was not deeply rooted. The bad news is that it may take some time."

Aniko nodded slowly, crossing her arms. "Understood. Thank you for your help."

"You are welcome. I am happy to be able to do so," Rose answered softly.

Espio glanced over in silence for a short time before saying, "Until then, the others should be kept away just in case. It is unsafe."

"A distance away from here?" Aniko questioned. Espio only shrugged again, offering no real suggestions or help.

Rose turned her attention to Eila. "Please take them some distance from here. Perhaps to where we had been staying for the time being. Make sure they stay contained. I will bring Shei there shortly." Eila nodded slowly and took Armaris and Marthal away in a teleport before Rose followed her with Shei in tow.

~保護者~

Aethra opened her eyes slowly and turned her head to Rusen. "We should send out word," she murmured. "Once we return Kaden, Nareish, and their respective forces to their homes, we will be able to contain them. The two months of peace we had predicted was accurate. That is how long we will be able to hold them. The heroes will need to know, as will Eona and the others."

"How shall we send word to the heroes? Through the likes of someone like Pyrun? We cannot show up and expect them to believe us," Rusen pointed out lightly, as if Aethra didn't already know.

This earned a faint smile. "They will believe the words of someone such as Eona or Cere. Once we tell them and their kin, they can further spread the word to those on Mobius and New Babylon."

"I do believe that Pyrun actually did have the desire to meet these heroes, regardless. Should we allow such?" Rusen asked. "He could be a source of training and newfound confidence, provided he does not lose control of his temper."

"I believe the resident Sun God could be of use in that particular area," Aethra answered lightly. "So long as he remains around, allowing Pyrun to go there should be perfectly fine."

"And Yareis… she seems to have found company with someone she finds pleasant. I am… happy for her," Rusen murmured gently.

"It is good for her," Aethra agreed. As they spoke, the more outspoken Faein began mentally spreading the news from one person to the next, focusing for now on informing the Gods and Goddesses first. "She has not had a true friend… perhaps ever."

Rusen managed to smile gently. "And Kath seems to have made a friend as well with her. They got along surprisingly well."

"I must admit… given how high the probability was for either of them to lose their tempers, it is slightly surprising that neither did." Aethra commented with another small smile.

"They should continue to get along well on their own. I am pleasantly surprised with the performance of our wandering Balancer, however. He… was interesting when confronted with Nareish," Rusen commented. "It was amusing to see."

Aethra inclined her head slightly. "Perhaps it was, but she concerns me. She grows bold, but not without reason. She is closer now than ever to achieving the goal she created for herself when we went to sleep. And now that the Void has begun to fully awaken within Jet, she has the means to start actively pursuing that goal again as opposed to continuing to occupy the sidelines."

Rusen's smile faded. "She does, yet I cannot help but continue to hope for our heroes to manage this through their own will. Jet's father has shown immense interest in helping him to heal, something necessary to him gaining control over himself and more in the future."

"Their whole family shows remarkable fortitude," Aethra murmured. "If they stay together, there is perhaps nothing that can take them down. I can only hope that that remains true."

"Will, power, and determination. They possess these three qualities in droves, and when one lacks another will be able to fill the void. Their family can prevail if they stay together, as you said," Rusen agreed.

"Then there is Espio… I remember so clearly the way his race once was, before that band of Light users laid waste to them." Aethra frowned slowly. "Malevolence was born, then, to fill the gap left behind by so many of them dying. But with his power growing the way it is… either he or Malevolence will have to disappear, at this rate. I must say, I do not like either option. Either he replaces that being or he is killed… or perhaps Kaden is. It is not an ideal situation."

"Certainly…" Rusen murmured. "There is not much leeway. Then there is the matter of his friend, Toru."

"And what are you thinking about him, in particular?" Aethra asked. By this time, word had reached Cere and Aethra quickly instructed her, Eona, and Pyrun to start delivering the news to everyone on Mobius and New Babylon.

"He has the potential to rise to be at similar strengths to Espio," Rusen commented. "He is also helping to hold their group together in the face of adversity."

"That is so," Aethra agreed. "He is certainly an interesting individual, as are they all."

Rusen nodded slowly. "Another note to keep in mind is that Eila suddenly decided to actively join in the war on the side of her sister. I am pleased to say that Rose was able to convince her to do so, but I was not expecting it to occur. Certainly not this quickly."

Aethra nodded. "Neither was I, though the possibility was always there."

"And on the matter of the group on Mobius, Armaris has now become a concern. She is reaching a dangerous place mentally after having taken a shocking reveal from Zareil," Rusen revealed quietly.

"The matter of her fighting style was one that was necessary to come up at some point or another," Aethra replied. "I did not expect for her to take it so hard, however."

"It was other matters weighing on her mind on top of her upbringing," Rusen explained gently. "She was raised by chameleons and was forced to fight for her life for much of her life. To have something that protected her for so long so directly challenged… it stung. She was already hurting from her love being attacked, and this was just another domino that could lead to the last."

"Yes, I suppose that is true," Aethra agreed easily enough.

"Should we have extra aid sent her way or let her father teach her the ways of their family's fighting?"

"Perhaps it would be best for her father to handle that. She is not likely to trust someone unfamiliar to her."

Rusen nodded slowly. "That much is true. Her father and stand-in mother can do much to teach her, as they are both skilled magic users. She should be able to make much progress in these two months."

"With Ylden and Cere both aiding her, she should," Aethra nodded.

"Are there any others to discuss before we return to watching?"

"...Kaden shows many signs of his true self attempting to show itself again," Aethra said slowly. "I fear that containing him within that realm will quell that side of himself again, further damming him to the life that was forced upon him."

Rusen nodded slowly. "Zareil is not helping the matter either. She actively encourages him to leave behind who he was in pursuit of power, among other things."

"Not that he typically needs such encouragement, but… she constantly convinces him to turn his back on his true self whenever it tries to surface in any way."

"It is a risk that we must take, however. They have proven that they can and will relentlessly continue after the heroes. Zareil will kill them if given the chance, and she will not hesitate to make sure that the only ones remaining are the ones Kaden wants alive," Rusen muttered, a touch of concern in his voice. Aethra only nodded vaguely, her eyes slipping shut thoughtfully.

Deciding to not dwell on such, as in this situation they had no choice but to stick to their plan, Rusen asked, "What do you think of the friend Tails has made?"

"She does seem sweet," Aethra said, managing a faint smile. "She is intelligent as well, although prone to fright."

"Her time with Tails and the others will strengthen her. She was not faced with such terrors until very recently, so it will take her time to adjust," Rusen murmured.

"Of course," was the quiet reply.

"What are your thoughts on the recent developments between Toru and Shadow?"

Aethra blinked her eyes open and turned her head to look at Rusen again. "That is an interesting question. Do you have thoughts on the matter?"

"I am quite pleased to know that Shadow is able to trust someone and that Toru is finally able to have someone to truly care for in his life," Rusen murmured.

"Those are certainly positive developments," Aethra murmured. "I must say, though, that I do find it a touch surprising. After what went on between him and Mari, much of which he still has not shared with anyone, it would be understandable for Shadow to never open himself up like this again. And Toru does not have much experience with healthy relationships due to his home life."

"Certainly. And, interestingly enough, Kaden was willing to allow Toru and the others to save Shadow as opposed to killing them where they stood. For all intents and purposes, I see that as a grand achievement."

"That was a wonderful thing, yes," Aethra agreed. "The temptation presented itself, but he resisted it successfully. That is promising." There was a short pause, then Aethra managed to smile again. "But, back on the original subject… I find myself hoping, for their sake, that those two will have plenty of opportunity to interact while things are calm. It may do them both some good."

Rusen nodded softly. "I do worry that Toru's relationship with his mother will further deteriorate as a result of actually having a good relationship in his life."

"It is certainly possible," Aethra nodded. "However, it may be for the best, assuming that deterioration does not progress excessively. He would do well to separate himself from that relationship and focus more fully on one that does not cause him harm."

"That much is true, certainly."

"...Word has reached the heroes. They are aware of what has been done. They are discussing what to do from here."

Rusen's attention shifted at hearing this. "We shall watch and see what they do from here. I can guarantee that they will not disappoint us in the ways they progress."

Drifting into silence, the pair resumed watching events unfold. There was so much to keep an eye on... but at least they had ensured a brief period of peace.

~保護者~

9,065 words this time. Many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help and support. Hope you all enjoyed. Posted (at about 12:45 p.m.) 06-24-20.