Disclaimer: I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this collection of scenes… especially for the one who needed reassurance.

~保護者~

"Bonding"

~保護者~

Four days into their entrapment within Kaden's realm, Zareil leaned up against a wall, eating away at her latest choice in a meal (some demon that she had decided was worth the effort to kill and devour) before her gaze fell back on Kaden himself. She could tell he'd had the intention to rest the past couple of days, and the demoness knew exactly why. Outside of the rare few times she'd managed to make him sleep, he hadn't rested nearly enough since the revival of his first son. It pleased her greatly to know he was doing this, but the question now came of whether she wanted to stay silent. "Kaden," she called, having apparently chosen to avoid the idea of being quiet.

His right ear gave a tell-tale flick and he sort of huffed, but nevertheless answered her. "What?"

Mouth stuffed with demonic carcass by that point, Zareil gulped it down and she managed a smile. "Remember that day you found me?"

Hearing this, Kaden cracked an eye open and turned his head to look at her. "Why bring it up?" he muttered.

"Mm, maybe because it's the single best thing that could have happened to me. All things considered, it's why I'm here to begin with," Zareil answered easily. "And a good part of why I'm as powerful as I am now."

Kaden's eye closed again. "That we met at all was entirely your doing," he reminded her.

"Yeah, yeah," Zareil answered. "So what? I showed up at your door wanting to kick ass."

"And experienced your first failure," Kaden murmured. "That seemed to be far from what you had anticipated."

Zareil shrugged. "Guess I thought I could become Goddess of Demons right then, but someone had to be in the way." Her accusing tone was far from actually being accusatory with some obvious amusement within.

Given that she had showed up (along with many other demons) mere hours after he had killed Amnikaribah and taken over the throne, he wasn't surprised to hear her confirm aloud that she had been after the title as well. He scowled just slightly. "You are fortunate that you are strong," he muttered. "I would have killed you, had you been as weak and irritating as the rest of them."

"Hey, be glad I saved you some of that trouble. A few of them pissed me off on the way here and I snapped their heads off," Zareil answered with a laugh. "I was careless back then and still have some of those tendencies, but some great leader was able to help me work past that mostly."

"Flattery will get you nowhere," Kaden retorted dryly. Then, more seriously, he added, "There is always room for improvement. It is why I told you earlier to train as often as possible while we are trapped."

Zareil seemed to want to say something in response to what he said first, but she kept quiet this time around and shrugged. "I'm taking a break to eat, but the problem is that there's no good opponents that aren't the generals or something else important. Not gonna risk them pissing me off and getting their body torn to pieces." The demoness suddenly grinned. "Unless that's what you want."

"They have trained with you enough times by now that they should have improved by now," Kaden answered dismissively. "Those who have failed to do so can die. Weakness is never tolerated. You know this, as do they."

Black demonic eyes practically shone with excitement and she stood, incinerating the carcass with Hellfire. "Guess I'll be putting them up to the test," Zareil grinned.

"Do as you please," Kaden replied, giving further permission even though it hadn't been necessary. With this given, Zareil teleported away.

~保護者~

Five days into this sudden peace time, Kal couldn't help but grin darkly as she watched their grandson practice the techniques they had only barely attempted to teach him. "Already, he has perfected them," she murmured to Ryuji. "That is most unexpected. Even you and I took time to learn such control."

Ryuji stood with his arms crossed, watching Espio carefully. He had done it with their own daughter, and he would do it with Espio now. Even the slightest misstep, the most minute imperfection would be caught by his eyes. Not that this mattered. Espio had perfected what little they had attempted to teach him, as Kal had said. "There's more to learn."

"Naturally," Kal agreed. "But his form is flawless already. That bodes very well."

"So? We should continue, should we not?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "The more he learns, the better we'll be. His… 'friends' are likely to begin looking for him, should they notice he is gone far more."

As if on cue, Kal's gaze slid to the side just as Espio paused what he was doing and looked in the same direction. "It would seem that his absence has already been noticed. We should take our leave, at least for now." Ryuji's frown was dark and hateful, but he nodded and disappeared quickly with Kal at his heels.

Huffing softly to himself, Espio sheathed his blade without a sound and crossed his arms, waiting from the intruder (such as they were) to show themselves. Only once he pulled out of his thoughts about a second or two later did he finally pay attention enough to realize that it was Armaris who was headed his way. Just like that, his anxieties from the days before hit him again and he tensed up. Why is she out here?

Armaris quietly approached and stood some several feet away from him, hands held together in front of her as she looked up to Espio. "Are you out here training?" she asked softly, a frown on her face.

Hoping to keep this brief for a variety of reasons, Espio answered with a simple, "Yes."

"I… Sorry to be interrupting your training." She shifted slightly as if she was going to leave before stopping herself and sighing. "I'm really sorry about how I acted the other day, when we were foraging. I shouldn't have been so forceful with you, and I definitely shouldn't have pressured you so much."

This turn of events was entirely unexpected on his part, enough so that it mentally tripped him up. He wasn't sure how to answer her for a moment or two before finally looking away. "...It takes two to argue," he admitted softly. "I am at fault as well."

Armaris sat down for the moment, holding her face in her hands. "You didn't cause as many problems as I did…" she murmured. "I tried to make you do something that you didn't want to do, and that's against the entire point of what I want you to be able to do with yourself. You should have options, and your choices should be yours. Not mine."

After a short pause, Espio moved to sit down as well. He wasn't exactly next to her, but near enough that it could be taken that way if one thought about it hard enough. He took time searching for the words he needed to reply to her before speaking. "I did not… like what you were suggesting," he managed to admit, "but I understand why you were so insistent. I am not angry." He just… hoped she wasn't, either. It didn't seem anymore like she was, but he didn't enjoy not being completely certain.

"I don't want that to be what defines our relationship, whether we're together or not," Armaris murmured, a few tears slipping down her cheek. "We've both been through too much shit to lose anyone else that cares, especially you… You don't deserve everything that's coming at you as of late." Acting on a minor comforting instinct that chameleons sometimes displayed, Espio reached over without thinking and brushed away those few tears with his thumb. He stayed quiet as he pulled his hand back, wracking his mind for anything to say but coming up empty. Armaris paused briefly at this and looked up to him with wide eyes before it dawned on her how big of an action that was coming from Espio. She gave a soft smile before speaking again. "Do you want to finish what you were doing? I… I could head back, but I'd really like you to be with me."

He still didn't want to. But something about her demeanor convinced him to go along with the idea, regardless. "...No. We can go." He stood up as he spoke, ignoring the fact that he could practically feel his grandparents watching him from wherever they were. They would just have to wait until tomorrow. He would deal with them and their reactions to this then.

Armaris's smile grew as she stood with him, moving beside him and obviously debating on how close she could be to him without being a problem. "I'm really happy to see you… It's been rough without you the past couple of days."

Glancing away, Espio found himself saying something he rarely ever said. "I'm sorry."

"You're fine," Armaris answered. "That was a bad argument, for both of us. Time away was going to happen, given our personalities. I just don't want that to happen again, because… I hate being away from you." Unsure once again of what to say, Espio merely nodded and began walking.

It was an uneventful walk, the two of them deciding to be silent most of the way until they arrived back at the village. Armaris's tail curled lightly and she sighed. "I think that Rose woman wanted to talk to you about something. She seemed to think it was somewhat important."

"Speak about what?" Espio asked reluctantly.

Armaris shrugged. "Didn't ask. She was asking where you were before I came looking. Coming from someone like her… it might be worth your time."

Stifling a sigh, Espio relented. "Fine… I will speak with her." Spying his house, he gestured vaguely to it. "I will meet you back there, if you wish." Since he was back in the village now, it made sense to go home for a time… even if it did mean facing his parents. He still didn't feel ready for that, the instinctual drive to return to his children and actually spend time around them was getting increasingly difficult to ignore. He would need to return there for their sakes if nothing else.

Armaris smiled a little and nodded. "I'll be waiting for you, and I'll try to not fall asleep before you get back."

With a small answering nod, Espio simply teleported away to where he sensed Rose's energy. He reappeared, purely out of habit, in the branch of a tree as opposed to in the open on the ground. But, of course, he dropped back out of it a second later because he knew there was no danger here. Rose lifted her gaze from where she had been reading and stood herself up, brushing off with her dress with a free hand. "Hello, Espio. How have you been over the past couple of days?"

Rather than acknowledging the question, he cut right to the chase and said, "I was told you wished to speak with me."

Rose nodded gently, her natural smile fading somewhat. "I'm afraid I have some news, regarding some of the things I spoke with you about before. Do you know Marthal?"

"Yes," Espio answered. For the sake of encouraging the conversation to continue along quickly, he decided to be fairly forthcoming with information for now. "I knew him for many years, but we were not friends."

Rose nodded once more. "I spoke with him regarding some of the symptoms you display, whether by choice or not, and we both came to the conclusion that it is possible to diagnose you with something within the autism spectrum." She glanced down for a moment, as if pained her to be delivering this kind of news. "I had hoped it was not the case, but there are ways to diminish the effects it has on your day-to-day life."

Espio was quiet for a time before asking, "...Diminish it?" He knew of autism, but not what it entailed. He certainly didn't know enough about the disorder to understand the way it could possibly be impacting his own life. Everything was just… normal, so far as he knew.

"You have shown symptoms such as social anxiety, adversity to touch, as well as taste and textures with food. Aside from this, you also have evidence of self-injurious behaviors," Rose murmured this last part almost inaudibly, a deep frown on her face. "As well as some other things that are all concerning in their own right." She was quiet as she set down her book and looked directly at him. "I am not someone you know well or trust particularly among those that you consider allies, but I would like to offer my aid to make things easier for you so that what has become natural for you no longer has to afflict you subconsciously."

After another pause, this one lengthier than the last, Espio asked a new question. "What kind of aid, specifically?"

"I am only able to truly offer therapeutic aid," Rose admitted. "I could work with you to reduce the effect anxiety has on you, as well as helping you to work past the reactions you have to being touched." Once more, she grew a touch quiet, frowning. "I would also like to help you find other methods to handle stress than hurting yourself." Her eyes briefly traveled to his hands, frown growing. "That is the kind of aid I would give. Your family would be responsible for attempting to help with positively enforcing the therapy and being supportive, as they have been the moment I spoke with them on this." The cat shifted minutely, and her frown was replaced with a smile. "They care about you, far more than some families I have encountered when it comes to their own children. I know they will be there for you."

There weren't many things Espio could think to say about any of this, so he just nodded a little. Rose took a deep breath, having apparently spoken the entirety of her spiel at once. "If and only if you are willing to accept me as an acting therapist, I will do my absolute best to work with you. If I am not enough for you, and you or your family can find someone who is better for you to work with, that is fine as well. I simply wish to extend this offer to you as someone who cares about your health."

Espio was quiet again, debating heavily what to do, but in the end he surprised himself by saying, "I am willing to… try, I suppose."

Rose's smile grew and she gave a gentle nod. "As long as you are willing to try, that is all I ask. I can begin as soon as you are ready, but I feel that it should at least wait until tomorrow. Your family is waiting to see you, and Armaris hopes to be able to rest with you."

Accepting this with a second nod, Espio merely asked her, "Was there anything else?"

Rose shook her head. "Not as of now. I would simply like to wish you a good night, Espio. May your endeavors be fruitful."

Blinking slowly, Espio turned away and teleported straight back to his home. Stepping into the front room, he saw Zei happily chowing down on some fruits while sitting next to Aniko. Sako, meanwhile, was napping in Shei's arms, a mostly empty bottle of juice in the older chameleon's hand. Seeing Espio enter, both Shei and Zei looked over, but only the child spoke up. "You home!"

Aniko looked up to Espio briefly before a smile came across her face. The adorable display of happiness from Zei had lifted her spirits, but seeing her child come home was something else. "Espio… you're back."

Ducking his head a little on the off chance some reprimand were to come his way, Espio murmured a small, "Yes," as he crossed the room and claimed one of the seats. Zei immediately clambered into his lap, and he let her without hesitation.

The woman continued to smile and sat up straighter. "Are you doing okay?" she asked gently.

"Yes," Espio answered again. He plucked a peanut out of a small bowl on the table and ate it. Not that he needed the food, but peanuts had always been his favorite. He couldn't help eating them now that he had a chance to do so.

Her smile faded, but none of her happiness did. "I'm assuming Armaris found you. You two talked a bit, correct?"

"A little, yes," Espio confirmed simply, snagging a few more peanuts. When Zei quietly begged for them, however, he relinquished them to her without a second thought.

Aniko nodded gently and sighed. "She seemed to be feeling a lot better." The woman frowned for a moment and looked at Espio carefully before nodding once more. "You spoke to Rose. Are you going to let her try to help?"

"I said I was willing to try it," Espio answered. "That was all."

"That's really good to hear," Aniko said. "There's something that I want to talk to you about, and… well, it's a big deal to me."

That she wasn't speaking the same way she normally did immediately caught Espio's attention and made him wary, but he remained as respectful as ever when he asked, "Yes?"

Aniko closed her eyes briefly, only opening them when she began to speak. "I was briefly worried that your Darkness was turning you into what my parents had become. Something that was unspeakably awful. I will not lie and say that my faith didn't waver, because it did. Then, your father showed me something." She produced a stick of incense, lighting it with the shinobi trick that only their people could use. "This, and the importance it bears with our people and the loved ones we've lost." The woman carefully snuffed the flame out, sighing. Espio's gaze dropped to the floor. "It pains me to admit that I did not trust you, my son, for a short time, but I now have unwavering confidence that you can become more than my parents were and go beyond that which was our heritage."

Eyes still downcast, Espio found himself almost painfully asking her, "And if I fail to do so?" His voice was quiet, almost as if he could hardly bear to ask the question, much less seek an answer to it.

The female chameleon held back a soft sigh. "I believe you will not… but in the case that you were to do so, I will trust that you will not turn on your friends and family, as well as not become that which our adversaries wish for you to be."

Unexpectedly, Shei joined the conversation by first gaining Espio's attention with a small tap to the shoulder and then sighing, "No matter what ends up happening, Espio, our feelings toward you will never and can never change. We will love you until the end, and even then we will love you. It is the same promise we always made when you were small, and it is one we intend to keep yet still."

Aniko nodded, a small smile on her face. "It will never change," she agreed quietly

Espio was quiet for a long time before letting out a breath and giving a nod of his own. This was all… deeply relieving to hear. More so than he trusted himself to reliably say. All he could manage to get out was yet another admission for the day, this one being among the more heartfelt ones he had made so far. "I love you all, as well. And… I am sorry for worrying you so much."

This made Aniko choke up, the sheer weight of how big of a move this was coming from Espio hitting her all at once. "I love you so much, my son," she answered softly. Smiling a little behind his mask, Shei used his free arm to briefly hug Espio, which the younger chameleon accepted readily. "All I ask is that you keep yourself safe."

"I will," Espio promised quietly. At about the same time, Zei finished munching on her food and gave a hearty stretch before snuggling up to him and closing her eyes.

Aniko smiled softly and motioned to Espio's room. "Armaris is waiting for you. She's almost asleep, but you should probably join her and attempt to rest."

With a small nod, Espio stood. He was going to take Zei to the spare room to lay her down, but she immediately reached down to Aniko. "No, I no want bed. Want her."

The woman chuckled gently. "I'll take her," Aniko murmured, gently collecting the child from Espio and holding her close.

With a murmured response of gratitude, Espio turned on his heel and retreated to his own room. He shut the door quietly behind him, not wanting to disturb the cat who had apparently taken up residence in there. Moving along silently, he approached the bed and pulled the covers over her, knowing that the weather was preparing to turn bitterly cold again and, unlike him, she hated that. Her eyes briefly opened and she smiled blearily at him, shifting a little. "Lay down, dummy," she murmured.

Huffing, Espio crossed the room again and slipped his sheathed sword off, then leaned it against the wall. Only after doing that and taking off his shoes did he finally do as she'd directed and laid down on the free side of the bed. "Happy now?" he murmured back, closing his eyes even though he was far from tired. He didn't even need sleep, though he could still achieve it from time to time. He just didn't think today would be one of those days.

Without much thought into the action, Armaris moved closer and wrapped an arm around him, nuzzling his shoulder with her cheek and finally seeming content. "It's perfect," she answered, seeming to drift back off to sleep once more with her wishes now fulfilled.

Only once he was sure she was asleep did he finally drape an arm over her waist and allow himself to truly relax.

~保護者~

It was ten days into the peacetime. Shadow was laying on his bed, bored out of his mind but in too much pain to do too much to entertain himself. Most of his pain was from muscle stiffness and just the general pain associated with his wounds slowly knitting themselves back together. It probably could have been remedied with mild exercise like walking or something, but he just didn't feel up to it. Unless Toru fucking dragged him somewhere (which, at this point, Shadow was starting to suspect could become a regular thing), he wasn't getting up. At least in here he had a book to read… if he ever decided to sit up long enough to grab it.

Toru walked into the room and sat himself down beside Shadow without a second thought, leaning back with his hands behind his head. "I'm fucking bored."

"Good for you," Shadow huffed. Join the club.

"Your friends ever say you're an asshole?" Toru asked jokingly, snickering gently.

"If they have?" Shadow replied, rolling his eyes faintly.

Toru nodded. "So they have, then." The chameleon simply shrugged. "I want to do something and get out of this house for a bit."

"Like what?" Shadow answered, finally rolling over to face him. Though, moving was painful. "There is little to be done around here." Which, quite honestly, played into why he always immersed himself so deeply into his work. It wasn't like he had anything better to do.

The chameleon frowned for a moment and then sighed. "Usually if I've got nothing much else to do, I go swimming somewhere. Sometimes I'll go scour the world looking for somewhere new to swim that's nice." Toru paused, sighing again. "But you really don't like water, right?"

"It is rarely warm enough to be enjoyed," Shadow grumbled. Or, at least, they were in his experience. Not that he had ever tested much water in his life. Cold water, after all, was fucking painful.

"Ever been to a hot spring?" Toru questioned. Shadow admitted he hadn't with a single shake of his head. Suddenly, a grin appeared on Toru's face and he was on his feet. "We're gonna go to a hot spring. If you like water that's not cold, then hotter water should work perfectly."

Letting out a sigh of his own, Shadow dryly commented, "I assume you are only pretending to give me a choice in this matter."

Toru snapped his fingers and pointed with finger-guns. "Exactly."

"And you call me an asshole," Shadow huffed under his breath, moving to sit up.

"You are, but this is for the good of both of us," Toru answered with a wink.

Once he was up and certain that he would be able to remain standing despite the deep aching of his wounds, he questioned, "Where exactly are you planning to find a hot spring?"

"You'll see," Toru answered, walking over to Shadow and setting a hand on the other man's shoulder. "Can you still stand if we teleport?"

That earned another vaguely annoyed huff. "Yes."

The response to this came in Toru teleporting them both to a hot spring well away from Shadow's home, deep within the wilderness of the Highlands. Toru then smiled and walked ahead a bit, motioning for the hedgehog to follow him. "Come on, I know the best spot." There wasn't any point in continuing to pretend to argue and be against this idea, so Shadow just crossed his arms comfortably and followed after the chameleon. Soon enough, they'd both arrive at a large pool of well-heated water. Without any forethought, Toru leapt in.

Despite this energetic display, Shadow was (as ever) more reserved in his approach to this new situation. The visible steam rising off the water killed off any wariness he might have initially had toward the isolated body of water he found himself at, but he still didn't rush into it. Once he was in, however, he definitely noted that it began to immediately soothe a fair bit of his pain. Heat always had that comforting effect… a fact which he had his father to thank for, no doubt. "So this was not your worst idea," he admitted almost casually, just lightly pushing buttons because… well, because he could. And he was bored, too. So there was that.

Toru shrugged. "And it wasn't your worst choice to go with me, now was it?" he returned in kind, raising an eyebrow.

"Perhaps not," Shadow agreed after a pause, idly watching some leaves drift through the water in front of them. There was another brief silence before he asked, "Is water somehow significant to your people? Every chameleon I have ever met has seemed quite… fond of it."

"It's part of our lifestyle," Toru answered, shrugging. "We fish, swim, and so on. It's funny, though, because when me and Espio grew up, the only person in our village who didn't like it was Armaris. Come to find out, that's a stereotype thing with cats!" The chameleon laughed. "Oh, if only I'd known that when we were young."

"Dare I ask what you would have done with the knowledge?" Shadow inquired, quirking an eyebrow at him.

"Messed with her and attempted to not be choked to death or maimed. She was small, but certainly threatening," Toru snickered. "Back to the topic, though… It's just how we live. Since we go to the water for so much, our people developed a fondness for it."

That made sense. It was a bit of a foreign concept to him since his family was so adverse to the element in question, but for these people… it was perfectly reasonable. "Aside from other chameleons, I have not met many people with such a fondness," Shadow said, sort of halfway admitting to the fact that this whole concept was somewhat strange to him. "It is not common amongst the people I typically interact with."

Toru nodded slowly, seeming to understand what was being said. "Yeah, I've seen that trait in others. I suppose it's reasonable that not everyone likes the water, but my people in general do. That's all I know for sure," the chameleon admitted in return. Shadow returned Toru's nod with one of his own and lapsed into silence. He wasn't sure what else to do with himself, so he just sat down on a stone beneath the water, keeping his shoulders and head clear and idly watching the steam. "So, do you enjoy this enough?"

There was nothing really wrong with this activity, Shadow supposed, though he didn't quite see how it could cure Toru's apparently immense boredom from minutes before. "It is fine," he answered.

The chameleon moved over to sit by Shadow, a smile on his face. "I'm glad you think so. So… for a later note, do you know what temperature water needs to be so you can feel comfortable?"

This question was unexpected, and Shadow actually had to stop and think for a second before he could answer. "No. I have never paid that much attention to it. It was always simpler to avoid water in its entirety, aside from in certain regions where it is always warm."

"Well… while you're recovering, I was thinking that it might be possible to get you back to being active by having you do things like swimming," Toru said, a smile on his face.

Well, that was a small problem. Shadow debated trying to steer the conversation away or even simply ignoring what had been said, but if he had learned anything so far about interacting with Toru it was that such tactics simply wouldn't fly. So, very begrudgingly, he made an admission. Albeit, in a roundabout way. "I have never had cause to learn how to," he grumbled.

"And you realize that I do know, so I could teach you," Toru answered immediately. "I think it's a great opportunity."

Not wanting to just accept help over something so childish (or at least seemingly childish), Shadow muttered a simple reply of, "You do not need to."

Toru raised an eyebrow. "You realize I want to, right?"

"Why?" Shadow found himself asking.

"I already like the water, so you liking it as well would give us both something to enjoy together," Toru explained easily. "Not to mention, it's a perfect opportunity to get you out of the house with an excuse that will get Tails to leave you be."

There… wasn't much arguing that could be done against this. It was true that Tails wanted Shadow to mostly rest, but he also wanted Shadow to get small bits of exercise in here and there. He himself had tentatively recommended swimming just once - not that Shadow had entertained the idea at the time. He debated the merits of refusing the idea a second time here and now, but the more he thought about it the less opposed to it he came to realize he actually was. Eventually, with a long suffering sigh, he relented and said a simple, "...Fine."

Toru smiled before suddenly pulling himself out of the water. He'd sensed someone nearby, but it wasn't something concerning enough that he'd wanted to interrupt his conversation. "Good, now, come with me. Someone's here." The prospect of moving around again already wasn't terribly pleasant, but there was no point in saying that. Shadow simply stood and did as Toru had requested.

Within a few seconds, Aniko was standing before them with a face that troubled Toru greatly. "I need your help with something."

A frown appeared on Toru's face before he spoke. "What's going on?"

"Something's happening with Espio. He's spending unusually long amounts of time in the woods without explaining anything. On top of that, his Darkness being more active, yet he's exerting more control over it," Aniko explained quickly. Shadow was immediately frowning, but he opted to remain silent. It wasn't his place to speak up, and he knew interrupting could be seen as highly disrespectful. It was best not to do such a thing.

Toru didn't like hearing this, a deep frown on his face. Is he somehow getting training? The only people that should be able to do that wouldn't have him do it in secret. They'd have said something to Aniko. "I'll see what I can find out. This doesn't sound… good," Toru murmured, crossing his arms.

Aniko sighed softly. "I tried talking to him, but he just won't say anything. I'm worried."

There was no immediate verbal response, the weight of this admission hitting Toru enough to spur him into action. "Shadow, do you want to come with me or go back to the house? I'm not leaving you in the middle of nowhere."

The hedgehog thought over this quickly, then turned his attention to Aniko. "I may be able to get him to speak with me, if you will allow me to attempt it."

There was a quick nod. "If you think you can get him to talk about it, I give you full permission to make the attempt," she said.

Toru nodded. "Aniko, we'll meet you back at the village. We need to collect our equipment, just in case." To this, Aniko teleported away without a word while the male chameleon turned to Shadow. "You sure about this?"

Shadow's eyes glowed with the telltale sign of him performing some sort of scan as he slowly looked around the area. "Yes," he answered distractedly. "He and I have been… friends, I suppose, for many years. There are things he has admitted to telling me but not others. There is a chance I may get something out of him." A few seconds later, his eyes locked onto a certain direction. That way… and he is not alone. ...Three people?

Toru frowned visibly when he watched Shadow, teleporting their weapons to them and collecting his own. "What did you find?"

Still scanning for any other information he could glean from such a large distance, Shadow answered, "He is with two others. I do not know who they are, but their energy readings are nonexistent. They are hiding their auras and the like, as he does. I only found them because of their heartbeats."

"Let's try to go talk to him, then," Toru answered, stretching lightly. "If they bolt, we know something's up. If they don't leave, we can question them. Win-win."

The glow left Shadow's eyes and he nodded, already walking that direction. The trio of chameleons he had located was far away, but not so far that they couldn't be reached on foot in fairly short order if he and Toru kept up a decent pace. And pain be damned, he was going to do it. Ignoring said pain was so much easier when he had something legitimate to distract himself from it, anyway. "Perhaps leave you weapons sheathed, at least initially," he told Toru. "If we can manage not to irritate Espio in spite of how volatile he has been as of late, it will be easier to speak with him and potentially get some answers."

Toru nodded. "I wouldn't draw my weapons unless I had to," he answered easily. "I'll let you do the talking, since you seem confident."

"I will leave the others to you, should they choose to remain put," Shadow replied. He was in no condition to be confronting anyone, even if he for whatever reason had wanted to.

"Of course," Toru responded. In due time, they reached the scene, arriving just in time to see Espio calmly sheathing his sword. As Shadow had honestly expected, the other two individuals were long gone by now. That was… beyond suspicious. Toru waved nonchalantly to Espio, a smile on his face. "Yo, what's up?"

Not at all fazed by their sudden arrival, it seemed, Espio turned to face Shadow and Toru with a reply of, "I should be asking you that."

"We were actually close by, at a hot spring," Toru answered, looking over his shoulder to point in the direction they'd come from. "We were relaxing when we realized you were close by. I was coming to see what you were doing, but I guess you were training, right?"

The other chameleon fixed Toru with a bland look. "You were not that close by," he remarked. His statement didn't surprise Shadow at all. Of course he was aware of his surroundings enough to know where other people in the area were.

"Well, it was Shadow's scans," Toru answered. "I guess his scans work better than our senses sometimes, eh? Somehow managed to find you of all people from that kind of distance."

At that point, Espio fixed his old friend with a bland look. "I believe I once asked you not to do that."

"Except for such times when I deem it necessary," Shadow corrected easily. "You did agree to that much, as I recall." Espio just huffed at him and looked away.

Toru shrugged. "I'll leave you two to talk, I guess. I think he's got more to say than me," the onyx chameleon said while pointing to Shadow. With this said, he began walking a distance away so he would be out of earshot.

Once the other shinobi was away, Espio returned his attention to Shadow. "Why, specifically, did you deem it necessary to search for me?" he asked pointedly.

"I received word that you have been secretive with others to a concerning degree about your activities," Shadow answered with a one-shouldered shrug. "Care to explain that?"

Espio crossed his arms and looked away again, mulling over some things before doing the unexpected and just… giving in. "I have not spoke with my parents or with Armaris," he revealed, "because it would only upset them and sow the seeds for further distrust."

Shadow… didn't like where this was going. "Explain," he prompted, rather than demanded.

"Training is necessary to control this," Espio muttered. Though he didn't elaborate, Shadow knew exactly what he was referring to. "Training with Ylden did little to help. I cannot and will not ask my parents to subject themselves to their own Darkness in order to handle mine. An opportunity arose to handle it on my own, and I took it."

"That is dangerous," Shadow muttered, frowning.

"I am aware of that," Espio returned, just as unhappy as Shadow suddenly was.

There was a brief silence, then Shadow asked a new question. "Those people… who are they?"

At this, Espio shrugged. "They claim to be mother's parents, but aside from their similar energies and appearances I have seen no proof. Nor do I care enough to find any."

The hedgehog ran this over in his mind a few times. "They most likely wish to use you… if they are anything at all like she was."

"They are," Espio confirmed, a touch of dark anger entering his tone. However, he quickly forced it away. "And I am aware of that possibility. I am being careful, Shadow. I am capable of handling myself, contrary to popular belief as of late."

Shadow let out a sigh. "I know that. People merely worry for you."

"I know."

In the ensuing silence, Shadow was forced to take a seat to alleviate some of his pain. Eventually, this prompted Espio to do the same. A minute or two paused, then Shadow sighed again. "Your mother will wish to know this. Toru as well."

Espio frowned again. "Mother cannot know now. She will interfere."

"She may not," Shadow reasoned. When Espio didn't immediately reply, Shadow tried again. "You think she does not trust you?"

This time, Espio genuinely hesitated before speaking. "She says she does," he hedged.

Shadow understood. He does not know if her words are genuine… perhaps due to his own fears. "Your mother does not seem to be the sort to distrust her family," he murmured. "And even if she ever did, would she not move past it quickly?" More hesitation, followed by a tentative nod. Shadow decided to take a risk and offer, "Someone can aid you in speaking with her about all of this, if that is what you need."

"If you need someone to help with that, I'm absolutely all for it," Toru answered, walking back over before pausing mid-step. "Oh, wait, do I need to step away again? Don't wanna intrude if this is deeply personal."

Honestly, Toru had waited longer than Shadow had expected he would before popping his head back in (figuratively speaking), so he wasn't surprised to see him back here. Espio didn't seem to be, either, and he huffed softly. "You can stay," he invited with a very quick and almost-too-easily-missed roll of his eyes.

Toru walked over and sat down with them, a small smile on his face. "Your mother was one of the few adults I really respected besides my own dad. She demanded respect but never forced it and always gave people their fair chance. You've done nothing that would warrant her turning her back on you, and she would absolutely never stop trusting and loving you." The onyx chameleon smiled a bit more. "I would be more than happy to help you talk to her, so that you can see the same thing."

With their continued insistence and reassurances, Espio eventually gave in and allowed himself to be herded back to the village. Shadow mostly stayed out of the ensuing conversation once they reached Espio's home, allowing his chameleon companions to do all the talking. With Toru's help, Espio did surprisingly well trying to explain himself and even when it came to the part about openly admitting his concerns and even fears. It was a huge deal. Shadow knew it, and he strongly believed Espio's family knew it also. The fact that things went so well certainly laid the groundwork for Espio being able to more easily and readily have such conversations in the future. For the sake of his friend, Shadow was deeply pleased.

Once he was sure things were alright and Espio was no longer hiding any potent concerns within him, Shadow slipped outside and onto the porch, eager to escape the small crowd and get some fresh air again. As cooped up as he often was, he did greatly prefer being outdoors most of the time. All the more reason to sit outside a bit before he was forced to go home again and lay back down.

Whether or not Shadow immediately realized it in his maneuver to get away from the group of chameleons, Rose was nearby to where he was heading and quickly stood up upon sensing him. The cat was fast to walk along to meet him, questions almost obviously burning within her eyes. "Oh, Shadow. I'm pleased to see that you're capable of walking around."

Glancing at the cat, Shadow debated very briefly on whether or not to try and avoid talking to her. In the end, however, he decided that this woman was one he could let his guard down around. He didn't need to be so wary of her. Anyone who reminded him so vividly of his own adoptive mother couldn't be in any way sinister. It just didn't feel possible… though maybe that was an illogical assumption. "Somewhat capable," he admitted, looking away again.

Rose frowned softly, a bit disappointed for some reason. "I wish that I could have safely healed your injuries. The concern was that me attempting to heal you would only cause worse injuries due to your Darkness." She sighed gently to herself. "Nonetheless, it is good to see that your wounds are healing on their own. Are they causing you any problems?"

Just to be certain, Shadow performed a very quick scan on himself before answering. "Everything is healing normally," he reported simply. Certainly, it was taking him longer to heal than he was used to, but in all fairness... most people wouldn't have survived to begin with. So he chose not to complain too much. He also chose not to mention the pain, since he doubted much could be done about that. Especially considering the fact that he didn't like the idea of taking any medicine for… various reasons.

"Are you experiencing any unusual pain as a result of the injuries?" Rose questioned, as if she'd somehow understood what he was thinking. "There is the possibility of treating that to make your recovery more pleasant."

"I am aware, but it is generally unsafe," Shadow answered her. "I will not take the risk."

Rose frowned briefly, tilting her head. "May I ask your reasoning for this? I am simply curious as to what you are thinking about."

After a lengthy pause, Shadow let out a sigh. "The kind of medicine that would be required would need to be strong," he told her. Then, doing his best to speak objectively without letting himself get upset, he continued, "Those sorts of medicines are dangerous in the hands of people with a past history of addiction." He hated admitting to this, especially indirectly admitting to the fact that his addictions in the past had eventually not just been limited to Zero, but there was nothing that could be done to take back the words now.

It took Rose a moment to really react, and when she did it was in the form of a simple nod. "I understand. If there is anything else I can help with, however, I would be far from displeased to do so. You need only find me, and I will remain here unless my attention is necessary elsewhere," she answered, a gentle smile. "Be safe, and enjoy your time with Toru. He cares much for you."

Shadow mumbled some sort of a reply and leaned back against a wall. What she had just said succeeded in utterly derailing his previous train of thought, once again leaving him to contemplate how strange things with Toru were. Strange and very fast-moving in some areas, but not in any way unpleasant so far. Whether or not that equated to good, though, he had no idea. Not thinking about it was much easier. Why must things always be complicated?

Rose watched him for a moment before settling herself down nearby him. "If you have questions on what to do in that respect as well, I would not mind giving advice. However, I'm sure you'd be far more comfortable approaching your own brother about something of this magnitude, given his experience and closeness to you."

"Hardly," Shadow found himself immediately retorting. "He is as clueless as he is blind in regards to love and anything remotely related to it." The idea that love of all things was involved (or potentially starting to be involved) in his own personal situation struck him a second or two later and he promptly shut up again.

"Well, perhaps you might be better off approaching me for advice then, if that is the case," Rose said idly, opening her book. "Oh, and do send Tails if he has questions. I have a keen feeling that it might be possible soon that he needs aid as well."

The hedgehog was silent for a long while (or at least it felt that way) before very hesitantly and almost warily daring to ask, "...What kind of advice?"

"Dating," Rose answered, flipping a page and continuing to read. "Or courting, in chameleon terms. I am not unfamiliar, as I am in a relationship of my own. Even if I had no experience, people are one of the things I have an immense amount of experience in. I understand what certain actions mean for certain people."

After another pause, Shadow decided to do something normally out of character and sort of halfway invited her to say more. He was… curious, if nothing else. "Explain."

"Toru is a free spirit, especially considering much of his race. As such, he often acts suddenly and decides his own opinions whether or not others agree, correct?" Rose asked Shadow, turning her attention more fully to him. Based on his own limited experiences with the man, Shadow could only agree. He nodded a little. "On the other side is you, someone who is more closed off and a touch more likely to form their opinions in a similar manner but with more rigidity. You do not lead, and neither does he. It's left to chance in regards to who decides to call the shots." She smiled gently. "Do not be afraid to take the lead from him every now and then and experiment. You will find that he will not be disappointed with your actions or your efforts… and simply let things be how they will. The two of you will decide together when it is right to move forward."

Taking the lead was strangely concerning, to put it mildly, so Shadow refused to entertain the idea. The more he thought about it, the more wary it made him. Better to focus on other things, he decided. Only, he wasn't sure what to think about everything else she had said. Truth be told, he hadn't given much thought to this overall. Whatever… this was. He had found himself just letting Toru do whatever and take him along, and just being strangely content with that. But beyond this, he had no idea what to make of Rose's suggestions. Not at all.

She decided to speak again, simply smiling yet still. "Your insecurity in this is to be expected. You have a… bothered past with romance, so it is logical to have doubts. Do not do anything if the thought inherently leaves you panicked, as I am sure you know. If it feels comfortable, it is not a bad idea since you're with Toru. Take things as slow as you feel is necessary," Rose said gently. "And if you're still unsure, talk to him. He is very reasonable."

Everything to do with this was potentially panic-inducing, as difficult as that was to admit to even just himself. He didn't like that she somehow knew that. Was it truly that obvious, in spite of his efforts to keep it under wraps? And the idea of speaking about it openly with Toru… No, he couldn't do that. It wasn't going to happen. "...How are you able to infer so much?" he eventually found himself asking.

"I will ask a question in return, if I may," she responded, turning herself to face him. "When speaking to another being of Light, one you certainly know, how does she act? Does she seem to understand the things that are not certain? Is she capable of comprehending the complexities of others and using that understanding to help them?"

Stifling his frustration at the subject change because he understood that it was related, Shadow answered, "Yes."

"I am far from different from her, as you seem to have noticed," Rose said simply. "Considering the consistency with which you examine everything else including yourself. You have not done so with me, outside of seeming to understand that I pose no threat to you."

Around this time, it appeared that Toru was coming to save him (albeit unknowingly), the chameleon walking over and smiling to Shadow. "We can get going now, if you'd like." His gaze shifted to Rose and he frowned. "Oh, were you guys talking about something?"

Rose nodded. "It is nothing of great importance. If he wishes to discuss the details, he can do so when the two of you are alone, away from potential prying ears and eyes." Her eyes shifted almost imperceptibly, seeming to motion to a barrier that had once been there but was now fading away. "I am here if needed, as always."

Shadow understood the implications and nodded just as subtly as he moved to stand. Eager for the distraction from his own emotions, he asked Toru, "Things remained well inside, I assume?" He hadn't exactly been listening, after all.

Toru nodded easily. "Yeah. He's doing better now that they've gotten to directly tell him that they trust him and all. It shouldn't be too bad from here, but I'll be ready if they need me."

"That is good," Shadow replied, bracing himself on the wall a little with a hand. "It is something he needed to hear."

Rose suddenly spoke once more, turning her attention to Toru. "I would like to extend an offer I made earlier to Shadow, but I believe you would gain better insight from an old ally of his by the name of Marthal. He knows a lot about people, so I believe that would be a good way for you to get acquainted with the others."

Toru blinked at how sudden this came but simply nodded. "I'll keep that in mind. Thanks."

"As always, you are very welcome," Rose answered before returning her attention to her book.

"Before we get the hell out of here, I have one stop to make, and I think you should go with me," Toru said to Shadow.

His pain was suddenly becoming exhausting. Despite how eager he had been to remain outside minutes before, Shadow suddenly wanted to go back to bed. Just once more reason to hate the condition he was in. "What sort of stop?" he sighed.

"A short one, to collect someone important," Toru answered, holding out his hand to Shadow. "As soon as I do that, we can leave."

Shadow hesitated to accept the hand, but very slowly found himself doing so regardless. As he did so, he asked, "Who, exactly?"

Toru teleported them both away and quickly disappeared inside a home. No more than a few seconds passed and he reappeared, a young purple chameleon in his arms. "My sister. Half-sister, to be exact."

Now that was surprising. Chameleon siblings were exceptionally rare. Half-siblings were just as much so. "Sister?" Shadow found himself repeating… like the tired idiot he had apparently become.

The male chameleon nodded softly. "Yeah, my mom wasn't that great of a person, but I made sure the child she had after dad died turned into someone far better."

She seemed to choose this time to speak, lightly pointing to Shadow as she looked to Toru. "What's that?" the girl asked in a soft, innocent voice.

"Not what, who," Toru corrected gently. "I'll explain everything later, but for now we're gonna go somewhere. When we arrive, don't touch anything and just sit down for the time being, okay?" The girl nodded softly and Toru walked closer to Shadow again. "Let's go."

Toru hadn't exactly asked if this was okay, but ultimately it was. As much as children (his own child included) tended to exhaust him, he had nothing against them. Toru bringing his kid sister over wasn't a bit deal, and certainly not a big enough deal for Shadow to kick up a fuss about it. So instead, he nodded. "Alright." Toru was quick to teleport the three of them away without hesitation.

They arrived back at Shadow's house without difficulty, aided by the fact that Shadow had temporarily disabled all his security systems just before Toru teleported them. Shadow led the way inside, then briefly considered a few various options before saying, "She is welcome to use the television if she needs entertainment. Otherwise, I may still have some of my daughter's old toys somewhere."

The chameleon sighed softly and turned the TV on after finding the remote, gently grabbing Shadow and pulling him into the hedgehog's room. "I had to bring her here because of what I did to our mother. I won't leave her in that village without any family around," he said suddenly, a deep frown on his face. "I'm sorry for doing it all of a sudden."

"Don't be," Shadow answered with a small shake of his head. "I understand."

Toru leaned up against the wall and held his face in his hands. "I felt nothing for killing her until I realized it left Myriu without any family. All of a sudden I felt like shit." Shadow didn't know what to say, had no words of comfort to offer. Really, all that he could do was nod to indicate that he was listening, if nothing else. He also sat down on the edge of the bed because he just needed to right now. Toru turned his attention back to Shadow, letting his hands fall to his sides. "Look, I know you won't, but please don't tell her what happened. I need to do that for myself and explain why I did it. I can trust you with that, right?"

"I had no intention of speaking with her about it," Shadow assured him. "It is not my place to do so, nor is it any of my business."

It was sudden, but Toru hugged Shadow and took a deep breath. "Thank you…" Though caught off guard and more than a teeny-tiny bit nervous, Shadow eventually (and awkwardly) returned the hug loosely with one arm. Once they separated, he was directed to lay the fuck down and go the hell to sleep, and he didn't complain. Sleep was a welcome distraction... from more than one thing now.

~保護者~

Twelve days had passed since everyone had been informed of their two months of peace. Jet sat in a chair beside a window deep within the palace, gazing off into the sky but not really paying it any true attention. He was far too distracted by what was taking place in his head. Everything felt like it had in that… dream he had had, in that it only felt half real. He still wasn't entirely sure if that dream had been just that or if it had, in fact, been something much worse. Had his painful emotions truly been manipulated so much that he had allowed the Void's energies into him? That he couldn't be certain was deeply troubling.

Regardless of what may or may not have happened then, the Void held his attention now for a different reason entirely. Because, once again, it was talking to him. As ever, he was only half-listening to what it said. He would have ignored it entirely, had that been possible. Except it wasn't. Actually, he often felt compelled to grant it some of his focus, even if he didn't take heed to the entity's dark words. And there was an entity hidden deep within the vast recesses of the Void's realm. He knew there was. He could feel it.

That entity, whatever it truly was, whispered almost as though leaning into his ear, "The understanding of non-existence itself… is a profound wisdom uttered in the cold blackness between stars. It fascinates you as well… does it not?"

Eyes idly following the passage of a thick, fluffy cloud high above one of the courtyards outside, Jet blandly replied, "You have no idea what you are speaking of."

"On the contrary… I know nearly everything that is necessary to know. For one thing… I know that you doubt our connection. Our bond, I can assure you, is real. It is one of the most real and potent things in this damaged existence." Jet could feel it as this unseen entity moved around behind him, passing from his left side to his right. It provoked these tiny chills throughout his body that he strove to suppress. "You sense my movements when I am near you. You hear my voice when others cannot. You feel my breath when I speak. And now… now you share in everything that I can do. Tell me, what good does your denial serve you?"

Blinking slowly, Jet answered, "I am not in denial. But that does not mean that I will serve you."

"That was never my intention. In fact… I exist to follow the one who possesses the strength to control me. The one with the power and the will to carry out our shared desires." Once again, Jet could feel it on his every nerve ending as the owner of this voice moved unseen back to his left side. This time, he managed not to shiver, though it was difficult. He had grown slightly more used to this presence over the past week or so, but not enough to be unbothered by things such as this. "I seek destruction," the Void told him frankly. "It is what I exist for. To destroy everything, especially those who have wronged you… it is an idea that tempts you as well. You are, after all, full of love. But allowing those you love to remain alive to suffer through such a wretched and broken reality… that will not do."

It occured to Jet that the Void was trying a different tactic to get through to him. He resolved to ignore this, but soon it didn't matter regardless. A hand on his shoulder pulled him free of his thoughts and caused the presence at his side to shift into a different position again. He could feel its animosity, its hostility, but he paid it little mind for the moment as he slid his gaze from the world outside to the face of his mother. She looked down at him, aura awash with concern, and murmured, "You have been staring off into space again. This has been happening a lot lately." Her head tilted slightly. "Are you alright?"

Jet blinked once, then simply stood up. "I'm fine." With this blank, emotionless reply, he turned and walked out of the room.

After he was gone, Alana slowly lowered her hand and sighed to herself. She couldn't decide at first whether or not to go after him, but instead she returned to where she had left her husband, father, and grandson. Wave had been with them earlier, but she had left for a short time to check on her own family elsewhere. That had left just the boys and Alana in a sitting room, where they had been talking and whatnot for the past couple of hours.

Alana herself had been away for roughly half an hour, searching for Jet. Now that she had located him and seen for herself what he was up to (seemingly nothing, overall), she was quick to return to the sitting room. Once in there, she was mildly surprised to see that everyone except her husband had completely fallen asleep. Her father had dozed off on one of the couches with a softly snoring Azerel draped over his legs. Lucas had curled himself up with the two of them at some point and was apparently also fast asleep.

Oh, how she wished she had a camera.

Crossing the room to where Sein was seated, she whispered, "How in the world did this happen?"

Sein shrugged easily, a smile on his face. "Not a clue, but I'm not about to disturb it."

"This is something I never did think I would ever see," Alana admitted, her troubles very temporarily forgotten.

Another shrug from the only male hawk still awake in the room. "Same here, honestly."

She moved to sit down beside him. Some of the brighter elements to her mood faded as she did so. "I believe that Jet is not as unaffected by what happened with Astra as he would like us to believe," she abruptly told him. "He has spaced out at least twice more today, and he has resumed not showing any emotion - even within his aura. Something is wrong."

"I wouldn't be surprised," Sein admitted quietly. "From what I could tell, she seriously hurt him throughout all of the procession of her taking control. He collapsed from migraine-like pain more than once."

Alana nodded once. "Him isolating himself as much as he has is not helping him at all," she murmured. "Perhaps it would do him some good to return to Mobius for a time to see his friends, provided we can ensure that it is away from wherever he sent Astra."

Sein leaned back quietly, a thoughtful frown on his face. "He's not heartless, so we know she's somewhere safe. Do we have a way to contact his friends to ask if they've seen her?"

"Wave has her communication device," Alana answered. "Perhaps we could borrow that for a moment."

"That could work. If they've seen her, they likely know where she is. Otherwise, we may have to conduct our own search to figure out where she's at."

"If you do not mind keeping an eye on these three slumbering folks, I will fetch Wave," Alana told him, smiling faintly as she moved to stand again.

Sein smiled easily, chuckling. "It'd be my pleasure."

Leaning down briefly, she gave him a kiss on the head and then was on her way.

~保護者~

11,104 words this time. Many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help and support. Posted (at about 7:50 p.m.) 08-05-20.