Disclaimer: I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this series of interactions… especially for the one who has a second chance, if only they will take it.

~保護者~

"Chances"

~保護者~

Sonic yawned drowsily. He didn't know when he'd fallen asleep or even necessarily how. What he did know was that he had to stop sleeping in awkward positions - he was sure his neck would thank him. His back, too. And sitting cross-legged with his back against an ulta-powerful barrier certainly was an awkward position for one to assume for sleep. Certainly the worst one he'd found himself in since he was revived. I haven't slept in a bad position like this since… God, not since the Nocturnian War, huh? That was the last time we were really forced to camp out and crap constantly.

At least he wasn't the only one to fall victim to the need for sleep, however. More importantly, he wasn't the only one to have fallen asleep sitting here. Blinking his eyes open, he turned his head to see Jet still sitting by his side. They had been talking a bit earlier, but had eventually drifted off into silence as they'd watched the stars. It must have been sometime around then that they'd fallen asleep.

According to his communicator, it was close to ten in the morning. Looking around, he saw that Silver and Blaze were already up and munching on some berries (most likely taken from a nearby bush Silver had been eyeing before going to bed) while talking amongst themselves. The two of them had come up to sit here with Sonic the day before, two days after Rose had taken off. Sein, meanwhile, was dozing off to the side, apparently having been awake for a bit earlier.

A quick look through the translucent barrier showed him that Kaden was still awake. He was pretty sure his father hadn't slept a wink since being captured. Truth be told, he wasn't surprised by that fact. As far as Kaden was concerned, he was trapped in enemy territory and was far from safe. Why would he risk making himself even more vulnerable by sleeping? It just wasn't something he'd do, demonic or not.

What he had done several days ago was utterly melt all the ground within his confined space. Sonic could hardly fault him for it. The Highlands were cold. He and his father were creatures who thrived in heat. Heat that the molten lava Kaden was somehow seated atop of was no doubt putting out in spades. Not that anyone out here could feel it. If we could, Jet probably wouldn't come within miles of this place, given the choice.

That thought brought him back to reality a bit. Sighing to himself, he reached over and shook his friend's shoulder. "Hey, we should probably get up."

It came as no surprise that Jet was fully awake the instant he was shaken. He looked around for a second, not unlike Sonic had done, and frowned. "...What time is it?" he soon asked.

Sonic checked again. "About ten. Close enough, anyway. Guess we crashed pretty hard."

"Evidently," Jet murmured, sitting up. He fixed his cloak, which had shifted a bit during the night, before standing. He brushed himself off a bit. "You should eat something."

"So should you," Sonic pointed out easily, yawning again. He stretched, nearly yawned again, then also stood up. "I'm more worried about you eating than me."

Jet indulged in his own stretch, putting his arms up high in the process. "M'not hungry," he grumbled as he did so."

Unimpressed by this statement, Sonic gave Jet a sharp poke in the side. Jet immediately dropped his arms and smacked Sonic's hand away, resulting in them both frowning disapprovingly at one another. "Look, I wasn't going to say anything since it seems like Wave's been working on handling it, but she's not here right now. That means I'm in charge of your ass when it comes to things like this."

"I don't-"

"Not finished." Jet closed his mouth, still frowning. Sonic continued. "Like she's constantly saying, you don't eat enough. I know Immortals eventually gain the power of self-sustenance once they're strong enough, but you aren't there yet. The fact that you still have to sleep sometimes is proof enough of that, since it would also be taken care of through that power. You may be at the point where you don't have to take care of these basic needs as often as most people, but you do still have those needs."

"I'm not hungry," Jet repeated, looking away. He sounded decidedly more sullen now.

"If that's true, then it's only because you're unhealthy," Sonic insisted, stressing the word heavily. "You're getting thin, Jet. It's not as bad as it was when we were kids, but it still isn't good. I know you've had a war and everyone involved in it pulling your attention in a million different directions for who even knows how long at this point, but you still have to take care of yourself, too."

Amazingly, Jet stopped arguing. He didn't, however, totally agree with Sonic, either. "...I will eat later," he finally said.

That would have to be enough for now. Sonic allowed his gaze to shift over to the barriers and the man within. After a pause, he admitted, "I still can't believe you guys pulled this off," he admitted quietly. "It's just… insane to think it was even possible."

When Jet looked over, his expression was decidedly more critical… and exhausted. "It was always possible," he murmured, "provided there were any other Immortals willing to help. That was lacking before."

Titling his head slightly, Sonic nudged his friend's arm. "What's with the look? Something wrong?"

There was a small pause, but eventually Jet relented. "We couldn't have constructed this before the fight, given how much energy it required from us. But that meant we were required to act as quickly as possible. In our haste, we were unable to perfect the trap."

Although his stomach tried to drop, Sonic was careful to keep it together for the moment. At least until he knew what Jet meant. "Care to explain?"

He was pretty sure that Jet sighed. "No demon, demonic energy, or demonic object can pass through the barriers. That much is true. But because we had to expend all of our energy ensuring that, we didn't have the energy to make the barriers impassable by anything else. It's how we've been able to put food in there for him, for the good that's done."

Understanding dawned. Sonic tossed a sharp glance back at his father, then from Sein back to Jet. No wonder you've been refusing to leave… As much as this trap protects the rest of us, it leaves him vulnerable. Feeling his ears go back a bit, he asked, "So if, say, Malevolence decided to try to attack him… it could."

Jet nodded slowly. "It's going to take time for us to be able to mend that flaw. Until then, he has to be watched over, for his own sake." Kaden looked decidedly more displeased than before, suddenly. His previously subtle scowl as he sat thinking with his eyes closed was now more visible than before.

"...I guess it's a good thing that we're sticking around, then," Sonic murmured, trying to keep the mood light.

Rather than replying to that, Jet abruptly changed the subject. "Do you recall that music box I gave to you?"

Immediately, Sonic was confused. "...That… Wait, that really happened? I thought it was all… I dunno, in my head or something.

"It happened," Jet assured easily. Sonic must have looked unconvinced, because the hawk insisted, "Call it to you, if you don't believe me. It's no different than summoning your sword."

Despite feeling a bit dubious about the whole thing, Sonic did what he was told. In an instant, there it was. The unassuming wooden music box that seemingly so long ago he'd learned would only play when Kaden's life was in danger. Still wish I understood why, he idly thought.

"Keep it with you for now," Jet told him, moving to sit back down with his back against the barrier. "Think of it as an early warning system, if you will. It will know when and if danger immense is coming his way before we do."

Sonic pursed his lips together. "Yeah… okay. Got it." He started to turn away from the barrier and his friend, intent on walking over to Silver and Blaze, but stopped abruptly. Only just now did he realize that his father's eyes were cracked open, and they were locked on the box in Sonic's hand. Sonic felt himself freeze at the sight, but it lasted for only that immensely brief moment before Kaden almost seemed to silently scoff to himself. Those eyes closed, and Sonic gradually forced his stiff muscles to relax.

It seemed it was a good timing on his part, too, because Silver was calling out a farewell. "We'll see you later, Dad! Blaze and I are gonna go see Mom and the others for a bit."

Turning to them, Sonic offered as much of a smile as he could muster. "Okay. Tell them I said 'hi'."

"Got it!" With that, the pair vanished, making use of the teleporter Tails had lent them in light of Silver's lost powers.

Sein suddenly plopped down by Sonic and Jet, a smile on his face. "Seems like you two are awake and all. What's up?"

Though Jet jumped a little, he recovered quickly. Still, Sonic decided to give him an extra moment to recover, regardless, by speaking first. "Nothing much, I guess," he said, deliberately turning away from the barriers for his own sake.

"Fair enough," Sein said gently. "So, you two are close and all, yeah? How'd you two get to that point?"

The question made the pair blink and they traded a look. Sonic turned his attention back to Sein. "Would… you believe that it started with a stupid as hell argument the moment we first laid eyes on each other?"

The older hawk snickered. "You gotta tell me about it now."

Jet decided to speak up. "That board I showed you, the Extreme Gear… he was working on inventing the first one. I argued with him about what it was and whether or not it would actually fly."

"And then we argued about what I should name the thing," Sonic recounted with a small chuckle. "I don't even remember anymore which one of us suggested the name we stuck with, honestly."

Sein grinned at them. "I had a bit of a thing like that with Li. It was mostly about whether he could make a sword that was perfect for me. One piece of advice, don't mess with a blacksmith. They know what they're doing, especially when you don't."

"Trust me, we know," Sonic answered, managing a small answering smile. "My dad, he… he used to make weapons, too. And Jet, you make weapons these days, too, right?"

Though he shrugged, Jet said, "At times."

"Show me something you've made?" Sein asked, tilting his head briefly. "I'm curious."

After giving a slow nod, Jet stood up and teleported away. A moment or two later, he returned with a sheathed sword in hand. Reclaiming his seat, he handed the weapon over for Sein to see. It was a delicate white blade with gold-colored decorations on the hilt and sheath, something clearly ceremonial for use in Babylonian festivities. Weapons like these took a lot of care to craft, since they were meant to be just as beautiful as they were deadly.

Sein gently took hold of the blade and examined the sheath and hilt thoroughly before unsheathing it, eyes widening in brief awe. "Jeez, kid. This thing is a gorgeous piece of work. How'd you get so good at this?"

Jet eyed his own weapon with skepticism, as if he didn't believe what he'd just been told. "It took far too many failures, more than would be considered reasonable by most."

"Do you think a swordsman is perfect the moment he lifts a blade off the ground?" Sein suddenly asked Jet, a much more serious expression on his face.

The sudden change of tone caused a twinge of age-old anxieties to try to rise up in him, though Jet mostly pushed it back. Still, he quickly looked away. "...No."

Sonic silently kept an eye on him. Just take it easy, he mentally encouraged. He's not mad at you. It'll be fine. You'll see.

Sein slowly set a soft hand on Jet's shoulder, making sure his son could see him doing it for Jet's own sake. "Failure is necessary to learn. To become perfect, or… something close to that. You have to mess up a bit to know what to do right." His gaze shifted to Kaden. "Something I'm sure we all get, to some degree." The demon in question cracked his eyes open again and levelled Sein with a sort of glare, then turned his head away. "Kaden, I remember meeting you in my timeline. I really hope to get to meet you again. Maybe we could be friends."

For the first time since his capture, Kaden opted to speak. Though, he kept it brief… and cold. "Not interested." Sonic did his best not to flinch at the sheer animosity in his father's tone. This time, it was Jet who did his best to provide some measure of silent reassurance.

"I look forward to it," Sein said, not at all fazed by the tone of voice used. "I'm sure we could be great friends. Maybe even good sparring partners."

Jet opened his mouth to say something, mostly to Sonic as opposed to anyone else, but cut himself off abruptly when the music box in his friend's hand suddenly began to play. Kaden's ears perked and he immediately turned his head to frown at the box in question. His thoughts were less-than-pleased, to say the least. That… Fucking hell, why now?

Sein frowned at the music box before seeming to zone out briefly. He suddenly came back to reality and frowned more deeply. "Nothing's coming, yet. I'm not sure when, but it's definitely not right now."

"I guess your explanation of it as an 'early warning system' wasn't too far off base," Sonic sighed, glancing at Jet. "What do we do, though?"

The hawk in question was openly frowning now. "Until we have some idea of what's coming, there's little we can do. Basic defenses are all we can set up without knowing what we're defending against." For his part, Kaden appeared to have entirely stopped caring. He'd turned away and closed his eyes once more, as though nothing was even wrong.

"Well," Sein started. "Maybe we should contact Steam. He seems to be doing really good at predicting what's gonna happen next," he explained. "Could be a good start."

Sonic took that into consideration and immediately sent the other hedgehog a simple text. It was nothing over the top, merely a "get your butt over here" kind of message. Nice and vague, too, just enough to ensure that Steam would have to come over in order to learn more. After all, Sonic had never been one for texting very much, and pretty much everyone who knew him knew that.

It was hardly even a minute later that Steam showed up, teleporting nearby and jogging over. "Hey, what's up?" he questioned.

Mostly for emphasis, Sonic held up the still-playing music box. "This. I'm hoping you're familiar with it."

Steam's heart sank at the sight of it. "You've gotta be fucking kidding me."

"We are not," Jet confirmed quietly. "That would be a rather sick and twisted joke."

"No shit," Steam muttered before beginning to think. "This has to be Nareish. Zareil would be coming to get him, and nobody else would be dumb enough to come challenge the Immortals and risk fighting him at the end as well. She's planning something."

"Planning what, though?" Sonic asked sharply. "Do you have any ideas at all?"

She's the wildcard… "I'm not sure. I'll get what information I can as soon as I can," Steam muttered. "But we're spread thin right now."

"That's the entire problem," Sonic answered, sighing. "If something big and bad enough to try to fight Jet, Sein, Alana, and Dad decides to come around… saying that we're fucked is putting it too damn lightly."

"I'll make sure it's dealt with," Steam answered. "For now… continue doing what you're doing. We can't afford to get drowned out in possibilities."

Jet, quite abruptly, interjected. Only when he started to speak did Sonic realize that his friend's eyes were visibly filled with stars, as though he were looking at the night sky. A telltale sign that he was using the power of Vision. "Steam."

"Yes?" he questioned gently.

Blinking once, Jet cleared his vision and turned to frown at Steam. Wasting no time, he asked, "Do not waste time going into details, but how familiar are you with where Silver and Blaze come from?"

The question, as out of the blue and random as it was, made Sonic frown. "...Why is that relevant?" he asked in return. He didn't bother asking how it could be relevant, since it obviously in some way was, but remained confused about the matter nevertheless. Not that Jet bothered to answer him just then, anyway.

Steam shifted. "You'd better be fucking kidding me," he muttered. "Did she actually do that?"

"That depends on what you assume she did," Jet answered evenly.

Sonic, meanwhile, tossed a look at Sein. I can't be the only one who's confused… right? Sein shrugged gently, also bewildered.

The green hedgehog was quick to look at his communicator. "She brought them back, didn't she? Right around the time that we lost access to some of our best fighters for those enemies."

Immediately, Sonic's heart dropped. Jet, however, showed no outward signs of disturbance. His cool, emotionless mask was on fully and nothing was showing through it. "No. It appears to have only been done just now. That means there is time to prepare for their inevitable revival." He suddenly switched his attention to Kaden. "They were born under Amnikaribah's reign, were they not?"

Kaden bared his teeth briefly in a slight snarl, but surprisingly answered. "Yes… and then they were cast out. They were bold, overconfident. Banishment was the very least that they deserved for their actions." He paused, then further surprised Sonic by offering up even more information. "Luckily for you… with their former god gone, they may well return to the home realm for a time before coming here."

Steam gritted his teeth. "Fuck this." Right after Rose decided to go… that's not good.

Swallowing hard, Sonic decided to speak up. "So… how is she doing this, exactly? Isn't, you know, Light needed?"

Jet paused for a long moment before shaking his head. "Typically, yes. However, what she is doing… All that is required is an excessive amount of magic, specifically magic that has been deeply corrupted. The magic she is using, from what I could tell, was stolen from someone else, however. It was not her own. This is simple necromancy, however."

"Could you tell whose magic it was?" Sonic immediately asked.

Another shake of the head. "Not from this distance."

"It has to be someone powerful," Steam murmured. "And I don't know of many people with magic like that."

Sein frowned deeply, crossing his arms. "Hey… I've noticed that Calypso hasn't been around at all. She usually disappears and all… but wouldn't she have reappeared to see Kath at some point?"

That got Sonic thinking. It wasn't like he knew the woman well by any stretch of the imagination, but from what he'd heard… "It does seem out of character," he agreed slowly. Dread was steadily taking hold of him, though he did his best not to let it do so too much. "We don't really have a way to verify it, though."

Steam's expression darkened. "We also know that magic was used to perform all of those effects on people, like taking away Silver's powers."

Suddenly, Sonic straightened. "Wait- Do you think this has anything to do with that attack on Shadow and Toru, too?"

"...It was probably an attempt to piss Kaden off," Steam answered. "Getting at Shadow would be easier than getting at you, as far as I would guess."

"...But these days, he's the stronger one between the two of us," Sonic frowned.

"It has little to do with that," Jet admitted. "It has more to do with how many allies you surround yourself with as opposed to how many with whom he does the same. You are close to many people, people who would immediately take notice if something happened to you. Shadow is different."

Sonic frowned more. "You pay attention to him," he pointed out. "At least, when you're not wrapped up in shit." He gestured to the barriers for emphasis.

"Considering that I often am wrapped up in shit," Jet answered, adopting a more casual manner of speech spontaneously (as often happened when he was talking with Sonic), "my original point still stands. Tails and Espio keep their eye on him as well, but they are also nearly always busy. Few other people pay him much mind, given that he can typically handle himself. In that sense, your brother is decidedly more vulnerable than you."

Sein nodded slowly. "It would explain a lot. She's likely trying to push plans of her own along now."

Oh, Sonic did not like the sound of that. "What kind of plans?" he dared to ask, mostly talking to Steam. "Do you have any guesses?"

Steam looked away. "There's a good chance that part of this is just to fuck with us. Honestly, probably a definite. She's also trying to get at Kaden, just upset him. Other than that… I'm not sure at this moment." There's some stuff I can't get into yet, as well…

It took a moment to work up the courage to, but eventually Sonic turned to face Kaden. "Do… you know why she'd want to just piss you off, Dad?" he asked carefully. Unfortunately, Kaden appeared to have decided to resume tuning them out and didn't give any response.

By now, Steam was back to planning, rapidly searching through the various profiles Wery and Tails had put together. Jet silently watched him, just seeing what Steam was doing and offering no comments. "If they show up before Rose is back… I'll absolutely have to ask for help from the gods and goddesses. I can probably deal with Mephiles… but Iblis is gonna be a bit of a problem."

"Is that level of force really needed?" Sonic frowned. "I mean… yeah, they were strong, but that was back when we weren't."

"Nareish would not bother reviving our old enemies just so they could be immediately defeated," Jet murmured. "With her stolen Immortal abilities, she can fully unlock their potentials, boosting their strength and allowing them to gain strength on their own with incredible speed from that point onward. It will only end if she makes it end, or if they reach their fullest potential. If she does this for either of them, we will need outside help. Especially with Zareil out and about as well."

Steam nodded. "It's not gonna be… a pleasant experience at all."

Sonic took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "We're keeping my kids away from this. They don't deserve to see those two things again."

Jet looked at Sonic for a moment, eyes full of understanding. "They're staying away," he confirmed. His mask slipped enough that the gentility of his tone also showed through. "I will make sure of it."

"No way in hell am I going to let them see either of those two. I'd sooner fight Iblis and Mephiles on my own," Steam muttered.

"So would I," Sonic answered in kind. He shifted his attention back to Jet. "Has she done anything else that you could see?"

"Unless she did something prior to this," Jet answered carefully, "no. I don't think she has."

Steam rubbed at his head. He'd sensed the dull ache oncoming earlier, but now it seemed to be springing into action. "If you get any updates, let me know. I've gotta start getting things ready now." Jet only nodded.

Sein decided to stand up, stretching. "I can go talk to Cere and the others, start maneuvering things with them while you work on other stuff. Take a little bit of weight off those burdened shoulders."

In response, Jet closed his eyes and leaned his head back. Everything about his demeanor suggested to Sonic that he might well go back to sleep sometime soon, assuming people stopped talking. "If you can… get in contact with Therin. He is the God of Thieves in this timeline. He has a vast network of spies and the like all throughout the cosmos. If anyone will have seen anything that I have missed, it will be them."

"Got it. Anything else before I head off?" Sein asked gently.

When Jet didn't answer, Sonic spoke up. "I don't think so. We'll keep in touch, just in case."

Sein nodded, then turned to Steam and set a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, relax a little. We'll figure this out, alright?"

Steam shifted his gaze up to the hawk with a deep set frown. "I'm gonna make sure of it. I won't have her messing up everything."

~保護者~

Walking through the workshop, Tails searched and searched for Wery. When he finally located the place where she'd set up shop for the day, he smiled. Hoping not to startle her (he'd noticed that she could get really engrossed in things when she was busy), he very gently cleared his throat and asked, "Wery?"

Wery turned her attention away from whatever she'd decided to begin building this time, blinking a few times. "Yeah?"

Once he had her attention, Tails smiled a little. "I was thinking… since things are safe enough for the moment, do you want to visit your parents for a bit?"

The female fox blinked a few times before frowning in thought. "It's… yeah, it's been a while since I saw them. I'm sure they're worried sick about me," she murmured, picking up her tablet and going through the numerous messages she'd accidentally ignored in the period of time where she'd constantly been building things. "I… probably should've answered them a while back."

"Seeing them in person would be better than a message, anyway," Tails pointed out gently. "I can take you there and drop you off so you guys can catch up. And whenever you're ready to come back, even if it's in a couple days or whatever, you can just call me and I'll pick you up."

She scratched at her cheek lightly. "I don't think they'll be all that happy to hear that I'm fighting in a war… Much less the one that pretty much already destroyed Mobius once."

"Yeah. I understand that." Tails looked away. "...Look… I know we've talked about this several times before, but… if you want to just stay home…"

"I'm not staying at home," Wery huffed. "This is where I want to be. What I want to do. For once, I can build things with someone who's really smart and work with them. I'm doing something that's helping people. I can't just let that go." The passion in her voice was genuine, even though the idea of continuing along in this war very obviously terrified her.

Tails let out a sigh. "I know. And I know you've said that before. I just… I hate to think that you're being put through this when you could have led a much more normal, much safer life if you hadn't run into us."

Wery leaned back in her chair more, frowning further. "I didn't really have much to do. At least now I feel like I'm contributing something. Yeah, staying home would have been safer, but… maybe I was supposed to do this? Considering all this weird junk I've learned lately, I wouldn't be surprised if fate was real too."

"I don't think that last bit is true," Tails replied, managing a small smile. "But… yeah, I guess I agree with the rest of it. Contributing to something is better than not, in a lot of cases."

"It's crazy," Wery murmured. "But I like being here. I like feeling… important. Worthwhile."

"You definitely are important," Tails was quick to confirm, looking back over at her. "Not just to me, but to everyone here. You've definitely made an impression on us, Wery. I'm happy to be able to say that we're all friends."

The female fox chuckled nervously. "I couldn't have done that much, honestly…"

"You're here at all, risking your safety and putting in all this time and effort to do what you can… That's a lot to us," Tails answered. "It means more than you realize."

"I-I mean, you could've done most of this without me in no time, for sure," Wery answered, a touch embarrassed.

"Some of it, maybe," Tails shrugged, "but I wouldn't have been able to do it as quickly by myself. And some of these inventions I probably never would have come up with."

Wery didn't know what to say. Tails was her idol and she always thought she could never measure up to him, but here he was, praising her all the time for what she could do. "Y-you mean it?"

"'Course," Tails answered easily. "I'd never lie about something like that."

"...Hey, Tails? Do… you wanna meet my parents?" Wery suddenly asked.

Tails looked at her in surprise. "Really?"

"I mean… yeah. It might help calm them down when I 'drop the bomb' so to speak. Showing that I'm working with someone who's really capable and all," Wery murmured. "Also… it would help me a lot. I've never been gone from them for this long, so they're likely gonna be super worried."

Rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, Tails replied, "If you want me to go with you, I'll go," he agreed. "I don't know how much that would really help, though. I'm not exactly some great defender who can guarantee to them that you're safe or something."

Wery chuckled nervously. "It's mostly for me… I can handle them."

"Okay. So… yeah. I can go with, if you want." He walked over to her. "Since I'm coming with, can I see your teleporter real quick? We'll put in the location of your parents' house and use it to go there. That way you'll be able to visit whenever you want."

The brown fox nodded and handed it over without much hesitation. "I appreciate it, Tails. Really."

Tails tossed her a smile and inputted the location for her. "Real quick, you should set aside anything you don't want to take with you. If it's in your lap, in your hand, or anything like that, it'll get teleported along with us."

Wery was quick to begin discarding her various tools, knowing that it would likely result in accidentally leaving them at home, which was not a situation she wanted to be in. Once she was done, she picked up her tablet and smiled. "Ready."

Nodding, Tails teleported them off. They reappeared an instant later. "Well… here we are."

Wery laughed nervously. "Yeah… here we are."

Tails gestured to the house. "Well, you've gotta lead the way," he said with his own nervous chuckle. "Since, you know… not my house, and all."

The female fox was slow, walking up to the door. It felt like an eternity, honestly. Her own home seemed so… foreign now. Even as she knocked, the door felt different. It sounded different. She hadn't been gone that long… right? Tails trailed behind her, powering down the teleporter for now so that his hands (which tended to toy with things they were holding when he was nervous) didn't accidentally activate it at some point. The door eventually opened very slowly, and a fox woman appeared with wide eyes. "Wery… you're back!" She embraced Wery in a tight hug, barely giving the younger female a chance to speak.

"Y-yeah…" Wery murmured. "Sorry for not… responding for a while. Got kinda wrapped up in stuff."

"It's okay, dear," her mother murmured, her attention shifting over to Tails. "Who's this? Did you disappear off with a boy for all this time?"

Immediately, Tails put his hands up (almost as though in a placating manner) and frantically waved them side to side in a clear expression of the word no. "N-No, not at all," he was quick to jump in. "She's been helping me in my workshop and stuff, th-that's all."

"Mom," Wery immediately protested. "This is Tails."

"O-oh! Excuse me for assuming that," her mother quickly apologized. "I didn't realize. I must have not been paying much attention."

Tails grinned sheepishly. "No, it's fine… don't worry about it. No harm done, miss."

"Well, you both get inside. It's incredibly dangerous lately," the woman said, stepping back inside and ushering them in. Wery glanced back at Tails, as if making sure he was still okay with doing this.

In reply, Tails nodded to both of them. "Yeah, it… really has been. It's nice of you to offer for me to join you guys for a bit."

"I mean, it's obvious that you and Wery have been working together. She must trust you, so I'm willing to do so as well," she replied. "My name is Farah. It's nice to meet you, Tails."

"It's nice to meet you, too," Tails replied in kind. "Oh, and you don't have to call me by my nickname. You can call me Miles, if you'd prefer."

"Oh, I'll try to remember that," she said as she led them into the living room. Tails dutifully followed her, sticking a bit close to Wery since she was (obviously) the only person in the room that he knew. On the couch was a man rapidly typing away at a phone, only to drop it when he saw Wery. He quickly leapt up off the couch and picked her up in a single movement, hugging her with obvious joy in his eyes.

"D-dad… you're squeezing… too tight…" she coughed out.

The man was quick to let her go, setting her on her feet gently with a wide smile. "I'm so so glad to see you back! And this? That Tails guy you used to go on and on about? You two dating or something? Is that why you disappeared for so long?"

"D-dad!" Wery yelled, clearly embarrassed. "I was just working with him!"

"She really was," Tails was quick to defend, just as embarrassed. "She was helping me with a lot of projects, repairs, and stuff like that. She's been a huge saving grace for me, honestly… I am sorry for contributing to keeping her so busy with my problems, though. I should have tried harder to remember that her situation is different from mine and she has a family to go back to. Sorry for that, all of you."

Her father looked to Wery and gave a bittersweet smile. "You got wrapped up in working on that tech stuff you love, eh?"

Wery turned away, not wanting to admit to it. "I got busy… Kinda… forgot about everything with how hectic it was."

Once more, he hugged her softly and turned his attention to Tails. "Don't sweat it. I'm just glad to see she was doing something that made her happy." Not wanting to push it, Tails just nodded and kept quiet. Her father then turned back to Wery and smiled, only to frown when she wouldn't look at him. "Hey, come on now. Is something the matter?"

A few tears escaped her eyes and she shifted uncomfortably. "I have something to tell you and mom… I don't think you'll like it."

"Farah, honey, come here," the father called before hugging Wery again. "We'll listen, okay? I'll try to see your side."

Wery held onto him for a moment before her mom walked in and she was let go, taking a step back. Looking at her parents now, it hurt to say that she would be going back into this. Going into a war, something she never thought she would have said just a few months ago. She turned away to Tails, as if asking for guidance, support, anything that might make this easier.

Tails's eyes were just as nervous and still full of unspoken apologies aimed at her parents, but in there were also small assurances. There was also a promise, a promise that he would stay here with her through this. It was the best support he felt he could offer right now. She gulped and turned back to her parents. "I… this war that's been going on. I'm gonna help some people that are fighting it."

Her father was very clearly taken aback by this information, but her mother seemed to take it worse. "Y-you're going to be fighting those monsters?"

"I'm not gonna be doing much fighting," Wery was quick to explain. "I'm building stuff to make sure they survive!"

Farah was about to say something else, but her husband quickly took hold of her arm to stop her before speaking for himself with his gaze on Tails. "Let me hear this from you. What will she be doing, if she's actually doing this?"

This earned a heavy sigh, but Tails didn't hesitate to begin talking. "Most people know the old stories of the ancient conflicts I was involved in, fighting robots and travelling the world and all that. Is it fair to assume that you both have heard at least one or two of those stories?"

The two nodded, then Farah spoke up again. "Is she going to be doing that as well?"

Tails shook his head. "No, not at all. See… my old friends… It's ridiculously complicated to explain how, but they're back. Sonic, Jet, and all those other old heroes are out there fighting the 'monsters' and other threats whenever they can. My role has always been as more of a supporting character. I build things that can help keep them healthy, that can defend them, can help them attack more effectively, can help them travel around… that sort of thing. In the past, I did that 'on the road', so to speak. But I only travel minimally these days. Usually, I'm just in my workshop. That's where Wery's been, too."

Wery nodded quickly. "I've been building a bunch of stuff, too. Just recently I made this device that scans people for powers and a bunch of other stuff!"

"So you've finally accepted that they're powers and not some sort of scientific anomaly?" her father questioned gently, a touch of amusement in his tone.

The fox in question huffed. "Hush."

"Ah, come on, kid. I always thought it was sweet that you wanted to prove everything with cold hard science," her father said. "In all seriousness, though… are you sure about this? You're bound to get into some sticky situations. Do you think you're ready for it?"

Wery didn't hesitate to nod quickly. "More ready than I've ever thought I would be."

Though Farah looked ready to interrupt, her husband once more stopped her in her tracks. His gaze once more shifted to Tails. "If you don't mind, could she stay here a day or two so we can talk this out? I wanna make sure this isn't some sort of rash decision that she's making."

Despite the situation, Tails managed a fleeting smile. "She doesn't need my permission or anything, sir. I trust her judgement. But, regardless, it's fine. She's free to choose whatever she wants to do." Turning to Wery, he handed the teleporter back to her. "If you really do decide to come back, even if it ends up being just to collect your things, just push the second button and it'll take you straight to the workshop. The first one takes you here. Okay?"

Wery nodded to him slowly before suddenly embracing him in a hug. "Thank you, so much… You're the best."

Though initially taken quite a back, Tails soon gave her a quick hug in return. "S-Sure. You're not too bad yourself, you know." After a few seconds, he very gently pulled away. To her parents, he offered a respectful nod. "I'm sorry for bringing this to your doorstep. Thank you for letting me come in for a minute." With that said, he turned and headed for the door.

"Before you go," Farah called. "Thank you for bringing our daughter back to see us. It really means a lot."

Tails paused and turned back around. "Oh… of course. I would never have kept her away on purpose." His smile remained, but took on a very subtly sad quality. "Parents and their kids, even the grown up kind, don't deserve to be separated. I'm not in the business of creating that separation, personally."

"You're free to come back and see us at any time," Wery's father said easily. "A friend of hers must be someone good if you can get past all that mumbling she does."

"Dad," Wery protested. "I don't mumble that often…"

Tails held back a small chuckle at her expense in favor of respectfully replying to her dad. "Thank you. Truly. I appreciate the offer, sir."

"Any time, Miles. If she joins you guys, keep her safe for me, will you?"

"Of course," Tails promised immediately. "I will. All of us will. None of us are going to let anything happen to her."

"By the way, name's Bohl. Forgot to mention it," Wery's father said. "I have a feeling I'll be talking to you a lot in the future."

"M-maybe," Tails answered, already taking care to remember both of the new names he'd learned today.

Wery turned back to Tails, a smile on her face. Though she waved goodbye to him as he left, everything about her posture said, I'll see you again soon.

~保護者~

Why did I choose to come here? One day I am listening to Kal's plots, and the next I have abandoned her. Ryuji contemplated these things in silence from the tree he sat in. His thoughts were all he truly had now. He had disgraced his family, left his mate, and only just barely alienated himself from his grandchild.

He supposed it could have been worse. Espio would have killed him eventually, that much he knew for sure. That, or Aniko. They would have been forced to in the near future, with how Kal had been acting. He knew this, yet, he had willingly followed Kal for so long. It was… odd to think of.

Ryuji unsheathed his blade and stared at it for a long moment. Though it was perfectly sharpened and cleaned… he could still somehow see the stains of various colors of blood. Did that bother him? He wasn't sure.

He pressed his blade into the tree beside where he stood, feeling the metal sink into the wood cleanly. Perhaps it was time for a new start. He'd need to replace everything. Forget the time he spent with Kal. Remove himself from her entirely.

He leapt out of the tree, tossing his sheath aside with abandon. He no longer cared for her, but that didn't say much. He hadn't cared for a long time. He didn't care about much of anything, really. But all things considered… why had he hesitated when it came to Espio? Why had he avoided pushing Espio further? It wasn't fear, no… It was something else.

He wasn't sure. It was only now that he faintly noticed the presence of someone else nearby. It wasn't hostile, so he stayed relaxed for now despite having discarded all of his weapons. "Who is there?"

There was no immediate reply, since the source of the faint energy was a little ways away. However, there were obvious signs of Hollow activity in the same vicinity. The demons were being drawn there by whoever Ryuji had initially sensed, but a brief warning flare of energy sent most of them reluctantly fleeing back into the dense wilderness. Only one, perhaps two remained, and their lives were quickly ended… as evidence by how sharply their energies vanished. A minute or two later, Espio walked into view, sheathing his sword as he went. "You could have picked a less infested area," he murmured disapprovingly.

"I am less likely to be bothered here," Ryuji murmured. "I would have killed them had they come close."

The younger chameleon answered with a huff and claimed a seat under a nearby tree, wiping a bit of blood off of his kimono sleeve with an idle hand. "Not with your weapons discarded in the snow," he pointed out.

"I remain firm in my stance," Ryuji answered. "However… it is obvious that my plan to not be bothered did not work."

"It would not have," Espio said easily. "I told you I would be visiting soon. Several days after the fact qualifies."

Ryuji would have scoffed, but he didn't feel the need to. Instead, he simply crossed his arms. "Do you have something in particular to say?"

"Do you?" Espio countered, finally giving up on salvaging the fabric of his sleeve. It would have to be properly cleaned later. "You seem to have been… thinking." He eyed the previously mentioned discarded weapons meaningfully.

"Follow me," Ryuji murmured. He resumed walking, his arms falling back to his sides. Espio stood and walked after him. "I have been thinking about the time I spent with Kal and how much I did for her. I wish to have no part of it now."

Espio blinked. "What do you intend to do, then?"

"Start anew, with material things that have no trace of her," he murmured. Espio frowned thoughtfully, already working the problem over in his mind. He remained silent, though, waiting to see if Ryuji had anything else to say on the matter. Ryuji was quiet for a moment before adding, "She has stained my life enough."

"Indeed," Espio answered softly. He thought the matter over a bit more before saying, "I can acquire a sword of similar form to your previous one. It may not handle precisely the same, but it will be close enough."

Ryuji glanced at Espio with a faint frown. "Why do you care about me? I was attempting to coax your Darkness free."

"And, to some extent, you succeeded," Espio acknowledged. He looked at Ryuji. "I do not care about that. Family means something to our people. Perhaps not to Kal or to the woman I knew, but to most of us. It means something to me as well. Past wrongdoings aside, I refuse to take a path similar to either of theirs. If a second chance can, in good faith, be given then there is little reason not to."

"Hm." Ryuji looked away. "I would not ask you to do so. I have done enough to your family."

"Then don't ask," was the simple reply. "I did not intend for you to have the option to refuse, at any rate."

"And if I do refuse?" Ryuji questioned.

"I will persist regardless," Espio answered almost flippantly. "A simple 'no' is rarely enough to stop me."

Ryuji sighed briefly, shaking his head. "In return, allow me to grant you some insight. That woman that clings to you, she is inherently a demon, yes?" Espio only nodded. "Watch over her. The corruption is setting in further. If she becomes too far gone, she may kill that woman who is attempting to help you. The… being of Light." Obvious disgust was in his voice when he spoke of Rose alongside a flicker of anger in his eyes.

Rather than acknowledge most of what Ryuji had just said, Espio frowned slightly and asked, "You know of Rose?"

"Our people are built for stealth, Espio," Ryuji gently reminded. "Myself and Kal monitored you often. We know who she is and what she is doing."

Internally, Espio took a long moment to curse himself for his apparent inattentiveness. When he was done with that (at least temporarily), he thought over what he had been told. Almost reluctantly, he dared to question, "How much about it do you both know?" The very last thing he needed was for his newly discovered weakness to become common knowledge…

"...Enough," Ryuji murmured. "Removing Kal quickly will be the best way to ensure it does not get out. However… I doubt her willingness to work with others."

That wasn't the concern. Espio didn't think she would be the sort to go blabbing to anyone she met, or anything like that. But the mere idea of her knowing… that bothered him greatly for some reason. "You did not answer my question." Not directly, at any rate. Directness was what he often craved in conversations like this. He hated operating off of guesses and assumptions. He was far more comfortable with facts.

"How much did Rose talk to you and your parents about it?" Ryuji questioned as a substitute for an answer.

"She only spoke with me about it briefly," Espio replied. He chose not to mention the fact that he'd never been informed about her speaking with his parents. Yes, she'd said she planned to, but that was the last he'd heard of it.

Ryuji sighed. "She did not tell them much of anything that she did not tell you, outside of the explanation of your symptoms."

So he had heard plenty, then. That was great. Espio resisted the urge to scowl to himself. Just fucking great.

"Get me a tanto and wakizashi," Ryuji said, his expression far more serious. "If I must do so alone, I will strike her down and prevent this from becoming a problem."

"Do not. She will not die over this. Not that easily." Espio vanished for a split second. When he returned, he tossed the requested weapons to Ryuji without another word.

The chameleon easily caught them and frowned. "I have no intention of allowing her to cause further problems, Espio."

"Immediate death is not the answer," Espio replied. "Not to this."

"Then what do you propose we do? She will likely attempt to use this information against you, now that I am not around her," Ryuji murmured.

"You should know better than anyone that simply killing her will not work," Espio answered, frowning. "Kal is too intelligent for any attempt at her life to be successful. Something else must be done, but I do not know what the answer is yet. But it does not involve forcing you to deal the finishing blow."

Ryuji sighed. "When you have a plan, inform me."

Assuming I am ever able to come up with one. Espio refrained from saying that, choosing instead to change the subject. "Where will you go from here?"

"I am unsure," Ryuji revealed. "I have not decided."

"Then return to Hyale," Espio suddenly told him. "It is safer than the wilds. The Hollows of this era are stronger than they were in the past. Some of them will be a threat to even you."

"Is there another reason you are telling me to do this?" Ryuji questioned.

Espio thought about it, debating his own reasoning for a time before offering a partial explanation. "Zei took a liking to you. She would enjoy seeing you again."

Ryuji huffed. "If there is more, I would prefer you say it."

That earned a shrug. "I don't know," he wound up admitting.

The man sighed. "I will consider. Aniko will not enjoy my presence, however."

"She does not live with me," Espio answered. "She lives on the other side of the village now. She will not have to see you. Visits between her and I can take place away from my home."

You invite someone who was attempting to force you into something you did not wish to partake in… into your own home? Times have certainly changed… or perhaps I am simply a bit set in my ways. "I will consider," he repeated.

Given that that was all he was asking for now, Espio accepted with a nod. Before parting, he said, "There is an abandoned village near here. Some of the buildings are intact enough to serve as decent shelter. Going there may be in your best interest, with the weather being how it is currently." Case in point, the sky overhead was dark. Snow had already been falling for some time, but it was doing so heavier now than it had been not long before. Such weather wasn't a problem for chameleons in general, but at the same time… being caught in a blizzard or the like with packs of Hollows prowling around was far from a stellar idea.

Ryuji sighed again. "You will not allow me to say no, will you?"

"That much should be obvious by now," Espio answered.

"Fine," Ryuji murmured. "I will go there."

Satisfied, Espio said one last thing. "Do not get yourself killed." With that, he vanished soundlessly into the trees, headed back toward Hyale. Ryuji glanced around, sensing the Hollows attempting to return around him. He felt no fear, but he also didn't care to be in a fight at the moment. As such, he teleported away as well, intent on finding temporary shelter.

~保護者~

9,233 words this time. Hope you all enjoyed. Many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help and support. Posted (at about 12:05 p.m.) 12-21-20.