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 whose behavior is changing.

~保護者~

"Severed Ties"

~保護者~

Nearly frustrated to the point of tears, Kath ducked his head so that his long bangs hid his eyes. He was still seated on the same couch in the sitting room where Sein and Alana had left him with Arkiri earlier. Azerel was laying there with him now, and Kath was hugging him close, his fingers tangling deep into lush fur. His frustration mounted when he tried, again, to figure out how to shift his age back to what was apparently proper. But as with before, nothing happened. "I can't do it," he said for the second time. "It isn't working. I don't even understand what I'm supposed to do."

Arkiri frowned sympathetically. "Let's take a break for a bit, okay? Just because you are something doesn't mean you have to know everything about it," he explained gently. "Let's just relax."

Kath hugged Azerel a little tighter, earning a low rumbling sound that was probably meant to be soothing. "I don't like this," he mumbled unhappily. "I don't like any of it."

"It'll be okay. You don't have to understand it all at once. You're doing fine," Arkiri murmured as comfortingly as he could manage. "Don't focus on that for a few moments."

For once, Kath actually hesitated. "I mean… the rest of it," he said slowly. "Lari isn't here. This isn't home. Kani and Ako are gone, too. I don't like it."

Arkiri briefly found himself at a loss for words before a knock came at the door and he frowned. "Give me… just a moment," he said softly before opening it to find Yareis (yet another person he knew nothing of). The woman slipped in through some means he wasn't even sure of and sat down across from Kath.

"You're Kath, right?" Yareis asked gently, arm propped up on the headrest of the seat next to her. After a long moment, Kath nodded just a little. "You've been through a lot recently, haven't you?" she questioned further, voice managing to grow softer.

I'm response, Kath looked away further. "I'm fine," he mumbled.

Yareis frowned visibly before deciding to ask, "You were told that you're the God of Time, I assume?"

Eventually, Kath nodded a little. "Yeah."

"I can help this all make a lot more sense. Everything that's going on with you," Yareis answered. "If you'll let me help, that is."

Finally, Kath's eyes had dried and he looked up at her. Ever the cautious one, he took his time to consider what she'd said before asking, "...Help how?" He cast a glance at Arkiri, seeking reassurance without entirely realizing it. Azerel, meanwhile, just shuffled a bit on the couch to get more comfortable. Arkiri flashed him a supportive smile.

Yareis took a seat a couple feet from Kath. "My name is Yareis, and I'm the Goddess of the Deep Freeze. I can help you learn your powers so that everything will make sense."

"Why bother?" Kath mumbled, frowning. "You don't know me. No one helps strangers 'just because'. People aren't that kind."

"I'm not that kind," Yareis admitted. "But… I do know you. That's why I'm here to help."

When Kath remained unconvinced, Azerel mentally sighed. "She speaks the truth, Kath. You two have met before. I wouldn't go so far as to say you are friends at this point, but you are acquainted."

The young-again hawk thought this over for a brief moment before finally asking, "Okay… Let's say I agree. For now." He tossed Azerel a small glare when the wolf snorted. "What do you know?"

Yareis smiled. "I can teach you how to revert your age back to normal, back to where everything will make sense and you'll feel better. On top of that, I can teach you so much more from there."

Hearing that first bit, Kath perked up just a little bit. "How?" he demanded. "What do I do?"

"First," Yareis murmured, creating an icicle in her hand and extending the free end to it. "Grab hold of this."

Kath hesitated, but a sharp nip from Azerel (for which the wolf got an equally sharp pinch to one ear) convinced him to obey. Unable to resist the urge to always know more, he asked, "Why? What will that do?"

"We're creatures of the cold," Yareis murmured. "I believe it may help you calm down."

With another snort, Azerel silently commented, "See? She knows you well enough already."

"Shut up, asshole," Kath told him under his breath. He chose not to admit aloud that the frigid cold of the icicle was pretty soothing in some weird way.

With another snort, Azerel silently commented, "See? She knows you well enough already."

"Shut up, asshole," Kath told him under his breath. He chose not to admit aloud that the frigid cold of the icicle was pretty soothing in some weird way.

"Now… when it comes to your power, imagine it more so as yourself changing. Think of what you would be like when you're older. How wise and intelligent you can be as well as how strong you might be able to become. Envision that, and let it shape you." Yareis smiled. "Try that. If it doesn't help, I have another approach for you."

That earned another frown from Kath. "Azerel suggested something similar earlier. It didn't work. But… I don't know. Maybe I did it wrong."

"It's not about doing it wrong," Yareis corrected. "It's about not knowing how to do it. This isn't inherently part of you, yet it also is. Your status as a God has elevated you beyond what you once were. Imagine becoming… something that you deeply care about, becoming like them.

Puzzled by this request, Kath sort of stared at her for a moment. "...How would that help?"

"Sometimes that bit of emotional attachment can make all the difference." Her gaze shifted to Arkiri. "I assume he is someone you look up to, yes?"

He followed her gaze, then looked away with a shrug. "...I guess."

"You don't guess. You know."

Shut up, Azerel.

Yareis chuckled, surprising even herself. "Imagine yourself transforming into him. His age, intelligence, and so on. That could help."

Kath didn't even pretend to understand what she was asking in the strictest sense, but he gave in and began trying to follow her instructions. At first nothing happened. Then there was a curious fluctuation of energies around him that ended with him… only barely any older. The only good side was that, this time, he retained memories. Not just the ones he'd had at this age, but the new ones he'd made since his age had shifted in the first place. Not that that lessened his frustration. For god's sake…

"That's a good start. Tell me what you were thinking and doing when it happened," Yareis instructed easily.

"I don't know, exactly," Kath muttered, unhappy. "Trying what you said wasn't working. Then something else did, but I don't know what it was."

Yareis frowned for a moment in thought. "Maybe try again and start where I was saying, see if you can find out how you got to that point. If it doesn't work, we can always try another approach."

This time, Azerel decided to actually be helpful. "Envisioning yourself as other ages or the like didn't work. Focusing on your desire to be older appeared to be the trigger. But your thoughts weren't clear and focused enough, leading to a less than satisfactory result. Do you follow?"

"...Yeah. Thanks." Finally, Kath took notice of the tight hold he had on his wolf friend, and he loosened his grip. Once that was done, he began to focus again. He didn't try to go all the way back yet, wanting to see if he could just get a small shift to take place on purpose before trying his hand at anything major. Sure enough, moments later, his age went up again, just a little bit. Huffing, he flicked Azerel's ear. "You could have said something sooner, jackass." Azerel only snorted again.

Yareis smiled openly. "Seems like the both of you were able to figure it out?" she asked.

Azerel nodded. "Now hurry up and shift back. It's hard to lay across your lap when you're small."

Rolling his eyes, Kath did as his friend had insisted and carefully shifted back to his proper age, just… minus a few weeks. He retained his memories from those times, but no longer had his illness to contend with. Which had, it seemed, been the whole point at the start. Of all the ways to recover from it… honestly. He obligingly lifted his arm (the one resting atop his friend) a bit so Azerel could get more comfortable before addressing Yareis again. "Thank you."

She rolled her eyes. "Don't go turning yourself into a kid again unless you mean to," she teased, only half serious.

"It was far from intentional," Kath responded with a huff.

"That was the point," Yareis answered, removing her hand from the icicle. "That shouldn't ever melt. Keep it if it helps you calm down. Consider it my gift to you."

Kath nodded slowly. "Alright."

Yareis leaned back in her seat and crossed her legs. "I'll keep this brief. As the God of Time, you have free reign to alter your own age and appearance as you see fit. You're also capable of traveling through time alone if need be, but always be sure to keep your appearance changed so you blend in. As you are now, you'll stand out like a sore thumb anywhere."

"No kidding," Azerel silently agreed. Kath pinched his ear again. "Do it again and I'll bite you."

That threat went ignored. "I am well enough aware of the consequences of doing such things without caution," Kath told her calmly. "Time has always been… a fascination of mine, one of several, and I have studied such things for most of my life. I understand the risks and will take heed of them."

"Understood," Yareis murmured before looking to Arkiri. "Sorry for not introducing myself to you. Didn't think it was important all things considered."

The owl shrugged gently. "That's alright. I could tell you were trying to help."

While they spoke, Kath thought over what he'd been told once again. God of Time… Of all the things to suddenly discover… After a moment, he brushed the matter aside to be contemplated in more detail later.

Yareis returned her attention to Kath, arms shifting behind her head. "I assume you have an idea of anything else you can do?" she questioned lightly. Kath only answered with a vague shrug. The woman fell silent for a long moment before frowning in thought. "Let me ask you another question and I'll leave you be for a bit."

"You do not have to leave," Kath told her, idly petting Azerel's head. He followed that up with, "What did you want to ask?"

"What are you planning to do with the new knowledge you have?" Yareis asked curiously, settling down in the seat more. "You're hardly an idle person."

Her question was considered for a moment. "I don't know yet."

Yareis nodded slowly. "I assume you'll think of something in due time."

He offered a vague shrug. "Perhaps. But there are larger issues at hand. This does not take precedence."

"That's not what I was insinuating," Yareis murmured, pushing herself off the seat and wiping away the frost that had formed. "I meant if you could use this newfound capability to your advantage with everything already occurring."

Another shrug and Kath repeated noncommittally, "Perhaps."

She then returned his attention to Kath with a faint smile. "Beyond that, how are you feeling? You seem better than you were when I visited last."

"I'm fine, now," Kath answered. "This appears to have… solved the issue of my illness."

"And your stress?" Yareis questioned, raising an eyebrow.

That caused Kath to suddenly avert his eyes, looking away from her and Arkiri both. "I'm fine," he repeated.

Arkiri frowned. "Kath, you can always talk to me if you're stressed or upset." Azerel let out a small wuffing sound that was clearly some form of agreement.

Kath was careful to give himself a moment to collect his thoughts before trying to explain. "When I can focus on other things… I'm fine. Talking about issues like I was experiencing before typically makes matters worse."

"If you ever wish to," Arkiri started softly, "know that I am always here for you."

"I know," Kath agreed just as quietly.

Yareis spoke up again. "If you like keeping your focus on other things, perhaps we could train your ice powers a bit? I figure you would appreciate having an experienced teacher."

At this, Azerel raised his head and gave Kath a pointed look. Kath glanced down at him, listening to some silent remark, and replying in kind before turning his attention back to Yareis. "It would seem my decision has been made for me. I've been informed that if I don't accept, I'll be bitten." He stood up, pushing Azerel off of him as he went, then more seriously answered, "It would be an honor. Thank you."

The woman smiled. "Glad to hear it. Join me outside in a few minutes. I'm sure you can find me," she said disappearing into a small flurry of wintry precipitation that left a splotch of ice on the ground where she'd stood.

Arkiri raised an eyebrow. "You're being a lot nicer than usual. Do you fancy her?"

At this, Kath openly rolled his eyes. "You and my mother taught me manners," he reminded with a huff. "I did not conveniently forget them over the years."

The man snickered gently. "She seems interesting. Regardless of your potential romantic endeavors, I hope that she at least becomes a good friend of yours. She seems… pleasant, at the least."

While that last bit was true, the rest of it was fairly incorrect. After thinking about it for a moment, Kath asked him, "...Do you remember the Therian woman we met? The woman who refrained from killing us during the war."

"Of course I remember her," Arkiri answered. "What of her?"

Kath stifled a slight sigh. "She and I are… potentially starting down the path you were insinuating just now." If not for the fact that he had no other parental figures in his life, he would have kept quiet about this. It was private, after all. But with Arkiri, doing so just didn't feel entirely right.

"You certainly have an interesting choice in taste," Arkiri answered with a laugh. "What's she like, if you don't mind me asking?"

This earned yet another huff. "Largely the same as you surmised she was the day we met her," he answered. "Albeit, minus the violent streak she once had. She still speaks in riddles whenever it fancies her, she still enjoys teasing and poking fun at people, she is still entirely unlike the rest of her race… everything you yourself once brought up."

Arkiri chuckled softly. "An odd woman for an unusual man. I can't say the idea bothers me. If that's your choice, I say go with it. As long as she's not leading you down a bad path or hurting you."

"She is not," Kath assured quietly. He didn't argue with the claim of him being unusual or her being odd (why argue with facts?), merely let the comment slide.

"I trust that," Arkiri said. "Now, you should get going to find that woman. She won't be pleased if you make her wait for too long."

"Doubtful." Kath started to leave the room, but paused just long enough to flick a semi-physical marble of aura energy at Azerel's head. The wolf recoiled and then growled. "Shut up. Dumbass." With that, he disappeared into the hall while Azerel continued to grow. The wolf then shot Arkiri a look, clearly demanding that the owl do something.

Arkiri shrugged. "I can only do so much, Azerel. You know that."

Azerel snorted and moodily sat by the owl's feet. After a lengthy pause, he used some magic to do something normally strictly discouraged by his kind… and opened a mental link with someone who wasn't his bonded partner. In this case, specifically Arkiri. This was something he had done a few times in the past, so he didn't bother explaining himself before launching into his silent conversation with the man. "You could have at least said something."

"What did you want me to say?" Arkiri questioned, eyebrow raised.

"Something. Anything. A nice reprimand, for old time's sake." Azerel huffed and laid down. "These days, I'm the only one getting after him for anything."

"I haven't been around long enough for that. Besides, sometimes you do deserve it from what I can tell," Arkiri answered with a faint smirk.

"Don't you ever say that within earshot of him," Azerel silently threatened. "He doesn't need the encouragement."

"I didn't and won't," Arkiri said, chuckling.

The wolf mentally grumbled, then said, "All of that aside… I'm glad you're back. As always, you help him more than you can know."

Arkiri smiled gently. "I'm glad to be back and able to help him. Always thought of him as one of my own, even though I've had my own before." A hint of sadness came across his features, but he didn't seem to let it bother him too much.

"You had your own?" Azerel repeated, raising his head to look at the man. "When?"

"Fairly close to the time I was killed," he revealed. "She was about eleven in her years, born as an Erei. The race Tarin is born from. Pretty similar to the Mobian hedgehogs."

Now Azerel was doubly confused. "There is a third hedgehog race? Kath has never made mention of discovering this. How could he have missed it? How could the Babylonians as a whole, aside from you, have missed that?"

"It's a race born in another realm, a place brimming with magic as a few other realms meet. I have been there before, but I refrained from mentioning it since their kind is even less advanced than the Mobians were. They also did not do well with… strangers," Arkiri revealed gently. "I thought it best to keep them a bit of a secret."

Azerel kept quiet for a few moments. "I didn't expect to learn anything remotely like this today," he eventually said, somewhat grumbling. "Stop it. I'm already tired from trying to comprehend Kath's latest streak of unusual experiences."

Arkiri laughed. "I can tell you and Kath of them more when you're feeling better, if you'd like."

"Do what you will." Azerel laid his head back down. "Speaking of him… don't trust a word he said earlier. Talking with you helps him more than he knows how to explain. It is just difficult for him to open up about things, the same as it was when last you were alive. And he isn't entirely fine. No more sensory assaults have taken place yet, but the threat still looms over him and he can't be at ease as long as that's the case."

"I did not believe him anyway," Arkiri admitted easily. "I just thought it best to not drag out those feelings after he had to deal with discovering that he's a God. I also don't want him to feel forced into it."

"Yeah. No kidding." Azerel stretched a little. "You may as well go relax. I get the feeling he's going to be busy for a while."

The man nodded. "I'll probably sit down with Tarin for a bit, if you want to join. If I remember correctly, the two of you got along well enough."

"I believe so," Azerel agreed, standing up. "She was always easy enough to be around."

"She is," Arkiri answered with a pleased smile. "Come on," he said, leading the way. Azerel stood and followed him without another word.

~保護者~

Silver yawned lazily, feeling supremely bored and unable to find a means of entertaining himself while his wife and step mother chatted roughly ten feet away. The result of that boredom? Him using his legs to hang upside down from a random branch in a random tree, his arms and head dangling in the air. "Isn't there anything fun to do?" he complained to no one in particular. The women, predictably, ignored his griping. He sighed to himself. I just wish something interesting would happen.

Cyril suddenly floated down above them, his eyes trained particularly on Silver as magic slowly began to encircle the hedgehog. "Quiet," the finch murmured.

The abrupt intrusion startled a yelp out of Silver and he fell out of the tree, promptly slamming back-first into the ground below. "Ow…" He looked up and saw Cyril, his own eyes widening a little. "What's… What's going on?" By now, Blaze and Amy had gotten to their feet and were rushing over.

Magic flowed around the finch and slowly began surrounding the three of them, but it gathered most heavily around Silver. "Just be quiet and let it happen," he murmured.

"Uh… no?" Silver backed off, scrambling quickly away from him. Amy was quick to put a barrier around the three of them, though her eyes clearly betrayed her belief that it wouldn't be enough.

Cyril waved a hand at the barrier and slowly pressed down on it with his magic, cracking it effortlessly. "Stop struggling."

"The heck's gotten into you, dude?" Silver asked as Amy fought to keep her barriers up.

"It doesn't matter anymore," Cyril murmured, pressuring Amy's barrier further. "I'm not who I once was."

Amy visibly gritted her teeth. "Why are you trying to hurt him?" she demanded.

Cyril fell silent, closing his fist and bringing the magic all around the barrier. "Just be quiet."

Amy clued in right away. Can he not tell us? Her barriers cracked further. I can't hold this… What do we do? The idea to call on Tails for help occurred to her, but he and Wery were down in the workshop. They seemed safe there, at least for the moment. For whatever reason, they weren't being targeted. It was better not to get them involved against something she didn't think any of them could fight to begin with.

"C-Cyril, c'mon…" Silver pleaded, finally standing up. "This isn't like you. You use your magic for fun stuff. You showed me all your favorite tricks, remember? You don't use it to hurt people you're close to…"

"Not anymore," Cyril answered, walking forward as he put far more pressure on the barrier.

The barrier was perhaps a mere half-second away from shattering. A flash of ethereal purple cut across Silver's vision, as if some sort of impossibly thin blade had just cut through Cyril's magic. In the same instant, ribbons of the same energy wound their way around Cyril, pinning his arms to his sides and his legs together before suspending him in the air by a few feet. Almost as though appearing through a thick curtain of fog, Jet faded into view, approaching Cyril with calm and measured steps. "Uncle Jet," Silver breathed, shoulders sagging with relief. "Thank god. Something's wrong with him. He-"

"Enough." The command was sharp, cold. Silver was startled into compliance. "I know."

Amy's eyes were locked on the hawk. Something isn't right. This energy… his demeanor… it's all wrong.

Cyril watched Jet, not trying to fight back because he realized he simply couldn't. "The hell?"

Jet ignored the question. With a crook of his finger, he dragged Cyril over to him. "So you're her latest puppet… Pathetic." The new energy rose around him and Cyril, encompassing them both. Amy, Silver, and Blaze traded wary looks, stricken with the same innate sense of fear and chills. Then There was a faint flare of power. Cyril was unceremoniously dumped on the ground, unharmed and no longer surrounded with energy. "Stay away from her… dumbass." Having said all he apparently intended to say, he simply vanished.

Cyril groaned as he hit the ground, curling up on himself briefly. "Crap… why did this happen…?"

Dropping her barrier, Amy ran over with Silver and Blaze in tow. Silver was the first to speak, dropping to his knees beside the finch. "Cyril! Dude, are you okay? What happened?"

"Nareish…" Cyril muttered, curling up further and keeping his gaze away from Silver. "She took control of me… made me attack Wave and you…"

Trading a worried look with Amy and Silver, Blaze laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Is there somewhere you wish to go for now?" she murmured. "Somewhere you can rest and recover?"

"If you can… please take me to Eila's house," Cyril murmured. "Please."

"Oh, I know where that is. Give me, like, two seconds - gotta get a teleporter from the house." Silver got up and ran off. True to his word, he returned swiftly. He dropped back down to Cyril's side. "Here… I get the feeling you wanna be alone right now, so you can just take this. I don't think Tails will mind. Just push this button right here, and it'll take you to her house. Okay?"

Cyril pushed himself to stand and nodded slowly, accepting the teleporter with a nod. "Thank you…" I'm so sorry that I almost hurt you guys…

Silver offered Cyril a small but genuine smile. "Take it easy, please. And, whenever you're feeling up to it… at least shoot us a message that you're alright. Okay?"

The finch nodded slowly and activated the teleporter without otherwise responding. His heart sunk when he saw the destroyed remains of Eila's home and he ran over, trying to make sense of the mess. He eventually found a single book that was intact and opened it, trying to find something, anything that would tell him what was happening... only for his blood to run cold as ice when he saw it.

"Eila is gone. Come after me if you dare. I will turn her body against you."

Cyril immediately activated the teleporter to come back, stumbling as he landed. Silver, having not moved yet from where he'd been, managed to catch Cyril by the arm. "Whoa, easy, what's going on?"

"Does anyone know what happened to Eila?" Cyril demanded. "Her home is destroyed and all I found was this." Cyril held the book out to Silver, open to where the writing had been.

Silver's eyes immediately went wide. "I… no. I haven't heard anything. Mom, did y-"

"I haven't heard anything, either," Amy interrupted, her eyes clouded with worry.

"Perhaps her sister knows," Blaze suggested. "It seemed to me that they are close, yes?"

Cyril nodded quickly, gripping the book tightly. "Does anyone know where she is?'

"Seeing my Gramma, last I heard," Silver reported. "...Erm, I mean, Analia. She was going to talk to her or something."

Cyril gripped one of his metal cards and gulped before nodding. "I'll let you know what I find out," he murmured, throwing the card down and falling through the portal before it closed behind him.

No sooner than he'd vanished, the trio were visited by yet another person. Two of them, in fact. And they were frantic. Alana arrived first, closely followed by Sein. Seeing it was only Silver, Amy, and Blaze there, she rounded on Sein. "We missed him," she said, tone full of distress. "He has already gone elsewhere."

Sein cursed under his breath before turning to the three that had already been present. "I hate to be like this, but we really need to know where Jet went or what happened. Both if you have the information."

The three Mobians traded looks of varying degrees of concern and confusion before Blaze spoke up. "Cyril was under some sort of control. Jet arrived and used an… alarming new energy to somehow free him."

"He wasn't acting right, too," Silver was quick to chime in. "Don't get me wrong, dude's always serious, but he was just… I don't know. Cold? He's never like that with me. The only time he seemed like himself was when he called Cyril a dumbass before disappearing."

Sein cursed more vividly before asking, "Do you have any idea where he went?"

"None," Amy responded. "He didn't say or give any indication."

"Damn," Sein muttered, looking to Alana. "Is there a way we can track him?"

"He is a Rogue, just the same as us," Alana sighed. "He is also Immortal. If he truly does not want to be found, he won't be."

Sein sighed, shaking his head. This is bad. If the Void is influencing him, we could be facing some serious shit soon. "What do you think we should do?"

That Alana's next words troubled her deeply was clear. "I… don't know, Sein. I can think of nothing that will help."

"I know… I just… I want to help," Sein muttered.

Amy hesitated before interrupting. "What's going on?"

Sein turned to Amy with an apologetic smile. "I… I'm not sure how to explain."

"Is Uncle Jet okay?" Silver asked.

I hope so… "He will be. I'll do what I can to make sure of it," Sein answered confidently.

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Silver questioned.

"Not now, but be ready for when we bring him back. He's gonna need the support of his friends and allies, I'm sure," Sein said, a small smile forming on his face. "He thinks well of you all."

Silver opened his mouth to ask another question, but Amy gently shushed him. When he relented with a sigh and moved to stand by Blaze, the female hedgehog spoke again. "If there's anything we can do to help him or you in the meantime, just say so. We'd be happy to lend a hand."

Sein was about to reply, but he stopped himself and thought for a moment. "If… you see Steam, make him sit down for a minute. I haven't seen him in a while, and last I saw he wasn't doing well. I'd appreciate it if you guys could do that."

At this, Amy grumbled. "Trust me, I'll be saying something to his stubborn butt regardless. Patients like him are a challenge, I swear."

The hawk chuckled faintly. "Thanks. Other than that, just keep yourselves safe and let us know if something happens."

"We will," Blaze promised softly. "Do what you can to stay safe, too."

"'Course. My kid's gotta have a dad to come home to, after all," Sein said, grinning.

"Of course," Blaze smiled.

Silver piped up again. "Hey… Once I get my powers back, if I do, I'll see if I can't sense his mind wherever he's at. I can't promise I'll be able to, but if he didn't go too far I might be able to pull it off."

"If you're able, just say the word and let us know," Sein said. "Thanks for the offer, too."

"Yeah, 'course," Silver nodded. With nothing left to say, Sein and Alana (however reluctantly) teleported back home.

~保護者~

"Checkmate," Myriu murmured as she placed the third piece that would perfectly encompass the king's escape route. "That makes it five to five."

"So it seems." Shadow glanced over the board, taking in the strategic placement of all the pieces. He'd gotten so involved in their matches that he'd managed to temporarily forget how tired he still was. "You play well."

"As do you," Myriu murmured. "Toru used to play with me a lot before things got bad between him and mom."

Shadow thought about that for a moment. it took no time at all for him to come to the conclusion that continuing to talk about that last bit was a bad idea. So he avoided the topic altogether. "Did he play any other games with you?"

"A few, why?" the young chameleon asked with a raised eyebrow.

"So we can do something other than the same game," Shadow shrugged.

A faint smirk found its way onto Myriu's face. "Afraid I'll come out on top in the last game?" she asked even as she began to collect the pieces.

"Hardly," Shadow huffed. "I stand a reasonable chance of beating you."

"I guess we'll never know now," Myriu answered as she put the game away and began searching for another one. "Your eyes are weird," she suddenly said. "Is that because you're not entirely like us?"

With another small shrug, Shadow answered, "Yes. That is why." As they spoke, he idly watched her look through the few games he still owned these days (all of which he mostly kept for those rare few times when Tails or Espio would visit here). Since he didn't particularly care which one she picked, or if she decided not to pick any at all, he didn't give any suggestions.

"I don't understand you," she admitted before turning back with a different game. "Your body and mind don't seem to operate normally."

"Because they don't," he reluctantly explained. "They were… designed. Built - with a purpose in mind. I was never meant to be the same as normal people."

Myriu set the game down and examined him carefully for a moment before blinking. "Is that a problem?"

Though there were potentially some cons to revealing very much about himself to her, ultimately Shadow didn't see too much harm in answering this question in particular. So, after a pause, he relented and told her the truth. "It… can be. At times."

The girl shrugged. "Even if you're different, you're still a person. Doesn't matter how weird you are."

Somehow, he managed to feel a twinge of amusement at her claim. "Duly noted," he told her with a small huff.

"Don't forget it, even when I beat you," she answered as she began to set up the next game.

"Am I allowed to if I do win?" he asked her, unable to fully resist the urge to be just a bit snarky. He helped her start setting things up.

"I'll fight you if I have to," Myriu answered, keeping her gaze down as they worked. "You shouldn't forget it."

"Alright, alright," Shadow conceded. "I understand." They finished setting up and he gestured to her. "Make a move."

Myriu huffed and tossed a game piece behind her as Toru and Caer suddenly appeared inside. The piece hit Toru in the head and he reeled back, visibly confused. "Oi! What the hell?" Shadow blinked once, then smirked faintly.

Toru walked over and rolled his eyes. "Assholes, the both of you," the onyx chameleon stated.

"Come on, give them a break," Caer answered, leaning against a wall. "It's honestly kinda nice that they obviously care a lot."

"I did nothing, regardless," Shadow pointed out calmly. "I was merely a witness."

A huff escaped Toru before he simply sighed. "The fight is over. We got rid of them."

All at once, Shadow grew serious again. "No one was harmed?"

Toru shook his head. "They weren't as powerful as they thought," he answered.

Shadow frowned. That cannot be right. Choosing to keep that thought to himself, he just said a vague, "Ah."

Caer sighed softly. "They retreated for the time being. We got rid of most of their fodder." Well, that made more sense. Shadow nodded a little, subtly glancing over Toru for a second to confirm that the other man wasn't hurt. Once satisfied of that, he looked away again.

Toru glanced to Myriu for a moment before turning his attention back to his father. "For the time being, I'd say just relax somewhere until we can find a more permanent solution. I trust you to not cause problems."

"And you don't trust me, seems fair," Myriu murmured, smirking faintly.

"Oi, I don't trust you 'cause you like to start shit with me," Toru huffed.

Shadow calmly interjected, choosing to directly speak to Caer for possible the first time. "There are several guest rooms, if you need to rest. I've heard that revival can be exhausting."

"I took enough energy from those enemies that I should be fine, but I appreciate it," Caer said. "To more properly introduce myself, I'm Caer, Toru's father. It's a pleasure to meet you." Shadow only nodded in response. He wasn't particularly… good at pleasantries. So he didn't bother trying.

Toru decided to take over for now. "Regardless, you should probably go rest anyway. It would be best." That suddenly reminded Shadow that he was tired, too. ...Still. The constant fatigue was irking him enough, though, that he sucked it up and didn't let it show for the time being. Instead, he focused on the conversation taking place.

Myriu flicked a game piece at Shadow as well, huffing. "You as well. You should have won more of those games from earlier."

Shadow caught the piece in his right hand and tossed it back at her without any force. "Perhaps," he answered noncommittally.

Toru nudged Shadow's shoulder. "Come on, she's got a point. We could all probably use some rest right now."

"What of it?" Shadow answered with a shrug. "That is nothing new."

"Well, why not take advantage of it?" Toru asked.

Because I hate sleeping. "Why are you always so insistent?" Shadow asked instead of voicing his thought. He'd asked this question before. More than once, in fact. But it never ceased to surprise him that Toru cared enough to consistently fret over things like this, things that normally only his family and Tails bothered with. It would... take some more getting used to. That was for certain.

Toru raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms. "Because your wellbeing matters to me."

"Then do me a favor and trust me when I say I'm better off awake," Shadow told him unhappily. It wasn't because of Toru, though. He actually wasn't sure what the issue was. His mood had just suddenly flipped a little and he wasn't sure why.

"Why, though?" Toru questioned gently.

Shadow looked away. "I've already told you the main reason why, once before."

Toru glanced away, unsure of what to say before Caer spoke up. "How about just laying down for an hour or so? Relax a little since Toru is back and all." Shadow didn't necessarily argue the point, but he didn't truly agree, either. He just sort of shrugged.

"Trying to unwind could surely be good," Toru added. "No real harm there."

Internally, Shadow sighed. Externally, however, he only said a small, "...Fine."

Caer smiled and disappeared without a trace as Toru wrapped an arm around Shadow. "I really just wanna relax after that shit storm. It was ridiculous."

"What happened?" Shadow asked, sitting back in his seat on the couch.

"The people who slaughtered my kind showed up," Toru said with a shrug, taking a seat beside Shadow. "Considering the few beings of Light I've managed to meet in my life, these bastards were pure evil in comparison."

That… didn't make sense. Shadow frowned. "Unless they were corrupted in some fashion, how could they have been evil?"

"Their morals were fucked," Toru huffed.

"Clearly," was the muttered response. Shadow spent a few moments trying to wrap his mind around a few things (most importantly, how did they still have Light if they were so wicked?) before eventually deciding that he didn't care quite enough to try and work out the specifics.

Toru shook his head. "I've seen what it's like to be evil, to be something that cares for nothing but your goals. To see anything remotely similar in someone that's supposed to be good is upsetting." Part of why I'm worried about Espio...

Shadow's thoughts followed a similar path as Toru's. "...Was Espio part of this battle?" he asked after a moment. Realistically, he knew that Espio must have been there. Confirmation was merely a good thing to have.

"Yeah, he was off defending some villages from what I could tell. Good choice, too," Toru explained easily.

"And he was fine?" Shadow questioned further. "Aside from physically. That much he can handle alone."

"He seemed to be," Toru answered. "I didn't sense anything wrong."

Good. There was no reason to question that matter further, so Shadow let the issue drop.

Toru put his arms behind his head and sighed. "Honestly though… it's wild to have my dad back around after all this time."

"I can imagine," Shadow shrugged. The entire idea of revival was nothing to him and his old allies by now, but he remembered clearly how much getting used to it took.

"What do you think of him?" Toru suddenly asked. "Any opinion yet?"

At this, Shadow hesitated. He knew he had… issues being too distrustful and suspicious of people. So far he'd been doing alright with ignoring that in this situation, but when forced to pay attention to it he realized the feelings were very much there. It just… probably was a bad idea to say so. So he didn't. "I don't know."

Toru shrugged. "That's fine. I assume you'll grow to be alright with him, all things considered. He's a good guy."

"I suppose," Shadow answered, neither agreeing or disagreeing in an effort not to create an issue.

"Outside of that, you seem to be bonding well enough with my sister," Toru murmured, smiling. "She appears to enjoy your company."

"She does not seem opposed to it, at any rate," Shadow shrugged. Then he added, "You can only get so much 'bonding' out of playing board games a few times, Toru."

"She asks me how you're doing a lot," Toru revealed. "You being hospitable with her is more than she's had in quite some time. She really appreciates it."

After a pause, Shadow admitted, "I didn't realize it meant anything to her, overall."

Toru nodded slowly. "Ekai was very uninvolved in our life, and Myriu became estranged. I was the only sense of normalcy, since she would be pawned off on others so that our mother didn't have to take care of her."

Deciding to take a small risk, Shadow asked, "Your anger toward her would suggest that neglect was not the only issue. Was Myriu spared from anything further?"

"That wasn't the only time I fought my mother," Toru muttered hatefully, none of his anger turned to Shadow. "She started wholly ignoring Myriu once I knocked some sense into her the first two times. I was too busy to care for her myself all the time, so I… didn't have a choice but to let others care for her at times."

Shadow gave that some though, then rephrased his question. "She was not directly harmed?"

"I would have killed Ekai if she'd harmed my sister," Toru answered. "It would have been far worse than what happened to her."

Truth be told, Shadow hadn't expected anything less. "Good." Part of him wanted to know whether or not Toru had ever been subjected to anything worse, but he knew better (by virtue of his own experiences) than to bring it up. It was none of his business, anyway.

Toru sighed gently. "Regardless, she likes being around you. I'm glad about that." Shadow didn't know what to say, so he just offered a slight nod in response. "I think I'm gonna nap. You do whatever as long as you're relaxing," the chameleon said suddenly, leaning up against Shadow.

The mere mention of the word nap nearly made Shadow want to yawn. "Don't even say that right now," he muttered, feigning some degree of indignation.

Toru chuckled. "Alright, alright. I won't."

Against his will, Shadow wound up yawning a second later. "Fuck you," he muttered, as a matter of principle, before giving in and closing his eyes. He leaned back in his seat a bit further to get comfortable.

The chameleon chuckled again and leaned further into Shadow, drifting off to sleep with a pleased smile on his face. This is… nice.

~保護者~

Tails pursed his lips together in thought, his eyes roving over his screen. "Hey, Wery…" he called after a long moment. "You're not gonna believe what I just found in Gerald's old files. There's actually a video. And, I mean, it's grainy and all that but I can definitely make out what was recorded."

Wery looked over, blinking a few times before frowning. She walked closer and settled down by the other fox. "Go ahead and play it."

"I haven't watched more than a few seconds in," Tails was quick to caution. "I don't know what sort of messed up things this might have recorded."

The brown fox took a deep breath, then let it out. "It's okay. I'm sure I can handle it."

Tails hesitated a moment longer before sighing. "Well… if you're sure." He opened the file again and turned the sound up so they could hear.

The video started off somewhat benign. It showed a sort of pod-like bed that was perfectly sized for the infant sleeping inside of it. Gerald was on the other side of the room typing while the baby slept. Everything was quiet for a long time until, seemingly out of nowhere, the baby (clearly Shadow) woke up. He started squirming and crying, completely in spite of the sedatives that the pod seemed to be constantly administering to him to keep him from doing just this very thing. But according to the data that Tails and Wery could see, any higher of a dosage would start to cause brain damage or even kill him.

Within about twenty to thirty seconds, it became clear why he was fussing. He'd sensed something that Gerald's equipment (despite having been state of the art for the time period) hadn't caught as quickly. But now alarms were blaring, warning of severe structural damage to the outside of the ARK and that many unidentified foreign entities were clinging to the massive laboratory - all the while continuing to do more and more damage with each passing moment. As would have been the case with any baby, the commotion only made Shadow cry louder and harder in clear distress.

Gerald almost visibly groaned, actively tapping away at his keyboard to try and activate various defense mechanisms. However, an attack like this had never been carried out against the ARK before. The creatures were far more capable of forcing their way through those defenses than any mere observer could have previously guessed. As a result, they rapidly gained entry. Creatures of all manner of shapes and sizes boarded the vessel, all immediately making their way toward the heart of the ARK - precisely where Gerald and Shadow were. Gerald then activated more security measures, lockdown security with various weapons, robots, and doors suddenly appearing.

His actions rapidly stopped the first wave of intruders. They slowed down the second wave substantially, too. But then a third wave hit, this one comprised of far stronger creatures than before. They tore through everything in their path, laying waste to every last thing Gerald had ever built without hesitation. Gerald sighed and stood up, intent on simply seeing what may come of this situation. He had nothing left to defend himself.

Nothing of particular note happened for several long minutes. Then, out of nowhere, the door exploded inward. Shrapnel struck Gerald, his computers, and the pod. Shadow had gone curiously quiet, despite the glass that rained down upon him when the pod was broken. A leg-less creature, the same one Gerald had acquired DNA from hovered slowly and menacingly into view through the smoke.

Gerald examined where the shrapnel had struck him before standing up tall and regarding the creature curiously for a moment. "So nice of you to join me."

The creature, no doubt Black Doom himself, almost idly looked about the room. His eyes locked upon Shadow, and that made them narrow. Wisps of Darkness coalesced around his right hand, gradually forming into a sword. "You… Blood thief. Unforgiveable. I will tear your heart from your chest."

The man took a slow step back and pressed a button on his console, grinning. "That's hardly necessary."

"Necessary… no. Desirable… yes." Black Doom suddenly appeared beside the shattered pod, his sword pointed threateningly at Gerald. "The spawn leaves with me."

"I can't just allow that," Gerald responded, watching as robots flooded into the room. "It is my creation."

Tentacles swarmed the robots from the various halls, dragging many of them away while ripping them apart and crushing them. Most of the robots that managed to escape this fate were caught by various bipedal creatures and torn to shreds with vicious teeth and claws. Only the luckiest reached Black Doom himself, and they met their ends at the edge of his sword. "The spawn belongs to me. It bears my blood. For you to claim it is unacceptable." Using his free arm, Black Doom scooped the strangely calm infant up. Shadow merely looked up at him with wide eyes, no longer showing any signs of distress.

Gerald seemed to grow visibly angry, slamming his fist against the console and typing away at it rapidly. "You cannot have it!" he shouted, calling upon more and more of his robots.

Virtually the same events as before played out. Only, this time, Black Doom didn't merely converse with Gerald. "I will have it. The spawn belongs with its own kind. And you… belong in the burrows as a feast." He appeared beside Gerald in the blink of an eye and plunged his sword through the man's abdomen before twisting it sharply.

Gerald shouted in agony, leaning up against his machines for support. "Damn you," he muttered.

"The only ones who should kill are those who are prepared to be killed." Another twist of the sword. Black Doom then wrenched it free and slashed the man's chest clean open. "You are hardly worthy of meeting my blade. For wasting my time, I will grant you death. For the theft of my blood, I will share with you pain."

This particular clip ended there. But there were two others, both very short. Tails didn't open either file, his mind still reeling from what this lone video had revealed to them. Wery sat there with her mouth wide open, obviously a touch startled by what she'd seen. "What the…?"

"I… I don't even…" Tails trailed off. After a moment, he closed his eyes and shook his head. "Wait, you mean to tell me that Black Doom stole Shadow from Gerald when Shadow was a baby? What?"

"I… it looks that way?" Wery answered, shrugging openly. "I don't know."

"That doesn't make any sense. If Black Doom took him away, how did he end up back with Gerald later on?" Tails shook his head again. "And how did Gerald even survive? I don't understand…" As he spoke, he grabbed his communicator and began quickly typing.

Tails:

Toru, please tell me you're not busy. There's something you've gotta see. I'd show Shadow, too, but… well, frankly, I'm worried enough about his mental health as it is. Speaking of, how is he? I'm hoping he's been resting since Wery and I last saw him. Meant to ask before just now, but we got busy.

Only after he'd sent the message did Tails realize how rambly that message had started to get at the end, but it was too late to take it back. "I messaged Toru," he mumbled to Wery. "Hopefully he gets back to me soon."

Wery nodded slowly before turning back to her computer for a moment. "I've got some blueprints for a new device that I want to make, but I wanna upgrade my computer. By chance… do you have any components or know how to make them?"

"Show me what you need," Tails invited, looking over.

"I can get the board, but I want to run a double CPU setup and double my RAM. Everything else, I can get on my own." She turned her monitor so Tails could see what she was already using. "If we do that, I should be good to recover all those files as well as undoing Gerald's work."

Tails nodded slowly. "I've got just about everything you need, by the looks of things. I keep that stuff stored over there," he pointed to a specific section of the workshop, "and you're welcome to take anything you need." She nodded, standing up from her seat and walking off to go collect what she needed to use as Toru finally responded.

Toru:

Shadow is doing a lot better. Been keeping a careful eye on him. And what do you need to show me?

Tails:

That's good… I'm glad to hear it. Listen, Wery and I found these old videos. We only watched one so far, but there are two other short ones. This first one, it's crazy. It shows something from Shadow's past I doubt he even remembers.

Toru:

I'll be there in a second. Gotta wrap up things with my dad before I leave.

Tails:

Okay, I'll wait for you here.

It didn't take long for the chameleon to appear, stepping over to the fox before giving Wery an idle glance as she took various things out of her computer and began putting other things in. "So, what did you have for me?"

Tails shook his head, honestly a bit dismayed. "Like I said, it's these crazy videos. We've only looked at the first one so far, but it shows something I had no idea about before. I don't know if it's necessarily important anymore, but at the same time… part of me feels like it is. Or at least, that it's at some point going to be."

Toru raised an eyebrow. "Alright then?"

"Just… look." Tails played the video for him.

The chameleon visibly frowned, obviously bothered by the sight of Black Doom. "What the hell…?"

"Keep watching," Tails urged. "He doesn't just trash the place."

"Fucking hell," Toru muttered, watching the rest of the way through the video before muttering, "What the fuck?"

"See, this is why I wanted to show you," Tails sighed. "I wasn't exaggerating when I said this was nuts."

"No kidding," Toru responded.

Wery turned her head, dragging her attention away from her computer as she replaced the panelling. "It's insane. Considering what we've seen… it explains a little bit about Shadow."

Tails blinked, then turned his head to look over at her. "You think? I was kinda thinking that, too, but I wasn't sure if I was just… I dunno, reading too much into it or something similar."

"I mean, it's highly possible," Wery said, standing up. "The things that we do and say are influenced a lot by our childhoods. The same would go for Shadow."

With a slow nod, Tails asked Toru, "I know you've lent half an ear to my various discussions with Shadow about the Black Arms, so is it reasonable for me to assume you have a pretty good idea of what they're like? As in, behaviors, common personality traits, that sort of thing."

"I've paid enough attention to know, yeah," Toru nodded.

"Right. So, these days, I'd say that Shadow's pretty well socialized compared to how he used to be. A long time ago, though, back when we were all first getting to know him… I don't know. Something about his mannerisms was just… off compared to what we were used to." Tails sighed a little. "He could be really overly hostile, especially when faced with unfamiliar people. There were times where he borderline got violent, though not with us, when it wasn't really warranted. He could be overly volatile in terms of how he spoke to people, using every swear word I've ever heard of without any care for who heard." A second sigh escaped him, this one heavier. "He was just all around… not behaving normally. We always chalked all of it up to Gerald's influence, once we learned about that, but… maybe it has more to do with the fact that he, seemingly, spent his most formative years with the Black Arms?"

"It's possible," Toru answered slowly with another nod. "I don't act the same as many other chameleons because of the way my dad raised me. I'm a lot more expressive and open with my emotions, for one thing."

"I've noticed that, yeah," Tails agreed. He looked at his screen again. "There are two more videos, and they're pretty short. Like, shorter than the first one. Do we watch them, or should we leave them be for now?"

"Go ahead and play them," Toru murmured. "Might as well watch them while I'm here."

"Fair enough." Tails played the first of the two remaining videos.

There was a bit of background audio at first, and it was clearly Gerald's voice as he muttered to himself while setting up the camera (whose screen was black at first). Then the feed cut to some indeterminate time in the future. It showed part of the hive's territory, a section full of young spawn. Shadow, a now slightly older baby, was there as well. It was difficult to see what was going on due to the lack of light, though. The video ended right about there, anyway.

Toru crossed his arms, frowning. "Not sure what to think of that one at all, honestly."

"Me either," Tails admitted. "He definitely looked older there, though. With the way Tokarians and Black Arms both age, he must have been there for decades by that point." Which… begs the question of how Gerald was still alive. Come to think of it, the way Sonic always described it, the guy never seemed to age. What the heck went on there?

The chameleon clicked his tongue. "Who fuckin' knows at this point?" His voice suddenly held a hint of irritability to it, as if watching these videos was making him angry.

Taking note of this tone, Tails asked, "Still want to see the last one?"

"Go ahead," Toru muttered. All the more reason for me to hate the Black Arms and Gerald.

This time, Tails stayed quiet as he played the final video. This one was a bit longer than the one before it. It showed Shadow again, this time when he appeared to be roughly three-and-a-half or four. He was standing slightly behind Black Doom, clutching anxiously at the alien's tattered cloak and eyeing the pile of smoking metal at the end of Black Doom's sword. Black Doom ripped his sword free of the robot he had just destroyed and, using his free hand, shoved Shadow away. He muttered something in the Black Arms' language, earning a tiny obedient nod. Shadow turned and ran off into the darkness, and then the video ended as more robots came into view.

"Think this is how Gerald took him back?" Toru asked slowly, a frown growing on his face.

Tails could only nod. "That would be my guess. Robots were always his go-to weapon back in the day. It was what worked back then, at least most of the time." He shook his head slowly. "I don't get it, though. The way Shadow behaved with Black Doom… that indicates trust. Kids hide behind parents when they feel that it'll keep them safe. They don't feel safe around people who are cold, harsh, or whatever else. But with everything I've ever seen and heard of Black Doom, that doesn't make sense. I mean, the guy confronted Shadow twice during the Nocturnian War, if I recall. Claimed Shadow wasn't strong enough, I think? And basically forced Shadow and his daughter to fight and kill him, too. Plus, the guy was supposed to be evil. How does any of that make sense with this?"

"Maybe it's something about the culture of the Black Arms?" Wery suggested. "They seem to have a preference for strong people, right?"

"Well… sort of." Tails floundered for an explanation before saying, "Basically, if you're too weak to serve any purpose to the Hive, they don't see a point in you being there. But the thing is, there are to this day whole classes of the creatures that are weaker than Shadow's ever been in the time I've known him. So it still doesn't make sense."

Toru uncrossed his arms. "What if it was more about the fact that Shadow has his blood? Something about being the leader?"

Tails looked over at him, a touch confused. "What do you mean?"

"Black Doom was their leader, so maybe he was saying that Shadow was too weak to lead their race?" Toru asked.

Tails thought about that. "...While that may have been an issue, I'm not sure how much of one it would have been. The Black Arms, from what I can understand, don't really have an issue with having the same leader for all of eternity. They'd have preferred it that way. Black Doom, probably right up until he died, probably had no intention of ever leaving his role. Which… is part of what confuses me about what he did." He leaned back in his chair with a deep frown. "The Black Arms have some behaviors that are similar to demons. The same is true of some of their instincts, hierarchies, and that sort of thing. One glaring similarity is the way roles are passed from one individual to another. Including the first and only previous leader's role being passed on to his only existing offspring."

Toru shrugged. "I'm out of ideas, then."

"We've always known that he incited the confrontation that killed him," Tails murmured, thinking hard. "We've always known that part of why Shadow even took part in that fight was because of Black Doom's comments from the first encounter. But, now I'm thinking… At the time, Shadow mentioned to me, rather off-handedly, that it was his bullet that had dealt the final blow. Black Doom had carefully dodged Lia's, but been hit by Shadow's. Thinking about it now, that sounds too… deliberate."

"It does," Toru answered. "It probably was."

"The main question is why," Tails continued. "Why even do that? There's something we're missing here. It just doesn't make sense."

Toru shrugged. "Not sure what it is. Maybe get some other opinions?"

"From who, though?" Tails sighed. "Aside from Gerald, we're about the only people aside from Shadow who has any real knowledge regarding the Black Arms as a whole, much less Black Doom himself."

"Maybe from someone who leads a race similar to the Black Arms," Toru suggested.

Tails sat straight up. "Wait. You're suggesting we ask Kaden?"

"Yeah? Sometimes to know your enemy, you may have to learn from another," Toru answered. "He's also trapped. Not like he can do much to you right now."

In a slightly frantic gesture, Tails waved his hands. "Nonononono, I can't be the one to go see him. Nuh-uh. Not happening. I'm good." Wery had a similar reaction, but hers was more frantic and incomprehensible.

Toru shrugged. "Alright then. I can go ask. I'm not afraid of an enemy that can't hurt me," the man said, already turning to leave.

"Erm… Just… be careful, okay?" Tails asked. "And… don't take anything cutting Kaden might say personally. I don't know how much Shadow's told you, if anything, but this isn't what his dad's really like. It'd mean more than he'll ever admit if you two can one day get along… you know?"

Toru laughed easily. "I wasn't planning to take anything he said seriously unless it was what I asked for. I'm still pissed about him corrupting Shadow, so there's no reason for me to get more angry."

"Ha… fair enough." Tails turned to his computer and minimized the files they'd been looking at before. "Best of luck, then. You might need it. Even when normal, Kaden's seriously stubborn when he wants to be."

"I'll make sure to get what I need," Toru answered, teleporting away to the Highlands where the trap was. As always was the case these days, Kaden was definitely still there. Currently, he was seated with his back against part of the trap, staring off into the distance with the sort of faraway expression one would wear when lost in thought. However, there was no mistaking the fact that he was entirely aware of Toru's presence. Zareil was present as well. She'd been relaxing until Toru arrived, standing up and claiming her spear quickly.

Toru waved a hand, attaching threads to the weapon that pulled it out of her hands and attached it to the ground. "Not here to fight. Here to ask questions," he murmured, turning his gaze over to Kaden fully. "I need to talk to you."

"Stand down." Kaden abruptly told Zareil, not even looking over to appraise the situation at hand, much less whether or not Toru was armed himself. His eyes refocused faster than it took for him to turn his head to look at the chameleon. "What do you want?"

Toru took a seat in front of the trap. "I want to ask about what you may know of the Black Arms. It's about Shadow."

This immediately sharpened Kaden's interest and his previously dull and bored expression became serious. "Be more specific," he demanded, albeit calmly. "What do you want to know and why?"

"Black Doom forced Shadow and his daughter into a fight. He avoided the attacks from Lia, but was hit by Shadow's. Do you know why he might do that?" Toru questioned.

Kaden was quiet for several moments before saying carefully, "There are several potential reasons. But I do not claim to fully understand the behavior of beasts."

"What are the potential reasons?" Toru demanded, not as calmly as Kaden had been. "It doesn't make sense to me right now."

Though he snorted softly and looked away again, Kaden nevertheless directly answered the question this time. "The most logical reason would be if Black Doom was already dying in some form or another. Perhaps as a result of a separate fight. Meeting his end by Shadow's hand would ensure leadership was transferred to a member of the race, as opposed to someone or something else."

Toru calmed down significantly, frowning deeply. "Then that's what the demons do as well, isn't it?" he asked slowly. "That's how you took control?"

"No. It was not the same." Kaden's tone turned a touch derisive, even almost acidic in its sudden hatred. "Only once has a demonic God ever willingly died by the hand of another. The God before me was not that individual."

The chameleon raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean that only one has?"

"It was a scenario similar to what may have occurred with Black Doom," Kaden told him. "The God was near-fatally wounded by another semi-Immortal, but that being was no demon. To avoid the demons being ruled by such an enemy, he deliberately turned his oldest spawn against himself until she killed him. Once he died, the role passed naturally to her, the one who had slain him."

"What will happen if you're purified?" Toru dared to ask. "I assume the demons would be thrown into disarray without their leader."

Rather than argue the point that he wouldn't let anyone purify him, Kaden only muttered, "Another will act as leader in my stead, but the role remains mine until I die. That cannot change."

"So it's likely some will come for you to try and claim the role, since you're no longer a demon in that scenario?" Toru asked. "Or will they still fear you and your authority?"

"Few will dare do such a thing," Kaden growled. "Only the foolish and overly bold will. They will be dealt with, in that scenario, by myself or my stand-in."

Toru frowned faintly before asking another question. "You're being very forward with information, despite us being on opposite sides. Why?"

"Because I don't give a damn," Kaden told him frankly. "This information is nothing that can or will be used by your allies, and they already largely know these details regardless."

The chameleon stood up and sighed. "Then I'll ask you one more question and impart you with some knowledge before I leave. When this war is over, and you've been beaten, and we've killed that Nareish bitch, you won't know what to do with yourself, will you?"

"Untrue." Kaden said nothing other than that, feeling no need to divulge any of his future plans with Toru. Explaining what was already common knowledge was one thing. This was another.

Toru's demeanor suddenly changed and he briefly let his Darkness rise. "I'll leave you with this. Touch Shadow again and I'll kill every demon of yours that you want to keep alive, and I'll make sure to do a good deal of damage to you, too, even if I can't beat you. I will make sure all of you regret it."

At this, Kaden bared his fangs and muttered, "Calm yourself. I have no intention to."

"Good," Toru bit out before turning his attention to Zareil. "And if you dare hurt him, I'll tear every last organ out and feed it down your throat." He didn't let her respond, instead choosing to teleport back to Tails and Wery with his Darkness rapidly receding.

Tails was immediately looking over at him. "Wow, you're back already?"

"Yeah. Would've been back faster, but I had to make sure and let him and his minion know what would happen if they touch Shadow," Toru said easily. "Other than that, he was pretty forthcoming with information. Made things simple."

"Wait… forthcoming? Really?" Tails asked in surprise.

Toru nodded. "He explained that it could have been that Black Doom was already dying as a result of another fight, so he let Shadow kill him to make sure the role passed on to a suitable individual of their race."

For a few moments, Tails was silent. When he spoke, he had another question. "So… this means he did incite that fight on purpose then, right?"

"That would be the case, if that's what was happening," Toru answered. "It sounds plausible enough."

The fox sighed. "Jeez… seems like things with Black Doom are way more complicated than we ever believed. I wonder if Shadow has any idea about this stuff."

Toru shrugged. "There's a chance that he might, but I won't bother him about that right now."

"Yeah, no, let's not," Tails was quick to agree. "I'd rather not bring stuff like this up to him for the foreseeable future. Which reminds me… not to say I think you lied, because I absolutely don't," he tossed Toru an apologetic look, "but are you sure he's doing okay after… whatever happened with Gerald? Sometimes even just mentioning the guy to him is enough to have a big impact. I expected way worse out of him as a result of this."

"He's doing better," Toru revealed. "Overall, he's not doing the best, though. I'm trying to get him to relax and do things that keep him busy or calm."

Though he nodded, Tails said, "Unless you think it'll be too much, I really need to do some scans on him soon. Both to verify that he really is improving as opposed to just bottling everything up, and to see what all Gerald did to him - if anything. God, I hope Gerald didn't do anything…"

Wery frowned. "Judging by his reaction… I think Gerald did. If this man is as awful as you guys have implied, then there's almost no way he'd miss the opportunity." She didn't like it… but it was likely the truth.

Tails groaned and rubbed at his face in dismay. "I know… And when Shadow and I texted briefly yesterday, he admitted he nearly had a panic attack when he first woke up after being taken off the ARK. I've never heard of him reacting that way about anything. It honestly scares me. A lot."

"I think that if it's you two, you likely will be able to do the scans as long as it's nothing invasive. Perhaps keep it similar to something like what Wery did to scan for our powers and whatnot," Toru murmured. "Small-scale."

"I was thinking the same thing," Tails said. "I wouldn't dream of having him come here and dealing with all the big equipment that I sometimes have to use. It won't go over well. Using handhelds is a way better idea, especially since that means he can stay at his own home or wherever he's comfortable."

Wery smiled. "I'll get to work on upgrading the scanner, then. It shouldn't take too long, so we'll be ready whenever he is."

"Good, this is something we need to check on as soon as possible. I'll help you out, if you need a hand." Tails turned back to Toru briefly. "Really quick, I had one more question. Shadow agreed to have the health scanner on his communicator turned on a little while back, and lately it's picked up on the fact that he's been sleeping a lot. Is everything okay in regards to that?"

Internally, Toru wanted to frown. However, he refrained from any outward reaction and simply said, "I've been asking him to sleep a bit more. I want him to relax when he can, and it seems to work well when I'm around. I'll make sure it doesn't get too bad."

"Okay. I just wanted to make sure it wasn't depression or something similar," Tails answered, a touch of relief in his voice. "He's got some history with that, and I was worried. But, anyway…" He stood up and stretched a little. "I won't keep you any longer. Thanks for coming over on such short notice."

Toru smiled to Tails. "Don't worry about it. It's all good." He gave a gentle wave to them both before teleporting back to Shadow's home. No way I can tell them about the baby… It's too soon.

When Toru reappeared, Shadow (who had still been asleep on the couch, but was now properly laying down) woke up a little and lifted his head to look at Toru. He was awake enough for it to register that Toru must have left and he asked with a small frown, "Where did you go?"

"Tails asked me to come over for something. It wasn't anything too serious," the chameleon answered, sitting down by Shadow.

Shadow rubbed at his eyes a little. "What did he need?" he mumbled, barely stifling a yawn.

"Just wanted to show me a few videos and asked some questions. He and Wery talked about checking on you, since they're both worried," Toru said, setting a hand on Shadow's shoulder and rubbing it with his thumb. "You've made some nice friends."

The only response Toru got to that was a vague, "Mm-hm," sound as Shadow shifted a little to get comfortable again. He was very nearly fully asleep again.

"Want me to sit here with you, Shadow?" Toru asked gently, a small smile on his face. In this state, Shadow didn't even think to hide his genuine reaction to the question and just immediately nodded. "Alright, I'll stay right here," Toru answered gently, his smile growing. "I'll be right here when you wake up." Almost as soon as Shadow heard this, he drifted off again, feeling strangely safe and content and… warm.

~保護者~

Sonic didn't pay attention to the specifics of what he was destroying as he marched furiously through one corridor after another onboard the Space Colony ARK. He didn't particularly care what wound up getting trashed, either. As far as he was concerned, it all needed to go, regardless. Blue fires and magical waves wreaked havoc all around him, closely followed by slashes of his sword when he felt it was warranted. Now that he wasn't in an active combat situation, he felt free to give vent to all his stress and anger that had been building for the past several days.

He came across a door. It was blasted open. Everything in the room was promptly destroyed, and with greater levels of fury than before. There was nothing, nothing in that room aside from chemicals and vials and syringes and all manner of other tools. None of it needed to survive. So he didn't let it. It was all left to burn and melt away, heedless of the whatever consequences would come about when such heat was applied to the chemicals he'd found. Some of them exploded straight away. As far as he was concerned, it was just as well.

Finally, he reached a much heavier door. Unless he was mistaken, this was the one he'd been looking for. Gathering what little Chaos he could typically access without the Chaos Emeralds, he put his hand against the metal and muttered, "Chaos Blast." The door was blasted apart. When the smoke cleared, his eyes immediately fell upon the source of all his childhood trauma. He felt a surge of hate, and that hatred colored his words deeply when he pointed his sword at the man's face and growled darkly, "You bastard."

The grin on the man's face was unmistakable as he watched the hedgehog walk into sight. "You took three minutes longer than I expected you to. You're late."

"I was busy blowing your shit up," Sonic growled. "For old time's sake."

"So I noticed," Gerald answered, vaguely amused. "What brings you here into what would essentially be my grasp? Keep it quick, as my patience is always wearing thin."

"Not that you give a shit, but you hurt someone I care about yet again." Sonic clutched his sword tighter. "If I could kill you where you stand, I fucking would."

Gerald shook his head in mock disappointment. "You always bowed your head to those meaningless emotions. You clung to them, and it's obvious you haven't changed," he said, ignoring Sonic almost entirely.

"I don't give a damn," Sonic answered. Almost idly, he called magical fire into his hand and cast that fire around the room, setting everything alight.

Clicking his tongue, Gerald sighed. "Get to the point. As I said before, my patience wears thin and I have work to do after your friends decided to interfere."

"I was given an ultimatum. Come here or bad shit would happen." Sonic let fire concentrate heavily on the metal table, causing it to rapidly start melting. "Figured I may as well come here and break your shit."

"I suppose that is an inconvenience," Gerald pointed out vaguely with a shrug. "Here's my situation. Your little friends have caused quite a problem with the messy code they wrote into Shadow's programming. I want them here, or I want their equipment with the files they used to overwrite my own. I'll give you that much freedom to choose."

"I'm choosing neither, because fuck you. I'm not helping you hurt him any more than you already have." The rest of the table melted away as several computers exploded. "You may not be insane anymore, but you're still the same sick fuck who killed himself because he couldn't fucking accept that he'd lost."

Gerald cackled openly. "You thought I had lost to you? That's pathetically amusing," the man answered, grinning wide. "Let me tell you this. I can make Shadow's pain disappear. He has no need for it anyway."

"Not to me, you moron. To a power you had no business trying to wield." Sonic turned his full attention back to Gerald. "And no. Fuck no. I'm not letting you touch him."

The man cackled more. "I had gotten what I wanted, Sonic. That you fail to see that only furthers my belief that you never saw the full scope of my genius."

"What you wanted?" Sonic repeated hatefully. "Power you couldn't control, a 'weapon' that escaped from you, a nuisance kid who survived, a world that healed from your bullshit, and your own death? That what you wanted?"

Deciding he was tired of listening to a being lesser than him prattle on, Gerald reached out with his mind to Nareish. "Am I allowed to capture him, or is that off-limits for now?"

"See if you can manage it," was the amused reply. "This is all so entertaining."

Sonic cut in. "Bullshit. You're not laying a hand on me, either, jackass." In a flash, he was back at the doorway. "I might have been easy enough for you to get ahold of back then, but I'm not the same little kid I once was. You're not doing jack-shit to me."

"We'll see, hedgehog." Gerald pressed a button on a remote he'd been holding this whole time. "I'd be pleased to watch you run for your life another time."

"Fat chance. I'm done running from you." Sonic gave his sword an idle twirl, then simply… sheathed it. "Go on, then. What's your stupid little button do? It's been a few million years, you know. I'm hoping it'll impress me more than the old crap used to. It was pretty fucking predictable after a while."

"I guess you'll have to find out. Just know that it could have been avoided," Gerald murmured, grinning further as the flames only seemed to add to the growing malicious intent.

"Let me guess… robots out the ass are gonna be waiting for me in the hall. Great. Just what I was hoping for." Sonic turned to leave, arms crossed, but paused. "Oh, and by the way… I heard a little story on the way here. This whole damn place got creamed by the Black Arms in the past, yeah? Black Doom almost killed you. Good news, though… turns out the guy's back. And he's still so pissed at you. Can't wait to see how that turns out."

Gerald's smile never once faded. "I already have plans for that, Sonic. Now, you can take your leave. I have data to collect.'

"Piss off." With that said, Sonic peered out into the hall. Robot horde. I knew it. "Yeah… no. Screw this, and screw you. I'm out." Using one hand, he flipped Gerald off over his shoulder. Then he simply teleported away.

"You still give me so much to work with," Gerald murmured. "You're far stronger than you once were."

Nareish chose to speak up again. "Well then. That didn't go entirely as expected, I must admit. He had help getting to this place, that much is clear. And that same help allowed him to somehow hear me… How interesting. But, no matter." She audibly started to smile. "What do you think, dear doctor, of your old foe?"

"My old robot designs are no longer enough to handle him. He is far too strong," Gerald murmured. "Not to mention, he has grown courageous, even more than he once was. That must be stamped out."

"In the past, it was an uneven mixture of fear and occasional confidence, unless I am mistaken. Taking him back to that point will require considerable effort on your part. I trust you have some form of plan taking root?"

"I do, but… seeing as Shadow has become beyond my reach temporarily, I may focus on that plan first," Gerald responded.

"It is just as well. Do what you will, Doctor. I believe I can trust your judgement at this time."

Gerald's grin only managed to grow. "I will make sure to have acceptable results for us both."

"I look forward to it. In return, I will repair your ARK once more. Do try not to wreck it on your own with your new project." Nareish began mentally disconnecting, so to speak. As promised, the ARK was seamlessly reconstructed around Gerald. Once that was done and before she had fully disconnected, she spoke again. "A word of caution… he was correct. Black Doom is indeed alive once more. If you do indeed have such a history with the creature, then it stands to reason it will attack you again."

"I have a plan for that. It should be handled," Gerald answered easily.

"Very well, then." With nothing else to say, she left him to his own devices again.

~保護者~

14,521 words this time. Many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help and support. Posted (at about 10:10 p.m.) 01-16-20.