Guardian

by yasha012

I used to want to save existence... I saw it as this beautiful place, capable of fostering life in all of its many forms. A place with the potential to nurture so much Light. But the closer I got to it... the more I fought for it… the better I could see the Darkness waiting within… the evil we would all rather forget. (Part 4 of the Hero series; sequel to "Eternal Shadow Falls".)

136. Helping Hands

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Hello, Guest! Yes, it was a very tense chapter in some parts. But I'm glad it could end on a lighter note. It was nice. :)

~保護者~

"Helping Hands"

~保護者~

Steam, after having purified Marthal and sent Silver back to Tails's home, had contained himself somewhere off in space on a desolate, uninhabited planet. Everything felt like too much and there just wasn't enough of him to keep up. Tears streamed down his face as he bumped his head against his knees in irritation and as a means to try and stave off the intense dread he was feeling. A meltdown was imminent… but he couldn't subject anyone to that. With how bad it was, the chances of him hurting someone, or worse, was incredibly high.

For all of these reasons, he stayed away from everyone he knew. Everyone he cared about. He had discarded his communicator somewhere on Mobius and torn out the device that let Wery monitor his health, just so that nobody would be able to easily come find him. He knew it was a bad idea, he knew it. He just couldn't make himself do anything else.

It was times like this that he sorely missed his wife, one of the few people able to make him sit down and relax. Something he couldn't just do on his own. Without her around, all of his old habits came back to bite him in the ass. Steam felt like he couldn't trust anyone, that nobody trusted him. That he didn't matter, and that nothing would happen if he just laid down and died.

He hadn't realized it, but he had begun slamming his head against his knees, drawing blood as he broke the skin of his forehead. He cried out unintentionally just as everything began to overwhelm him…

Then everything went quiet. He wasn't able to move, but he felt strangely… safe. The meltdown faded into nothing and his mind calmed.

Only then did he understand what was happening. He pushed himself off the ground, blinking slowly as he recovered his touch with reality. Steam turned around and watched as Rusen, in his aura form, descended down to the ground. His mind couldn't fully comprehend what he was seeing, but he knew what he was missing. The smile turned in his direction made him feel… happy.

"Wayward Balancer, Steam," Rusen murmured, stepping closer slowly. "You have done many great things in your life and for this timeline, but something is on your mind. What ails you?" Rusen knew that this was ultimately not going to fix the situation. Steam was… stubborn. Hard-headed. The only way to solve this fully would be to intervene in ways that the Faein would never allow themselves to do. So… he merely sought to delay what would happen long enough to help Steam.

Steam sighed and sat down with his legs hugged to his chest, prompting Rusen to sit beside him. "It's… hard to explain. I don't want anything bad to happen to these people. I came here to help. I feel like a failure."

"There are not many who can do the things you have done," Rusen countered softly. "You led your friends and allies through a battle that could have brought a certain death upon many. You devised the entire plan to rescue Shadow, to capture Kaden."

"Jet could have done it," Steam muttered, laying his forehead on his knees.

"You both are so very capable," Rusen answered. "Maybe he could have done it. However… you were the one to do it. You prevented several casualties even though it almost took your life. You have proven yourself worthy of their respect… to yourself."

Steam sighed. "I know you understand, but you don't get it. You can't truly experience what I'm feeling. I always feel like I have no purpose."

"You are right," Rusen said gently. "I cannot truly experience it. Not as you do. Does that mean I cannot relate? That I cannot be here for you as I am? Does it make my words and opinion invalid?"

"No… everyone deserves an opinion, all respected to equal magnitude. Even if it causes conflict, respecting that they have their own opinion and views."

"You are a wise man," Rusen replied. "You understand both sides of this war and yet you remain amazingly neutral. You side with good because that is the side that needs you most. As well as it being the side of your friends. You have incredible amounts of good and evil within you, from your past, present, and future as well as who you are. You do not fight to kill, but you fight to keep balance. You did so even when you were young."

Steam muttered something under his breath, but Rusen heard it. "Steam… I know that being a Balancer once more is not desirable. Your role in your own timeline suited you well. However, you… you are one of the few who could manage to handle this. Why do you think Jet has trusted you in both timelines?"

Steam sighed and laid on his back. "I hoped that my knowledge would save people a lot of trouble. Didn't work out as well as I'd hoped."

"The timelines are not all the same… as you know. It is possible that this timeline could take a completely different course than your own did," Rusen murmured. "However… your knowledge has been crucial to much. You have helped more than you realize."

The hedgehog nodded slowly, then glanced to Rusen. "You're not being as grandiose as usual. You usually have a very existential sort of air about you, but it's like you're avoiding that."

Rusen smiled further, sitting by the hedgehog. "You are perceptive as always," he murmured. "You are correct. I am avoiding it, because that type of conversation will not work as well with you. You will ignore it, avoid it. It may have made matters worse."

"You're… only here to keep me calm for a bit, then," Steam said, staring off into space. "What's your plan?"

For your great help… I will tell you. Just this once. "Something is coming, soon. As soon as this event has played out… I plan to send you home for as long as it takes you to recover and recuperate. We will then allow you to come back, if you so choose."

Steam nodded slowly. The thought of going home and getting to be with his wife, his kid… That pleased him. However… he couldn't in good conscience leave these people. They had counted on him and trusted him, as an ally and a friend. "I'll come back. I'll be damned if I abandon them."

Rusen's smile was unmistakable as he stood and began floating away. "Good choice, Wayward Balancer…"

~保護者~

Scowling just a little to himself, Shei walked after Aniko through a particularly dense area of forest. It was only because he was behind her that he allowed himself to indulge in that expression at all, wearing it long enough to work through his emotions to some degree before finally urging them away. His expression smoothed over into his usual one as he picked up the pace to walk by her side. "Where are we going?" he finally asked his partner.

"You'll see," she muttered. The longer they walked, the more irritated she seemed to be getting. It was hardly pointed at Shei, but more so at everything around her. That really didn't answer his question, but due to her shifting mood he chose to not ask any further questions. He gradually lagged behind her again, giving them both space as he silently followed along whatever path she was taking them on. Eventually, it became increasingly obvious that she was leading them to someone.

There was freshly harvested wood from trees and faint tracks from where the wood had been transported. Shortly after, they came across a home newly built into the trees. Shei regarded the location in silence, unsure initially who might have chosen to live so far from others but soon realizing that that the answer was obvious. So we are to see him, then.

Once they were close enough that they could easily just climb or jump up, the person they were visiting simply appeared in front of them with a vaguely confused look. "Why have you come here?"

Aniko stared Ryuji down quietly, as if daring him to try something before speaking. "I have questions. I thought you may have answers."

"Speak. I will answer what I will." His gaze then shifted to Shei and he frowned thoughtfully. "I also know and remember our sign language well. If you wish to question me, I will answer you as well." That was good to know, Shei decided, but he made no immediate comment.

"First, I wanted to ask about potential reasons that my Darkness may rise up, unwarranted," Aniko murmured.

"You are referring to the period of time when we faced those beings of Light? I remember the sensation of your energy before the demon woke," Ryuji murmured. "Regarding your Darkness, I am unsure. It responds… healthily to emotion, specifically negative emotions."

Aniko glared faintly. "Don't tell me things I already know. I'm concerned that I may not have control of my Darkness any longer."

Ryuji nodded slowly and watched her for a moment before sighing. "You seem to have plenty of control of it by now. Is there a reason you are concerned, specifically?"

Curbing the desire to grab her father by the neck and do unspeakably brutal things to him, Aniko responded through gritted teeth. "I went into an evil state. That is unusual."

Before she had a chance to really think or add more, Ryuji's blade was hovering above her shoulder. She stared at him with narrowed eyes, but didn't act. Ryuji withdrew the blade and sheathed it. "You have your immense control once more. The chances of you entering that state once more are incredibly slim." Privately, Shei agreed. Any lapse in control, and she would have attempted to make good on all her past threats toward her father. That much was certain.

Aniko paused for a moment before slowly nodding. "Reasonable enough…" I suppose. Her gaze then turned to Shei, the look on her face asking if he wanted to converse with Ryuji, or if he wanted her to do it for him. Shei gave her a flat look, clearly unenthused by the first of those two options. She then turned her gaze back to Ryuji and spoke. "He has also been having issues with his energy. It is… causing him problems."

Ryuji decided to take this chance to turn to Shei. "If you could… will you show me the energy that's bothering you? I presume it is not our Darkness, as Aniko would have been more direct."

Onyx eyes stared at Ryuji for a long moment before Shei finally signed, "Both of you move away, then. I have no idea whether or not this will damage you." Nodding, Ryuji gently grabbed Aniko by the wrist and led her away before casting a barrier around them of Darkness. He then signed for Shei to continue. Reluctantly, Shei took several more steps away for good measure before calling a barely-controlled ball of crimson and black energy into the palm of his right hand. With his left, he used one-handed signs typically used during combat to say, "This is it. Supposedly, it is the same energy that Malevolence wields and is comprised of."

Ryuji frowned immensely and signed through his barrier, "That is enough. I have seen what I need to see." Shei immediately let the energy vanish. The barrier slowly dissipated, but Ryuji held his daughter back for a moment, making sure the energy wasn't lingering in any way until she tore herself from his grip and walked back to Shei. Ryuji himself rejoined the two before frowning. "It is almost assuredly the energy you mentioned. I have seen nothing else like it," he murmured. "It is dangerous, but I assume you have seen what it does by now."

"I have only ever seen one single facet of what it does, poisoning the living and inciting immense decay," Shei answered with a frown of his own. "Beyond that, I know nothing. I feel as though I once did, but not any longer."

"I do not have information to impart, but I will see what I can learn," Ryuji murmured gently. "Though, I must ask what you mean by not knowing any longer? Do you believe you have somehow forgotten?"

Slowly, Shei shook his head. "This energy was once… sealed, somehow. That seal may extend beyond just the power itself. With it merely weakened but still intact, there is no telling what else it is keeping at bay."

"Do you know anyone that may specialize in seals to aid you in discovering what is hidden without freeing it?" Ryuji questioned gently. "That could be a start if you wish to investigate on your own."

"The only person we ever knew with such capabilities was the village elder we knew before death," Shei answered simply. "I know no others."

Ryuji nodded. "I do not know many that have knowledge on the matter, less that could have a chance at helping," he admitted. Shei shrugged.

Aniko frowned suddenly, drawing Ryuji's attention. Her mind worked for a few seconds before she muttered, "Those motherfuckers."

"Hm?" Ryuji raised an eyebrow, attempting to prompt her to continue.

"One of two demons is likely the culprit, the reason why the seal was weakened to begin with," Aniko muttered hatefully. "Zareil or Kaden."

Ryuji frowned as well. "Are they the two strong demons that were simply residing in the Highlands at the time of the fight?"

"Unfortunately," Aniko answered. "One of them… I am sure of it."

At that point, Shei made the connection and explained for Ryuji's benefit, "I felt a demon, in a way, attacking me from within just before the energy emerged enough to begin killing everything around me. Only those with immense magical power can create or dismantle seals. No demon exists who is stronger than those two."

"Hm." Ryuji thought to himself for a moment before nodding again. "Were you at any point corrupted?" he questioned.

That question earned a scowl. "Once."

"Then that either made it possible, or made it easier, to weaken the seal," Ryuji answered. "Regardless, the chances are that they could now do it from great distances and simply attempting to separate from them is impractical."

"Depending on which one of them did this… the threat may have recently been rendered null and void," Shei answered slowly. "The stronger of the two is currently trapped by the Immortals."

Ryuji frowned vaguely. I will likely be speaking to him soon. "I see. I am not sure what else I can tell you. This is a troublesome situation." Shei's only response was to shrug again.

Aniko nodded slowly in response before slowly beginning to turn away. "I'm going to go look for answers elsewhere." Shei made to follow her, losing himself to his thoughts a bit.

Ryuji started to say something in reply but suddenly drew his sword, turning away from them. "Watch yourselves," he called, gripping his blade tight. "Something is coming."

Hearing the blade, Aniko reached for her own, ready to retaliate only to realize that he wasn't attacking them. Her gaze shifted around them and she moved an arm protectively in front of Shei before signing for him to be prepared for anything. Whether or not Shei wanted to respond, he had no chance to. Kal abruptly appeared beside Ryuji and rather childishly shoved him onto the ground. "Here you are. I have been searching, dear partner."

The man deftly rolled and reclaimed his footing, allowing Darkness to flow along the edge of his blade. "You are not welcome," he murmured, eyes narrowed.

"And yet here I stand… and there is nothing you can do about it," Kal murmured, her own eyes cold and uncaring.

Ryuji didn't dare step down, but he made no move against her. "I don't care for you any longer. I have not for quite some time. We no longer have a bond," he muttered, clenching his blade tighter. "Begone."

"Our bond," the word was enunciated with clear distaste, "remains until we are both dead. Like it or not, Ryuji." With swift fingers, she twirled a thread of energy around his sword and jerked it out of his hand toward her. "On another note, I'd thought you long ago learned better than to threaten me so blatantly?"

Ignoring her, as it was the only thing that briefly kept the unusual feeling of numbness from creeping in, he wrapped threads around his sword and snapped hers, dragging it back into his hand. "The bond died long ago."

Kal made a disapproving sound in the back of her throat. "You would truly abandon this for them? For her?" She gestured vaguely toward Aniko. "She disowned you long ago. Her care has never been yours to claim. Her family hardly holds you in any higher regard. So tell me what, exactly, you think you will gain from all of this?"

He would have flinched, but he knew that she was looking for that sort of reaction. He ignored the burning hatred flowing freely from Aniko and responded coldly. "It is not about gain. Not that you would understand."

"I don't claim to. I also have no desire to, incidentally." Kal began slowly approaching him, her own weapon materializing in her hand. "Regardless, in spite of your stupidity, I'm prepared to offer you a small choice. We can either go elsewhere and handle this, or we can do it here where you'll have an audience. Pick quickly."

Ryuji slashed in her direction, but not at her. Darkness gouged out the earth inches to her right and destroyed everything in its path. "Shut the fuck up," he muttered.

Clearly unbothered by his display of hostility, Kal shrugged. "Oh, well. Here it is, then." Without further ado, she advanced and kicked him squarely in the chest, knocking him backward and to the ground again. That was followed up with a barrage of blows in various places that happened at speed comparable to what Shei could do. Despite Ryuji's aggressive behavior before this, he didn't lift a finger to fight back. He hardly defended himself as well, only protecting the most vital areas of his body before throwing himself away from her.

Aniko, seeing this happen, let out a growl. "You can fight back, bastard!" she yelled. "You didn't hesitate to attack us!" Shei looked on in silence, expression blank as he took in the scene before them.

Rather predictably, Kal ignored Aniko's shouting. She again wrenched Ryuji's weapon away with threads, this time tossing it some distance away from him once she'd done so. Then, using her Darkness, she slammed him into the ground violently several times, hard enough to begin causing a good bit of bleeding. Once more, Ryuji only protected himself enough to not take on any fatal injuries before finding an escape route and separating himself from her once more.

In a flash, Shei intervened. Faster than anyone else present could move, he'd closed the distance separating him from Kal. He now stood directly behind her with a knife a hair's breadth from her throat. Poison glistened on the blade, a clear threat. Aniko stood and watched for the moment. She, as Kal had explained earlier, held no care for her father. However, seeing Shei do this confused her greatly. Why protect him?

It seemed her mother was wondering the same thing. "Protecting an enemy now?" Kal drawled, eyes drifting to Ryuji's current position. "I always told my daughter you were idiotic beyond reason. This, I think, proves my point."

Aniko teleported over, pointing her own blade at Kal. "Nobody speaks ill of my partner. None have done so and lived. You need to shut your fucking mouth." Venom dripped from her words almost as openly as it did so from Shei's blade, hatred bubbling up all at once and spilling from her tone.

Never moving his blade from it's threatening position at Kal's throat, Shei circled around to her front side. His expression was still blank, as he refused to let any of his own negativity show for the moment. With his free hand, he demanded, "How long have you been doing this, then? How many years?"

His questions earned a small shrug. "I have never cared enough to count. It hardly concerns you, anyway."

"You concern yourself deeply with the supposed pride of our people," Shei continued, a touch of anger showing through in his eyes, "and yet through this interaction alone you have done nothing but bring shame. One should never lay their hands on their mate in such a way. How dare you."

Aniko shifted her blade to cover where Shei's did not. "And you have openly dared to do so, not just in private. You have no shame and serve no purpose to our people," she muttered. "Befitting of one who would abuse their child as well."

"Perhaps if either of you could learn to obey," Kal answered calmly, "I would not have to resort to such barbaric measures. However, it seems to be the only method that gets through to him to this day. Once upon a time, that was the case for you as well. Not that that matters anymore. I care not for your obedience, these days. His is enough." She idly moved her fingers and the threads she had extending from them. The sword she'd thrown came flying back toward them, forcing Shei to grab Aniko and yank both her and himself back in order to avoid them getting stabbed.

Ryuji finally stood his ground, a sword comprised of Darkness suddenly flashing into existence as he performed a series of slashes, slicing through every thread Kal had created all at once. "You have gone too far. You can harm me, but I will not allow you to harm others."

"As you wish." Now for the second time, Kal suspended him in the air with her Darkness only to slam him back down to the ground repeatedly. Once she tired of that, she deliberately used the force of her attacks to break a tree and throw him into one large shaft of splintered trunk. Ryuji pushed himself off the splintered wood, idly using his own threads to remove any splinters left behind before standing up straight. As long as the attacks were focused on him… it didn't matter. His own life wasn't worth theirs.

Kal approached him again, twirling her as-of-yet unused sword in her right hand. "You truly never learn, do you?" A hard kick knocked him back once again, straight back onto the sharpened wood. "The idiot may have attempted to stand up for you, but no one else here will. Not one person on this wretched world gives a damn. You attempt to protect some of them, but it makes no difference to anyone. Your actions are pointless."

In one final act of rebellion before he felt the numbness overtake him, he muttered, "And no one else would stand for you other than me. You lost that."

"I have no need for anyone else… or for you. Having you around makes things a touch easier, but it is nothing I can't handle alone." Kal slammed him around with her Darkness a few more times. "You would do us all a rather large favor by keeling over already."

Ryuji didn't have it in him to respond, summoning his own Darkness for the first few collisions to protect himself before ultimately letting it fall and simply taking the damage. It will stop… one way or another.

The attacks persisted for several seconds longer before, out of nowhere, someone else's Darkness washed over the pair and blasted Kal away. When it vanished, Espio stood in its wake, having firmly planted himself between Ryuji and Kal. His already heated glare intensified further when he watched his grandmother get to her feet and begin approaching once again. "Enough!" he snapped. "Leave now or I will end you myself!"

Ryuji pushed himself to his feet, muttering something under his breath before saying aloud, "There is no need, Espio. It's fine." He stood up straight, not allowing his stance to waver. "I can at least go down knowing I did one thing right."

Hearing his words, Espio promptly snapped at him as well. "Fuck off! Sit your ass down! I'm handling this!" Nodding slowly, seeing as his will to fight had vanished when Kal's attention returned to him the second time, Ryuji backed up until he found something to lean against and sat down.

Once more, seeing someone that she cared for so deeply stand up for someone she hated so passionately left Aniko confused. Why do they care? He's worthless.

Returning his attention to Kal, Espio gave her a bit of the same treatment Ryuji had gotten (however unknowingly) by slamming her into the ground with his Darkness when she went to walk after her partner again. "You will not move one step closer," Espio threatened, visibly seething.

Noticing Aniko's state, Shei sought to snap her out of it by tapping her on her shoulder. Then he signed, "She needs to be forced to leave. The sooner that is accomplished, the better. Her presence brings nothing but pain."

Aniko frowned, but ultimately nodded slowly before her gaze flicked idly to the distance. She signed back, "Seems someone else noticed the commotion." She gripped her sword tightly and moved near to Espio.

It didn't take long for the one Aniko noticed to join everyone, appearing from the trees and landing on the ground not far from Aniko with obviously displeased eyes. "She is back," Tyria murmured lightly, turning her gaze to Aniko. "I assume she is causing a problem again?" Aniko nodded in response.

Shei quickly signed again, "She needs to leave. The quicker, the better."

Tyria turned her attention to Espio, frowning at his faint breathlessness before producing several kunai out of thin air. "You do not have to act further. I believe the three of us will be sufficient, assuming they will aid me." This earned a grim nod from Shei.

Though he muttered something furiously under his breath, Espio sheathed his sword, turned on his heel, and strode over to Ryuji. Ignoring everyone else around them, he knelt by the older man and quietly demanded, "Can you stand?"

"Of course," Ryuji answered, pushing himself to his feet. Though he tried to hide it, there was a minute sway in his stance. "I am fine."

"Don't fucking lie to me." Saying nothing else, Espio grabbed Ryuji's wrist and teleported away with him.

Left with Aniko and Tyria to deal with Kal, Shei drew his sword. He was ready for a fight, if it came down to that. And it likely would. Tyria quickly took the lead, launching her kunai into the air before leaping directly at Kal, hands bare of any weapons. Kal dodged Tyria and and sent the kunai flying away with her Darkness, only to be forced to freeze when Shei took the same position as he had earlier, his sword pressed against her throat. One ungloved hand was also gripping her shoulder tightly from behind, but not releasing any poison… just yet.

Taking advantage of Kal's momentary stillness, Tyria planted her palm against the nape of Kal's neck and spoke clearly and intently. "You are required to leave. Refuse to do so and your death will be swift."

Aniko followed the lead of Shei and Tyria, planting her blade against Kal's abdomen and frowning. "You've done enough here."

Slowly, Kal gained a smirk. "Even you defend him now? Truly, has everyone gone mad today?"

"I'm not defending him. I'm hating you. I can deal with him on my own if I so choose," Aniko muttered hatefully, pressing her blade far enough to draw blood. "Now leave. We won't say it again."

Kal huffed out a small laugh. "Very well, then. But do tell him one thing for me. He and I are far from finished. I'll come back for him at some point." With that said, she simply vanished.

Aniko slowly withdrew her blade, sheathing it before casting her gaze to Tyria. "Twice now you have showed yourself. Why?"

"I live to protect my kin, blood relation or otherwise," Tyria answered calmly. "It is what I have done from the moment I could do so."

A sigh escaped Aniko and she nodded. "Come with us. I wish to speak to you in greater detail once we have settled all of our business." Tyria only nodded, moving to walk in Hyale's general direction to give them some space to talk if they so desired. Aniko turned to Shei and frowned deeply. "Why did you care at all?" she questioned.

This caused a fresh scowl to paint itself across his face. "I do not tolerate abuse. Not against anyone. It is beyond unacceptable."

Aniko nodded slowly before beginning to walk as well. "Is that why Espio did as well?"

Shei walked after her. "He has his own history with an abusive partner," he reminded slowly. "There is no other way to describe that Nyokae woman. Why would he stand by and watch as someone else suffered the same treatment?"

"They abused me," Aniko muttered. "I could not make myself stand in defense of myself against either of them. I despise them both."

Somehow managing to put some emphasis on some of his words, Shei carefully asked, "Did they? Or did she?"

Aniko turned fully to him, frowning deeply. "What do you mean?"

Ever patient with her, Shei asked her, "Were they both truly involved, Aniko? Or was it merely your mother who was? Ryuji has indeed threatened you before and has said cruel things, but in all the years I have known you I have never once seen him truly harm you."

That's fucking ridiculous. Of course it was both of them. She didn't deign to respond, instead beginning to walk again at a faster pace. "Don't be ridiculous."

Shaking his head, Shei walked after her. He lagged behind for a while, as he had done earlier, before eventually resigning himself to further anger from her and catching up. Knowing full well what might be about to come and bracing himself for it, he pointed out, "That didn't answer my question."

She shifted her increasingly irritated gaze to him, but did her level best to keep the anger from infecting her tone. "What do you mean? Of course it did."

"Far from it," Shei argued cautiously. "You merely told me not to be ridiculous. That is not an answer to what I asked."

"Of course it was both of them," Aniko clarified before the idea really struck her. He hadn't harmed her recently, and even in her childhood it always seemed to be at Kal's command. The more she thought and remembered, the more clear it became. Her gaze narrowed and a strong surge of hatred flowed over her body. "That bitch."

"What?" Shei prompted, hoping she would explain her thoughts to him more clearly than just that.

"If I ever see that pitiful excuse for a living being again, I swear I'll tear her lungs from her throat," Aniko spat hatefully. "No-good bitch." She didn't seem entirely capable of doing much more than be hateful, as this tirade continued on for the next several minutes prompting a curious glance to Shei from Tyria.

Shei acknowledged Tyria's glance with a glance of his own, but otherwise kept his full attention on Aniko. "Until we see her again," he interjected, "what do you intend to do?"

"I am going to interrogate Ryuji. If it is true that she was the one behind this all, then he will be able to tell me so," Aniko muttered, clenching her fists.

"That is unwise," Shei answered. "His mental state appears to be fragile. I have no way of knowing for certain, but judging by how quickly and easily he gave into her… he has likely been suffering for a very long time. Being harsh with him will only cause him to shut down again. And that is the best case scenario."

Aniko frowned deeply before speaking under her breath. "I have to find out somehow."

"I know," Shei soothed. "All I'm saying is that it must be done carefully. It is no different than how we had to behave with Espio after what happened when he was tiny. Gentility is just as necessary here as it was back then."

Though she managed to frown deeper, Aniko only nodded in response. "I understand."

He returned her nod. "Come, then. We should follow our unlikely savior."

~保護者~

It was his second to last stop, but that didn't mean there was less work to be done. No… this would be one of the most crucial in Rusen's eyes. His gaze fell down upon the home Analia had been protected within and he frowned. It is time, Aethra.

"Very well. I am ready whenever you are."

Rusen didn't respond, instead choosing to descend toward the home and seamlessly phase through everything separating him from the people he wished to see. He disguised himself for the sake of Cyril and landed gently on the ground. Before anyone could speak, reality rippled briefly and Eila suddenly stood, awake and alert. "Be calm, Eila… We are here to help." Analia looked on in silence, eyes wide with a mixture of abrupt understanding and awe. Rose shortly came to the same understanding, but she, like Analia, remained wholly silent.

This time, Aethra's voice was able to be heard by an, not just Rusen. "We wish to aid with what ails you, if you will allow us."

For a moment, Eila's eyes shone a brilliant purple before she conceded, nodding slowly. "You're… How?"

"If you truly wish to know, it is a mixture of good fortune and desire to aid those we helped have a hand in bringing to life," Rusen responded softly. "Does that suffice for your curiosity?"

Eila nodded slowly and shakily. The sheer weight of this situation was weighing on her, but all at once she felt at ease when Rusen raised his hand. Her eyes widened when the relentless pressure left by Petry trying to force her way into control was lifted. Brief emptiness came over her as the other alter she had become aware of some time ago was also removed, but in a n infinitely more gentle manner. Rusen's hands moved in graceful ways and created waves across the flickering form of what she assumed was Petry, who looked like a vastly more corrupt and deformed version of herself.

Rusen spoke in another language, one entirely unknown to all present. The translation soon entered their minds, however. "You on your own have caused more strife than I can allow. You have tormented, tortured, and destroyed countless lives, and for this, I cast you into nothingness." Petry's form was erased all at once with a silent scream, removed entirely from existence. With her help no longer required now that they had removed Petry from Eila safely and she had taken care of the other alter, Aethra's subtle presence faded away, leaving Rusen to handle things from this point on.

Rusen walked forward to Eila and gently smoothed her hair back to bring her a sense of comfort. "I will send you to speak with someone. You know her as Eona. She can help you with the questions burning in your heart." He gently raised her gaze to his and smiled, allowing her to see through his disguise for just a moment. "You are free from Petry now. Go forth and forge your own life."

She didn't respond. Not because she wanted to be quiet, but because she couldn't bring herself. His gentility moved her to tears and he hugged her for a moment as she tried to make heads or tails of the miracle bestowed upon her before she felt her form fade away so she could speak to Eona. Rusen slowly lifted himself up and turned his gaze to Cyril, who was staring slack-jawed with obvious confusion in his eyes. He knelt in front of the finch and carefully reached a hand into the tarot card deck Cyril carried before producing one of the cards. "Take this, God of Magic. Restore the aching bond between yourself and your dear friend before it is too late."

Cyril accepted the card slowly, somehow understanding that this shouldn't be happening without the ability to properly comprehend it. He grabbed one of his metal cards, only to be briefly stopped by Rusen once more. "You are able to teleport with the use of your magic. You need not always travel this way, especially if you want to move quickly." The bird nodded as the knowledge flooded his mind on how to use it properly. He gave a thankful smile before teleporting away with his magic.

Then, Rusen turned his attention to the two beings of Light in the room. He floated over to the bed and gently took a seat, motioning for Rose to do the same. Once they were both present, he turned to Analia. "May I request your help, just this once, dear being of Light?"

With his attention now on her, Analia straightened. She inclined her head minutely and murmured, "Of course."

Rusen frowned gently and took her hand in one of his own. "I will give this gift to you for your unending generosity," he murmured, lifting the pain Analia had been experiencing from her body. "You should be able to rest and focus much more easily."

Rather than questioning any of this, Analia only inclined her head again. "Thank you," she murmured, for once unable to form the words to express the sheer depths of gratitude. "I… This is wonderful. Truly."

"Speak naught of it," Rusen murmured gently. "You deserve such and more."

Analia shook her head slowly. "No more so than many others," she answered quietly. However, she didn't dwell on that topic for long. "You asked for my help," she invited instead. "What could I possibly do to aid someone such as yourself?"

"Dear Rose here has a great deal of respect for you and values your words dearly. I hoped that we could correct some of her teachings from the past," Rusen murmured gently.

"Teachings?" Analia echoed, hoping for clarification.

"Her mother was misguided," Rusen answered softly. It is what has caused much of her grief and sorrow as of late, as she is operating off of methodologies that do not work for Light users."

Analia frowned faintly in understanding. "I see."

"It is what has caused her Light to weaken, and her sister and allies will soon need her help," Rusen murmured. "That is why I wished to ask for your aid."

"I understand," Analia murmured. "I will do what I can."

Rusen slowly turned to Rose and regarded her with a soft smile. "Now… I must warn you. This may upend much of the life you have lived. I hope to give you a chance to prepare yourself." Rose nodded and glanced between Rusen and Anala before motioning for them to continue as they were going to. Rusen then stood from the bed, waving a hand and creating a series of images in the air of several beings of Light, one of which being Saran. "Light as an energy is made to grant good to the universe through the beings it has ties to. They are influenced by love, compassion, kindness, and several other positive emotions. They are capable of incredible patience, care, and so much more."

"The Light within does not prevent you from feeling negative emotions, as you have become aware, Rose," Rusen murmured, waving his hands gently and conjuring up several images of Rose's life. It showed the progression of her mind and body perfectly despite being still images and how she had slowly begun to succumb to the negativity she was capable of. "To attempt to banish these feelings is to make them worse, and to simply ignore them is no better."

"Emotions, no matter what they are, are important for anyone to feel however they need to," Analia added quietly. "Regardless of anything else that we are, we are still people. We have emotions because we are alive, Rose. It is natural. Following the Light is to manage your negative emotions and not let them rule you or dictate your actions, not to force yourself to live as though they don't exist."

Rose understood, but she remained silent, taking this information in. Rusen continued, waving away the imagery and reclaiming his seat on the bed. "You were taught that your negative emotions are bad and will dim your Light. You spent your life searching for your sister and neglected yourself. You helped everyone you could and yet you allowed yourself to suffer."

He seemed saddened by this fact, and that much was able to cause a faint ache in Rose's chest. It is true… I…

"Hold the lives of others above your own," Rusen said, completing her thought. "You understand that you have worth and that others do as well, but if you were to have to choose, you would allow yourself to die in place of another." He went quiet for a moment, watching as faint realization came over Rose before continuing. "You have a good heart and a strong will, but you have harmed both in hopes of bettering the lives of everyone around you. It is a dangerous pursuit."

"Your safety does not matter less than the safety of others," Analia murmured, "nor does your happiness. There are people who care for you. Your sister, if no one else, actively depends on you. You cannot be there for her if you are hurting just as deeply and not taking steps to heal. You cannot continue for the rest of your life pretending around your loved ones to be alright when you are not. They will notice, and they will begin to share in your pain."

"Your sister especially will share in the pain," Rusen murmured. "Seeing you hurt will actively cause her pain. Anything happening to you will bring her great sorrow, much like it did when you saw her hurt. She needs you, but she also needs you to take care of yourself."

Analia sighed softly "Any others in your life who are close to you… they will need the same thing. They will want it. Anyone who truly cares for you will care enough to want you to heal."

Rose nodded slowly. "I… see," she murmured.

"One more thing I must mention," Rusen said. "You have a strong tendency to throw yourself into danger, knowing how badly it could end. I admire your courage, your bravery… but know that this willingness will likely end in your untimely demise. You will come across a danger so great… and you will throw yourself at it if you continue this way." Rusen glanced away, frowning. "You will be missed sorely if such a thing happens." Analia listened this time and didn't speak, choosing to wait and see how Rose would respond.

"...Hm." Rose looked down before taking a deep breath. "I understand."

Rusen shook his head. "You do not. You still use yourself as a shield to be a buffer between the evils of the universe and all that is good. Rose, you will die if you continue on this path you forged."

Hearing it said this way made Rose flinch. The thought… bothered her. She wasn't sure what she felt or what to make of this, but she nodded. "I will try my best to take care of myself."

"That is good to know," Analia murmured. "Thank you for being willing to try."

"That is all I can ever ask, Disciple of Light," Rusen murmured, causing Rose's gaze to snap up. The surprise was amusing and he carefully lifted her sword from its sheath and let it hover between them all. "This blade was placed carefully within existence so that it would find itself in the hands of a particular person. The one who would learn about the Light and help to teach others." He gently took hold of it and ran a finger along the edge. "This is your sword. The blade by which you have forged ahead and gained the power and skill you have now. The time has come for you to take it in hand and go on once more to aid in bringing about a new age with everything you know."

Rose felt herself drawn to the blade and she gently took hold of the handle, gripping it tightly as the sword thrummed in her hand. The blade suddenly became as she once remembered it. Unmarred by the blood and various other things that had left faint stains on the metal. "This… your sword," Rusen murmured. "In a way, it was incomplete. The one who created it was not a blacksmith, so I took this as an opportunity to perfect for you. It will be yours until you find the next disciple and pass it on." Perhaps sooner rather than later… depending on how events play out.

The cat sheathed her sword slowly as the vibrations slowly faded away. "Thank you, very much, Rusen. I appreciate this more than I can express."

"I know, dear Rose. You need not explain further. And think of this… as my gift to you. Now, go. Someone is on your mind and you are very worried about him. Speak to him, then go see your love. You will know where to find him," Rusen murmured. Rose nodded and stood from the bed before offering a thankful nod to both Analia and Rusen.

"Fare thee well, dear Rose," Analia told her quietly, offering a small smile. "We will meet again, you and I."

"I hope to see you standing on your own when next we meet," Rose answered before teleporting away.

Rusen smiled gently. "I love seeing the youth with so much life in their eyes."

"I do as well," Analia agreed.

"I have one more favor of sorts to ask of you, potentially," Rusen murmured. "I have one more endeavor I must undertake, and it very well may be the most difficult due to the care I must take when speaking."

Analia turned her head to look at him, some of her long hair spilling over her shoulder as a result. "If I may, where are you going?"

"To see Shadow," Rusen replied. "He is going through much and it pains me to see this happen."

Worry clutched at her heart immediately. No word had reached her of any hardships befalling either of her sons recently. What had she missed? She drew in a steadying breath before asking, "What has happened? Is he alright?"

Rusen's gaze turned as his mouth opened. The words spilled out, the greatest pain he could muster flowing through his careful explanations. He did not like having to explain this, as it meant that these things had happened. It was necessary, however. Analia listened without comment, her hands clasped tightly over her mouth in silent horror as she took in everything he had to say. He fell quiet as his explanation ended, gaze staring infinitely beyond the window. "Nareish is sealed away with that man who has caused him harm. For now."

Though his final words brought her some measure of relief, Analia's fears for her son still remained. "For how long?" she almost whispered.

"As long as we are able," Rusen murmured in reply. "There are many threats coming for them all. Having Nareish acting freely atop it all would bring too much for them to handle." Analia nodded slowly, taking all this in. Rusen let out a soft sigh before turning his attention fully to Analia. "You can stand, yes?"

"I… believe so, yes," Analia answered in a soft voice.

"Walk around for a minute since you are no longer in pain. Then you can return to resting if you would like," Rusen murmured. "If I have need of you, I will ensure that you are awakened gently."

Slowly, gingerly, Analia climbed out of the bed and did as he'd asked. She soon sat back down when her fatigue caught up to her once more. "You are right. It no longer hurts me. Thank you for that."

"You are welcome," Rusen murmured softly. "Now return to resting. The youth can return to living their lives once more. I will call upon you if I have need of you."

"Alright. I will." Analia moved the blankets aside and laid down.

Rusen took one more look out the window before letting out a gentle sigh. "My work is almost complete. One more stop… and perhaps all will be well for a time."

~保護者~

"I don't care about her. She knocks on death's door already on her own. I have no reason to waste further time on her."

"If she does live, she will pose a threat to even you."

"No. She won't."

"You believe in her so strongly that you are willing to trust she will stay her hand if faced with the prospect of battling you?"

Hearing this question, Jet frowned. He was sitting alone and with closed eyes on a desolate rock floating not far from A'latria, the world he had created. One leg was bent at the knee, providing a resting place for his arm. His unsheathed sword hung loosely from his hand as he and the Void conversed. "Trust is for fools," he muttered. "It shifts and crumbles like sand, spilling away between our fingers until there is naught but dust left in its wake."

The Void was blessedly quiet for a time. Jet drifted into his own thoughts for as long as he was able to, ceasing only when his mind was intruded upon again. "Your weapon. Explain it."

Jet cracked open his eyes. Faint, ethereal purple light filled them from within. Tightening his grip just a bit, he raised the sword a degree or two. If only because of their deeply tangled bond, he understood what the unseen entity wanted. "If there is beauty in destruction, why not in its delivery?" he murmured. "It is not flashy or overly showy, regardless."

"Indeed." Another silence. This time, it lasted only for a few seconds. "If you believe your weapon wants to end all existence, then so it will. If you believe it desires to cut nothing, then it will not. It is your job to decide what you want rend apart and when. What, then, is your intention now?"

"Give me time to think in peace… and perhaps I can make a decision." The unwanted presence left him be once more. Jet allowed his gaze to drift to A'latria. After a time, he shifted to press his sword's blade into the ground enough that it would stand erect without support. Then he turned his palm upward, facing it in the direction of the world he had so long ago created. With the barest crook of his fingers, reality all around the planet flickered. An almost holographic-esque copy of the world slowly pulled apart from the true planet - a copy preserving the place as it was now for future use if need be. Closing his hand, he banished the copy from sight.

Slowly, he turned his hand back over so that it returned to its formerly relaxed position. Just as slowly, the wintry haven that he had spent so many years painstakingly crafting began to change. Snow melted away, leaving nothing but barren rock behind. Plants withered and died, their remains crumbling into nothing. Crystal-clear waters turned impossibly black and dark, and the sky soon followed suit. All sense of temperature faded away into nonexistence. External light sources such as stars were blotted out so that they couldn't be seen from the planet's atmosphere. What was left was a barren, dark, and ominous fortress of solitude and foreboding. And it was to this new version of his home that he chose to then travel to to think of his next move.

So long as no one was foolish enough to bother him… he would have all the time in existence to ponder.

~保護者~

It took maybe point two seconds for Shadow to awaken and sit up, aware that something had just slipped past his security systems… but somehow without setting them off. Several confused curses may or may not have escaped him under his breath, but he hardly paid that any mind as he connected to everything and tried to locate the source of this anomaly. When he couldn't find anything, he shifted his focus to what he could directly see around him. Rolling over, he shook Toru's shoulder once. "Toru. Wake up."

The chameleon was awake by the time he had done this. He slipped out of bed and unsheathed his blade. He didn't detect a threat, but he knew someone was intruding. That alone would have been enough to upset him, but his father was here. His sister. His only love. "Prepare yourself for anything," he muttered. "If it gets too bad, take Myriu and leave. I'll handle it from there."

Although he didn't like the idea of fleeing, Shadow didn't argue for the moment. Instead, he merely got out of the bed as well. He grabbed one of his guns off the nightstand before making his way out into the hall and then toward the living room, where he saw… a cat. Not a person, but a pet cat, one which lived in the woods around his house and which he'd taken to feeding and occasionally sheltering over the last few years. She was rubbing up against the leg of some total stranger who was standing in his home, but upon seeing him trotted over with her tail in the air. Not even thinking about it, he scooped the purring feline up while warily watching the intruder. Who the hell…?

The person (a da Asani) smiled softly to them both, nodding his greetings. "Forgive my intrusion. I came to speak with you both for a time."

"Who the hell are you?" Toru demanded harshly.

They smiled further, but it was an infinitely gentle smile that had no room for malice. "You may call me Rusen, if you so desire. I am aware that the two of you are in a predicament, so I wish to ask you to sit with me." Against his better judgment, Shadow felt himself lower his guard just a little bit. Still, he didn't put his weapon away just yet. He didn't… trust this.

Toru shifted in front of Shadow just a bit, grip on his weapon growing tighter. "Are you really here to just talk?" he questioned, entirely distrustful as his protective instincts kicked in.

"I wish to do more than talk, but if that is all it takes to help you through your situation, then I suppose that would have to do," Rusen answered softly, taking a seat. "I will not ask you to do anything you are unwilling to do, however. Free will is… important for me and my kin."

After a long moment of assessing this person and the strange lack of threat they posed, Shadow cautiously teleported his gun away. However, he still didn't speak yet. Toru didn't leave his sword, keeping it in hand but lowering it for now. Rusen smiled and motioned to the sofa, as if asking them to sit. Shadow thought about everything carefully before making a cautious decision and sitting down. The cat wiggled out of his arms and returned to the stranger, still purring up a storm as she laid in his lap. Her clear display of trust was among the main reasons why Shadow had opted to go along with this (at least for now).

Rusen petted the cat softly and watched as Toru joined Shadow. "I have much I would like to speak about, but I suppose choosing where to start would be the best choice." He turned more fully to face them. "Would it be okay to speak about this… man who caused you so much trouble, Shadow?"

Immediately, Shadow tensed up. "Why?" he asked, a touch defensive without entirely realizing it.

Rusen frowned softly, but he turned his gaze away. "He has hurt you greatly, caused you much pain. I want to offer you an outlet to feel your feelings in a safe environment. Alongside someone you can trust and someone you love dearly." Shadow fell silent again. He had no idea what to say, only knew that he didn't think he could do this at all. Why would he, anyway? Spilling his guts to someone he'd never before met or heard of was so far out of the question that it warranted no explanation. Rusen glanced over, nodding slowly. "I understand that you may find it difficult to trust me. You know so little about me, but I know everything about you." He smiled a little. "But I hope the situation might be made better by knowing that Toru is willing to trust me as long as he is able to sit by you through it all."

Toru sighed softly, turning his gaze over to Shadow. "If you don't want to do this, you don't have to. I'm here for you, no matter what," he murmured gently. Shadow remained utterly silent still, unable to formulate a half-decent reply to any of this.

"You do not feel like a person. At least… not in the general sense. You look at yourself as a machine," Rusen murmured slowly. "Correct?"

Shadow immediately looked away, frowning to himself. "What of it?" he eventually muttered. "People aren't built."

"If I may, I will answer your question with another question. Do you know who I am?" Rusen asked slowly. "I promise there is a reason."

That earned a small, somewhat derisive huff. "No." It wasn't like he had any way to, after all…

Rusen allowed his disguised hand to fade away and reveal his true form for a moment. "Does it make sense, now?" Shadow glanced the person over briefly, subconscious scans being executed right off the bat, then just looked away again without any fanfare. He understood now, but that didn't make him any happier with this situation. "I care for you as a person. You are no less a person than Toru, your brother, Tails, or anyone else. Just because your life was different and your biology and body are not the same means nothing."

Somehow, Shadow resisted the urge to scowl. But only just. The hell it doesn't. Rather than voicing that thought, he just muttered, "I get it, already. I don't need a lecture." He'd probably heard this about a thousand times over the past few weeks, anyway, if not longer. Mostly from Toru.

"My point," Rusen started, "is that he does not define who you are. He has no true say in your fate, and he will have no chance to decide much more for you. You are as much of a person as you are willing to let yourself be." Rather than argue the point (he just didn't have the energy for it), Shadow stayed silent again. Rusen glanced away for a moment, as if thinking. "Is there something on your mind you might wish to speak of?"

No matter how many times Toru got after him for lying each time he was presented with this sort of question, Shadow had never quite been able to curb the habit thus far. This time was no different. "No."

Toru nudged Shadow softly. "Are you lying right now?" he questioned.

"Shut up," Shadow answered. Not that it would do any good, he knew. It was the principle of the matter, nothing more.

Rusen cut in softly, drawing Toru's full attention. "If you'd like, I can ease your tension. I do not wish for you to feel the need to be ready for a fight at a moment's notice."

Toru huffed lightly and shrugged. "Go for it. I don't care."

You do, though. Rusen waved his hand lightly and Toru felt the tension leave his body and he visibly relaxed. "Forgive me if it feels unusual. I find it most effective to do something all at once."

The chameleon glanced away and shrugged again. "Fair enough. Efficiency is always a good thing." His gaze turned to Shadow eventually and he nudged the hedgehog again. "Hey… what do you remember about Black Doom?"

The question was so abrupt that it briefly startled Shadow out of his stubborn mood. He sort of looked at Toru for a long moment before finally saying, "Vague things from when I was small, alongside my couple of interactions with him from many years later. That's all."

"Well, what do you remember from when you were young?" Toru raised an eyebrow in question.

It took another longer moment for Shadow to answer him, but mostly because he had to think about it. He was more or less able to pretend for a moment that the Faein wasn't there, which made answering a touch easier. "I remember being with him at all times," he eventually said. "It was… safer. He allowed me to play by him while he tended to the hive."

"It was safer?" Toru questioned lightly.

Shadow shrugged. "Halflings are not well liked by the hive. I was the first, and at one time the only, such individual that had ever existed. Though they would have been killed for it, many were willing to pay that price if it meant ridding the hive of me." ...And yet… he did not act the same. Why?

Toru clicked his tongue lightly. "I see…" That didn't garner any real response, as Shadow was too busy wondering (for the first time in far too many years) just what to think of his other father. Toru then decided to ask another question. "What was it like?"

His voice grabbed Shadow's attention again. He frowned a little at the question. "...What, specifically?" he asked cautiously.

"Living with Black Doom," Toru clarified.

"I don't know," Shadow eventually replied. He hesitated, then added, "What I can remember is… vague. Like I said. I remember snippets here and there, brief flashes of things. Rarely anything substantial."

Toru nodded slowly, understanding. "Fair enough."

There was a small pause, then Shadow questioned, "Why are you even asking?"

"I was curious," Toru answered. "I haven't heard much about your past and I want to know."

"You don't want to know," Shadow muttered, looking away. The cat decided right about then to trot back over to him and plopped into his lap, earning a few idle chin rubs. "The rest of it is utter shit. There's nothing worth knowing."

"I think it's more about wanting to know about you," Rusen offered gently, smiling. "He cares for you, after all." Since there was no real denying that fact at this point, Shadow only responded with a noncommittal shrug. Mostly, he was trying to decide what he would even be willing to tell Toru about, if anything. He'd never really… spoken about most of his past before. Not with anyone. Sonic and Tails knew some things, but nothing that had been overall too terrible for him to cope with thinking about for short periods.

Toru wrapped an arm slowly around him. "I won't make you, but if you want to talk about anything with me, I am here for you."

It took some time and effort to do, but eventually Shadow found the words to admit, "I don't know how to. It's always been easier to just… ignore it all. Forget it ever happened."

Rusen spoke once more. "There is healing in talking of your pain," he said. "Especially with someone who you are close to."

Honestly, Shadow didn't like the sound of that. "How could talking about it help?" he asked, a touch testily. The emotion came and went in a flash, leaving him no time to ponder it.

"Addressing your pains… explaining it is difficult in this tongue," Rusen murmured. "I could give you the understanding directly, if you wish." While not fully onboard with this idea, Shadow didn't outright refuse. Mostly because a part of him did want to understand this. It wasn't the first time he'd been confronted with this idea, after all. Tails had suggested talking about things plenty of times before, too. Analia and Amy, as well. But no matter how much they'd explained it, he'd never fully gotten it, it seemed. Rusen smiled gently. "With that understanding, it could allow you to make a decision more clearly."

"...Fine," Shadow finally muttered, albeit unhappily.

Rusen waved a hand and carefully passed on the knowledge of how speaking of his past and problems could help to Shadow. "Hopefully this will aid you."

Following that, Shadow was quiet for a long time, just thinking everything over. Eventually, he let out a nearly inaudible sigh. I hate it when I am proven wrong about these things.

Toru raised an eyebrow as if he'd caught on to these thoughts. "Well?"

Shadow gave him a light shove. "Fine, you're right. Happy now?"

"Close to it," Toru muttered in a joke, nudging him again. "Come on. Start with something easy to talk about."

Though he rolled his eyes, Shadow ultimately did as he was asked, starting by thinking for a minute about what to say. "I only escaped him because of a friend. She ensured I made it off the ARK alive."

"Who was it?" Toru questioned lightly.

"A girl named Maria," Shadow shrugged. "I barely remember her. I haven't been able to picture her clearly since I first set foot on this world."

Toru nodded slowly, then glanced to Rusen. The Faein nodded slowly and turned his attention to Shadow. "Would you like to be able to?"

"I don't know," Shadow admitted. He hoped the issue wouldn't be pressed, since he genuinely had no idea how to answer that.

"If you decide at any point that you would, simply say so and I will grant it to you," Rusen murmured gently in response.

Shadow just nodded in response, hesitating to say anything further than what he'd already admitted. But… eventually he decided that telling Toru about the things he'd already spoken of with Tails before wouldn't be too hard. Maybe. The silence between them had already persisted for a minute or two by the time he decided that, so he just forced himself to speak again. "She did her best to defend me from him," he revealed quietly. "Even when I wasn't being tested on, he found ways to make me suffer. She did what she could to prevent it, but he would beat me constantly. We were both starved and often isolated from one another as well."

"Sounds like a good friend," Toru murmured quietly. "Did what she could with what she had for you."

"She died for it." Shadow looked away, frowning to himself. "Her desire to help me is what killed her."

Toru blinked once before nodding. "She probably knew what she was doing. I assume she accepted it."

"Perhaps," Shadow shrugged.

"She probably did it for a reason, you know," Toru replied.

"It was still needless," Shadow responded. "She had her own life that she was barely able to live."

Toru nodded lightly. "I get what you mean." Shadow only nodded a little.

Rusen was quietly watching them this whole time, deciding to speak up and break the silence again. "I believe it may be good to extend this to another time for you both. It seems to have done you good, Shadow," he murmured.

While that was true to some extent, Shadow supposed, he didn't necessarily like the idea of doing this again. And yet… this had felt strangely safe. More so than he could really make sense of. So, in the end, he just mumbled a small agreement. "Fine."

"For now," Rusen murmured, standing up slowly. "I have a gift for you… both of you." A smile came onto Rusen's face. Shadow looked at him with a small frown, a hint of suspicion and wariness rising up in him. Rusen carefully brought his arms above his head and brought them down in an arc around his body before they came together in front of his chest. A familiar person appeared in his arms, asleep peacefully. "I believe you know her well," Shadow," Rusen murmured softly.

In an instant, Shadow was on his feet, before he even really had a chance to process what he was seeing. Part of him was immediately in denial, but there was no denying who he was looking at. Everything he was seeing was exactly how he remembered it. The shoulder-length red-streaked black hair, the dark cargo shorts and combat boots, the platinum grey T-shirt, everything. And the eyes that slowly blinked open to look around… Ruby red. Slowly, the little girl in Rusen's arms sat up before mumbling in tired confusion, "W… What…?"

Rusen smiled gently and set the girl on her feet. "I think it could do you good to see her again, Shadow. I brought her back at this age so that her illness could be handled before it can kill her once more," he explained.

Completely stunned, Shadow could only stare as the little girl stood and continued to look around. Eventually, however, she asked, "Daddy, where are we?" A second later, she ran over and tackled him in a tight, vaguely anxious hug.

Finally, Shadow found his voice. "Home, Lia, where it's safe," was all he managed to say. "Relax."

Toru finally stood as well and raised an eyebrow to Rusen as he took his leave, vanishing without a trace. The chameleon's gaze then turned to Shadow and Lia calmly and he crossed his arms. "So this is Lia?" he asked gently.

In response, she looked up at him. "You know my name?"

Swallowing hard, Shadow told her quietly, "He is a friend. He knows of you to some extent."

Lia pursed her lips together in thought. "Oh." There was a pause. Then she asked, "Daddy, I thought you said this was home? This isn't home. Home looks different."

That earned her a sigh. "I know it did. That was… ...a while ago. This is where we stay now."

"Oh." Lia thought some more, then suddenly asked, "Where's Soren? Is he not visiting today? I thought he was staying the night, Daddy."

As if responding to Lia's words, Rusen flashed into existence once more with another familiar person in tow. "Forgive me. I wished to go retrieve him personally."

This time, Rusen had a teenager with him. It was definitely Soren, but he wasn't an adult as he had been when he'd died. Possibly because he'd been developing his own similar health problems prior to his death. Other than that, however, he was the same. He still wore his favorite biker jacket with a platinum grey tank top (the kind with thick straps) under it, black pants, and combat boots. His hair was unusual in that it could easily lay flat like Lia's or be spiked in any way he wanted, and currently his bangs were spiked a little to get them out of his eyes - stormy grey eyes that were currently a bit wide with surprise and confusion.

After a very brief pause, Soren spoke up, "Uh… I swear I had nothing to do with this, Dad. I didn't get into any weird forgotten technology or shit in my timeline again, honest."

Shadow very slowly shook his head, stunned by this turn of events. "...No," he eventually agreed. "You did not."

Toru watched Shadow and the two kids with a curious gaze as Myriu walked into the room before climbing up onto the back of the couch. "What happened?"

Shadow was quiet for a long moment before finally saying, "They were revived."

"Oh," Myriu answered, looking over the two new people. "Hi."

While Soren only offered a tentative wave, Lia was quick to smile and begin chatting. "Hi. What's your name? I'm Lia. That's my big brother Soren. Except he's not really my brother, 'cause he's from another timeline or something, but he's still family and we love him. You guys kinda look like Daddy's friend Espio. Are you-"

At that point, Shadow felt the need to interject. "Lia," he sighed, already a touch exasperated (but nowhere near to the same degree as he had been in the distant past). "That is enough. You cannot just bombard people with endless questions. Let them speak as well."

Though she pouted, Lia didn't argue. "Sorry, Daddy."

Myriu didn't seem fazed at all, simply taking a moment to adjust to the barrage of questions before responding. "I am Myriu. We are of the same race as Espio," she responded, apparently ignoring the comment about Soren as she turned to him and acknowledged his greeting with a nod.

Now that there was a bit of a lull in the conversation, Soren spoke up again. He'd been sort of staring at Toru, looking equal parts surprised and confused. "Um… If it's okay for me to ask, who are you? You… I've seen you before."

"Name's Toru," the chameleon responded easily.

Before Shadow could even ask (and he'd intended to) Soren reached into his pants pocket and pulled a badly crumpled, very old looking photograph out. "This is the only picture I've ever had of my dad," the teen explained slowly, straightening it out with care. "Instead of Mari being in it, though… you are." Cautiously, Soren held it out to Toru.

The chameleon accepted it slowly and carefully examined it with a faint frown. "That's… interesting," he murmured.

It was then that Lia suddenly blurted out, "Your guys's eyes are the same color almost, but big brother's eyes are kinda darker. How come?"

Toru shrugged lightly. "Not exactly sure. Could be plenty of reasons for it."

Soren visibly hesitated. Shadow noticed and frowned slightly. "What is it?"

"It's just… the people who took care of me when I was little…" Soren trailed off briefly before continuing. "They always just referred to Mari as 'your sister's mom'. A couple times, they even said weird things like 'dads' instead of just 'dad' when talking to me about our family. Do… you guys know why?"

Toru frowned openly, but stayed quiet for a moment before deciding to speak. "I think that's something we should talk about at a later time. It's difficult to explain and you both were just brought back."

"Soren, you're weird," Lia accused through a yawn. "You talk about weird stuff."

"Lia, go lay down," Shadow interjected after a second. "You can sleep in my room. It's the only one with the door open."

"Okay, Daddy." Lia yawned again, then gave him a hug. "Love you. Promise I won't be tired later."

Huffing, Shadow returned her hug before gently shooing her off to go rest. Once she'd disappeared down the hall, he directed, "You should rest as well, Soren."

The younger hedgehog looked ready to argue that point, but one quick disapproving look from Shadow ended that before it could begin. "Yeah, okay… I guess," he mumbled.

"Take the room to the left side of the hall, just before mine," Shadow told him. "No one is using it." Soren nodded and trudged off to go lay down, the exhaustion hitting him more and more as time went on. Once he was out of the room, Shadow slowly sat back down on the couch, still trying to wrap his mind around what had just happened.

Toru sat down beside him and sighed softly as Myriu ventured off somewhere else. Rusen chose this moment to reappear in front of them with a gentle smile. "I have one more thing to speak to you about and I will leave you both be."

"What?" Shadow asked. He was very ready for this to be over.

"About the situation with your forced pregnancy," Rusen murmured. "I wish to offer you a safe choice. If you choose to keep it, I will ensure that it is able to grow as best I can manage. If you think that it would be best to not birth it, I will take it's life into my own hands for you."

"Take it into"...? What the hell? Shadow swiftly decided not to say that. Or anything, in fact. Unanticipated protective instincts had sharply risen in him, so he thought it best to hold his tongue. He instead looked to Toru to gauge his reaction.

Toru sighed softly, rubbing his face with one hand. "Look. A lot is already going on and we haven't had a chance to really think about it ourselves. Making a decision right this second isn't something I'm willing to do."

Rusen nodded. "I expected as much. I will give you as much time as you need to make a decision."

"You may," Shadow muttered, "but life will not. You cannot pretend that it simply will."

"I would more than gladly make my words true," Rusen answered gently. Shadow only huffed slightly before retreating back into silence. The silence persisted, but only very briefly. Rusen decided to speak up once more, a bell appearing in his hand. He held it out to Shadow, a gentle smile on his face. "You two may have time to think over your decision. When you believe you are ready, ring this bell and I will come to you."

The hell? Shadow sort of frowned at the object for a long moment before finally just taking it. He thought carefully about what was being offered here, but ultimately was uncertain what to choose. Would keeping the baby even be safe for him? Would it be safe for the baby? What if things went wrong? There were so many unknowns, too few things that they did know, and he suddenly found his mind flooded with unspoken concerns. One in particular screamed at him the loudest.

What if Gerald got ahold of this child?

The man knew already that the child existed. He wouldn't rest until he had just as much control of the baby as he often did over Shadow. Sick and twisted as he was, he would make the child suffer… just the same as Shadow had. Suddenly, he felt sick to his stomach. How could he have ever have considered going along with this, knowing that Gerald was out there again and that he would inflict such pain? It was bad enough that Lia and Soren were both now in danger, more than they could ever understand. He couldn't put a helpless infant through this. Fuck, he was an idiot. My life was never my own. It's always belonged to him. I never had a choice but to endure and survive. I can't… force that on anyone else. No one else deserves to experience my hell.

Rusen decided to speak again, voice even softer than it had been. "I will give you some time to converse with Toru. It seems some worries have already made themselves known to you," he murmured. "If you need me, simply call for me and I will come to aid as best I can." Shadow didn't reply, having barely noticed Rusen was even talking. Rusen gave a quick glance to Toru to let him know that he was leaving before vanishing and letting the chameleon take over.

Toru sighed softly and wrapped an arm around Shadow carefully. "Do you want to go lay down for a bit?" he asked.

Shadow immediately shook his head as worries about yet more nightmares hit him full-force. "No. I hate sleeping."

Toru nodded, understanding the situation. "That's fine." The chameleon was quiet for a moment before settling back on the sofa. "So… what do you think?"

"...I don't know," Shadow eventually replied.

"Well, we've got options," Toru answered gently. "We can trust that this Rusen will do… something for the baby, or we can go through with it all and… have the child."

Though his original intention was to just keep quiet about it, Shadow gave in and muttered, "There are many risks with doing that. If the baby is born, Gerald will do everything in his power to take it and do exactly what he does to me, to that child."

"And as much as I want to protect you and everyone I care about…" Toru began. "There's no guarantee this Nareish won't go out of her way and take it from us."

"It's bad enough that Lia and Soren are in danger," Shadow added quietly. "I've never been able to defend myself from him. How am I supposed to keep them safe, much less an infant?"

Toru nodded slowly, sighing. "I couldn't live with myself putting a child in that kind of danger, personally." Shadow answered with a small nod of his own. With this said, Toru suddenly snatched the bell and stood, ringing it viciously. The very moment Rusen appeared, he demanded, "What did you mean by 'take it into your own hands'?"

Rusen sighed. "I would more than gladly raise the child myself in your stead, seeing as the current situation is not the most desirable."

The chameleon stepped forward, narrowing his eyes at Rusen for a moment. "What if we want to have the child? What the hell should we do about literally everything going on potentially being an immediate threat to its life?"

"Hm," Rusen turned and paced to a window, thinking for a moment. "I see what you're trying to insinuate. If you were to go through with this, you want to be able to raise the child safely… yes?"

Toru shifted his gaze over to Shadow, as if wanting to get his opinion before speaking for them both. Shadow only shrugged, having little to no desire to speak much more at this point. The chameleon glanced back to Rusen and nodded. "I don't want Nareish or anyone else touching it. It's not for them to be involved in."

Rusen turned with a vague smile, nodding slowly. "Then I have a proposition for you both. If you go through with the birth of this child, I will grant my protection upon it and ensure that they are not able to bring harm to it," he murmured. "Does that sound agreeable?"

The chameleon moved over to Shadow and sat down beside him once more, pulling the hedgehog close in a gentle embrace. "Do you have an opinion you want to say?"

At first, Shadow just shook his head. However, after a moment, he said a simple, "No," in reply.

"Do you want more time to be able to think about it, or is it okay if I say yes?" Toru murmured. "I don't want to pressure you into anything."

Shadow pursed his lips together, thinking hard. "We still have no idea whether or not I can safely have this child," he eventually pointed out. "Much of my biology is Black Arms, but it is possible that not enough is. Tails has never said much to me regarding any of it."

Rusen decided to speak up. "That much can also be guaranteed," he murmured. "I can ensure that the birth is not permanently harmful to you or the child."

Wary of the idea of this person doing anything to him, Shadow cautiously demanded, "How?"

"Regardless of any intervention, your friends have discovered that your biology is indeed similar enough that this should not cause an issue," Rusen answered gently.

Toru raised an eyebrow at this, but didn't question it for the moment. "So you would make sure the child is safe and you're telling us that nothing will happen to Shadow or the child as a result of the birth?"

"Precisely," Rusen replied with a smile. "This situation would go fairly well, if you ask me."

Toru sighed openly, wrapping his arm a bit tighter around Shadow. Rusen smiled further and took this as his cue to leave, allowing them to be alone once more so they could speak together. The chameleon didn't waste this chance, shifting to lean against Shadow gently. "So… I guess now we actually have two choices."

Rather than just agree with that, Shadow immediately asked, "What are you thinking?" After a second, he elaborated, "What is it you want to do?"

"Since we know that the kid will be safe," Toru started, frowning in thought, "we can make a decision based on opinion and… well… whether we think we're ready for that.

Though he agreed with that much, Shadow shook his head. "That isn't what I asked."

"I'm more than happy to do this," Toru answered easily. "I want to know if that's what you want. We've moved… fast, and I'm worried about upsetting you or making you uncomfortable. My opinion is just as important as yours."

"If that were an issue," Shadow sighed, "I would tell you. It's… safe to. I know that."

"So, do you want this?" Toru prompted. "Do you want to have… well, my child? Our child?"

After taking some more time to think about all of this, Shadow sighed again. "I'm not… entirely sure. But… I suppose part of me has been somewhat alright with this for a while now, looking back on it."

Toru nodded slowly and leaned further against Shadow, relaxing finally. "I am, too." A comfortable silence settled over them. There was much for them to thinking about. After all... this was a potentially life-changing decision. It had to be made with care.

Was this something they wanted?

~保護者~

Try though she might, Analia couldn't make a decision.

One felt too selfish.

The other felt too risky.

What could she do?

The same three choices ran through her mind over and over and over again. Whether she picked one, the other, or some combination of the two, it all felt somehow wrong. If she used the Light within the crystal she had been gifted to heal herself, she lost the best opportunity she might ever have of one day truly purifying Kaden. If she used it for that purpose instead of for healing, she would remain a burden for Finis and everyone else, unable to defend herself adequately or lend assistance to anyone.

Those were the two main options laid out before her. Whereas if she used some of the Light to heal herself enough that she was no longer bedridden and save the rest… Would there even be enough left to purify him? Would it only partially break through his corruption? What sort of fresh suffering would he be forced to endure once he was freed, especially if some measure of his demonic side remained?

Fighting back some sudden tears, she closed her eyes so that she was no longer gazing down at the crystal in her palm. No choice is inherently right or wrong… but no matter which I choose, there will be consequences. How can I know I am not dooming him, or myself, with what decision I make? I cannot live knowing I have failed to save him… Yet I also may not survive long enough to aid him any further if I remain in this condition. Almost, a tear escaped her. Almost, she let out a sigh. Somehow she restrained both. I do not know what to do.

With slow and careful fingers, she closed her hand around the crystal. Sadness gave way resignation. Resignation faded into something more. Whatever happened from here on, she was certain of one thing. She hadn't come this far just to give up. Not on him, not on herself, not on the idea that they could win this war.

She refused to do so now.

~保護者~

14,946 words this time. Apologies for delay, but hope you all enjoyed. Posted (at about 1:00 p.m.) 02-09-21.