Disclaimer: I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) during these emotional times… especially for the ones who are hurting.

~保護者~

"Hurt"

~保護者~

Ylden quietly walked among the countless evil souls held within this realm, waving a hand and clearing his path whenever many of them decided to be in his way. He knew who he was looking for, and his senses had already locked onto her presence. She didn't feel evil, not like the others, yet she was here. One got directly in his path and he forced the soul aside, muttering a spell and blasting the rest out of his way. He could see her. She was waiting for him. "Mother, why are you here?" he demanded.

Though she seemed dismayed that this was his first question as opposed to several others that could have been asked, she answered. "Existence has a way of playing cruel jokes. That's why."

Ylden knelt down in front of her. She had always looked strikingly similar to Armaris, but the biggest difference was how they carried themselves. Armaris was headstrong, cocky, and outright defiant. His mother was calm, quiet, and rather relaxed. "I came to ask questions."

"Ylden, we have not spoken since the three days before I died. Sit. You've already gone out of your way to keep other spirits from approaching you," she said, patting the ground beside her. He listened reluctantly, taking a seat by her and taking a look around. Being in the presence of so many evil spirits was always unsettling, but it never bothered him an incredible amount.

"I have duties to tend to. I will not stay long," he murmured, flicking his gaze to her.

"Then ask your questions and go. It's how you always were," she said, laughing. "Never one to stay around much."

That stung more than he was willing to admit, but he ultimately ignored it. "That day… I came home and found your body. I ended up in a fight with father."

"I suppose this means you did not lose?" she questioned, raising her eyebrows briefly.

Ylden shook his head, frowning openly. "No, I did not. I killed him. Left a lot of destruction."

"Good, he deserved it," she said with a shrug. "He turned on me, but I couldn't do a damn thing about it."

"That's what I assumed," Ylden said quietly.

She turned to face him more fully. "What of Naiyo? Where is he?" Her face took on a vaguely more serious expression, but not enough that Ylden really picked up on it.

The man thought for a long moment. "I do not know. I have not seen him in… eons."

Her tone shocked him, a sudden irritation. "You need to do something about him, too. He helped your father kill me. Turns out he uses dark magic."

"What?" Ylden suddenly demanded. "What do you mean?"

"He uses dark magic," the woman hissed. "You're lucky he hasn't come after you, yet. He'd probably try to kill you too."

"I- I could not fight Naiyo," Ylden said quietly. "He's my younger brother…"

His mother stood and pulled him to his feet. "Ylden, he uses dark magic. Any relation you had to him is null. He is evil and you're not. That needs to be handled before it can really get out of control."

Ylden pulled away from her with a flinch, taking a step back. "I will not fight Naiyo. I would much rather save hi-"

"You're a fucking fool," she hissed. "You really think it can take anything less than a miracle from the Immortals themselves? How do you plan to save him?"

"I don't know!" Ylden shouted. "I'll think of something, so get off my back!"

"You're the one who's yelling," she pointed out, narrowing her eyes at him. "You don't talk to your mother this way, understand?"

Rather than listen to this, Ylden panicked and opened a portal back to his particular realm, stumbling over to the couch and holding his head in his hands as tears threatened to spill from his eyes. Fuck, fuck, fuck, I pissed off mother. She has to be wrong, I can't just fight Naiyo. The man curled himself up and isolated himself from all sound and sight, trying to relax so he could think clearly. Is she right? Can I even save him? Why would he and father turn on her? Nothing makes sense. Once he felt like he was calm enough, he removed the veil of magic and stood, opening another portal to find his father. Talking to his mother didn't answer a damn thing, so maybe this would. He wasted no time, forcing spirits out of his way as he walked through a realm designed to hold good souls.

Nothing was making any sense. Why would his parents be in different realms? There was no good reason for this, not that he knew. Is it possible for a soul to actually go to the wrong realm? Ylden pushed this thought aside, deciding it wasn't particularly important right now. He could question Kaden or Satsuno later. His journey was far more peaceful this time, able to wave aside any spirits that were in his path. It didn't even take long, his stride carrying him to his father quickly. "Father…"

The gaze that shifted up to Ylden was filled with some form of subdued emotion, but for once he couldn't quite ascertain the truth in it. Instead, he focused on what was said. "It's been quite a while, hasn't it? Where is your brother?"

"...I don't know," Ylden admitted. "I haven't seen him in… eons."

"That's… troubling. He always worried about you," the older man said calmly.

Ylden turned his gaze away from his father, looking at the ground. "I know… but that's not what I'm here for. I have questions."

"Ask away," the man invited. "I've never had all the answers, but I'll tell you whatever I can."

"What happened with mother?" Ylden asked quietly.

His father sighed a little. "To be honest… I'm not sure. One day we were gentle lovers, the next she has a blade at my throat and is threatening to kill me in front of Naiyo. She expected him to back down."

"He never was one to do so," Ylden added. "So… she turned on you?"

The older man nodded. "Yes… she tried to kill me, so Naiyo stopped her and we killed her to prevent it from happening again… once we realized she was never going to come back to us."

"It doesn't make sense," Ylden muttered. "Nothing makes sense. You and mother have opposing stories, and I'm not sure who to believe."

Silence prevailed between them. Neither party spoke for some time, and ultimately Ylden decided to begin turning to leave, only to be interrupted when his father spoke again. "Ylden… find Naiyo. Be brothers again, and let him tell you the truth."

"I could check your memories… due to you being dead," Ylden answered.

"You can, but that doesn't change what I said. Check my memories, check your mother's… whatever you do, please try to reconvene with Naiyo. I don't know what's become of him, but he is not dead."

Ylden glanced back, blinking once slowly before opening a portal back to his realm and walking through. He couldn't bring himself to check the memories of his father. If it was true… he'd have to experience the pain of watching someone he loved turn on his family. It would break his heart twofold.

He couldn't handle it, not again.

~保護者~

The onyx chameleon was forced to roll out of the way of a knife lobbed at him by Myriu, caught off guard by the fact that she had attacked him. "Hey, what the hell?"

"Dumbass," Myriu muttered from the roof.

"Gonna explain a damn thing?" Toru asked, an eyebrow raised. This didn't really make sense, but he had to assume she was upset for some reason.

"I don't want to," the girl huffed, dropping to the floor and walking past him… or attempting to. He grabbed her shoulder softly and pulled her back in front of him.

"Hey, what's going on?" Toru questioned immediately. "You're never this irritable."

"I'm seeing and being bothered by spirits, dammit!" she snapped suddenly, throwing his hand off her. "And then you decided to go against that demon, didn't you? That's how you got corrupted!"

Toru blinked a few times. Shit. "Myriu, I didn't intend-"

"You did something really fucking stupid without thinking once about anyone else!" Myriu practically growled. "Because of that we almost lost you! What if you weren't saved?"

"Myriu-"

The flare of Myriu's eyes shocked him. "I don't want to hear it. You're the only family that I know I have left, and I could have lost you. Fuck you."

Toru cast a barrier around them both immediately after this. Fuck… For a brief moment, he could have sworn he'd seen his mother in her. The way her anger flared, the way she spoke, it was so reminiscent, but he could tell that unlike her… Myriu wasn't trying to hurt his feelings. She was the one hurting. "Look, I'm sorry-"

"Are you?" Myriu dared to ask. "Are you actually sorry? Or is this some bullshit where you're gonna do it again within the next week?"

"Myriu, please-"

"No." The girl's singular word stung more than most of everything else had. Myriu walked back toward the doorway. "Open it. Let me out."

Reluctantly, Toru did so, allowing her to simply walk out. Once she was gone, he pushed the door closed for a moment and wiped at his eyes. No, stop crying… Not now… Everything felt hazy and numb as the emotional turmoil came crashing over him. It took so much to stay standing, enough so that teleporting back to the Highlands almost brought him to his knees. Calm down, you need to calm down. Don't fall apart.

This failed. Toru used an arm to brace himself as he fell, tears running down his face. In all his life… he'd rarely ever cried. Usually there was nothing to cry about. Knowing that he'd made Myriu feel like this… that tore him apart from the inside. He'd made the same mistake his mother made, ignoring her children in favor of her own pursuits. He'd ignored the chance that he wouldn't get to be around Myriu if something happened to him.

What could he do about that?

~保護者~

After being purified, Kath was thankfully allowed to separate himself from everyone for a little while. It benefitted him to be alone with his thoughts, to have a chance to work things out in silence. He'd been away for hours now, long enough for the sun to start to set. The only time he was interrupted (excluding Laralei's brief visit) was when Alana came to check on him a second time. "I apologize for bothering you, Father," she murmured. She walked through the snow covering the wintry mountain peak he had retreated to until she was by his side. "Steam contacted me. He hopes to be able to speak with you, when you are ready."

"He is not here," Kath pointed out, rising to his feet. He had been sitting on a large stone. "And I do not intend to go back to Mobius."

"He is not there, either," Alana explained. "He has returned to his home for a short time. He contacted me using one of these." She held up a device in her hand, a clear sibling to the very same one she wore. "This is a communicator. Sonic, Jet, and their friends use these to communicate. It functions very much like similar devices our people use."

When she held it out for him to take, he reached over and did so. "It is up to you when or if you contact him but, should you choose to, the contact is already in there. Sonic's friend Tails built all of these, and he programmed as many contacts into the device as he could. Sein, Jet, and I are in there, for example, as is Wave."

"Understood. I will… consider sending him a message."

"Thank you, Father. Be safe." She gave him a quick hug, then teleported away.

Left to his own devices once more, Kath sat back down. He debated for several minutes before giving in. Figuring out how the communicator functioned was short work, and soon he was typing out and sending a greeting of sorts. "I was told you wanted to talk."

"Yeah. First off, how are you feeling?"

"It is an improvement to how things were when I first awoke, in some ways."

"Sounds about right. Anything else on your mind?"

Even if there was, Kath didn't feel the need to share. "No, there isn't," he typed. A twinge of emotion rose up in him when he said this small lie, mostly in relation to his memories of the day's earlier events. It caused time in the immediate area to slow significantly and then freeze. A little annoyed, he focused his efforts on undoing this unintentional effect. Everything was moving normally again by the time Steam responded to him.

"I heard about what happened. I know you've probably got a lot of emotions you don't wanna talk to a stranger about, but I wanted to ask an important favor. I'm going to send you a few documents. I need you to read them."

This made Kath frown, though the unexpected distraction was welcome. "What documents?" he was quick to ask.

"There's a lot of information that you're gonna need to know, about yourself and a few others. I'm only trusting a select few people with this kind of information."

"Send them, then. And explain why you believe I, specifically, need to know."

"It pertains to you very directly, as well as a few others."

The documents came swiftly after that. "Received," Kath texted distractedly in acknowledgement. He'd no sooner sent the message before he was already opening the first file. For his whole life, he'd always been the sort to read and absorb very quickly. As such, he moved on to the others in no time at all. But he wound up doing something rare and re-reading everything before everything properly sank in. Once it did, he began rapidly typing. "How certain are you of this? The idea of more Immortals coming into existence cannot merely be assumed."

While waiting for a reply, he turned this newfound knowledge over and over again in his mind. If he is correct, then we will see an Immortal for Chaos, neutral Darkness, evil Darkness, the Void, its counterpart the Aether, Light, and… time. In a way, the first six made a lot of sense. They were existential energies, after all, and the Faein already embodied the last existential energy (specifically, aura). They also controlled space, as an offshoot of their immense creative powers. So, two things were represented by them. They had some leverage over time as well, but time was something separate. Not an energy, but a part of existence regardless.

And, the more he thought about it, the less sense it made for this to have ever merely been a semi-Immortal's domain. Only Immortals have ever been able to influence matters such as space and time. It would not have made sense for that to change now. I was too distracted by other matters to realize. That should not have been allowed to happen. I need to pay more attention.

His thoughts were interrupted by a new message from Steam. "I'll assume you've read most of it by now?"

"All of it," Kath replied.

"Sounds about right. As crazy as some of it may sound, it's true."

"I assume this also took place in your timeline?"

"Yeah. As you can guess, I was one affected."

Kath pondered that for a brief moment. Yet that status did not, and could not, be applied to him here. Unusual. The same was not true of Alana or Jet when they fled here. Deciding not to address that for now, he instead asked, "Who else has been told?"

"I've only told Espio. He's the only person I think it'll apply to this early on. Two spots are left uncertain, and one person doesn't need to focus on that. They've got a lot to learn as it is."

It took a minute for Kath to figure out who this "Espio" person was. One of the chameleons. He sighed to himself. "That assessment does not bode well. This ties in to the powerful evil Darkness I have been hearing about, doesn't it?"

"Yeah. He's incredibly strong, and he's going to get stronger."

"That is potentially troubling news."

"Mhm… I really don't want him to take that position, if I'm honest."

"Nor do I. It will not end well." Something, Kath didn't know what, caused time to rewind several times in jolts and then fast-forward back to the present. He carefully monitored his own energies for a long moment to make sure it didn't happen again before letting him shift focus back to the conversation. "I heard of two small children in his care. They do not need to see him take a dark path such as this."

Steam's response didn't come as quickly as usual, but it did eventually. "No… they don't. Nor does Armaris, or the rest of his family. I'm trying to find a solution, but this is a really touchy matter."

"Indeed. Do you have any sort of plan so far?"

"I do… but I don't like it at all. It's not a good one, and I'd prefer to not even touch it, but… sometimes things don't go how you want them to."

"Tell me what you are thinking. Sometimes better plans only come into focus when other minds contribute to them. Though, I cannot promise such an outcome with any certainty." Kath got up for a moment to brush some falling snow off of his legs, then set back down.

"I wanted to try and seek out someone else to take the spot, willingly. I'd need the Faein to make that even remotely work."

"I know of no one who would willingly take that position. That is, no one who would not immediately put all balance into disorder once again."

"Yeah… and the other people that could be… 'trusted'. Having one of them take such a spot poses other serious problems."

"Yes, it does." Time suddenly froze in a small sphere around Kath, affecting nothing outside of said sphere. He muttered a vague curse and tried to undo it while waiting for a response.

"I know one person, but who knows if they actually exist in that timeline. It's not… an ideal choice, but I'm sure they'd do it if they don't kill me on sight for irritating them."

"Who is it?"

"Nobody you'd know about, but it's someone I know all too well."

"Give me a name, Steam. I have ways of finding people, but I need to know who to look for."

"Fine… His name is Kalek, but there's no guarantee he exists or is alive right now. He'd been around on Mobius at the same time as Kaden, Analia, and a few others."

That gave Kath enough information, though it may have seemed like far from it to most, to conduct a search later on. He made a mental note to do that. "I will see what I can find." Almost as soon as he sent the message, time rewound within the sphere around him, causing snow to fly up instead of fall down. More soft cursing ensued.

"Appreciated." Steam's message was shortly followed up by another. "Have you seen the star-map you were working on?"

"Yes, though I did not spend a great deal of time going over it. Some of the work was not my own, however. I assume that was Jet's doing." Finally, sometime about midway through the message, time started flowing normally again.

"Jet and Tails, yeah. Tails is a close friend of Jet's, and he's an absolute genius, like you and Jet are. He started working on his own starmap, and Jet combined what Tails had done with his own work and yours to make what you saw."

That was… not what Kath had expected. But it was far from bad news. "I… see."

"I'd be happy to bring some of my own work from home and add it in, provided you're fine with that. Did some tinkering and have one that's not complete, but I do like traveling to some remote and odd places."

"That is acceptable. The point of the original map was to document every world and star within every realm that was discovered. An impossible task, technically, but nevertheless."

"Well, that's perfect. I travel between realms a lot."

"I assumed as much." Once more, time altered itself around him. It went rapidly forward in fits and starts, then rewound, then rushed forward again. Then everything stopped entirely. "What the hell?" he muttered aloud to himself.

"Anyway, I've got two things to ask of you. Nothing serious. First, make sure to talk to Arkiri. I know about how close you two were. Second, if you can, get Tarin onto Mobius. Someone named Kira there could use her help."

"Why do I need to speak with him?" Kath asked, still frowning about events going on around him. Then he belatedly added, "I will speak to her about it, though I will promise nothing."

"No reason. You two were just close. Interacting with him will be good for you."

"Fine." After a lengthy pause, Kath gave in and admitted, "I will not be returning to either of them any time soon. My abilities are behaving erratically and I can only occasionally reign them in. Nothing dangerous is occurring, but I would prefer no one is caught up in this."

"Reasonable enough. I know you can master them, it'll just take you some time."

"Nareish's interference appears to have awakened them even further than I did on my own to begin with. I did not even have a handle on them prior to that."

"Mhm. I don't know how long it'll be that way, though."

"It is irritating," was all Kath sent in reply.

"Yeah… that's understandable."

"I have a request of my own for you," Kath suddenly told him. "Just one. After you are finished having discussions with people, focus on resting exclusively as much as possible. There are people who rely on you, yes, but they are safe for now. They need you to recover just as much as you need them to."

"I hate you people when you tell me to take care of myself." Steam sent another message quickly after that one. "Joking, of course. I'll make sure to rest."

Well, it was good Steam had clarified that. Through text, Kath knew himself enough to know he could only rarely detect sarcasm and jokes. He tended to take words too literally when he couldn't sense auras at the same time, thus robbing him of the ability to suss out what emotions were at play behind the words to give them new meaning. He huffed softly. "See that you do. You need it."

"Yeah. I'd already be hanging around the house with my wife, but there was a lot to handle before I could."

"Understood. If there is nothing else that needs to be said, then go be with her. Make the most of your reprieve."

"Same to you."

Kath sent a simple farewell and idly strapped the device to his wrist. Then, finding that uncomfortable (he'd never been one for bracelets and the like), he took it back off and merely teleported it away. Then he refocused on his earlier task of trying to learn his abilities as fast as possible so that he could return home.

~保護者~

Finding Cyril was no more or less tricky than usual. Wave wasn't surprised to see that he seemed a bit… haggard. He'd just taken on Kath, after all. And lived to tell the tale, no less. I can't even imagine how he pulled it off. Approaching her old friend, she quietly called out, "Hey, stranger. Who are you and what have you done with the showman I talked to earlier?" None of her words were serious. Not even remotely so. With any luck, this weak attempt at humor would at least help to loosen him up a bit.

Cyril flashed her a tired smile and chuckled. "He got a bit cold," the man replied easily. "To what do I owe this visit of yours? We don't get to hang out enough just as friends."

The return smile he got was a bit guilty and apologetic. "Yeah, and that's largely my fault. I have to try to get better about making time for you and my other friends. Sorry about that." She crossed the room and sat down beside him. "Nice blanket, by the way. Eona make it for you?"

He waved her off lightly. "Nah, we got a lot going on as it is. I don't mind that we don't see each other as much." Cyril turned his gaze to the blanket, a vague smile on his face. "And yeah. She and the Aether showed up and helped Kath."

"That's what Alana told me," Wave nodded. "I'm glad help came so fast. I was… really worried. About both of you."

Cyril chuckled. "It's fine. I only burned through like four of my tarot cards. A lot of your teaching is what really saved me out there."

"Speaking of that, what do you say to more training?" Wave suddenly asked him. "Steam thinks, and I agree, that training you to take the lead with your magic instead of the other way around is a good idea."

The finch blinked a few times and looked at his hands. "I just found it easy and natural to let it show me the way. It seems to just… get what I need it to do."

"I get what you're saying," Wave replied, "but you have to remember it's not sentient. Think of it like acting on instincts. It's similar enough. Instincts aren't always enough to get people through things, right?"

"Yeah, that makes sense," Cyril agreed, taking the blanket off his shoulders and folding. He then suspended it in the air with his magic and took a glance at Kath's sword, setting it atop the blanket. "I guess I should know how to use it deliberately like I do my cards."

"Exactly, Cyril. You up to working on that?" She glanced at the unsheathed sword, noting with relief that there was no coldness emanating from it. He's experiencing emotions as normal, otherwise it would be feeding off his negativity and freezing the air around it. That's a good sign.

Cyril nodded with a smile. "Yeah. Could be kinda like when I taught you about my cards, but the other way around."

Wave snorted softly in amusement. "Well, no. Not exactly. It'll be a bit different than that." She stood up and stretched. "Where do you normally train when you're on your own? Going somewhere you're comfortable will make it easier for you to focus on internal matters rather than external."

"I used to do it back in our town, but with how strong this magic is, I'd prefer to go somewhere a bit away from there," Cyril explained. "Probably in everyone's interest."

"What about Green Forest? It's the huge flooded forest right to the north of town." She tilted her head. "Have you ever been there? I know it looks daunting, but it's surprisingly quiet aside from water flows. Safe, too."

Cyril thought this over before nodding with a bright smile. "Sounds great! Let's go!" Laughing at his enthusiasm, Wave teleported both of them onto Mobius and straight into the forest in question.

~保護者~

Jet was still in the process of trying to calm down from his almost-meltdown. His emotions were still peaking and plummeting dramatically, but the tears were starting to ebb away. Not that that last part made him feel any better. He was so angry, terrified, depressed, hopeless. How was he supposed to cope with any of it? His knee-jerk reaction was to try hitting his head, but with Sein hugging him so close the motion didn't accomplish anything at all. That added frustration to the mix of emotions in his private hell, and some more tears soon followed.

Sein shortly let go of him and left nothing more than a hand on his son's back. "Jet… what's wrong?" he asked softly.

Though he did his best to stifle the urge, Jet still wound up moving a little again in a similar manner to before. "Everything," he practically whispered, rubbing at his eyes. "Nothing. I don't know."

"It's okay," Sein said softly. "Do you need anything?" Jet shook his head wordlessly. Not so much because he didn't need anything, and more because he didn't know what he needed. Sein shifted close and softly wrapped an arm around Jet's shoulders to keep him close. "It's okay, bud. I promise it'll be okay."

"It won't," Jet mumbled. Once more, he rocked backward slightly in an effort to hit his head. Only there was nothing there to hit it on. That added to his frustration.

"It will, I'll make sure of it. I'm not going anywhere," Sein assured.

Before he could continue, the Void's influence shifted the dreamscape in some unseen way. Jet stiffened, anxiety spiking when he sensed another presence, only to relax just slightly when he recognized who it was. Not to say that he understood why she was here, though, or why the Void allowed her to be. Why are you here…?

Cere approached quickly and dropped to her knees in front of Jet, inspecting him. "What happened, dear? How do you feel?" Jet studiously avoided her gaze, not wanting to admit to his almost-second-mother-like-figure that he'd so thoroughly lost control of his emotions like that. Emotions he was supposed to have control over. It was pathetic. She gently clasped one of his hands in hers and frowned softly. "It's okay, Jet… it's not your fault."

It is. It can't be anyone else's. Jet didn't voice that thought. But given that they were technically in his mind, the emotions and the words couldn't be truly hidden. They revealed themselves all around the trio in the way that the landscape and scenery altered and reacted to it all. Things… darkened. Not significantly, but enough that it was noticeable. The many plants making up the forested appearance of this place took on a partially wilted appearance. Stone ruins crumbled somewhat into sand and debris. These were changes he'd been fighting back against since before Sein had arrived, but now that they made themselves apparent he couldn't help but wince.

Things broke apart because he had, though this place fared a good bit better than he had. Seeing all of this, he was forced to internally confront a truth he'd been too upset to realize sooner. His emotions had reared up so strongly due in no small part to where they were. Namely, within his own mind. Hiding emotions on the outside was one thing. He knew how to put on a mask when it was warranted, and even when it wasn't. That was one thing. But keeping them out of his own mind? That was nearly impossible at times. Now being a prime example of that.

He was also… in trouble. In a manner of speaking. He kept many secrets, especially regarding things he considered private. Such as, for example, the aforementioned emotions. That was going to be damn-near impossible as well, at least in this place. Especially when everything and anything he thought or felt could and would impact the space around them. What was he supposed to do? He knew people like Wave and, of course, these two would argue that opening about these things was good. Healthy. Necessary, even. But he wanted so badly not to… to keep the hurt close to himself so that no one and no thing could have an opportunity to make it worse. Why couldn't they just let him?"

Cere spoke up softly and sat beside Jet, removing her hand from his. "Speak to me. I can do nothing without your words. I know you are hurting, so please… tell me what's on your mind."

A particularly large swath of woodland wilted further, blackening and receding rapidly from the trio. Almost, it gave the impression that it was retreating from those words. Or at least trying to. "I don't want to," Jet mumbled, hiding his face in his hands again. He subconsciously twisted around to further shield himself from view, curling into Sein and using the man's shoulder as the chosen safe space to hide his head against.

Sein shifted enough to put a hand behind Jet's shoulder, rubbing it softly. "It's alright, Jet. Take your time. We want to talk and help you through things." Jet only shook his head, refusing to say a single thing more.

The hexan among them watched Jet with a deep concern in her eye. "Jet… you can trust us. I have hoped in the countless years that we've known each other that I may be able to provide you a modicum of comfort with someone who could be a parental figure in your life, and now your real father and mother are alive. Your father is sitting here with you, and I have come as well. Allow us to help you, please," she pleaded softly.

Immediately, Jet grew more upset. This wasn't an issue of trust. He trusted them more than he could even explain, but these weren't things he could just talk about. And regardless of whether or not she'd meant it that way, he now felt shitty for even giving the impression that this was about a lack of trust. His breaths began growing ragged again and more of the forest rapidly wilted, dissolving into dust and blowing away in response to yet more emotional turmoil from him. Sein held Jet a little closer, hoping to be some sort of comfort. "Look… whatever is going on, I want to help you. I vowed from the moment I knew you were conceived that I would do everything in my power to make a good life for you, and I'm not backing down from that now. You're everything to me, and if I can help you just a little bit, that'll make me so happy."

Fighting back renewed sobs, Jet managed to choke out, "I can't talk about it. Any of it. I can't."

Though Cere wanted to speak, Sein decided it might be best if he did, and she agreed. "Why not?" he asked softly. "Let us know why you can't."

Jet struggled for a time to formulate a response in his mind, and to calm his breathing enough to get the words out. "It's… It's too… hard," was all he succeeded in saying at first.

Sein pulled back a little from Jet and allowed him some more time to gather himself before continuing. "What about it is hard? Just talking about it, or remembering it? Or is it something else?"

Both. It's both. Unable to make himself say that, Jet just nodded once again, trying to nonverbally communicate his words but knowing logically that this wouldn't suffice on its own.

The older hawk was as patient as ever, rubbing Jet's shoulder softly. "Bud, can you tell me?" he asked.

"Both," Jet eventually got out.

Sein nodded slowly. "It won't get any easier if you keep locking it away and pushing it back. All it'll do is come back harder. If you can even talk about it a little with us, we can help take some of that edge away."

"No you can't," Jet protested, his whole body tense and shaking. "It'll only make everything worse. I can't do this."

"You can do this," Sein countered softly. "I know you can. Remember how you and Steam worked together to put out the fires on Li's forge?" Jet nodded hesitantly, the leaves on some trees beginning to wilt in response to his sudden fear at the memory. Sein continued, hoping this idea would work. "You were strong enough to conquer your fear, even if it was with some help. I know you can do the same here." Jet didn't reply or even shake his head this time, too focused on reminding himself that the flames were gone now and the fear wasn't necessary. For all the good that last part did. Sein continued doing his best to comfort Jet. "Look… I know it's a lot to process, but maybe we can talk about something simple? You definitely had to undergo some stress as king of Babylon at one point or another. What kind of stuff happened?"

It took a good amount of thinking for Jet to refocus enough to properly contemplate the question. "...There… was a war," he eventually mumbled. "It's… how Kaicha and I met. He reached out to any and all off-world Babylonians. The call reached me, somehow, and I went. When it was all over… I stayed."

"Why did you stay?" Sein asked gently, looking over to Cere who simply motioned for him to keep going. She seemed more than happy to simply sit to the side and listen for now.

"...I don't know," Jet eventually admitted. "I just… did."

Sein nodded softly to this. "Is that when you became the king?"

"I had to," Jet said, voice a near-whisper. "We thought… We all thought he was going to die."

"Is it okay if I ask what happened?" Sein asked in a gentler tone.

Jet took in a steadying breath and let it out slowly. The more he talked about something not related to why his emotions had gotten so out of hand, the more he could feel said emotions trying to level back out. "Our enemies in the war were from a previously unknown world. Many people fell ill from their tainted auras, poisons, and the general diseases from their world. Kaicha saddled himself with the necessary administrative duties during the war, in order to keep things running. He was safe for years because of it, but eventually someone brought an illness straight to him from the battlefields. It was so severe he lapsed into a coma and could not breathe on his own. Even the healers had no hope for his survival."

Sein's nod was slow, taking this information in. "Must've been really hard on you, wasn't it?"

"He was among the only people I was close to," Jet said slowly, voice hollow with ancient grief and loss. "Too many others were dead by then. Counting him, there were only four. I thought he was going to die just like they did."

"It's hard to lose someone you're really close to," Sein murmured gently. "I thought I lost Kath when Babylon initially fell. We all did. We fought against the people on Mobius… and eventually we lost Laralei. To suddenly have those people taken out of your life… it's unimaginably painful."

Cere nodded softly. "You also know the struggles of life and war, both endlessly taking those you have wished to care for. No amount of preparation readies you for when someone is lost, and locking it away… only makes the pain so much worse," she murmured. "And to lose so many people, it's difficult to process it because the pain is always… sharper than you expect."

For a long time, Jet was silent. Then, very gradually, he admitted, "I didn't… talk to Sonic for a hundred years. That's… how long the war lasted. I kept wanting to, but back then… there was no technology reliably capable of communication across such a distance. Kaicha barely managed it." He paused, swallowed hard, then continued. "It was… hard. Being away like that and never… never knowing if any of them were even still around or would… want me back."

"I can only imagine," Sein murmured. "Speaking on their behalf… I'm sure they always did. Knowing that doesn't make the fear any less, though."

"They were accepting enough," Jet hesitantly said, "but I couldn't… open up to them again. Not for a long time."

"Any particular reason?" Sein asked, vaguely curious. Jet only lifted his shoulders in a vague shrug. By now, he had lowered his hands and was lightly hugging himself, hands on his arms but fingers not digging in and doing harm for now. Sein decided to veer off the topic a little. "What kind of stuff happened when you were adventuring with Sonic and the others?"

Another shrug, but Jet gave a verbal reply to go along with it this time. "A lot of things. Mostly a variety of small skirmishes kept our attention off of other things, but there were times when we had peace and quiet. The group enjoyed finding a place of natural beauty and just… resting."

"What were the skirmishes like? And the times of peace?" Sein questioned softly.

"We fought robots usually. It was nothing interesting, except on rare occasions." Jet thought about the rest of the question before saying, "People generally did their own thing. Knuckles, Rouge, and Locke would hang out together, Sonic, Tails, and Amy would be together… that sort of thing."

Sein nodded, and Cere spoke up this time. "I am vaguely aware of some… situations that arose that were not inherently related to the robots. Two of your allies are not of this timeline, from what I sensed. Is that correct?"

"Some messed up shit happened," Jet unexpectedly grumbled, "and we wound up in a version of the future that had been ruined by Iblis and Mephiles. Silver and Blaze came from that reality."

Cere nodded a little in response. "They became a part of your group of allies from working with you all?"

"Eventually."

"Were there any other escapades into alternate timelines?" Cere dared to ask.

Jet had to really think about that for a moment before the other incidents came rushing back to him from ages long past. "...Yeah. Sonic, Amy, Tails, and Knuckles were sent into some other ruined future, once. In that one, Kaden's Darkness was used by our main enemy to destroy the world. There was a war against the guy, and they helped in it. Apparently the other me was one of the select few versions that aren't also Immortal, and he died."

"I see," Cere murmured. "Is there anything else?"

"During the final conflict we took part in, before I left for New Babylon… We were fighting these things calling themselves the Metarex. One of them favored black magic, used it to bring some alternate-timeline brother of Kaden's into the war. Kaden took him down, eventually."

Sein and Cere both blinked at this. That was… interesting knowledge, to say the least. "Is it safe to assume that may have been all of your alternate timeline escapades?"

"We don't have that much experience with that crap," Jet muttered in answer.

"I figured I'd ask," Cere said with a soft shrug. Deciding to potentially broach a more sensitive subject, the Hexan asked, "You had a rough childhood, from our talks. What kind of things were you made to endure?"

Jet took considerably more time to respond than before. "A lot," he eventually mumbled. "Ross yelled a lot. He would get in my face and scream at the top of his lungs whenever he was angry over something. Which was always. He kept me locked in my room, the attic or basement, or a closet most of the time."

Cere's neutral expression morphed into a frown, but it was mostly thoughtful. "To be clear… you are wholly aware that this was wrong of him to do, correct?"

He sort of half-shrugged. "I was a little shit sometimes. Didn't always listen. Getting in trouble was inevitable." Despite everything that was being said, a tiny voice in the back of his mind reminded him that he had never treated his own kids the same way. Never once, because he couldn't do that. Which meant that, yes, it was wrong. But the emotional side of him was lapsing back into a very old habit, trying to justify and excuse his abuser's behavior for reasons even he didn't know.

Sein immediately spoke up. "Being in trouble does not warrant yelling," he corrected. "No kid deserves to be yelled at. Locking a kid in a room isn't okay either. Being understanding and supportive will do way more than yelling ever can." This didn't garner much of a response, though Jet was listening for the most part. If only because of who was talking. Sein opted to continue, a soft frown on his face. "Let me ask this. Do you prefer me being like I am, or would you rather have me yelling?" Sein asked, then added in clarification, "Not that I'm going to yell. Nobody's opinion will ever make me do that."

At the mere idea, Jet flinched. "I don't like yelling," he almost whispered. "Not from anyone. I hate it."

The older hawk nodded gently. "All that yelling at someone can do is hurt them. It's never the answer." For a second time, Jet didn't make any kind of outward response. Sein let out a soft sigh before asking, "What else did he do?"

Only after a bit of time had passed did Jet answer him. "He made me take care of myself," he admitted quietly. "It's why I know how to cook. I had to get and make my own food, get my own take care of my own injuries… that sort of thing. Except… I never had money. When I wasn't locked away, I was outside surviving however I could. I had a reputation in our town as a street rat and a thief."

"How old were you?" Cere gently asked. "When this started, I should add. Earliest you can remember."

"I was… six. Maybe seven."

Sein frowned. "How early did you expect your own kids to actively be self-sufficient?"

"I don't know. In their teens, somewhere. When it… seemed like they were ready." Jet hugged himself a little tighter almost idly, eyes still completely downcast.

"Do you know why you did that?" Sein asked softly, rubbing his son's shoulder again. Jet only shrugged for probably about the millionth time. He really didn't have an answer for that one. "Your children can't be expected to do everything on their own at age six. They're still kids and are learning to exist in this big universe. They need a parent to teach them, not simply set them out on their own."

Cere nodded a little. "At all points in life, people need a touch of guidance and learning. Even now, as old as we all are. The same is true for children. For him to blatantly ignore such a fact was a shortcoming on his part, and you suffered for it. You learned from his mistakes and allowed your children to grow as was necessary for them to become adults at the right time."

When Jet said nothing, Sein decided to shift the topic a little. "You've told me that he hit you. What did he do?"

This earned a second flinch but, eventually, Jet made himself start to explain. "He almost never… just yelled," he mumbled, voice barely audible at first. "He… He was strong. He used to punch a lot, pick me up and slam me around, kick me, choke me… Just… things like that."

"That… That's just wrong," Sein murmured. The things he was learning right now about Ross made his blood boil, but that anger didn't matter, not when his son needed him. He'd keep it all contained until he could put that energy elsewhere, once Jet was stable. "Nobody gets to hit a kid."

Cere nodded affirmatively. "In all my years, I have never once raised my hand against a child, especially none that I raised. To do so is to treat them as an enemy… if you ask me." Jet very briefly glanced up at them, but was quick to lower his gaze again. He didn't dare say anything, ancient fears of repercussions briefly rising up in him. Sein only moved to reassure him that no such thing would come as Cere continued. "Jet, do you remember the times we have spent together?" That only earned her a vague nod. "Have I ever raised my hand against you or yelled at you?" she asked.

Amazingly, a very tiny but noticeable amount of plant life regained some of its previous color. "...No."

"The reason I never have done so is because there is no person but our enemies that deserves such treatment, and even then… I refuse to raise my voice. I do not yell because it serves no purpose," Cere murmured softly. She avoided drawing attention to the changing scenery by not looking, though she did notice this latest shift. "You… you are no enemy. I see you as a son, among the many others I have chosen to raise. You are family to me, and a true family should not yell or hit one another."

Sein nodded a little, and seeing that Jet once more didn't seem to really have a response to what Cere said, opted to change the topic once more. "What have your interactions with the Void been like?" he asked gently. "I know a bit, but I'd like to hear more from you."

That brought some level of normality to Jet's emotions for a moment and prompted him to almost scoff. "It's a pissed off, dark, unfriendly entity. That doesn't exactly leave much to the imagination."

"What does it do?" Sein questioned further.

"Talks," Jet answered. "Sometimes breaks shit. Not much else."

Sein blinked. "What does it say?"

"A lot," was the only initial reply. Then Jet sighed and elaborated, "It embodied destruction and all that goes along with it, including death. Those are frequent topics."

"Do you know why?" Cere asked gently. "Why does it bring these things up?"

"Because that's what it does. What it wants to do. It's no different than how beings of Light want to heal and spread warmth and the like."

Cere nodded a little. "I see. Is it trying to urge you to partake in such things?"

"It talks about it," Jet stressed, "but that's it. It came straight out and admitted that it wants a partner, not a forced companion or whatever. Said it wants me to make up my own mind about everything."

"Yet, it's trying to get you to see everything it's way?" Sein asked.

"It is skilled at persuasion," Jet admitted. "It has a skill for it, some sort of a power. Just the same as evil chameleons do. But it has never used it on me. It just… talks and asks me to think."

Sein nodded slowly, frowning in thought. "Still… the way it says some things are dangerous," he murmured. Jet looked at him, not quite ready to ask but still somewhat wanting to hear Sein explain more. Sein scratched the side of his head softly, trying to think of a good way to say what he was thinking. "The Void has a strong tendency toward its own nature… for obvious reasons, and that leads it to tell you things that would potentially influence you to feel the same. It wants to destroy, and it wants you to do that with it."

"I know that," Jet muttered. "That's practically all it talks about."

"You don't have to do what it wants," Sein said quietly, before adding, "Regardless…"

Pure blue eyes glanced at him. "What?"

"I want your decisions to be your own," Sein said gently.

"They are," Jet said simply, looking away once more.

Sein scratched the back of his head a little. "We can talk about all of that another time," he said gently. "For now… there's something else I really want to talk about."

"What?" Jet asked again.

The older man wasn't sure exactly how to broach the subject, but he decided there was no need to beat around the bush. "I want to talk to you about what happened with Astra?" Jet immediately fell silent and didn't say anything. Sein frowned a little, knowing this was a touchy subject.

Cere spoke softly. "Jet… the reason he brings this up is because it bothers you. If you keep trying to push it away, it will continue to haunt you."

"Talking forces one to remember," Jet answered darkly. "That isn't something I want."

"But what if talking helps it not hurt as bad?" Sein countered in a gentle tone.

"That's wishful thinking. Something like this can't help."

Sein frowned. "She hurt you, Jet. I can tell that you endured unimaginable pain and trauma because of those experiences." Jet again fell silent. The emotions he'd been trying to bottle up abruptly manifested in the scenery again. Vast swaths of greenery turned to dust once more and blew away in the breeze. Still more of it blackened and wilted. Sein's concerns grew, but he felt that this might be their best chance, so he continued. "Jet… is she the reason you're scared of fire?"

This earned a very visible flinch. Try though he might to conceal the reaction, Jet couldn't manage it. Nor could he stop the truth from softly escaping him. "Yes."

Cere's frown deepened. "She was there when you were kidnapped and tortured the first time, then?" After a long, tense pause, Jet gave a tiny nod. Cere closed her eyes and nodded. "Her kidnapping you the second time only brought a lot of this back, correct?" There was no real response this time but, really, the answer was clear. "Those two Syxans with her… were they part of what happened originally?"

Jet drew in a terribly shaky breath and nodded. "They were… always there," he eventually admitted. "From the first moment. But she was always in charge. Not them."

"But they always were there," Cere murmured. "Constantly bringing you harm?" That earned yet another, even tinier nod.

Sein spoke gently. "How did they hurt you?"

"Any… way you can think of," Jet eventually mumbled, voice hollow. He stared blankly at the ground. "Fire was their favorite. But they did anything they could to cause pain. Stabbing, bloodletting, crushing, mauling via beasts they captured, holding my head under water… absolutely anything that worked."

And being an Immortal means that not once would you ever escape by dying… Sein thought to himself. "I'm sorry you had to endure such torment." Jet only offered a vague shrug, not fully listening.

Cere spoke up again. "During all of this… I presume Astra worked her way into your mind, which would have led her to be able to control you later?"

It took close to a full minute for Jet to answer. "She did a lot of… psychological torture. Shattering memories, implanting false ones, ripping others away entirely… But I didn't know about the seeds of control she'd planted back then."

Sein's frown deepened. "And all of that just… piled on top of what you suffered physically." No answer came.

"Do you know how long they kept you there?" Cere asked.

At first, silence answered here. "...Six months," Jet finally replied. "They told me when I woke up. I was in a coma when they found me."

"Six months of enduring all of that..." Cere murmured. "They put you through hell."

Sein decided that, with Jet's silence, maybe it was time to taper the conversation to an end. "Are you okay, bud?" No real answer came at first, but eventually Jet managed to shrug. "Are you tired?" Slowly, Jet conceded a nod. He was, technically, sleeping still on the outside, after all. Sein rubbed Jet's back a little. "It's okay. We can stop talking now and you can relax, okay?" Jet's response was again slow, but he nevertheless shifted to resume leaning against Sein in an effort to seek some measure of comfort. The older hawk gently wrapped an arm around Jet's shoulders to hold him.

Cere gave a sort of bittersweet smile. "For now, I will return to where I was. If you have need of me, all you need to do is call for me." Jet didn't exactly reply, though he did seem to hear her.

Sein smiled to Cere. "Thank you for coming, and for your help. It means a lot."

"Any time. Now, you two rest a bit. Emotional ordeals are always a bit taxing," she said. Jet just closed his eyes, more fatigued than he was able to communicate right now. Sein nodded a sort of farewell to her before she vanished and her presence left the area.

Sein soon turned his gaze to Jet and passed on a soft smile. "Would you like to stay here or sleep normally?" Jet shrugged a little, already feeling drowsy again as he allowed his emotions to ebb away. Sein rubbed his son's back briefly for just a moment before smiling. "C'mon. Let's go back to our bodies and rest."

Jet didn't bother to argue. He was fucking tired. What he did say was a mumbled smart-ass comment of, "I'm already in mine. You're the one invading."

"You're right," Sein admitted with a smile. "See you when you wake up?" With a small nod, Jet gave in to his need for rest and let himself go back to sleep.

~保護者~

Things were finally quiet again. Lia had gone to bed without too much fanfare, for once. Soren was in his room (such as it now was) with a book and the door closed. Myriu was lounging on the ceiling in the living room. Caer was off doing something in another room. Satsuno and Seiko were still elsewhere. All the craziness seemed to be done for the day. It was pretty relieving, honestly. Shadow could finally lay down in bed with his own book and not worry about constant interruptions. The only time an interruption did come was when Toru arrived from… wherever he'd been prior to this moment. But that was a distraction he couldn't bring himself to mind. Said chameleon (who seemed to have something bothering him, though Shadow didn't intend to press him for answers right now) walked into the bedroom moments later, laying down in the bed beside Shadow. "So… how are you feeling?"

"The same as usual," Shadow responded, setting the book aside. His statement was true enough. He was still tired (like always these days) and had no real appetite and was still fighting to acclimate to having a full range of emotions for the first time ever, but beyond that… he was mostly okay. Mostly.

Toru put his arms behind his head and relaxed. "So… honestly, I'm gonna put that whole ordeal behind us and say to move on to being us, together again," he suddenly explained. "I think that's best, if you're okay with it." Shadow murmured a vague agreement. Toru fell quiet for a moment before asking, "So… how do we know what the gender is?"

Shadow had to think about that question for a second. Then it clicked and he recalled that chameleons had no way of knowing prior to the births of their kids. "Through what is known as an ultrasound," he explained as briefly and as simply as possible. "It is done via machinery found in hospitals, and is not something Tails would have. In the past, Amy or Mother would have had ready access to such equipment at their workplaces, but that is not so now."

"...I assume I can't just steal whatever we need this time, can I?" Toru cautiously asked.

Crimson eyes rolled toward the ceiling. "No, you cannot."

The chameleon chuckled. "Figured I'd ask."

"Idiot," was the huffing reply. Then Shadow asked, "Do you have a preference for either gender?"

"I mean, no?" Toru said. "A boy would be better for us for obvious reasons, but in the end it's not a big deal either way." He thought for a second, then asked, "Do you?"

"I do not," Shadow shrugged. Then he added, "It would be no better or worse if it was a daughter, however. I have raised a girl before, and had a hand in raising my niece. I am plenty familiar with it."

Toru shrugged. "Fair enough…" he admitted, before posing a new question. "So… is there a way for us to get access to an ultrasound?"

"We would have to go to a hospital," Shadow said. He chose not to voice the fact that hospitals had always made him… uncomfortable due to their many similarities to Gerald's labs. He'd never been afraid of them, per se, but… maybe the word "nervous" (a feeling that was still very new to him) was adequate? He wasn't sure. "Or somehow get the necessary to Amy elsewhere, which is unlikely to be possible."

The chameleon frowned a little. "And I'm assuming there's a slight complication in the first situation as well?"

Though reluctant to explain, Shadow made himself just say it for Toru's sake. "Modern medical facilities and equipment are not… unlike Gerald's labs. Much of the equipment they use to administer medicine, perform surgeries, and the like were also used by him. Hospitals have always… bothered me because of that. I do not make a habit of going to them."

"Ah," the chameleon said, frowning. "Yeah, I'd hate to put you through that."

"I will not object to going," Shadow said after a moment, "provided it was over with quickly. A prolonged stay is out of the question."

Toru nodded a little at that. "We can cross that bridge another time. What else should we talk about?"

That prompted a brief few seconds of thought. "Generally, people discuss name ideas prior to birth." He paused, thinking again, then added, "Chameleons wait until afterward, correct?"

"Yeah," Toru shrugged. "Though, it's not a huge deal either way. We do it for tradition and all."

"Traditions aside, what do you prefer to do?" Shadow asked.

Toru blinked once at this. "I dunno."

"Helpful," Shadow huffed, eyes rolling again.

"I've never had a kid!" Toru protested with a laugh. "What, do you think I'm gonna just know? Actually, bad question. I usually pick up on stuff fast anyway."

"Precisely my point," Shadow responded easily. "And it is not about knowing ahead of time. It is about brainstorming ideas."

Toru shrugged. "Didn't think that far. Suppose now is the time to do so." Shadow's only response was to give a shrug of his own once more and shift to get more comfortable. Toru was quiet for a moment before asking, "So… let's say we go more into the idea of names before birth. Any ideas?"

"None. I barely came up with Lia's name, and I did not name Soren." Shadow pulled a blanket up to cover his legs, since the forest's evening chill was starting to set in. "Naming things was never a strong suit of mine, much less naming people."

The chameleon blinked. "Huh… well… that poses a problem. I was hoping to get your opinion and bounce from that."

"You are capable of making your own suggestions," Shadow pointed out easily.

Toru shrugged. "Sometimes it's easier to work with another's point of view when you don't have a solid grasp on your own." Shadow, in rare almost playful form picked up a random spare pillow and threw it into Toru's face without any real force, as though in reprimand. Despite the intense desire to retaliate in kind, Toru simply let it all happen and chuckled a little, pushing the pillow off him. "Sheesh, you act reasonable and get attacked for it," he huffed, amused.

"Be thankful that was a soft pillow," Shadow seemingly threatened. "I can find a worse one if that one was not damaging enough."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm sure you can," Toru said as he rolled his eyes. "On another subject, I wanted to ask you about something." Shadow gestured with a hand for him to continue. "Soren mentioned something about potentially being related to me. Know anything about that?" Toru asked.

Shadow shook his head slowly. "No. He never mentioned such a thing to me before. I was under the impression that he was Mari's child, like Lia."

"I don't get that same vibe from Soren," Toru suddenly explained. "He feels similar enough to you that I would know he's your kid, but there's a bit there that's familiar… You know, to chameleons."

"Similar how?" Shadow frowned.

"I can feel that Darkness, it's unmistakable. Nothing has Darkness like a chameleon does." Toru let out a soft sigh. "He mostly took after you, though. Would've missed it if I wasn't looking."

Darkness? ...I have never sensed it from him before. Though a little troubled, Shadow forced himself to focus. "His eyes are like yours as well," he said. "Pure grey eyes do not come from any part of my family that I am aware of. I never was able to think of a reasonable cause for him to have them."

Toru nodded a little. "If his guess is right… I wouldn't be surprised or even remotely upset. If anything, I'd be happy to know… even if he's related to a different me."

"That is something Tails could easily find out, if Soren was willing," Shadow replied. "A DNA test of you and of him would confirm or deny the suspicion."

"I'd wanna talk to Soren first… make sure he's okay with it. I figure he will be, but I'd still like to check," Toru answered. That was a given, so Shadow said a simple agreement. Toru fell quiet for a moment before deciding to ask, "Is there… anything else we should get out of the way?"

That forced Shadow to recall a very recent development and his mood soured a bit. "I have been performing scans," he soon said, "and was forced to conclude that I can no longer take the withdrawal medicine. I am alright for the short-term, but it has too high of a risk of impacting my health negatively in ways that are unacceptable during this,"

"That's… not good," Toru said, unsure of how else to respond at first. "Is there anything we can do?"

"Not that I am aware of," Shadow sighed.

Toru frowned a little. "Honestly… that's… less than desirable, but if you believe it's best to not take it, we'll have to navigate all of this a little at a time."

Slowly, Shadow made an admission. "I am… concerned about the risks either way. Rusen agreed to defend the child from attacks. That does not shield them from me. If my withdrawals become anything like what they were the first time, damage could easily be done."

"What sort of things happened?" Toru dared to ask. "I should know ahead of time."

After letting out a heavy breath, Shadow explained. "I had seizures. I could not sleep or eat, could not let my body be at rest despite having no real energy. I was exhausted all day, every day, and became so thin Tails almost hospitalized me. That was on top of throwing up most days and suffering from a near-constant fever. Among other things." This was by no means all, but it was among the worst of what he'd gone through. So it was the most relevant here.

Toru nodded slowly to this and frowned deeply. "Maybe we can get some help with some of those issues, but I've got no idea what we can really do about all of that."

"All I could do back then was attempt to survive it," Shadow muttered. "That will not be enough this time."

"I'll do my best, but this time we've got people that might be able to intervene in some places," Toru answered. "And I'll be by your side through it all."

Shadow looked away, frowning deeply to himself. "...I relapsed the last time," he forced himself to admit. "I was unprepared for how… difficult of a struggle it would be. And you saw me nearly start to do the same in Hyale."

"It's okay," Toru said in a soft tone. "I promise. There are things that people go through that are hard on them, and I'll do everything I can to keep that from happening."

"I don't trust it," Shadow replied immediately. Then it occurred to him how that sounded and he backtracked enough to correct, "I don't trust myself during times like that."

Toru nodded a little. "And now, you'll have me. I will help you."

"You are overly optimistic," Shadow found himself saying, though he hadn't meant to say that aloud. His newfound full range of emotions (which were still constantly bouncing around all over the place) substantially loosened his tongue these days, and it irritated him.

"And that's okay," Toru said. "You need some optimism around you if you wanna get through this."

"Optimism has a tendency to be misguided and lead to injury or death," Shadow responded.

"Pessimism has a tendency to limit potential outcomes and lead to injury or death," Toru countered easily. "Gotta have a bit of both, and a healthy dose of realism. Sometimes coupled with cold-hard stubbornness."

"Now you sound like Father," Shadow huffed. "Change the way the words are spoken, and it is similar to things he used to say now and then, when his mood was good."

Toru shrugged. "Smart man." Shadow just reclaimed the pillow and whacked Toru with it once more before moving it aside. Toru huffed and used a thread of Darkness to toss it away from Shadow, sticking his tongue out. "Ass."

"Hardly."

"Oh really?" the chameleon asked, eyebrow raised. "I'm damn certain I'm right."

"You are incorrect," Shadow told him frankly. He moved to lay down on his side, facing Toru more fully in the process. "You are also overconfident."

"You're wrong on one of those, but I'm sure you know which," Toru said confidently.

Noticing the aforementioned emotion's presence in Toru's demeanor, Shadow almost gave in and rolled his eyes for a third time. "You are also ridiculous," he muttered.

"Still only wrong on one of the things you've mentioned," Toru countered, a grin on his face.

Shadow was heavily debating various methods of wiping that grin off of Toru's face, but wound up thinking better of making such an attempt. "Fuck you," he said when no other response was forthcoming.

Toru's grin only grew. "I won't stop you." That did it. Shadow couldn't help rolling his eyes now. The chameleon raised an eyebrow. "What? You gonna act like you wouldn't want to?"

Crimson eyes narrowed vaguely. "You are aware that Soren is able to hear you if he chooses to listen, correct?"

The chameleon snapped his fingers and created a barrier around them. "I've been practicing for just such a situation."

His ears reflexively perked, and Shadow lifted his head briefly to contemplate the barrier in question. Specifically through some more subconscious scans. "...You developed this quickly," he eventually said.

"I'll do what I gotta do to be with you," Toru explained with a soft smile. "Whatever it takes."

"Sappy," Shadow answered, settling back down into his original position. But in spite of the mild name-calling, he didn't truly mind at all. If anything, Toru's words had him feeling somewhat… pleasant in a way he was still learning to get used to.

The chameleon's smile only grew a little. "Yeah, but you know you love it." Shadow shot him a decidedly weak glare, but had no real retort. He couldn't even come up with a decent false denial, at the moment. And he did try, just for the hell of it. When Shadow said nothing, Toru knew he'd won and simply played it to his advantage. "So… if you wanted to try for what I've hinted at, I'm not gonna stop you or complain. It's up to you, though."

Realistically, Shadow was pretty okay with this. Surprisingly. "...I am fine with it if you are," he soon agreed.

Toru rolled his eyes at Shadow. "Alright, I'm fine with it, too. Do I have to start?"

Pleased that he had finally given Toru a taste of his own medicine by inciting just a smidge of annoyance in the normally unbothered chameleon, Shadow allowed himself to smirk briefly in amusement. "You do not have to do anything. But this is not something I am overly familiar with."

"Same here, but I know what to do," Toru said, chuckling. "C'mere. I'll make it easy." Though he huffed at Toru, Shadow eventually did as instructed. Smirking like the smug, self-assured bastard that he was, Toru rolled him over and initiated a kiss. This was going to be a good night.

~保護者~

12,550 words this time. Many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all his help and support. Posted (at about 10:42 a.m.) 8-21-21.