Disclaimer: I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this trying time… especially for the one who missed so much.

~保護者~

"Life Changes"

~保護者~

He arrived in the Highlands easily. It… wasn't the same as he remembered at all. The da Asani flashed through the trees at blinding speeds, tearing the head off a Hollow that was in his way. Holy fuck. I missed too much while I was dead.

Saethrim tossed the Hollow's head aside to allow whatever else was around to feast on it as he expanded his senses. The Darkness he was looking for was obvious and easy to follow unsurprisingly, and he soon found himself on top of the chameleon's home. Espio was definitely inside, but the place was damaged… so he decided now was the time to use a power he rarely needed to make good use of and start repairing the damages. "Hey, Espio, you in there?" he called.

The chameleon in question appeared in a branch several feet away almost before Saethrim could finish talking. He was in a cautiously crouch, but his weapon wasn't drawn. "Who are you?" he demanded quietly.

"Name's Saethrim," the man answered rather easily. "You don't remember me at all, do you?" That name didn't ring any bells, but his appearance was… almost familiar, somehow. Espio couldn't place it, though, and had no idea where the memory (whatever it was) had come from. The da Asani sighed a little. "Can't be helped I suppose. You still got that dragon around?"

Almost as if on cue, Aku dropped his camouflage, revealing that the large branch Espio had been next to was in fact the dragon in question. "I am still here," he murmured. "You are the one who cared for my egg for a time. I remember your energy."

Saethrim grinned. "Of course. Shoulda known that was you. I wasn't really trying to keep up with what was around me like I used to," he laughed. "Good to see you again."

"It is good to see you, too," Aku responded. That he was being so polite for once caused Espio to frown at him incredulously.

"Anyway, Espio, I met you when you were a kid. I gave you Aku's egg, and it seems like I made a good choice," the man said easily.

Actually, Espio did vaguely remember that event, though he couldn't conjure up any clear images in his head regarding it. "...Ah," he soon murmured, not having anything else to say just yet. He was still trying to work out what hint of a memory was tugging at him, because it most certainly wasn't about being given that egg. It was something… older. That was all he really knew.

"Maybe instead it was when I saved you as a baby?" Saethrim asked with a raised eyebrow. "Maybe that'll spark your memory more properly."

That did indeed trigger the memories in question. He remembered being asleep, waking up because it was suddenly hot, being scared, everything hurting all over, crying for what felt like a lifetime, someone pulling him out of the rubble… and that was it. But he saw Saethrim's face at the very end of it all just long enough for him to relax and slowly move into a sitting position instead. The memories were gone again, at least for now, but he'd seen plenty. He understood, at least as much as he was able to right now, who this man was.

Saethrim crossed his arms and sat down. "So, let's talk. What's happening right now? I've heard you got a lot going on."

Amber eyes blinked at him. "No more than is normal, these days."

"That's kinda not true," Saethrim said. "What's Nareish doing to you?"

"Talking out of her ass and expecting me to believe her," Espio muttered. Aku flicked him hard with the tip of his tail in mild reprimand for the less than proper language, but it went ignored.

"Alright, let's try this approach," Saethrim said. "Your Darkness and lineage going back to Malevolence. They're trying to abuse that, yeah?"

"Yes."

Saethrim sighed and shook her head. "I'm gonna be honest, that's kinda fucked up."

"That is an understatement," Aku retorted.

"So, here's what I have to say. To hell with anyone trying to influence you. Fuck those bastards," Saethrim chuckled easily.

"It is not so easy," Aku interjected before Espio could noncommittally agree in an effort to get the subject dropped. A course of action Aku was rather certain Espio would take given half a chance. "Their actions affect his Darkness, which cannot just be ignored. It has proven to be an immense problem. Even pure Light has failed to tame it."

"I didn't say to ignore it," Saethrim chuckled. "It's gonna be a hell of a fight to control, and of course Light can't tame it. Only the bearer can."

Helpful, Espio silently remarked, though he chose to keep that thought to himself.

Saethrim put his arms behind his head. "Voice your thoughts. You'll never be heard otherwise." The man was relaxed as he leaned back, closing his eyes.

"I have nothing to share," was the bland reply.

"I don't appreciate you lying," Saethrim answered. "Realize that I have some of the best senses of any semi-Immortal to exist."

Aku looked decidedly smug right then, and Espio shot him a small glare. However, he didn't say anything, which prompted Aku to do it for him again. "We rarely succeed in convincing him to speak his mind, Saethrim," the old dragon explained. "At times, he struggles greatly with it. At other times, I believe he is just stubborn."

Saethrim shrugged. "I get that." He cracked an eye open and looked at Espio. "So, let me ask you something. They want you evil, right?" Espio just looked at him, not bothering to give what he genuinely felt couldn't have been a more obvious answer. "If that's the case, don't give them what they want." Saethrim looked to the sky. "If they want something from you, do everything in your power to spite them if you so desire. They deserve nothing from you, and so you should use every ounce of your stubbornness just to fuck them over."

"If that were routinely possible, I would," Espio muttered. "As things stand, it is much more reasonable to focus purely on survival and escape."

The da Asani raised an eyebrow. "What's stopping you?"

"The fact that Nareish is at the heart of this issue at the moment, and I will not try to fool myself into believing that I can simply stop her."

Saethrim frowned in thought. "Who else, though?"

When Espio said nothing and looked away, Aku shifted to better face Saethrim. "There is a woman… Nyokae. She presents a different kind of danger to him and has played a crucial role in all of this as well. He killed her once, but we recently discovered that she has been revived. She works directly under Nareish."

"If I see her, I'll make sure she dies," Saethrim suddenly said.

"It may not be so easy," Aku cautioned. "I am of the belief that Nareish may be boosting her powers and abilities now. This was not done in the past, but she seemed significantly stronger when she last showed her face." Espio, for his part, said nothing.

The da Asani grinned openly. "You underestimate me."

"Perhaps. But caution is a necessary skill for some of us." Aku said that last bit with a pointed glare at Espio. It was swiftly returned.

Saethrim nodded easily. "Obviously don't put yourself in unnecessary danger, but when you feel everything becoming hard to control, know that sometimes controlling it isn't the only thing you should do. Sometimes you have to learn how to use it. It's a part of you and will always be what you make it."

"Using it has led to nothing other than what my people are infamous for," Espio told him with a note of bitterness in his tone. "People died who should not have, and I nearly turned my sword on people I am supposed to protect."

"I see," Saethrim said. His smile didn't fade, nor did he seem perturbed. "You know, as the former God of Mythical Beasts, I have the ability to turn into things like wyverns. For a long, long time that was something that made me turn on the other Gods and Goddesses. If I used it, they would then have to fight me until I managed to regain control again. It broke my heart to the point where I refused to use it, but all that did was make me resent it." Saethrim chuckled. "It was a stupid mistake. One day I changed forms and I nearly put Cere on her deathbed. If it hadn't been for her and all the people that cared about me, I would have killed her." His eyes darkened for a moment before returning to normal. "Honestly, that was the day I had to realize something needed to change."

"If using that form so gravely endangers your allies, then it should not be used," Espio responded. His own eyes had darkened as he'd listened. "Harming one's allies is unacceptable."

Saethrim shook his head. "You missed the whole damn point." He pointed right at Espio, frowning. "I had to learn to use it correctly. After that day I devoted myself to mastering control over it so that I wouldn't hurt them ever again."

"...I believe he understood your point, but chose to ignore it," Aku said when Espio remained unhappily silent. "It seems to me that his point is that he disagrees with you in some way. But good luck getting any sort of explanation out of him."

The da Asani shrugged. "It's just an idea, really. Whether you realize that I'm right or not isn't something I can change. It's up to you to make that choice."

That still didn't garner any response in particular, causing Aku to let out a displeased grunt. Projecting his voice only to Saethrim, he quickly revealed an additional piece of information. "It was learned recently that he has a disorder called autism. He also suffers from other issues, such as anxiety, depression, anger, and some manner of sensory issues, among other things. I make no claims of expertise in this area, but my concern is that at least some of these problems are affecting his ability to handle his Darkness and people like Nyokae."

"I've heard of it, but honestly I don't know enough to do much of anything. You guys know anybody with autism that might be able to help?" Saethrim dared to ask. This caused Espio to look over with a frown. He already had a guess as to what Aku had said.

"I don't personally know anyone," Aku answered. He allowed Espio to hear him again at that point. "I know few of his allies."

The da Asani tapped his chin thoughtfully. "So… perhaps we should look into that?"

"Perhaps," the dragon agreed.

Saethrim looked to Espio. "You know anyone?"

Espio left off glaring at Aku long enough to mutter, "One person. But talking with him will do no more good than speaking with Rose did."

"Ah?" Saethrim said, eyebrow raised curiously. "Who?"

"A hedgehog named Steam. I know little about him."

Saethrim tilted his head. "Ah, okay." the man suddenly stood up and stretched. "Well, I'll be off. I'd like to think you might ruminate on those words I said earlier." Rather than openly agree or disagree, Espio took the opportunity the moment it came and vanished. He was more than happy to leave this conversation. The da Asani blinked at this once and simply sighed. "I can't help until he gets help. I'm not qualified for this."

"The woman he mentioned, Rose, has been somewhat trying to help," Aku said, "but from what I can gather she is just waiting for him to open up on his own. That is not a method that appears to work for him."

"He needs someone that can help him crack open his shell, so to speak," Saethrim said with a shrug. "And I'm not the person for that."

The dragon inclined his head. "I'm uncertain this 'Steam' person will be, either. But, more so than Espio, I know little about the man."

The man shrugged. "Seems to be some sort of enigmatic man, from what little I've gleaned from you two."

"Enigmatic? No. But he flits from location to location, rarely staying put for long as he attempts to deal with things. That is not conducive to getting to know him well."

Saethrim laughed. "Damn, sounds like me." Aku just blinked at him. The man grinned a little. "Anyway, I'm gonna have to get going. If that Steam guy has any chance of helping, may as well try to make sure that happens."

"If you are expecting me to somehow ensure this, you are out of luck," Aku snorted. "I am old and tired. There is only so much influence I can have these days."

"I totally believe in you," Saethrim said as he stepped backward and vanished entirely. Seeing this, Aku snorted again and resituated himself to go back to sleep.

~保護者~

Having been mixed into dealing with the Realms of Death, Ylden almost missed it. The cat perked when he heard Wave's voice in his head… telling him that Marthal had been purified. He left his post immediately, vanishing through the portal with nothing more than a rushed 'bye' to Han. He soared through the air over Mobius until he pinpointed where the orange cat was and immediately teleported to the ground.

Marthal had his back to Ylden, and also happened to be upwind of him. Those factors, coupled with his current lack of hearing aids, meant he didn't immediately notice Ylden's presence as he walked slowly toward Hyale. Ylden was quick to appear in front of Marthal, quickly signing, "I'm glad to see you."

Though he jumped, Marthal quickly recovered. He stopped walking and sat Mei down in the grass to free his hands so that he could also sign. "Yeah… I'm glad to see you, too."

Ylden's eyes scanned Marthal quickly. "I am… sorry that I could not take you away from there sooner."

"That's not your fault," Marthal rebuffed him. "I'm the one who resisted. And… I'm sorry for the things I said in the process."

"You had every right to say the things you did. I have made mistakes and intend to atone for them… But first and foremost I am pleased that you are okay."

"I had no right. Mistakes or no mistakes, you didn't deserve being spoken to so harshly. But, whatever. I don't want to argue about that." Managing a smile, Marthal gestured to his daughter. "I don't know exactly when it happened, but one of my girls was revived. She's the youngest, Mei."

Ylden nodded slowly. "I see. She is quite adorable." Marthal picked her up and gently held her out to him, silently offering to let Ylden hold the kit if he wanted to. Ylden shifted close enough to grab Mei so he could hold her gently in his arms. This reminds me of when Armaris was just a baby.

Mei shifted and opened her eyes, which were the same deep blue as her dad's. Seeing a new face, she did something yokai infants rarely did when faced with strangers. She actually smiled at him. Marthal felt himself smile a bit more in response. I knew you'd like him.

Ylden found it in himself to smile back, rubbing the top of her head softly. "You remind me so much of my daughter, Mei." The tiny kit mewled at him, tilting her head into the soothing sensation of his petting. He chuckled a little and continued this before looking up at Marthal.

"I told you kids were a good judge of character," Marthal signed to him. He couldn't help but think that the lingering Light he'd been purified with was having an impact on his mood because, honestly, he hadn't felt this lighthearted since long before he'd died, much less been revived.

The black cat shifted Mei enough to free his hands. "I am aware. Armaris never once smiled around her mother."

"I can imagine not," Marthal agreed with a small shrug.

Ylden shrugged as well. "I recently became the God of Death, apparently."

Marthal blinked at him. "The hell?" Then the implications hit him and he tensed. "More importantly, how? What happened to Kaden?"

"He was killed, then brought back to life," Ylden explained. "After he returned to life, he passed on the role to me. He is currently safe with Zenith in the Realms of Death."

Marthal sighed heavily in relief. "Okay. If you're sure. But how is he, really? After barely being a demon for any length of time, I feel like crap now that I'm back to normal. I can't even imagine what he feels like."

"He's not doing well. I barely managed to get him safe."

"Not doing well how? What happened?"

"It's hard to explain aside from him being suicidal and disregarding his own life."

Suicidal… Fuck, not this again. Marthal pursed his lips together. "He was like that once before, after Kathros got ahold of him," he revealed. "I don't even remember anymore how he pulled out of it, but it was bad. He was cutting himself constantly and didn't care at all who hurt him anymore, much less if they ended his life."

"I think this will turn out okay. For right now, someone is watching over him at the very least. It'll be hard for him to get away right now."

"That's good," Marthal replied with another sigh.

Ylden nodded. "Yeah. I made sure of it." Marthal returned his nod and, when she started to really squirm, carefully took Mei back. Ylden let him do so without issue. "So, where were you heading?"

After adjusting his daughter in his arms like Ylden earlier had, Marthal answered, "Hyale. I was convinced to go ahead and visit Tyria again. She's that chameleon I was with last time we saw each other prior to the fight."

The black cat blinked a few times. "Oh. I see."

"What about you? What are you doing?"

"Primarily focusing on the Realms, but also watching to see what happens with my daughter."

This made Marthal frown again. "Is something going on?"

"The new God of Demons has corrupted her." That revelation earned several soft curses from the yokai, whose tail began to lash. "I'm waiting for a chance to help her."

"Is there some kind of a plan in place?" Marthal was quick to ask. "Do other people know?"

"I believe so. People seem to have been convening recently."

"Good. This isn't a one-man job, Ylden. You get that, right?"

"I'm aware that I can't save her alone, yeah."

"Right. Just don't do anything stupid." Marthal hesitated before adding, "I'm assuming you need to get back to your work."

Ylden nodded a little. "Sadly. I was not prepared for that to suddenly be happening."

"I can imagine not," Marthal agreed.

"Would you like me to take you to the Highlands to make your journey faster?"

"Sure, if you wouldn't mind. I teleported this far, but I'm kinda tired. Purification does that, apparently."

"Not surprised." Ylden shifted forward and teleported the three of them to Hyale, stepping away once they'd arrived. "Should be good enough for now."

"Thanks," Marthal signed.

Ylden nodded a little. "Anytime." He then turned and opened a portal, glancing back to make sure Marthal didn't have anything else to say. The yokai just waved a little and resumed walking. With that, Ylden returned it and walked through the portal.

~保護者~

This wasn't something she'd wanted, not in her whole life. Now, here she was, with no choice. It sucked, but at this point she needed to do it. Zareil, after settling on the inevitable, scooped up her children and teleported to Mobius. She… had to find Analia. As such, she appeared near to where she knew Tails's home to be, beginning to walk in that direction.

No one was outside to spot her but, as luck would have it, Analia was very obviously in the house. Her energy was unmistakable. Perhaps to spare Zareil from the hassle of dealing with all the people within the building, she teleported to Zareil's present location instead. "Hello," she greeted warmly in typical fashion for a Light user. "Is there something you need? I cannot imagine you would desire to come here otherwise."

This wasn't easy to say, and now that she was at the point where it had to be done… she choked and remained silent. Just… it… it has to be done… Analia waited with endless patience, giving Zareil all the time she needed to find her voice and say what was on her mind. Zareil was silent for some time longer before quietly saying, "I… need to be purified…"

Hearing this, Analia blinked at her. Rather than argue the point, all she responded with was a single question. "You are certain you want to do this?"

"I have no choice," Zareil murmured, looking away. "Just fucking do it. We don't have time for this."

Analia made a sympathetic sound. "Before I do this, I must ask that you please sit. This process can sometimes cause people to faint, and I do not want you to drop your daughters by mistake." She went ahead and sat down herself, delicately tucking her legs under her due to the skirt she was wearing like always. "I will not purify them as well if you do not wish for me to, but if you do want them to be purified I will handle that as well. They will not be harmed during the process. I can assure you that."

"The God of Demons will kill them," Zareil murmured, moving to sit. "If they are not purified…"

"I can assist you with preventing that if you allow me to," Analia pressed gently, "but I wish to be certain that you will permit me."

If she didn't have her children with her, she might have snapped at Analia. Hadn't she already said that this needed to happen quickly? Her irritation grew. "Just fucking do it," the demoness growled.

"Very well." Analia gathered her Light around herself, then very carefully enveloped Zareil in it. With how powerful and controlled she was, it didn't take long for all signs of corruption to utterly vanish from the triplets. Likewise, Zareil's corruption began to weaken and unravel very quickly.

The thought crossed Zareil's mind several times to attack Analia, to remove something that had been an eyesore to Kaden during his time as God of Demons, but as the corruption unraveled, she found her desire to do so weakened and faltered proportionally. It wasn't like that was a fight she could win, anyway. Enough of the people they'd once fought against had surpassed her as well, so even if she'd managed to beat Analia by some ungodly miracle, she'd never escape with her life. How am I going to live… without being a demon?

Gradually, the Light faded and Analia pulled her energy back within herself. She looked at Zareil and her daughters and smiled. "My, look at you all," she said warmly. "You and your girls are beautiful."

"Quiet," Zareil demanded quietly, turning away. "Now that I cannot be controlled by the new god, I have no use for you."

"Indeed not. But I am always here if you find yourself in need again in the future." Analia stood up and brushed herself off. "All I will say to you now is that you must try to rest for a time. Purification is a tiring experience."

Zareil muttered something under her breath and began walking away. "Just shut up." Analia obliged with a polite nod and teleported back to the house. Now that nobody was looking, Zareil felt as if she was safe enough to actually stop hiding the fact that she was exhausted from the purification. Fucking hell… do I even have the energy to teleport back to where I was? She trudged along, trying to think about where on Mobius might be a safe place away from all of these people.

She walked some couple of miles away before standing up straight and shifting her hold on her daughters to be in one arm, raising the other to defend herself. The extreme sensation of a strong magic user was something she knew to be aware of now, and the fact that it wasn't Ylden gave her no relief. Zareil turned to face the direction they'd appeared in clenching her free hand into a fist as the person approached.

Zareil was soon face to face with a Babylonian… a yellow finch, if she was correct. Her stance changed to place her body between him and her daughters, frowning. "Who the fuck are you?" she demanded to know.

Cyril gave a sort of bow in greeting before saying, "Name's Cyril. I… don't think I know who you are?" He looked her over, frowning. "You remind me a ton of Yareis and Pyrun." Much like the two he'd mentioned before, her skin was a light grey. Unlike Yareis (and like Pyrun), this woman had horns, specifically spiked horns that curved back over her head. She also had sky blue eyes with no hair, fur, tails, claws, or fangs… things that tended to define other races. This meant she had to be a similar race to Yareis and Pyrun.

"Zareil, now get the hell away from me and my kids," she muttered hatefully, already shifting away from him. "I want nothing to do with you or your friends."

It seemed to take Cyril a second to comprehend this before he blinked. "Oh! I was actually looking for you! I came here to find you when you weren't at your last location, since I figured it might be a good idea for you to be around Kaden."

Zareil bared her fangs. "Who the hell do you think-"

"Do you want to see Kaden or not?" Cyril suddenly cut in. The man hated cutting people off, but he could certainly tell that she had no intention of listening. "I can take you there."

It took a long moment, but the woman slowly lowered her stance and let out a slow breath. "You…" Zareil planted her hand on her face and shook her head. "Fine, but if you try anything, I'll tear your head off."

Cyril shrugged a little. "Got no intention of messing with anyone," he said, grabbing one of his metal cards. The woman immediately assumed a defensive stance, but relaxed when he tossed it and opened a portal with it. "There we go." He walked on through and poked his head through, motioning for her to follow.

She was openly hesitant to move after him, taking a slow step into it before going through fully, glancing around slowly. Her heart dropped when she realized this was one of the Realms of Death, the place where Ylden resided. When she tried to turn around and leave, the portal was gone. Shit!

At the present moment, only Han was sitting in the living space Ylden had created and set aside for himself. The cat, of course, was off doing his job. This left Han free to read in peace and quiet right up until Cyril and Zareil appeared. He didn't even need to look over to glean information about them both courtesy of his magic, magically-enhanced perceptiveness, and other such skills. In particular, what he gleaned from reading Zareil's energies caught his momentary interest.

How he knew what an Erukti was escaped him, but he could tell that she partially was one. He could also tell that a pureblooded Erukti ancestor of hers long ago had been turned into a demon - which he apparently also still knew about and just hadn't previously realized. The fact that he found no evidence of her being only half or less demonic herself in the past meant that that ancestor of hers had only had children with another fully corrupted demon. That child or children then did the same thing and on and on until she had been born. It certainly explained the significance of the demonic power he sensed she had possessed up until very recently. Maybe even today.

He glanced at the woman in question. True to her heritage, she looked just like an Erukti, right down to her coloration. They all had lighter colors, tans, whites, greys, and so on due to the nature of their home planet. With have of it sandy desert and half of it snowy desert, dark colors tended to stick out like a sore thumb. Even with her mixed heritage, she'd managed to look the part of a true native of that world.

It seemed her children had followed her genetics closely in terms of appearance. All three shared her coloration. They even sported similar head shapes to her, though their eyes were different. All three pairs of eyes that he saw were a light, almost pastel green. The lightness of the color was certainly Erukti, but that color wasn't from her. Though, he didn't care enough to ponder on who specifically it had come from. Instead, he returned his attention to his book and just said, "If you're looking for Ylden, he isn't here."

Judging by the fact that Zareil was still very obviously panicking, Cyril frowned in thought. "I'm sure he'd know where to go, but I think it's best we don't see him right now," the finch answered. He looked around as his eyes shone with yellow magic, focusing on something unseen. "I think I can find where we need to go, unless you know where Kaden is."

Han had no idea who Cyril was talking about, so he just shrugged. Otherwise, he didn't answer. It didn't matter, anyway, because seconds later Darkness gently enveloped Cyril, Zareil, and her daughters and whisked them away. That Darkness was none other than Zenith's, and he brought them right to where Kaden was. He was still in the room he'd been placed in earlier and was sleeping uneasily on the mattress.

Zareil certainly hadn't liked any of this, and being whisked away in such a manner had her on edge. Her stance was defensive, but the moment she saw Kaden, it all faltered and she rushed to him, dropping to the ground immediately near the mattress. "Kaden?" He didn't immediately wake, lost in some dream or another, but hearing her voice did make his ears flick a little. Her attention immediately went to Cyril and she harshly demanded, "Get away from us."

"Alright, but if you need anything, I'm more than willing to help." The finch tossed a communicator to her before vanishing through a portal.

Alynn and her sisters squirmed away from their mother and sat down on the stone floor right beside the bed, looking around with nervousness brought on by Zareil's obvious emotions. None of them spoke, though they did look over their father to see if he was alright. Zareil watched Kaden silently before cautiously reaching over and setting a hand on his. I should have stayed with you…

~保護者~

Ghune poured her newest mixture into several concoctions, frowning deeply in thought as the liquids mixed together. After a long moment of watching, she placed corks onto each flask and took time to swirl them all, making sure they were all mixed properly before beginning the process again. She'd been at it for hours already, and she continued for several more. People knew better than to bother her at this time due to her intense concentration.

Once she was finished, Ghune finally left her room and began moving to address concerns of various people. A woman approached with worry that the trolls may act in an unruly matter, a man needed aid feeding the wyvern, and a child simply wanted to meet her. Ghune moved quickly to the home of the trolls, a quite expansive mass of land that the vampire herself had specifically set aside for them. While it was true that they'd been antagonizing others, they weren't acting out in any manner. She simply set them straight and moved on.

The wyvern was an ongoing issue, as one of them specifically only respected Ghune. She walked up to it, and where it had originally been thrashing about and acting violently towards the other vampires, it suddenly straightened and lowered its head to her. Ghune shook her head in dismay and pat the massive draconic creatures head. "K'ie'tor." It relaxed and allowed the others to feed it, and so Ghune left.

The child was the last on her list, so she walked back to the castle and collected them from a waiting room, holding one of their hands and escorting them up to a higher level on a balcony. There, she spent time showing them and explaining what all of the individual pieces of their land were for, much to the child's awe. When a question arose, she took time to answer it as best she could. Soon, however, the time came to return the child to their parents, and so she escorted them back to the bottom floor and sent them on their way.

The potion should be finished. Ghune teleported back to her room and collected the final flask, looking over the shimmering green substance. Perhaps this will do the child well. Without waiting, she teleported to Mobius and directly into Shadow's home, walking to where she sensed Lia to be.

An alarm started blaring, but it was quickly shut off and subsequently ignored by Shadow. It caught his daughter's attention, however, and she peeked out of her room. Upon seeing Ghune, she brightened into a smile. "Hi!" she greeted with all of her usual enthusiasm.

The vampire woman managed a wan smile and knelt down in front of the door. "Hello, young one."

"How come you're back already?" Lia asked. She opened her door more fully.

Ghune produced the flask from her cloak. "I came to bring you this. It should help you in the coming days."

Ruby eyes blinked innocently a couple times. "What is that?" Lia asked.

"I cannot explain, but it should help you incredibly," Ghune said gently.

"Do I have to drink it?" Lia pouted. "It looks yucky." She was quick to catch herself and added, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be mean to you. But it does."

The vampire nodded a little. "Yes, child. You will have to drink it, but I took extra care to make it tasteless, so that it would not be nasty for you."

"Oh. Do I have to drink it right now?" Lia carefully took the flask into her small hands, mindful to take care so it wasn't dropped.

"Yes," Ghune said softly. "I wish to see you grow up big and strong, and this will help with that."

Lia suddenly smiled. "I grew up one time," she proudly announced. "I only sorta remember, though. Then a nice man called Rusen found me where I was and took me here, so I'm here now."

Ghune perked up at this. Such a name… Is that a da Asani? No… But it is similar. "Well, my hope is for you to grow up and be able to fully remember the time you lived," she replied.

"Do I have to drink all of it?" Lia then asked her. She tried to pull the cork out but struggled and so held it up in a silent plea for help.

The vampire woman gripped the cork with a claw and popped it free, making it vanish a moment later. "Yes. If it is to take full effect, you have to drink it all."

"Okay…" Though she pouted some more, Lia didn't complain further. She reluctantly tried a sip and, upon finding that it tasted no different than water to her, soon finished the whole thing. "It wasn't yucky!" she happily declared.

Ghune laughed a little. "That was what I had hoped would be the case. For now, child, focus on resting. I will be back here soon."

"But I'm not tired," Lia protested. "Daddy is, though. He's been sleeping all day. It's boring."

"He has been through much recently, this much I know," Ghune explained. "He needs time to adjust."

"I met a vampire once when I was older," Lia all of a sudden revealed. "She wasn't very nice to me until after we fought. But she said vampires aren't bad people, and you're not bad. So Daddy isn't gonna be bad just 'cause he is one, right?"

Ghune shook her head. "Your father will never be evil due to being a vampire. It would take far more than that to ever push him in that direction," she explained.

Like children were prone to do, Lia believed the adult before her without question. "I heard Daddy and Mister Toru talking about something weird," she said. "I guess Mister Toru got bit, but the bite didn't heal super-duper fast like it was s'posed to."

The vampire woman put a hand to her chin and thought this over for a moment. "I noticed it as well, and I find it unusual. I had planned to look into it, as I have not seen such a thing in my lifetime for someone such as him."

Lia shuffled her feet on the floor a bit before hesitantly saying, "I heard one time that my family is semi-mortal. But my uncle's bestest friend Jet is Immortal. And my uncle's other friend Tails said that Immortals can hurt people who aren't Immortals and make it so that they never, ever, ever get better."

"Your family is semi-Immortal," Ghune gently corrected. Then the rest of what Lia said hit her. The woman stood up straight and glanced in the direction of Shadow, frowning in deep thought. How did I not think of such a thing? Gah, it would have been foolish to assume such a thing with the four Immortals already being in existence. "And yes, Tails is correct to have said that."

"Is that what happened?" Lia asked her in a small voice, eyes full of worry. "I don't want Mister Toru to never get better."

"I assure you that he will be okay in due time," Ghune said gently. "I will make sure of it."

After giving a little nod, Lia asked one more question. "Is he asleep, too? I don't see him."

"He is sitting alongside your father at the moment," Ghune said. "He is awake, however."

"Okay. I don't want to wake up Daddy, so I guess I can say hi later. Oh! Wait right here for a second!" Lia dashed off without giving any kind of an explanation. Soon, she returned while dragging Soren out of his room by the hand. "This is my big brother! His name is Soren."

Soren looked at Ghune nervously for a second. "Uh… hi?" he offered.

Ghune gave a slight nod of greeting. "Hello."

"Lia, I think she's got things to go do," Soren murmured in undertone to his sister. He knelt down by her side to be on her level. "And I kinda don't want to talk to random people right now… Especially when they're intimidating. Can I go back to my room now?"

"You're boring," Lia accused with a huff. She released his hand, though.

"Halt," Ghune murmured. "You are Shadow's child as well, correct?" Soren hesitated, more of his nerves surfacing at her brief command. However, he managed to nod without too much delay. Ghune sniffed the air briefly and blinked once. "Hm. Chameleon." Another sniff, and she relaxed her slightly rigid stance. "I was worried for a moment."

Grey eyes stared in a mixture of shock and confusion. "...Worried?" he echoed after a pause.

Ghune looked at Lia for a moment before saying, "It would be best to not mention, currently. It is under control, but saying something now provokes needless concern."

"...Oh. Um… okay." Soren stood up, sighing a little when Lia took his hand again. It seemed he was stuck here for at least a moment longer.

The woman watched them both before turning fully away. "You can relax, you know. I have every intention of protecting your family."

"Why, though?" Soren hesitantly inquired. "We don't even know you. Strangers don't make a habit of helping each other out."

"He always says stuff like that," Lia huffed. "He never believes that people we don't know are nice. At least, not right away. Usually he gets kinda scared."

"Lia!" Soren quietly protested.

Ghune blinked once at hearing this. "There is no harm in wariness, but learn to trust your instincts more than your head."

"What instincts?" Soren mumbled, ears lowering. "The only ones I seem to have are the ones that tell me to run away." Like a coward.

"In due time you will learn," Ghune answered, glancing back to him.

"Learn what?" Soren asked her. Then he sighed and looked down. "Never… Never mind. You probably have things you need to do. I'm sorry for keeping you."

Ghune sighed slightly. "Child, we can interact another day. I have research to do for your father. Perhaps then we can properly become acquainted."

"Okay," Soren murmured. "Um, have a safe trip… wherever you're going."

The woman nodded before turning back briefly to them both. "If your father acts unusual in any manner, I recommend you stick to your rooms."

"Unusual?" Soren asked. He was quick to turn to his sister and shoo her off to her room with a promise to play with her in just a couple of minutes, then addressed Ghune again. "What do you mean? If something's going on with Dad, I want to know." Especially for Lia's sake. I can't protect her if I'm kept in the dark.

The vampire took a moment to assess him thoroughly. "If I tell you, promise that you will approach Toru before making any rash decisions of your own."

"Rash decisions?" Soren questioned, frowning in confusion. "I'm not an adult. I don't make the decisions at all."

"I meant in the form of trying to act," Ghune said. "Regardless, your father has been turned into a vampire. Vampires are usually forced by their instincts to feed whether they want to or not before they learn control. He feeds on blood. If his eyes visibly change or he doesn't seem to know who you are, get away and get Toru's attention."

Soren was stock still for a long moment before slowly revealing, "...I knew a vampire once, so I know a little about them. We were… allies, I guess." He paused, then added, "I'll stay close to Toru, and I'll make sure Lia does, too."

"Good," Ghune murmured, turning away again. "I do not wish to see people turned, much less children."

"Yeah. I… don't want that, either." Soren edged toward Lia's bedroom, knowing the conversation was about to end. "Thanks for the heads up."

Ghune blinked once slowly before walking away a few steps and placing a potion on the counter. "If Lia seems to be feeling under the weather in any way, have her drink this. I'm entrusting you with that."

"I will. I promise. I don't want her getting sick again." Soren sighed and looked away. "I didn't witness it or anything, but I've heard it mentioned a few times recently. It must have been… awful."

She gave a sort of hum in response, nodding. "I can only assume. The scent was unpleasant." With zero idea how to respond to that comment, Soren just awkwardly returned her nod. Content that she had covered all the bases, she gave a wave without turning around and teleported away.

More than a little relieved that it was over, Soren turned away and went down the hall. He reached Shadow's door but, fully aware that knocking would wake him right up, Soren opted to just crack the door open instead and whisper, "Toru?"

The chameleon appeared beside him and silently closed the door, glancing to Soren. "Need something?"

"Um… can I talk to you real quick about a couple things?" Soren asked him. He made sure to keep his voice down because of where they were standing.

Toru set a hand on Soren's shoulder and led him away from the door, into the living room "Ask away," he prompted easily.

"A woman named Ghune was just here," Soren informed him, although he suspected Toru was fully aware of that fact. "She… um, told me a couple things. Like… Like that Dad was turned into a vampire?"

So that's what that was, Toru thought to himself, frowning in thought as he recalled the alarm earlier. Shadow had woken up long enough to swiftly shut it off and hadn't seemed concerned, so Toru hadn't checked it out. "Yeah, that's the situation. It's why he's asleep right now, if I had to guess," the chameleon offered in explanation.

"I knew a vampire once," Soren revealed again. "He was my age. I guess… I mean, we were friends for a while, I think. He was newly turned, too. I learned some stuff from being around him. Like that they basically have to sleep during the day for a while but eventually get past that."

Toru nodded slowly. "Makes sense," he said. "What else did she say?"

"That Lia and I need to be careful. But… what do we do? Like, is this why there was a barrier around Dad's room last night?" Soren tapped his foot a few times in a very Sonic-like manner, his young mind racing. "That won't be good enough anymore, will it?"

"Probably not," Toru admitted. "But I've probably got enough ability and strength to handle it the next time something becomes a problem." He let out a sigh. "Though, we do plan to ask Sonic to help us contact Analia so we can speak to her about helping him with all of this. We just haven't had the chance to yet."

"Okay. But… I don't want you guys to fight." Soren looked away, ears a touch lower than before. "I especially don't want it to happen around Lia."

In response, Toru squeezed Soren's shoulder a little, hoping to help comfort him. "Last time, it didn't take a lot for him to realize who I was, and he showed a good bit of control over himself. The only thing I did after that was hold him still so he'd feed off me instead of seeking out something he might kill."

This caused Soren to let out a breath that was almost relieved, in a way. There was a brief silence before he continued. "She mentioned one more thing," he said slowly, "that wasn't related to any of that. But, um… I'm not totally sure that she's right about it."

The chameleon raised a brow. "Hm?"

Soren took in a deep breath, trying to will himself to be brave just long enough to say what needed to be said. "She… She said that I smell like a chameleon," he told Toru, risking a glance at him.

Toru blinked once at this, unsure exactly how to take it before chuckling a little. "Guess we reached a point where it's practically undeniable. Only thing we can do now to prove it is something we'd need to have Tails and Wery handle for us."

"You're… You're okay with it?" Soren asked in a small voice, eyes a little wide even though he hadn't meant for them to be. "With, you know, me?"

"Whether or not you're actually my kid, I'm gonna treat you like you are," Toru said, wrapping an arm around Soren's shoulders. "You're a good kid, and I can tell. I wanted to approach you again about this sooner, but life's been so hectic. Sorry 'bout that."

After hearing that, the teen suddenly found himself blinking rapidly to keep his eyes dry. "You're really okay with this?" he pressed. He hardly dared to be hopeful, and so felt like he needed the confirmation.

The temptation was there to tease the kid, but Toru thought better than to do that. This was obviously really important and he didn't want it to come off the wrong way. "'Course. I'm not gonna lie to you about it. I'll be your second dad, even if not biologically."

"...I spent my whole life waiting to meet even just one of my parents," Soren whispered after a long pause. He wiped at his eyes with his hands. "Then I met Dad and I was so scared. But things worked out and I realized I could actually be happy for the first time. I'm scared all over again now, but… but I don't want to be. I just want to be happy about this."

Toru managed a small smile. "You've been through a lot, Soren, that much I can tell. If it helps at all, I have every intention of being the best damn dad I can be for you and Lia."

Suddenly, Soren hugged Toru tightly with both arms, hiding his face in Toru's shoulder. "Thank you," was all he could choke out as he fought not to cry.

The chameleon was quick to return the hug, smiling just a touch wider. "No, thank you," he responded softly, "for letting me be in your life."

"I want you in my life," Soren sniffled. "I just- I was just too scared to tell you."

"What matters now is that you told me, and we can go from here," Toru said. Soren just nodded. Shortly afterward, he lifted the teen off the ground and held him up with one arm, chuckling. "And I think it's about damn time you two kids eat something. I'm getting bored without doing anything, so let's cook."

Soren squirmed and mumbled some protests, but upon hearing the suggestion of food lightened up immediately. Though, he did continue to squirm. "Let me get Lia," he quickly said, wiping his eyes again in an effort to dry them fully. "She likes to help cook, at least with simple things like putting ingredients into bowls or stirring or whatever."

Toru let go of Soren and nodded. "Both of you meet me in there and we can get something good made," he said, already walking to the kitchen. Soren, in turn, hurried off to go get his sister. When Toru arrived at his destination, he stopped for a moment. Of course, he wanted to be in the lives of Shadow and his kids, but for it to happen so that they were willing to vocalize the same thing was… surprising. He smiled a little.

Because, really… how could he not?

~保護者~

It was afternoon by the time Haru finally wandered away from the outskirts of Hyale. He had caught wind of the brutal attack that had taken place in the village and subsequently gone to check things out. And, more importantly, to ensure the safety of his son. Shei was still alive and the village was… Well, it was mostly still standing. That was good enough for him.

Now he was wandering through the forest, stolen bottle of alcohol in one hand and a stolen kunai in the other. He came across a strangely isolated home not long after departing from the village but, apart from frowning at it, paid it no real mind. He just changed directions and continued walking while giving the house a wide berth.

"Do not simply walk away," a voice called out from within the home.

Haru paused and looked over, reflexively gripping his meager weapon tighter. "I'm not here to pick a fight, if that's what you're after," he called back with a deeper frown. "I intend to just be on my way."

"I did not believe you were here to fight," they returned, stepping out of their home. "I am old, not daft."

"If you don't want a fight, then we have no business with one another. Leave me be." Haru took a drink from his bottle and resumed walking.

Ryuji sighed. "Stay for a moment. I wish to speak to you."

"There is nothing to speak about," was the swift reply.

"You are near the village shortly after an attack by a false Immortal," Ryuji murmured. "There is something."

"Chameleons check in on one another after a catastrophe. That is nothing unusual." Haru stopped walking and turned to glare mildly at the other man. He couldn't quite decide if he needed to be on his guard or not, and that did nothing to help him relax.

Ryuji raised an eyebrow. "The people in Hyale were evacuated for a good reason. They would not disobey orders and return."

"Some remained, regardless. I merely looked in and left."

"Then perhaps we have a relation," Ryuji dared to point out. "Since the only chameleons there now are Aniko, Shei, and Espio." He crossed his arms. "And I don't believe you would much care to check on someone not within your own family. So… you are related to Espio and Shei."

Rather than immediately answer that, Haru dared to pose a question. "...Who is Espio?"

"Who is Shei to you?" Ryuji asked in return. "I cannot explain without knowing this much."

Dark eyes stared at Ryuji cautiously for a long moment. "My son," Haru eventually said. He took another drink, then carelessly tossed the now empty bottle away.

"Your grandson, then," Ryuji answered. "Espio is your grandson."

Haru's mind ran over this newfound knowledge a few times. He found himself soon adjusting his goals to include Espio in them, having decided swiftly that it only made sense to keep him under his protection as well. "Fine, then."

"Step inside," Ryuji said. "I wish to speak to you, seeing as we are related through the union of Aniko and Shei." Haru debated the merits of this briefly before tucking the knife away in his pocket. He walked closer, then went ahead and jumped up onto the porch. Ryuji watched this, then simply walked on inside quietly, taking a seat and motioning for Haru to sit on the sole cushion. "You may sit there. My weapon is sitting in my bedroom, and I currently have no others."

Haru, in turn, pulled the knife back out and dropped it onto the porch before following Ryuji inside. He took the offered seat without a word. Ryuji waited for him to be seated before asking, "Were you present when Aniko and Shei entered their union?"

"No. I died when Shei was young." Haru paused, thinking back, then said, "He was barely old enough to begin proper training. Somewhere around seven. We were only just beginning to work with staffs and knives."

Ryuji nodded slowly. "I was absent from my daughter's life due to mistakes of my own doing."

"It can be said that I was absent because of my own mistakes as well," Haru shrugged. "I fought to seal away dangerous energies, and in doing so caused a reaction that ended my life. It likely was for nothing. The seal does not seem to be present in this era."

"What seal?" Ryuji asked slowly.

"On my son," Haru said. "He possesses immense energy that he could not control at such a young age. I attempted to handle it."

Ryuji thought this over. "It was only undone recently… if I am not mistaken."

...So it held. I didn't anticipate that. "What happened?" Haru asked. "How was it undone?"

"I am not aware, but the seal must have been incredibly strong," Ryuji said with a shrug.

"It was meant to be. Evidently it was not, if it was broken." Haru stifled a sigh. So it was pointless, then… and Shei surely suffered for it. I died in front of him.

"We are contending with higher beings than ourselves," Ryuji explained. "If they so willed it, I firmly believe that they could remove the seal."

This made Haru frown again. "...Damn," was all he wound up saying.

Ryuji nodded. "It is not ideal."

"No shit," was the vaguely irritated reply.

Ryuji was quiet for a moment before asking, "What of your partner?"

"We were no partners," Haru muttered. "What happened between us was an error in judgement on my part and nothing more."

"I could say much the same," Ryuji said quietly.

Haru looked at him. "What are you talking about?"

Ryuji was quiet. "Mine was abusive. She dragged me along in life and led me to do her bidding."

"Looks to me like you got away. That counts for something." Haru crossed his legs and scrutinized Ryuji with his eyes. "It also looks to me like you're still worried about it. She still out there?"

"She is still alive. The last time we encountered one another in combat, I was unable to defend myself against her," he murmured.

"Bullshit. You're strong enough. You need to stop letting her convince you that you're not capable."

Ryuji fell quiet at that, considering what the other chameleon said for a long moment. "I am capable, yet I find myself defenseless in the face of her ire."

"It's in your head, dumbass," Haru told him.

"I agree."

"Then take time to deal with it," was the huffed reply. "No one else can or will do it for you."

Ryuji nodded slightly. "I would not wish for them to."

"Tell me her name," Haru suddenly demanded.

"Kal," Ryuji answered.

"Fine. Now I know who to kill if I come across her." Haru crossed his arms then and asked carefully, "She's a chameleon, yeah?"

Ryuji nodded. "Yes."

"Good. That's one fuck-up multiple people don't need to make."

"Hm?" Ryuji raised an eyebrow, unsure as to what Haru meant.

"Shei's mother was no chameleon," was all Haru told him in explanation. "She may have pretended to be, but she only kept up the ruse for so long."

"Ah," Ryuji said softly. "I feel obligated now to inform you that our grandson is… technically in courtship with a cat."

Haru waved him off with a scoff. "I'm not a purist. I don't care about that. I care that no one falls for the same kind of monster that tricked me."

Good. "I simply felt it was important to add," Ryuji said easily. "Some care more than others."

"They're idiots," was the simple rebuttal.

Ryuji shrugged. "Regardless."

"I've been looking around," Haru suddenly said, changing the subject, "and it doesn't seem like many people from our generation are left. Must have been a long time since the migration, huh?"

"Certainly," Ryuji murmured. "I never once expected our people to know of as many outsiders as they do now. We are currently somewhat reliant on their aid to survive. I do not like it, but such is the way of life."

"I don't, either. Outsiders were the ones who invaded our home and murdered us. Then more did the same thing repeatedly when we came here. We had to seal ourselves away like cowards to avoid extinction." Haru let out a heavy breath. "It's one thing for an individual to be found here and there to trust… like that cat you mentioned. But trusting a large group of outsiders is foolhardy at best."

Ryuji shrugged. "They have shown themselves to be helpful and care for one reason or another."

"Trust them if you want," Haru dismissed. "I won't do the same."

"For as long as they remain in good standing, they may help," Ryuji said.

"Whatever you say," was the bland, unconvinced response.

"Are there other matters we should discuss?" Ryuji asked, changing the topic entirely.

Haru huffed. "You're the one who called me in here. You tell me."

"I figured you may have an idea of things to ask," Ryuji said. "I simply took the chance that you would not cut me in half."

"With a knife? Please. I would need at least a dagger for that." That minor joke said, Haru immediately grew more serious. "I have little to ask you or anyone else. I'm still… acclimating. Figuring out what has changed and where I fit into it all."

Ryuji frowned momentarily in thought. "My guess would be to place yourself amongst your son's company."

"No. Being around him is not safe." Having already had this argument less than a full day ago with Caer, Haru left it at that rather than fight to prove his point straight away.

"Suit yourself," Ryuji sighed. "I discovered it was best to engage with my daughter, despite having once attempted to seriously harm her. We are on… neutral ground, at least."

"If I am near my son, it will draw his mother and her ilk to him all over again," Haru said bitterly. "I will not risk his life like that. She nearly killed him more than once as a child. All I can do to defend him is stay away." He moved to stand, but didn't immediately leave. "I suppose I should say thanks. That is, for letting me sit a while. It's appreciated."

Ryuji blinked once, deciding it best to not argue the first point. "You are welcome to come back any time. I may seek out another seat if you become a regular."

"Hm. I suppose I may take you up on that." Haru started to walk out, but paused and turned back around. "...Hey. Is the old currency any good these days?"

"I would believe so," Ryuji said. "You may not find much to use it on."

"I didn't expect I would. Just need to convince someone to part with a pair of shoes." Haru raised a hand in farewell before stepping outside. After collecting his knife, he vanished.

Ryuji returned the farewell before frowning in thought. To think I would meet someone my age... Interesting.

~保護者~

Espio returned to his house over an hour after he'd left following his unwanted discussion with Saethrim and Aku. He found the dragon asleep in the tree once more and stepped inside. Confirming with his own eyes that whatever Saethrim had done had indeed fully repaired his home and everything in it was vaguely surprising but also not. He decided to just focus on getting something to drink as opposed to continuing to pay attention to that encounter.

Saethrim hadn't needed to say anything for Espio to pick up on what the man had, at one point, been thinking. Perhaps rightly, he thought of Espio as pessimistic. It was probably true. But Espio wasn't trying to be. He just didn't have it in him to be so goddamn blindly hopeful. Letting people's negative thoughts and opinions about him get to him like this was stupid and childish and he knew it, but he still couldn't quite stamp out his upset over the matter. So, when all else failed, did the only other thing he knew how and shoved it all away.

This was the same tactic he found himself relying on when other people's words and whatnot started affecting him. He'd been reminded not long ago of Toru's father, Caer, and how the man had always thought of him as weird. He lived every day knowing more and more people all the time were convinced he was an evil monster, or well on his way to becoming one. He knew his mother had her doubts about him, even if they weren't constant and she insisted otherwise. Hell, his friends probably did, too.

It didn't help that he was… damaged. He had a disorder, one that needed fixing sooner rather than later. It was a problem no matter what Rose and Armaris tried to say. More than that, it was something that got in the way, hindered him, made things harder for everyone, made him a liability. This was yet another weakness of his, a flaw, and he had no idea how to get rid of it.

He wasn't even the only one who saw it that way. Ryuji thought the same thing. He'd come the closest out of anyone to openly showing that he felt that way, but Espio doubted he was the only other person who saw his weakness for what it was. But what the hell was he supposed to do about it? That was a question he didn't know how to answer. So, once again, he forced everything down deep, bottled it up, and decided never to let it see the light off day for as long as he could manage.

Damn, he really needed that drink.

He opened the compartment in his floor where his alcohol was kept and pulled out the strongest bottle he had. He normally would have forgone such an option in broad daylight, but right now he didn't give a crap. Between his failure to control his Darkness, his failure to protect Armaris, and his failure to fix his own goddamn head, he just needed something strong. Because of that, he picked up the bottle and teleported away again.

Meanwhile, Steam was busily typing away on his communicator. Already he was working to gain intel on where the Metarex were so that he could intercept them before they actually got to Mobius. He also needed to be kept up to date on what the new God was doing, if Kaden was still where he was supposed to be, and more. He was far more able to manage all of the tension of these situations, having regained proper control over his emotions. Now, however, was time to focus on the matter of Espio. Steam silenced his communicator and teleported into Hyale… only to find Espio wasn't there. He teleported to the man's house and frowned openly, glancing around. It was the only house repaired. Someone was here…

With this all in mind, the man leapt away and stretched out his senses, focusing on trying to find the chameleon. It took a moment, but he was soon able to catch onto the feeling of Espio's Darkness and teleport there, looking around curiously. He wound up in the middle of some of the densest, most isolated wilderness the highlands had to offer, deep in the mountains far away from any of the villages or other settlements. Espio certainly noticed his arrival, but didn't acknowledge it with more than a glance. The hedgehog took a seat and raised an eyebrow, looking at the bottle Espio had with him. "Shit… that bad?"

This earned a soft scoff. "No."

"That's some strong stuff," Steam countered. "A lot happened. It's okay to admit that. I'd be feeling just as bad." Espio didn't answer that, instead choosing to turn his head away and look off into the trees. Steam turned his attention the same way. "You know, we're fairly similar in some ways." That succeeded in earning him another glance. Steam didn't return it, simply continuing. "I've walked dark paths, made bad choices. Hurt people. I fought my disorder, tried to become stronger, get rid of it."

Evidently, whatever you did on that front was not successful. Espio decided not to say that, but he at least kept listening.

"You're doing the exact same thing," Steam said, finally turning to look at Espio. "I watched you do this same thing in my timeline."

"So what?" Espio countered, a touch harsher than he'd intended.

Steam didn't say anything for a moment, sitting in silence. Eventually, he sighed a little. "That means that I'm sure as hell not going to watch it happen again. Out of everyone here in this timeline, everyone aside from the Faein, I know the struggle you have the best."

"Then you will know why this needs to be dealt with," Espio muttered. "It causes nothing but problems."

"Tell me what you're referring to specifically there," Steam said, looking away.

"The disorder."

Steam blinked. "You're wrong." Espio scoffed again, this time under his breath, and said nothing. "First, there isn't such a thing as dealing with disorders. There's only treatment which helps you manage the symptoms and be capable of living without it impacting your every step. Until recently, you went undiagnosed, meaning you've had eons to simply continue to learn behaviors that are counteractive to your mental health."

"That does not matter," Espio responded. "It is nothing that cannot be survived."

"Survival isn't the goal," Steam countered immediately.

"That is always the goal," was the muttered argument.

Steam let out a sigh. "Espio, you need to do more than survive."

"There is nothing more to do."

"Do you love your kids?" Steam dared to ask. "Do you love your mother and father? Isn't that something that you need to do more than simply survive to actually do? Caring for them?"

"That can be accomplished so long as I am alive," Espio answered him. "That does not change my point."

"There's one thing I'll always agree with Toru about, and it's that there's a lot of things that chameleon culture teaches that are inherently bad," Steam murmured. "Are you happy? If you ignored this war, Nyokae, and all of this inane bullshit that keeps coming up, could you ever look at yourself and say you were happy?"

"Content," Espio corrected simply.

Steam nodded. "You can be content, yeah, but what about how you feel about mistakes you've made? Do you ever feel like it's okay to cry? Like you can ever really show emotion beyond being less than content or irritated?" That wasn't something Espio saw fit to answer, so he didn't. "My point is that the culture you were raised in isn't going to be healthy in any way for you. You're taught to not show emotion."

"Emotions are a hindrance in combat and on missions," Espio said. Almost monotonously recited, really.

"And what about your personal life?" Steam questioned. "Armaris adores you. She spends all of her time around whoever she's invested in. Do you try to show your emotions with her?"

"No," was the honest reply. What he left unsaid was that a big part of the reason why was because he never knew how to. He also didn't voice a thought that came into his head... one he just knew would cause an argument. There is nothing to adore.

Steam nodded slowly. "Do you want to?" Espio hesitated for a long moment before finally just shrugging. It wasn't the denial he'd intended to voice, but it was too late to take it back now. "Would you like to be able to show that you care about her, too, beyond just general chameleon displays of affection?" That eventually earned another shrug. The hedgehog nodded again. "Here's what I'm gonna do. I'll get in contact with my Espio and ask where we should start to help you learn control of your Darkness. As soon as we have Armaris back here, and I guarantee that we'll get her back, I'll help you alongside her to learn how to express yourself."

There didn't seem to be any point in arguing, so Espio didn't waste his breath. "Fine."

The hedgehog then suddenly teleported a different bottle than the one Espio had in hand, tossing it to the chameleon. "Drink that instead. I've found that drinking specifically the strong stuff makes it all a bit worse."

Espio caught the bottle in his free hand and looked at the label, then huffed. "If I wanted something weaker, I would have grabbed something similar."

"You saying my taste is bad?" Steam chuckled.

"Abysmal," Espio responded dryly.

Steam shrugged. "I only know so much about chameleon alcohol. Your people aren't always the kindest about sharing."

"At times, it is more lucrative to just take what you want from those who do not deserve good drinks," Espio shrugged. "So Father has said, at any rate."

Another shrug from Steam answered Espio initially. "I'm not fond of trying to steal from chameleons. This time it was done in… admittedly bad taste." Espio just huffed softly. Steam let out a sigh. "So… what happened to you guys while I was gone? I hate to pry, but you all are secretive enough to not tell anyone about some things. I wanna be up-to-date."

"Nareish attacked the village," Espio told him. "She did not personally show up here, but directed her energies at the homes and residents. Her attacks slaughtered close to half of the population. Fifteen families were entirely wiped out. She also attacked Armaris and I specifically before abducting us both. I don't know what happened afterward, but it seems she ceased the attacks once she had us."

Steam crossed his arms. "What about before that? How are Shei and Aniko?"

"Father seems alright for now. He returned here with his apparent half-sister, who helped him regain control of himself for now." Espio paused, then continued. "Mother has been… emotional. I don't know how she is beyond that."

"Has she recently tapped into her own Darkness?" Steam questioned. "Beyond the large battle with Iblis."

"Not that I have seen, but we have not been around each other a lot since the battle," Espio answered. "She has mostly been in her home."

Steam nodded a little. "How's her dad?"

"Fine," Espio shrugged. It was more of an assumption on his part, since he really didn't know. He just knew that Ryuji seemed fine, so that was the response he went with.

"And your kids? I assume you've had them sent somewhere safe?" Steam asked.

"Mother and Kial took them to reside with Cosmo for now."

"That's fair," Steam admitted. "Glad to know they're somewhere safe."

Espio nodded a little. He took another drink from his own bottle of alcohol before somewhat reluctantly setting it aside. Though he was by no means drunk or even tipsy yet, it seemed prudent to stop while he was ahead this time. "Was that all you wanted to talk about?"

"Suppose so. Don't want to overwhelm you at all," Steam answered.

Things were quiet for a few seconds, then Espio sighed and asked quietly, "In your timeline… what ended up happening?"

Steam blinked once. "In time… with plenty of help from people like your family and Toru, you managed to gain control of your Darkness." Espio just nodded a little. "Is there anything else you want to know?"

The chameleon hesitated. It didn't take long for him to shake his head and fall back on a familiar tactic of avoidance. "No."

"You can ask," Steam said easily. "There's a lot I can answer, if I know what the question is."

"It's nothing," Espio responded quickly.

Steam raised an eyebrow. "It's something if it crossed your mind. Is it about someone else?"

More hesitation followed, but eventually Espio admitted, "...Armaris."

"What about her?" Steam asked. Espio wound up just shrugging. He didn't really know what was on his mind, in truth, much less how to translate it into spoken words. Steam waited for a moment before frowning in thought. "Armaris is a… well… spazzy woman. She's energetic, foul-mouthed, and a pain in the ass to anyone she doesn't care about, but she doesn't act like that toward you, yeah?"

"No."

Steam smiled. "How about this, then? When you have some free time with her, next time she's around, play music with her. She's a fan of string instruments."

Amber eyes blinked. "I have not owned any instruments since I was small."

"Now might be a good time. Didn't you at some point really like the violin?" Steam asked.

Espio blinked again, thinking back. "...I suppose," he soon replied.

Steam motioned toward him. "Could be a good idea to find a new one." Espio shrugged a little. "If you'd like, I may know someone who can make you a decent one."

That succeeded in piquing the chameleon's curiosity. "Who?" he wound up asking.

"A woman I know named Arya," Steam explained. "She lives in a different realm, but she's pretty skilled. You might like her handiwork."

"Perhaps," Espio shrugged.

Steam chuckled. "I'll get ahold of one soon for you."

"...Alright," Espio eventually agreed when he had no argument to make.

"Any other questions?" Steam prompted. This time when Espio shook his head it was more truthful. The hedgehog stood up and stretched a little. "Good first session. I'll see you again soon, but expect a few texts here and there from me. Hoping to get some solid information for you."

"Regarding what?" Espio asked him cautiously. He didn't get up himself, choosing to remain seated on his branch.

Steam smiled. "Getting control of your Darkness, how to better help you with your autism, and what will work best for you to express your thoughts and emotions." Espio just blinked and looked away. Steam turned away, adding, "It's a lot, but you're someone I'd call a friend. I won't give up."

"Fine," Espio murmured, having nothing else to really say.

The hedgehog glanced back for a moment. "Also, I would recommend you hang out around Kial some. His lightheartedness could do you some good."

"He is busy and has a job to do," Espio dismissed immediately.

"Just ask him," Steam dismissed in return. This didn't garner much of a response beyond a vague huff. The hedgehog chuckled. "It's just an idea. I'm leaving, though. Got something to fuck with real fast before I make preparations."

"Fine," Espio said again. Wishing to not drag things on, Steam teleported away.

~保護者~

13,289 words this time. Many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help and support. Posted (at about 12:00 p.m.) 10-13-21.