Guardian

by yasha012

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

179. Stressed Out

Disclaimer: I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this stressful time… especially for the one who loves his toys.

~保護者~

"Stressed Out"

~保護者~

They had a real situation on their hands.

The sudden disappearance of his sister and grandmother had Kohaku in an anxious fit. Silver and Blaze's hands were tied, trying to soothe both their eldest daughter and their son (not to mention themselves) after what had just taken place. Knuckles and Rouge were doing their best to help by focusing on Ava for them, giving her the comfort she too needed. Sonic would have loved to provide the same attention to his wife and himself, given how shaken up they both were, but Amy wasn't having it.

"Sonic, Steam should be nearby," she murmured, hugging her husband tightly before releasing him. "I think he was starting to have a meltdown before we were all rescued. He seems to trust you like Jet does. He needs someone to take care of him until he recovers."

As much as Sonic wanted to stay close to her, he understood the seriousness of this situation. "...Alright," he agreed, reluctantly letting her go. "Help here if you can, okay? And maybe try to get in contact with Seiko to check on Satsuno. I could be wrong, but… he reminds me a lot of Dad, Amy. He might not be doing so hot, either."

"I will. Now go, Sonic."

"Right." He teleported to where he could sense the other hedgehog had wound up. Sure enough, it wasn't far away. Whoever had sent him here, though, had either been lucky or had known was up. This place was far enough away from the house to be out of earshot of the others and for said others to be unable to hear what was taking place here as well.

In other words, it was a quiet, private space. That was good. Steam didn't need an audience, and he certainly didn't need any unnecessary sensory information right now. Still, Sonic did talk to Steam, if only because explaining what he was doing had the potential to help not add to Steam's stress. That's if he's able to listen and understand, though. Not everyone can when having a meltdown. Dad can pretty often, but Jet usually can't. "Hey, Steam," he murmured, voice calm and soft. He moved slowly, so as not to alarm, and sat a respectable few feet away. "It's just me. It's Sonic. I'm not going to touch you or move you. I'm just going to sit here with you, okay? I won't come any closer, I promise."

Steam had curled up into a tight ball, hitting his head against his knees. It doesn't hurt enough. It's not enough. Though his ear flicked to show he'd heard Sonic, he didn't manage a response. Why is he here? Where am I?

Using just a bit of magic, Sonic created a cushion of sorts around Steam's head to protect it. While doing that, he resumed quietly talking. "You're near the outer edges of Leaf Forest right now. We're not too far from Tails's house. Amy told me you needed help, so I'm going to keep sitting with you until you feel better. Okay?"

Amy's name prompted a response, but it was lost in his sobs and various other attempts at speech. Forest. Leaf Forest. Amy… she's here? Tails? He was having trouble wrapping his head around details he wasn't quite comprehending, and the lack of pressure and pain on his head was bothering him. What's happening…?

Knowing that talking only had a minimal ability to help, when it ever managed to help at all, Sonic grew quiet again. He might not even be hearing me right now, and he doesn't need the added sensory information.

It was obvious to Steam, even in this state, that trying to hit his head wasn't working. He tried to force himself to stand, succeeding in nothing more than getting to his feet before collapsing again. The hedgehog's fist slammed into the ground and he bit into the inner part of his cheek. Mobius…? Sonic?

Realizing what he was doing if only because of the fact that Jet always did the same thing, Sonic again used his magic to stop Steam from hurting himself. A much thinner but no less effective cushion appeared along Steam's inner cheeks, stopping him from biting into either of them.

"S-Sonic?" Steam slowly asked through labored breaths.

"Yeah, it's me," Sonic answered. "It's just me and you over here. No one else. You're safe."

After a moment to take in all of this, Steam let himself fall onto his side, curling up into a ball again. Why is he here…? Amy…? "I'm so sorry," he mumbled, trying to hold back more sobs. He continued repeating the phrase, curling in on himself more as he said it.

"Hey, hey, it's alright," Sonic gently cut in. "It's okay. You don't have anything to be sorry for. Everyone got home safely, and no one's upset at you. Everything is okay."

So many replies shot through Steam's mind, none of them something he could even remotely force himself to say. He just couldn't say something rude to Sonic, and it was easier to demean himself anyway. "I wasted it… I couldn't even protect them…" he mumbled, coughing painfully.

"That's not true," Sonic countered, careful to remain entirely gentle and calm in his tone. "You fought for everyone there, and that's a huge part of why they're all safe. You bought time for more help to come. Because of that, because of you, no one got hurt. Everyone got to come home safely, and that's thanks to what you did."

Steam didn't exactly understand it, but he started sobbing again. It wasn't as intense as before, luckily. I used Privilege and wasted it. Jet trusted me. Sonic thought it best to give Steam some quiet again, and so for now he held his tongue. The green hedgehog laid there and cried to himself for some time before it began to ebb. Around then, he showed recognition that Sonic was actually present. "Sonic…?" he asked quietly, turning his head to look with unfocused eyes.

"Yeah," Sonic said again. "It's me."

The green hedgehog was quiet, laying his head back down and closing his eyes. "Is… Ythene okay…? And the others?"

Ythene was there? Sonic was careful to curb his alarm before it could be sensed, much less enter his voice. "Amy said everyone got home okay," he told Steam. "Alana let her know."

"Alana…" Steam's eyes snapped open and he practically flung himself onto unsteady feet. "Cyril!"

"Is fine," Sonic interrupted, gentle as ever as he also stood. "Everyone is okay, Steam. I promise, they are."

"Cyril fought the god!" Steam blurted out, breath unsteady. "Fuck, fuck…" He planted his face in his hands, trying to control his breathing. My head feels fuzzy...

"Steam, he's fine," Sonic responded. "Amy mentioned him specifically to me because she asked Alana about him. Alana confirmed he's alright."

This finally got through and Steam let out a relieved sigh. "Fuck… I… was worried…"

"I know. It's alright, though. Everybody's safe now." Thank god.

Steam blindly reached out to Sonic. "I can barely stand…" he murmured.

Since Steam was clearly alright with at least a small degree of touching right now, Sonic caught the other hedgehog's arm and tugged him into a sitting position. "Take a seat for a bit longer, then, okay? I want you to just relax for a while."

Unable and unwilling to fight this, Steam dropped into a sitting position and draped his head between his knees. Sonic immediately let him go. "Fuckin' 'ell." He shifted to an entirely exotic language for a moment before glancing over. "We're on… Mobius. Leaf Forest. Near Tails's house?"

"You got it," Sonic confirmed. "That's all correct."

"I want Tara." Steam wrapped his arms over his head, letting out a huff. "She makes me feel better…"

Must be some version of her from his time, Sonic decided after his initial shock passed. "Can… you call her somehow?" This seemed to spark Steam into action, and he suddenly moved to look at his communicator. It took him a matter of seconds to find and call Tara. Just as it started to ring, Sonic asked him, "Do you want some privacy? I can move out of earshot if you want me to."

"Don't." Was the simple, quiet command.

"Alright. I'll stay."

There was no time for further dialogue. Tara answered his call within the first two rings, and immediately she sounded concerned. "Steam, what's happened?" she asked.

"I love you so much," he replied immediately, tears welling in his eyes.

"I love you, too," Tara answered with no hesitation. "You had a meltdown, didn't you? Are you alright?"

"Sonic helped," Steam explained gently, holding his wrist to his chest. For one reason or another, this seemed to help further calm him down. "I wanted you."

"Alright," she said quietly. "Talk with me about something, then. Something positive. Anything you can think of."

Steam paused briefly before speaking softly. "Cyril is getting really good with his magic. He's learned to sense it from really far away."

"I would have expected nothing less from him, given how things went here."

"Yeah…" Steam said. "A lot of people are learning a lot."

"Tell me more, then. About any of them." Tara paused for only a second before amending her statement. "I will ask that you do just one at a time, however, love. It may get jumbled together otherwise."

Steam idly rubbed at one of his eyes a little. "Yeah. I know Eila and Rose are starting to heal a lot from what they've gone through," he said with a smile. "They're both doing a lot better, and it makes me happy to see."

"That is good to hear," Tara answered him. "I am glad that it is working out for them."

The green hedgehog proceeded to begin idly rambling, almost to himself, about how proud he was of the friends he'd made here and how happy it made him feel, until his words trailed off and he rubbed his head against the ground. While he spoke, she murmured soft replies now and then to show she was listening and paying attention to all his words. However, she took care not to interrupt, content to simply allow him the chance to talk however much he wanted. By the time he was finished, his words were nothing more than soft mumbles and he held his knees to his chest.

After a time, Tara gently interjected. "Are you feeling any better now?" she asked.

"Mhm…" Steam said softly. "'M tired…"

"Go sleep, then. Let Sonic take you somewhere safe for you to rest."

"Okay," Steam agreed.

"I love you. We can talk some more later."

"I love you, too."

Tara hung up shortly afterward. Sonic moved to stand and asked, "You want to go to Tails's house? I can make one of the rooms pretty soundproof with my magic. Learned how to do that when Emi was a baby."

Steam made a slow effort to get himself to his feet, his mind working to shift his attention to Sonic for a brief moment. "That… sounds nice."

"Alright. Are you up for teleporting, or do you just want to walk?"

"Let's just teleport," Steam said. "I… doubt I can walk that far."

"Okay, I just want to make sure." Sonic teleported them quickly into Tails's spare room. It was obvious that various people had been sleeping in here, but right now it was empty. He coated the room in his magic as promised, then gestured to the main bed. "Go ahead and lay down. I'll let people know to stay out of here so you can get some sleep. If you need anything, just let me know however you want to. Okay?"

Steam quietly crawled into the blankets on the bed and curled up under them, giving some vague reply before murmuring out a hardly audible, "Okay…" Sonic nodded once in reply, then turned and left the room. He shut the door behind him.

~保護者~

Satsuno had intended to land back in his and Seiko's borrowed room. Things didn't quite work out that way. In his haste to leave whatever that hellish place had been, he'd wound up near but not in the house. Almost immediately, he burst into tears and sank into a sitting position wherever in the forest he now found himself. Capable though he typically was of keeping a lid on things when he absolutely had to, now that he was safe again he couldn't successfully contain the emotions any longer.

Everything about what had just happened had his stress levels through the roof. Being taken so abruptly had been jarring, and being so literally ripped away from the safety that was Seiko's presence had instantly about set him off. But then things had managed to get worse. He'd been restrained and pinned down, like he so often had as a child in that damned school he'd hated so much. The air had been heavy with fiery heat and smoke. That man's sheer evil had set him horribly on edge, worse than any malicious spirit he'd ever encountered. And then some other hedgehog had dissolved into a meltdown of their own right in front of him. Not reacting to any of it had been a nearly impossible task.

He was safe enough now. Logically, he knew that to be true. But that did nothing to stop the flow of emotions from overwhelming him, smothering and suffocating that logic into nothingness and wrenching his tenuous self-control away from him. Just like that, he was also starting to melt down. He wasn't quite there yet, but close enough that he couldn't calm down on his own.

His emotions alerted Seiko to his location, and the woman appeared by his side. A hand instinctively settled onto his back and she spoke softly. "Satsuno, what happened?" she asked. He shook his head several times in response, refusing to answer as he fought to try and reduce his emotions to some degree. "It's okay. Whatever happened, you're safe now," she murmured, rubbing his back with a thumb in a slow, circular motion. "You're on Mobius, with me."

That much he was aware of, at least. Still, hearing her say it was relieving regardless. "I know," he managed to choke out. Unable to make himself say anything else at the moment, he used his telepathy to mentally connect with her, showing her his memories of the event rather than trying to explain it in words.

Rather quickly, she understood what had happened. In an effort to add to his sense of safety, she created a bubble of her magic around them both and took a seat. "I'm sorry you had to go through that, Satsuno." She continued the slow motion with her thumb while keeping her distance as best she could manage. "You did really good to get so close. I'm glad I could get to you." Satsuno just retracted the mental connection and nodded slightly. Seiko fell quiet, choosing to try and give him a little bit of time to recover. Her hand stayed on his back as a reminder of her presence, however.

It wasn't often that he was able to recover all that quickly from an episode like this, but things weren't too serious this time around. As such, her efforts began paying off before too long. His stress levels were going down gradually, and he was starting to wipe at his eyes in an effort to fully dry them. When he seemed to be doing better, Seiko offered a hand to him. "We should go inside. You could stand to rest a little."

Satsuno accepted her hand after a small delay and stood with her help. "Alright," he agreed quietly, wiping at his eyes a bit more with his free arm. The tears had almost fully ceased, but weren't quite done yet.

However, before they could go anywhere, a tenuous mental nudge prodded at Seiko's mind. Someone was trying to connect with her, but doing it in a way that was essentially asking for permission. Whoever it was didn't seem keen on the idea of forcing their way in. Seiko didn't accept immediately, if only because she was focused on getting Satsuno back inside. Once she had teleported them both to the room they stayed in, she allowed the person to connect. "Who is this?"

"I'm so sorry for the intrusion," came another woman's instant reply. "My name is Amy. I'm Sonic's wife. I was the pink hedgehog who was there a bit ago, where someone named Satsuno was also taken. Sonic didn't explain much, only that you two are his family somehow. Grandparents, I think he said?"

She continued after a very brief, thoughtful pause. "I wanted to check on him to make sure he's okay, but from what I was sensing before we were rescued… Trying to contact him directly didn't seem like the best course of action. I sensed a lot of the same signs I've picked up from Jet and Kaden when they're getting too worked up, and with two meltdowns going on over here already… I guess I just wanted to make sure he's doing alright and offer any help you might need for him, if you need any at all."

"I've stabilized him. I just got him back to the room we're staying in. For the time being, he's alright. However, you said there are two meltdowns happening near to where you are? Is one of them a green hedgehog?"

"Okay, I'm glad to hear it. And yes, one of them involves him. His name is Steam. Sonic went to go take care of him, since Steam seems to trust him a lot."

"Understood. Do you require my aid with the other?"

"I'm not really sure. The other situation is with Kohaku. He's Silver's son, if you happen to know who Silver is. Right now, he's overly stressed out because both his sister and I were abruptly taken, and it scared him terribly. His parents are trying to take care of him and his sister, and I've been doing what I can, but he isn't wanting me too close this time. Probably because I'm part of what scared him so much."

"I'll be there soon." Seiko glanced to Satsuno and gently murmured. "I'm going to go help a family member who is also upset. Once I have calmed them, would you like to come sit with us?"

He didn't, exactly, but Satsuno nevertheless agreed. If it was Kohaku, then it would be fine. The boy was sweet and kind, and Satsuno had enjoyed spending time with him. "Alright."

"In that case, allow me a few minutes before coming over. I will handle the situation myself to make it a safer environment for you," Seiko murmured softly. Satsuno just nodded. With this handled, Seiko teleported to where she'd sensed the other woman while they were connected, glancing around the room she'd landed in.

The room was a front one of Tails's house, the same one the fox had led her and Satsuno through during the night recently. In the room with her was a group of people. A pink hedgehog, the same one who had contacted her, was standing nearby with an echidna and a bat. All three were watching somewhat helplessly as Silver and a purple cat tried to tend to who was presumably Kohaku. A younger purple cat and a silver cat were doing their best to help as well, but the former was visibly shaken up.

Seiko walked over without hesitation, taking a seat. Calming herself as fully as she could, she murmured, "Kohaku?" His parents looked at her sharply, surprised, but allowed her to continue without complaint. Kohaku, meanwhile, sobbed and kicked his legs in an effort to keep people away from him. He made no attempts to talk.

Watching him for a moment gave her leads to work with, and she set about creating a barrier to lessen the noise around him and help block out how many people he could sense nearby to him. A quick glance told her who his parents most likely were, and she more than willingly let him know that they were still there. "Kohaku, can you hear me?" she asked, speaking just a touch louder to hopefully make sure she was heard.

This time, she got a verbal reply, though it wasn't much of one. "No, no, no!" he exclaimed, still crying and kicking.

Voice laced with sympathy, his mother murmured, "He can't speak much. He won't be able to use words to answer you very well." As she spoke, she too moved to sit by him while still keeping a respectable amount of space between herself and her son for his sake.

"I didn't want him to speak," she corrected gently. "But I understand regardless." Seiko frowned softly in thought, letting out a slow exhale. He at least responded, so there was a chance he could comprehend what she said. "Kohaku," Seiko murmured. "Everyone is here, safe again. Your sister and grandmother are both okay."

Another chorus of no's answered her, shortly followed by, "Gone!"

"They're both here, I promise," Seiko said softly. "I know they are. They're in this room, here, with all of us."

The younger purple cat spoke up. "I'm right here, buddy," she murmured. "Grandma is, too. We're right here by you, and we aren't going anywhere."

"See?" Seiko said with a gentle smile. "Everyone is here with you. We made sure of that."

"Papa," Kohaku cried. "Mama."

"Papa is resting right now," his mother murmured, scooting closer to pull him into a hug, "but Mama is here. I'm right here." He cried some more, but the kicking abruptly ceased and he snuggled up to her in an effort to seek comfort. Seeing that they were being allowed closer, Silver was quick to sit with them both and start gently rubbing his son's back. He clearly wasn't the papa Kohaku had been asking for.

Deciding to take a chance, Seiko reached out to Satsuno with her magic, trying to get him to connect with her mentally. A few moments passed, but before too long he did so. "Could you please come to me, dear? I think your presence may aid in soothing Kohaku." She didn't get a reply. Satsuno ended the connection. Just a few seconds later, he appeared by her side and sat down, taking in the scene with quiet eyes. Seiko glanced to him, then returned her gaze to Kohaku. Hopefully this works. "Kohaku, this is your papa's dad," she introduced, making ample space for Satsuno.

Amber eyes peeked open and looked over tearily. "...Papa?"

Satsuno inclined his head. "Yes. He is our son." Seiko nodded her affirmation.

Kohaku sniffled and wiped at his eyes, but didn't seem ready to leave his mother's embrace just yet. "You play blocks with me."

"I did," Satsuno agreed. "You shared a few of them."

"I like play blocks," Kohaku mumbled.

"Yes. I know you do." Satsuno gave Kohaku a moment to wipe at his eyes some more before continuing. "Where are your blocks?"

After a small moment of thought, Kohaku pointed to one of the couches. That the blocks couldn't be seen from here seemed to indicate that they were on the other side of it. "Blocks."

Feeling around with magic, Seiko soon found them and carefully lifted them into the air and pulled them all over to Kohaku. She caught sight of a crystalline one amidst all the wooden ones, but chose not to question it. That is a question for another time.

Seeing his precious toys, Kohaku pulled away from his parents and picked up the most unique one of the bunch. He held it out to Seiko and Satsuno, managing a smile. "Ava," he said. But then he seemed to think about it and said, "Rose."

"That's right," his sister answered. "Rose gave that to you, didn't she? She's very nice like Ava is."

"Rose," Kohaku said again.

Seiko smiled gently. "It's a very nice block."

Making some sounds, Kohaku picked up several other blocks and started stacking them. Once he had a small tower going, he pushed a few blocks toward her and asked, "Play blocks with me?"

A smile broke out onto Seiko's face and she picked up the blocks he'd pushed to her, memorizing how he had placed the blocks. Afterward, she placed one of hers on the tower. This apparently made him very happy, a fact which he communicated through sounds and flapping his hands. The mere sight of this immediately brightened his parents' and sisters' moods.

Seiko motioned to Kohaku softly. "You should place another one." He did so straight away, still clutching his special block in his other hand. Once his was placed, Seiko placed another.

While Kohaku stacked a few more, unintentionally interrupting the turn-taking she had started, his mother smiled fondly at her son. "Thank you for helping us," she said quietly to Satsuno and Seiko. "We appreciate it greatly, and my son appears to like you both a lot. He doesn't share his blocks with just anyone."

"He, and you as well," Seiko's gaze shifted between Silver and Blaze, "are family. I will never miss the opportunity to care for my family."

"You're just like Gramps," Silver murmured, smiling his own wan smile. "I can see where he got it from, now, and where my dad gets it from."

His wife reached over to give his hand a comforting squeeze. "My name is Blaze," she introduced. "This is Silver, and our daughters are Kym and Ava. If I may, what might your names be?"

Ah, that would explain things further. "My name is Seiko," the female hedgehog introduced in return. "And my lovely husband is Satsuno." She likely knew Kaden for quite a while even before officially being part of the family, judging by the memories I saw.

Though surprise lit up Blaze's eyes, she had enough self-control not to immediately inundate them with questions - something her eldest daughter seemed to have a harder time with. But in the end, they both managed. Meanwhile, a silver-furred cat (presumably Ava) walked over and sat down near her siblings. "Seiko and Satsuno?" she asked, brow furrowed in thought. "I didn't… expect to hear that."

"The surprise has been evident in the eyes of all those we have spoken to. I find it vaguely amusing, but very understandable," Seiko said with a relaxed smile.

"Do not start teasing them," Satsuno idly warned, sort of huffing at her. He knew her sense of humor all too well.

Seiko rolled her eyes a little. "Fine. I will refrain." He huffed again.

Shortly following this exchange, the pink hedgehog walked over. Her identity was revealed when Blaze greeted her. "Hello, Amy. Thank you for trying to help us earlier."

"Of course," Amy replied. She took a seat with the rest of the family, visibly melting when Kohaku threw a smile her way.

I must guess… that this is most of them. "And you said Sonic was away helping another named Steam?" Seiko asked.

"Yes, he is," Amy answered. "I'm pretty sure that Steam's calming down, though. I'm not sensing as much distress from that direction anymore."

"This is pleasing to hear," Seiko murmured.

"Definitely. I'm glad everyone is starting to feel better." Turning her attention to Satsuno, Amy politely addressed him. "I told Seiko this already, but I'm Sonic's wife. I contacted her to see if she needed any help helping you, but she had it handled. I'm happy that you're doing alright."

Sonic is married. I did not know that. Brushing that aside, Satsuno answered her with a small nod. He wasn't exactly sure what to say.

Seiko took the lead for him. "He's oftentimes not the most talkative, but I'm sure one of these days one of you will discover something he is willing to ramble on about." Grey eyes slanted toward her in a mild glare.

Amy chuckled. "I kind of expected as much. Kaden doesn't always talk much, either. But once you hit upon a topic he's interested in, he really opens up. Sometimes he'll even start smiling."

"That's pleasing to hear. I always guessed our son would end up most like Satsuno," Seiko murmured, ever so softly nudging her husband. Satsuno huffed a third time, looking away.

"Mm, I think he did in a lot of ways," Amy said, "but I already see a lot of you in him as well. That teasing just now, for one thing… He does that sometimes, too, but not with everyone. Mostly with Sonic, Silver, and a couple of others, since they respond in kind and enjoy the banter."

Seiko nodded slowly. "I tend to limit myself, as my teasing has grown to be a touch too much for some in the past. My family, however, is usually far from safe from my light method of pestering."

This assertion earned a sudden laugh from Silver. "Good," he replied, grinning. "You'll fit right in, in that case." Seiko glanced to Satsuno to give him room to speak if he so wished. He returned her glance, but stayed quiet. For now, he was content to just listen. "I am glad to hear as much," Seiko said after a moment. "I had always desired to see the growth of my family."

"In that case," Silver said, "I'm guessing you'll want to meet honorary members of the family too, right? People who basically are family, but not through blood or even marriage."

"Certainly," Seiko said, smiling. "There is an incredible magic to welcoming others into one's family."

Blaze caught on to what her husband was getting at. "Those two talking over there," she gestured to the other side of the room, "are Knuckles and Rouge. I assume you can guess by the name that Knuckles is a full-blooded echidna. His father, Locke, is the last surviving member of the Tribe of the Sun from Angel Island… And one of the last echidnas as a whole."

Satsuno sat up straight. "The last?" he demanded. "That cannot be. All of their tribes were under our protection. They were our allies."

"And so they remained, even by the time you both had passed and Kaden had grown up. However, something catastrophic took place that wiped nearly all of them out." Blaze shook her head with a sigh. "I don't know what it was. That bit of history has never been explained to us. And Locke, he… never wished to speak of it."

Rather than potentially push the subject, especially considering that knowledge of it seemed to be limited, Seiko nodded slowly. "I see."

"Locke and Kaden were very close, growing up," Blaze continued. "They were the very best of friends as children and remained that way into their adult years. So much so that Locke and his family are considered by all to be part of this family."

"That sounds plenty reasonable," Seiko said with a nod.

"We can introduce you guys to more later on," Amy told her. "It's a bit less confusing to introduce everyone in person as opposed to trying to describe them and explain their relationships all at once."

Swallowing his lingering nerves from earlier in the day, Satsuno spoke up again. "Who is Locke, exactly?"

"He's a lot of things, if I'm being perfectly honest," Silver chuckled. "He's an archaeologist, a historian, an explorer, a treasure hunter, a family man, a warrior, jokester, a beacon of hope, and just… all kinds of other things. I don't know if you heard, but when my dad was a kid, he grew up without his parents. They'd died in a battle when he was a baby. Locke found him when he was… I dunno, around nine or ten, and he raised my dad for a while. So he's a real important member of this family, not just because of his friendship with Gramps."

"That seems to make sense. If this is the case, I would like to meet him at some point," Seiko said gently. So Kaden passed during a battle… hn.

"Absolutely," Amy said. "I'm sure he'd love to meet you both."

Silver suddenly grinned in a way that had Blaze narrowing her eyes at him in suspicion. "There's one more reason why Locke is a great guy," he told Seiko. "He taught me about jelly bread."

Seiko blinked a few times before narrowing her eyes in confusion. "What?"

"Bread with jelly on it," Silver happily explained. As though that told them everything they needed to know. Kym choked back an indelicate snort of laughter at her dad's antics, but only just.

Now Satsuno had to know. His curious nature demanded it. "...'Jelly'?" Huffing, Blaze stood and walked into another room.

"I'm going to give you a solid five seconds to explain if she is not going to collect whatever you are speaking of," Seiko warned lightly, rolling her eyes. This time, Kym did snort. Silver, meanwhile, may or may not have seen his life flash before his eyes… and relived past experiences with Kaden at the same time.

Thankfully for Silver's sake, his wife returned with a jar of the stuff, label and all, and handed it to Seiko. "This is jelly. There are various kinds, but this is made from strawberries."

"...This is made of strawberries?" Seiko asked slowly.

"Yeah," Kym said. "You, like, mash 'em up or something."

Seiko frowned deeply. "This makes very little sense."

"At least it tastes good," Silver laughed. Right about then, Sonic appeared in the guest bedroom with Steam.

Seiko sat upright at the sensation of Sonic and another person appearing in the house, her gaze immediately shifting to the guest bedroom. Sonic…?

It took barely a minute for him to emerge and join them all in the living room. He sat down beside Amy. "Guess everything's calmed down here, too, huh?"

"Yes, thankfully," Amy agreed. "Seiko was kind enough to help us."

The woman glanced toward the doorway and used her magic, her senses extending a touch more for a moment. "...Is that Steam?" she asked quietly.

"Huh? Oh, yeah." Sonic shrugged. "He's gonna take a nap for a bit."

A brief moment of silence led into Seiko's assessment, where she simply said, "You have good taste in allies."

Emerald eyes so like her own blinked once, then twice. Slowly, Sonic smirked. "Heh. Guess so."

Seiko returned the smirk. "Keep that up."

"Will do. Or I'll try, anyway."

"Your thoughts?" Seiko asked, glancing at Satsuno. Apparently having decided to be supremely useful in furthering this conversation… he shrugged. Seiko rolled her eyes in amusement, chuckling. She returned her attention to Sonic and smiled. "So, he is doing okay, now?"

"Seems to be, for the most part," Sonic confirmed. "He's still feeling kind of raw, and he's definitely worn out. You know, the unfortunate usual side-effects of a meltdown. But he'll be alright before too long, with any luck."

Seiko nodded. "Fortunately, Satsuno and Kohaku had not yet reached that point, and we were able to prevent theirs."

Hearing his name, Kohaku perked up and told them both with obvious joy, "I play with blocks! I like blocks!"

Sonic smiled at his grandson. "That's awesome, buddy. I'm glad you're having fun." This earned him an answering smile, and Kohaku went back to playing. Sonic returned his attention to Seiko. "That's good to hear. It's beyond rough for all parties involved when a meltdown happens. It's always for the best when they're able to be prevented."

"Certainly. I am aware of the ramifications of not being able to help quickly enough," Seiko murmured.

"Yeah, I kinda figured," Sonic said.

Seiko gave a slow nod before letting out a gentle sigh. "So… what in the world happened to have caused such a commotion?"

"Steam, myself, Kym, Satsuno, and a couple others were abducted," Amy told her. "We were teleported or something, near as I can figure, and restrained in enemy territory. Steam, a man named Cyril, and an Immortal named Alana all worked together to keep the rest of us safe and return us to where we had been before." Seiko almost jumped when someone suddenly appeared in the home that decidedly was not someone she recognized, then relaxed as soon as her senses picked up that he was an ally as well.

Cyril plopped himself down near everyone and glanced around before slowly asking. "Did I… interrupt something?"

"Hey, man," Silver greeted cheerily. Then he said, "Nah, you're good. Everything's fine at the moment."

The finch smiled brightly. "Good to hear-" His gaze fell on Satsuno and he blinked. "Oh! Hey! Are you doing better?"

Satsuno blinked at him. "Yes, I am alright." He paused before adding, "Thank you for your help."

Before Cyril got a good chance to reply, Seiko cut in. "Then, you must be Cyril?" she asked the finch.

"I am." The yellow bird got a good look at her face and gasped. "Oh my gosh, you're Seiko!" No way! I met the past king and queen of Mobius! "It's a pleasure to meet you and your husband- Oh, should I call you 'majesty' or-"

Seiko held up a finger and the bird instantly grew quiet. "Seiko is fine. I do not require it unless you have irritated me."

"We were never addressed as 'your majesty'," Satsuno explained with a frown. "Such a title is… strange. Sir and ma'am or the like were how people referred to us."

The moment it became obvious Cyril was about to ramble, Seiko chose to cut in again. She did so a touch more gently, however. "If you have questions, I do ask that you do not ask them one after another. I can tell you are an inquisitive one."

Woah. She can tell that much already? "Okay. I think I'll hold off for now, though. I can tell that there's a whole family reunion thing going on here, and I don't want to steal the show."

"Go for it, I say," Silver invited. "Erm… not that it's my choice, or anything. But, like, you're not really interrupting. And Blaze and I are probably going to try and migrate our son to one of the back rooms where it's quieter, anyway. So, less people."

"Oh! Okay," Cyril said, giving a nod. He looked over to the past king and queen of Mobius, curious. "I was born after your reign, and I never really saw much of what you guys created together. What was it like? What was a normal day for you two?"

"A normal day is nothing to write home about," Satsuno shrugged. He paused. Then he corrected himself. "Was. It was. That is still difficult to keep track of now and then."

"It's not about writing home about it," Cyril explained. "The only reason I ask is because the things you guys do helps to show what kind of people you are."

The former king took time to consider this before replying. "Average days truly were nothing fantastical," he said. "We did a variety of things, most of them political busywork of various kinds. Such as handling treaties, laws, and other paperwork. Occasionally there were social matters we had to attend to, such as meeting with the leaders of other settlements. It was mundane at best, chaotic at worst."

"Wow," Cyril murmured. "And there were several clans of people, usually separated by the races, such as echidna, foxes, hedgehogs, and that sort of thing?"

"Yes, but there were more than several," Satsuno responded. "Some became allied with our kingdom to such an extent that they became part of it, such as the foxes. Others, like the echidna tribes, remained independent while still being friendly faces in the world. Very seldom did we come across any people who could be in any way viewed as enemies, despite our many differences."

Seiko could easily see how awestruck Cyril was, and a small smile broke out onto her face. Quite intelligent, you are. "I extended our efforts in friendly advances as far as the chameleons, due to an unlikely bond I was able to form with someone viewed as a leader in their time. I was successful."

"To a degree," Satsuno corrected, albeit mildly. "Back then, chameleons still had… many reasons to vehemently despise outsiders. Few were willing to change that stance in our day. But enough were that we made firm allies here and there."

"It helped that I was able to become acquainted with none other than Aniko and Shei," Seiko said with a vague smirk.

Sonic frowned in thought. "You knew Espio's parents?" Meanwhile, Silver and Blaze finally got to work moving Kohaku (and his blocks) down the hall toward Tails's room.

Seiko nodded. "Correct." Satsuno murmured a vague agreement.

Cyril blinked once. "If you know that, does that mean Espio was born during your time?"

"Yes," Seiko said with a nod. "He was young at the time, not yet talking."

"We were always hazy on the details of how his people age," Satsuno murmured. "It is entirely possible that he was born even before we were. That was something we never asked about."

"How could he have still been a baby for that long?" Amy asked, visibly surprised.

"He was not," Satsuno told her. "He was little, yes, but walking and running well before the time when we died. He simply did not talk."

Seiko nodded slowly. "If I am not mistaken, there were other reasons why he did not speak. I did not pry, nor did I have a chance to inquire deeply for more information."

"...About that," Sonic said slowly. "I probably know why. And I only know because I was informed, for the record, not because I snooped." This last part was said with a pointed look at Amy, one which earned a soft laugh from her. He continued. "Nobody knew until really, really recently, but he's apparently got autism, too. Shei said it's extremely rare for their people, borderline unheard of, and that probably played into why Espio was never diagnosed as a kid. Or even as an adult prior to now."

"...What?" Seiko asked, frowning. "He was diagnosed as well?"

"Yeah," Sonic nodded. "He's not taking it terribly well, either, from what I understand. Seems to view it as something 'wrong' with him that has to be dealt with somehow. I guess, from what his dad's said, some of it could be stemming from the way some people treated him growing up. Like some weird abnormality that was best ignored."

"That's not okay," Cyril said immediately, frowning. "Disorder or not, everyone deserves to be treated with kindness." His thoughts took a different turn, and he winced. Unless they've chosen a path of… No. Everyone does.

"It happens, unfortunately," Amy sighed. "It's not common anymore, at least here on Mobius, but way back then… People probably reacted to this sort of thing very differently." Satsuno knew the truth of her words, but didn't voice that. He just looked away.

"Change subjects," Seiko idly murmured, flexing her fingers. "This has become too dense of an atmosphere."

Amy considered this briefly, then managed to smile again. "What was Espio like when he was little? We've only ever known him in his adult years, so it's hard to imagine him being any younger. Much less someone so mature and serious being a baby of all things."

Seiko's darkened expression lightened and she chuckled a little. "He was… surprisingly bright and happy. Loved his parents."

"And his dragon," Satsuno murmured. "He carried that poor hatchling just about everywhere. The boy was always wandering, always exploring. He could never seem to sit still for long, much to his mother's occasional chagrin."

"It was quite the sight." Seiko smiled.

"Well, one thing's for damn sure," Sonic huffed. "Guy's definitely still got the same energy, but he channels it differently these days. He focuses it all into pure, raw speed like nothing even other chameleons can do. You should see him when he really decides to get moving."

"I believe we had a taste of that, recently," Satsuno said. "We encountered him on a battlefield, and Seiko called out to him. He appeared before us faster than we could even blink."

Seiko nodded. "He was moving rather quickly, indeed."

"And the speed at which he slew his enemies…" Satsuno shook his head. "Even coming from a chameleon, I have never seen anything quite like it."

"Sounds about right," Sonic chuckled. "He's definitely the pinnacle of their people's training and whatnot, if you ask me. It's not for nothing that so many people still see so much potential in him even in this day and age."

"Speaking of him," Seiko said, shifting the subject slightly. "He was the first person to go to that purified demon, correct? Armaris, the one he cares a lot about?"

"Yeah. He protected her when that thing attacked," Sonic said. "That spawn of Malevolence, I mean. I don't know how, but he managed to conjure up a barrier strong enough to take most of the brunt of the attacks."

Seiko tilted her head ever so slightly. "What relationship does he have with her?"

"No idea," Sonic shrugged.

"Espio is a very private person," Amy helpfully explained, "like all chameleons tend to be. If there's something more than friendship between the two of them, I don't expect we'll ever hear much, if anything, about it from him. At least, not for a long while yet."

Seiko glanced to Satsuno. "I suppose you are of the same opinion, then?"

"Shei is one of your closest friends. Your knowledge of how he is should explain everything to you." Satsuno shrugged to himself. "It is how their people routinely behave, by all appearances."

While he spoke, Sonic got on his communicator and typed something out, then lowered his arm again. Whatever he'd typed was sent out, but that wasn't the end of it. Something he did caused it to be sent again. And again. And again. If this doesn't get a reaction, I don't know what will.

There was no reason to dispute any of this, so Seiko didn't attempt to. Instead, she turned to Cyril. "You are an unusual person, for quite a few reasons, but I must ask about the unusual magic you possess. I can feel it's presence washing over me." This seemed to catch Ava's attention. She'd been spacing out this entire time, which wasn't unusual for her, but now she was focused on what was being said.

The finch chuckled a little and rubbed the back of his hand, holding out the free one and letting an orb of his magic float above his open palm. "I was told I'm the God of Magic. Starting to really think it was true."

Hearing this made Satsuno straighten. "We had some knowledge of such deities in the past, but we never encountered knowledge of such a position before." Seiko watched Cyril quietly, but didn't offer a response for now.

"Well, as far as I know, they're normally out in the background of everything. People don't know about them because they don't broadcast who they are, but I've been trying to get people close to me aware about it so at least they know," Cyril explained. Satsuno inclined his head slowly. The explanation made enough sense.

"I want proof," Seiko suddenly said, raising an eyebrow.

Cyril was more than willing to rise to a challenge, provided it wasn't anything petty. Rather than do something spectacular or spontaneous, the finch made a far simpler decision. He got up to his feet and created a magic circle in the air, much like Eila's, and cast some sort of spell. Then, the finch smiled and looked to Sonic. "Steam's in the guest bedroom, right?"

Sonic gestured behind them toward the hallway. "Yeah, he's in there." You probably also could have guessed that via auras, though. …Wait, not all Babylonians have aura powers. Does he even have any?

Cyril walked over to the door and opened it, satisfied with his handiwork. "Eila used a spell to make the extra room that she stays in, so all I did was study the spell while I was with her and copied it. It's basic, but everyone that wants a room should be able to have one now."

Kym blinked at him several times. "Uh… What?"

"You made an extra space comprised entirely of magic that is intended to exist in the same place, but outside of the original room?" Seiko asked, somewhat impressed.

"Yeah, that sounds like a much better explanation than what I said," Cyril agreed, smiling.

"Guess the stories were right about you being one of the top magic users of the old world," Sonic said, "if you were able to deduce that so easily."

"I would consider myself skilled," Seiko said lightly. "Aside from that, I could sense it being done. He is not very covert."

Cyril chuckled a little. "I'm still working on it." The finch looked back at the empty room and frowned. "I can probably make this a little less confusing…" All of a sudden, he grew intently focused, working on some other spell.

Seiko glanced to Sonic, raising an eyebrow. "Is he always like this?" she asked quietly.

"No idea," Sonic chuckled. "I've only met him once or twice. Silver would be a better person to ask."

"Ah," Seiko murmured. "I understand. I will say, however, he is quite intelligent and skilled. I am interested to watch his growth."

"You and others, I'm sure." Suddenly, Sonic was looking at the device on his wrist again. Then, grinning a little, he took it off and tossed it to her. "Hey, so it looks like I bugged Espio into calling me back for once in his life. If you push that green button, you guys can talk to him. You know, properly this time."

"That would be pleasant," Seiko said with a smile, catching the communicator looking at it. Satsuno leaned over to look, then lightly tapped the green part of the device that he saw. It wasn't any sort of button that he was familiar with, but somehow it worked regardless.

With this not being a video call, Espio had no idea just yet that it wasn't Sonic who had picked up. As such, his initial words were a bit less than pleased. "Why the hell are you spamming my inbox, Sonic?"

"Sorry," Sonic called, laughing. "I didn't know how else to get you to actually answer."

"And why the hell are you not waiting a second to see who is speaking?" Seiko asked, clearly amused. "Had he not spoken first, I might have acted offended."

The chameleon muttered something under his breath. "His communicator is not a device he often shares around. It stands to reason that it would have been him."

"I understand," Seiko replied. "However, I would like to speak to you. We met for… roughly three seconds on a battlefield, but I remember you as a child."

"...I remember as well," Espio finally said, "but only barely. There are many things I no longer remember from back then. But you are familiar enough."

Sonic caught Satsuno's eye and mouthed, "That's permission," to him. Satsuno just nodded.

"My name is Seiko. I was friends with your mother when you were a child," Seiko properly introduced. "I was not fortunate enough to see you grow into who you have become, but I am pleased to see you alive and well."

"I remember Mother having you over for tea, once," Espio said quietly. "You told me stories from beyond the barriers."

"I did," Seiko confirmed. "You were always so deeply interested in them, too."

Espio started to say something, but then it sounded like the communicator was dropped. In the same instant, there was a surprising and unusual exclamation. "Ow! Knock it off, Aku!"

Satsuno smirked. "The same energy, indeed," he murmured.

"Espio, what the hell are you doing?" A female voice called out, one a few in this room would know to be Armaris.

"Rotten bastard-" Espio cut himself off, muttered something crossly to himself, and picked the communicator up while replying, "Nothing. He bit me. That's all."

"You sound like you have quite the full plate," Seiko murmured.

"Hardly. Just one old, crotchety bastard of a dragon."

"And I suppose the woman in the background is nothing to be concerned about?" Seiko chuckled.

"No. That is Armaris. She is staying here."

Sonic spoke up again. "Hey, Espio, you up for visitors? Might be easier for you all to talk in person so Aku can't knock things out of your hands again."

"Do what you want. I don't really care."

"As long as my partner is willing, I believe it would just be us two," Seiko explained. "It would be nice to catch up with you and learn what you have accomplished."

"Fine. Have Sonic message if you decide to come. I need to deal with Aku." He hung up without waiting for any kind of reply.

Amy almost giggled. "Well, that's hardly unexpected. He tends to just abruptly hang up on people once he decides he's done. I promise he's not trying to be rude, though."

Seiko shrugged a little. "I took no offense." She tossed the device back to Sonic a moment later. He caught it easily in one hand.

"I would not be averse to going," Satsuno said. "The Highlands are cool and quiet. I enjoy it there."

"Good. We will be going there soon."

"I'll text him again," Sonic said, already typing. "You know, so he can grant you passage through any new barriers they've made. The old ones were sort of… wrecked."

Seiko nodded a little and glanced around, sensing Cyril's magic again. There were now multiple doors. "I see." Her partner decided to not even ask about Sonic's statement right now. He stood up, ready to leave. Seiko joined him without hesitation. "I will see you all again in the future, I am sure."

"Definitely," Kym agreed. "Kohaku's gonna be begging to play with you both again at some point, I guarantee it."

"I would do so any time I can," Seiko agreed, smiling.

"Glad to hear it." Kym waved in farewell, then stood and walked off to explore the new rooms. Her sister wasn't far behind. Seiko gave a farewell and teleported herself and Satsuno away.

~保護者~

How long had it been since she had passed out in such a manner? And futhermore, how long had it been since she had fallen asleep while crying?

Nobody had come near her room due to how unstable her emotional state had been, all except her dear friend Ryint. Even after the situation with the curse and putting her and Akol in danger, Ryint just couldn't stay away. Ghune was brought tea on more than one occasion to help soothe the woman's nerves, and Ghune was far from complaining. So, here she was, wrapped up in her blankets and sipping on hot tea. Her gaze was fixated on a certain point in the wall where she had apparently decided there was something important. She felt comfortable, and that aided in keeping her calm, despite everything that had happened.

Now, she knew Black Doom to be a more creature-like being. She'd known that for quite a long time. That didn't make the situation any easier to bear, however. Seeing him in the state he'd been in, unable to really recognize her or manage conversation, that bothered her horribly. Considering what he'd apparently gone through, however, it was certainly the most likely outcome. He'd obviously been tortured, and she had been given the oh so lovely opportunity to experience some of it with him.

A droplet of hot tea splashing onto her skin was enough to awaken her from the emotional dozing she'd almost partaken in again. Her eyes snapped open and she sat up, alert. Internally, she cursed due to how irritating this all was.

Instead of sitting idly and just allowing herself to stew in her emotions, Ghune stood from the bed, casting her blankets aside and gulping down the rest of her tea. Setting it back on the dish gingerly, she teleported to the hive of the Black Arms. If she was going to sit around doing nothing, that would change. Being idle was simply asking for nothing to be done.

Naturally enough, the hive reacted to her presence, but not in a negative way. It simply responded in a way that was more akin to acknowledgement than anything else. Knowledge of her arrival was passed along with speed, rapidly reaching Saethrim and Black Doom. The latter was unsure how to react to the information, unable to work out if the name was one he was familiar with in any capacity. But, promisingly, he soon decided it was. He just didn't quite know why.

Rather than react outwardly to that, he pushed himself to his feet and padded over to where Saethrim was resting. Pawing and nudging at him with his nose were enough to get a response, but not as much as he wanted. "Saethrim," he clicked out, pacing out his nervous energy as he so often wound up doing these days. "Here. Ghune. Here."

Saethrim opened an eye as his light sleep was interrupted, listening to the clicks before pushing himself to stand. Ah, so she finally felt well enough to come out here. Good. The man warped out of the chambers in time for Ghune to step directly in front of him, then pass through him entirely on her way in. And… she's not wasting time. Choosing to simply follow her in rather than question her proved to be a better option, as she ignored him entirely in favor of walking toward Black Doom.

Black Doom ceased his pacing once he saw her, pausing mid-step to gaze over at the pair of them. There were traces of wariness in his eyes but also, promisingly, some signs of distant recognition. And, unlike the last time he'd seen her, he didn't screech, bristle, or otherwise show her any aggression. Rather than approach, Ghune sat on her knees on the floor. She held out a hand, hoping he might more fully recognize who she was. Slowly, cautiously, Black Doom edged toward her.

As her scent filled the room, more recognition started to come to him. Enough that he managed to be comfortable with briefly nudging her hand with his snout. Ghune allowed this and didn't move any closer, a quiet pain hidden in her eyes. So much progress has been undone… He communicated nothing at that moment, merely sat down where he was and coiled his tail neatly around his paws like a cat would. Ghune was quiet for a moment before rubbing a hand over his head, letting out a sigh. "How are you feeling?"

When he found himself unable to recall the way to vocally communicate the word, Black Doom did something extremely unusual for this form: he wrote. At least, in a sense. Using a claw, he lightly scratched into the ground a very simple rune-like symbol (one that was nothing more than a couple of basic lines) with a meaning that ranged from sleepy to exhausted depending on the context.

After that, he sort of nudged at her hand again, taking in more of her scent as though to reaffirm that it really was her. He seemed satisfied by that and resituated back into his previous sitting position. The woman shifted a bit closer and laid herself down near him. His presence was nice and relaxing, and she didn't quite expect the wave of relief that left her fighting to stay awake.

Saethrim watched all of this quietly before letting out a soft sigh. "You know, sleeping on the floor doesn't suit you," the man murmured.

"I chose to be here, like this," Ghune answered in a hushed tone. "Unless you have more to say or do, be silent."

"I do," Saethrim said, walking over and collecting the two off the floor. He stood Ghune up on her feet, and gently urged Black Doom to stand up. The latter did so after a short delay, appearing reluctant to cooperate right then. But that was hardly all that out of character for him. From there, Saethrim guided him to the pile of pelts and furs that made up the "bed" and got Black Doom to lay down there.

"So," Saethrim said once finished with this, "we need to see if we can get you to start communicating with us in a more cohesive manner, or even potentially back into a form that can speak. Frankly, I'd prefer the latter." A tired grunt or something similar answered him, and Black Doom moved to lay back down. Saethrim huffed. Then he bluffed. "Black Doom, please don't make me do this."

That finally got a vocal reply in the form of more clicks, but the words were as short and simple as before. Yet this time, he did manage a two word "sentence" as opposed to purely one-word replies. "Can't change. Tired."

"You'll be stuck like this for a while if you don't find a way to do so soon," Saethrim pointed out. "Obviously, I'm not gonna even attempt to force it, but it would be better to get you back to your preferred form."

"Tired," Black Doom told him again. "Too tired."

Ghune crossed her arms. "What's happening? I can't decipher the clicks."

"He's saying he's too tired to change forms, which is reasonable," Saethrim said.

The woman strode across the room and teleported a bottle into her hand, immediately setting it down in front of Black Doom. "Trust me and we will fix this." He looked at it, then looked at her. Despite his exhaustion, there was a hint of inquiry and vague almost-curiosity in his eyes. She pulled out the cork and shifted it ever closer to allow him to sniff it. "This should give you the energy to change forms. I'll help you drink it."

Though still reluctant to cooperate for one reason or another, Black Doom gave in and pushed himself back up into a sitting position. Ghune grabbed up the bottle and held it up to his mouth, setting her free hand on his head. With some difficulty (as a form like this one really just wasn't meant to drink from bottles, flasks, and the like), he did as she'd essentially asked of him. Though, like with his earlier eating, he did it slowly in an effort to avoid making himself sick. Ghune restricted the flow to help him, taking great care as she watched.

When finished, Black Doom pulled away, shaking his head in distaste. He wasn't used to drinking since it wasn't a necessity for him in any form, and he wasn't overly fond of the sensation. Ghune tossed the bottle back and it vanished before it touched the floor. Saethrim took this as a chance to speak up, intent on preventing confusion. "Gonna go ahead and note that it's highly possible for him to change into the wrong form since he's tired mentally,meaning even the slightest loss of focus can result in mistakes. And… well, he might end up in a form neither of us has seen."

"...What?" Ghune asked after a moment.

Saethrim glanced to Black Doom. "We'll know if it happens. Might make more sense."

Black Doom let out a short cough to help further banish the sensation from his throat, then got on with it. He gathered up his energies and transformed, but as Saethrim had predicted, it didn't go quite right. He ended up in a form like T'chalik's at first. With an annoyed growl he tried again. This time, he was slightly more successful. Mentally speaking, this form was no doubt just like his usual one in terms of intelligence, ability to speak, and so on. However, it looked nothing like a Black Arms. Instead, it looked like… a hedgehog.

Being that he wasn't truly a hedgehog, there were some differences between his appearance and that of a true member of that race. His eyes remained yellow, despite that being a color virtually never seen in hedgehogs. His hair was somewhat similar to Shadow's in style, but noticeably different still. It had streaks of color in the same places as Shadow's did, but these streaks were such a dark grey that they almost couldn't be distinguished from the black of the rest of his fur. He had a patch on his chest as well, but rather than white his was a dark crimson.

Ghune watched this all happen and blinked once in muted surprise. "Not what I expected."

Since rapid transformations sapped a lot of energy from a person, Black Doom didn't try to do it again. He just growled in annoyance again and somewhat irritably yanked up a pelt off of the pile of "bedding" to cover himself. Damn it all…

The next thing Ghune said got a visible reaction out of Saethrim, that being his eyes widening. "I wouldn't mind you leaving that off."

"Shut it," Black Doom grumbled unhappily, mind mostly on other matters. What the hell is this form? Where did it come from?

"I do not wish to," Ghune replied easily.

Saethrim coughed a little. "Ignoring Ghune suddenly being flirtatious, this is what I was referring to."

In an instant, Ghune snapped her fingers and teleported Saethrim elsewhere, only for him to return seconds later. It served to amuse her enough to ignore her irritation toward him. "Explain."

"Well," Saethrim began, lifting up his blindfold to look at Black Doom's new form, "it looks like this form came into existence as a result of everything that happened."

His assertion didn't earn any outward reply from Black Doom. He was too busy trying to acclimate to this new state of being. Having five fingers, fur, and ears that could perk up and swivel around was strange. He couldn't decide if that meant he hated it or not. And everything is loud.

Saethrim put his arms behind his back after they were both silent. He could feel that Ghune was hardly tolerating his presence, and so he chose to just chuckle. "I'll head on out. If you guys need me, I'll get here quickly."

Black Doom glanced at him, then looked away again. "Understood." Ghune said nothing, simply watching him. Saethrim took this as his farewell and warped away.

"Are you okay?" Ghune immediately asked, glancing to Black Doom.

"I don't know," he admitted. Almost idly, he pulled his scarf to him with a tendril of Darkness, then wrapped it around his neck. It was a small comfort, but a comfort nevertheless.

Ghune fell quiet for a moment before murmuring, "I'm glad to see you in… a form that… can speak to me."

"Communication is… difficult in that form," Black Doom sighed. "Saethrim taught me language, but I cannot always remember the words while like that. It is far easier when in forms that are more… like a person."

"Hm." Ghune let out a sigh as well, blinking slowly.

Stifling a sigh, Black Doom shifted to get a bit more comfortable, unused to laying on this bed as he was. He'd put it together solely for Shadow, many eons ago. He'd almost never personally used it. This is all too odd, he privately decided. Then his mind drifted to another issue. My robe will be far too big for this form. I will have to somehow acquire something else to wear. For now, he decided he didn't care enough. He was careful to keep his lower half covered as he moved to lay down on his side facing the nearest wall. "How long has it been?" he asked her quietly. "Out here."

"Not very long," Ghune replied. "I lost track of the time."

He nodded a little. "Is Shadow safe?"

"Yes."

"You are certain?"

"I would not say yes otherwise." He just nodded again. Ghune was quiet as she glanced at him, frowning vaguely in thought. "I made a mistake in the wake of your kidnapping." Hearing this, he glanced at her over his shoulder. "I lost control of myself and attempted to take matters into my own hands. I put my people at risk."

That is not like her. Black Doom decided not to say that out loud, as it would be pointless. She knew it as well as he did already.

"I realized then that your safety and wellbeing matters far more than I was willing to admit initially," Ghune continued. "I care."

About an animal? Rather than say that, he asked her a simple question. "Why?"

"I spent many of my years alone," Ghune explained vaguely. "It took time to understand that I did not wish to be."

"Solitude is safer."

Ghune's lips twitched down. "Wrong." This earned a second glance. "My dear friend, Ryint, would have died if she was in solitude. I might have died had my allies not been present, as I had fully intended to come and tear-" She found herself growing irate with her thoughts and silenced them, as well as herself. Only once she found control again, did she allow herself to speak. "I was going to foolishly storm into that deathtrap. They stopped me."

Only then did Black Doom suddenly reveal something. "Nareish intended to give you to him as well, had you shown up."

"I would have."

"...I know."

"My point is that I care about you," Ghune said after a moment. "And whether or not you reciprocate, I always will. You know I do not speak lightly."

"I know that." Black Doom moved to face her better so as to make talking a bit easier. "And we discussed this already. I am not familiar with the words needed to verbally reciprocate."

"Words are not needed." Ghune huffed at him. "I don't care if you say the 'I love you' and other bullshit people care about. What's important is your feelings."

"I don't know what they are to begin with," he told her. "Whatever they are, there are no words for them in my language."

Ghune crossed her arms. "I can tell enough. You'll learn in time, but for now, focus on resting. I'll be far more upset if I have to put you to sleep."

"Try it," he grumbled in a mild threat. But, tellingly, he made no moves to get up or otherwise disobey right now.

"At this particular moment, I am the most likely of us to come out on top in that situation."

Black Doom didn't reply for a brief moment before closing his eyes and asking a new question, this one quieter than before. "Are you staying?"

"I would speak more sarcastically, but now is a bad time for such," Ghune replied, smiling. "I planned to stay for a time. I may leave to check on the matters of others, but only briefly."

"If you do leave… check on Shadow. Assuming you are able to. He will be… upset." Black Doom was silent again for another second or two, then added, "And with the spawn, he may begin experiencing pains as a result."

Ghune nodded. "A friend of mine is supposed to be there soon. If she reports to me that he is not doing well, I will go there myself immediately." That answer was good enough, so he just nodded again. With that said, she walked over and sat next to him. "I'm glad to see you doing better. It means more than I know how to express."

Unsure what to say, partly due to the fact that he felt himself sort of dozing off, Black Doom nodded once more in reply and nothing else. The woman laid down with him and wrapped an arm around him, holding him in a highly protective manner. I won't let anything else happen to you. The sudden feeling of increased safety this afforded him was a matter to be pondered later. He was asleep too fast to consider it right now.

Before too long, so was she.

~保護者~

The nightmares had been terrible, and she woke with a start. Eila tossed herself out of her bed and stumbled up against a wall, her heart racing. It calmed when she realized she was okay, and that everything else had been a dream. It didn't change how foggy her mind was.

The cat tossed off her clothes in a desperate bid to change into something else, only to find herself in an outfit that was very similar. Then she reminded herself that her wardrobe was pretty much all the same since she had spent no time on clothing. It didn't matter in the long run as she trudged to the door and walked out into the living room of Tails's home, rubbing at her eyes. Shit. How long was I asleep?

By that time, Tails and Wery had emerged from the workshop and were in the kitchen getting some food. Tails didn't actually notice Eila's arrival, because he was so focused on whatever light meal he was preparing for himself. That meal being what he very deeply hoped would be some perfectly toasted bread with some butter. Wery hardly noticed as well, her attention being entirely devoted to… whatever it was that she was attempting to make.

Eila couldn't quite make sense of it just yet, and she didn't try. The cat walked in and used her magic to grab all the things she needed at once, then realized that the cereal was out and teleported a box from somewhere else in the world to replace it. The lack of coherence led to her making a bit more of a mess than she'd ever expected to make, and she groaned. "Dammit."

Now this all caught Tails's attention, and he turned to face her. "Everything okay?" he asked her.

"No," Eila admitted, using her magic to clean up the mess she'd made. "I feel like shit."

"Anything I can do to help?" he asked her, concerned. His toast popped out of the toaster, prompting him to quickly turn and swipe the bread out of the air. "Ow, hot!" The toast was dropped on his plate, and he laughed to himself. "Not my brightest moment, that."

Eila idly waved a finger and cooled his hand without thinking, then glanced at Wery and righted her stance before she could fall over. "I don't know. I couldn't really sleep. That's probably the cause." She chose not to question why Wery hadn't really noticed what was happening, then it became obvious that she was using some sort of earbuds. Ah.

"If you don't mind me asking, was it nightmares?" Tails inquired. "A lot of my friends - well, maybe not a lot, but some of them have issues with sleep because of that kind of thing. Oh, and thanks for cooling my hand off, hah."

"I stopped some of Silver's nightmares," Eila revealed, beginning to eat her cereal. "Figured it might be a thing others deal with, considering peoples' pasts." She didn't reply to the last thing he said, choosing to not accept the gratitude right now.

"He's actually one of the least likely people in the group to have any, despite what he and Blaze have gone through," Tails revealed. "But, yeah, other people we know have them. There are things that help, though. If you're interested, maybe I can write down some things you can try next time you lay down?"

"Not interested in helping myself." Eila frowned for a moment, unsure what about her words felt so… unusual. She decided it wasn't a big deal, returning to eating.

Though internally taken aback, Tails managed to keep his easy smile from faltering. "Okay. If you're sure. Later on, though, if you change your mind, I'd be more than happy to do it for you." With that said, he turned around and set about buttering his toast. Toast which, sadly, wasn't quite as perfect as he'd envisioned. I'll get it just right one of these days.

Wery suddenly turned around and joined the conversation with the… dish she'd created. To Eila's groggy perception, it seemed like a mash of different breakfast things put together. However, it was really just an unusual soufflé. "Oh, hi, Eila. How… long have I not noticed you were in here?"

"Eh, a minute or two. Long enough to know you're listening to a good jazz playlist." Eila murmured. "Solid choice."

"Jazz, huh?" Tails asked. "A couple of my old friends like that, too. I hear it's good."

Wery rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, chuckling. "Yeah. My parents really like it, and I got to listen to a lot of big hits growing up."

"You and I will have to sit down later," Tails decided with a chuckle, "and compare what you listen to with what my friends used to. You guys might have similar tastes."

"Doesn't sound like a bad idea," Wery agreed. Her gaze turned to Eila and she smiled. "What kind of music do you like?"

Eila paused at this question, then let out a soft sigh. "The music of the old clans. It was beautiful and heartfelt. Nothing will ever compare."

"The same kind of music Marthal knew, then," Tails murmured. "I wouldn't personally understand your sentiment, but he sure would."

"Then, perhaps he has good taste." The corners of her mouth twitched upward and she chuckled. "Of course, I was only a child, then. I wasn't afforded much chance to truly understand it. I couldn't even begin to replicate their works."

"You and Marthal should meet someday, then," Tails said. "He grew up in ancient times, like it sounds as though you did. Maybe you guys can piece things together from what you collectively remember?"

"Oh, that would be so cool!" Wery exclaimed through a half-full mouth of food. "I would love to hear it."

Eila rolled her eyes in vague amusement and waved them off. "I'll think about it."

"It's totally a good idea," Tails joked. He took a bite of his toast.

The cat rubbed at one of her arms briefly before muttering something under her breath. "I look awful, don't I?"

"Erm… no? I mean, you look tired, but I've seen way worse." Tails shrugged. "Even ignoring injuries and illness, I've seen worse. By comparison, you're looking pretty great, probably."

Eila was about to reply, but then Wery pulled some sort of thing from her tool belt and handed it over. "If you think you look bad, I'll go ahead and say that you're okay, but you might wanna brush your hair. Looks like you dragged it on the carpet."

The cat was more than taken aback by the delivery of that, but ultimately accepted it and brushed her hair quickly before cleaning it out with magic and handing it back. "Thanks." Her gaze fell back on Tails and she raised an eyebrow after a moment. "What have you guys been working on down there?"

"A lot of miscellaneous stuff, most recently," Tails answered. "We haven't gotten any requests or inspiration for anything big or significant for a bit."

"Ah," Eila murmured. "I lived my life without technology, and I understand so little of it. The communicator alone is… incredible."

Hearing this made Tails smile. "Well, you're welcome down in the workshop anytime, like anyone else. I can definitely teach you some stuff, and Wery could do the same thing if she doesn't mind. Just, erm, try not to touch things even accidentally. Some of my tech is experimental at best and not entirely safe yet."

Wery smiled. "I'd be more than happy to show you stuff. Kira has been super busy training and I haven't gotten to show her a lot of the new things I've built."

Eila managed a small smile of her own. "It would be nice to learn more. I think my next move is going to be getting new clothes. I realized that my wardrobe is a bit lacking."

"If you need fashion advice, Rouge, Amy, and Kym are your girls," Tails laughed. "Rouge less so if you want to be more covered than not, but still. They all know clothes really well. I obviously wouldn't for several reasons."

"I find little reason to care about being covered provided I am not indecent," Eila answered.

"So… yeah. You can probably talk to one of them for help if you decide you want any."

Eila nodded. "I will keep it in mind." He started to reply, but Tails was distracted by his communicator. As a result, he just sort of returned her nod. Eila chose to refrain from reading his mind to see what was happening, realizing after a moment that he may not take kindly to that. Instead her focus went to Wery. "What the hell did you make?"

"Soufflé," Wery mumbled through a more full mouth than before.

"Ah," Eila replied, returning to her cereal. She hadn't realized how slow she'd been eating, frowning at how soggy it all was getting. Don't stop now… You'll regret not eating.

Tails spoke up again. "Hey Wery, if you can, don't let me forget my communicator in here again in the future. 'Cause I did exactly that, and it looks like I missed some really serious notifications and alerts here…"

"Oh, jeez," Wery said. "What did you miss?"

"Some messages and medical alerts," Tails frowned. "Come take a look at this. Shadow's stress levels spiked a while ago. Shortly after that, Wave messaged me that he'd had some sort of a panic attack, but she's gotten Toru to him in time to help. And then shortly after that, his communicator sent out another alert to me that he's having some kind of pain in his lower back."

Wery frowned at this as well, concerned. "How's he doing right now? I left my tablet downstairs."

"I'm not sure exactly," Tails admitted. "I did a quick scan using his communicator. He's still hurting, but it eased enough that he's asleep right now."

"That's good," Wery said after a moment, sighing.

"Probably to do with the pregnancy," Eila stated simply. "The last part, that is."

Tails blinked several times. "Wait, you knew about the baby?"

Eila tapped the side of her skull softly. "The mind of a baby is hard to sense, but far from impossible."

"Wow, you can do that?" Wery asked.

"Mhm," Eila murmured. "Psychic powers are very useful. Helps that I was around him for a short bit recently. You guys also know about the vampirism, as well. I was taking him some of my old notes from when I was Astra. Figured a vampire would make better use of them."

Tails nodded slowly. "You think the pain might be because of the baby, huh…? That's… potentially really bad."

"Or normal, depending on his race," Eila said, finally really looking at Tails. "But I don't know much on that subject. I strayed away from some things, even when insane."

"Uh, things?" he asked.

Eila let out a sigh, damning herself for remaining so vague. "The Black Arms are one of the few races even I wasn't willing to risk being too close to. Not because they'd see who I was or care about any of that. They would have torn me to pieces for invading their home. As such, I stayed away and learned little about them."

"Oh, okay. That makes sense." Tails set his communicator on the counter for now. "Black Arms are a race I know some things about, but not regarding this. My worry is that, for races like mine or yours or Tokarians, pain in that area can mean labor is starting. I have no idea if that's true for the Black Arms, but I'm still concerned."

The cat drummed her fingers on the table and stood, rubbing at her eyes. "Do you have a way to check that?"

"That… depends on whether or not Shadow would be willing to be scanned, or on whether or not we can get data from other Black Arms somehow."

Eila more furiously rubbed at her eyes, vaguely irritated with something. "Then I can check. I know a few things, and I can probably figure this out without disturbing him."

"If you think you can and you're willing to, I'd be more than happy to accept your help," Tails said. "I always do what I can to try to help and protect him. That's not something I can do when I don't know what's happening."

The cat moved to walk off, waving away his thanks gently until Wery stopped her with a concerned few words. "Are you okay?"

"No," Eila answered. "I'm absolutely exhausted."

"Then, do whatever you're gonna do, and come back to get some sleep, okay?" Wery said softly. "I know you've gone through a lot, but you still need to rest." Wery winced when the cat simply teleported away, then glanced to Tails. "Should I keep a watch over her health with the communicator?"

"I'm not sure," Tails sighed. "I'd normally say it's a decent idea for the other person's sake, but with her… Things are still pretty delicate with her, unfortunately. I don't want to make her feel spied on or monitored or otherwise unwelcome, you know?"

"That's fair," Wery murmured. "I'm just worried about her."

"Same," Tails agreed. He remembered his toast right about then and resumed eating it.

"Well, for the time being, I'll just wait and see if anything serious comes through. I won't watch for anything more," Wery said, finishing off her food due to his remembrance reminding her of the food she'd made.

Only once he finished eating did Tails speak again. "Say, speaking of the baby, wasn't she cute in that scan?" Tails asked her, smiling. "Babies are always cute, sure, but still."

"Oh, absolutely," Wery said. "She was super cute."

"I love that bit of hair she has," Tails said happily. "That was a beautiful shade of purple."

"I know!" Wery exclaimed. Tails grinned at her. The female fox returned it with her own grin.

The two were soon interrupted as Eila returned, scooping up her bowl and huffing. "It's entirely possible that this is what's happening. How stressed has he been?"

Her arrival made Tails jump, but he was quick to recover and grab his communicator. He pulled up the data and showed it to her. "It's pretty bad, off and on."

Eila's eyes scanned the data at an increased pace and she teleported a cloak on, growling under her breath. "I'm going to go ahead and prepare a safe area. You two find out what you can and see if this is even gonna be okay."

"A safe area for what?" Tails asked her.

"Delivering a damn baby," Eila bit out. She took a second to relax herself and reign in her emotions. "If labor begins, then we've got one hell of a dangerous situation to deal with."

"I was thinking he might have to go to the hive for that part," Tails said, crossing his arms in thought. "But… for the sake of Toru also being there, going to a place you make might be best. Toru doesn't seem to like the Black Arms at all. …With Shadow and their kid as obvious exceptions."

Wery winced a little. "...Yeah. He's uh, really bad at hiding distaste."

Eila mumbled something under her breath and pressed two fingers against her forehead. "I'll get something going, just in case they don't go to the hive. If they don't use it that's fine, but there's no way in hell they can go to any ordinary medical facility."

"No, not at all. Not with the kind of blood Shadow's going to be bleeding." Tails sighed heavily. "I'll look into everything I can about if this really is gonna happen, and try to guess when if possible."

"Good," Eila said, already beginning to walk away again. "Focus on that, keep me updated."

"Right. Will do." Tails turned to Wery. "Guess I'm heading back to the workshop to do more scans. When Shadow's awake later, I'm gonna see about paying him and Toru a visit. Want to come?"

Wery nodded a little. "Definitely."

"Okay, I'll let you know when I'm ready to head out," Tails said. "You know, assuming they're up for visitors."

"Fair enough."

Deciding to be brave, Tails walked over to her and gave her a peck on the cheek. "You know where to find me if you need me. I'll see you later, okay?" He walked out of the kitchen and headed toward the doorway leading into the workshop.

Wery froze when this happened, eyes widening. "O-o-okay!" Tails flashed her a smile over his shoulder, then disappeared down the stairs. The door slowly closed behind him, leaving an embarrassed Wery standing alone in the kitchen.

~保護者~

15,317 words this time. Many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help and support. Posted (at about 8:55 p.m.) 01-17-22.