Hey everyone, it's been a while, sorry for taking so long, I've been in a bit of a burnout with my writing recently, but I should be better now! I apologize for making you guys wait so much, but hopefully, you'll enjoy this chapter regardless! First up though, we have the reviews!

AndTails: He certainly wasn't happy with Knuckles after what he said, but luckily Sonic was there to help calm him down a bit. However, there's still plenty of questions that need answering!

Miyu: Thanks for your compliment! I try my best to keep everyone true to their original character! It's nice to hear I'm doing a good job!

Obliviblur: There's certainly some stuff that needs answers still, and I feel like everything will be made clear eventually! For now, we're just going to have to stick along for the ride!

That's everyone, let's get started!

The Kitsune Legacy

Forget the Past

Tails sighed to himself, he'd been thinking over everything that had happened over the past little bit, the fact that he was a kitsune was still fresh in his mind, and he wasn't sure how to feel about it.

On one hand, he finally knew where he came from and where he belonged, but also that he was likely the last of his species and that most of what he'd come to know and suspect about himself and his past had been a lie. To say it shook him to his very core would be an understatement.

"Tails?" A voice spoke, the kitsune in question instantly recognized it as Sonic. "You haven't even touched your lunch... What are you thinking about?"

"It's nothing Sonic... I just need a minute..."

"You're obviously upset about something bud, maybe you could tell me about it and-"

"Just drop it Sonic."

Sonic tentatively dropped the conversation as the kitsune stood and made his way downstairs to the workshop to be alone with his thoughts. His mind refused to calm itself, making it difficult to focus on anything he tried to do to clear his head. Eventually, he decided however, that something needed to be done about this. He'd been struggling with his thoughts for a day or two now, and it was becoming increasingly more and more difficult to focus on anything else. The real question however, was this, what was he going to do about it?

He could talk to Sonic, but he wasn't sure the hedgehog would understand. Sonic listened to his problems and everything, and it wasn't like he didn't like his brother, but this was something that he didn't think he would be capable of helping with.

Amy was an option, but after what had happened at her house last time, he didn't think it was a good idea to bother her further than he already had. She'd already done more than enough to help.

Knuckles, the third member on his list, he wasn't sure about. On one hand, he was still somewhat angry with him for keeping the secret of his heritage from him for so long, but on the other hand, he was the one that would be most likely able to help him out.

The fox sighed; he didn't have much of a choice, did he? After all, this was going to keep eating at him until it was dealt with. He made his way to the hanger that contained the Tornado, checking over it once before hopping in and taking off toward Angel Island.

-X-

Knuckles could hear the sound of the Tornado approaching before it had even landed, still, he'd rather stay out of whatever Sonic and Tails had planned with the island, they'd come to him if they needed something.

He didn't mind the visitors, but here, sitting on the steps of the Master Emerald's altar, he could be alone with his thoughts. As he sat however, he noticed Tails stepping out of the tree line and walking up to the altar, he expected Sonic to be not far behind, or even in front of the kit, so him being alone like this caught him somewhat off guard.

"Tails? What are you doing here?" He asked, wondering what his answer would be.

"Oh, you know, just coming to see how you're doing." The kitsune responded, Knuckles was unconvinced but decided to play along.

The fox sat next to him, his namesakes resting gently on the stone steps. The echidna noticed he seemed to be in quiet contemplation about something, as much as he wanted to ask Tails about it, he figured the kitsune was here exactly to talk about what was on his mind.

Sure enough, after a brief silence, the fox spoke. "Knuckles... How do you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Live like this? Knowing you're the last of your species and all..."

"That's a tough question isn't it?" He eventually responded, "I guess I've always just sort of lived like this?"

"No... That's not what I meant, I mean, how do you deal with the fact that there's nothing else... That your species is likely going to die with you?"

"Don't say that to yourself Tails. Look, the only way you'll get over that sort of thing is by looking past it. Focusing on it only makes things much worse."

Tails tried to silence the thoughts in his head, taking Knuckles' advice, but it was no use. Shutting it out did very little to calm his busy mind. "Maybe we can talk about something else." He spoke.

"Sure, what did you have in mind?"

The fox let his thoughts wander for a moment, before turning around and letting his eyes settle on the massive green gemstone that dominated the peak of the altar. "Can you like... Talk... To the Master Emerald?

"Eh, sort of..." Knuckles answered, "I talk to Tikal, who's an ancient spirit trapped inside of the gem, or more like she talks to me."

Placing his hand on the gem, Tails could feel its power surging up his arm, even through his glove. The warm feeling of the energy pulsing up through his hand and into his body was oddly comforting, as if it was something he'd been familiar with all his life.

"You know," Knuckles began. "It's kind of ironic with both of us standing here."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you remember what our species fought over right?"

Tails sighed, "Yeah, I do."

The two were silent for a moment until the kitsune spoke again. "Knuckles I'm sorry..."

"Tails, you don't need to be-"

"No, I need to do this. On behalf of my species, my ancestors, and everything. I'm sorry about what happened."

"Well, in that case... I'm sorry as well. What we did to your parents and kind was unacceptable. I'm sorry that because of what we did, you don't have parents or even anywhere to really call home."

After the two had spoken, Tails almost felt a weight lift off of his chest. Suddenly, he was able to once again clear his mind and focus, the cloud of haze that had descended upon his daily life seemed to finally disperse. Feeling the Chaos Energy still flowing through his arm, it seemed to almost intensify with his change in emotion, causing his eyes to glow a bright brilliant blue. Knuckles sensing the surge of energy turned and felt an almost familiar presence. Before he could say anything, the Emerald began to glow and Tikal materialized amid the two of them.

"Tikal!? What are you doing here?" Knuckles exclaimed.

"I sensed a surge of energy here; it seems as if my suspicions about your friend were right after all."

"You could say that again."

The spirit turned to the somewhat shocked kitsune, "Hello, I'm not sure if we've really talked. My name is Tikal."

"H-Hello." The fox responded sheepishly.

"There's no need to be afraid! I'm just here to deliver a message to the two of you."

The two Mobians listened intently as the echidna spirit began, "There is a long road ahead of you two, but a great destiny awaits at the end. If you can persevere through the challenges you will soon face, it will guarantee prosperity for not only yourself but also any future members of your race."

"You, young kitsune, having now regained your connection to your heritage will cause you to face threats and trials unlike any you could have fathomed. However, should you complete and overcome them, you will be rewarded beyond your wildest dreams."

"H- How do you know this?" Tails responded.

"I'm a spirit of pure Chaos Energy, I know all secrets about living things past and present. I assure you; I know about what the future holds for you. But you'll just have to discover that for yourself."

With that, she vanished, leaving two somewhat confused Mobians in her wake. The two eyed each other, taking in what Tikal had said for a moment. Eventually, Tails broke the silence, "So, you were saying about Tikal?"

"That's the first time I've talked to her in a while, and it seems like she took quite a bit of interest in you." Knuckles commented. "What do you think she meant by the challenges?"

"I don't know, but whatever they are, hopefully I'll be ready."

"I hope so too." I mean, it's crazy going through what you've got going on when you're so young."

"I mean, I've always got Sonic. He's there for me. The same goes for Amy."

"I'm here as well, despite our species differences in the past. If you need any help, feel free to let me know and I'll do my best."

"Thanks Knuckles."

"Any time kiddo."

The two sat down on the steps and watched the sunset, the bright orange hues were beautiful and helped the kitsune clear his mind and think. What had Tikal meant by her trials? What was waiting for him? No matter what it was however, he had his friends, and they would help him, nothing was going to change that. Eventually, Tails said his goodbyes and returned to the Tornado for the flight home, this time with a much clearer mind.

Alright everyone, that's it for today! Hopefully you all enjoyed it! Let me know your thoughts in a review! Until next time!