Garu:that's not important now...you still need your rest...
Anna:what are you talking about?..I feel fine.
Garu put his hand on her forehead and found that her temperature was normal.
Garu:*mumbles* well...this is unexpected...
Anna:could you please put me down?
Garu:of course.
He stood up then put her down gently. Anna ran over to Veronica and hugged her tight.
Anna:thank you so much for saving me today! Before you showed up I was really scared.
Veronica:I bet you were.
Anna:but having you there with me made me feel safe because I know that you won't let anything bad happen.
The words Anna had said to her just now made her feel at ease. She was glad to know that Anna was ok and there with them, but what worried her was the fact that she could attack Anna at any moment which pained her. She didn't want to hurt anybody else but unknowing when it would happen was what worried her the most. Suddenly Veronica let out a deep sigh.
Anna:hmm? whats wrong?
"Oh...it's nothing...I'm just glad your ok." She lied.
The flashbacks started up and what Veronica saw was someone getting killed by Xana. It pained her to see it happen, she felt like a rock was being lodged in her stomach and that pain just welled up inside. She didn't want to see it. Veronica quickly closed her eyes then opened them again to end the flashbacks. She couldn't tell Anna what was wrong or why, too afraid of filling her head with things that would scare her. She had no choice but to lie.
"Could you let go of me please? Your squeezing to hard." Veronica asked.
Anna:of course. I'm sorry, I didn't know.
Veronica:Its ok. Don't worry about it.
"Hey!" Cindy whispered as she tapped Veronica's back. Come on..we gotta go...remember?
"Oh, right." Veronica whispered back. Anna, me and Cindy have something important to do. I'll see you later ok?
"Ok." responded Anna.
Cindy and Veronica left the room and went to Cindys room. There Cindy had to change Veronica's bandage.
Cindy:why did you lie to Anna like that?
Veronica:what do you mean?
Cindy:you know what I mean. I heard it in your voice.
Veronica:What other choice did I have? I had to..I had a flashback...Xana killed someone...taking his anger out on someone who was completely innocent...blood and guts flying everywhere...I couldn't tell her that...It would nearly scare her to death and possibly give her nightmares...I don't want to tell her something like that..
Cindy:well you didn't have to lie to her about it though. You could have just told her that you were having bad thoughts.
Veronica:Your missing the point! Anna's just a little kid, little kids like to ask questions. If told her anything about it then she would keep asking me more and more about it then i would have no choice but to tell her. And I should know because Tails used to ask me questions all the time...and a lot of them had answers that he didn't even need to know about.
Cindy:well i guess you have a point there. So how did you manage to get around telling him the answers to those questions anyway?
Veronica:Well, at first I tried to use that excuse"I'll tell you when your older." but some of the time when I told him that he would usually end up throwing a fit just because I wouldn't tell him, so I ended up having to lie to him, soon enough I got tired of lying to him so I had to threaten him a little and say something like "keep asking me and I might just rip your mouth out" or "If I tell you and you start having nightmares then don't come crying to me." That pretty much kept him quiet.
Cindy:I see. I guess sometimes threatening will get someone to keep their mouth shut.
Veronica:mm-hmm. Exactly.
Later they had landed on a planet.
Tails:hm...seems kind of deserted...can you feel anything?
Veronica:hm...I feel it, dark forces are trying to take over...a dark void...I'm getting a feeling...that dark cold feeling of being sucked into it...never knowing where you'll end up...never knowing if you'll come out alive or not...*trembles*
Mika:how are we supposed to handle a void?
Veronica:I--I don't even know anymore...
Silva:wow, that's a first. Usually you would know before we even got to the situation.
Cindy:Don't worry, we'll figure out something.
They all left the ship and went looking around.
Anna:uhh...guys...i think there's something in the bushes over there.
Cosmo:it might be someone who lives here.
Espio:don't be so sure of that, it could be a possibility of things. It could be a meterex, or someone could be setting us up for a trap.
Veronica:I guess there's only one way to find out.
She threw a kunia into the moving bush and out jumped a elfin like creature, running away feeling threatened. It looked back for only a second then tripped over a rock. Espio and Veronica ran over to him and helped him up.
Espio:are you oK?
Veronica:I'm so sorry. We thought you were somebody else...
It's quiet alright. But you really had me worried there, I thought you all were those meterex things. They're the cause of this black hole. That thing swallowed up my son. I have a feeling I might not ever see him again.
Veronica:don't worry...I'll find him...You can count on it!
Espio:are you sure you want to? You might not come back...You probably shouldn't, not in the condition your in.
Suddenly Veronica perked her ears up and heard something unusual. She jumped up and landed on a tree branch ever so gracefully skilled so that it wouldn't snap.
Everyone get away from here! That void is coming our way!
Everyone started to run but suddenly that void popped out of nowhere and started to suck everyone in. Cosmo and Anna were the first two to get sucked in, Amy was the next.
Veronica:Amy! Ok! that's it! I'm not letting that thing take anyone else!
She started to go after them but was held back by Silva and Mika.
Silva:Don't go in there!
"I don't care! Just Let me go!" Veronica snapped as she fought to try and get free of their grip.
Suddenly there was a scream, she looked straigt forward and saw Krystal being sucked in.
"No! Krystal!!!" Veronica cried out as she watched.
She finally managed to get free of their grip and ran towards the void. Cindy chased after her and they both got sucked in. Inside the void was a barrier like prison. and the girls were trapped in it. Veronica wanted to find a way out so she started punching at the wall of the barrier and wouldn't stop.
Cindy:just stop it. Theirs no way to break through the barrier. Theirs noting we can do.
Veronica:DON'T SAY THAT! Theirs got to be a way out! We will get out of here...I'll find a way...
Cosmo:Just give up...Lets just face it....were trapped...
"No, I won't give up! I'll die trying if I have to!" Veronica snapped at Cosmo still punching at the wall.
(Maybe she's right...what if there is no way out?...Oh what am I saying? I should be looking on the brighter side of things...but it's so hard to when your letting fear get the better of you...I think it's time I stopped acting like a defenseless child and started acting like a fighter...) Krystal thought to herself. She stood up and pulled out a spiked mallet "Maybe she's right, maybe there is a way out. If we all attack at the wall at once then we might be able to get out of here."
Amy:hm, you might actually be on to something there. I think we should try it.
Cindy:well we can, but I'm not so sure Anna and Cosmo are able to.
"Well I guess we could let Anna give it a try but somehow I have a feeling that her sword might shatter trying to break the barrier, but it's worth a shot." Veronica said as she came toward them pulling out Anna's sword by magic. "Here Anna, catch!"
Cosmo:are you sure its ok for her to use that? What if she hurts herself?
Veronica:Oh I wouldn't worry. She's used it before, after all, I designed and created it. Its perfectly safe.
Cosmo:but how can you be so sure? I mean what if`---
"Cosmo, Just trust me." Veronica said calmly, cutting Cosmo off she grabbed her hand and gently stroked it. Now come on! Lets get out of here!
They all lined up at the wall with their weapons ready and at the count of three they all attacked at once. It took a minute or two and finally there was the sound of glass shattering, the barrier had broke and they were free.
Cindy:Alright, we did it! Awesome job guys!
Anna:aw, my sword shattered...
Cosmo:your not hurt are you?
Anna:i don't think so...
"I thought that might happen, Its a good thing I'm here or else you probably would of gotten hurt. I was shielding you the whole time, because I would just hate it if something were to happen to you." Veronica told her as she examined the shards of the broken sword.
"So I guess I can't use anymore weapons, huh?..." Anna asked disappointedly
"Hey, don't worry about it. I can always make you a new one, that is, if you want me to." Veronica told Anna as she leveled herself in Anna's height and rubbed her head.
Suddenly there was a scream that could be heard from a distance.
"Shh..listen, did you hear that?...that must of been the little boy we're supposed to be looking for.." Veronica said as she got everyone's attention and perked her ears up.
Cindy:We? I thought you said that you were going to go look for him yourself...
Veronica:well it looks like were all stuck in here so i guess that WE should go look for him...*sigh*...truth is...I never wanted to go looking for him alone...Besides what if something were to happen to me...I may never come back...I feel like I could tell you guys anything right now...I'm not that strong...not in this condition that I'm in now...just one critical hit...and...it could be all over...Normally critical hits don't bother me as much...but...I've been so messed up lately...that just one critical hit could take me down in an instant...
Cindy:but wait, didn't you say that you wouldn't get hurt as much if you were in your robot body.
"True I did say that, but...now I'm not even sure anymore...I just feel like...Like everything's becoming too difficult...and I just feel...so unsure...I could attack you guys at any moment...just not knowing when it will happen is what worries me the most..."
They heard the scream a second time.
Cindy:enough chit-chat lets go!
The girls ran out of the barrier and soon enough they found a meterex holding the little elfin boy up against the wall. causing him scream.
"Just hold still, this won't take long..." The meterex told the boy.
"Nooo!!! Let me go!!" The elfin boy cried out as he struggled to try and get free of the meterex's grip.
"Hurricane winds!" Cindy's voice echoed out as she performed an attack that knocked the Meterex off his feet and caused him to fall to the ground.
Cindy quickly rushed over to the elfin boy and picked him up and got him away from the meterex before he had the chance to do anything to him.
Here V, take him and try and find a way out of here.
"Give me the boy!" The meterex shouted as he came charging at Veronica.
She thought it was over because he had a staff that was pointed straight at her, she stood there with her eyes closed and waited for it to stab her through the heart but nothing happened. Suddenly she opened her eyes to find Krystal standing in front of her with a staff of her own blocking off the attack of the meterex.
Krystal:get out of here you guys! you have to find a way out!
Veronica:but what about you?
"Don't worry about me! I'll hold him off for as long as I can! Just try and find a way out! Besides, you can't afford to take a critical hit. So just go!" Krystal responded, somewhat struggling to force the meterex backwards.
Amy:I'll stay and help her you guys go! Come on Krystal! lets double team him! We'll catch up with you guys later!
Cindy, Cosmo, Anna, and Veronica managed to get away from this area and kept running until there was nothing ahead of them.
Cindy:can you see anything? is there an opening somewhere? Something that will lead us out of here?
"No,..nothing..." Veronica responded as she shook her head. "I'm looking in every direction and there's still nothing that will lead us out...then again...if we can't find a way out, then I'll just have to make one!
Veronica put the child down, ran over to one of the walls and pulled her arm cannon out, loaded it up, and fired it. But nothing happened.
Veronica:shoot! no good...the walls of this void are extremely hard to break...but they shouldn't be...Should they?...
Cosmo:Well maybe theres a certain way to get out. Maybe if we defeat the meterex, then maybe we can get out of here, its possible.
Anna:I've heard about something like that. It was in a movie i think, this guy and this girl got trapped in some weird world. And the only way to escape it is if they defeat the person who created it. But in the end...the boy got killed trying to protect the girl that he was with.
Veronica:you saw that movie too? That was so sad when he died! I swear I couldn't stop crying.
Anna:I know, me too. I cried so much that I put myself to sleep. It was a good movie though. That guy risked his life to save his love. It's sweet but sad.
Veronica:I know! If I were that guy, I would do the exact same thing...
Cindy:would you two knock it off? we have to find a way out of here remember?...
Veronica:sorry, just trying to capture the moment here...
Cindy:well you guys can do that later. But right now we have more important things to worry about. Maybe if we attack at the wall together like we did in the barrier then we might be able to get out. What do you think?
Anna:that sounds like a good idea.
Veronica:alright, lets try it.
Once again the got close to the wall. Veronica with her arm cannon and Cindy performing her attack "Hurricane Winds". But nothing happened.
"Still no good huh?" The little elfin boy spoke up.
"Huh?"
"That scary robot guy who was trying to hurt me earlier. He said that the only way to destroy this thing was if someone were to destroy him."
Veronica walked over to him and got leveled in his height and put her hand on his shoulder.
"Did he actually mean to tell you this? and if he did, then why?" She questioned him.
"I don't think he actually meant to. But I think he was talking to himself when he said it, but he was talking out loud." He responded. "By the way I'm Yoichi."
"Well Yoichi, Its obvious that hes not very smart. But the information that he gave away can really help us right now. And I have a plan."
Cindy:Oh good...you finally have a plan..I was getting worried...
Veronica:I feel a major disturbance in the distance...somethings not right here...
Suddenly Cosmos communicator watch went off. She pressed a button and Amy appeared on it.
Amy:you guys need to get over here now! its serious! I'll explain more later! just hurry up and get over here as fast as you can! Please, I need you guys more than ever right now!
Cosmo:don't worry Amy, we're coming!
They back-tracked there steps and went to the place where they had first encountered the meterex. Once they got there they found Amy sitting on the ground and next to her was Krystal laying there with her eyes closed.
Cosmo:what is it Amy?
Amy:It's Krystal...shes not waking up...I tried calling out to her..but nothing...
Cindy:what happened?
Amy:I'm not sure, but we were fighting that freak and the next thing i know, she's just laying here.
Veronica got on her knees and put her ear against Krystal's chest to see if her heart was still beating.
She's...She's gone...But...she just can't be...Please Krystal,..Wake Up!...wake up...no, no, no...this is all my fault...I never should of left her...I should of stayed and helped...
Cosmo:it's not your fault...it's no ones...none of us knew this would happen...
But...we just can't loose her!...Please come back to us Krystal...why?...of all people...why did it have to be her?...She never did anything wrong...she was the nicest, sweetest person I've ever met...
Suddenly they could hear someone laughing. The meterex appeared out of nowhere with a glowing object in his hand.
Yes at last, I have the energy of a pure heart crystal! Now I'll be able to make this void even stronger! and soon nothing will stop it!
"You! Your the cause of this?!" Veronica growled, giving him a glare of death.
Oh how correct you are! Just wait till i have full power there will be nothing you can do to stop me!
"Ok, I've had it! I'm sick and tired of freaks like you who try to destroy everything and take away peoples lives! It's not right! Almost everyday of my life, I've always had to watch someone die! And it's painful to have to sit there and be forced to watch it happen. So just stop! I just want my friend back..." Veronica told him staring at the ground. She pulled out her arm cannon and started to load it up.
Ha! you think that pleading will get me to stop?!
Don't~force me~to shoot...I'll do it!...and when I do...you'll be sorry...
"Do you honestly think that your little cannon can stop me?" He asked as started to come a little closer with his staff pointed straight at her.
"Stay away from me!...I'm warning you!..."
Suddenly instead of firing her cannon she put it away and knelt down with both of her arms crossed over her face revealing rocket missiles on the inside of them, just ready to be launched and fired at him.
"One more step...and I'll fire them!" She warned.
She fired them anyway and they were all a direct hit. Though the meterex was injured he was still standing. There was smoke everywhere no one could see anything for a moment. Soon the smoke started to clear up and there were suddenly two figures attacking one big figure.
(Huh? Is that who I think it is?) Cindy thought to herself.
The smoke cleared up some more and now the figures could be seen more clearly now. Veronica lifted her head up and saw Luna and Rec attacking the meterex and got up.
Luna, Rec?...are they really here?...or...is it a dream?...whats going on?..
The meterex pushed Luna and Rec off of him and mimicked Veronica's attack and sent rocket missiles at her. She tried to do a back flip to dodge them but lost balance and fell to the ground. Missiles still coming at her, she thought it was over. She sat there and waited for them to hit her.
(Oh man! this is it!...I'm finished!) She thought to herself, closing her eyes and shielding them with her arm so that she would see nothing even if she opened her eyes.
She opened her eyes and peeked a little to find out why the missiles were being delayed, and there standing in front of her was Rec blowing them up with Light Magic.
Rec:Get away from here now, while you still have the chance!
(Rec...you saved me again...) Veronica thought to herself.
Luna and Rec double teamed the meterex and Luna managed to get the heart crystal from him by using a special sneak method.
Rec:Hey! over here you buffoon! come and chase me!
"How dare you call me such a name!" The meterex shouted out as he chased after Rec.
Luna walked over to Krystal.
Veronica:Luna...What are you?...
Luna:hmph...shut up...I'm saving you and your friend...but this is a one time only that I'm helping you...so don't thank me...
She let go of the heart crystal and let it fade into Krystal's chest.
"There, happy now?" Luna asked Veronica not even taking a glance at her.
Veronica got up and ran over to Krystal and gripped her hand and started to gently stroke it.
"Krystal,...Can you hear me?" Veronica whispered calmly to her.
Krystal opened her eyes to find everyone staring at her.
"What...happened?..." Krystal asked rubbing the back of her head.
Veronica:oh thank goodness...
Everyone started to get emotional and told her what had happened. Luna just stood there with her back turned and her arms crossed. She took a glance at Veronica.
Luna:(stupid brat...always caring for others...such a good kid...why do I have to hate her this way?...I just wish I could tell her how proud I am of her...she doesn't give up even in the worst times...) *sigh*...
Though she didn't show it, deep down she was crying with joy she smiled ever so lightly that no one could tell what her true expression was, but it only lasted for a moment. Rec came running back to them.
Rec:quickly everyone! we need to get out of here!
He opened up a portal and everyone rushed out. Once they were out they were greeted by Sonic and the others.
"Yoichi!" the Elfin man cried out as he ran towards the small boy.
"Dad!" Yochi cried running toward him.
Sonic:You found Toru's son?
Veronica:Just like I said I would. But...I couldn't of done it without the help of my friends...and the help of Luna and Rec...they're the ones who really helped us out a lot...
Luna:hmph....like I said...Don't thank me...Come on Rec...Lets blow this pop stand...
Luna started to walk away, not even once looking back. Rec followed after her.
"Luna, where are you going?...Don't leave yet!" Veronica cried out.
She started to go after her but was held back by Sonic.
"Just let em go..."Sonic told her.
"Bye then...I guess..."She whispered softly. (I wish I could thank her with her rejecting it...I'm just glad to know that she came when I needed her the most...and Rec too...even though their not on our side...I'm just glad to know that they were able to help us...And Amy...thank you, I feel better today because you weren't being so mean to me like you usually are...Thank you so much...) She thought to herself.
Later there was a celebration of the destruction of the void and they stayed there for a while and got to enjoy themselves and eventually left on the blue typhoon. Everyone went to bed for they were exhausted. Meanwhile...
Luna:Did you even see how she was earlier?...back in that barrier...She refused to give up trying to find a way out of there...the words she said...you have to admit that the kid has guts...she'll pretty much die trying if she has to...only problem is..she can't die...I have so many things I want to tell her...
Xepher:then why don't you just tell her?...
Luna:I just can't...I don't know why...But I just can't seem to do it...
Xepher:don't worry, you'll be able to tell her...someday...