Kharis screamed, tears running down her cheeks as another wave of electrifying energy ravaged its way through her body. She had screamed so much that no longer did any sound emerge, just specks of blood. In the far reaches of her mind, Kharis could hear Shadow screaming her name as she flickered in and out of consciousness.
Dr. Robotnik laughed as he watched her misery inside his prison tank, wires and tubes jammed into various parts of her body to track her energy readings and vitals. A mask was secured around her nose and mouth as the tank was filled with bio chemicals that enhanced the energies of the chaos emeralds he had in his possession.
Today truly was his lucky day! He had tricked that foolish Guardian, had a second hostage so that pesky blue rodent won't be trying anything hasty, and now he had all of the Chaos Emeralds at his disposal.
Well...almost all of them, they were on their way to retrieve Lucky and the final Emerald right now. With a swish of his large form and a twist of his carefully combed mustache, Dr. Robotnik sauntered off back to the control deck. Humming a happy tune to the whirring machines that fed the power of Emeralds he had secured on deck to the machines in the room connected to his...guest...and the angrily yet weakly pulsing Heart.
For months his plans had been ruined time and time again by that blasted rodent and his friends, and this woman was never to far from them either to give her own brand of annoyance. He had kept a spy drone trained on her after he had first met her, and was giddy when he found she housed the Royal family! He had thought them dead years ago after that blasted light that had sent him and Sonic away to the other side of Mobius.
Dr. Robotnik did notice her growing parental affections for the young fox kit, and vice versa. He often saw the impudent child spending the nights with her after the first few weeks of their meeting, though he was never able to hear what went on inside the deluxe apartment suite itself.
The fact he could mentally damage that brat that dared to call himself a genius compared to the Doctors own superior intellect just made it all the more satisfying! Though he would admit he was glad she had stopped that annoying screaming of hers, it was ruining his beauty sleep.
"BREATHE KHARIS..YOU HAVE GOT TO BREATHE!" Shadow cried desperately from the back of her mind, the faint feeling of his gloved hands on her shoulders flashing in and out. She was flickering between the world of the conscious and that of unconscious, the pain enough to keep her awake even though her brain demanded the relief that passing out would bring.
Her whole body burned, she could feel her organs twisting and reshaping inside her. Her bones snapping and dismantling themselves as her skin felt like it was being peeled from her very muscles. One moment she could feel her body, the next she wished so desperately it would just end!
She tried to focus on Shadow, tried to smile at him in what she fleetingly thought was reassurance, but his shining Ruby eyes were so filled with pain that she knew he was being haunted by his past again.
Again he was left helpless while someone he cared for was in pain. Well, perhaps that was her only wishing again, that he cared for her to such a degree, but at that moment she didn't doubt it for a second, one could not fake the level of emotion he was expressing.
But it wasn't to last, those gentle thoughts, as her body caved in on itself yet seemed to explode at the same time as blood leaked from her eyes like tears. The Heart, now fully matured and at full size glowed one last time with its beautiful clear light, shined one last time with the colors of a mesmerizing rainbow...before darkened and became dull and clouded.
The Mobian floated lifeless in the tank now, shortened down to a vulnerable 4'. Soft brown fur covered her unclothed body as the shredded remains of her previous garments floated in pieces around her.
She had a peach fur muzzle, peach torso that lightly graced the top of the swell of her breasts and her hair was still the same length, although it had taken on a darker chocolate color then her previous medium brunette.
But that wasn't the most startling changes the young 23 year old went through. In place of her normal ears were two long rabbit ears similar to ones found on a Cashmere Lop bunny, beginning on the sides of her head and reached just a bit shy of her waist. They were the same color as her fur and the same color as the sleek cats tail that protruded from her backside.
Shadow stared, the unconscious Mobian laid unmoving with her head in his lap. How many hours had he been forced to stand by as she was tortured in the waking world? She, who was once a normal human woman for the most part was now smaller, more fragile and was a Mobian creature like him.
Her form had finally solidified here in the White Void, meaning her mind had finally shut down. But still she laid unmoving, her eyes closed though her body still twitched in spasms of pain every now and then even there.
His eyes pointedly stayed off her bare form, knowing she would feel very scared and exposed even though the soft fur that covered her new body hid anything of an embarrassing nature. Such as it did with him, clad only with his limiters, gloves, socks and shoes.
The Heart laid beside him, dark and dull without its usual soft glow and clear form. Even though she had shrank in height, she was still taller than him. Often he cursed this small body he held, but knew he could not change this created body of his until he to was in the waking world.
So as he pondered the ways to try and change his immortal teenaged body, he idly ran his hands, now ungloved through her short hair. Her fur was almost mesmerizingly soft, and despite the foul stench of the liquid she had been incased in lingering around, her fur was pristine and dry and her natural smell broke through.
What concerned him most was what was happening to her body back in the real world.
"Mark my words...once I am released...I will find you Kharis...and I will not allow anyone else to harm what is mine ever again....this I do so solemnly swear.." He murmured darkly, bending down to nuzzle and kiss her forehead.
Back in reality Robotnik had fled as Sonic, in his Super Form, had destroyed his Robot after that little brat had taken out the Chaos Emeralds that had powered it. The resulting Chaos Control brought Angel Island and Mystic Ruins to this world instead of sending them home as Knuckles had thought.
Everyone was hurt badly that had been caught in the battle, Chris had been hospitalized for a few weeks and so was Sonic, though after the first few days he freaked out about being cooped up and dashed off.
He also said something about needing at least a dozen Chilidogs as the stubborn Ella had refused to make them while he was recuperating.
Though Sonic had at least the dignity to return for his Mother and siblings, and often swung by to visit Chris. The heavy air didn't disappear. The reason for that was the strange naked Mobian woman they found in a stasis tank in the remains of Eggman's robot.
Chuck and Tails ran a DNA test on the woman, after Ella had cleaned and dressed the strange hybrid. Something hadn't set right with them, and Tails recognized her scent beneath the burning scent of chemicals. Despite the disbelief of the results, they proved she was indeed Kharis.
They also recovered the Heart, leaving it on a small pillow beside the bed. It took a few days before she finally awoke to tearful eyes and joyful celebrations, the recovered Chris joining in as well and Tails never found more than 5 feet from her.
It took Kharis some time to get used to her new body, having to relearn how to walk and such. Her ears allowed her to hear everything with such a clarity she felt it was unreal, and her eyesight was far better than even 20/20. Cream became another companion glued to her side, the tiny bunny feeling more comfortable around the rabbit, cat hybrid.
Soon after Amy went to stay at a small apartment with Chris's mom, the woman wanting to know more about her sons little friends and oblivious to the horrors he had so recently faced. The woman was in town for a quick movie shoot after all, and tending to her whims was her specialty.
The Royal Family plus Kharis officially moved into their new home, Kharis being supported lightly by the Queen. Kharis could have cried, seeing the blooming Camellias- 'Pink Perfections'- growing in thick, tight bushes around the front of the mansion. She had only mentioned her favorite flower in light passing to Sonia and Manic!
Sonic stayed on and off with them, having his own room at the Mansion but preferring to stay mostly with Chris. Cream stayed at the Thorndike mansion as well, though Tails was more often at Kharis' home.
Queen Aleena picked up from her lessons, though the new body Kharis had obtained came with a perfected posture as the bone structure and muscle strength was naturally stronger and more upright than a humans. So instead of teaching posture still, Aleena shifted it to maintaining the posture.
It was one night when they were all together that Kharis voiced her concerns shakily over dinner.
"Will I ever be able to return to being human...?" She questioned, and everyone lowered their heads. "I think so, though I have never heard of a human becoming a Mobian or vice versa..." Aleena stated softly, trying to help give Kharis a glimmer of hope.
"I know you've been trying to a lot lately, every time you meditate..." Manic began. "...but maybe your trying to hard? I think this form is a part of you now, just like how being human is a part of you. Your trying so hard to return to something that you never really stopped being." Sonia finished. She had studied quiet a bit from both her mother and the Oracle after Mobotropolis had been freed, so she had a bit of an understanding on the ways of magic.
The others spoke up to, voicing their agreements and encouragement to the young woman. "Thank you..everyone. I don't know what I would do without you." Kharis stated, smiling a true smile in what felt like an eternity.
The Heart eventually took back on its original clear, colorless form and shined softly. The Queen informed Kharis that the reason was because the Heart was spiritually, and physically, linked to the heart beating in her chest and as such responded to her emotions and spirit.
Added to her lessons now, Kharis began to train on how to use the mysterious powers of her Diamond Heart and was able to return to her original human form, much to her relief. Through another month of training Kharis could almost seamlessly transform from one form to the other with minimal pains.
The only other sad thing was that Kharis had been removed from her previous job completely, leaving her jobless and completely dependent on the Government and the Royal family's kindness, and the prior had already failed her before.
This left her time to wander aimlessly through the woods on their land, sit in the flower gardens to think, or curl up by the fireside to read. Sometimes to herself, sometimes to Tails.
Many would have been thought this as heaven, but all she felt like was a burden. So she studied harder than ever through the Queen's lessons, and spoke to Shadow more often then before, much to their joy.
She even read books to him, when she could get them to appear with her. Shadow had changed after her near death experience, staying close to her and always touching her in some way, whether he was laying his head in her lap or vice versa. She wasn't sure why he began to act so, though she often saw him contemplating- really it seemed more like brooding- over her Diamond Heart when he asked to hold it.
But that was all before Shadow disappeared from the White Abyss.