Jade woke early to watch the sun rise. She got up on the roof easily but she wasn't completely sure how to get down now. Should she slide down? Jump down? She would worry about it when she had to get down but for now she enjoyed the sun paint the sky in a wide variety of pinks and blues and watched the sun chase away the dark demons in heaven.

Charmy flew up to the roof with her, his eyelids still heavy with sleep. Jade smiled as he sat next to her. "You're up early." He noted.

"I'm always up early. Me and my brothers used to all watch the sunrise together." Well, actually, Master Zik and I would watch the sunrise. She wasn't going to tell him that, though. She was still wary of them. They could be working for Eggman for all she knew, or someone even worse than him.

"Why are you up so early?" She asked him after a long moment.

"I couldn't sleep. I just kept thinking about how worried your family must be."

Yes. How worried were they? Did they attack Eggman already? Were they about to wreak havoc on the earth? Or were they in the Hex now trying to find her up there? She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The air was different here than on the Hex. It seemed dirtier and more constricted. But the people here were used to air like this. She wondered what they would think of the air on the Hex if it were ever discovered again.

Vector and Espio found them on the roof when the sun was high in the sky. "Lets go, you two!" Vector called.

Charmy was fully awake by that time and flew down to his friends. Jade followed him down, trying her best to carefully maneuver off the roof. It ended with her ankle twisting in a way a human leg shouldn't be able to twist. Immediately after her cry she felt a warm feeling, as if two hands embraced her ankle.

Alarmed, the three boys ran to her. "I'll be okay in an hour." She explained to them.

Everyone knew they didn't have that kind of time. Vector insisted on carrying her. She rode on his back while her ankle grew warmer and warmer.

"So it'll only take an hour for your ankle to get better?" Charmy asked as they walked through the forest.

"Yeah, that's right. It's because of the Chaos Emerald. It's trying to protect itself and the best way to protect itself is to protect its host."

"I didn't even know Chaos Emeralds had a mind of their own." Vector shifted her a bit. She found out he often favored his left side rather than his right.

"It's a theory me and my big brother had, Vector. We don't really know for sure but I think they do. It seems impossible but if they're apart of the earth why wouldn't they?"

Espio made a 'hmmm' noise. "That's not unrealistic…it makes sense, I guess."

Sonic could tell Zavok still felt uncomfortable flying in the air. How did he get off the Hex without flying? He would ask at a later time, when Zavok wasn't so moody. If there ever was a time he wasn't moody.

"The Southern Isles is a beautiful place!" Tails hadn't stopped talking since they took off. "It's full of fish and all sorts of exotic creatures and there's an underwater volcano-"

"Won't it erupt?" Sonic asked.

"Oh no, it's been long dormant. The last eruption was thousands of years ago. Besides if it did interrupt it would just slowly create a new island."

They flew over forests and eventually over a meadow. The plane tilted thanks from Zavok looking over the edge.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Sonic tried pulling him over toward the middle. "You're too top heavy!"

"I think I see Jade." He muttered. Sonic looked over his shoulder and, indeed, he saw a familiar red head being carried by an alligator.

"Tails, land there!" Sonic shouted.

"Got it!" Tails landed on the other side of the meadow. The sound forced the group of four to stop in their tracks and let Tails land.

The young girls face lit up. "Big brother!" She squirmed out of Vectors grip and hobbled over to the plane. Tails shut off the propeller while Zavok jumped off. When she caught up with him she hugged him tightly. It was a sight that warmed Sonic's heart.

"Sonic!" She climbed on the plane and hugged him tightly too. She was stronger than the last time he saw her and she was a lot stronger than she looked.

"Air, air!" Sonic chocked out.

"Sorry." Jade blushed in embarrassment and laughed at herself. "I still don't know my own strength." She admitted. The last person she hugged was Tails. They muttered something to each other but Sonic couldn't hear.

"This is your brother?" The bee boy asked, getting into Zavok's face.

"Yes. Big Brother, these three helped me. Espio, Vector, Charmy, this is my Big Brother, Zavok. He's one of five."

"He looks like a demon." Vector whispered to Sonic.

"He has the manners of one too. How Jade turned out the way she did is beyond my understanding." Sonic whispered back attempting to hold back a laugh. Vector couldn't hold in his laughter for a moment.

Zavok felt a strange stirring in his chest. Joy is what Jade called it. Zavok would rather call it relief. He was relieved Jade wasn't too badly hurt. She insisted the sprained ankle was from a fall she caused herself and he was reluctant to believe her story but he let it go. It would heal soon enough. Jade's eyes, which were usually a perfect grassy-green, were a clouded grey that reminded him of a coming storm.

She was overwhelmed with emotions too. She loved seeing her friends again but she was overjoyed when she saw and heard that their family hadn't contemplated destroying the world…yet.

"If you don't mind, Big Brother," she said while they sat in the grassy field surrounded by trees. "I want to stay here a little longer and help them collect the Chaos Emeralds." Zavok wanted to object but she could sense it before he could get the words out. "If I go home I'm an easy target for Eggman. Why would I go to a place he knows where to find me? A moving target is a hard target, isn't that was Master Zik would say?"

Zavok nearly laughed. When did she become wise like Master Zik? "I guess you're right. Well then, I'll be right here with you. I'll protect you from Eggman."

Her smile was contagious, as Zik would say. Her smile could chase the darkness out of almost any heart. How could Eggman be so cruel as to try and harm someone as harmless as this girl?

"You're smiling, Big Brother."

He huffed and growled at her. This would make her run away when she was little but now she only laughed at him.

"Hey guys, you ready?" Sonic called.

The two slowly stood and walked to the plane.

"What's gonna happen to you guys?" Tails asked as Zavok helped Jade board the passenger seat of the plane.

"Our job is done. I guess we'll go home." Vector said.

"You mean you guys aren't coming with us?" Jade almost sounded disappointed. "Come on! It'll be fun!"

"She's right." Sonic said. "If something happens then at least we'll have some extra back up and we'll need that."

Zavok didn't feel comfortable having more people come along.

"One problem, guys, I can't take any more people on the plane." Tails frowned.

"We'll meet you guys there." Vector said. "Go on ahead."

"Sonic you should go with them." Tails had both hands on one of the propellers.

"Why?"

"I would usually carry four people at a time, that includes the driver, but with Zavok being so heavy I can only carry us three. Sorry, Sonic, but I don't think Zavok will leave his sister behind."

Sister…the word seemed odd coming from someone else's mouth. Even the Zeti hardly used the word. The only other time he heard it was from Zazz or Zomom. Once Zeena whispered the word and Zor said it only when he was extremely upset and Jade had finally calmed him down. The word was something they said only in their most vulnerable state.

Sonic looked like he wanted to object but instead he sighed. "Fine."

Tails started the propeller. Zavok climbed to the top of the plane and positioned himself in the middle so he wouldn't tip the plane as it took off.