Yay for momentary lapse of writer's block! ^^ This chapter was intended to explain the reasoning for the severe difference between the way Femur's parents treat and regard her from the end of For an Emerald and this...but it ended up also having a flashback of Femur's childhood and a regretful Masa. Wow...nothing I write can be happy lately, huh? Well, at least this is the long chapter I promised that Obsession wasn't. Hopefully you all enjoy this even if it isn't very happy ^^;. Enjoy! And read and review, too!
"Femur?" Masa asked as he looked up at his guardian from the bottom of the shrine, she hadn't spoken or moved since sitting atop the emerald that was his true form after blasting her father and uncle off the island...the problem was that it had been over seventy-two hours ago.
"...I don't really have any right to be angry with them, do I?" The question came out sad with a soft sigh as the girl finally looked at her charge. While her silence had worried him the undead girl's response worried him more, the hybrid was never one to question herself or her emotions.
"Why do you say that?" The echidna asked as he appeared beside his true form, looking up at her.
"Think about what I am Masa..." Femur said softly, the much older being confused.
"You're the hybrid Guardian of Angel Island." He stated, the girl nodding.
"Exactly...the UNDEAD, hybrid Guardian. I can never leave this island, no matter how much I may want to...I'll out live not only my parents, but my younger brother and his children as well. I'll eventually outlive everyone, until...they don't recognise me anymore; forget about this island and you as well..." The tanned male wasn't really sure how to react, he knew the peach girl as the type to hold a grudge but never stay sad for a long time or justify the people she was angry with.
"Does this...speech have a point?" He asked, still unable to understand.
"I'm not sure if you're able to...but imagine yourself a parent to such a person. You know your child will be left alone eventually...and can never leave the place they were born. They can never have a normal life, or friends no matter how much you want them to because any friends who can make it to where they live and befriend them the child will eventually have to watch them die. Wouldn't it be easier, then, if you left them and never returned...let them get used to the loneliness that would become their only companion?" Despite how hard the glowing eyed girl had tried to keep her voice straight, it had quickly broken with her emotion.
"You've been...thinking about this since you saw your father and uncle, haven't you?" Now the violet eyed boy understood...from the sound of it this was something that she had been thinking about for a long time, likely somewhat against her will. "...If all that is the case, then why did Sonic and Miles come visit now?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Femur asked, looking up into the night sky. "It's because Shadow asked them to...he understands loneliness in a different way than Mother does, and it's only because of him that Mother and Father are alive at all. They couldn't just say no."
"I see." And he really did, now. Masa understood what his guardian was thinking...and the thinking of her family, as well.
"They have Fang...so they'll be fine, even without me. He's only ten now, so it's probably very difficult for them to try and explain all this to him as well as why he can't return here. This world...I don't belong in it, I don't think I ever have. I was born dead, then you gave me life and though I'm very thankful for it...it means I will never leave this island, I will never stop protecting you. I'm not...someone that you'd want to remember as your child, I'm the Guardian of Angel Island and nothing more." The hybrid finally stretched, her bones and muscles aching from sitting still so long.
"Femur..." The echidna was about to apologise to her, for forcing her into this horrible life, only to be cut off by her as she gave a weak smile.
"I'm going to go get some food. Don't get stolen while I'm gone!" The girl dashed off before he could even say anything in response...though the boy sighed after a moment, he could have followed her as this projection could appear anywhere on the island but he knew she wanted to be alone now so he simply sat with his back against his true form.
"...Why don't you blame me Femur? Why do complain so much about your life but you never let me apologise for what I've made you?" Just because he'd been around her since she was born didn't mean he understood everything about the undead girl. She'd made more sense when she was younger, sharing all her thoughts with him...of course, as to be expected, there was a point when she argued her eventual duty.
~Masa's Flashback~
"It'll only be for a little while Femur, we'll be back before the sun comes down." Knuckles tried to calm her eight year old daughter, who was essentially throwing a temper tantrum.
"I wanna go to the mainland too!" Femur screamed, crying and stomping her feet...which was causing small earthquakes to rack the floating island. It was Fang's third birthday, and their mother was going to take him to Station Square where he'd spend the whole day with her and his father.
"Femur, you know you can't leave Angel Island." The red puncher reminded her daughter softly.
"We could get the Chaos Emeralds!" The undead girl persisted, causing her mother to sigh.
"That would only give you a few minutes at most. It wouldn't be worth it, and you'd only get angrier later." The guardian pointed out. "Besides, you're going to be the guardian of this island and the Master Emerald someday, this will be perfect training for you."
"Who says I wanna protect that stupid thing anyway?!" The little girl sobbed angrily, apparently having no problem protecting the island and just didn't want to protect the Master Emerald.
"I can hear you." Masa reminded the young girl as he appeared beside her, sounding slightly annoyed.
"Go away! You're not real!" She screamed at him, covering her ears and closing her eyes. Because Femur was the only one who could see the projection, Tails had managed to convince her parents that he was simply a creation of her mind as a side-effect from the stimulation of the Master Emerald...and the girl's parents had convinced her of the same, causing her to react pretty much the same whenever she saw or heard him.
"Just because you're the only one who can see me doesn't mean I don't exist young guardian." The green echidna stated with a sigh. Knuckles had gone to her ancestors upon finding out about the projection and had asked if any other guardian had seen such, the answer being a very clear no. The tanned boy could have told her that himself, if she could hear and see him...after all, little hybrid girl was the first to be able to see and hear the projection.
"Go away! I don't wanna you're guardian, let Fang do it! He wants to!" Great, now the girl's fit was fixed on him.
"Femur..." The violet eyed woman spoke softly, turning her child gently to face her again and pretending the girl hadn't yelled at 'nothing'. "You were born to be the next guardian, you can't just give that to Fang." The guardian herself explained calmly.
"But...but...I don't wanna! I don't wanna stay here forever!" The girl's display of anger had turned into true sobbing and sadness, revealing her true thoughts and wishes. She merely wished to leave the island, and for anyone else that wish would be possible. Masa looked away sadly, he felt he had no right to see her so sad when it was his fault to begin with.
"I know Femur...I'm sorry. So, so sorry." Knuckles held her daughter, letting her cry and beginning to cry silently herself. Fang stood off to the side, knowing despite his age when to let things be...he wouldn't bother them, not until his sister smiled again.
~End of Masa's Flashback~
Masa sighed again, memories filling him of the girl...of her sadness and hatred, that he had brought on by making her what she was.
"How do you say sorry to a girl...for allowing her to live?"
That flashback wasn't originally planned...but I didn't want to stop writing for fear of the writer's block coming back ^^; It does show a bit of Fang's relationship with Femur, though not much. Hope you all enjoyed, see you later!