REVERSE/REBIRTH: ESPIO'S TALE
??? © Kiba Sniper
Chapter Eight: Unexpected Reunion
Last time on Reverse/Rebirth:
Oracle and Erazor began planning a counterassault against Duskmon with Mewtwo as their weapon. Meanwhile, Espio entered the altered world where another terrible memory began to drag him back. As he tried to resist the darkness in his heart, he was attacked by a group of unknown creatures. The Hero of Darkness managed to fend them off, but was left for worse when Ganondorf emerged from the fray. The King of Evil taunted the dark chameleon for his treacherous heart and nearly pushed Espio over the edge. But with the unexpected help of Whisker, the Hero of Darkness managed to pull out a secret trump card.
The scene returns to the white halls of the basement floors in Castle Oblivion. At the end of the hall, the blank door opened to evacuate Espio from the previous memory. Judging by the fuming expression present on his face, he was still angry over Ganondorf's comments. What did that usurped king know about him? If anyone knew about Espio's heart, it would be himself. But even while trying to assure himself, there was the comment made by Mephiles.
"Your heart knows only how to betray." Mephiles repeated. "By throwing aside the light and darkness, you have become something that doesn't exist: a Nobody."
"I get it already!" Espio snapped. "You don't need to be telling me every five minutes!"
"I act as a mere reminder." Mephiles proclaimed. "You know there will come a time when you must decide between the light and the darkness. I am doing my part to make sure you choose the correct path."
"The last thing I need is your help." Espio seethed.
"That damn mutt...!" A new voice echoed. "I just wanted to get out of the rain and he throws me like a rag doll!"
Acting upon instinct, the Hero of Darkness summoned the Soul Eater to his hand and prepared himself for battle. If it was anything like Mewtwo, he needed to be prepared. But instead of seeing a black coat, Espio was greeted by the sight of a cloaked woman wearing a straw hat. He cloak and hat were dripping wet – she had recently come out of the rain. As she came down from the stairway, the unknown female and he dark chameleon gazed into one another's eyes. After a shared moment between them, Espio finally spoke, but with a sound of surprise mixed in his voice.
"And who are you supposed to be."
The female dropped her hat to reveal her true face. She was a female chameleon with soft-violet scales and a lock of deep-purple hair that touched her shoulders. She looked to be at least a year older than Espio and the resemblance between them was striking – they looked almost alike except the female did not have a horn.
"Espio, is that you?" The female whispered softly. "I can't believe it. After nine years, I finally found you." She looked at his appearance. "Wow, you look just like our dad when he was a kid."
"Who are you?" Espio repeated confused.
"I am Tomo the Chameleon." Tomo answered, tossing aside her hat. "Espio, I am your older sister."
Of all the things he was expecting, that was the last thing in Espio's mind. It was true that there was a distinct resemblance between them – even their eyes were the same shade of brilliant gold. But if that was true...
"You're...my sister?" Espio asked softly. "But...why didn't mom or dad mention anything about you?"
"It happened so long ago." Tomo explained. "I was born a year before you and we lived on a world called Soleanna. We lived peacefully for a few short years before the Heartless invaded the town and consumed the heart of the world. I don't know what happened after, but I was transported to another land by the Corridors of Darkness."
"The Corridors...of Darkness?" Espio repeated suspiciously.
"A pathway of darkness that interlinks between worlds." Tomo explained. "Because my heart was so strong, I was unexpected transported through the Corridors and arrived in a world called Babylon Garden. King Jet and Queen Wave raised me as their own child when the Court Wizard discovered me in the front lawn."
"But that can't be right." Espio thought. "The King is much younger than her. How could he possibly raise her?"
"Once the King told me that he had found you, I knew I needed to seek you out." Tomo continued. "I began using my own mode of transportation and began my hunt around the worlds. The last thing I remember was entering this castle before I was attacked and sent here."
"Now that you found me," Espio began. "What is it that you want?"
"I want to bring you home, Espio." Tomo sighed. "But what I need is to know if you are strong enough to leave the castle."
"What are you talking about?" Espio questioned.
"I can sense you're fear." Tomo said seriously. "Unlike you, I have lost all fear in my youth."
"Are you calling me a coward?" Espio growled.
"You are afraid of the dark." Tomo stated pointedly. "The darkness in your heart frightens you, now matter how much you try to deny it. You'll never make it out of the castle like that." Espio snarled lowly. "But I'm different. Unbeknownst to the King, I embraced the darkness. I can make it do whatever I want. And that proves I am the most powerful of the siblings."
"You're wrong." Espio glared. "Because you embrace the darkness, you are the weakest link."
"Then you won't mind as I wipe the floor with you." Tomo challenged.
Quick as a flash, the elder chameleon grasped the cloak and ripped it from her body. She wore grey slacks with black tiger stripes, red sleeveless shirt, grey boots with black straps, a grey vest, and white gloves with compartments. She wore her leaf headband around her neck, but with a large scratch cutting across it. As Espio raised the Soul Eater, Tomo reached behind her back and drew her katana.
Kunoichi Chameleon: Tomo
The chameleon twins charged ahead simultaneously and their blades formed sparks as they passed one another. The kunoichi warrior rebounded off the ground and jumped into the air over her younger brother. As he stopped, Espio swift twisted the Soul Eater in his hand and stabbed backwards as Tomo's katana came flying overhead. An echoing clang signaled that their swords had crossed again before Espio heard her soft footfalls. Reacting on instinct, the Hero of Darkness dropped on all fours, unknowingly dodging Tomo's katana and it flash above his head. Espio shot his foot up to his sister's face, hoping to catch her off guard. Unfortunately, Tomo's hand appeared out f nowhere and grabbed his ankle – she twisted him around and threw him across the hall.
"Not bad, little brother." Tomo complimented.
"I wasn't sitting on the beach twiddling my thumbs." Espio informed. "Ever since our parents died, I have been training to become the best warrior there is."
"An accomplishment that could be easily achieved." Mephiles stated.
"What the hell?!" Tomo screamed in surprise; she started swinging her sword at random. "Who's there?! If it's the grey mutt, I'll slaughter him!"
"She's a few fruits short of a salad." Mephiles chuckled.
"I guess you heard my very talkative shadow." Espio said dryly. "Consider yourself lucky. He's in a good mood."
"Trust me, I've seen stranger things." Tomo said.
Though they were currently in battle, Espio couldn't help feel warmer to his sister. However, his momentary distraction proved to get the better of him. The Hero of Darkness began to wonder what strange method Tomo was performing with the multitude of hand signs before expelling a fireball from her throat. Quick on the reaction, Espio kicked off the ground and connecting his free hand with the ceiling – he could feel the heat of the fireball close to his feet. When looking back to his sibling, he noticed that she performed the same signs and expelled another fireball from her maw. The dark chameleon transferred his Soul Eater to his tail and called forth three cards with his mind before releasing a Dark Firaga from his palm. The twin flames collided, but the power of Mephiles proved to be the superior force and consumed the orange flame. Sensing danger, Tomo snapped up her cloak from the ground and wrapped it around herself as the flame attacked. Espio dropped to the ground after regaining the Soul Eater in his hand.
"Is she all right?" Espio asked worried.
"What does it matter?" Mephiles said pleasingly. "You should be proud to accept the darkness in your heart."
"I did not accept the darkness!" Espio snapped.
"Aw, don't be such a spoilsport, Espio!"
When turning back to the sea of black flames, the dark fire had faded, but Tomo was nowhere to be seen. Instead, the cindered remains of her cloak were scattered across the polished floor. The Hero of Darkness raised his Soul Eater in defense, but suddenly found it jerked out of his hand. And before he could react, a sharp pain stabbed across his chest; follow by a sudden blow to the cheek. Espio skidded backwards on his feet before he realized what had happened – Tomo was invisible. This was to be expected as they were both from the same species. The dark chameleon could see his weapon resting idly on the floor, but he was not prepared to fall for his sister's trap. Instead, he closed off his sense of sight and focused his attention on his sense of hearing. And he wasn't alone on this endeavor.
"You certainly are an odd entity." Mephiles said quietly. "Perhaps I can provide some assistance."
All of a sudden, Espio could feel a rush of darkness flowing through his body. He suppressed the flow just enough to enhance his hearing, but to make sure Mephiles did not regain control. The effects were immediate. Espio could hear the footsteps of his invisible sister and noticed they were exceptionally close. With this, Espio firmed his hold on the Soul Eater and swiped the dark blade to his right, slashing against something that couldn't be seen. A second later, Tomo reappeared while holding her right shoulder, which was bleeding slightly.
"Hey, not bad, kid." Tomo nodded. "You're much better than I gave you credit for."
"Finally realizing that, are ya?" Espio smirked.
"Don't get ahead of yourself." Tomo said devilishly, forming another sign. "I always save the best tricks for later."
Chanting incoherently under her breath, the Kunochi Chameleon vanished from sight under the cover of smoke clouds. When the smoke parted, Espio was confronted but five Tomo's.
"Are you kidding me?" Espio groaned.
"I'll give her this much." Mephiles spoke impressively. "She has a certain flair."
Tomo smiled appreciatively at the compliment – Espio sneered. The five kunoichi drew their katana from their scabbards and jumped forward in multiple directions. While Espio blocked two swords at once, another chameleon clone kicked at the back of his legs and the remaining two punched him in the face. While falling backwards, the kunochi behind him latched her hand around his wrist and flung her brother over her shoulder. The dark chameleon wasn't even allowed the chance to get to his knees before one of the clones kicked him in the stomach and launched him into the air. As this happened, the rest of the brigade jumped over head and simultaneously slammed Espio into the floor, creating a wide indent.
"Great..." Espio moaned. "She is literally wiping the floor with me."
"At least this way, we can save on the cleaning bill." Mephiles joked.
"Not the best time!" Espio yelled.
"You should have seen this coming, little brother." The Tomo clones taunted together. "You are afraid to walk the darkness without your little night light. You need to grow up."
"Now would be the best time to let me take over." Mephiles tempted.
"Not a chance." Espio hissed, staggering to his feet. "I should just call the king into this."
"Do you think he would be willing to fight?" Mephiles questioned. "From what your sister has told you, she was raised by the feathered idiot. His personal feelings would interfere with the battle." Espio hand an involuntary twitch to his gauntlet. "And you little summonings won't help. Even Cynder is no match for this creature. You need me."
"I...but..." Espio stammered and sighed. "All right. But remember our deal: I remain in control."
"For now." Mephiles hissed.
Once again, the dark chameleon felt a familiar surge of strength and power coursing through his veins. The flow of darkness surrounded his body and reappeared as the Dark Suit. While Tomo was taken back by this new development, Espio held out his hand to the Soul Eater, which flew back into his palm. The five Tomo reacted immediately to the imminent threat and raised their blade for a counterstrike. However, this only proved to be in vein compared to Mephiles' powers. The Hero of Darkness collected three cards from his gauntlet, which he was certain he recharged on its own, and watched them fade into particles of light. All of a sudden, one of the kunoichi clones was thrusted backwards and vanished in a smoke cloud once a powerful dark aura surrounded him. The Hero of Darkness floated off the ground with his Soul Eater raised and rushed forward at the group. A majority of them managed to duck away, but one clone was unfortunate enough to fall victim to his blade.
"Nice little trick." Tomo glared as her brother passed.
"You haven't seen anything yet!" Espio shouted. "Witness the power of the Dark Aura!"
The dark chameleon dived into the wall and evaporated into a portal of darkness. Before Tomo could decipher his actions, she noticed that another one of her clones had been destroyed. A few moments later, the third clone was eliminated, shortly followed by the last one. Now she had a reason to fear. Looking to her left, Tomo caught sight of her brother escaping a portal of darkness with his blade held forward to strike. The Kunochi Chameleon swatted her katana to throw off her brother, but the playful smirk on his face must have meant that he had planned for it. The Hero of Darkness twisted in midair and stabbed the Soul Eater into the ground, creating a circle of light pillars around him. Tomo was hit by one of them.
"Argh!" Tomo hissed as she covered her eyes – her vision had become disoriented. "What did you do?!"
"A little insurance." Espio said wickedly. Tomo noticed that his voice seemed to mingle with Mephiles. "To make sure you don't try anything funny."
"Come on, at least give a girl a chance." Tomo winced.
"I could..." Espio murmured thoughtfully. "But I don't really see that relevant."
And before Tomo had the chance to react, the dark chameleon swatted his Soul Eater to the female's chin. Taking advantage to her weakened state, Espio whipped out another trio of cards and called for another Dark Firaga. The black inferno struck perfectly at Tomo's back and thrusted the kunochi to the stairs. As his Dark Suit faded from his body, Espio knew the battle had been won.
Tomo: Defeated
"Hey, what happened?" Espio smirked. "I thought I heard you were going to wipe the floor with me."
"I will admit that I took you for granted." Tomo shook. "But next time, I won't make the same mistake. I'll become faster and stronger until I know your not afraid of the darkness. So the next time we fight, you better be prepared."
"Aren't you going to help me in the castle?" Espio asked surprised.
"Please, I would never waste my time with a crybaby like you." Tomo sniggered.
"Who are you calling a crybaby?!" Espio snapped.
Espio jumped forward and slashed the Soul Eater across his sister's chest. But for some reason, he found resistance against his attack. He soon discovered it to be a barrier forged from pure darkness and was pushed back to the ground.
"You see, I've been holding back." Tomo proclaimed. "It's always a bonus to have the darkness on your side. You are so missing out. How could you be scared of something that can be so thrilling?"
"Maybe thrilling to someone who enjoys fighting senselessly." Espio sneered. "But I'm not so evil."
"You think the darkness is evil?" Tomo sniggered. "You've got a lot to learn about the real world, little brother." She turned in the direction of the stairway. "Anyway, I've got some business to handle. Don't miss me too much."
And with that, she charged up the stairs and out of sight.
"She's wrong..." Espio murmured. "I'm not a coward..."
Meanwhile, the scene alternates to the dark room of the Order members. Oracle, Erazor, and Mewtwo were standing stonily in the center of the room upon the jackal's call. Mewtwo questioned his partner nonstop for his reasons, but Erazor remained silent through the whole time. Suddenly, the Order members were attracted to the sudden sound of the doors to the room opening noisily and snapping shut. Tomo had somehow discovered the location of the members in record time and raised her katana in preparation to strike.
"So, did you enjoy your family reunion?" Oracle said coolly.
"It was a nice visit, but he was a bit spineless." Tomo said uneasily. "He was too afraid of the darkness to fully accept it. He did gain a bit of secret help, but I could see the fear in his eyes."
"Then you should be thanking me." Oracle said. "Due to my contributions, you were given the second chance to see you brother once more."
"You mean...?" Tomo questioned suspiciously. "You planned for me to see my brother again?"
"You see, we are not as bad as you may think." Oracle said persuasively. "In fact, we desire to help Espio. And he's not the only one. We were hoping that you could have your assistance in helping the Hero of Light."
"You mean Sonic." Tomo said, replacing her sword in its scabbard. "I've heard about him from the king's letters. I once picked up his presence and felt him somewhere wandering the higher levels of the castle. How do you think I would be able to help him?"
"I think I might know of a way." Mewtwo informed eagerly. "Everyone in this room knows that Duskmon, an evil traitor to the Order, is using a girl to manipulate Sonic's heart. If he succeeds, Duskmon will have a new puppet."
"So you want me to run interference." Tomo summarized. "Now worries. If my little brother could barely prove a challenge, then handling Sonic will be no trouble.
The trail of darkness clouds the greatest minds. Will Sonic prove to be a match against Tomo? Will Espio learn to accept or fear the powers of darkness? And what is Oracle planning behind the backs of the other members? Find out on the next Reverse/Rebirth!
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