REVERSE/REBIRTH: ESPIO'S TALE
Tomo the Chameleon © Kiba Sniper
Chapter Seventeen: Revelations, Part 2
Last time on Reverse/Rebirth:
Mephiles once again made an attempt to conquer Espio's body after he accepted the darkness. Fortunately, King Jet appeared to save him – this time, he was the real thing. The king granted the dark warrior a special card that allowed him access to a memory that seemed vaguely familiar to him. It was here that he encountered ZoN, the enigmatic being that has been secretly guiding him. The two battled in order to test the Hero of Darkness and Espio proved to be greatly inferior to the unknown warrior's power. After proving his skills, Espio and Deathwing followed ZoN to the one called Kumori.
The scene opens to the dense forest outside the city of water. Espio and Deathwing were brushing past the thick bundles of bushes and wide tree trunk, attempting to keep in pace with ZoN. The unknown female had taken a surprisingly early lead and escaped their sights within moments, leaving the two lost in the forest. Deathwing pushed a branch back with his wing and released once he passed by, comically causing it to swing back into Espio's lower regions.
"Ok, that's just cruel." Espio murmured painfully; Deathwing squeaked apologetically. "Ah, it's not your fault, buddy. If anything, it's that ZoN person for leaving us out in the middle of nowhere. Where are we anyway?"
The Hero of Darkness brushed past the bushes to his right and sighed in relief for the first time in a while. Espio and his thestral companion stepped into a small clearing and discovered an ancient set of ruins hidden in the trees. The remains resembled one of an ancient palace that had been lost in void of time. Many of the walls had collapsed haphazardly, shattered glass was abundant, moss clings to the stone, and twisted vines entangled themselves in random places. The only thing that was preventing him from entering was the wrought-iron gate and the high wall surrounding the ruins.
"Whoa, this place is huge." Espio said amazingly. "Maybe Kumori is hidden in here somewhere. I think there is some way...." He touched the wall with his hands for a single moment and removed one of the bricks. Inside the hollow shell, he discovered a small key that was shaped perfectly to match the gate lock. "Well, that was weird. How did I know where that was?"
"So, you really do remember a little."
All of a sudden, the key was knocked out of his hand and stabbed into the wall by a small kunai. The dark chameleon swiftly turned on his heels, summoning his Keyblade, and was shocked to discover his sister, Tomo, had returned. Of course, there were some changes in her appearance since they had last met. She had inherited her own version of the Dark Suit, which consisted of dark fabric with red material acting as gloves and blue thread covering her chest. She wore deathly-black boots and a tattered white cape around her waist. It was only natural to guess that she had surrendered herself further into the darkness.
"Nice fashion statement." Espio commented jokingly.
"Nice Keyblade." Tomo responded. "That is only proof of how much you have changed during our previous encounter. You're no longer afraid of the darkness in your heart. That's some good character building."
"You were right all along." Espio stated. "The darkness isn't evil – only those who choose to make it so."
"So you're finally taking big sister's words to heart." Tomo smirked devilishly, taking in the scenery. "You know, I never thought the next time we'd meet would be back in our original world."
"So, this is Soleanna." Espio said lightly. "And there reason I remember fragments of this town is because it's hidden somewhere in my memory. I suppose we used to come to these old ruins a lot."
"This is actually the first time I bothered coming here." Tomo stated. "But you and you little friends would come to play here nearly every single day. I remember this one time when Knuckles feel off the roof and landed on his head. It was only fortunate that there was nothing in there."
"Well, I need to get past and find someone called Kumori." Espio said, motioning towards the key. A shuriken stabbed against the wall, ceasing his advances. "I suppose I should have seen this coming."
"I'm not letting you pass without testing your abilities first." Tomo stated, holding out her hand. "And with this newfound power, I will not be defeated so easily. I refuse to be defeated by my little brother!"
The killer kunochi closed her fist over the air, releasing a thick flow of darkness that lengthened past her hand. Espio recognized the essence of darkness and was disturbed by what she was summoning. The flow of shadows reshaped themselves to a keyblade with a pitch-black body, a red curved hand guard around the handle, and the teeth were shaped like the broken outline of a heart. The last time Espio had seen this Keyblade; he was possessed by Mephiles and used it to release Black Doom's most powerful form.
"The Darkblade...." Espio hissed.
"Oh, you already know my keyblade." Tomo smirked confidently. "Then that saves me time explaining everything about it power. As I'm sure you're aware of, my Keyblade is artificial; not a genuine original like yours." She raised the Darkblade close to her chest. "But let's see who it accepts as its master after I am through with you!"
Espio held his own Keyblade to eyelevel and stared across to his sister with uneasy concentration. He most likely sensed Deathwing's anticipation to join the battle, but Espio motioned his hand to stop the thestral foal. This was a battle between siblings that needed to be settled...alone.
Kunochi Chameleon: Tomo
The chameleon siblings merely stood on opposite ends of the clearing, sidestepping in simulation motion. Deathwing scowled and watched agitatedly as the two warriors did nothing but form a wide circle in the grass. All the while, he unconsciously slapped a small rock against the wall with his tail, sending a reverberating echo. At once, Espio and Tomo lashed forward with their Keyblades, moving at speeds Sonic could not achieve without a Keychain. The kunochi chameleon stabbed the Darkblade for her brother's forehead, but Espio sidestepped and slashed his Keyblade across her chest. Unfortunately, Tomo purposely dropped backwards to the ground, pressing her hands against the grass with her legs folded to her chest. And when Espio's attack had completely passed over, the kunochi pushed back up and clicked her heels against his chin. The Hero of Darkness staggered backwards to the wall with one hand holding his developing bruise.
"That all?" Tomo taunted as she landed. "You'll have to work harder to beat me."
"Oh, were we fighting?" Espio said mockingly; his bruise was healed by the darkness. "I thought we were just playing around."
"Make all the smart-aleck comments you want." Tomo said tiredly. "But no amount of training can give you the skills necessary to beat your big sister."
"Oh, I don't know." Espio said lightly; he opened his palm behind his back. "I think I'm getting my second wind."
The Kunochi Chameleon skipped off the ground and lunged forward with her Darkblade stabbed ahead. Espio used this opportunity to his advantage and thrusted his palm, unleashing a sudden gust of shadowed wind. The sudden counter forced Tomo to stop in midair and raised her arms in defense, which equally blocked her vision. The Hero of Darkness swiftly charged ahead and slashed across his sister's waist as he passed by. Surprisingly enough, Tomo landed safely on the ground with a wide cut in her suit, but left no mark behind on her violet scales. Though she was left unmarked, Tomo found it disturbing that her little brother was able to touch her, even with the new powers she obtained from Oracle.
"Ok, so you managed to get in one lucky shot!" Tomo exclaimed heated. "You can rest assured that it won't happen again!"
"I don't have time for this." Espio growled frustrated. "I need to find Kumori so I can get my answers."
"You're not going anywhere until I've defeated you!" Tomo hissed.
"This isn't good." Espio thought. "She's growing more frustrated with each passing minute. It won't be long now before she cracks under the pressure. And when that happens, the darkness will completely take her over."
The Kunochi Chameleon clapped her hands together and formed what Espio recognized as the seal of water. The dark warrior prepared himself to jump, but caught his sister performing a secondary seal at the last minute. Because he was unable to see what the seal was, Espio was left unprepared as an orb of energy formed around her hands. Tomo then released the energy into twenty individual beams that scattered across the sky until they loomed directly above their target. Espio quickly realized he wouldn't be able to avoid them in time and did the only thing he could think of at the moment: he panicked. The Hero of Darkness raised his Keyblade to the sky as the beams of energy bombarded from above, covering the area in a thick cloud of dirt. Deathwing flapped above the cloud, screeching angrily to Tomo, who jumped above the high wall. A wide grin graced the kunochi's face as she shouted in victory.
"Yes!!" Tomo cackled wickedly. "I knew I couldn't lose to an inexperienced brat like him! My darkness was superior, eternal!"
"Wow, you're loud when you want to be."
The Kunochi Chameleon nearly fell off the wall as her younger brother exploded from the dust cloud. The female warrior was going out of her mind trying to figure out how he survived such a brutal onslaught. It wasn't until Espio's back was against the sun that she noticed a curved reflection around him – he performed reflective magic. Espio used his sister's dazed expression to his advantage and twirled around to deliver a crushing kick to Tomo's face. The Kunochi Chameleon was tossed to the side and smacked headfirst into a thick tree trunk. She slowly stood up with her mouth bleeding heavily and spat out of that looked vaguely like a tooth.
"Where's you learn that technique?" Tomo questioned, wiping the blood with her sleeve.
"I battled a woman named ZoN before arriving here." Espio explained. "I only saw it for a moment, but I was able to analyze it through observation. I theorized that she was able to collect her energy to one point and expand it around her, creating a near-perfect barrier that repels offensive attacks."
"That ZoN was always such a meddler." Tomo growled angrily, leaving Espio curious. "It doesn't make any difference! You ay have been able to guard yourself from a few minor attacks, but this is where it ends!"
Espio calmly raised his Keyblade to eyelevel as his sister chanted darkly with her hands forming a seal on the Darkblade's handle. All of a sudden, a light of pure black enveloped the artificial Keyblade and increased in size and length. By now, the weapon of darkness resembled an enlarged black knife with a circle around the hand. Espio was one to prepare for most case, but Tomo's next technique was not one of them. The Kunochi chameleon hovered off the ground by her weapon only momentarily before rushing ahead at high speed. Espio saw the coming and effortlessly sidestepped the attack and swing around for a counterstrike. But just moments before he could complete his attack, Tomo opened a portal of darkness and vanished from sight. It didn't take long for him to recognize the technique.
"Dark Aura?" Espio said disappointed. "Can't you come up with anything original? That's my move."
"If it isn't broken, don't fix it!" Tomo echoed.
From that one instant, Espio discovered her next location and stabbed his Keyblade backwards as a portal of darkness appeared from behind. However, the dark corridor tuned out to be a distraction as the shadows evaporated the moment his weapon pierced its depths. With her brother distracted, Tomo appeared from the darkness and slashed Espio while passing before returning to the endless abyss. The killing swordsman repeated this motion six times, each leaving a deep wound in her brother, and appeared for the final time overhead. Tomo stabbed into the ground, forming a pillar of electrical energy – Deathwing took cover in the trees. Once the attack subsided, Tomo was found standing a few feet away from her brother, who was lying motionlessly on the ground. The Kunochi Chameleon was leaning against the Darkblade, panting as if she was dying.
"I'll...give you...some credit." Tomo wheezed. "No one...has ever...force me to...go that far. But...this only proves...there is a....gap between...our power."
"You're right." Tomo froze as her brother responded. "There is a large gap between us, but it's not in the way you think."
The Hero of Darkness pressed his hands against the grass and pushed himself to his feet with little effort. And upon closer examination, Tomo was shocked to discover that there was not a single mark on her brother's body. This was easily explained by his sudden change in appearance. His scales had turned a deep shade of violet, his eyes were demonic-green, and he wore the same coat that Tomo knew belonged to Mephiles.
"No...That's not right." Tomo groaned. "I'm supposed to be the superior one, not you. How the hell can you still be standing after I nearly decapitated you?"
"Unlike you, sister, I have accepted the light and the darkness." Espio smirked victoriously. "And no matter how hard you try, you're darkness alone will not be enough to defeat me. This battle was over before it even began."
Refusing to believe him, Tomo cried out in frustration and firmed her grip on the Darkblade. The unnerved chameleon ripped her weapon out of the ground and charged ahead, but the battle was already decided. Tomo stabbed her Darkblade forward, but Espio twisted around Keyblade and, once behind his sister, slammed his fist into the back of her neck. The shock upon impact completely paralyzed all of the kunochi's nerves, causing her to drop forward after dismissing the Darkblade.
Tomo: Defeated
"I...don't understand." Tomo moaned fearfully. "I trained this body of mine to its full potential and conquered the darkness to gain power beyond imagination. I even joined the Seekers and absorbed that mutt to grow stronger. So why have I have to defeat my own little brother?"
"The answer is so obvious; it's pitiful that you can't see it." Espio commented; he still assumed his Dark Form as Deathwing landed. "You thought only darkness was power that you never believed in merging it with the light."
"What will you do now?" Tomo questioned. "Are you going to kill me?"
"No." Espio replied coolly. "Our mother and father died in a storm when I was young. That makes you the last living relative I have left." He kneeled to his sister with a look of sympathy. "But don't think of this as a defeat. This is actually a blessing in disguise."
"How so?" Tomo asked curiously.
"This will give you a reason to grow stronger." Espio smiled cheerfully. "Your determination to defeat you little brother will motivate you to learn new technique to use against me. And when that time comes, I want us to fight as equals."
"Heh! You always were a total sap." Tomo chuckled.
Espio merely shook his head at the comment. He guessed that she would be able to regain her sense of movement in a few short minutes and decided it was best to leave before she recovered. Espio, with Deathwing at his side, ripped the key from the wall and slipped it through the padlocked gate.
The scene alternates to an unknown room hidden several floors beneath the ancient ruins. The chamber was completely void of any color with the exception of the electrical floor, which seemed to center around an egg-shaped pod. Espio and Deathwing cautiously entered the room, wondering how such a place could exist under a decimated palace. As they moved closer to the pod, Espio could swear he felt something tugging at his heart. And then he heard the sound of clapping.
"Nice moves." Terro commented as he entered the room. Espio and Deathwing prepared themselves for battle when they noticed his coat, but the Deceptive Rogue held his hand in surrender. "Hey, don't let the disguise fool you. I'm really one of the Seekers."
"Oh yeah, prove it." Espio demanded.
"He's telling the truth."
The Hero of Darkness turned his head to the pod, never allowing his Keyblade to leave Terro's direction. A sense of familiarity washed over him as a young girl moved away from the pod to make herself visible. She was a black hedgehog with red highlights flowing down her quills. She wore a sleeveless white Chinese shirt, gloves with silver ring bracelets, white and red shoes, white trousers with black stripes, and a grey chain around her neck. She was carrying a deck of cards and shuffling them nervously.
"Are you Kumori?" Espio asked wearingly.
"That's her, all right." Terro answered proudly. "And my name is Terro. Got it memorized." The room was sudden filled by a familiar ring tone. "Oh, come on!!"
"I suppose ZoN told you to meet us her." Kumori continued as her best friend threw his phone against the wall. "She must have thought you were ready for the trials ahead if she led you here. I am so glad you managed to hold your own against Oracle."
"I see...that was you..." Espio said slowly, dismissing his Keyblade. "You were the one who acted as Amy and told me to accept the light and the darkness in my heart. I'm very grateful to you."
"It was nothing." Kumori said shyly.
"Well, seeing as how you made it this far, you must be looking for Sonic." Terro continued, gently placing his hand on the chameleon's shoulder. "Well, if you want to find him, just take a look in there."
The Deceptive Rogue pointed to the egg-shaped pod as Kumori moved away to grant him a better view. Espio couldn't see very well due to the thickness of the shell, but in time, his gaze managed to pierce though it. He was unable to hold a gasp when he saw what was inside. Sonic the Hedgehog was floating aimlessly within the pod, apparently trapped in a deep sleep. The Hero of Darkness shoved Terro's hand off his shoulder and quickly sprinted close to the pod – Deathwing followed his example.
"Sonic!" Espio shouted. "Sonic, can you hear me?! What have you two done to him?!"
"Nothing." Kumori replied. "He's just asleep to regain the lost memories."
"How did this happen?" Espio questioned.
"Well, that's an interesting story." Terro said smugly. "You might want to sit down for this."
Espio and Deathwing seemed reluctant to obey someone who wore the same cloak as Mewtwo, Erazor, and Oracle. But after seeing Terro and Kumori settle themselves on the floor, they decided it was best to trust them. And so Terro spend nearly a half-hour explaining the adventures Sonic had gone through with some occasional help from Kumori. They discovered that the memory witch was forced by Duskmon to lure the Keyblade Master into the castle. From there, Duskmon and Roodaka conspired to use Sonic against the remaining members of Order XIII. But with some interference from Terro and Kumori, Sonic was able to destroy Roodaka and Mewtwo and left Duskmon with a fate worse than death. They finally reached the point where Sonic entered the pod.
"So Sonic chose to forget about this castle...to get his memories back?" Espio asked.
"You have a choice to make, too." Kumori stated, catching the chameleon off guard.
"Why me?" Espio asked curiously. "No one's messed with my memories."
"It's not your memories." Kumori shook. "It's your darkness. In your heart, there exist two kinds of darkness. One of them is your own darkness and the other belongs to Mephiles. The King may have kept him at bay for now..."
"But he'll be back eventually." Terro continued seriously. "And when he does, he'll try to take your body and reconstruct himself until he reaches his former power. That's where you have to choose."
"What's the choice?" Espio questioned; Deathwing squeaked.
"I have powers you can use." Kumori responded. "With my powers, I can put a tight lock on your heart. That way, Mephiles would never come out from the depth of your heart."
"But what happens to me if I let you do that?" Espio asked. "Will I forget everything like Sonic?"
"The darkness inside will be sealed tight just like your memory." Kumori said nervously. "You'll stop remembering the darkness and you'll go back to the way you were before."
"So, what's your choice?" Terro questioned with a final tone.
Espio was caught in a desperate situation. This was the chance he had been waiting for – he could finally get rid of Mephiles forever. But if he did that, his powers would be sealed off for all of eternity and would be useless to Sonic in defeating Order XIII. At the mention of Sonic, Espio thought back to the times they would spend together on the islands. No matter what he did, Sonic would always find some way to slack off. Even when they were leaving the islands together, it was Espio who had to do all the hard work in building the raft. The dark chameleon couldn't suppress a small chuckle.
"That's a tempting offer, but not necessary." Espio answered, but to the surprise of his new comrades. "I don't need my heart locked. I'm ready – I'm going to fight Mephiles."
"You do realize what you're getting into, right?" Terro stated. "There is a possibility that Mephiles will completely overtake you this time. And there won't be any going back afterwards."
If that happens, I'll use my own darkness to fight back." Espio responded, standing up. "If you haven't noticed, I'm not one to surrender so easily."
"Actually, we have noticed that." Kumori giggled. "This was actually what we were hoping for. We wanted you to face the darkness without fear, because you are the only one who can."
"So that's the reason you appeared to me in the light." Espio said thoughtfully. "But why did you appear in the form of Amy? But the one thing that bugs me is why you and Amy carry the same scent. I thought no two people were alike."
"We'll tell you when you're ready." Terro smirked, holding out his hand. "We'll be rooting for ya, kid."
"Look after Sonic for me." Espio nodded, accepting the gesture. "There are a few choice words I want to say to him."
Terro, Espio, and Kumori all exchanged laughs of humor at the expression – Deathwing gave a shrill shriek. For the first time in a while, the Hero of Darkness felt safe in Castle Oblivion. King Jet and ZoN were hiding somewhere, Terro and Kumori were supportive characters, and he knew Tomo would be back in action soon enough. And with Deathwing traveling by his side, he knew there was no obstacle they couldn't overcome. Nodding to their new friends, Espio and Deathwing took their leave. There was only one trial left.
The final stretch of Espio's journey is finally drawing near. Will the Hero of Darkness overcome the terrible power of Mephiles? Will they be able to awaken Sonic from his slumber? And where are King Jet and ZoN? Find out on the next Reverse/Rebirth!
Please, read and review.