Chapter 13
"Is Blaze okay?" Tails asked, grabbing his medkit before taking off, his twin kitsune tails spinning rapidly over his head.
"Silver didn't say," Knuckles responded over the communicator watch. "He just said the team had to leave and he trusted us to watch her."
"Well, if we can't go with them," Tails sighed. Sometimes he missed all the action that came with a good fight.
The two arrived at Amy's old place at exactly the same time. Silver, Shadow, Rouge, Sticks, and Amy were waiting on the porch, gear packed up. Amy had her favorite knife clutched tightly in her right hand.
"How's she doing?" Tails asked breathlessly.
"She was fine when we came out here," Amy replied. "She's in the dining room resting, now. The seizure stopped about five minutes ago, so be careful. She might be post-ictal."
"Gotcha," Tails nodded. "And, uh, guys?" he asked, motioning to everyone but staring directly at Sticks. "Be careful, okay?"
"We will," Shadow huffed. "Geez, it's not like we're off to be executed. This'll be a piece of cake."
"Dunno about that," Sticks protested. "Trust me, I've gone and explored the first location, and it ain't pretty."
"Well, we don't have much of a choice," Amy stated firmly. "At the rate Blaze is going, if we don't find these last two emeralds by tomorrow evening…"
The unsaid hung in the air like a ghost.
"We'll find them," Silver asserted. "Blaze isn't going anywhere."
"Okay, I'm sorry to be insensitive, but what exactly DOES happen if we don't find the emeralds in time?" Rouge questioned. Silver lowered his head.
"Well… Blaze has Iblis sealed inside of her. So if Iblis gets strong enough, it'll literally rip her apart as it escapes her. And then… well, then it's the end of the world. And not just our dimension. EVERY dimension."
Amy's mouth was set in a firm line. "And, no matter what, Iblis is going to need a new host."
Everyone gaped at her.
"What?" Shadow snarled.
"Blaze can't continue keeping Iblis inside her, especially not in her condition," Amy reasoned. She turned to Sticks and Rouge. "Come on. Why do you think O'Malley had me putting in all those extra training hours recently?"
"He was getting you ready," Sticks whispered.
Amy nodded. "He came to me with the proposition about a year ago. At first, I said no, but when I realized how bad the situation had gotten, well, I had to."
"That's ridiculous," Silver protested.
"I'll do it," Shadow retorted. "I'm immortal. It's not like it can kill me or anything."
Amy shook her head. "It has to be me. They trained me right. I know I can keep it contained, at least for a while."
"Why does it have to be you, though?" Rouge broke in. "I mean, maybe Shadow is onto something. If Iblis can't kill him, maybe it can't escape from him, either.
"Which is exactly the point," Amy replied. "Iblis has to, in a way, agree to be sealed inside someone. If it feels threatened, it'll reject the host. It's not going to take to someone who it can never escape from."
"Rose," Shadow muttered, shaking his head with frustration. "I'm all for saving the world and everything, but you know you're signing your death warrant, right?"
She stood strong. "Maybe I am. But who says the next time Iblis stirs, in forty years, after I've been married and gone about my life, that there won't be a new solution?" She grinned at Tails. "Maybe that could be your next project."
Tails rushed over to her and grabbed her up into a hug, tears in his eyes. "Amy, are you sure about this?" he murmured.
She smiled and hugged him back. "I'm sure, Tails. I've been ready for this for a long time."
Knuckles, who normally would have been bawling, was trying to hold back his tears for Rouge's sake, but his voice cracked as soon as he spoke. "We'll come up with something, Amy. Don't worry."
"I'm not worried," she responded, putting her arms around Rouge and Sticks next. Both of them were completely shell-shocked. Silver came up to her next, incredulous, throwing his arms around her.
"Thank you," he whispered, so only she could hear. She nodded, grabbing his shoulders and pulling him back.
"You take care of her," she demanded, speaking of Blaze. "Swear?"
"I swear," he affirmed, making an X motion over his heart.
"And no matter what, DO NOT tell Sonic. Not until I've sealed Iblis," Amy warned. "He'll try to do it himself, and who knows how that'll end up."
Begrudgingly, everyone promised.
"Okay, enough emotions," Amy laughed. "Come on, we've got emeralds to find. And Tails, you've got a patient!"
"On it!" Tails sniffed, wiping the last of his tears away, giving Sticks a meaningful look, and then dashing inside.
"Best of luck," Knuckles sighed, raising his hand in a half-hearted salute. "To all of you. And Rouge, if you come back in one piece, maybe you'll let me take you to dinner sometime."
"Maybe I will," Rouge winked, fluttering her delicate wings.
"Ugh. Relationships," Shadow gagged. "Come on, we need to hurry if we're going to have any chance at saving Blaze."