Disclaimer: I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) during this reunion… especially for the one who has his mothers eyes.

~保護者~

"Emerald Green"

~保護者~

Satsuno was just leaving Soren's room. He'd taken a moment to check on the boy and his sister. They were both fine so far as he could tell. Lia was sound asleep by Soren's side, and Soren was engrossed in something called a "video game". The former king had decided not to bother them for long and left them be. He had only just returned to Seiko's side when he was suddenly struck with a feeling. A feeling about his son. That made him freeze up. He's back on Mobius. Why is he back now? Sonic said he was sheltering elsewhere and that he was not doing well.

He and Seiko had never had the honor of meeting their son in person after his abduction as an infant. That much was true. But energy signatures between family members always contained similarities. Having gotten to know the way Kaden's son's energies felt and knowing also how Seiko's energy felt, Satsuno had plenty of information to go off of in order to recognize his child's. He was certain the person he was sensing was Kaden. As for the person with the younger man, he wasn't sure. It was most likely the person Sonic had told them about, the one Kaden currently had feelings for. Zareil, was it? …Yes, that was the name he used.

The idea of getting to finally see Kaden was a lot to take in. The emotions were overwhelming, but generally positive. Nervousness was there, but beyond that there was happiness, relief, love… He and Seiko had met him in a way while they'd been dead, but that hadn't been the same. Not only had the interaction been brief, only long enough for them to try and give their son some advice, but neither he nor Seiko had been able to see Kaden clearly. They could make out some details, such as his height and the color of his fur, and at one point they had even managed to see his eyes. But that was all.

He had Seiko's eyes, a fact which they'd known from the day he was born. Those eyes had opened very briefly not long after his birth, and he'd looked blearily up at his mother. Then he'd yawned and gone to sleep shortly thereafter. After a couple of hours, Seiko had had to let a midwife put him to bed in his own room so that the stubborn queen could receive medical care following what had unfortunately been a difficult birth. At some point during that night, Kaden had disappeared and they still had no idea why or who was responsible. It had killed them. Seiko especially. Her broken heart had contributed greatly to her eventual death.

To add to the pain, they had never truly seen Kaden again. Seeing him that one time as spirits hadn't been anywhere close to enough for them. And then, years later, to have their son reach out to them in desperation to try and resist the worst demonic corruption Satsuno had ever sensed in the whole of his existence… to give him every ounce of aid they'd been capable of while dead and knowing in the end that it hadn't been enough… That may as well have killed them all over again. It had caused them so much pain…

But that was nothing compared to the pain Kaden likely felt now that he was himself again. How is he going to be right now? I sense less turmoil in his aura than Sonic indicated. Does that mean he has recovered to some degree? Slowly, the former king frowned. A new thought had just occurred to him. Sonic mentioned that Kaden is now the father of small triplets… but there are no young auras anywhere near him. Is that in some way connected to the anger I sense? There is so much of it… though it has been deeply buried. Pursing his lips together in concern, he finally turned to Seiko to see if she had noticed their son as well.

Seiko had followed in Satsuno's footsteps to come see what was happening. She had come to the same conclusion as he had about the aura they were sensing, and she nearly ripped the door from its hinges to get outside without a second thought. "Kaden?" she whispered, voice raspy from the way her throat had tightened.

Their son was still a short distance away. Enough so that they couldn't see him until Satsuno grabbed Seiko's hand and teleported to him. Seeing him so suddenly filled Satsuno with all sorts of emotions all over again, but only one real thought entered his mind. Our boy...

Kaden stopped short when they appeared, no longer walking and immediately moving an arm to motion for his companion to relax. He looked a touch wary. It showed in his eyes - those painfully familiar green eyes. Still, he didn't retreat. Just sort of… watched them. Stay calm, he silently told himself. Don't get anxious. This isn't dangerous. They aren't dangerous.

Seiko didn't quite feel herself slip away from Satsuno, but she did recognize the need to dodge slightly out of the way when Zareil (ignoring Kaden's silent signal) tried to stop her. Her arms immediately wrapped around her son and she pulled him in close, afraid somewhere in her mind that he might vanish again. She wanted to hold her son. "It's you…"

Initially, Kaden tensed in response to the touch. It took him several moments to force himself to relax. When he succeeded, he turned his attention to trying to come up with a reply. No response was forthcoming. All he could really think to do was awkwardly hug her back with one arm. He knew who this was, and the fact that she and her partner were here was more than he'd been ready for today. How long have they been back?

His mother did her best to reign in her emotions, gasping back a sob as her grip got a bit tighter around him. "K-Kaden…" For now, Kaden stayed quiet in an effort to keep himself calm and relaxed. It took her a long time to break away, recollecting herself as she took a step back.

Clinging to some degree of calm was difficult. Kaden's nerves were worn rather thin even before this unexpected reunion, and now they felt even more so. Still, some part of them felt like he owed it to these people to try and interact… especially after he'd asked for so much from them so suddenly in the past. In an effort to do just that, he opted for one of the easier things he could bring up and hesitantly voiced his previous silent question. "How… long have you been back?"

Satsuno took a few slow steps forward to stand by his wife. "Not long," he murmured. "A week… perhaps two? It has been difficult to keep track, cooped up as we have been."

That made sense. Kaden knew the feeling well. His childhood had left him struggling to cope with being indoors for long periods, so his reasons for understanding this particular problem were probably different than his parents', but even still. With a small nod, he cast a sidelong glance at Zareil and then said quietly, "These are my parents… Satsuno and Seiko." He added a bit more via telepathy. "I do not know them well, but they are good people. They would never present themselves as threats to us. You do not need to be on edge in their company."

Zareil visibly relaxed herself at Kaden's words, glancing down to Seiko to watch the woman pull away. She didn't bother speaking, seeing no real reason to do so yet. Seiko, however, had much to say once she caught her breath. "Forgive me… I was… overwhelmed. I could not control myself."

Kaden's ear flicked. "...It's fine," he murmured. "You don't need to apologize."

Seiko looked up to Zareil finally, not wanting to bother him by continuing to assure him that everything was fine. "So, once more… who are you?" she asked, wiping at her eyes a little.

"My name is Zareil," Zareil answered, blinking once as she watched Seiko carefully.

"We were told about you," Satsuno said. "Sonic informed us who you were some time ago. It is good to meet you in person."

"Mm." Zareil glanced to Kaden, trying to convey her desire to not speak to these two. Kaden subtly motioned for her to just relax and not worry about it.

Satsuno took in the pair's exhausted demeanors for a moment before creating some temporary chairs with his Darkness. He promptly sat in one, which encouraged Kaden to eventually do the same. Seiko took a seat beside Satsuno, while Zareil stayed standing for the time being. "Kaden," he said once everyone was settled, "how are you faring? We know that this has been an… extraordinarily trying time for you."

"I have… been better," Kaden admitted slowly. He was studiously looking anywhere but at his parents. Then he more reluctantly added, "But I have also been… worse. I will make do."

Seiko passed her son a smile. "I would certainly hope that you can find some peace in the presence of those who care for you." Kaden glanced at her, saw her expression, and quickly looked away again.

We should focus on less serious things, Satsuno decided. He wasn't the best at conversation, though, and so the only thing he could think to do was ask, "Were you on your way to see Shadow?"

Kaden nodded a little. "Yes. We just saw Sonic. He said he had not heard from his brother in some time."

"Are you aware of his… situation?"

"Yes."

That was good. Satsuno inclined his head to signify his understanding. Despite his previous intentions, he knew he needed to tell the truth about this. "He will likely be asleep," he said. "The entire process of having the baby appears to have been physically traumatic for him."

Kaden pursed his lips together. Concern was apparent in his eyes… as was the same protectiveness Satsuno knew so well from Seiko. "That is all the more reason to go," he murmured. I need to see for myself how he is… and to try and help in some way. It's the very least I can do after all I put him through.

Zareil looked at Kaden, her head motioning in the direction of the home. "I presume there is nothing stopping us from going inside."

"Toru may," Kaden sighed. "I would not blame him for not wanting either of us anywhere near Shadow or their child."

She simply clicked her tongue and began walking off toward the building. "Only one way to find out."

When Kaden hesitated, Satsuno decided to gently encourage him to go by making the chairs slowly vanish. Kaden caught himself as expected and reluctantly stood to follow Zareil. The younger hedgehog bit his inner cheek. This is a bad idea, his anxiety told him as loudly as it could. Why that feeling was trying so hard to spike again, he had no idea. I shouldn't be here. I have no right.

Zareil stopped walking entirely and gripped Kaden's shoulder firmly. "It's fine."

Kaden paused as well and looked at her. "I didn't say it wasn't," he eventually replied.

"Mm," Zareil murmured, gently pulling him along as she walked up to the door. "Then calm yourself."

"I am calm," Kaden grumbled. He walked along with her without any complaint. Still, he was surprised that Zareil had even noticed the shift in his emotions. She'd always been observant, sure, but emotions had never been her forte in general. This wasn't something he'd expected. It was much more important to focus on where he was going, though. As they walked up to the front door, he took in the appearance of his son's home. As dark a color scheme as ever… But the location is highly defensible with all of these mountains and forests around. It isn't that different from his old home, years ago. Brushing that off, he steeled his nerves and knocked on the door. Now all they could do was wait.

Meanwhile, Satsuno hung back with Seiko and watched the pair for a moment. Then he turned to his wife and asked her softly, "He still does not seem well, does he? Certainly much better than I anticipated, but even so…"

Seiko rubbed her thumb and pointer finger together, thinking to herself. "No… he does not. Given time, he may recover, but for now, we must stay back and watch him. I do not wish to rush him in any way."

"Of course not," he agreed. Rushing their son was out of the question to him, so he didn't argue the point at all. He crossed his arms and turned his attention back to Kaden and Zareil. However, he was briefly distracted by then when he inhaled and a sensation of icy coldness rushed into him. Simply knowing in that split second that a spirit was once again taking him over wasn't enough to allow him to do anything in response. The spirit took control far too quickly for him to react, much less to try and warn Seiko. All of this wound up being hidden from her and everyone else in the vicinity, leaving them none the wiser. Hidden deep within his soul, Amnikaribah's ghost almost grinned.

It couldn't have found a better host if it tried.

~保護者~

Steam only had one more thing he wanted to do in preparation, and that was fine-tuning his magic. If his allies were corrupted and under Tianak's control, that meant they were demons currently. In turn, that meant his magic would be effective on them. He already knew he'd be fighting them on his own.

Deciding it was easier to not think deeply on that subject, the hedgehog instead thought himself through how to ask his questions. What he could and couldn't bring up, what felt correct. His instincts were screaming at him over something, and it was likely his own anxiety… but he still planned to be careful. He couldn't have people knowing what he was planning to do. Just in case.

He only paused right before knocking on the door when he realized the whole thing was purely a magical construct. Of course, Eila had pieced the thing together, but it still caught him by surprise now that he was sensing it properly. Steam didn't wait much longer, though, before knocking as he'd originally intended. Tendrils of Light tugged the door open. At about the same moment, Saran's quiet voice called, "You can come in."

Steam entered the building and glanced around. There was no shortage of comfortable furniture, among many things. He quickly noticed that there was a bookshelf, but it was barren of books and instead held pottery and plants. She probably realized that he's blind, but doesn't know that he can sorta 'see' with his magic. Fairly nice of her, regardless. "I have a couple small questions for you, and it's alright if you don't have an answer. It's about magic. My family's magic to be exact."

White eyes blinked slowly at him. "I sensed the magic within you when you first approached me," Saran said. He was seated in a chair with a piece of pottery in his hands that he'd been idly examining through touch. "I was under the impression that you were well-versed in it already, but I will nonetheless try to help if I can."

The green hedgehog merely nodded. "I'm decently versed in it, I'd say. I know how to use the family's spells and I've made one or two of my own, but a lot of times I find that using them exhausts me way faster than I'd like, and the impact just isn't worth the burst of energy it takes." Steam stopped himself there, watching Saran. His instincts were still screaming at him, but he needed to get answers.

Saran's head canted thoughtfully. He took a moment to ponder the issue before casting a small spell. Barriers flashed into existence, and he was quick to explain why. "I would like you to show me how you are using these spells. My barriers will keep your attacks contained within the house and prevent any damage to the objects around us."

Green eyes examined the barriers briefly before he nodded. Provided he didn't simply attempt to break them, there was no way they would be broken. Even then, it would be hard to do. Steam flipped back and charged headfirst into a barrier with the same spell he'd used to defeat Zareil in the battle to trap Kaden, Arcana. The golden yellow snake flashed to life around him, and he let it fade seconds after the strong impact. "For the most part, they usually just boost some aspect of my fighting, like making me faster, on top of them being… well, strong spells." How much will he figure out just from me striking one of his barriers…?

In the brief quiet that followed, Saran shook his head and stood up after setting the pottery aside. He walked over to where Steam stood and ran an exploratory hand over the spot where Steam had struck the barriers. "You put too much of yourself into that one spell," he murmured. "It is trying to work with you, not to mention for you. You do not have to strain yourself so much for it to do just that." And that is to say nothing of the finer aspects of control that you still need to learn.

Steam blinked once, then frowned in thought. That surely was something that sounded like it would be correct. "Didn't expect it to sound so simple, but I suppose that sounds about right."

"Sometimes simple answers are all there are to find, even for complicated problems," Saran said with a faint smile. "I would advise you to practice more with your abilities when you can. It would benefit you greatly, especially if you were able to find a teacher who understands your specific magic."

"Don't worry, I'll be practicing," Steam said with a shrug. "And… well, the only teacher left alive in my timeline that could teach me about my magic is my mother. She's not a great teacher." Though, the magic has always been more effective in her hands.

One ear flicking slightly, Saran frowned in thought. "Timeline"? …Hm, perhaps now is not the time to address that. He brushed the conundrum aside for now. "Practice is all I can recommend, then," he said. "I apologize for being unable to offer more." There are so many new magics on this world now. I have much to learn again, it would seem.

Steam waved him off idly. "Don't worry. I came for that answer, and you provided it. That's all I could ask for."

"Alright." Saran dropped all of his barriers with the flick of a finger. "Did you need anything else?"

"Nah. Just keep an eye out on things. I may need your help at some point fairly soon," Steam said. "Something's happened and I don't quite know what, yet."

Now Saran was frowning thoughtfully all over again. It was obvious by now that this was a common expression for him to wear. "Do you have any information at all?" he asked. "I prefer not being kept in the dark as much as possible."

Steam turned his gaze toward Saran, raising an eyebrow. Hm. Meh, seems normal and all. Must just be how he is. "Nothing, really. Just that my head's been buzzing like there's danger around. Usually means something's happened or is going to."

Precognition? That is a rare ability, in my experience. "I see." Saran shook his head again. "I suppose all I can ask is that you inform me if you find out much of anything else, in that case."

"'Course," Steam said with a smile. "I'm heading out, though. Gonna go handle something." With that, the man was gone.

~保護者~

A while after getting a reasonable amount of sleep (enough so that Haru stopped bitching at him and/or fell asleep as well), Ryuji sat out in the open with his eyes closed. There was a lot to think about now that Kal was gone, namely the matter of his family. He would need to make sure that Armaris healed in due time, of course, but part of his concern was on Aniko. She hid her emotions well… but he knew better. The woman was in pain.

Ryuji broke from his brief meditation to pinch the bridge of his nose. For the longest time, he had chosen to so much as not acknowledge her existence, and now he was deeply concerned by her emotional state. It was jarring, really, but the fact remained that he cared. He'd do his best to make sure she was okay. He just wasn't sure how yet.

Pushing that all to the side, something else came to his mind. There was a woman interested in him, someone far better than Kal had ever been. Arein had approached him several times and never attempted to hide her interest, but he had (somewhat) ignored her until this point. Now, he was left with a decision. Do I go see her, or should I simply leave that alone? He let those thoughts linger, finding himself on his feet in due time. It didn't take long for him to appear near her home. She didn't hide her presence. Not from him. She is waiting…

Ryuji walked inside and was immediately assaulted with the aromas of various foods being prepared. She didn't remove her attention from her work in the slightest, only addressing him with words. "I see… It is good to know you have come here. I was preparing something for others, but if you would like, you may partake in it."

Watching Arein for a few seconds, Ryuji approached and examined the food. There was far more than he would have expected. "Who are you preparing this for?"

"There are others who… as of late, have lost everything. I wanted to make enough food that I could aid them." She glanced in his direction, revealing a bit of tiredness in her eyes. "I've been working on doing this for the past couple days as well as removing the threat of Hollows near where they are all staying."

Ryuji blinked once. I did not realize how much of a problem the recent attacks had been for Hyale and the rest of the Highlands. "I see… I understand."

Arein simply smiled a little and nodded. "I have always lived like this, but as of late it has been a bit harder to keep up."

"As of late, there has been a war raging," Ryuji murmured, crossing his arms.

"Correct, and many shinobi have grown tired of the endless attacks. Many are properly preparing arms and seeking the bloodshed of the enemy," Arein replied calmly. "I have focused myself on keeping others alive… as best I can."

Ryuji clicked his tongue and sighed. "My previous partner is now dead." There was no use beating around the bush.

Arein paused visibly and turned her gaze in his direction. "I see. What happened?"

"I killed her," the man answered honestly. "She approached me, hurt a friend of mine, and expected me to lay down and take her abuse. I returned every bit of it."

There was a bit of a chuckle, then Arein was wearing a morbid smile. "Heh, shoulda guessed. Your eyes looked much clearer when you walked in here. I suppose that means you approached as a result of what I said and not to turn me down?"

"You would be correct-" The words barely left his mouth before he was suddenly wrapped in the woman's arms. Just like that, the two of them were against a wall in an instant. Rather than fight it, he decided that this was infinitely more pleasing than anything he'd ever experienced with Kal and simply moved with her. Doing so just felt… right.

~保護者~

For better or for worse, Silver and Kohaku had finally stopped crying, as had most everyone else. It was with a heavy heart that Sonic took in everyone's demeanors. So much pain and grief… I wish I could have prevented it. I wish anyone could have prevented it. The oldest of the three hedgehogs looked down. His ears were low. "Droopy" as Analia would have called it. He hadn't had the chance to shed his own tears, to vent his own emotions, but that didn't matter. He had to take care of everyone else. His feelings could wait however long they needed to.

Right now, he focused on what he was doing. He was sitting on one of the couches beside his son and grandson. His hand was on Silver's back, just resting there in an effort to give silent support. Silver, meanwhile, was holding Kohaku close and murmuring soft (and clearly pained) words of comfort as any father would. Seeing these two hurting so much ripped Sonic's heart to shreds.

A hand on his shoulder interrupted the relative privacy of this moment. Turning slightly to the side, he saw Cream standing there. Her eyes were misty. That she'd also been crying recently was obvious. "Hey," he greeted her in a soft voice. It may have been irrational, but he felt like talking at a normal volume would have disturbed Silver and Kohaku too much.

Cream managed a wan smile, but even for her such an expression was weak and short-lived. "I am going to take a walk," she murmured in reply. "I need some air. Trees are so peaceful, and my heart simply… isn't."

He understood what she meant. He also understood the root of her sentiment. Growing up where she had, first the flowering meadows surrounding her birth village and then the dense forests of the Highlands, she felt quite close to nature. He'd grown up around a lot of wilderness, too, so he understood completely. "Yeah… I know what you mean," he sighed. "I know you're like Tails and don't get affected by the forest, but be careful all the same, okay?"

"Of course, Mister Sonic," she agreed. "I won't be out longer than a couple of hours, if that. I promise."

"Alright. See you later." Cream nodded and walked away. Sonic watched her go before turning his attention to Silver and Kohaku. His grandson was a lot like Kaden in that he got even quieter than normal when upset, so Sonic wasn't expecting much out of him. Still, he addressed them both with his question. "Do you guys need me to get anything for you? Blankets, a drink… anything?"

When Kohaku just buried his face in Silver's shoulder and didn't answer, Silver gave his son a small nudge. That got Kohaku to at least shake his head. Silver then mumbled, "No, but… thanks, Dad. We appreciate it."

Sonic swallowed thickly. The sheer amount of grief in Silver's voice killed him. His already shredded heart could hardly take it. "Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yeah… Yeah, I'm sure." Silver moved a hand to wipe at his eyes. Just talking seemed to be somehow sapping his strength. That was another thing Sonic understood. He knew all too well what grief was like. "I just… wish we could turn back time, you know? Do something to prevent all of this from happening."

"I know, bud," Sonic said. "Believe me, I know. I wish the same thing."

Silver hugged Kohaku even closer. Fresh tears threatened to spill from his eyes. "I never thought that losing your kids would hurt this much," he admitted in a choked voice. "I always knew in the back of my mind that something like that had to be pure agony, but this is so much more than that. It's… It's devastating, and even that isn't a strong enough word. Everything hurts, Dad. Even Malevolence killing me was nothing compared to this. And Blaze being taken on top of that is just… It's just…" He trailed off, unable to finish.

Hearing all of this made Sonic wince. He drew Silver, who was starting to weep again, and Kohaku both into his arms. Careful to be as gentle as possible, he asked, "Is that why you're doing something with your mental powers?"

Dragging in a ragged breath, Silver nodded. "I couldn't protect them, Dad," he cried. "I couldn't protect my own daughters. I can't lose Kohaku, too, or Blaze, you, or anyone else, but I can't keep up with most of the threats we're facing anymore. They're too strong and I'm just not."

After silently commanding himself not to also cry (his tears wouldn't help Silver at all), Sonic responded to what he'd just been told. "So you're boosting your powers, right? Because even I can tell that they haven't capped out yet." I've never heard so much fear and desperation in your voice before… I'm so sorry, Silver.

"Yeah," Silver all but whispered.

There was no reason to argue. All Sonic had to offer was a word of fatherly caution and nothing more. "Just… be careful, okay? I don't think you can hurt yourself by doing this, but even still." Silver did nothing but nod. Sonic sighed and rested his head atop his son's. He had nothing left to say. Nothing that could make any of this better. All he could do was sit here and hold them both, trying to comfort them as much as possible. I'm sorry, he thought again. I'm so, so sorry.

Eila watched this all quietly from her room, forcing herself to keep her own emotions pushed deep down. All these emotions hurt. Acknowledging it was enough to ignore it, and so she moved her thoughts in a different direction. They seem to be okay for now… mostly, but I'll monitor Cream at least. Silver is close enough that I can just step out of my room if necessary, but I don't know what I'd do if something happened to Cream while she was out of sight. I'd never be able to forgive myself.

~保護者~

Crap. Her tablet screen was cracked now. She'd been scrolling through photos on her tablet looking for an older screenshot and came across a picture of Kira. Wery had thrown her tablet in frustration. That only served to make her feel worse, leaving the thing somewhere off to the side since she didn't have a replacement screen for it. I miss you so much. Why did that have to happen…?

Having heard the commotion, Tails came running. He spied the tablet and his eyes filled with concern. To his knowledge, breaking things wasn't like her at all. "Wery?" he asked, walking closer. "What happened? Are you okay?"

"No," Wery admitted, letting her forehead rest against her desk. "I saw a picture of Kira and… well, I kinda threw my tablet." She was distinctly disappointed in herself, ears and tail down.

"That can be fixed," Tails murmured. "I wanna know how you're doing, Wery. I know you're hurting… Do you want to talk about it?"

"No," she repeated, wrapping her arms over her head. Tails nodded his understanding and sat down beside her. He wasn't sure if she would accept a hug right now, but at least he could sit here and offer comfort that way. After some very empty silence, Wery spoke again. "I'm just… I miss her. She was pretty much my only real friend. I hate that she came here and just… died. I feel like it's my fault."

"I know, " Tails sighed. "It's… awful what happened. It's awful, and I'm so sorry that you're going through this." I wish I could somehow make it better.

Wery gave a little sigh and looked up to Tails. "Is that all that this Nareish woman wants? To just… kill and destroy things?"

"Not exactly, but… you're not completely wrong." Tails stared at the ground, his ears and tails all drooping. 'Wery… I should never have let you and Kira become part of this. I knew this sort of thing could happen, even if I didn't want to believe it would. I'm so, so sorry."

She was quiet for a long time and ultimately took in a deep breath. "She… she told me that she understood something like this could happen. I just… it hurts."

"I know it does," Tails all but whispered. It never gets any easier, either.

Wery turned her gaze back over to her tablet, frowning. "I guess… she probably wouldn't feel too good seeing me like this, huh?"

"Maybe not," Tails shrugged. It wasn't like he'd know for sure, though.

After deliberating on getting out of her seat, Wery got to her feet and walked over to one of their work tables. "I… I really think I should try to do… something else."

Tails rubbed the back of his head a bit. "Uh, well… There's this girl who showed up here while you were sleeping earlier. Remember Gerald Robtnik's niece, Maria? The one we read about in all those files and even saw a few videos of? I don't know why, but she was apparently revived at some point and someone sent her here. Steam and I got some medicine for her to help with her condition, whatever it is, and Sonic and Amy were watching over her. No one's checked on her since right after the attack, though. I've gotta go do that. Want to come with?"

"I…" Wery stared at her tools for a few seconds before turning away from the table, walking back to Tails quietly. "Yeah, sure. That sounds fine."

With a nod, Tails stood up. His namesakes continued drooping behind him, but he nevertheless started walking. "Here's hoping she's still alright," he sighed to himself.

After just a minute of walking, they reached the couch where Maria had been resting. Except… she wasn't there. Before Tails could panic, though, he spied the young girl standing nearby with her blanket wrapped around her. Her eyes were fixated on an old hanging photograph Tails had taken years ago of fourteen-year-old him, Shadow, and two-year-old Lia. It went without saying who specifically was holding Maria's attention in that picture.

Her viewing was cut short when she heard them coming. The poor thing jumped and quickly turned around, only for her feet to catch on the dragging end of the blanket. Her weakened body couldn't maintain its balance. She fell hard, hitting the ground with an audible whimper. Tails glanced at Wery with widened eyes and ran over to help. Oh, man.

Wery didn't think twice about following him, bolting over to the girl and immediately looking her over. "Hey, are you alright?"

"Um, yes…" Maria accepted Tails's help to get herself sitting up again. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be such a bother as soon as I woke up…"

"You're fine," Wery said gently, pulling the blanket up a little more around the girl's shoulders. "We were coming to see how you were doing."

"Are you alright?" Tails asked her. "That was quite the tumble you took."

Maria nodded a little, plainly embarrassed. "I'm not usually so clumsy," she mumbled. "I guess it's been too long since I've had any medicine."

"Oh, don't worry about that," Tails smiled. "My friends and I took care of that for you. You'll be fine for a while."

"You… You know about my medicine?" Maria asked him. She looked beyond confused now. Then she glanced back at the wall and the framed picture she'd been examining before. "And… you know Shadow?"

"Yup! Shadow's one of my best friends. Finding out about your medicine wasn't too hard to do, but we can get into the 'how' some other time. It's complicated." Tails went ahead and helped Maria up and guided her back to the couch. "Anyway, my name is Miles. My friends call me 'Tails', and you're welcome to do the same if you want. And speaking of my friends, this here's Wery. She's super nice, I promise."

Wery gave a tired, but gentle smile to Maria. "It's nice to meet you, Maria."

Maria looked up at her she tried to smile back, then dropped her gaze. "Where am I?" she soon asked. "What is this place?"

"This is Tails's home," Wery explained.

"We're in my workshop right now," Tails said. "It's a place where Wery and I can build and invent stuff. Like… like ships and scanners and that sort of thing."

Such a concept was familiar to Maria, and nodded. "Is this… Mobius?" she almost whispered.

Wery gave an easy nod. "Mhm!"

Maria's eyes immediately began to tear up as this news tried to sink in. Thoughts of her lifelong dream to see the surface of this world for herself flooded her mind. "This is real?" she asked them both in the same soft voice. "This is really Mobius?"

"It really is," Tails promised her. "We can show you what the outside looks like when you're strength returns a bit more. Trust me, any stories you've heard won't hold a candle to the real thing." Maria wound up just nodding and wiping at her eyes with her hands.

Wery gave a brighter smile and nodded. "There's so much worth seeing, and I'd be super happy to take you around to a few places I know about."

"Okay," Maria agreed. She tugged the blanket closed around herself in an effort to keep warm and asked, "Can I see Shadow?"

"Of course you can," Tails said. "It'll just be a little bit, since he's at his home and at least trying to rest. But once he's up and around again, we can absolutely take you to go visit." Tails motioned for her to wait right there and jogged away, then soon returned with a pillow. He put it on the couch for her. "For now, please get some rest, too. I'd hate for you to accidentally overdo it."

Soon, Maria nodded and adjusted the blanket so that she could lay down. Despite being emotional and confused and even nervous, she made sure to maintain her manners. "I'm sorry for being such a bother, but… thank you both for taking care of me." I just wish I understood how I got here… and where my uncle is.

"You're not a bother, not at all," Wery replied gently. "I'm just glad to know you're okay. You didn't seem well when you showed up here."

She didn't have much of a reply to that, so Tails said, "Hey, try to get some sleep, okay? We'll check on you again soon."

"Okay," Maria agreed. She yawned a little in spite of herself and closed her eyes.

Wery smiled. "Let us know when you wake up. We can take a walk outside." Maria nodded faintly, already on her way to sleep.

Once she was for sure asleep, Tails took Wery's hand and walked a short distance away. "She's taking this a lot better than I expected," he murmured.

"Mhm," Wery agreed easily. "Kinda surprised, really."

"Me, too. I mean, the poor kid's whole life was just turned upside-down and she's pretty much… okay with it."

Wery offered a wan smile. "Might be that in some way, this is a little better."

"Oh, no kidding," Tails sighed. "The ARK is no place for a little kid to grow up, and we know now that she was little when she was brought there. Being able to see the trees and feel the breeze and that sort of thing… That's something she's always needed and deserved, if you ask me." Looking over at Wery, he returned her smile a little. "All that aside, though… I'm looking forward to being able to reunite her and Shadow. That'll do them both a ton of good."

"Yeah. And Maria deserves something good in her life," Wery said, smiling a bit more.

"Mm-hm," Tails agreed. "In the meantime, though… I don't know about you, but I'm starving. Want to go get some food?"

"That sounds nice," Wery answered. Smiling, Tails gave her hand a gentle tug and led the way toward the stairs leading into his house. He had a decent meal in mind to make for her.

~保護者~

It just figured that this would happen right as Espio finally managed to doze off.

Following Armaris's apparent meeting with Cere, Espio had put her straight back to bed. After checking her wounds to make sure they hadn't been reopened, of course. She was as fine as could be expected. That had allowed him to relax enough to lay down beside her and try to get a bit of rest. However, that plan had been swiftly derailed. Was getting in a measly ten minute nap really too much to ask for?

The sound of footsteps on his porch roused him first. Then, with a burst of speed, he whipped around and threw an arm over Armaris. His reaction and Armaris's (she'd sunk into her own shadow) together spared her from having her throat sliced… by Nyokae. Because of course it was her. Espio hadn't yet allowed himself to sit down and come to terms with the fact that the woman was alive again. Now here she was, amused and irritating as ever and no doubt fully prepared to break his damn house yet again.

He was on his feet in an instant, never taking his eyes off of Nyokae. However, he didn't talk to her. He spoke instead to Armaris. "Can you take yourself elsewhere? Somewhere far from here." Nyokae gave him a predatory grin.

Armaris growled hatefully, reforming where she'd been seconds before. "I don't want to leave. I want this bitch dead."

"You are in no condition for another fight," Espio reminded her. He shifted to put himself directly in between the two women. Protective instincts were rising up within him, and he saw no real reason to disobey them right this minute.

"I'm afraid he's right, kitten," Nyokae chuckled. "You're rather weak at the moment, even compared to how you usually are." Her comment caused Espio to glare at her. But it didn't matter to Armaris. The cat focused and centering a blast of her magic right on Nareish as her body turned to nothing more than shadows again. Nareish swiftly dodged with an annoyed, "Tch," before teleporting outside. There was more room to fight outdoors, after all.

Espio pursued her without delay, sword in hand. The pair were soon trading vicious blows. Before long, he'd knocked her back and shifted his stance to call upon however much Darkness he could actually control. His goal was to kill her again, here and now, as fast as possible. For that to work, he couldn't waste any time. This time you're staying dead, he silently promised.

Armaris threw herself up onto the roof and kept herself focused, dragging up explosions under Nyokae whenever the two clashed. It was one of the only times she could actively see them both, after all. The fact that she was able to catch even the briefest glimpses of the pair caught both chameleons by surprise - Nyokae more so. Espio's surprise was more short-lived. After all, one of them had faith in the cat and her abilities, and it most certainly wasn't Nyokae herself.

One of the explosions managed to make contact with Nyokae in the couple of seconds before her surprise managed to die off. Espio used the opportunity to get in close again and blast her full-force with his Darkness. After all… as much as he hated it, his Darkness had traces of Malevolence's in it. That meant it could hurt other beings of Darkness. It certainly hurt her. For once, she was the one being knocked away with bloody wounds instead of him.

Armaris didn't let up, eyes glowing a pure black as she trailed explosions after Nyokae, keeping her off her feet. She sure as hell couldn't kill this woman on her own, but she knew good and damn well Espio could. Her constant assaults on Nyokae made following up his previous attack with another very easy for Espio to do. He blasted Nyokae again, this time making sure to throw her well into the wilderness before pursuing her. The risk of other people getting hurt if Nyokae recovered before he could end her… That wasn't one he was willing to take at all.

Seeing as she was out of sight, Armaris dove into the shadows after them both. Only in darkness could she ever hope to be as fast as they were, and it showed as she rose up over Nyokae and engulfed the recovering chameleon woman in a violent explosion to throw her against the ground. Nyokae managed to wrench herself free of the attack and leveled Armaris with a glare. "So delicate, your life… Are you sure you want to risk it here, kitten? You're half-dead already as it is."

"You won't touch her," Espio muttered. I won't let you… and neither will she.

That glare was answered with a wild grin. "I'd like to see you try. Tired of bitches underestimating me."

Nyokae huffed and asked Espio, "So you truly are siding with the 'heroes', then? You fancy yourself one of them?"

Amber eyes narrowed. "I am no hero… but I will eliminate you as I did before. I would do so no matter what."

Rather than give Nyokae a chance to do anything to one of the few people she loved, Armaris leapt forward at Nyokae. The chameleon reacted by slicing at her with her sword, to no avail. The cat simply made herself intangible once more and set off an unbridled explosion of magic centered from herself. Dumbass.

The instant those attacks died down, Espio lunged for Nyokae in much the same way that Armaris had - just without any of her recklessness. He and Nyokae traded more blows, only for that to abruptly cease once he'd decided he'd had enough of this. Using his slowly growing Immortal strength and his Immortal-class sword (he did still have to thank Li for that), he simply cut hers in half and kicked her through a tree. If only it had been this easy years ago… But dwelling on that was pointless. He glanced at Armaris to assess her condition. "Are you alright?" he asked. They had a few seconds, he believed, until Nyokae would be able to get back up.

Armaris merely laughed at that, idly flicking up a hand in the direction she sensed Nyokae to encase the woman in Darkness. "You realize that was hot, right?"

Hearing this caused Espio to raise an eyebrow at her. "What are you talking about?" he dared to ask after a slight delay.

"Kicking someone through a tree. That's hot," Armaris huffed, as if it should have been obvious. "Now, let's make sure this bitch dies here and now. I want to get back in bed."

Unlike the last time, Espio intended to end this swiftly. Not to spare Nyokae from any pain, but solely to spar himself (and thus Armaris) from having to suffer the woman's company any longer than was necessary. He motioned for Armaris to stay put and vanished. A few seconds later, all traces of Nyokae's energies vanished when her life abruptly ended courtesy of his sword. He then reappeared beside Armaris and sheathed the weapon.

The cat huffed at him. "Damn. Couldn't even let me see it happen?" she teased, nudging him with an elbow. "Asshole."

"Feel free to be the one to feed her to the hollows," Espio huffed. "That is the fate that typically awaits the corpses of shinobi like her. They do not deserve to be honored through burial."

Armaris licked her lips a little, then shook her head a bit. Nah. Not worth having any of her inside you, even just in your stomach. With no ceremony or grace, the cat teleported the corpse to herself, lifted it by the ankle, and tossed it with unusual strength into the distance. Some of the Hollows had backed off, but they'd never abandon such an easy meal.

With that taken care of, Espio teleported back to the house with her in tow… only to sigh. Must every fight always result in damage to my house? he silently lamented. All he said, though, was, "Return to bed, Armaris. You need rest."

The cat groaned a little and put a hand to her chest, the agitation of the wounds finally catching up to her. "Ugh. Hate that she ruined my nap. On top of the bullshit of my dad, am I allowed to fucking sleep?" Despite her complaining, the cat was soon laid down and attempting to rest again.

Espio went ahead and covered her with the blankets, shaking his head in quiet amusement as he did so. "Sleep," he insisted again, more gently this time. "I will prevent anyone from disturbing you for a while."

"I'll try," Armaris mumbled, curling herself up to bring herself more warmth before opening her eyes again. "Hey, we may need to change the bandages soon. I think all of that opened them up a bit."

Pursing his lips, Espio carefully shifted the blankets down a bit and moved her clothes to look at the bandages in question. Sure enough, they were quite soiled with fresh blood already. Dammit. "Wait a minute." Of course, it took much less time than that for him to disappear, grab the necessary supplies, and return. He then sat her up as gently as possible and set about tending to her injury again. He made sure not to take too long since she wanted to sleep, and so soon he was helping her lay back down. "Try not to toss and turn," he said. "I do not want the wound to reopen a second time."

Armaris mocked him with a hand and huffed. "It was necessary this time. I had to teach her a lesson."

"I understand, but that is not the point," Espio huffed back at her.

Her tail lashed and tossed the blanket away. "Just make sure you get in here soon or I might start 'randomly' bleeding again."

"If you bleed on my bed on purpose, I will make you regret it," Espio grumbled. "Just go to sleep, Armaris. I have to find a means to cover the holes in the roof before it starts to rain. Or would you rather get cold and wet?"

Once more, she mocked him with one hand before ultimately curling up under the blankets. "Just hurry up. I'm cold enough as is." Espio simply nodded and walked out of the room to take care of the holes. It was the least he could do for her.

~保護者~

After much crying and hugging, things were finally calming down. Azanae pulled back from Sona to look at her adopted daughter. With gentle thumbs, she wiped some of the younger cat's tears away. "You've grown so much," she whispered. "I'm so sorry that I was gone for this long, Sona… but I'm so happy to see you all grown up."

Sona didn't let the distance stay for long, pushing forward and forcing her head against the older woman. "I never thought I'd see you again… I didn't know this was… possible. Not… not like this."

"Neither did I," Azanae admitted. She drew the younger woman into her arms again and held her close. "I didn't even remotely expect this to happen."

"I…" Sona was at a loss for words, sniffling and just keeping herself near Azanae.

Azanae gave Sona a gentle squeeze. "Where do you live now?" she asked softly. "I think we could both use some rest as of now."

"I never left the home we had before… but it sustained a lot of damage as a result of an attack that recently happened," Sona admitted, looking away.

"Then I will work on fixing the place up later," Azanae decided. She stood, tugging Sona up with her, then gently extracted herself from the hug long enough to quickly give Ythene one. "You and I will speak soon," she told the other woman in a near-whisper. "I promise."

"I understand," Ythene answered with a wavering smile. "So long as I know you are alive and safe, I can wait however long is needed. Go get some rest, both of you."

Sniffling anew (not unlike her former student had just been doing), Azanae pulled away. Turning to Therin, she said, "I haven't seen you since you were just a kit. Are you living with her now?"

Therin was surprised to be addressed at all and took half a step back. "Uh… no. No, I have my own place. I was just accompanying her, is all." To Sona he added, "Go get some sleep or something, alright? We can talk again whenever."

Sona glanced between Therin and Azanae before walking up to Therin to wrap him up in a tight hug. "Thank you," she whispered.

He hugged her back, then sort of cleared his throat. "I didn't do nothin', so you don't need to thank me," he murmured. "Just focus on yourself and your ma, alright?"

She gripped him a little tighter. "Don't sell yourself short," Sona mumbled, letting him go and walking back to Azanae. Therin watched her go with a puzzled expression.

Azanae watched their exchange with a small smile and took Sona's hand. "You two seem to get along well," she said right about the time that Therin vanished. "At any rate, are you ready to go?"

Sona looked back at where Therin had just been standing, giving a slow nod. "Yeah, s'pose so."

Taking her hand, Azanae teleported with her to the house. She tutted upon seeing the damage. "You weren't kidding. This place is a mess. …No matter, we can deal with that later. Off to bed with you. I'll be doing the same shortly."

A vaguely annoyed huff came from Sona, glancing over the damage. "I don't want to sleep…"

"You should," Azanae said. "You look like you could use it."

Sona mockingly mimicked what Azanae said, but not aloud. "Don't wanna."

"I will manhandle you there if I have to," Azanae responded cheekily. "You know, 'for old time's sake'." Since this wasn't likely to get her anywhere and she knew it, she quickly changed tact and grew more gentle. "Sona… please. Do it for me? I'm worried about you, and I'll be able to rest easier if I know you're taking care of yourself."

The cheeky response initially earned a bit of a snarl, but Sona relaxed a little when Azanae became more gentle. "I… alright," she relented.

Azanae smiled at her. "Thank you. I know I have no business ordering you around anymore Sona, but thank you for listening all the same. I'll make it up to you by cooking a good meal for us later, okay?"

"Okay," Sona mumbled, vanishing around a corner to head to her room. Once she was gone, Azanae set about cleaning up the couch to sleep on. It would have to do for now.

~保護者~

Cyril had decided that checking on Eila was a good idea, but he didn't expect to sense such a powerful spell brewing. Especially not one with so much latent hatred. It made him nervous, but he could tell it was being pointed at some item in particular and not a person. He trusted Eila, knew she wouldn't turn her magic on someone without reason. That was what allowed him to approach her door and walk in when she allowed him to go to her room.

"Right on time, Cyril," Eila mumbled, hovering a small metal ball above her palm. "Thought you might end up late, but here you are."

The finch blinked in confusion, then simply let that go for now. "Yeah, came to see how you're doing. Everything okay?"

Eila nodded easily. She didn't know how to explain what he was plainly sensing. That the finch's eyes were drawn to her spellbook where she was gathering her magic was obvious. "I need your help with something. I wish to make a magic item and you can likely help me make it far more quickly."

Cyril blinked, then nodded to her. "Uh, sure. I suppose I can," he said, walking closer. "Suppose it's that metal ball you've got charged with magic, yeah?"

"Hm," Eila hummed, tossing it over. "I want it to rejuvenate the mind, invoke the recovery of memories. That sorta thing. Jet helped me, and I definitely owe it to Wave to help her out with that whole situation." She glanced quietly to Cyril, then turned away again. "I've gotten it started and played around with some of my psychic powers. Figured you could piece together the spell on your own."

"More used to working with completed ones, but I can try," Cyril replied, catching it in his hand and letting the thing hover above his palm just like Eila had. "You doing okay, Eila? You seem… tense. Upset. You can talk to me if you'd like."

"Don't want to," Eila said quietly. "My words… they don't work. I'm fucking awful at talking. It's easier to be concise." And emotionless. Her gaze turned back to the magic item that Cyril had just completed. She was… surprised. You got that far with that shitty start of a spell? I figured it would take you at least an hour… What the fuck are you?

"Being concise is cool and all, but that's more business professional. We're looking at home casual," Cyril said, tossing the item back over. In her surprise, Eila didn't think before catching it in her hands. Memories rushed back through her mind and she nearly vomited, doubling over onto her bed. "Crap, are you okay?" he asked immediately, kneeling down by her and setting a hand on her back.

It took several seconds for her to get her bearings again, pushing the ball to the other side of the bed as she stood. "Fuckin' 'ell," Eila bit out, wiping a hand over her face. "Shitty childhood comin' right back to bite me in the ass." Rather than say more, she idly began working on the spell on their newly created magic item, altering it so it wouldn't bring up everything. Should be able to get it to target his memories regarding the Void… at least for him. Note to self: nobody else is allowed to touch this thing… 'Cept Cyril.

Cyril frowned deeply. "Brought up too much, didn't it?"

"Yeah. Don't worry 'bout it. I'll fix that part. For now, you focus on your shit," Eila said, turning to him. "You've obviously got a ton on your plate."

Yeah, but… I'm worried about you. Cyril didn't directly give voice to that thought, simply retracting his hand from Eila and managing a small smile. "Try to take care of yourself. You look like you've skipped a night or two of sleep. Want me to bring you some food? I know a couple good places."

Eila watched him, then his thoughts seeped into her mind. Stop being so concerned… We're not together. I don't think we can be. I don't want to hurt you. "I'll be fine, thank you." She didn't quite expect him to just vanish, but he shortly came back with a bag of… something.

"It's nothing too special, just some food from a truck, but I promise it's good. Please try to eat something," Cyril said. Before she knew it, the bag was in her hand and he… wasn't even using his magic.

How…? She chose not to question whatever he just did, setting the bag aside. The smell made her stomach gurgle. It served to remind her that she had not eaten lately. "Fine… I will try."

Cyril smiled, obviously pleased with himself. "Good!"

Eila stood in silence for several seconds before grabbing Cyril's arm unexpectedly. "Wave is coming. It doesn't appear to be good."

Sure enough, the other Babylonian suddenly appeared beside the pair. She stuttered out a brief apology to Eila for invading her room, using a mixture of Hexan and universal words. Wave was shaking all over, looking genuinely afraid to her core even as she wiped at her eyes in an obvious effort to keep herself together. "A-ati Alonei kinta'nae," she told Cyril in a trembling voice. ("Grandma Alonei is dead.")

It took Cyril several seconds to process this information based on what little he knew of the language. Eila meanwhile knew the words she was saying but was too shocked to initially speak. "Woah, hey," Cyril said, shifting closer to wrap an arm around Wave. "Calm down, calm down. You've gotta slow down for a second," he said, trying to soothe her somewhat.

Wave could only continue to shake at first, even as she returned Cyril's hug. She'd barely calmed down at all when she choked out, "Tae Thane is h-hurt. He s-said that dad tried to k-kill him. A-and he did kill ati."

Eila silently froze. That realization… For just a moment, she could feel blood on her own hands. It brought back painful memories. I killed my own family, too… and tried with my sister. The corruption has already spiraled out of control.

Doing his best to help Wave, Cyril gently patted her on the back. "Hey, steady breaths. You gotta breathe. Focus…. One in, one out."

Focusing was hard. Still, Wave did what she could to follow his instructions. Which… didn't at all stop her thoughts from continuing to race. Her pulse was at least calming a little, though. Breathe, she repeated to herself. You have to breathe.

Cyril comfortingly rubbed at Wave's back before turning his head to watch as Eila stared blankly in some other direction. I… I don't know what's happening with her, but I have to get Wave calmed down. With that thought, Cyril turned to Wave and set his hands firmly on her shoulders. "Look, I know it's awful and that things have gone really bad, but I need your help."

Drawing in several more shaky breaths, Wave looked up at him. Her eyes were full of tears that she was so far refusing to let herself shed. "What?" she asked in a tiny voice.

"I need you to sit yourself down and just feel those emotions. I'm gonna do everything in my power to save your dad, and I'm gonna start by figuring out how to stop the corruption from getting worse."

"But how?" she choked out, even as she created a small chair out of magic and reluctantly sat down on it. "How can you possibly do that at this point?"

Eila shifted out of her shock-induced stupor to turn her gaze to Cyril. "Y-you're wanting to approach Jet?"

He nodded. "Yeah. If there's anyone with the ability to do something or help someone else do something, it's him. I figure I've got a pretty good chance of getting it to work out, too." Cyril frowned a little to himself. He fully recognized how bad of an idea it was. Already his magic was protesting the idea, but something had to be done.

"Jet might kill you," Wave sniffled, looking at the floor. "Or he might just let the Void do it. He isn't himself right now."

"I can't just ignore this. Your dad is strong. Even more importantly, he's your dad. This matters too much, and it's kinda my job to be involved." Cyril sighed. "I know this all means I'll likely be fighting people more, but… I don't want to see you cry. I hate that this has you so torn up."

"Cyril, I can't stomach the risk of losing you too," Wave almost pleaded. "I can't."

"He's got a damn good chance of actually pulling this off," Eila mumbled after a few seconds had passed. "That damned luck power he apparently got… I feel it warping reality plenty often enough."

Wave looked up at her in surprise, both because she'd forgotten about that little detail and because… well, she just plain hadn't expected Eila to know. But in retrospect that was a bit of an oversight on her part. She really should have known. "I… I guess you're right…" But I'm still afraid.

Eila walked over to Wave, hands shaking at her sides as she spoke. Flashes of long forgotten memories kept breaking through her thoughts, but she banished them long enough to speak. "I may also be able to help somewhat with the… situation regarding Jet."

"How?" Wave asked again, this time much more quietly.

"I, along with Cyril's help, put together a spell on a magic item to try and help him regain some… specific memories," Eila murmured. "To help him remember why he bonded with the Void in the first place."

"Is that…" Wave trailed off, thinking hard about what she'd been told. "Is that even a good idea?"

"Might give him some stability, being able to understand that," Eila murmured. Or it may just get me killed.

Hearing this, Wave looked at Cyril to see if he had any thoughts on it at all. Ultimately, he didn't. His knowledge on the matter was very limited. Wave sighed and looked down again. It was pretty clear to her that she couldn't talk these two out of this. She wasn't in any condition mentally or emotionally to tag along and try to help. All she could offer were small, ultimately useless words. "Just… Just try to be careful, okay? Both of you."

Without hesitation, Cyril moved back to his best friend and wrapped his arms firmly around her. "I'll come back to you, in one piece, with some advancement in the situation. I promise," he assured softly, keeping her in a tight hug.

Wave swallowed thickly and nodded. She returned his hug just as tightly. "Okay." After a pause, she stood and made her chair disappear. She gave Cyril a final squeeze before letting him go. Turning to Eila, she said, "I'm sorry for invading your space with my problems… again. But… thank you for trying so hard to help. I mean it."

Eila blinked once before glancing away. "I have every reason to help you and none to push you away. You… you are welcome in my space and home whenever you would like." She shifted a little, rubbing her hands together as if to brush something off herself. "Perhaps we should sit down when we're done with all this… even if only for a minute."

"That sounds good," Wave agreed. She wiped at her eyes and then lowered her arms again. "I think I'm going to hang with Sein and Alana in the meantime. They're kind to me, and it's miles better than being by myself." She hesitated, steeled herself, then forced herself to voice the biggest question on her mind at the moment. As much as she feared for Jet, her thoughts were mostly focused on her father. "Eila… do you really think my dad can be saved without another act of the Faein? With them expending so much energy on other, bigger things, I don't know that they could even help him anytime soon…"

Eila paused for several seconds before looking to Wave. "I… I don't know. When I was corrupted, it took the power of someone like a Faein to return me to the state I am in. If it will take that for him, I am not sure." She didn't like saying that. "I'll do whatever I can to help. Maybe… maybe we can find a way."

"Okay." Wave drew in a slow breath. "Thanks for being honest." She reached out and gave Cyril one last quick hug before saying, "I'm going to go see Amy now. You guys go do what you need to do."

There was an easy nod from Cyril, wrapping his arms around her once more. "You go do your best to cool off. I'll be back here pretty soon." Wave agreed quietly, said a soft farewell to Eila, then extracted herself from the hug and left the room.

Once Wave was gone, Cyril turned to Eila. Already, she knew what he was thinking. "Yes, we are going to find a way to purify him. For now, let's focus on not being wiped from existence by the Void."

Cyril gave a shrug. "Eh, fair enough." With that, Eila teleported the both of them away.

~保護者~

11,826 words this time. Many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help and support, and I hope you all enjoyed. Posted (at about 2:30 p.m.) 12-17-22.