...
"I should hate you. For all you have done in this world and the previous, for all the lives you took, resentment should be the only thing in my heart as I watch your defeat...and yet...I feel the urge to thank you. I thought I had already seen it all, but you allowed me to peek into a world no one comes back from, and for that, I am grateful. While I do not wish you well, I will say this:
Sayorana...ATS. May we meet again in the next chapter."
A gigantic blue ball of energy goes up to the cloudy night sky, before combusting in a phenomenal showcase of light. As specs of cyan light drip from above, the dust begins to clear.
Miles Tails Prower, a young anthropomorphic yellow fox possessing an innocent pair of lapis pupils with 2 tails, looks as he makes out a silhouette from the dark smoke.
He sees a blue hedgehog with pointy quills pointing downwards, unmistakable emerald irises and an attitude in his eyes like no other.
The air clears, and Sonic the Hedgehog weakly looks up to Tails, then flashes a smirk and a thumbs up. Miles, however, looks petrified. He spots the cracks coming out of his mentor's body, leaving no corner unharmed as they emit a striking blue light. They then break off, causing Sonic to appear almost as a ghost, as he drops down to the floor, leaving behind a trail of dark blue smoke.
"SONIC!"
His ghostly figure drops on the ground. A loud thud can be heard across the now quiet battlefield.
An enormous mech, covered in the smoke of the battle, begins loudly walking towards him, before bending down and powering off, coming out of it an unmistakable egg-shaped figure baldhead human with a closed red vest with golden buckles. With his fancy boots and incredible charisma, he would usually walk around oozing with confidence boarding on arrogance. Not this day, however. He walks to his Fallen nemesis slowly in respect, almost in disbelief. He has seen Sonic on the ground before, but no matter what, he always manages to get up. This time, it really does seem something managed to stop the unstoppable object.
Sonic weakly moves his head to look at his mortal enemy, with a baffled smirk on his face.
Behind Robotnik AKA Eggman, is a levitating young girl, looking like a ghost from her pale skin she is and her white hair, standing behind her father, covering her mouth with hand in worry. Her shadow and dress have red pixels radiating all over. You could almost swear that the air around her gets digitized and corrupted.
Sonic: "Is...is he...?"
Eggman: "Without a trace. It's over."
Sonic cracks a laugh of relief. His hardest challenge has been concluded with a victory. However, every breath felt heavier and heavier, and his laugh ranged nothing more than a hollow chuckle.
Sonic: "Man... that...didn't sound too good..."
"Sage, vitals."
She makes a soft mechanical hum as she follows the doctor's orders, but then stays quiet for a moment after the humming is done.
..."it's...negative."
"Negative? The hell does that mean?"
"He...isn't even..."
Sonic: "Damn, you could have lied or something" he says with a small chuckle as he lays his head.
Eggman: "so, no bright ideas?"
Sonic: "ATS drained out my bag, ripped it open from the bottom and burnt it. I am all out of tricks...and... I hope you are too."
"What do you-"
Sonic expression turns serious as he turns back to Ivo.
"Promise. Promise me that you would drop all of this. You have seen how bad it can get; we can't let there be a reason for another ATS to exist. Stay out of it from now on. You can still do...whatever other ambitions you have, b-but-"
"Alright, alright, I got it. Being overdramatic never fit you."
"Yeah...I guess so..."
"SONIC!" Tails yelled out as he tries to make out where Sonic was.
He finally spots him and runs over, getting on his knees when he finally reaches him. Sonic practically uses all his strength just to turn his head to look at Miles.
Tails: "Hey..."
Sonic: "Hey...how are you doing?"
"Look, this looks bad but maybe we could-"
"Heh…Nah...I have been on death's door before...this time...I am practically in the hallway already. I think...I think this is it for me..."
Silence falls upon the scene. Only a few moments ago was it filled with the screams of battle and the resultant flames, destruction and the smell of fiery ash. But now…
After a few moments, Sonic breaks the silence.
"Hey, Ivo? You uh...mind leaving us for a minute?"
Eggman silently nods before walking away, Sage trailing him. She stops and looks back at Sonic and Tails. Their bond is what originally put into her mind the beauty of the soul, and it's their bond that made her see the hardest part. The mortality of it all. Sage wonders to herself if there is really any point to having feelings if it meant it will all disappear eventually. Perhaps…
"Sage."
A firm call from her father interrupts her train of thought. She floats back with him into the darkness as Sonic and Tails have their farewell.
The Blue Blur notices Tails looking…hesitant.
"Tell me…what's on your mind right now, partner?"
Tails looks at Sonic's eyes, he takes note at how the light of life within them has already long faded.
"I…I don't know how to feel…it feels…almost…bittersweet, you know?"
"Yeah…I get that. But…you know, if you want to say or…do something now…"
"There is no need for that." Tails quickly interrupts 'Everything I ever wanted to say to you, I already said it. No regrets and all that, right? That's what you taught me.'
"That's…that's good…though, if I have to be honest…this isn't exactly how I envisioned this happening…"
"Really now?" A small smile creeps on Tails' face. "You didn't really expect to die of old age, did you?"
"Ha! Not a…ow…chance…but...' Sonic's smile fades as he continues…'I didn't expect it to be this…quiet.'
'Do you think that's a good thing?'
'Well, I much rather this than…hearing ATS maniacal laugh or Eggman screaming about Eggmanland as I fade…I guess it's a good thing its quiet."
"Yeah…"
…
Sonic takes a massive, deep breath, as if preparing for something. His chest shaking in fatigue. "One last thing...did Shadow give you...?"
Tails widens his eyes slightly before reaching for something. He turns back to face Sonic and shows him a golden ring.
"Good...you two will be more than enough...I..."
"What...what is it...?"
Sonic's confident demeanour drops as his expression screams of hesitation. The light in his eye returns, flickering, as if desperately holding on.
"Please...if you can...please..."
"Please what? Tell me!"
"Take...take care of him...keep him out of harm..."
"Who are you talking-"
...
"Take care of Icarus."
...
Icarus
Icarus Icarus Icarus
Icarus.
Icarus.
Icarus.
"Hey! Icarus!"
In the brightly lit bedroom, the bed creaks as the person sleeping turns their head to the open window. The sun is only just rising. His eyes struggle to stay awake as he takes in the beige coloured room. He tries to close his eyes again...
PFFT PPFT PFFT
He is yanked awake from the feeling of water attacking his skin. He quickly sits upright on his bed, then looks up to see the source of it.
"Ugh, snap out of it already." Pink quills dropping down to her neck, rocking a purple button jacket and an unmistakable red hairband. Wrinkles interrupting the otherwise smooth skin on her features. On her glove covered right hand, she is holding a water spray.
"Mother...please...stop that water thing..." replied Icarus.
"It is the only thing that gets you up these days. Hurry up, already!" She begins walking out of the room, as Icarus is left alone with the otherwise silent room.
"Oh! And one more thing..." His mother, Amy Rose, pops out of the dark brown door frame right after walking and shouts out "...if you sleep again, I am spitting the water on you. Shadow's idea, not mine." With a grin, she walks out once again
"That's disgusting!" Icarus yelled out in response.
"Oh please, that is by far *the* most tame thing those middle eastern moms- oh my god SHADOW WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"
Icarus sighs as he hears a sizzling sound followed by what sounds like a mini-explosion and finally gets out of bed nonchalantly. After putting on his ever-so reliable dusty and washed out sneakers; he checks himself out on the mirror opposite to his bed. Brown fur, black eyes, long quills that almost make it to his legs, extending from the back of his head. With a few adjustments, he winks and points at the mirror, before walking into the wide, light blue hallway.
He immediately gets blinded by black smoke, smelling like it came from a fire. He waves the air off "For crying out loud, not again..."
As he walks through the chaos, he makes out a lovely...'conversation' happening at the kitchen from the end of the hallway, which is where all the smoke is coming from. Normally, this would be disorienting for any other person, but Icarus at this point had the whole house memorised by heart. He really didn't choose to, he had to from how frequently he couldn't see anything. A part of him is bumped out, however, as he can't make out the images that are always pinned to the walls. Worlds and adventures beyond his wildest dreams, many hours were spent daydreaming at these pictures. For whatever reason, though, his parents didn't agree to give any answers to his questions about them besides the bare minimum. It was always as if they were somehow ashamed, and yet they still proudly displayed them on the walls of their home.
"DON'T PUT WATER ON THE FIRE!"
"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN 'DON'T PUT WATER ON THE FIRE'? ITS FIRE, YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO EXTINGUISH IT WITH WATER!"
"NOT A FIRE CAUSED FROM COOKING OIL! WHAT ON EARTH DID THEY TEACH YOU ON THE ARK?"
"...Nothing on earth was taught, that's the point"
"HEY...I...what?"
"You know, you asked...what *on* earth did I learn...and..."
"Oh. My. God."
Icarus can hear his dad laughing hysterically as he makes it into the kitchen.
"I...I married an imbecile" Amy murmurs as she pinches the top of her nose with her fingers.
Icarus manages to distinguish his father throughout the smoke. A dark, black hedgehog with his upper quills curving sharply upwards, a solid red stripe running through his otherwise pitch black fur. The darkness is broken apart by white chest-hair and his light coloured gloved with a cyan-glowing symbol that extends to his metallic yellow ring bracelets. His yellow-scarlet pupils are unmistakable. His mechanical skater shoes are contrasted by a fibre cape, with a golden outline and a fiery orange background. In its centre, an Omega symbol with a dark outline and a crimson red filling. As their banter ensues, Icarus makes notice of just how brightly their wedding rings shine, enough to light up the smokey scenery.
"Oh, morning Icarus." Shadow turns to Icarus' direction, but unable to make direct eye contact from the lack of visibility.
"What...the hell *cough* are you cooking?"
Icarus replied while trying to wave the smoke away with one hand
"Oh, nothing, just some...noodles."
"For the love of...it's called spaghetti." Annoyingly, Amy replied. "I don't pay that much for you to class them next to ramen."
"Well, I think it's a draw...Icarus! You are smart, is spaghetti the same thing as noodles?"
"I think I need to go to school already"
"Oh, right!" Amy breaks out of her bad mood. "I really almost forgot."
She runs over and throws herself at Icarus, before cupping his cheeks and giving him a soft kiss on his forehead.
Although Icarus is embarrassed to all hell, he lets his mom get it out of her system without resistance, only really showing the slightest bit of annoyance with a simple eye roll.
Amy: "Good luck on the first day!"
Icarus: "Yeah, yeah, I'm sure it will be alright."
Icarus begins moving away as Amy lets go. Shadow simply gives him a thumbs up, to which Icarus swipes his nose with his thumb with a confident smirk in response before walking out of the house.
He opens the wooden, oval shaped door to get out. Icarus instinctively closes it behind him, however he figured that if he left the door open, there might be a small chance the fire alarm wouldn't ring at them again as some smoke can get out of the house. Icarus leaves it open as he walks off, but before he can take 3 steps forward-
..
DINNNNNNNN
followed shortly by the sound of sprinkles.
"OH GREAT, LOOK AT WHAT YOU DID!"
"ME? MAYBE IF YOU WEREN'T SUCH A LOSEY TEACHER, WE WOULD HAVE BEEN FINE!"
"HOW ON EARTH IS THIS MY FAULT?"
"I TOLD YOU, THE ISSUE ISN'T ON EARTH!"
Icarus chuckles to himself at their interactions before their sound fades when he gets further away.
He takes in the spring's countryside scenery for a brief moment, taking in the scent of it all. The yellow and orange leaves dropping down as every step he takes causes a loud crunch, covering the stone pathway he walks on. A slight groan is heard from Icarus as he hops over the inconsistently spaced steps of the stone pathway ahead of him.
Icarus makes it to a crosswalk, he notices that the road he needs to cross is beyond empty, but the sign was showing a hologram of a man in red, to which he responds to with an eye roll. After a few seconds, he begins tapping his feet and looking at an imaginary watch. With a sigh, he begins looking around to see if anybody is looking, then slowly places his foot down the road. He closes his eyes and flenches as the tip of his shoe graces the floor.
...
Immediately, he gets knocked back, falling to the ground. The lines indicating the crosswalk turn into a flashing red that forms to show the words "NO WAY? NO WAY!". Icarus scratches his head and gets up, groaning as he shakes his head and regains his footing. He then takes another, more careful look around, before pulling his leg back, with a determined look on his face, then...
With a swift motion, Icarus moves at an incredible, blistering speed, leaving nothing behind but the orange leaves blowing in the wind and a brown trail, causing tens, no, hundreds of crosswalks to blare "NO WAY" simultaneously, however, they are too slow to do anything about Icarus' path to CCC: Central City College.
He stops running at an alleyway right beside the institution, then walks out of it from the opposite end to avoid being spotted by anyone.
He then turns and sees the college building, a gigantic behemoth of modern architecture, or well, three gigantic behemoths. Three buildings, two of them connected by a bridge covered in transparent glass. The main campus consisted of enormous down-hill concrete stairs that gave you a perfect view of the city's skyscrapers. On the right of the buildings, there were food trucks, padel, football and tennis courts, one of the buildings had a swimming pool, plenty of dedicated spots for gathering, and wherever there was space, walkways filled with plants and all sorts of flowers that bloomed with nature's scent filled the campus. It was, by all means, state of the art.
Icarus walked into the first gate, passed by security with a simple wave and a smile, before then climbing the stairs that led into the M building, distinguished by…a giant poster with the letter "M".
He opened up the door and glanced behind him before walking in and leaving the door to close on its own, he then took in the sights.
Soft, modernly designed couches, posters showcasing graduates' final projects with detailed holograms, brief descriptions on how they were made, bustling with noise and laughter and frequent teenage yelling. People walked by him wearing anything and everything, ranging from full on formal suits to low hanging shorts and slippers, all while being in groups that contained both human and amphomorphic individuals. The other end of the building was a glass wall, allowing one to view the entire campus, as well as the skyscrapers backdropping the universe, all from one spot. What caught Icarus' eye however, was the wooden boards they had at the centre of it all, showcasing the highest ranking students in both academics and sporting achievements as well as showcasing recent developments in medicine and science in the form of cropped newspaper articles. Icarus at first wonders "Who even reads newspapers?" before seeing an article with a headline that catches his eye:
"The Healthiest Earth in over 50 years!"
'The Guardian Units of Nations, AKA "GUN", have come out today with a statement revealing that all the harmful side effects of the industrial and subsequent eras have been practically wiped out, crediting the usage of the seven 'Chaos Emeralds' as the world's leading power source for the radical improvements in Earth's wildlife diversity and atmosphere, however, self-proclaimed genius, Dr. Enigma Robotnik, claims that it was all thanks to his "brilliant optimizations" that the planet is as healthy as it is, before going on to claim that "Using Chaos Energy as is without my advancements would have been impossible!"
As a reminder to our readers; the decision to migrate from Fossil Fuels to 'Chaos Energy' was made 16 years ago after 182 world leaders, including the United Federations president and the Duchess of Solenna, signed the 'Seven Servers' treaty.
Enigma was one and a half years old at the time'
Icarus chuckled and knocked on the glass protecting the announcements gently as he walked away. Seeing a water dispenser nearby, he walks to it for a quick cup of water.
He got one of the plastic cups provided on top of the dispenser and filled it with cold water, but as he was moving his hand back, it slipped from his grasp.
Calmly, he simply put his foot out below the falling cup and raised it at just the right level so it lands bottom first on the tip of his shoe, then he yanked his leg upwards and grabbed the cup by his hand before drinking the water with a smug grin on his face, his eyes darting sideways to a group of human girls whispering to each other and giggling while looking in his direction. Icarus wasn't really sure if they were laughing at him or if they thought he was 'cool', but he decided to assume the best and gave them a simple nod up and wave before walking off. As their chuckles only raised in volume, he realises half the water that was in the cup spilled on the floor, forming a puddle below the dispenser. He looks back at the mess he made, sighs at the sight of it all with his free hand at his hips, then just cringes at himself, shrugs and walks into the lecture hall M.104 as the girls' giggling turns into laughter.
He opens the entrance to the hall and takes in the sights of its stature. If people were loud out there, it sounded like a riot in here. The AC sure was cold as hell, too.
He sits down at the 3rd row from the bottom just in time for the professor to enter.
People fell silent the moment they noticed the man...or well rather, the fox, stepping in the room.
Two Tails, bright yellow fur and a dashing brown suit with a white shirt beneath. The smell of premium perfume spreads across the area like wildfire. Despite his otherwise modern and sleek outfit, his shoes stuck out like a sore thumb: Red, tieless sneakers with one big white strip horizontally, complete with a bizarre golden buckle. To say it didn't fit with the rest of his outfit would be an understatement.. Icarus could have sworn he saw him somewhere before.
"Good day, everyone, and thank you for coming. My name is Miles Prower, and on behalf of the entire triple C staff, I wish you a great time here. Now, while we do have the highest tier of education money can buy, this place is about more than just that. Its an entire experience, and you deserve to know the full extent of it. So, I will conduct this orientation to cover not just what you need to know, but also everything that you can do around campus and outside if you choose to partake in any additional activities-"
Icarus barely keeps himself awake throughout his speech, his head resting on his hand as he struggles to keep his eyes open.
"So..." Tails continues as he presses a button on a remote, starting the sideshow "...what even is CCC? You know, why does this place...exist? Aside from the...uh...snarky comment of "money"..."
A few light chuckles are heard from the audience, Icarus couldn't care less.
"...it was made from the attempts of a team called the Sonic Heroes to reconnect the world the same way they did during their various adventures-"
"You UTTER FOOL!"
A male student yells out from the back, Icarus is jolted right awake.
"Excuse me?" Tails turns around and glances at the hall to see who was talking. All the people in the hall witness as the student stands up. A red bear-like anthropomorphic with black markings, almost like an eyeliner, surrounding his eyes. His eyes a striking yellow, his voice rash and harsh.
"Do you seriously expect us to believe that the same people that were responsible for the incident 19 years ago would be so kind to 'give us' this education?!"
The room turns into a series of mutters and whispers.
"I am going have to ask you to leave the room for now, Mr...?"
"Itadori. Watashi no namae Kujo Itadori-desu."
"Mr. Kujo, please leave the premises, before I make you leave." Tails' tone is consistently calm. It's threatening from how nonchalant he is.
Icarus knows he has nothing to do with this...but he recognizes Tails. He was a part of those images he saw daily in his household; he always overhears his parents talking about him, yet they always change the topic when Icarus enters the room, the same way they do when he asks about the "incident" 19 years ago, a mere 10 months before he was born. His curiosity gets the better of him as he decides to barge in.
"Wait!" Icarus halts the conversation as he stands up as well.
"Kujo, was it? What do you know that we don't?"
"I don't know, ask him." Itadori replies, point at Miles. "He was the one who was there."
Tails narrows his eyebrows as a reflex action, but bites his tongue and chooses to remain silent. The tension in the room can almost be seen by the naked eye.
"No...of course he wouldn't say a word..." Itadori says while shaking his head. "...hey, if you aren't here to give us the truth, then why the hell are we even here? Save yourself the efforts and go back to picking Roses with Amy, fox boy."
The hall becomes a mess of mummers and whispers, Tails opens his mouth to speak, but then...
"Hey." Icarus speaks firmly. "You would do well to keep her name out of mouth, Kujo!"
"And why is that?"
"Because Amy Rose just so happens to be my mother."
The entire audience gasps, Itadori is taken aback by this statement. Tails widens his eyes in shock.
"Young man..." Tails directs his gaze towards Icarus, the room falling silent. "...what is your name?"
Icarus turns to face Miles.
"My name is Icarus."
A grin of delight gets painted on Itadori's face, while Tails pupils shrink from disbelief.
"Icarus the Hedgehog!"
...
"Take care...
Of Icarus..."
...
...
"KOREGA ERABA RESHI MONO GA ATSUME RARERU CHIKARA NO SUBETE KA?! MUDADA!"
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU SAYING-" yells out Icarus as he gets flung across the 3rd building in the span of 50 seconds.
Landing and scraping across the pavement of the street while grunting in pain, Icarus manages to get enough time to get back on his feet as Itadori Kujo walks menacingly towards him.
"Eien kara eien e, sedai kara sedai e to, kono idaina tatakai ni tsuite kataritsuga rete kita... Shikashi... Anata wa...omae wa...tada no... Tada no...!"
"Look man, I have no idea what language you are speaking right now, but I promise this is most likely a giant...and if I can say...even enormous misunderstanding...so...please, I really don't want to hurt you, okay?"
Itadori is taken aback in amusement.
"Hurt me?"
"W-well...I survived getting flung across buildings, didn't I? What makes you think I can't dish out what I can take?"
"Dish out? Is this your power? Making...food? Omoshiroi."
"Okay, this language barrier thing is getting old real fast, might as well end it even faster...!"
Icarus dashes right to Itadori's face. The Kujo raises his hand, prepared to block on action, but then Icarus is gone just as fast as he came.
"Gotcha!" Icarus appears behind Itadori and throws a right-handed jab-
Itadori blocks Icarus with 1 finger.
0.2
0.1
Zero.
Icarus is sent flying back into a building, without Itadori even touching him, and crashes into its glass windows.
Itadori speaks loudly in enthusiasm. He sounds almost…excited, but Icarus can't decide what to make of his tone.
"Warukunai! Daga, kimi wa ima no kukyō o rikai shite inai yōda... Kono reberu no tsuyo-sa no aite ni tekagen shite itara, korosa reru zo, eraba reshi mono yo!"
Icarus groans as he picks himself back up, his legs crushing the broken class beneath his feet.
"I...do not...understand...ow...what you are saying..."
Itadori raises an eyebrow in confusion.
"Watashi no sobokuna kotoba ga rikai dekinai nodesu ka?"
He scoffs at his own words as his face gets filled with anger
"Masaka! Anata no chikara, eraba reshi mono no chikara no ichi-tsu wa, sekai no subete no chishiki o motsu kotodesu. Sōdenakereba..."
Itadori gets lost in thought for a second as he trails off while spouting what sounds like utter nonsense, Icarus is too scared to make a move at this point.
"Tell me, Icarus...was what you displayed your...full power?"
"Yeah...p-pretty much..." Icarus' ego has been shattered more so than the glass he is standing on.
"I see...how...disappointing. It seems I have mistaken you for someone else."
"S-so...does that mean...you will let me go...?"
"Yes, but perhaps I should let you know...your siblings will get a visit by me very soon..."
"My...siblings?"
"Yes, and unfortunately...one of you will-"
"I literally do not have siblings."
Itadori snaps out of his depressive monologue tone "w-what?"
"I am an only child."
"You...are...?"
...
The area is surrounded by a deafening silence for a few moments.
"Hehe... Hahaha! Of course you are, I already knew that! Kon'na wakari yasui torikku, dōshite yosō dekinakatta nda rō? Henshin suru jikan o kasegitakatta no ka?"
Itadori's laughter fades as he raises a hand up in the sky. Icarus narrows his eyebrows in focus, trying to read anything from Itadori's body language.
"Zan'nendaga, kimi wa watashi o dashi nukeru to shōmei shita, dakara..."
Icarus can feel the pressure in the air climb up as Itadori continues talking. The glass beneath his feet starts to rumble.
"Kimi ga ki ni suru ka dō ka wa betsu to shite, watashi wa ima, kyūkyoku no kōgeki o tsukatte, hajimaru mae ni kore o owara seru!"
His tone threatening and rising with volume as he speaks, Icarus doesn't need to understand the language to know that Itadori is preparing something dangerous.
"Eraba reshi mono yo, unmei o mattou shita nodakara yasu kokoroshite-"
BOOM!
Suddenly, an enormous fiery explosion appears behind Itadori, then following by what looks to be a meteor shower, causing each impact to shake the ground ever so slightly more. The smell of ashes and the sound of destruction fill Icarus' senses.
"What do you think you are doing?!" Icarus exclaims at Itadori. "Why the hell are you -"
"This...this isn't my doing...!" he looks back at the source of the explosion with shock.
"Oh yeah?! Save your crap for later, Kujo!" Icarus replies frantically, Itadori feeling the gusts of wind as Icarus runs off. He looks back, thinking Icarus is using this chance to run away from their fight and he gets ready to give chase, but realizes that Icarus wasn't running away from the explosion, he was running towards it.
Speeding through any and every building he could lay his eyes on, Icarus scanned each section for any civilians. Oddly enough, there was no one inside any of them, until…
"HELP! HELP!"" A female's voice can be heard crying out. Icarus looks overhead to see a young, light-skinned brunette human girl standing at the edge of a skyscraper's burning balcony, waving one of her hands in panic while having the other holding a baby.
Icarus dashes forward, climbing up against the building's glass wall on his feet using his sheer speed, leaving trails of broken glass behind, until he reaches the floor where the woman is located. He gives them a quick glance to make sure they aren't injured and prepares to make them climb down with him…but he soon realizes that carrying a woman and a baby downwards that high up was foolish at best.
He closes his eyes for a second, pondering his options, before holding out his hand.
"Come! We will escape from the inside!"
"B-but…"
"We have to go! Just…cover the baby's mouth with a piece of cloth, okay?"
The woman takes a deep breath, then nods.
"Y-yeah, of course…"
The girl grabs a hold of Icarus' arm as he drags them inside.
The dust hitting Icarus' eyes, the scent of ashes filling his nostrils, the constant coughing, the baby's horrified cries, the sirens' muffled ringing outside…Icarus experiences an assault of his senses as he scans every room and every surface, looking for any breakthrough hidden in the chaos.
He spots a metal door, with a green Exit sign blinking above it, and rushes towards it. Icarus lets go of the woman's hand and tries opening the door using both hands, but it won't budge. He then tries forcing it open using his shoulders, and he manages to barge in, letting the smoke in the stairway. He signals for the girl to walk in with him as they race down the stairs.
After what feels like an eternity, they finally reach the end of the stairway. With one final door, Icarus pushes on through with a giant smirk of relief on his face.
….
A single railing in a 'balcony' that can't be more than 5 metres wide, several dozen metres above the ground still.
"Oh, piss off!" exclaimed Icarus, the woman looking back at the stairway only to find it already drowning in smoke.
"I…I tried to tell you b-but…"
"…Yeah, I guess I am to blame for that one, huh?"
Icarus looks down at the ground for a moment, the sight of the drop almost makes him throw up on the spot. He takes a breath to gather his composure before turning to the girl.
"Alright, climb on" Icarus commands, turning around so that his back faces the woman.
"i-I…What are you-"
"Hey!" Icarus spits out, frustrated at the girl's hesitation, but as he sees her trying to calm the baby down, he takes a deep breath and softens his tone.
"What's your name?"
"H-huh?"
"Your name, what is it?"
"I…its…its Sarah…"
"Okay Sarah, I will get the baby off your hands, and then you are going to climb on my back, okay?"
"O-okay…"
Icarus climbs up the railway and stands on top of it to allow the significantly taller woman to easily hold on, wrapping her arms around his neck, meanwhile Icarus holds the baby in his hands, as prepares to jump off and make a run for it.
"You ready?"
"W-wait, surely you aren't-"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" She yells, screams and closes her eyes as Icarus leaps off the balcony, the wind blowing her hair as it drags behind.
Icarus reels in the sensation of the cold wind hitting his body, before starting to focus on getting his feet on the glass wall of the skyscraper.
Pushing against the air, he manages to get his feet in position, the glass breaking and making a trail of chaos as he slides and grinds on the side of the building.
Icarus realises they are getting close to the ground, so he gets ready to jump off and stick the landing.
"Hold on tight!" Icarus, giggling with excitement and adrenaline, as he tightens his grip on the baby and the girl tightening her grip on him…
He leaps…
And lands feet first on the road! Icarus scraped and started breaking against it using the heels of his feet, a trail of hot sparks radiating from the friction, before finally going slow enough to where Icarus decides to plant his entire foot on the ground, coming to a safe stop; the inertia causing him to almost tip over and fall flat on his face.
"Phew! Close one!" Icarus exclaimed.
As if on cue, the balcony they just jumped off from explodes, seemingly from a gas leak. Icarus, and the girl who's still holding on to Icarus and trying her best to catch her breath, look up in awe and see what they just managed to escape from.
"Huh, bet you are glad we aren't up there anymore, huh?"
The girl nodded in between shallow breaths.
BEEP BEEEEPPPP
Suddenly, an ambulance comes rushing down the road, and showing no signs of stopping.
As the van only honked when it was 15 metres away, Icarus realises the best course of option would be to try and throw the baby and the woman to safety. The speed needed to avoid that van by running to the side would no doubt be too much for the baby's body to handle.
He prepares himself for the split second decision-
CRASH!
Within the blink of an eye, it was none other than Itadori Kujo that stood between Icarus and the van. Icarus took a peak at the scene; his glance downwards, as he saw that the van made contact with just his toes, and that was enough to make it crumble in on itself as it tips forward, but never enough to tumble over and squash him.
Covered in a dull, dark red bubble, the drivers get flung out of the window and over Icarus and Itadori. They land on the road and the bubble splats on the floor, but they are unharmed.
They get up confused and dazed, but with a simple sharp over the shoulder glance from Kujo, the two run away.
Itadori turns to face Icarus, and with that, the van slams right back into the ground.
Icarus makes note about how somehow, none of the debris from the van even came close to them.
Icarus: "Kujo…why did you-"
Itadori: "Don't you dare think this is a gesture of good will, Icarus." Itadori interrupts fiercely. "I merely didn't want innocents to be caught up on this…"
"So…you are still going to be trying to fight me or whatever?"
"I am afraid so…though, not today. I will spare you, just this once."
Icarus raises an eyebrow in suspicion, meanwhile the girl gets off Icarus' back at last.
"But…why?" He asks.
"It's simple, I owe you…for saving my child's life"
Icarus takes a step back,
Sarah: "Huh, so it really was you. Didn't take you for the super power type."
Icarus: "Wait, wait…does that mean…"
Itadori: "Yes, the child you are holding right now is my daughter, Kujo Angela. Now, Sarah, about your payment…"
The conversation fades into the background as Icarus looks down at the child and makes notice of her striking blue fur, soft features and sea-coloured irises. His heart skips a beat when she cutely tries to grasp his nose, stretching her tiny limbs to their limit and letting out tiny, illegible baby sounds.
Icarus: "Wow…I am guessing she inherited everything from her mother, cause man, today would have gone a lot better if you were anything like her."
Itadori annoyingly grabs Angela from Icarus' arms. She groans in frustration as her response, wishing to have grabbed Icarus' nose in time.
Itadori: "You do not get to criticise my ways, Era-"
"Eraba reshi mono?" A familiar voice to Icarus questioned condescendingly from above.
Icarus looks up towards the source and sees Shadow, levitating down to the ground using the mini-rockets on his skates.
Shadow: "All these years and your clan is still on about that crap."
Itadori scoffs in annoyance.
Icarus: "Huh. Didn't know you could fly with these."
"You can do a lot of fun things with these."Shadow replies as he finally lands before continuing "You sure have grown, Kujo Itadori"
Icarus: "Wait wait, you two know each other?"
Shadow takes a glance at Itadori as he folds his arms "I knew his father…Kujo Inukai, was it?"
Icarus raises an eyebrow of confusion: why would his father share the same first name as himself? He figures that is a question for later as he refocuses on the issue at hand. Icarus needs to go back to the city and see who he can rescue, but he doesn't want his father to know about his secret abilities. Given no other choice, Icarus decides to confess.
Icarus: "Father, that attack on the city…shouldn't we do something?"
"Your heart is in the right place, son, but the situation is under control by the authorities. We would just get in their way."
"About that…father…I…I need to confess something."
Shadow looks a bit concerned, however, he to hide it beneath his refined poker face.
"What is it, son?"
Icarus takes a deep breath in preparation.
"I…I have some…unique things…unique…powers, I guess. I can do all sorts of remarkable feats, I had these ever since I was little…but I never told you or mother because, well…I didn't want you to treat me differently. Look, I know it's a lot to take in, but the point is, I can help these people. Right now, and I know you will say it's dangerous and-
Icarus stops as he notices Itadori looking completely dumbfounded and giving a nasty side eye to Shadow
Itadori: "You mean…you haven't…"
Shadow unfolds his arms and lets them fall to his side, his iris shrinking in disbelief.
Shadow: "I…I thought he didn't inherit it…"
Icarus: "Huh? Inherit what?"
Itadori: "Such rubbish…times of peace truly do produce the weakest of men."
Icarus: "Hey, hey, hold on, Father, that means you also have special powers, right? If so, why are we just standing here?"
Shadow lets out a prideful smirk.
"There is no need…"
Because there are dozens, just like us."
At the centre of the city lies a crater, the cause of the original explosion. An entire 200 metre radius is completely barren, burned to dust by the impact of whatever hit the area. The small steps of heels clashing with the ashy rocks is the only sound that can be heard, as Amy Rose walks towards the source.
When she gets closer, she catches the sound of spinning tails. She looks up and smiles brightly at Miles as he lands next to her.
Amy: "Yo, Miles! Long time no see. I assume you being here means the rest has been taken care of?"
"Yep! And…Amy, you gotta stop calling me Miles. Seriously, it makes me feel old."
Tails lands on the ground and the duo share a fist bump before he goes to Amy's side as they start walking together towards the crater.
Amy: "I will say… you ARE kinda old, Shot Professor."
"Ha! Don't you dare play that game, you always get upset by the end of it."
"No, I don't!"
Tails stops in his tracks and gives her a grin, looking up at her while giving her a smug look.
Amy: "Okay, fair enough, you got me."
They chuckle as they start walking again, Amy using her hand to play with Tails' fur that lays at the top of his head.
Amy: "Missed you, you know?"
Miles: "Same here. Sucks we don't see each other anymore that often."
Amy: "Yeah, but you know how married life is, plus the whole Icarus situation ... speaking of marriage, how's Cream?"
"She's alright, but…about Icarus…we need to talk regarding…you know…"
"Look, Tails, we have been over-"
"No no…" Tails quickly interrupts "I…he was in my class today."
"Oh."
"Yeah, we need to reassess that whole plan. I hope he is okay."
"Why wouldn't he be?"
"...Kujo's kid."
"Right now?"
"Yeah, Shadow met me on the way to him."
"...crap."
"Look, we will deal with it once we see…" Tails pauses as they finally reach the edge of the crater, seeing a small circular pod in the middle of it "...whatever is inside this thing."
They jump down with confidence and slide down the steep crater, then walk slowly towards the pod.
It's quiet, and not too quiet, they figure perhaps its an empty pod for causing damage-
The pod seems to crack, almost like an egg, as white dense smoke springs out of there.
Amy and Tails take a step back in reaction, then look at each other and share an understanding nod, before sticking closer together and tiptoeing towards the pod.
Once they get close enough, Tails uses his…tails, to shoot away the smoke so that they can see what's inside.
Laying there is an unconscious, tall, female and humanoid plant-like alien looking creature with pale, ghostly skin that blends in with her powder blue eyes. Her natural short bright grassy-green hair with two bangs and a pair of paradise pink rose-like flower buds held by golden hair ties on each side of her head causes her appearance to resemble a living garden of beauty, all while wearing a green coat that curls upwards at its downward tips, with shining yellow trim at the bottom and cuffs, a white petal-like skirt with bright green tips, white tights and lime ballerina flats. Lighting up brighter than any other, however, was a red jewel right above her chest. Through all the dust and smoke, its crimson presence lights up the darkened scenery.
Miles: "Woah, check this out…."
Amy gives him a judgmental side eye that practically pierces through the smoke.
"Okay, I did NOT mean it like that, and you know it."
Their banter is interrupted by the sounds of her gasping for air, her hands instinctively laying on her amulet as her eyes get slammed open.
Amy: "Hey, no sudden moves!"
?: "Please…you have to…you have to help me!" Her soft voice is contrasted by her panicky tone, looking at them with panic in her eyes.
Miles: "Help you? You almost blew up a city getting here!"
?: "Didnt ... .didn't….Didn't mean to…please…they…"
Amy: "Slow down. What's your name?"
The mysterious woman closes her eyes, takes a deep breath, and then slowly reopens her eyelids as she begins to breathe through her nose.
"My name…my name is…
Cosmo."
…
D-000
7 Days before launch.
END OF CHAPTER 1