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"For the Love of Eternity"
By: Jade Lightning, a.k.a. Inuyashas-hanyougirl
Chapter 7: And the Pain Went That Much Deeper

   It didn’t take long for Shadow, Mikomi, and Kelsey to meet up with Rouge, Amberly and Amarie outside of the aircraft hangar, the last area of the base left to search.  As the alarms continued to blare, they could only surmise that the leader of this base was using this time to try and escape, or send out the alarm for the need of more troops, and the aircraft hangar was where he could do both of these things, and also potentially welcome in an army of more Maniacals.

   With a large vault-like door the only thing barring them from the hangar, Shadow and Rouge came together, catching their breath and going over their plan before storming the next room.

   “Well, I’m convinced Rouge; Knuckles and Hidama are not here, and neither is the Master Emerald, nor Amy and Delilah,” Shadow said, “This must be a smaller base of theirs used for local business, but…the leader of this base must be dealt with.  He could provide us with some much needed information.”

   Rouge replied with a nod, then looked to the chaos emerald she held, handing it to Shadow, and whispered, “You need it more than I do right now,” with a smile as she dropped it into his hand.

   Shadow smiled weakly and briefly before nodding, looking to the kids once more and said, “I think I can handle this guy well enough on my own…of course, if the danger calls for it, be ready to defend yourselves.”

   Each of them offered a different reaction; Amberly was more than ready to fight, not just because of her fighting spirit, but to impress Mikomi, still unaware of the attitude change he and Kelsey had taken on; Amarie quickly withdrew her hammer, equally as excited to battle, just as her mother was when her friends were facing a battle.  Kelsey and Mikomi didn’t have the same degree of enthusiasm.

   Kelsey slowly ran her finger up and down her father’s bow, tracing the innate, ornamental carving as she did so.  She remembered that it was high treason to use the guardian’s ornamental spear, bow, and quiver of arrows, and here she was, about to use them again; it worried her…was she dishonoring the line of guardians, and the echidnas in general by doing this?  Did the fact that she was a girl make this treason even worse?  If Mikomi were using them would he be more easily forgiven?  It was thoughts of dishonor like this that worried her the most in the face of impending battle.

   Glancing at his cousin, Mikomi could guess what she was thinking by the look of dread in her eyes as she fingered her father’s bow, tracing the carving with her finger.  He placed his hand on her shoulder and whispered, “Don’t worry Kelsey; your archery skills are doing the guardians of old proud.  I don’t think they’d consider something like this high treason…you are the guardian’s daughter after all…the daughter of the older brother to boot.”

   Kelsey gasped, looking at Mikomi only once he finished speaking.  He was smiling at her, nodding slowly to reassure her.  She finally eased into a smile, quickly hugging Mikomi before he could react.  As he returned her hug, he opened his eyes, catching Amberly staring at them jealously with confusion and disbelief in her eyes.  He tensed up a bit, even as Kelsey’s embrace relaxed and comforted him, because he realized now, the depth of Amberly’s admiration of him, and after what happened with Kelsey, he couldn’t help but return her confused and desperate love with a little concern of his own.  He knew eventually they would have to talk this over, and that he would ultimately have to not only confess his feelings, but explain them as well, which gave him a sick feeling, as he wanted to be Amberly’s friend, and not break her heart.

   As they eased out of their embrace, he quickly smiled at Kelsey, erasing his concerned look for Amberly.  Kelsey nodded slowly, smiling as she brushed her bangs clear of her eyes and said, “Thanks Mikomi; you’ve made me feel so much better.”  She quickly leaned in and kissed him on the cheek, before walking over to Amarie, as Shadow and Rouge made their final battle plans.

   Before they were ready to move on, Amberly took this moment to walk up to Mikomi, tired of waiting to get him alone.  Out of anger, or possibly frustration, she clasped his shoulders with her hands, pushing him back a step or two as she stepped up to him, even though she consciously had no intention of being forceful or angry.

   Mikomi expected her to be a little angry, mostly because of what she had to witness, unable to understand it, perceiving that Kelsey and Mikomi were more than just cousins, even though that was hardly the case.  As they stood still, Amberly glaring at him with her icy blue, filled with frustration and confusion.  Suddenly Mikomi felt really strange; it was no longer a purely uncomfortable feeling, for his talk with Kelsey had helped him figure out how to deal with the problem.  The only problem was her fingers were starting to dig into his shoulder blades, even through the black fabric of his jacket.

   “Hey, umm, Amberly…do you think you could ease up on my shoulders?”

   “Be quiet!” Amberly snapped in an intense whisper.  Mikomi flinched, cringing slightly, as Amberly stood a bit taller than Kelsey, and they were almost at eye level with each other.  Slowly, however, Amberly exhaled, and let go of Mikomi’s shoulders, crossing her arms as she looked at him, not so much with a cold glare, but a confused anger.

   Mikomi slowly rubbed his right shoulder, adjusting his headband set so it fit him better, then sighed a bit.  He opened his eyes fully, blinking twice, and focused on Amberly, smiling as best he could.  As he rubbed the back of his head, he said, “What is it Amberly?  Why are you so upset?”

   How stupid could he be?!  That was on Amberly’s mind; Mikomi had to be the cutest, most handsome guy she had ever seen, and here he was being a total naïve idiot.  Wasn’t it obvious to him that she liked him?  Was her flirting not a big enough hint?  Did he think she was ugly or something?  Why the hell did he start clinging to his cousin as if they were soul mates?  She didn’t know whether to yell at him or go innocent on him and try to appeal to his emotions once more.  One thing she couldn’t help but notice, were the opposing colors of his eyes.

   She slowly unfolded her arms, clasping her hands innocently behind her back as she leaned in, startling Mikomi a bit, as it appeared for a moment she was trying to kiss him.  Yet she stopped, wanting to get a better look at his eyes.  Seeing her father and mother almost ready to go, and Kelsey talking to Amarie out of the corner of her eyes, she whispered, “Mikomi…are your…eyes two different colors?”

   The echidna crossbreed immediately got defensive.  He frowned, almost jumping back from her by two steps as he said, “Humph, so what if they are?  I was born like that…well…maybe not…but when they changed color one turned purple like my dad’s and the other turned sapphire like my uncle’s.  What do you care?”

   Amberly paused, and ended up giggling a bit from his reaction.  She stepped back up to him and said, “No, no cutie; I didn’t think anything was wrong with them…I think they look beautiful…it’s just, I thought people with two different colored eyes were blind.”

   Mikomi was feeling more comfortable around her; he grinned and said, “You mean like a bat?”  Amberly gave him a look, which caused him to laugh softly much as she did from his reaction from before.  She eventually smiled, and he shook his head and said, “I’ve heard that before too…but I’m certainly not blind.”  He paused, glancing at her crooked wing and said, “What about your wing?  Did you hurt it somehow?”

   Amberly suddenly lost some of her courage, going softer, a switch from her fiery personality.  She went weaker at the mention of her wing.  Mikomi frowned a bit at seeing this sudden apprehension.  He placed his hand on her shoulder, causing her to look back at him, trying her best to maintain a weak smile on her face.  She shook her head running her hand through her hair and said, “No…I was born that way…I can’t fly because of it…Dad and Mom tried to help me but I just can’t fly.  I’d…I’d rather not talk about it.”

   She didn’t even notice Mikomi’s hand on her shoulder, or the sudden concern he felt for her, which was what she had been hungry for all along.  It seemed the mention of her wing struck a wound inside of her that ate away at her self-esteem, enough to the point where she couldn’t even focus on Mikomi anymore, or the task ahead.  There was something about Amberly that worried him, for Mikomi didn’t want anything bad to happen to her; he found himself quickly growing close to Amberly, especially now that this softer side of her shown through.  He only hoped that Kelsey could become her friend now too.  Amberly was probably in need of friends as much as they were.  At least he, Kelsey and Amarie had each other.  He wondered if Amberly had anyone at all.

   Before either of them could say anything, Shadow spoke up, and said, “Alright then…that’s how we’ll approach things.”

   Hearing Shadow’s words, Mikomi looked back and forth between Amberly and the group, and with a smile he tugged on Amberly’s hand and said, “Come on.  Kelsey wants to be your friend too Amberly, I promise.  You two just need to give each other a chance.”

   Amberly let out a soft gasp, her eyes filled with hope as Mikomi walked along, and she found her own feet moving to follow him.  Before he made it back to the group, he looked and smiled at her once more and said, “Trust me, you’ll love Kelsey once you get to know her.  She’s like a second sister.  Come on.”

   Though Amberly smiled she hung her head slightly, instead of walking with her head erect and her shoulders back, as she and Mikomi made it back to the group.  Amarie glanced at her as Shadow explained the final plan to them.  She could sense the pain in Amberly’s heart, and knew that behind her confident smile and outgoing, forward nature, she was masking a weary heart within her, and Kelsey’s and Mikomi’s behavior had done nothing for it.  Kelsey it seemed could see the same, and nudged Amberly, causing the hedgebat to look at her.  Kelsey smiled a bit, trying to get Amberly’s courage to come back.  Amberly let out a sigh, but smiled and stood up straight, and listened to her father with the rest of them.

   Amarie looked to her brother, cousin, and their new friend and smiled.  She knew while there was still a lot for them to deal with, both within themselves and each other, that everything would be alright.  Kelsey and Amberly would be friends, and perhaps all of them would forge a circle of friendship like their parents had.  Maybe Mikomi could deal with his anger and all would end as Shadow hoped.  Maybe this was the beginning of a peaceful resolution and a new start for them all.

   But now was not the time for that; emotions and troubles had to be put aside.  As Shadow moved to open the door before them, he looked back and said, “I’m not sure what to expect…but, be on your guard.  It may come that you four need to battle, if worse comes to worse.”

   No more words; it was time.  Shadow stood back, blasting away the door and running through it immediately, followed by Rouge; the four kids finally ran after them as the debris cloud began to clear.  When they got through the cloud, they saw an immense room before them.  It was an aircraft hangar…and yet, there was only one, lone private jet parked in front of an open door, primed and ready for take off.  Shadow feared the leader was ready to flee, and quickly ran towards the aircraft, shouting at the leader to reveal himself.

   “You’ll be found out sooner or later!  Show yourself and be the honorable leader you should be!  Some team you must be if your leaders flee for cover rather than face their plight!  Show yourself!” he shouted.

   The engines of the jet stopped running; as they slowed to a stand still, a loud speaker flickered to life, and they heard the voice of the leader.  Shadow came to a stop, as did Rouge and the kids, who were running after him.

   “Fwahaha!  You think you can take on Team Maniacal?  You’re crazy!  I’m only hear to delay your futile efforts.  Sir Burns is very busy now with those dammed guardian brothers, and cannot be bothered with your silly antics.  If you honestly want to be destroyed by us you should wait until he can use the Master Emerald and do it personally!” the voice shouted.

   Mikomi growled low, as Amarie and Kelsey gasped in fear when they heard of the danger facing their fathers.  He shouted, “Show yourself you idiot!  I won’t let you nasty humans hurt my uncle and my father, or my mother and my aunt!  It starts with you!  I’ll destroy you first and then get this leader of yours!  Come out and fight!”

   The evil cackle came to an abrupt halt.  There was a silence as Mikomi glared at the jet; finally, they could hear the voice murmur…”Your…your father…and your mother?”  After another pause, another cackle could be heard, as the voice, starting out with a whisper returned.  “So…this is the bastard child of Knuckles and Amy…feh…I can’t say I’m surprised that you came to save them my boy…but considering how weak your mother is and how fool-hardy your father is, you should be no problem for me.”

   A look of confusion came to Mikomi’s eyes; hearing what was said, Amarie broke away from Kelsey, running up beside Mikomi, wielding her hammer and said, “Our mother is not weak, and our father is no fool!  How dare you say that!  You don’t even know them!”

   Shadow glanced back at them, as confused by this voice’s proclamations, but able to make a bit more sense out of it than they could.  “No…could it be?  Why would anyone want to work in collusion with these fiends…unless…they wanted revenge over the guardian brothers…or their wives…,” Shadow started.  Suddenly, he realized who it was behind the loud speaker.

   The evil laugh returned, louder with more earnest, preventing Shadow from answering.  “Oh my…do not tell me they went as far to have two bastard children?  Feh, little girl…already you are nothing but a repeat of your mother…another mistake brought into this world, defiant and incredibly stupid, dumb to reason.  Why she would mix relations with that dammed echidna…it’s his race’s fault that you’re in this trouble anyway.  If they just gave the Master Emerald to those who really deserve it in the first place, instead of guarding it like a child and worshipping it like a god, then maybe they wouldn’t be dead.”

   By now, Shadow had heard enough; he shouted again, and said, “You’ve blown your cover!  Reveal yourself now!  I know who you are, and you’re in for a load of trouble if you intend to continue the terror you started two decades ago on that boardwalk in Casinopolis!”

   Even Rouge knew who he was talking about.  As the loudspeaker flickered off, squealing and crackling as the laughter diminished, she covered her ears and shouted, “Shadow, is that really…!”

   Before she could finish, the jet door flew open, smoke pouring out from it, as the silhouette of a figure appeared at the top of the short off ramp.  Shadow shielded his eyes, looking up at the figure and said, “Yes…as surprising as it sounds…no human could speak of Knuckles and Amy in this way…nobody could, unless they had a bone to pick with them from long ago.”

   Mikomi held on to Amarie, and both of them looked to the jet as they heard Shadow’s words.  This leader was no human…he stood about the same height as Shadow, and had two hedgehog ears.  The figure stepped down off the ramp as the smoke diminished, wearing two black boots, a long, white coat over black slacks and a black dress shirt, holding a high powered machine gun in his right hand.

   They looked with awe at this creature who stood before them; the one who had so much bad to say about them, and Knuckles and Amy especially, even the echidnas, showing he was indeed hungry for power as the rest of the Maniacals were…and yet, he had to be the most special member of them all, for he was no human…he was a hedgehog, out for revenge against the ones he hated most…the echidnas…and his own daughter and grandchildren.

   “It’s Mr. Rose…I knew it the minute he spoke cruelly of Amy.  I told you how opposed he was to their union…and yet I didn’t think it would go this far…,” Shadow finished as Rouge ran up next to him.

   Mr. Rose glared at Shadow, sneering and said, “Mmffm, when did she tell you that story?  Looking for sympathy was she?  After that echidna mercilessly attacked me he’s getting no less than he deserves…my daughter is too good for him, and I only wanted to protect her…but no…she had to mix blood with him and have these bastard children.  You know what I mean Shadow, seeing as you degraded yourself and mixed blood as well.”

   Rouge gasped, looking to Shadow, who’s eyes were already filled with a fire of a rage, not just from being insulted, but at how Mr. Rose continued to degrade Knuckles and Amy, feigning love for her to try and improve his own, ugly image.  Shadow shook his head, clenching his fists and his grasp on the chaos emeralds, laughing softly and said, “Boy, are you terribly misguided my friend.  It is not I who has degraded myself through my love for Rouge and my daughter Amberly, but you who have degraded yourself and your name in seeking to take out your own grandchildren just to satisfy nearly twenty-years worth of unsettled anger.”

   At this point, the kids were stunned, Mikomi and Amarie more than any of them.  Mikomi took about six or so staggered steps closer to Shadow, Rouge, and Mr. Rose, in shock and disbelief of what he was hearing.  Amarie followed closely behind her brother, staring sadly at Mr. Rose, knowing full-well that this was her grandfather, and even worse…that he had no intention of being friendly or merciful, whether they were related to him or not.

   Both of them stopped, almost beside Shadow; Mr. Rose now gave his cold glare to Mikomi and Amarie, feeling the same hatred for them that he did for Knuckles and his own daughter at her “disobedience” towards him.  The silence was agonizing as Shadow glanced between them cautiously.

   “You…you’re with the Maniacals?” Mikomi asked.  Glancing at Amarie, he looked back to Mr. Rose, even more angry than before.  “What do you have against my father and mother?  What have they ever done to you?  How could you do this to them?” he asked, shouting now, switching from his somewhat gentle tone.

   Mr. Rose was undaunted, and only seemed to get more humor from Mikomi’s stand against him.  He took a few steps towards Mikomi, wielding his readied machine gun, getting the message across that he wouldn’t hesitate to shoot.  He laughed, continuing to walk up to Mikomi and Amarie, causing them to back up as he approached them.  Amberly and Kelsey stood together, and now Mr. Rose was backing Mikomi and Amarie closer to them, his gun ready to fire at any second.

   “Mikomi!  Amarie!” Kelsey cried silently.  She tried to grab for an arrow, but was restrained by Amberly, who grabbed her arm.

   “No Kelsey!  Let’s just get over to Mom and Dad as quickly as we can!  We don’t want to frighten him into firing on anyone!” she cried in a hushed whisper.

   The two girls locked eyes, and suddenly there was no tension or ill will between them, as if the battle over Mikomi was over and they were starting to become friends. Kelsey nodded slowly, and she and Amberly carefully backed away from where they stood, making their way to Shadow and Rouge, while at the same time, Mr. Rose began to cackle wildly, finally speaking to Mikomi and Amarie as they walked.

   “Oh this is too rich!  I’ll answer your questions in order my boy!  I am more than just with the Maniacals; I have worked my way up to one of their highest ranking officers, in charge of my own base as you can see.  As for what I have against your mother and father…you’re too stupid to understand the depth I can assure you.  Needless to say if your mother hadn’t disobeyed me and mixed blood with that father of yours, none of this would be necessary,” he began.

   Shadow looked on in horror.  He could see the anger raging in Mikomi’s eyes.  He looked to Rouge and said, “I have never seen such intense anger in the eyes of his father or uncle, not even towards their worst enemies.  Even Hinsei Hidama found the strength to forgive the mutants, and Knuckles the nobility to pardon them as well, but Mikomi…he holds such a deep anger towards humans, and now that one of his own has turned against him, his own grandfather no less, I can only surmise this anger and pain has taken root that much deeper in his heart.”

   Indeed, Amarie continued to look at Mr. Rose sadly and in disbelief, noticing how similar his eyes were to her mother’s, as she clung to Mikomi.  Yet Mikomi, the massive gun held no terror for him, as he continued to glare angrily at Mr. Rose.  “You’re just terrible…I can’t believe you’re doing this to your own daughter…and grandchildren no less.  You’re gonna pay for this,” Mikomi growled.

   Mr. Rose laughed even louder, startling Amberly and Kelsey as they were only steps away from getting to Shadow and Rouge; they both let out a small cry, hurrying their tip-toe to a run until they were safe, the power of Shadow’s chaos emeralds enough to keep them safe for the moment, and yet Mikomi and Amarie remained unprotected.  Mr. Rose shot a quick glance at Kelsey and Amberly, grinning evilly before looking back to Mikomi.  “What about those girls my boy?  Is the bat hybrid your girlfriend or something?  Perfect, degrade and mix your blood even further; who cares about the dammed guardian blood anyway?  The blasted echidnas have come to naught; they’ll fade away from reality and memory soon enough…it’s no less than what they deserve for their selfishness, haughtiness, and lack of care for any form of life besides themselves.”

   He paused, glaring at Kelsey and laughed again, continuing, “Let me guess, that is the bastard daughter of your uncle correct?  Humph, so much for the noble Hinsei Hidama…even now I’m sure he’s learning we’re more than capable of getting what we want.”  He paused again, coming to a stop, halting Mikomi’s and Amarie’s retreat, finally bringing his machine gun up, ready to blow them away.

   Rouge gasped, and grabbed Shadow’s arm.  “Shadow, you have to do something!  He’s about to shoot them!” she cried.

   Kelsey too saw the danger and was ready to try and shoot Mr. Rose down again, but again, Amberly stopped her, as did Shadow.  He shook his head, whispering, “Just wait…I know his kind.  He isn’t going to kill Mikomi and Amarie like that…this is a killing he wants to cherish…one that he wants to be able to recount in graphic detail for Knuckles and Amy…even to the point where he dumps their heads before them in an attempt to break Knuckles’ will.  Besides, he hasn’t answered Mikomi’s last question.  Watch.”

   Amarie clung to Mikomi harder, closing her eyes tightly out of fear.  Mikomi, however, wouldn’t back down.  Almost as if he took his cue from Shadow’s unheard words, he said, “Why…what did you seek to gain by joining with these people?  How could you do this?”

   Mr. Rose paused, ready to shoot them, but stopping, lowering his gun at Mikomi’s question.  He sighed, shaking his head and cackling softly.  He whispered, “It’s simple my boy; they had the intention to steal the Master Emerald, which your father, and later your uncle both guarded.  When I did cross paths with them, I realized I had the opportunity to get revenge over both your father and your mother for their despicable acts.  Sure, I had to abandon your grandmother to do it, but…feh, I don’t miss her anymore…it’s worth it to see your mother weeping, your father broken, and you two dead before them.  I care little for the Master Emerald, though I would love nothing more than to have ultimate power over my peers, this is all worth it to have them broken.  They’ll realized they should have listened to me before…that damn bitch of a mother you have is getting no less than what she deserves.”

   As Mr. Rose went into another hearty laugh, he raised both hands in the air, temporarily taking the tip of the gun away from Mikomi and Amarie.  Mikomi had had enough; not only had his father and his father’s race been insulted, his and Amarie’s lives threatened, and the entire depth of his grandfather’s hatred made clear, Mr. Rose had tipped Mikomi’s breaking point when he spoke those cruel words of Amy.  Mikomi was thrust into a blind rage, just as he was that afternoon on the boardwalk, only now it was much more dangerous, and would be a fight where only one of them came out alive…and not even Kelsey could make it to save him.  Mikomi…was on his own.

   Mikomi let out a vicious scream and a cry, scaring both Mr. Rose and Amarie, who bolted over to Shadow and the others while she still could, crying for Mikomi as she did so.  Kelsey held on to her little cousin as she broke down into tears.

   Mr. Rose was terribly startled by Mikomi’s sudden strength and rage, even more frightful than Hidama or Knuckles could attain, at least to the knowledge of the Maniacals.  Unable to keep much control of himself or his anger, Mikomi glared at Mr. Rose as he growled softly, no longer having any regard for life, including his own, blinded by his rage, his eyes almost flaring red with fury.  He clenched his fists, approaching Mr. Rose, causing him to back away in fear.

   “Say that again…my grandfather.  Say another bad word about me, my sister, my family…and especially my mother, and I’ll make sure once you’re dead that your body is lost to the world forever!” he shouted.  Mikomi then let out another bloodcurdling cry, diving for Mr. Rose, unafraid of gunfire, or anything, anymore.

   The minute Mikomi tackled Mr. Rose, the gun was flung loose from his hands, and suddenly Mr. Rose had to match the unmeasured power of Knuckles’ son, Mikomi.  It was almost like when Knuckles punched him square in the jaw that night on the boardwalk, only this time, Mikomi was punching and tearing at him with all the strength he could muster, while Amarie, Kelsey, and the others could only look on in horror.

   “Mikomi!  Mikomi!  Please stop!” Amarie cried.  She knew that if he backed down that he would end up getting hurt worse, but she was still scared for him all the same.

   Kelsey hugged Amarie tightly, equally as frightened for her cousin.  Amberly stood beside her father and said, “Daddy, isn’t there anything you can do?  He’s unarmed now, so can’t we help Mikomi?”

   Shadow shook his head, looking to Amberly and said, “There’s plenty of ways Mr. Rose could kill Mikomi without a weapon…and if he’s that dead set on killing Mikomi, all he has to do is give him a swift punch between the eyes and kill him.  We have to sneak up on him if we’re going to help.”  Shadow glanced at the chaos emeralds, then to Rouge and said, “Cover for me Rouge.  If worse comes to worse, you all need to be ready to protect yourselves.”

   Rouge let out a worried smile, taking his hand and saying, “And rescue you Mikomi.”  Shadow glanced at her, unable to smile, but nodded reassuringly.  He looked back to the fray.  Mr. Rose was now beginning to fight back against Mikomi’s opposition, and despite the power of Mikomi’s blind and angry rage, he was being beaten back with considerable power.  Mr. Rose was now more dead set than ever on killing Mikomi, taking his body and heading for his jet, using his dead grandson to break Knuckles and Amy down.  He began to angle the fight towards the open jet door.

   “No!  Mr. Rose is going to take Mikomi with him to the main base, dead or alive!” Shadow cried.  “There’s no time!  Chaos control!”  Shadow disappeared again, leaving Kelsey, Amarie, Amberly and Rouge to watch in horror as Mr. Rose continued to thrash Mikomi, even as Mikomi fought back, guiding him towards the ramp, while Shadow had to do his best to get between them.

   The girls backed away from the plane; with only steps left to the jet ramp, Mikomi and Mr. Rose continued to fight, when finally Mikomi tripped over the ramp, and Mr. Rose loomed above him.  Still locked in his rage, Mikomi glared at him, as he returned Mikomi’s icy gaze.  “You foolish child…you want to see your parents so badly?  Then come with me to our headquarters in Thundercrash Bay…of course, you may not live long enough to say any goodbyes…heh heh.”

   In that instant, Mr. Rose revealed the true location of the headquarters of Team Maniacal, and there was no need to keep him alive and dangerous anymore.  Shadow suddenly revealed himself; he came from behind Mr. Rose, throwing his arms around him, pulling him backwards and to the ground.  Now the battle was shifted to Shadow and Mr. Rose, and it appeared that slowly the opposition was slowing down.

   Mikomi slowly sat up, only half shaken from his blind rage, as he watched Shadow and Mr. Rose battle it out.  He took his hand, touching his now swollen and bleeding lower lip, pulling it away and gazing at the blood staining his glove.  He glared again at Mr. Rose, growling softly as he watched the fight.  He gave no notice to Amarie and Kelsey who now ran up to him, followed closely by Amberly.

   Amarie hugged her brother, still in tears from fright.  “Oh Mikomi, are you okay?  Are you hurt badly?  I was so scared!”

   And it seemed she still had reason to be scared, as Kelsey and Amberly knelt down by him on either side, he still gazed coldly at Mr. Rose as he and Shadow exchanged blows.  Blood continued to leak from his lower lip, and he cringed as pain rolled through his upper back and neck.  His right leg tingled with pain, and yet he was still consumed with his hatred for Mr. Rose, and had no intention of backing down, even in the face of death.  He only half heard the pleading of his sister, cousin, and friend.

   Amberly placed a hand on his shoulder, worried for her father at the same time, and whimpered, “Please Mikomi…my dad can handle this guy. You’re hurt…you put up an awesome fight Mikomi really, just…let dad finish him off so you can recover.”

   Kelsey nodded in agreement, still showing friendship to Amberly, putting off the cat fight between them in favor of peace and alliance.  She took Mikomi’s free hand and whispered, “Please, Mikomi…let Shadow handle this, it’s not worth putting your life in danger…please.”

   Despite hers and Amberly’s pleas, Mikomi glanced back and forth between them, the rage and fire in his eyes burning strong again, even though it wasn’t directed to them.  He shook himself back and forth to jerk away from them, scaring Amberly and Kelsey and worrying Amarie even worse.  She sat up and backed away, looking between the fray and Mikomi, seeing the intention in her brother’s eyes to taste Mr. Rose’s blood and victory.  “Please, Mikomi, don’t!  He’ll kill you given the chance!  Don’t do it!” Amarie cried.

   Mikomi stood up, in his rage, unmoved by his sister’s words and undaunted in the face of death.  He let out another vicious scream, causing the fight between Shadow and Mr. Rose to pause.  Mr. Rose displayed another devious grin, pushing Shadow aside and facing Mikomi as he got ready to charge.  As Shadow fell to the ground, his chaos emeralds fell loose from his grasp, and yet he had no time to worry about them, for Mikomi was now running for Mr. Rose, and while they were both considerably injured, this was still a very unfair fight.

   “Mikomi!  Stop!  It’s not worth your life!  Please!  Don’t you understand?  He wants to use you to break your father’s strength!  Stop!” Shadow shouted.  Rouge scooped up the chaos emeralds, running to Shadow’s side, helping him up as the battle between Mr. Rose and Mikomi continued.

   “Mikomi!  Mikomi!  Come back!” Amberly cried, wanting to run after him.

   As Amarie cried, Kelsey did her best to restrain Amberly, saying, “Don’t Amberly!  You’ll just end up getting hurt as well!”  Amberly and Kelsey locked eyes, both worried terribly for Mikomi, and realizing there was little they could do.

   Mr. Rose was slowly getting the better of Mikomi, and as Rouge helped Shadow to his feet, he looked to her and said, “It’s no good.  Mr. Rose won’t hesitate to kill or disable Mikomi and flee to his plane for their headquarters if I try to attack him again, and this time he’ll be anticipating a surprise attack.  Mikomi has to fight his way out of this…and sadly I don’t think it’s going very well.  There has to be some way we can disable Mr. Rose.”

   Amberly and Kelsey now clung to each other in fear.  Amberly looked to her father, and was strangely able to guess what he was thinking.  “Amberly, why won’t your dad attack him again?  Why isn’t he using the chaos emeralds?” Kelsey cried.

   “Kelsey, if we try and attack Mr. Rose, he’ll take Mikomi and run away, getting away to that base where he can use him to torture his parents.  We have to try and disable him somehow without scaring him to flee,” Amberly started.  Glancing at the bow in Kelsey’s hand and the quiver of arrows on her back, she said, “That’s it Kelsey!  You can shoot Mr. Rose with an arrow!  That should bring him down!”

   Kelsey backed away from Amberly and Amarie, glancing at her father’s bow, and then at the fight, where Mikomi was slowly weakening, his rage not enough to sustain him much longer.  She slowly took an arrow, remembering how she shot the Maniacal member before only inches from hitting Mikomi’s head and shook her head fast, saying, “No!  I can’t!  What if I hit Mikomi?  My shooting is nowhere as good as my father’s!  I might kill Mikomi!”

   Amberly walked back up to Kelsey, taking her hand and saying, “You can do it Kelsey!  I know you can!  You’re just as good as your father I bet.  Just aim carefully and I know you can do it.  If you hit Mr. Rose anywhere that’ll be enough to disable him so my dad can finish him off.  You can do it!  Right Amarie?”

   “Yeah Kelsey!  Go for it!  Mikomi needs your help!” Amarie cried.

   Kelsey nodded slowly, taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly as she took aim for Mr. Rose.  She could get a clean shot of Mr. Rose, but only for a second, as Mikomi took another swing at him and got in the way.  She cringed as she pulled back slowly on the bowstring.  She shook her head, looking at Amberly and said, “It’s no good, I’ve never learned how to shoot a moving target before.  Dad never got the chance to teach me.  As long as they keep moving I can’t get a clean shot.”

   Amberly looked at Amarie helplessly.  Amarie suddenly had an idea on how she could stop the fight, even for a second.  She paused, then looked to the fight and cried, “Mikomi!  Look out!”

   Mikomi looked to Amarie, not fearing a hit from Mr. Rose, and confused as to why she cried out when he was doing just fine.  Then, in a moment of sanity, he saw Kelsey taking aim at Mr. Rose, realizing she needed a clean strike, remembering the events from earlier.  Shadow and Rouge looked to Amarie as well, and in that instant, Mikomi shouted, “Got it!”  He looked back to Mr. Rose, diving for him, sliding across the ground underneath Mr. Rose, coming up behind him as he fell to the ground.  Kelsey now had her one and only shot.

   Kelsey let go of the bowstring, and the arrow flew for Mr. Rose, hitting him directly in the neck, causing him to let out a ferocious cry as he clasped his hands to the wound, gasping for breath, and slowly easing to the ground.  Elated, Kelsey cheered, “Got him!”  There was little time for rejoicing though, for now she, Amberly and Amarie ran to Mikomi, and Shadow and Rouge, in shock over what they saw, ran to deal with Mr. Rose.

   Shadow stood over Mr. Rose and said, “It seems you underestimated not only your grandchildren, but your grand-niece as well.  Heh, thanks for revealing the location of your headquarters…now we can easily take them down.”

   Mr. Rose, even as he lay dying, glared at Shadow, but only for a moment.  As Mikomi recovered from his rage, and Kelsey, Amarie and Amberly knelt beside him, Mr. Rose held no less anger towards him, and cackled softly, saying, “Indeed Shadow, and yet you’ve forgotten my host got away ahead of me…most of them at least.  I only stayed behind to deal with you because…of well…them.”

   Shadow was still in disbelief over how much anger Mr. Rose had not only for the kids, but for his own daughter and son-in-law.  Yet with his last breath, Mr. Rose would not do much to improve that image.  He hacked terribly, his breath slowing as he glared at Mikomi.  He said, “My master, Sir Burns, will break your father Mikomi…of that you can be sure, my boy…and your uncle will be broken as well.  Once we have the power of the Master Emerald, this world will be ours…and there’s nothing this pitiful strength of yours can do to stop it, especially once we have the Master Emerald…only the power of the guardian can stop it then…and you and your dammed cousin are only half of what your fathers are.  You’re…all…going to…die.  I’m only ticked that I won’t live long enough to see you die…and your mother suffer.”

   Mikomi growled softly as he watched Mr. Rose breathe his last breath.  His own grandfather showed him just as much anger as those humans.  His hatred had not only intensified, but it had become almost irreversible.  He only cared for those who cared for him.  Now, he couldn’t care less if the entire world was destroyed, as long as his family and friends were safe, and Shadow could sense this growing anger, and yet he couldn’t worry about this for now.  Mr. Rose’s final words gave him another thing to worry about, something much more dangerous.

   Shadow sighed, saying, “Corrupted by his anger towards his own daughter…the poor soul.  Still…he brought up a good point.”  Looking to Rouge, he said, “Consider this Rouge.  What if we get to the headquarters too late?  Only Knuckles and Hidama would have the power to counter the Master Emerald should it be used against us…either them…or the seven chaos emeralds.”

   Mikomi stood up, still shaken from the fight, but ready to move on.  “But Shadow, you and Rouge only have two of them.  It’ll take forever to find the other five.  We don’t have that kind of time!”

   Amarie, Kelsey and Amberly stood beside him, as confused and worried as he was now that they too realized the severity of this danger.  Shadow was finally able to smile, along with Rouge, for he had good news for them at last through all the danger.  “Not so Mikomi.  A few years ago, Rouge and I agreed to help a friend gather the remaining five in exchange for the two we have now.  You see, an old and dear friend of Knuckles and Amy is Sonic the Hedgehog.  He and another acquaintance of theirs named Tails Prower mastered inter-dimensional travel a few years ago, and on his travels Sonic met Blaze the Cat, the guardian of the Sol Emeralds, basically the Chaos Emeralds of her dimension.  Anyway, eventually they fell in love and married each other, and Sonic asked me if he could have the seven chaos emeralds, so both he and Blaze could guard them and the Sol Emeralds in her dimension, where he lives now with his two children.  I said I needed the two I had, and he agreed to give them to me if we helped him find the other five, which he now has possession of; all we need to do now is contact him.  He can wield the chaos emeralds as I can and go into Super form, which is probably our best protection against the Master Emerald.  Perhaps having him as an ally will help the battle over all as well.”

   This news was enough to make everyone smile, for now they were finally on track, their hope renewed.  Shadow nodded and looked to the outside, saying, “We need to head for Thundercrash Bay, yet while we rest tonight, I’m going call for Sonic.  He should be here soon after I reach him, and by morning we can get on our way.  Let’s move!”

   Leaving the hangar and Mr. Rose’s corpse behind, the group made their way into the distance, speaking no more of the battle, and Mikomi’s anger melting away, at least for the moment.  As night fell, and the group took rest, Shadow sent a message to Sonic using his chaos emeralds.  As Rouge sat looking at the stars, Shadow sat beside her and said, “Well, now we just have to wait for Sonic to reply.  I feel better now that we’re gaining a slight upper hand…but…I worry for Mikomi.  His anger is so intense, and what just happened with his own grandfather, I think it just made all this pain go so much deeper.  I can only hope this ends peacefully and soon.”

   Rouge nodded, hugging Shadow tightly in response.  The two of them sat together, glancing at the four kids.  Amarie slept, and Kelsey, Mikomi and Amberly sat around a fire, not speaking, consumed by their thoughts and silence.

   Finally, Mikomi spoke, “Gee, you two really got along great earlier.  That was amazing.  Are you guys friends now?”

   Kelsey and Amberly glanced at Mikomi, and then each other, unsure of what to say.  Amberly sighed and said, “I suppose…I never meant to cause any trouble.”

   Both Kelsey and Mikomi looked at her, Mikomi sensing that pain from earlier, and Kelsey worried for her as well.  She said, “Gee Amberly, you never caused any trouble…I was just being irrational and mean.  It should be me who’s apologizing.  I didn’t give you a chance to try and become our friend.  There’s no need to get upset.”

   Amberly sighed, shaking her head and resting it on her knees as she hugged them.  She said, “It’s not that Kelsey.  It’s just…I almost told Mikomi what is wrong with me when he asked me about my crooked wing.  The thing is…I know I act brave and everything, but…in reality, I hardly even like myself.  I don’t have any friends; Mom and Dad, as much as I love them, are the only people I can talk to, and I can’t even fly because my stupid wing.  Sometimes I just wish I could disappear so I wouldn’t hurt anymore.  It’s nothing you two did…really.”

   Mikomi and Kelsey looked at each other, and then they both scooted closer to Amberly, sitting on either side of her.  Kelsey put a hand on her shoulder and so, “Aww gosh Amberly…I’m sorry you feel that way.  I mean, you’re a wonderful person, really.  You’re quite the fighter from what Amarie told me, and you’re very sweet and kind.”

   “You’re also beautiful and smart, and sweet…and…well who cares if you can’t fly Amberly?  I’m sure you will someday!  You just can’t give up on yourself!  And don’t worry, even after all this…we’ll be your friends okay?” Mikomi continued.

   Amberly glanced up, looking back and forth between them, shedding a tear and smiling.  “You…you guys are so awesome…I’m so glad I finally have friends.” She sniffed, drying up her tears and said, “I’ll be okay…you’re right.  I’ll hang in there, and heck, I’m ready to fight these people!”

   Mikomi and Kelsey laughed, and in that moment, any problems between the three of them were resolved.  The three of them had finally found a new friend, even in these dark times.

   As they looked on, Shadow and Rouge glanced at each other, having one less thing to worry about now that the kids were friends.  Still, Shadow sighed and said, “Gosh, why can’t Sonic just respond to me?  We need those chaos emeralds!”

   Before Rouge could respond, a beam of light flashed from the sky behind them.  Turning around fast, they looked and saw a familiar face, albeit almost twenty years older, cradling five chaos emeralds in his arms.  He wore sunglasses on his head, styled his hair with a few more quills, and his gloves and shoes had changed in style as well.

   “Looking for these?” he asked.

   Shadow stood up, smiling as he walked over to the figure.  “Right on time…it’s nice to see you again…Sonic.”

   As the clouds overhead rolled on their way, the moonlight was able to shine on them once more, revealing Sonic was not alone, as two figures stood beside them.  He laughed softly and said, “Well, I aim to please…nice to see you again too Shadow, Rouge, of course, I don’t come alone.  My daughter and son have come with me as well.”  He looked to them both and said, “This is Aries, and Pyro, and heh, we’re ready to fight!”

   Rouge stood beside Shadow and the two smiled at each other, then to Sonic.  “That’s awesome Sonic, because, Knuckles, Amy, Hidama and Delilah…they desperately need our help.  The fate of the world is in danger again…and again we must set things right.  We’ll rest up a bit longer and get the facts straight.”  Looking to Aries and Pyro, he smiled, seeing both Sonic and Blaze in them and said, “You two will have to meet my daughter and Knuckles’ and Hidama’s children.  Are you ready to fight?”

   Aries, the older of them stepped forward, holding her twin clawed guardian staff, swinging it and said, “You bet I am!”

   Then Pyro, four years younger than his fourteen-year-old sister, jumped a step forward, burning a flame like a candle on the tip of his finger and laughed, saying, “Are you kidding me?  Someone’s gonna burn!”

   Shadow gave Sonic a look, one that said, “Like father like son,” and caused Sonic to laugh embarrassedly.  He replied, “Heh, guess we have a lot to catch up on…why don’t you fill me in on the details, before we set off in the morning.”

   After that, Sonic, Shadow and Rouge sat down to talk; for the moment, Aries and Pyro stuck close to their father as they slept, promising to make friends with the others in the morning.  Rouge slowly fell asleep, but Shadow and Sonic, now stronger friends than they had been in the past, stayed up late into the night.  By the time they were through, they realized they had many miles to cover, for Thundercrash Bay was at least a two days walk to the southeast, and that was still plenty of time for Sir Burns to break the guardian brothers, for some of the members of the newly conquered Maniacal base had escaped, able to bring Sir Burns news of the resistance forming against them.

   Now Sir Burns could bring this terrible news to the brothers…that their children’s lives were in danger…and that soon, they would be broken.  Even though only a few days had passed, Sir Burns was slowly breaking the brothers from inside out, and in the few hours before the group took off for the main base, Sir Burns was making his way to that cramped and secluded room, ready to take another strike at the weakening Hidama and Knuckles.

Description
"For the Love of Eternity"
By: Jade Lightning, a.k.a. Inuyashas-hanyougirl
Chapter 7: And the Pain Went That Much Deeper

   It didn’t take long for Shadow, Mikomi, and Kelsey to meet up with Rouge, Amberly and Amarie outside of the aircraft hangar, the last area of the base left to search.  As the alarms continued to blare, they could only surmise that the leader of this base was using this time to try and escape, or send out the alarm for the need of more troops, and the aircraft hangar was where he could do both of these things, and also potentially welcome in an army of more Maniacals.

   With a large vault-like door the only thing barring them from the hangar, Shadow and Rouge came together, catching their breath and going over their plan before storming the next room.

   “Well, I’m convinced Rouge; Knuckles and Hidama are not here, and neither is the Master Emerald, nor Amy and Delilah,” Shadow said, “This must be a smaller base of theirs used for local business, but…the leader of this base must be dealt with.  He could provide us with some much needed information.”

   Rouge replied with a nod, then looked to the chaos emerald she held, handing it to Shadow, and whispered, “You need it more than I do right now,” with a smile as she dropped it into his hand.

   Shadow smiled weakly and briefly before nodding, looking to the kids once more and said, “I think I can handle this guy well enough on my own…of course, if the danger calls for it, be ready to defend yourselves.”

   Each of them offered a different reaction; Amberly was more than ready to fight, not just because of her fighting spirit, but to impress Mikomi, still unaware of the attitude change he and Kelsey had taken on; Amarie quickly withdrew her hammer, equally as excited to battle, just as her mother was when her friends were facing a battle.  Kelsey and Mikomi didn’t have the same degree of enthusiasm.

   Kelsey slowly ran her finger up and down her father’s bow, tracing the innate, ornamental carving as she did so.  She remembered that it was high treason to use the guardian’s ornamental spear, bow, and quiver of arrows, and here she was, about to use them again; it worried her…was she dishonoring the line of guardians, and the echidnas in general by doing this?  Did the fact that she was a girl make this treason even worse?  If Mikomi were using them would he be more easily forgiven?  It was thoughts of dishonor like this that worried her the most in the face of impending battle.

   Glancing at his cousin, Mikomi could guess what she was thinking by the look of dread in her eyes as she fingered her father’s bow, tracing the carving with her finger.  He placed his hand on her shoulder and whispered, “Don’t worry Kelsey; your archery skills are doing the guardians of old proud.  I don’t think they’d consider something like this high treason…you are the guardian’s daughter after all…the daughter of the older brother to boot.”

   Kelsey gasped, looking at Mikomi only once he finished speaking.  He was smiling at her, nodding slowly to reassure her.  She finally eased into a smile, quickly hugging Mikomi before he could react.  As he returned her hug, he opened his eyes, catching Amberly staring at them jealously with confusion and disbelief in her eyes.  He tensed up a bit, even as Kelsey’s embrace relaxed and comforted him, because he realized now, the depth of Amberly’s admiration of him, and after what happened with Kelsey, he couldn’t help but return her confused and desperate love with a little concern of his own.  He knew eventually they would have to talk this over, and that he would ultimately have to not only confess his feelings, but explain them as well, which gave him a sick feeling, as he wanted to be Amberly’s friend, and not break her heart.

   As they eased out of their embrace, he quickly smiled at Kelsey, erasing his concerned look for Amberly.  Kelsey nodded slowly, smiling as she brushed her bangs clear of her eyes and said, “Thanks Mikomi; you’ve made me feel so much better.”  She quickly leaned in and kissed him on the cheek, before walking over to Amarie, as Shadow and Rouge made their final battle plans.

   Before they were ready to move on, Amberly took this moment to walk up to Mikomi, tired of waiting to get him alone.  Out of anger, or possibly frustration, she clasped his shoulders with her hands, pushing him back a step or two as she stepped up to him, even though she consciously had no intention of being forceful or angry.

   Mikomi expected her to be a little angry, mostly because of what she had to witness, unable to understand it, perceiving that Kelsey and Mikomi were more than just cousins, even though that was hardly the case.  As they stood still, Amberly glaring at him with her icy blue, filled with frustration and confusion.  Suddenly Mikomi felt really strange; it was no longer a purely uncomfortable feeling, for his talk with Kelsey had helped him figure out how to deal with the problem.  The only problem was her fingers were starting to dig into his shoulder blades, even through the black fabric of his jacket.

   “Hey, umm, Amberly…do you think you could ease up on my shoulders?”

   “Be quiet!” Amberly snapped in an intense whisper.  Mikomi flinched, cringing slightly, as Amberly stood a bit taller than Kelsey, and they were almost at eye level with each other.  Slowly, however, Amberly exhaled, and let go of Mikomi’s shoulders, crossing her arms as she looked at him, not so much with a cold glare, but a confused anger.

   Mikomi slowly rubbed his right shoulder, adjusting his headband set so it fit him better, then sighed a bit.  He opened his eyes fully, blinking twice, and focused on Amberly, smiling as best he could.  As he rubbed the back of his head, he said, “What is it Amberly?  Why are you so upset?”

   How stupid could he be?!  That was on Amberly’s mind; Mikomi had to be the cutest, most handsome guy she had ever seen, and here he was being a total naïve idiot.  Wasn’t it obvious to him that she liked him?  Was her flirting not a big enough hint?  Did he think she was ugly or something?  Why the hell did he start clinging to his cousin as if they were soul mates?  She didn’t know whether to yell at him or go innocent on him and try to appeal to his emotions once more.  One thing she couldn’t help but notice, were the opposing colors of his eyes.

   She slowly unfolded her arms, clasping her hands innocently behind her back as she leaned in, startling Mikomi a bit, as it appeared for a moment she was trying to kiss him.  Yet she stopped, wanting to get a better look at his eyes.  Seeing her father and mother almost ready to go, and Kelsey talking to Amarie out of the corner of her eyes, she whispered, “Mikomi…are your…eyes two different colors?”

   The echidna crossbreed immediately got defensive.  He frowned, almost jumping back from her by two steps as he said, “Humph, so what if they are?  I was born like that…well…maybe not…but when they changed color one turned purple like my dad’s and the other turned sapphire like my uncle’s.  What do you care?”

   Amberly paused, and ended up giggling a bit from his reaction.  She stepped back up to him and said, “No, no cutie; I didn’t think anything was wrong with them…I think they look beautiful…it’s just, I thought people with two different colored eyes were blind.”

   Mikomi was feeling more comfortable around her; he grinned and said, “You mean like a bat?”  Amberly gave him a look, which caused him to laugh softly much as she did from his reaction from before.  She eventually smiled, and he shook his head and said, “I’ve heard that before too…but I’m certainly not blind.”  He paused, glancing at her crooked wing and said, “What about your wing?  Did you hurt it somehow?”

   Amberly suddenly lost some of her courage, going softer, a switch from her fiery personality.  She went weaker at the mention of her wing.  Mikomi frowned a bit at seeing this sudden apprehension.  He placed his hand on her shoulder, causing her to look back at him, trying her best to maintain a weak smile on her face.  She shook her head running her hand through her hair and said, “No…I was born that way…I can’t fly because of it…Dad and Mom tried to help me but I just can’t fly.  I’d…I’d rather not talk about it.”

   She didn’t even notice Mikomi’s hand on her shoulder, or the sudden concern he felt for her, which was what she had been hungry for all along.  It seemed the mention of her wing struck a wound inside of her that ate away at her self-esteem, enough to the point where she couldn’t even focus on Mikomi anymore, or the task ahead.  There was something about Amberly that worried him, for Mikomi didn’t want anything bad to happen to her; he found himself quickly growing close to Amberly, especially now that this softer side of her shown through.  He only hoped that Kelsey could become her friend now too.  Amberly was probably in need of friends as much as they were.  At least he, Kelsey and Amarie had each other.  He wondered if Amberly had anyone at all.

   Before either of them could say anything, Shadow spoke up, and said, “Alright then…that’s how we’ll approach things.”

   Hearing Shadow’s words, Mikomi looked back and forth between Amberly and the group, and with a smile he tugged on Amberly’s hand and said, “Come on.  Kelsey wants to be your friend too Amberly, I promise.  You two just need to give each other a chance.”

   Amberly let out a soft gasp, her eyes filled with hope as Mikomi walked along, and she found her own feet moving to follow him.  Before he made it back to the group, he looked and smiled at her once more and said, “Trust me, you’ll love Kelsey once you get to know her.  She’s like a second sister.  Come on.”

   Though Amberly smiled she hung her head slightly, instead of walking with her head erect and her shoulders back, as she and Mikomi made it back to the group.  Amarie glanced at her as Shadow explained the final plan to them.  She could sense the pain in Amberly’s heart, and knew that behind her confident smile and outgoing, forward nature, she was masking a weary heart within her, and Kelsey’s and Mikomi’s behavior had done nothing for it.  Kelsey it seemed could see the same, and nudged Amberly, causing the hedgebat to look at her.  Kelsey smiled a bit, trying to get Amberly’s courage to come back.  Amberly let out a sigh, but smiled and stood up straight, and listened to her father with the rest of them.

   Amarie looked to her brother, cousin, and their new friend and smiled.  She knew while there was still a lot for them to deal with, both within themselves and each other, that everything would be alright.  Kelsey and Amberly would be friends, and perhaps all of them would forge a circle of friendship like their parents had.  Maybe Mikomi could deal with his anger and all would end as Shadow hoped.  Maybe this was the beginning of a peaceful resolution and a new start for them all.

   But now was not the time for that; emotions and troubles had to be put aside.  As Shadow moved to open the door before them, he looked back and said, “I’m not sure what to expect…but, be on your guard.  It may come that you four need to battle, if worse comes to worse.”

   No more words; it was time.  Shadow stood back, blasting away the door and running through it immediately, followed by Rouge; the four kids finally ran after them as the debris cloud began to clear.  When they got through the cloud, they saw an immense room before them.  It was an aircraft hangar…and yet, there was only one, lone private jet parked in front of an open door, primed and ready for take off.  Shadow feared the leader was ready to flee, and quickly ran towards the aircraft, shouting at the leader to reveal himself.

   “You’ll be found out sooner or later!  Show yourself and be the honorable leader you should be!  Some team you must be if your leaders flee for cover rather than face their plight!  Show yourself!” he shouted.

   The engines of the jet stopped running; as they slowed to a stand still, a loud speaker flickered to life, and they heard the voice of the leader.  Shadow came to a stop, as did Rouge and the kids, who were running after him.

   “Fwahaha!  You think you can take on Team Maniacal?  You’re crazy!  I’m only hear to delay your futile efforts.  Sir Burns is very busy now with those dammed guardian brothers, and cannot be bothered with your silly antics.  If you honestly want to be destroyed by us you should wait until he can use the Master Emerald and do it personally!” the voice shouted.

   Mikomi growled low, as Amarie and Kelsey gasped in fear when they heard of the danger facing their fathers.  He shouted, “Show yourself you idiot!  I won’t let you nasty humans hurt my uncle and my father, or my mother and my aunt!  It starts with you!  I’ll destroy you first and then get this leader of yours!  Come out and fight!”

   The evil cackle came to an abrupt halt.  There was a silence as Mikomi glared at the jet; finally, they could hear the voice murmur…”Your…your father…and your mother?”  After another pause, another cackle could be heard, as the voice, starting out with a whisper returned.  “So…this is the bastard child of Knuckles and Amy…feh…I can’t say I’m surprised that you came to save them my boy…but considering how weak your mother is and how fool-hardy your father is, you should be no problem for me.”

   A look of confusion came to Mikomi’s eyes; hearing what was said, Amarie broke away from Kelsey, running up beside Mikomi, wielding her hammer and said, “Our mother is not weak, and our father is no fool!  How dare you say that!  You don’t even know them!”

   Shadow glanced back at them, as confused by this voice’s proclamations, but able to make a bit more sense out of it than they could.  “No…could it be?  Why would anyone want to work in collusion with these fiends…unless…they wanted revenge over the guardian brothers…or their wives…,” Shadow started.  Suddenly, he realized who it was behind the loud speaker.

   The evil laugh returned, louder with more earnest, preventing Shadow from answering.  “Oh my…do not tell me they went as far to have two bastard children?  Feh, little girl…already you are nothing but a repeat of your mother…another mistake brought into this world, defiant and incredibly stupid, dumb to reason.  Why she would mix relations with that dammed echidna…it’s his race’s fault that you’re in this trouble anyway.  If they just gave the Master Emerald to those who really deserve it in the first place, instead of guarding it like a child and worshipping it like a god, then maybe they wouldn’t be dead.”

   By now, Shadow had heard enough; he shouted again, and said, “You’ve blown your cover!  Reveal yourself now!  I know who you are, and you’re in for a load of trouble if you intend to continue the terror you started two decades ago on that boardwalk in Casinopolis!”

   Even Rouge knew who he was talking about.  As the loudspeaker flickered off, squealing and crackling as the laughter diminished, she covered her ears and shouted, “Shadow, is that really…!”

   Before she could finish, the jet door flew open, smoke pouring out from it, as the silhouette of a figure appeared at the top of the short off ramp.  Shadow shielded his eyes, looking up at the figure and said, “Yes…as surprising as it sounds…no human could speak of Knuckles and Amy in this way…nobody could, unless they had a bone to pick with them from long ago.”

   Mikomi held on to Amarie, and both of them looked to the jet as they heard Shadow’s words.  This leader was no human…he stood about the same height as Shadow, and had two hedgehog ears.  The figure stepped down off the ramp as the smoke diminished, wearing two black boots, a long, white coat over black slacks and a black dress shirt, holding a high powered machine gun in his right hand.

   They looked with awe at this creature who stood before them; the one who had so much bad to say about them, and Knuckles and Amy especially, even the echidnas, showing he was indeed hungry for power as the rest of the Maniacals were…and yet, he had to be the most special member of them all, for he was no human…he was a hedgehog, out for revenge against the ones he hated most…the echidnas…and his own daughter and grandchildren.

   “It’s Mr. Rose…I knew it the minute he spoke cruelly of Amy.  I told you how opposed he was to their union…and yet I didn’t think it would go this far…,” Shadow finished as Rouge ran up next to him.

   Mr. Rose glared at Shadow, sneering and said, “Mmffm, when did she tell you that story?  Looking for sympathy was she?  After that echidna mercilessly attacked me he’s getting no less than he deserves…my daughter is too good for him, and I only wanted to protect her…but no…she had to mix blood with him and have these bastard children.  You know what I mean Shadow, seeing as you degraded yourself and mixed blood as well.”

   Rouge gasped, looking to Shadow, who’s eyes were already filled with a fire of a rage, not just from being insulted, but at how Mr. Rose continued to degrade Knuckles and Amy, feigning love for her to try and improve his own, ugly image.  Shadow shook his head, clenching his fists and his grasp on the chaos emeralds, laughing softly and said, “Boy, are you terribly misguided my friend.  It is not I who has degraded myself through my love for Rouge and my daughter Amberly, but you who have degraded yourself and your name in seeking to take out your own grandchildren just to satisfy nearly twenty-years worth of unsettled anger.”

   At this point, the kids were stunned, Mikomi and Amarie more than any of them.  Mikomi took about six or so staggered steps closer to Shadow, Rouge, and Mr. Rose, in shock and disbelief of what he was hearing.  Amarie followed closely behind her brother, staring sadly at Mr. Rose, knowing full-well that this was her grandfather, and even worse…that he had no intention of being friendly or merciful, whether they were related to him or not.

   Both of them stopped, almost beside Shadow; Mr. Rose now gave his cold glare to Mikomi and Amarie, feeling the same hatred for them that he did for Knuckles and his own daughter at her “disobedience” towards him.  The silence was agonizing as Shadow glanced between them cautiously.

   “You…you’re with the Maniacals?” Mikomi asked.  Glancing at Amarie, he looked back to Mr. Rose, even more angry than before.  “What do you have against my father and mother?  What have they ever done to you?  How could you do this to them?” he asked, shouting now, switching from his somewhat gentle tone.

   Mr. Rose was undaunted, and only seemed to get more humor from Mikomi’s stand against him.  He took a few steps towards Mikomi, wielding his readied machine gun, getting the message across that he wouldn’t hesitate to shoot.  He laughed, continuing to walk up to Mikomi and Amarie, causing them to back up as he approached them.  Amberly and Kelsey stood together, and now Mr. Rose was backing Mikomi and Amarie closer to them, his gun ready to fire at any second.

   “Mikomi!  Amarie!” Kelsey cried silently.  She tried to grab for an arrow, but was restrained by Amberly, who grabbed her arm.

   “No Kelsey!  Let’s just get over to Mom and Dad as quickly as we can!  We don’t want to frighten him into firing on anyone!” she cried in a hushed whisper.

   The two girls locked eyes, and suddenly there was no tension or ill will between them, as if the battle over Mikomi was over and they were starting to become friends. Kelsey nodded slowly, and she and Amberly carefully backed away from where they stood, making their way to Shadow and Rouge, while at the same time, Mr. Rose began to cackle wildly, finally speaking to Mikomi and Amarie as they walked.

   “Oh this is too rich!  I’ll answer your questions in order my boy!  I am more than just with the Maniacals; I have worked my way up to one of their highest ranking officers, in charge of my own base as you can see.  As for what I have against your mother and father…you’re too stupid to understand the depth I can assure you.  Needless to say if your mother hadn’t disobeyed me and mixed blood with that father of yours, none of this would be necessary,” he began.

   Shadow looked on in horror.  He could see the anger raging in Mikomi’s eyes.  He looked to Rouge and said, “I have never seen such intense anger in the eyes of his father or uncle, not even towards their worst enemies.  Even Hinsei Hidama found the strength to forgive the mutants, and Knuckles the nobility to pardon them as well, but Mikomi…he holds such a deep anger towards humans, and now that one of his own has turned against him, his own grandfather no less, I can only surmise this anger and pain has taken root that much deeper in his heart.”

   Indeed, Amarie continued to look at Mr. Rose sadly and in disbelief, noticing how similar his eyes were to her mother’s, as she clung to Mikomi.  Yet Mikomi, the massive gun held no terror for him, as he continued to glare angrily at Mr. Rose.  “You’re just terrible…I can’t believe you’re doing this to your own daughter…and grandchildren no less.  You’re gonna pay for this,” Mikomi growled.

   Mr. Rose laughed even louder, startling Amberly and Kelsey as they were only steps away from getting to Shadow and Rouge; they both let out a small cry, hurrying their tip-toe to a run until they were safe, the power of Shadow’s chaos emeralds enough to keep them safe for the moment, and yet Mikomi and Amarie remained unprotected.  Mr. Rose shot a quick glance at Kelsey and Amberly, grinning evilly before looking back to Mikomi.  “What about those girls my boy?  Is the bat hybrid your girlfriend or something?  Perfect, degrade and mix your blood even further; who cares about the dammed guardian blood anyway?  The blasted echidnas have come to naught; they’ll fade away from reality and memory soon enough…it’s no less than what they deserve for their selfishness, haughtiness, and lack of care for any form of life besides themselves.”

   He paused, glaring at Kelsey and laughed again, continuing, “Let me guess, that is the bastard daughter of your uncle correct?  Humph, so much for the noble Hinsei Hidama…even now I’m sure he’s learning we’re more than capable of getting what we want.”  He paused again, coming to a stop, halting Mikomi’s and Amarie’s retreat, finally bringing his machine gun up, ready to blow them away.

   Rouge gasped, and grabbed Shadow’s arm.  “Shadow, you have to do something!  He’s about to shoot them!” she cried.

   Kelsey too saw the danger and was ready to try and shoot Mr. Rose down again, but again, Amberly stopped her, as did Shadow.  He shook his head, whispering, “Just wait…I know his kind.  He isn’t going to kill Mikomi and Amarie like that…this is a killing he wants to cherish…one that he wants to be able to recount in graphic detail for Knuckles and Amy…even to the point where he dumps their heads before them in an attempt to break Knuckles’ will.  Besides, he hasn’t answered Mikomi’s last question.  Watch.”

   Amarie clung to Mikomi harder, closing her eyes tightly out of fear.  Mikomi, however, wouldn’t back down.  Almost as if he took his cue from Shadow’s unheard words, he said, “Why…what did you seek to gain by joining with these people?  How could you do this?”

   Mr. Rose paused, ready to shoot them, but stopping, lowering his gun at Mikomi’s question.  He sighed, shaking his head and cackling softly.  He whispered, “It’s simple my boy; they had the intention to steal the Master Emerald, which your father, and later your uncle both guarded.  When I did cross paths with them, I realized I had the opportunity to get revenge over both your father and your mother for their despicable acts.  Sure, I had to abandon your grandmother to do it, but…feh, I don’t miss her anymore…it’s worth it to see your mother weeping, your father broken, and you two dead before them.  I care little for the Master Emerald, though I would love nothing more than to have ultimate power over my peers, this is all worth it to have them broken.  They’ll realized they should have listened to me before…that damn bitch of a mother you have is getting no less than what she deserves.”

   As Mr. Rose went into another hearty laugh, he raised both hands in the air, temporarily taking the tip of the gun away from Mikomi and Amarie.  Mikomi had had enough; not only had his father and his father’s race been insulted, his and Amarie’s lives threatened, and the entire depth of his grandfather’s hatred made clear, Mr. Rose had tipped Mikomi’s breaking point when he spoke those cruel words of Amy.  Mikomi was thrust into a blind rage, just as he was that afternoon on the boardwalk, only now it was much more dangerous, and would be a fight where only one of them came out alive…and not even Kelsey could make it to save him.  Mikomi…was on his own.

   Mikomi let out a vicious scream and a cry, scaring both Mr. Rose and Amarie, who bolted over to Shadow and the others while she still could, crying for Mikomi as she did so.  Kelsey held on to her little cousin as she broke down into tears.

   Mr. Rose was terribly startled by Mikomi’s sudden strength and rage, even more frightful than Hidama or Knuckles could attain, at least to the knowledge of the Maniacals.  Unable to keep much control of himself or his anger, Mikomi glared at Mr. Rose as he growled softly, no longer having any regard for life, including his own, blinded by his rage, his eyes almost flaring red with fury.  He clenched his fists, approaching Mr. Rose, causing him to back away in fear.

   “Say that again…my grandfather.  Say another bad word about me, my sister, my family…and especially my mother, and I’ll make sure once you’re dead that your body is lost to the world forever!” he shouted.  Mikomi then let out another bloodcurdling cry, diving for Mr. Rose, unafraid of gunfire, or anything, anymore.

   The minute Mikomi tackled Mr. Rose, the gun was flung loose from his hands, and suddenly Mr. Rose had to match the unmeasured power of Knuckles’ son, Mikomi.  It was almost like when Knuckles punched him square in the jaw that night on the boardwalk, only this time, Mikomi was punching and tearing at him with all the strength he could muster, while Amarie, Kelsey, and the others could only look on in horror.

   “Mikomi!  Mikomi!  Please stop!” Amarie cried.  She knew that if he backed down that he would end up getting hurt worse, but she was still scared for him all the same.

   Kelsey hugged Amarie tightly, equally as frightened for her cousin.  Amberly stood beside her father and said, “Daddy, isn’t there anything you can do?  He’s unarmed now, so can’t we help Mikomi?”

   Shadow shook his head, looking to Amberly and said, “There’s plenty of ways Mr. Rose could kill Mikomi without a weapon…and if he’s that dead set on killing Mikomi, all he has to do is give him a swift punch between the eyes and kill him.  We have to sneak up on him if we’re going to help.”  Shadow glanced at the chaos emeralds, then to Rouge and said, “Cover for me Rouge.  If worse comes to worse, you all need to be ready to protect yourselves.”

   Rouge let out a worried smile, taking his hand and saying, “And rescue you Mikomi.”  Shadow glanced at her, unable to smile, but nodded reassuringly.  He looked back to the fray.  Mr. Rose was now beginning to fight back against Mikomi’s opposition, and despite the power of Mikomi’s blind and angry rage, he was being beaten back with considerable power.  Mr. Rose was now more dead set than ever on killing Mikomi, taking his body and heading for his jet, using his dead grandson to break Knuckles and Amy down.  He began to angle the fight towards the open jet door.

   “No!  Mr. Rose is going to take Mikomi with him to the main base, dead or alive!” Shadow cried.  “There’s no time!  Chaos control!”  Shadow disappeared again, leaving Kelsey, Amarie, Amberly and Rouge to watch in horror as Mr. Rose continued to thrash Mikomi, even as Mikomi fought back, guiding him towards the ramp, while Shadow had to do his best to get between them.

   The girls backed away from the plane; with only steps left to the jet ramp, Mikomi and Mr. Rose continued to fight, when finally Mikomi tripped over the ramp, and Mr. Rose loomed above him.  Still locked in his rage, Mikomi glared at him, as he returned Mikomi’s icy gaze.  “You foolish child…you want to see your parents so badly?  Then come with me to our headquarters in Thundercrash Bay…of course, you may not live long enough to say any goodbyes…heh heh.”

   In that instant, Mr. Rose revealed the true location of the headquarters of Team Maniacal, and there was no need to keep him alive and dangerous anymore.  Shadow suddenly revealed himself; he came from behind Mr. Rose, throwing his arms around him, pulling him backwards and to the ground.  Now the battle was shifted to Shadow and Mr. Rose, and it appeared that slowly the opposition was slowing down.

   Mikomi slowly sat up, only half shaken from his blind rage, as he watched Shadow and Mr. Rose battle it out.  He took his hand, touching his now swollen and bleeding lower lip, pulling it away and gazing at the blood staining his glove.  He glared again at Mr. Rose, growling softly as he watched the fight.  He gave no notice to Amarie and Kelsey who now ran up to him, followed closely by Amberly.

   Amarie hugged her brother, still in tears from fright.  “Oh Mikomi, are you okay?  Are you hurt badly?  I was so scared!”

   And it seemed she still had reason to be scared, as Kelsey and Amberly knelt down by him on either side, he still gazed coldly at Mr. Rose as he and Shadow exchanged blows.  Blood continued to leak from his lower lip, and he cringed as pain rolled through his upper back and neck.  His right leg tingled with pain, and yet he was still consumed with his hatred for Mr. Rose, and had no intention of backing down, even in the face of death.  He only half heard the pleading of his sister, cousin, and friend.

   Amberly placed a hand on his shoulder, worried for her father at the same time, and whimpered, “Please Mikomi…my dad can handle this guy. You’re hurt…you put up an awesome fight Mikomi really, just…let dad finish him off so you can recover.”

   Kelsey nodded in agreement, still showing friendship to Amberly, putting off the cat fight between them in favor of peace and alliance.  She took Mikomi’s free hand and whispered, “Please, Mikomi…let Shadow handle this, it’s not worth putting your life in danger…please.”

   Despite hers and Amberly’s pleas, Mikomi glanced back and forth between them, the rage and fire in his eyes burning strong again, even though it wasn’t directed to them.  He shook himself back and forth to jerk away from them, scaring Amberly and Kelsey and worrying Amarie even worse.  She sat up and backed away, looking between the fray and Mikomi, seeing the intention in her brother’s eyes to taste Mr. Rose’s blood and victory.  “Please, Mikomi, don’t!  He’ll kill you given the chance!  Don’t do it!” Amarie cried.

   Mikomi stood up, in his rage, unmoved by his sister’s words and undaunted in the face of death.  He let out another vicious scream, causing the fight between Shadow and Mr. Rose to pause.  Mr. Rose displayed another devious grin, pushing Shadow aside and facing Mikomi as he got ready to charge.  As Shadow fell to the ground, his chaos emeralds fell loose from his grasp, and yet he had no time to worry about them, for Mikomi was now running for Mr. Rose, and while they were both considerably injured, this was still a very unfair fight.

   “Mikomi!  Stop!  It’s not worth your life!  Please!  Don’t you understand?  He wants to use you to break your father’s strength!  Stop!” Shadow shouted.  Rouge scooped up the chaos emeralds, running to Shadow’s side, helping him up as the battle between Mr. Rose and Mikomi continued.

   “Mikomi!  Mikomi!  Come back!” Amberly cried, wanting to run after him.

   As Amarie cried, Kelsey did her best to restrain Amberly, saying, “Don’t Amberly!  You’ll just end up getting hurt as well!”  Amberly and Kelsey locked eyes, both worried terribly for Mikomi, and realizing there was little they could do.

   Mr. Rose was slowly getting the better of Mikomi, and as Rouge helped Shadow to his feet, he looked to her and said, “It’s no good.  Mr. Rose won’t hesitate to kill or disable Mikomi and flee to his plane for their headquarters if I try to attack him again, and this time he’ll be anticipating a surprise attack.  Mikomi has to fight his way out of this…and sadly I don’t think it’s going very well.  There has to be some way we can disable Mr. Rose.”

   Amberly and Kelsey now clung to each other in fear.  Amberly looked to her father, and was strangely able to guess what he was thinking.  “Amberly, why won’t your dad attack him again?  Why isn’t he using the chaos emeralds?” Kelsey cried.

   “Kelsey, if we try and attack Mr. Rose, he’ll take Mikomi and run away, getting away to that base where he can use him to torture his parents.  We have to try and disable him somehow without scaring him to flee,” Amberly started.  Glancing at the bow in Kelsey’s hand and the quiver of arrows on her back, she said, “That’s it Kelsey!  You can shoot Mr. Rose with an arrow!  That should bring him down!”

   Kelsey backed away from Amberly and Amarie, glancing at her father’s bow, and then at the fight, where Mikomi was slowly weakening, his rage not enough to sustain him much longer.  She slowly took an arrow, remembering how she shot the Maniacal member before only inches from hitting Mikomi’s head and shook her head fast, saying, “No!  I can’t!  What if I hit Mikomi?  My shooting is nowhere as good as my father’s!  I might kill Mikomi!”

   Amberly walked back up to Kelsey, taking her hand and saying, “You can do it Kelsey!  I know you can!  You’re just as good as your father I bet.  Just aim carefully and I know you can do it.  If you hit Mr. Rose anywhere that’ll be enough to disable him so my dad can finish him off.  You can do it!  Right Amarie?”

   “Yeah Kelsey!  Go for it!  Mikomi needs your help!” Amarie cried.

   Kelsey nodded slowly, taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly as she took aim for Mr. Rose.  She could get a clean shot of Mr. Rose, but only for a second, as Mikomi took another swing at him and got in the way.  She cringed as she pulled back slowly on the bowstring.  She shook her head, looking at Amberly and said, “It’s no good, I’ve never learned how to shoot a moving target before.  Dad never got the chance to teach me.  As long as they keep moving I can’t get a clean shot.”

   Amberly looked at Amarie helplessly.  Amarie suddenly had an idea on how she could stop the fight, even for a second.  She paused, then looked to the fight and cried, “Mikomi!  Look out!”

   Mikomi looked to Amarie, not fearing a hit from Mr. Rose, and confused as to why she cried out when he was doing just fine.  Then, in a moment of sanity, he saw Kelsey taking aim at Mr. Rose, realizing she needed a clean strike, remembering the events from earlier.  Shadow and Rouge looked to Amarie as well, and in that instant, Mikomi shouted, “Got it!”  He looked back to Mr. Rose, diving for him, sliding across the ground underneath Mr. Rose, coming up behind him as he fell to the ground.  Kelsey now had her one and only shot.

   Kelsey let go of the bowstring, and the arrow flew for Mr. Rose, hitting him directly in the neck, causing him to let out a ferocious cry as he clasped his hands to the wound, gasping for breath, and slowly easing to the ground.  Elated, Kelsey cheered, “Got him!”  There was little time for rejoicing though, for now she, Amberly and Amarie ran to Mikomi, and Shadow and Rouge, in shock over what they saw, ran to deal with Mr. Rose.

   Shadow stood over Mr. Rose and said, “It seems you underestimated not only your grandchildren, but your grand-niece as well.  Heh, thanks for revealing the location of your headquarters…now we can easily take them down.”

   Mr. Rose, even as he lay dying, glared at Shadow, but only for a moment.  As Mikomi recovered from his rage, and Kelsey, Amarie and Amberly knelt beside him, Mr. Rose held no less anger towards him, and cackled softly, saying, “Indeed Shadow, and yet you’ve forgotten my host got away ahead of me…most of them at least.  I only stayed behind to deal with you because…of well…them.”

   Shadow was still in disbelief over how much anger Mr. Rose had not only for the kids, but for his own daughter and son-in-law.  Yet with his last breath, Mr. Rose would not do much to improve that image.  He hacked terribly, his breath slowing as he glared at Mikomi.  He said, “My master, Sir Burns, will break your father Mikomi…of that you can be sure, my boy…and your uncle will be broken as well.  Once we have the power of the Master Emerald, this world will be ours…and there’s nothing this pitiful strength of yours can do to stop it, especially once we have the Master Emerald…only the power of the guardian can stop it then…and you and your dammed cousin are only half of what your fathers are.  You’re…all…going to…die.  I’m only ticked that I won’t live long enough to see you die…and your mother suffer.”

   Mikomi growled softly as he watched Mr. Rose breathe his last breath.  His own grandfather showed him just as much anger as those humans.  His hatred had not only intensified, but it had become almost irreversible.  He only cared for those who cared for him.  Now, he couldn’t care less if the entire world was destroyed, as long as his family and friends were safe, and Shadow could sense this growing anger, and yet he couldn’t worry about this for now.  Mr. Rose’s final words gave him another thing to worry about, something much more dangerous.

   Shadow sighed, saying, “Corrupted by his anger towards his own daughter…the poor soul.  Still…he brought up a good point.”  Looking to Rouge, he said, “Consider this Rouge.  What if we get to the headquarters too late?  Only Knuckles and Hidama would have the power to counter the Master Emerald should it be used against us…either them…or the seven chaos emeralds.”

   Mikomi stood up, still shaken from the fight, but ready to move on.  “But Shadow, you and Rouge only have two of them.  It’ll take forever to find the other five.  We don’t have that kind of time!”

   Amarie, Kelsey and Amberly stood beside him, as confused and worried as he was now that they too realized the severity of this danger.  Shadow was finally able to smile, along with Rouge, for he had good news for them at last through all the danger.  “Not so Mikomi.  A few years ago, Rouge and I agreed to help a friend gather the remaining five in exchange for the two we have now.  You see, an old and dear friend of Knuckles and Amy is Sonic the Hedgehog.  He and another acquaintance of theirs named Tails Prower mastered inter-dimensional travel a few years ago, and on his travels Sonic met Blaze the Cat, the guardian of the Sol Emeralds, basically the Chaos Emeralds of her dimension.  Anyway, eventually they fell in love and married each other, and Sonic asked me if he could have the seven chaos emeralds, so both he and Blaze could guard them and the Sol Emeralds in her dimension, where he lives now with his two children.  I said I needed the two I had, and he agreed to give them to me if we helped him find the other five, which he now has possession of; all we need to do now is contact him.  He can wield the chaos emeralds as I can and go into Super form, which is probably our best protection against the Master Emerald.  Perhaps having him as an ally will help the battle over all as well.”

   This news was enough to make everyone smile, for now they were finally on track, their hope renewed.  Shadow nodded and looked to the outside, saying, “We need to head for Thundercrash Bay, yet while we rest tonight, I’m going call for Sonic.  He should be here soon after I reach him, and by morning we can get on our way.  Let’s move!”

   Leaving the hangar and Mr. Rose’s corpse behind, the group made their way into the distance, speaking no more of the battle, and Mikomi’s anger melting away, at least for the moment.  As night fell, and the group took rest, Shadow sent a message to Sonic using his chaos emeralds.  As Rouge sat looking at the stars, Shadow sat beside her and said, “Well, now we just have to wait for Sonic to reply.  I feel better now that we’re gaining a slight upper hand…but…I worry for Mikomi.  His anger is so intense, and what just happened with his own grandfather, I think it just made all this pain go so much deeper.  I can only hope this ends peacefully and soon.”

   Rouge nodded, hugging Shadow tightly in response.  The two of them sat together, glancing at the four kids.  Amarie slept, and Kelsey, Mikomi and Amberly sat around a fire, not speaking, consumed by their thoughts and silence.

   Finally, Mikomi spoke, “Gee, you two really got along great earlier.  That was amazing.  Are you guys friends now?”

   Kelsey and Amberly glanced at Mikomi, and then each other, unsure of what to say.  Amberly sighed and said, “I suppose…I never meant to cause any trouble.”

   Both Kelsey and Mikomi looked at her, Mikomi sensing that pain from earlier, and Kelsey worried for her as well.  She said, “Gee Amberly, you never caused any trouble…I was just being irrational and mean.  It should be me who’s apologizing.  I didn’t give you a chance to try and become our friend.  There’s no need to get upset.”

   Amberly sighed, shaking her head and resting it on her knees as she hugged them.  She said, “It’s not that Kelsey.  It’s just…I almost told Mikomi what is wrong with me when he asked me about my crooked wing.  The thing is…I know I act brave and everything, but…in reality, I hardly even like myself.  I don’t have any friends; Mom and Dad, as much as I love them, are the only people I can talk to, and I can’t even fly because my stupid wing.  Sometimes I just wish I could disappear so I wouldn’t hurt anymore.  It’s nothing you two did…really.”

   Mikomi and Kelsey looked at each other, and then they both scooted closer to Amberly, sitting on either side of her.  Kelsey put a hand on her shoulder and so, “Aww gosh Amberly…I’m sorry you feel that way.  I mean, you’re a wonderful person, really.  You’re quite the fighter from what Amarie told me, and you’re very sweet and kind.”

   “You’re also beautiful and smart, and sweet…and…well who cares if you can’t fly Amberly?  I’m sure you will someday!  You just can’t give up on yourself!  And don’t worry, even after all this…we’ll be your friends okay?” Mikomi continued.

   Amberly glanced up, looking back and forth between them, shedding a tear and smiling.  “You…you guys are so awesome…I’m so glad I finally have friends.” She sniffed, drying up her tears and said, “I’ll be okay…you’re right.  I’ll hang in there, and heck, I’m ready to fight these people!”

   Mikomi and Kelsey laughed, and in that moment, any problems between the three of them were resolved.  The three of them had finally found a new friend, even in these dark times.

   As they looked on, Shadow and Rouge glanced at each other, having one less thing to worry about now that the kids were friends.  Still, Shadow sighed and said, “Gosh, why can’t Sonic just respond to me?  We need those chaos emeralds!”

   Before Rouge could respond, a beam of light flashed from the sky behind them.  Turning around fast, they looked and saw a familiar face, albeit almost twenty years older, cradling five chaos emeralds in his arms.  He wore sunglasses on his head, styled his hair with a few more quills, and his gloves and shoes had changed in style as well.

   “Looking for these?” he asked.

   Shadow stood up, smiling as he walked over to the figure.  “Right on time…it’s nice to see you again…Sonic.”

   As the clouds overhead rolled on their way, the moonlight was able to shine on them once more, revealing Sonic was not alone, as two figures stood beside them.  He laughed softly and said, “Well, I aim to please…nice to see you again too Shadow, Rouge, of course, I don’t come alone.  My daughter and son have come with me as well.”  He looked to them both and said, “This is Aries, and Pyro, and heh, we’re ready to fight!”

   Rouge stood beside Shadow and the two smiled at each other, then to Sonic.  “That’s awesome Sonic, because, Knuckles, Amy, Hidama and Delilah…they desperately need our help.  The fate of the world is in danger again…and again we must set things right.  We’ll rest up a bit longer and get the facts straight.”  Looking to Aries and Pyro, he smiled, seeing both Sonic and Blaze in them and said, “You two will have to meet my daughter and Knuckles’ and Hidama’s children.  Are you ready to fight?”

   Aries, the older of them stepped forward, holding her twin clawed guardian staff, swinging it and said, “You bet I am!”

   Then Pyro, four years younger than his fourteen-year-old sister, jumped a step forward, burning a flame like a candle on the tip of his finger and laughed, saying, “Are you kidding me?  Someone’s gonna burn!”

   Shadow gave Sonic a look, one that said, “Like father like son,” and caused Sonic to laugh embarrassedly.  He replied, “Heh, guess we have a lot to catch up on…why don’t you fill me in on the details, before we set off in the morning.”

   After that, Sonic, Shadow and Rouge sat down to talk; for the moment, Aries and Pyro stuck close to their father as they slept, promising to make friends with the others in the morning.  Rouge slowly fell asleep, but Shadow and Sonic, now stronger friends than they had been in the past, stayed up late into the night.  By the time they were through, they realized they had many miles to cover, for Thundercrash Bay was at least a two days walk to the southeast, and that was still plenty of time for Sir Burns to break the guardian brothers, for some of the members of the newly conquered Maniacal base had escaped, able to bring Sir Burns news of the resistance forming against them.

   Now Sir Burns could bring this terrible news to the brothers…that their children’s lives were in danger…and that soon, they would be broken.  Even though only a few days had passed, Sir Burns was slowly breaking the brothers from inside out, and in the few hours before the group took off for the main base, Sir Burns was making his way to that cramped and secluded room, ready to take another strike at the weakening Hidama and Knuckles.