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"The Unending Journey of the Heart"
By: Jade Lightning, a.k.a. Inuyashas-hanyougirl
Chapter 2: To Pick up the Pieces of a Broken Heart

   After months of anguish, worry, and bloodshed, it seemed that everything was finally falling in to place for Knuckles.  His brother was with him again, his enemies vanquished, and his son Mikomi brought him and Amy such joy.  At long last, a feeling of closure came to Knuckles’ heart; he was finally able to let go of the painful memories of his past and move on with his life.

   With Hidama back, Knuckles now had more time to spend with Amy and their son, for Hidama had the blood of the guardian flowing through him, and thus the guardianship of the Master Emerald was now shared by both brothers, giving Knuckles much more freedom, and for Hidama…being able to stand beside the Master Emerald just as his father used to gave him an overwhelming sense of pride.

   Obviously, being older, Hidama was able to remember a great deal more of the echidna tribe than his brother; he remembered their customs, their holidays, their society and battle techniques…he could even remember the echidna language, for he could speak it fluently, and as seen before, he could sing in it as well, from a child’s lullaby, to a mournful, burial ode.  Finally being home, standing beside the Master Emerald as his father once did, brought comfort to his heart, happiness he lost in the years he was away from Angel Island.

   The bliss wasn’t limited to those on Angel Island.  Tails, who had suffered a severe wound on his upper back from the mutant warrior’s spear, was recovering nicely.  In the weeks following the battle, Sonic looked after his friend, and though the injury looked painful, the fox was resilient, and after those few weeks had passed, Tails was already working on his latest project, and back in the swing of things.

   With Tails promising he was alright, Sonic finally set off on another adventure.  While his involvement in the rescue of Hidama and the battle with the mutants was thrilling for him, he was eager to get back to his own travels, the urge to follow his heart’s desire setting him off once again, and he ran wherever his free spirit took him as he always had.

   As for Aranelion and Elianaron, the former was recovering from his own injuries.  While Aranelion, who had been in more battles than most his age and some older, admitted that this was almost the worst damage he had ever suffered, it was nothing he couldn’t handle.  It would take much more than that to bring down this warrior.  While the twins wanted to get reacquainted with their old friend Hidama, they wanted to visit their mother in Valordian first while Aranelion healed, promising they’d return to Angel Island within a matter of weeks.

   Now, after Knuckles and Hidama returned to Angel Island, Rouge left immediately to find Shadow, scared for him when he didn’t return with the brothers.  She found him sitting at the edge of the woods, cradling his arm, gazing at his chaos emerald, and trying his best to hang on to life.  Her green chaos emerald in hand, she ran to his side.  Shadow promised her he was going to be okay, and that finally, they would be able to pursue their own happiness, Shadow having fulfilled his promise to both Hidama and Knuckles.

   So everything was, in a way, returning to normal…for everyone that is, except Hidama.  For the past twelve years, his life was confined to that miserable jail cell, filled with the stench of his blood that was spilt, as well as the torture that had become part of his daily routine.  His childhood was shattered, and he lost his innocence, his life coming to mean little, within his first year of being there.

   He had little to do in the prison, a major contrast to his life on Angel Island, and over the years he had become accustomed to being lonely, in pain, and crying constantly, holding on to little more than a prayer that his brother was alright to keep his own hope alive.  As time went on, Hidama convinced himself he was going to die in that miserable hell hole.  In his first years there, he was much more defiant, but as the beatings and belittling got worse, he came into his teenage years a broken spirit.

   It wasn’t until he turned eighteen, after he had met Shadow and learned his brother was alive, that Hidama finally became fully submissive, taking whatever torture the mutants unleashed on him, from spiting on him to pouring rubbing alcohol on open wounds.  It wasn’t limited to typical mediums of torture either; some of the things done to him were so vile they aren’t meant to be spoken about, and thus Hidama kept these memories locked away in his heart, not wanting to disrupt the happiness of his brother.

   The thing was, how was Hidama supposed to adapt to his newfound freedom?  After twelve years of such extreme torture and grief, he had to try and come back to a life he had abandoned when he was still a child.  The others had lives to come back to; Knuckles had Amy and Mikomi to think about, the Brokenstar Twins had their mother to visit, and their travels as well.  Even Shadow had Rouge and their happiness to come home to; it seemed all Hidama had were memories of a life he could never fit himself back into, the dark and obscured years he spent in the mutant fortress permanently filling his spirit with lasting pain and confusion.

   Yet the first few months were quite happy for him; being with his brother again, as well as having Amy and Mikomi for family gave him great joy.  None of them heard from anyone outside of Angel Island for quite awhile, and Hidama slowly eased in to his new life.  He and Knuckles would take turns guarding the Master Emerald, giving Knuckles more time with Mikomi, and Hidama, fulfillment.

   Knuckles and Amy were as blissful as ever, with Mikomi becoming the light of their life together.  Mikomi was of course, a hybrid, but was as adorable as ever.  For the most part he looked like an echidna, having the red fur of his father; yet he had the hedgehog ears of his mother, and his ears were tipped with white fur, as were his dreadlocks, and the tip of his tail.  He was spared the knuckle-claws of his father and uncle, but they saw this as a good thing.  Thought they appreciated theirs as a weapon, Knuckles and Hidama agreed it was something Mikomi was probably better off without.

   There was something exceptional about him however; from the moment he first opened his eyes, they were blue, but as the first few months passed, one of his eyes darkened into a deep navy blue, then into a rich violet, the same shade as Knuckles’ eyes.  Yet his other eye maintained it’s sapphire blue color, the same color of Hidama’s eyes, and while it wasn’t an overly noticeable, you could tell the eye colors of both Knuckles and Hidama could be seen when looking into Mikomi’s.

   Little Mikomi grew close to his uncle very quickly.  He loved his mother and father for sure, but he loved his uncle just as much, and you could tell while he admired his father, he always had a look of wonder in his eyes when he would wake up from his nap, only to see Hidama’s silhouette as he stood beside the Master Emerald.

   So of course, the following months were peaceful, and at the same time were largely uneventful, especially when compared to the previous weeks spent dealing with the terror of the mutants.  After a few months, Sonic returned from his latest expedition, arriving on Angel Island with the news that Shadow and Rouge were soon to be married.  The one thing he wasn’t sure of though, was why the two insisted to distance themselves from the others for such a joyous event.

   All Sonic could say was that he had last seen Shadow and Rouge in a town outside of Metropolis; he had stopped to get something to eat at a diner, and saw them sharing a milkshake, talking about their wedding.  Shadow’s two chaos emeralds sat side by side on the table, and it appeared that Shadow was already fully healed, but of course, this had come to be expected from the black-furred hedgehog.

   Sonic only got to speak to them for a minute, and while Shadow would speak very little, Rouge opened up and told Sonic they were going to be married soon, but wanted something relatively quiet and not big and flashy.  Shadow finally spoke and said, “Tell the others if you must…but really, this is something Rouge and I wanted to keep to ourselves, for the moment.”

   “…And so I told them, ‘Sure, no problem, I understand completely.  You two take care of yourselves.’  Then I left…I’ve learned it’s best not to probe Shadow for information when he chooses to speak only once in an entire conversation.  I would have asked Rouge for a bit more info, but…I figured, ‘Nah, they’ll be okay,’ and then I left.” Sonic explained.

   Sonic was sitting at the small kitchen table in Knuckles and Amy’s cottage, regaling both them, and Hidama, with the tale of his encounter with the hedgehog and bat.  After four months had passed, it was nice to hear the two of them were doing well.

   Amy, who had just come back from putting Mikomi down for his nap, said, “Gee, I wonder why they would want to keep their marriage under the radar…and quiet and simple hardly sounds like Rouge…sounds like Shadow sure, but Rouge…I always thought she’d have one of those big weddings with people everywhere, an expensive dress and rings, then a big party afterward.”

   Sonic laughed and said, “Oh I’m sure she’ll get her expensive ring…if they don’t turn one of the chaos emeralds into one, she’ll have the next best thing…course I don’t see Shadow wearing his ring outside of his glove.”

   Knuckles was standing at the window, leaning up against the sill with his arms folded as he listened.  He chuckled softly and said, “I agree with you Amy…but you saw the ‘control’ Shadow had over her…you know what I mean; she was so worried over him…I’ve never seen her worry so much about anyone other than herself…she cares about him a great deal.  When she’s with him, it’s almost like she becomes an entirely different person…hardly the treasure loving, flirtatious bat we’ve come to know.”

   Amy nodded in response and said, “That’s true…while she was with me that night, and she thought I was sleeping, I could hear her pacing, always looking out the window, even though you couldn’t see the battle from there.  She was constantly looking at the chaos emerald, turning it over and over in her hands…and I could hear her talking, muttering to herself; it sounded like a prayer for Shadow, like her world would fall apart if he were to be taken from her forever.  Now…I’m not saying she cares little for much else than jewels and her own security, but the way she was acting…that was love, true love, and I know that for a fact.

   Sonic stood up and laughed, saying, “It’s amazing what Shadow does to her…and what she does to him in turn.  She keeps his temper in check, and she calms him somehow.  Those two are perfect for each other, literally meant to be.”

   Knuckles walked over to the couch where Amy sat, nodding in response to Sonic’s statement.  He said, “Well, it’s nice to know they’re doing well, and that Shadow’s healed up and everything…next time you run into them you’ll have to find out more about what they’re doing,” with a grin on his face.

   Amy giggled softly, and Sonic looked at them, his eyes widened; he grinned sheepishly, and said, “Eh right…maybe when Shadow’s not around okay?  Those two have two chaos emeralds to their disposal…and if my well-being is in jeopardy…I’m backing off in a heartbeat.”

   The echidna laughed, and said, “Kidding Sonic, just joshing you a bit.  How is Tails doing by the way?  Or have you not stopped by his place yet?”

   Sonic laughed and said, “Oh Tails?  He’s healed up too…busy as ever you know, with his experiments and such…he’s rarely at a loss for something to do.  Gotta admire his talent and intelligence; as he’s gotten older he’s only gotten smarter and striving for newer and greater things.  Which reminds me…whatever happened to the Brokenstar Twins?  What were their names…err…”

   Knuckles laughed and said, “You mean Aranelion and Elianaron…interesting names I know…made up of the exact same letters too.  Yeah, they’re back in Valordian, visiting their mother.  Remember their father was one of the Captains of the Guardian…he died fighting beside my father.  They were always close to Hidama, being the same age and all.  Anyway, their mother is still alive and living in a small hedgehog village in Valordian…Shadow and Hidama went through the forest it’s in on their way south.  They told him they’d be back soon, but we haven’t heard from them since then.”

   Shaking his head, and bringing his hand up to his chin, he replied, “Those Brokenstar Twins…they’re hybrids…crossbreeds kinda like Mikomi…I find that so interesting…it amazes me to no end…thing is, I heard both sides were kind of estranged from them weren’t they?”

   “Well Sonic…they were never treated cruelly, or mocked, or showed any direct hatred or mistreatment from the echidnas…the hedgehogs are a different story.  I guess the echidnas and hedgehogs really didn’t know what to think of them.  I guess they wondered why an echidna would want to such a thing outside his race, same thing for their mother.  You gotta remember, next to my family, and the village elders, the Captains of the Guardian were the most respected members if the tribe, and the most honored warriors, so nobody was going to show any ill will to their father.  Everyone cherished them. Hidama loved them, they were his best friends, and as always, my father and mother were accepting of them, being great friends of their father,” Knuckles explained.

   Amy looked up at Knuckles and said, “Then I suppose the hedgehogs of Valordian were the exact opposite; they didn’t have Hidama or your parents then.”

   Knuckles nodded, “True Amy; I don’t know much about the hedgehogs of Valordian Village, but I do know that their mother is treated as a spinster, and by that I mean a soiled spinster, for the affair she had with an echidna.  Supposedly she had many who loved her, but when they found she was pregnant off an echidna, she was pretty much exiled from the community.  You can imagine that their father got some cold words thrown his way, but the echidnas are more forgiving and understanding it seems, and again, considering his status in the echidna society, if the Guardian held no anger towards him, no one did.  I hear now that she lives in a small cottage where she tends her gardens and orchards, and Aranelion and Elianaron make a point to visit her frequently.  I think now the other members of her village are friendly with her again, but when the boys were growing up, things were quite difficult, especially after their father died.”

   Sonic had sat back down, this time in an armchair near the door.  He glanced at the clock on the wall and said, “Gee guys, I kinda need to get going.  I have a few things I wanna do before I go back to Tails’ place tonight…he wants me to help him with something.”

   Amy had glanced at her watch, then stood up and said, “Be sure and say hello to him for us.  Tell him he needs to come by sometime to visit with Mikomi.”

   As he opened the screen door, Sonic smiled and said, “I will tell him that…actually, I’ll pass that along to Cream too.  She was supposed to be helping him with this latest experiment of his too.  Anyway, I guess after that I’ll go looking for Shadow again…you know how it is.”

   Knuckles laughed as he walked out on the porch with Amy and Sonic.  He nodded and said, “That sounds good to me, just don’t going bugging Shadow too much.”

   Sonic put his scarf back on, as it had progressed to winter over the past few months, and also kept him warm as he ran.  He laughed, then looked up towards the Master Emerald’s altar, where Hidama could be seen reclining on the first few steps at the top with his arms behind his head, providing it something to rest on.  He nodded towards the altar and said, “Hidama’s just taken to this hasn’t he?”

   The echidna moved to get a better look at the altar and his brother, and said, “Well Sonic, he was supposed to be the Guardian, being my older brother and all.  I was never supposed to be the Guardian…maybe little more than one of the guards.  We share the Guardianship now, but now that he’s back, he has more control over the Master Emerald than I do…it’s responded to his power as the true guardian.  Hidama’s been pretty happy the past few months.”

   Amy sat down in the swing and said, “I don’t know…it’s almost as if Hidama’s eased into the kind of life you lived before we got married Knuckles.  I’m not sure, but I still think something’s bothering him.”

   Knuckles looked at her, but before he could answer, Sonic said, “Well, I’m sorry but I’ve gotta run.  Say hey to Hidama for me.  I’ll be seeing ya later!”  The hedgehog sped away immediately.

   The echidna looked back at Sonic as he sped away, eyes wide, and said, “Sure…see ya.”  Then he sighed, and sat down next to Amy.  He said, “You mean you’ve seen it in him too?  Like a rain cloud is hanging over him or something?”  Amy looked at him and nodded; he sighed in response and said, “I don’t understand Amy…I don’t know what has him upset, and the thing about that is, you only see him like this when he thinks you’re not around to see him like that.  I just wish he could tell me what’s wrong so I can help him.”

   Amy held one of Knuckles’ hands in her own, and said, “Oh Knuxie, think about it.  He spent twelve long years in that prison cell, knowing nothing but the dim light of the cramped cell and misery, only hanging on to a prayer.  What I think it is, is he’s having a hard time trying to fit into a life that has been going on without him for all these years.  He knows he belongs here, but I’m sure it’s not easy to pick up the pieces of an old life and be expected to find immediately closure.  I think it’s going to take him awhile to permanently ease into his freedom, but given time, I’m sure he’ll find peace and be as joyful as you are.”

   Knuckles looked down at Amy’s hands as they held his own, then up at her, and smiled.  He kissed her on the cheek and said, “You’re right Amy…I just feel so bad for him.  Here I complained all these years and look at all he had to endure.  I admire his strength…”  He paused, exhaled slowly, and said, “Well, I better go give him a break, I’ll see you later okay?”

   Amy nodded and smiled, kissing him gently on the cheek in return.  With that, Knuckles stood up, and started his trek to the altar.

   Meanwhile, Hidama lay staring up at the sky; dark rain clouds were obscuring the sunlight, and he knew a storm was soon to come.  The echidna breathed deeply, and sighed a heavy sigh as he sat up, got up and moved to another place to sit, hugging his knees as he sat perched on the edge of the altar.  Kelerai had become accustomed to sitting with him, and curled up beside him after he sat back down, and purred happily.

   He glanced at the cat, and heaved another heavy sigh.  He said, “I just don’t know Kelerai…there’s still unrest in my heart…even after so much has happened to erase the dark times of my life…I’m still unhappy.  Not in the way you would think really, it’s just, I just don’t think I can fit in, like the last piece to a jigsaw puzzle, into Knuckles’ life.  He has so much happiness around him…which I know I am a part of…but…I don’t feel like I belong here.   I mean, I know I do, but…after being removed from the world for twelve years, it’s not so easy just to get back into the swing of things…especially when you became accustomed to the fact that you may never see it again.”

   The cat was drifting off to sleep, but meowed almost in annoyance, as if doing so only to appease him.  Hidama looked at her, frowning, and restraining himself from petting her.  He managed to catch a glimpse of Knuckles heading towards the altar when he did so.  He stood up quickly, running his hand through his hair, trying to erase his melancholic disposition.

   By the time Knuckles got to the top of the altar, Hidama looked to be in entirely good spirits.  He managed a smile and said, “So, how was Sonic doing?  He certainly didn’t stick around very long.”

   Knuckles laughed and said, “That’s Sonic for you, never in one place very long.  Anyway, he’s doing fine and says hello, and even said he ran into Shadow and Rouge, who are supposed to be getting married sometime soon.”

   Hidama’s eyes lit up and said, “I’m not surprised…the way he talked about Rouge when we were imprisoned together…he talked as if she was the only person who he could really trust and confide in…as if he would only open up to her.  I knew this would happen someday…good for them.”

   As Hidama was saying this, Knuckles watched Hidama closely; you couldn’t see any anguish in Hidama’s face, and yet Knuckles knew it was there.  He knew something was bothering his brother, and this hurt him, but after his talk with Amy, Knuckles knew most likely Hidama’s heart was still healing, and with time, everything would get better.  He took a few steps forward, resting a hand on his brother’s shoulder and said, “Look, you go get some rest.  I’ll take over for awhile okay?”

   Hidama looked at his brother’s face, studying his brother’s eyes, where he could see true bliss.  He knew Knuckles’ heart carried no burdens, he knew Knuckles’ spirit was truly at ease, just as much as he knew his heart was not.  He nodded slowly, and said, “Okay Knuckles…rain should be coming soon, so take care.  I’ll see you later.”  Hidama half-hugged Knuckles, than took off slowly down the stairs, his eyes watching the grounds where the echidna village once stood as he did so.

   He sighed heavily, and walked over to the cottage as thunder rumbled in the sky overhead.  Amy had gone inside to start dinner, and Hidama let himself in, rubbing his arms as if he was cold, but was more or less chilled by the memories of the echidna village.  He pulled his boots off, and realizing Amy was still unaware of his presence, walked back to Mikomi’s bedroom.

   He smiled when he saw Mikomi was awake, standing up, balancing himself by hanging on to the bars of his crib.  Mikomi smiled equally as wide at seeing his uncle, and for no apparent reason began to giggle wildly.  Hidama could feel his eyes tear up, as Mikomi’s giggling reminded him so much of his brother’s when they were young and days were better.

   Mikomi began to reach for Hidama with one hand, struggling to stay balanced with just one arm to support him.  He ended up losing his grip and fell down, and while it wasn’t a hard fall at all, Mikomi looked ready to cry.  Hidama shook his head and said, “Aww poor baby.”  He laughed softly and rushed to the crib, carefully picking up Mikomi and cradling him in his arms.

   Poor Mikomi was still on the verge of tears, but sniffed a couple times, opening his eyes to look at his uncle.  Once he saw Hidama’s smile, he smiled in return, holding on to his feet and giggling softly.  Hidama laughed softly and said, “That’s a sweet baby, you’re gonna be okay.  You’ll grow up soon enough…and become an honorable soul, just like your father.  You’d make the echidnas of old proud…you certainly made your father proud.  Oh Miko…they love you so much, and so do I.”

   The infant started to babble and coo, and snuggled up against Hidama’s chest, hanging on to the tuft of fur on his chest with one hand, and sucking the thumb of his other hand, almost lulled off to sleep, feeling so secure in Hidama’s arms.  Again, Hidama could feel his eyes well up with tears, and he had no idea why; he only knew they were tears of joy, tears unlike any he had cried for so long.

   As he tried to dispel his tears, he sat down in the rocking chair beside the window, rocking Mikomi slowly, and singing a lullaby in the echidna tongue, just like his mother sang to him and Knuckles.  The words were barely audible, but the melody was among the sweetest of sounds ever heard.  Hidama’s voice produced such a beautiful song, that could it bring life to the dying, hope to the despairing, and light to the darkest place.

   Mikomi opened his eyes once more, looking at Hidama as he sang, enchanted by his voice, which in some ways was even sweeter than his mother’s when she sang to him.  The baby reached up and touched Hidama’s face, causing him to stop singing for a brief moment as he looked at his nephew.  Seeing Mikomi smiling at him and cooing softly brought warmth to Hidama’s heart, and as the rain began to fall gently outside, Hidama continued his song.

   Indeed, Mikomi brought Hidama great joy unlike he could find in anything else; Knuckles and Amy too made him happy, for he had a family again.  Yet, it seemed that Shadow’s words were true, and just being here was not enough to bring true peace to Hidama’s heart.  It seemed that it would take more for his heart to find peace, and that his quest for true happiness, was only beginning.

Description
"The Unending Journey of the Heart"
By: Jade Lightning, a.k.a. Inuyashas-hanyougirl
Chapter 2: To Pick up the Pieces of a Broken Heart

   After months of anguish, worry, and bloodshed, it seemed that everything was finally falling in to place for Knuckles.  His brother was with him again, his enemies vanquished, and his son Mikomi brought him and Amy such joy.  At long last, a feeling of closure came to Knuckles’ heart; he was finally able to let go of the painful memories of his past and move on with his life.

   With Hidama back, Knuckles now had more time to spend with Amy and their son, for Hidama had the blood of the guardian flowing through him, and thus the guardianship of the Master Emerald was now shared by both brothers, giving Knuckles much more freedom, and for Hidama…being able to stand beside the Master Emerald just as his father used to gave him an overwhelming sense of pride.

   Obviously, being older, Hidama was able to remember a great deal more of the echidna tribe than his brother; he remembered their customs, their holidays, their society and battle techniques…he could even remember the echidna language, for he could speak it fluently, and as seen before, he could sing in it as well, from a child’s lullaby, to a mournful, burial ode.  Finally being home, standing beside the Master Emerald as his father once did, brought comfort to his heart, happiness he lost in the years he was away from Angel Island.

   The bliss wasn’t limited to those on Angel Island.  Tails, who had suffered a severe wound on his upper back from the mutant warrior’s spear, was recovering nicely.  In the weeks following the battle, Sonic looked after his friend, and though the injury looked painful, the fox was resilient, and after those few weeks had passed, Tails was already working on his latest project, and back in the swing of things.

   With Tails promising he was alright, Sonic finally set off on another adventure.  While his involvement in the rescue of Hidama and the battle with the mutants was thrilling for him, he was eager to get back to his own travels, the urge to follow his heart’s desire setting him off once again, and he ran wherever his free spirit took him as he always had.

   As for Aranelion and Elianaron, the former was recovering from his own injuries.  While Aranelion, who had been in more battles than most his age and some older, admitted that this was almost the worst damage he had ever suffered, it was nothing he couldn’t handle.  It would take much more than that to bring down this warrior.  While the twins wanted to get reacquainted with their old friend Hidama, they wanted to visit their mother in Valordian first while Aranelion healed, promising they’d return to Angel Island within a matter of weeks.

   Now, after Knuckles and Hidama returned to Angel Island, Rouge left immediately to find Shadow, scared for him when he didn’t return with the brothers.  She found him sitting at the edge of the woods, cradling his arm, gazing at his chaos emerald, and trying his best to hang on to life.  Her green chaos emerald in hand, she ran to his side.  Shadow promised her he was going to be okay, and that finally, they would be able to pursue their own happiness, Shadow having fulfilled his promise to both Hidama and Knuckles.

   So everything was, in a way, returning to normal…for everyone that is, except Hidama.  For the past twelve years, his life was confined to that miserable jail cell, filled with the stench of his blood that was spilt, as well as the torture that had become part of his daily routine.  His childhood was shattered, and he lost his innocence, his life coming to mean little, within his first year of being there.

   He had little to do in the prison, a major contrast to his life on Angel Island, and over the years he had become accustomed to being lonely, in pain, and crying constantly, holding on to little more than a prayer that his brother was alright to keep his own hope alive.  As time went on, Hidama convinced himself he was going to die in that miserable hell hole.  In his first years there, he was much more defiant, but as the beatings and belittling got worse, he came into his teenage years a broken spirit.

   It wasn’t until he turned eighteen, after he had met Shadow and learned his brother was alive, that Hidama finally became fully submissive, taking whatever torture the mutants unleashed on him, from spiting on him to pouring rubbing alcohol on open wounds.  It wasn’t limited to typical mediums of torture either; some of the things done to him were so vile they aren’t meant to be spoken about, and thus Hidama kept these memories locked away in his heart, not wanting to disrupt the happiness of his brother.

   The thing was, how was Hidama supposed to adapt to his newfound freedom?  After twelve years of such extreme torture and grief, he had to try and come back to a life he had abandoned when he was still a child.  The others had lives to come back to; Knuckles had Amy and Mikomi to think about, the Brokenstar Twins had their mother to visit, and their travels as well.  Even Shadow had Rouge and their happiness to come home to; it seemed all Hidama had were memories of a life he could never fit himself back into, the dark and obscured years he spent in the mutant fortress permanently filling his spirit with lasting pain and confusion.

   Yet the first few months were quite happy for him; being with his brother again, as well as having Amy and Mikomi for family gave him great joy.  None of them heard from anyone outside of Angel Island for quite awhile, and Hidama slowly eased in to his new life.  He and Knuckles would take turns guarding the Master Emerald, giving Knuckles more time with Mikomi, and Hidama, fulfillment.

   Knuckles and Amy were as blissful as ever, with Mikomi becoming the light of their life together.  Mikomi was of course, a hybrid, but was as adorable as ever.  For the most part he looked like an echidna, having the red fur of his father; yet he had the hedgehog ears of his mother, and his ears were tipped with white fur, as were his dreadlocks, and the tip of his tail.  He was spared the knuckle-claws of his father and uncle, but they saw this as a good thing.  Thought they appreciated theirs as a weapon, Knuckles and Hidama agreed it was something Mikomi was probably better off without.

   There was something exceptional about him however; from the moment he first opened his eyes, they were blue, but as the first few months passed, one of his eyes darkened into a deep navy blue, then into a rich violet, the same shade as Knuckles’ eyes.  Yet his other eye maintained it’s sapphire blue color, the same color of Hidama’s eyes, and while it wasn’t an overly noticeable, you could tell the eye colors of both Knuckles and Hidama could be seen when looking into Mikomi’s.

   Little Mikomi grew close to his uncle very quickly.  He loved his mother and father for sure, but he loved his uncle just as much, and you could tell while he admired his father, he always had a look of wonder in his eyes when he would wake up from his nap, only to see Hidama’s silhouette as he stood beside the Master Emerald.

   So of course, the following months were peaceful, and at the same time were largely uneventful, especially when compared to the previous weeks spent dealing with the terror of the mutants.  After a few months, Sonic returned from his latest expedition, arriving on Angel Island with the news that Shadow and Rouge were soon to be married.  The one thing he wasn’t sure of though, was why the two insisted to distance themselves from the others for such a joyous event.

   All Sonic could say was that he had last seen Shadow and Rouge in a town outside of Metropolis; he had stopped to get something to eat at a diner, and saw them sharing a milkshake, talking about their wedding.  Shadow’s two chaos emeralds sat side by side on the table, and it appeared that Shadow was already fully healed, but of course, this had come to be expected from the black-furred hedgehog.

   Sonic only got to speak to them for a minute, and while Shadow would speak very little, Rouge opened up and told Sonic they were going to be married soon, but wanted something relatively quiet and not big and flashy.  Shadow finally spoke and said, “Tell the others if you must…but really, this is something Rouge and I wanted to keep to ourselves, for the moment.”

   “…And so I told them, ‘Sure, no problem, I understand completely.  You two take care of yourselves.’  Then I left…I’ve learned it’s best not to probe Shadow for information when he chooses to speak only once in an entire conversation.  I would have asked Rouge for a bit more info, but…I figured, ‘Nah, they’ll be okay,’ and then I left.” Sonic explained.

   Sonic was sitting at the small kitchen table in Knuckles and Amy’s cottage, regaling both them, and Hidama, with the tale of his encounter with the hedgehog and bat.  After four months had passed, it was nice to hear the two of them were doing well.

   Amy, who had just come back from putting Mikomi down for his nap, said, “Gee, I wonder why they would want to keep their marriage under the radar…and quiet and simple hardly sounds like Rouge…sounds like Shadow sure, but Rouge…I always thought she’d have one of those big weddings with people everywhere, an expensive dress and rings, then a big party afterward.”

   Sonic laughed and said, “Oh I’m sure she’ll get her expensive ring…if they don’t turn one of the chaos emeralds into one, she’ll have the next best thing…course I don’t see Shadow wearing his ring outside of his glove.”

   Knuckles was standing at the window, leaning up against the sill with his arms folded as he listened.  He chuckled softly and said, “I agree with you Amy…but you saw the ‘control’ Shadow had over her…you know what I mean; she was so worried over him…I’ve never seen her worry so much about anyone other than herself…she cares about him a great deal.  When she’s with him, it’s almost like she becomes an entirely different person…hardly the treasure loving, flirtatious bat we’ve come to know.”

   Amy nodded in response and said, “That’s true…while she was with me that night, and she thought I was sleeping, I could hear her pacing, always looking out the window, even though you couldn’t see the battle from there.  She was constantly looking at the chaos emerald, turning it over and over in her hands…and I could hear her talking, muttering to herself; it sounded like a prayer for Shadow, like her world would fall apart if he were to be taken from her forever.  Now…I’m not saying she cares little for much else than jewels and her own security, but the way she was acting…that was love, true love, and I know that for a fact.

   Sonic stood up and laughed, saying, “It’s amazing what Shadow does to her…and what she does to him in turn.  She keeps his temper in check, and she calms him somehow.  Those two are perfect for each other, literally meant to be.”

   Knuckles walked over to the couch where Amy sat, nodding in response to Sonic’s statement.  He said, “Well, it’s nice to know they’re doing well, and that Shadow’s healed up and everything…next time you run into them you’ll have to find out more about what they’re doing,” with a grin on his face.

   Amy giggled softly, and Sonic looked at them, his eyes widened; he grinned sheepishly, and said, “Eh right…maybe when Shadow’s not around okay?  Those two have two chaos emeralds to their disposal…and if my well-being is in jeopardy…I’m backing off in a heartbeat.”

   The echidna laughed, and said, “Kidding Sonic, just joshing you a bit.  How is Tails doing by the way?  Or have you not stopped by his place yet?”

   Sonic laughed and said, “Oh Tails?  He’s healed up too…busy as ever you know, with his experiments and such…he’s rarely at a loss for something to do.  Gotta admire his talent and intelligence; as he’s gotten older he’s only gotten smarter and striving for newer and greater things.  Which reminds me…whatever happened to the Brokenstar Twins?  What were their names…err…”

   Knuckles laughed and said, “You mean Aranelion and Elianaron…interesting names I know…made up of the exact same letters too.  Yeah, they’re back in Valordian, visiting their mother.  Remember their father was one of the Captains of the Guardian…he died fighting beside my father.  They were always close to Hidama, being the same age and all.  Anyway, their mother is still alive and living in a small hedgehog village in Valordian…Shadow and Hidama went through the forest it’s in on their way south.  They told him they’d be back soon, but we haven’t heard from them since then.”

   Shaking his head, and bringing his hand up to his chin, he replied, “Those Brokenstar Twins…they’re hybrids…crossbreeds kinda like Mikomi…I find that so interesting…it amazes me to no end…thing is, I heard both sides were kind of estranged from them weren’t they?”

   “Well Sonic…they were never treated cruelly, or mocked, or showed any direct hatred or mistreatment from the echidnas…the hedgehogs are a different story.  I guess the echidnas and hedgehogs really didn’t know what to think of them.  I guess they wondered why an echidna would want to such a thing outside his race, same thing for their mother.  You gotta remember, next to my family, and the village elders, the Captains of the Guardian were the most respected members if the tribe, and the most honored warriors, so nobody was going to show any ill will to their father.  Everyone cherished them. Hidama loved them, they were his best friends, and as always, my father and mother were accepting of them, being great friends of their father,” Knuckles explained.

   Amy looked up at Knuckles and said, “Then I suppose the hedgehogs of Valordian were the exact opposite; they didn’t have Hidama or your parents then.”

   Knuckles nodded, “True Amy; I don’t know much about the hedgehogs of Valordian Village, but I do know that their mother is treated as a spinster, and by that I mean a soiled spinster, for the affair she had with an echidna.  Supposedly she had many who loved her, but when they found she was pregnant off an echidna, she was pretty much exiled from the community.  You can imagine that their father got some cold words thrown his way, but the echidnas are more forgiving and understanding it seems, and again, considering his status in the echidna society, if the Guardian held no anger towards him, no one did.  I hear now that she lives in a small cottage where she tends her gardens and orchards, and Aranelion and Elianaron make a point to visit her frequently.  I think now the other members of her village are friendly with her again, but when the boys were growing up, things were quite difficult, especially after their father died.”

   Sonic had sat back down, this time in an armchair near the door.  He glanced at the clock on the wall and said, “Gee guys, I kinda need to get going.  I have a few things I wanna do before I go back to Tails’ place tonight…he wants me to help him with something.”

   Amy had glanced at her watch, then stood up and said, “Be sure and say hello to him for us.  Tell him he needs to come by sometime to visit with Mikomi.”

   As he opened the screen door, Sonic smiled and said, “I will tell him that…actually, I’ll pass that along to Cream too.  She was supposed to be helping him with this latest experiment of his too.  Anyway, I guess after that I’ll go looking for Shadow again…you know how it is.”

   Knuckles laughed as he walked out on the porch with Amy and Sonic.  He nodded and said, “That sounds good to me, just don’t going bugging Shadow too much.”

   Sonic put his scarf back on, as it had progressed to winter over the past few months, and also kept him warm as he ran.  He laughed, then looked up towards the Master Emerald’s altar, where Hidama could be seen reclining on the first few steps at the top with his arms behind his head, providing it something to rest on.  He nodded towards the altar and said, “Hidama’s just taken to this hasn’t he?”

   The echidna moved to get a better look at the altar and his brother, and said, “Well Sonic, he was supposed to be the Guardian, being my older brother and all.  I was never supposed to be the Guardian…maybe little more than one of the guards.  We share the Guardianship now, but now that he’s back, he has more control over the Master Emerald than I do…it’s responded to his power as the true guardian.  Hidama’s been pretty happy the past few months.”

   Amy sat down in the swing and said, “I don’t know…it’s almost as if Hidama’s eased into the kind of life you lived before we got married Knuckles.  I’m not sure, but I still think something’s bothering him.”

   Knuckles looked at her, but before he could answer, Sonic said, “Well, I’m sorry but I’ve gotta run.  Say hey to Hidama for me.  I’ll be seeing ya later!”  The hedgehog sped away immediately.

   The echidna looked back at Sonic as he sped away, eyes wide, and said, “Sure…see ya.”  Then he sighed, and sat down next to Amy.  He said, “You mean you’ve seen it in him too?  Like a rain cloud is hanging over him or something?”  Amy looked at him and nodded; he sighed in response and said, “I don’t understand Amy…I don’t know what has him upset, and the thing about that is, you only see him like this when he thinks you’re not around to see him like that.  I just wish he could tell me what’s wrong so I can help him.”

   Amy held one of Knuckles’ hands in her own, and said, “Oh Knuxie, think about it.  He spent twelve long years in that prison cell, knowing nothing but the dim light of the cramped cell and misery, only hanging on to a prayer.  What I think it is, is he’s having a hard time trying to fit into a life that has been going on without him for all these years.  He knows he belongs here, but I’m sure it’s not easy to pick up the pieces of an old life and be expected to find immediately closure.  I think it’s going to take him awhile to permanently ease into his freedom, but given time, I’m sure he’ll find peace and be as joyful as you are.”

   Knuckles looked down at Amy’s hands as they held his own, then up at her, and smiled.  He kissed her on the cheek and said, “You’re right Amy…I just feel so bad for him.  Here I complained all these years and look at all he had to endure.  I admire his strength…”  He paused, exhaled slowly, and said, “Well, I better go give him a break, I’ll see you later okay?”

   Amy nodded and smiled, kissing him gently on the cheek in return.  With that, Knuckles stood up, and started his trek to the altar.

   Meanwhile, Hidama lay staring up at the sky; dark rain clouds were obscuring the sunlight, and he knew a storm was soon to come.  The echidna breathed deeply, and sighed a heavy sigh as he sat up, got up and moved to another place to sit, hugging his knees as he sat perched on the edge of the altar.  Kelerai had become accustomed to sitting with him, and curled up beside him after he sat back down, and purred happily.

   He glanced at the cat, and heaved another heavy sigh.  He said, “I just don’t know Kelerai…there’s still unrest in my heart…even after so much has happened to erase the dark times of my life…I’m still unhappy.  Not in the way you would think really, it’s just, I just don’t think I can fit in, like the last piece to a jigsaw puzzle, into Knuckles’ life.  He has so much happiness around him…which I know I am a part of…but…I don’t feel like I belong here.   I mean, I know I do, but…after being removed from the world for twelve years, it’s not so easy just to get back into the swing of things…especially when you became accustomed to the fact that you may never see it again.”

   The cat was drifting off to sleep, but meowed almost in annoyance, as if doing so only to appease him.  Hidama looked at her, frowning, and restraining himself from petting her.  He managed to catch a glimpse of Knuckles heading towards the altar when he did so.  He stood up quickly, running his hand through his hair, trying to erase his melancholic disposition.

   By the time Knuckles got to the top of the altar, Hidama looked to be in entirely good spirits.  He managed a smile and said, “So, how was Sonic doing?  He certainly didn’t stick around very long.”

   Knuckles laughed and said, “That’s Sonic for you, never in one place very long.  Anyway, he’s doing fine and says hello, and even said he ran into Shadow and Rouge, who are supposed to be getting married sometime soon.”

   Hidama’s eyes lit up and said, “I’m not surprised…the way he talked about Rouge when we were imprisoned together…he talked as if she was the only person who he could really trust and confide in…as if he would only open up to her.  I knew this would happen someday…good for them.”

   As Hidama was saying this, Knuckles watched Hidama closely; you couldn’t see any anguish in Hidama’s face, and yet Knuckles knew it was there.  He knew something was bothering his brother, and this hurt him, but after his talk with Amy, Knuckles knew most likely Hidama’s heart was still healing, and with time, everything would get better.  He took a few steps forward, resting a hand on his brother’s shoulder and said, “Look, you go get some rest.  I’ll take over for awhile okay?”

   Hidama looked at his brother’s face, studying his brother’s eyes, where he could see true bliss.  He knew Knuckles’ heart carried no burdens, he knew Knuckles’ spirit was truly at ease, just as much as he knew his heart was not.  He nodded slowly, and said, “Okay Knuckles…rain should be coming soon, so take care.  I’ll see you later.”  Hidama half-hugged Knuckles, than took off slowly down the stairs, his eyes watching the grounds where the echidna village once stood as he did so.

   He sighed heavily, and walked over to the cottage as thunder rumbled in the sky overhead.  Amy had gone inside to start dinner, and Hidama let himself in, rubbing his arms as if he was cold, but was more or less chilled by the memories of the echidna village.  He pulled his boots off, and realizing Amy was still unaware of his presence, walked back to Mikomi’s bedroom.

   He smiled when he saw Mikomi was awake, standing up, balancing himself by hanging on to the bars of his crib.  Mikomi smiled equally as wide at seeing his uncle, and for no apparent reason began to giggle wildly.  Hidama could feel his eyes tear up, as Mikomi’s giggling reminded him so much of his brother’s when they were young and days were better.

   Mikomi began to reach for Hidama with one hand, struggling to stay balanced with just one arm to support him.  He ended up losing his grip and fell down, and while it wasn’t a hard fall at all, Mikomi looked ready to cry.  Hidama shook his head and said, “Aww poor baby.”  He laughed softly and rushed to the crib, carefully picking up Mikomi and cradling him in his arms.

   Poor Mikomi was still on the verge of tears, but sniffed a couple times, opening his eyes to look at his uncle.  Once he saw Hidama’s smile, he smiled in return, holding on to his feet and giggling softly.  Hidama laughed softly and said, “That’s a sweet baby, you’re gonna be okay.  You’ll grow up soon enough…and become an honorable soul, just like your father.  You’d make the echidnas of old proud…you certainly made your father proud.  Oh Miko…they love you so much, and so do I.”

   The infant started to babble and coo, and snuggled up against Hidama’s chest, hanging on to the tuft of fur on his chest with one hand, and sucking the thumb of his other hand, almost lulled off to sleep, feeling so secure in Hidama’s arms.  Again, Hidama could feel his eyes well up with tears, and he had no idea why; he only knew they were tears of joy, tears unlike any he had cried for so long.

   As he tried to dispel his tears, he sat down in the rocking chair beside the window, rocking Mikomi slowly, and singing a lullaby in the echidna tongue, just like his mother sang to him and Knuckles.  The words were barely audible, but the melody was among the sweetest of sounds ever heard.  Hidama’s voice produced such a beautiful song, that could it bring life to the dying, hope to the despairing, and light to the darkest place.

   Mikomi opened his eyes once more, looking at Hidama as he sang, enchanted by his voice, which in some ways was even sweeter than his mother’s when she sang to him.  The baby reached up and touched Hidama’s face, causing him to stop singing for a brief moment as he looked at his nephew.  Seeing Mikomi smiling at him and cooing softly brought warmth to Hidama’s heart, and as the rain began to fall gently outside, Hidama continued his song.

   Indeed, Mikomi brought Hidama great joy unlike he could find in anything else; Knuckles and Amy too made him happy, for he had a family again.  Yet, it seemed that Shadow’s words were true, and just being here was not enough to bring true peace to Hidama’s heart.  It seemed that it would take more for his heart to find peace, and that his quest for true happiness, was only beginning.