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"Until the End of Forever"
By: Jade Lightning, a.k.a. Inuyashas-hanyougirl
Chapter 1: Reunited With so Much at Stake

   After Kashoku and Mikomi disappeared into the night, it passed by largely uneventful, for it would take them a few hours to reach Station Square.  This was long enough for morning to come, and by that afternoon, Amarie was ready to meet Oliver and Aries at the train station.  The three planned to catch dinner while Pyro was at work.

   Pyro had grown up to become the manager of a local bank; his love for numbers and his expert mathematical abilities finally caught up to him, and after only a few weeks working as a bank teller, he quickly moved up in the ranks of the local bank, becoming the manager of his franchise, explaining his considerable wealth, for he and Amarie lived in the ritzy part of town, and lived quite well to boot.  Amarie’s job as a fashion designer alone couldn’t provide for them as well as Pyro’s high income job, but she still enjoyed it, and insisted to keep working there as long as they wanted her.

   Of course now that she was one month away from giving birth to their child, she had stopped working on maternity leave, and was enjoying her so-called vacation.  That evening, while she, Aries, and Oliver caught dinner and a movie, Pyro came home to what he thought would be an uneventful evening, until Amarie and his sister and brother-in-law got home at least.  Still, as a roll of thunder crashed outside his house, Pyro could almost feel the approach of some disturbance coming sometime soon.

   Just as the rain started to pelt the ground, Pyro, who was eating a sandwich while he watched television, heard a knock at the door, and groaned in annoyance, guessing that it was Aries, impatient to wait for Amarie to come and unlock the door because of the rain.  He growled and shouted, “Come on Aries, quit being so vain.  Wait for Amarie and Oliver to open the door.”

   But the ringing bell and knocking did not stop, and Pyro did not hear the door open.  Taking the last bite of his sandwich, he got up from his chair and shouted, “I’m coming, I’m coming!”

   He opened the door, expecting to see his sister, but froze.  It was like something out of a horror movie.  The thunder crashed and the lightning flashed, illuminating two darkly dressed figures, standing to about his height, right before him.  Before he could let out a cry, the foremost figure raised his hand, gloved in white, placing a finger to his shrouded face and whispered, “Hush Pyro, son of Sonic the Hedgehog, we mean you no harm.  We merely come to you for directions.”

   “D—Directions?  What kind of directions?   Who are you and how do you know my name…and who my father is?” Pyro stuttered.

   The figure took a step inside the house, causing Pyro to back away as he did so, not offering a resistance out of confusion and fear.  The figure said, “I know everything about you Pyro…I know everything about your family, including your wife Amarie.  She is the daughter of Knuckles the Echidna, and the niece of Hinsei Hidama.  It is they that I am seeking, and I ask of you to point me in the right direction.”

   The hedgecat was confused, but certainly wasn’t going to be intimidated by this pair of intruders.  He drew a ball of fire to his palms, took a fighting stance and said, “Oh yeah?  What makes you think I’m gonna show you where Knuckles and Hidama are?  You’re after the chaos emeralds aren’t you?  Well, you’re not gonna get them!”

   The first figured groaned in annoyance and brought his hand to his head, muttering, “I didn’t come prepared to fight you.”  Glancing back at the second figure, he continued, “Can you please reason with him?  He’s your brother-in-law.”  Turning back to Pyro he said, “I simply need to speak to Knuckles and Hidama about something…I’m pretty sure they’re well aware of who I am, if they kept up with their ancient history that is.  I won’t stand for fighting with some child over matters so important.”

   Then, the figure went over and leaned against the wall in the foyer, while Pyro, his fire embers dying low, looked to the second figure, the one the first had just called his brother-in-law.  He took a step towards this silent one, and said, “Wait a minute, why did he call me your brother-in-law?  My only brother-in-law is my sister’s husband Oliver.”

   “Uhh, well…that’s the thing Pyro…umm,” the second figure started.

   Letting out a laugh, the first figure came up behind the second, looked to Pyro and said, “Do you mean to tell me you already forgot about him?  The one you promised you’d look after Amarie for…have you forgotten his face?”

   Pyro lowered his hands, his jaw opening slightly in disbelief.  He again brought his eyes to the second figure, and said, “You…you’re not…Mikomi?”

   The first figure let out another soft chuckle, took the hood of the second figure’s cloak in his hands and said, “Let’s see how good your memory is Pyro.  Let’s see if ten years was just enough to erase your memories of the son of Knuckles and Amy.”

   Slowly, the first figure pulled back the hood, revealing red ears tipped in white.  Next came that familiar echidna facial structure, and yet, one thing was immediately different.  Instead of those dreadlocks he wore before he died the figure now had one single lock on either side of his face, still tipped in white against his red fur and hair.  The rest of his hair was pulled back into a long ponytail, falling to just above the back of his knees, and again, tipped in white.

   While the rest of the black cloak remained set on his shoulders, now that the hood was pulled back, revealing his face and letting his ponytail hang free, there was no mistaking who this figure really was.  He opened his eyes, exposing at last the final piece of evidence that clearly painted the truth of his identity; his right eye was a rich sapphire blue, while the left was a deep amethyst purple.  One color belonged to his uncle’s eyes, while the other matched his father’s.  This was indeed, the son of Knuckles and Amy Rose, none other than Suta-Mikomi, the one who had died to save his loved ones ten years ago, from the wrath of an out of control Master Emerald.

   Pyro stared at Mikomi in disbelief; he even looked his age.  He no longer looked seventeen.  Despite being in an ageless place, he looked like the twenty-seven year old he would have been had he survived.  The hedgecat fell on his hands and knees and said, “Mikomi…it’s really…really you!  But…I don’t understand.”  He looked up at the second shrouded figure and added, “Who is this person with you?  How does he know everything about me and your family?”

   Another laugh escaped from this shrouded figure, who stepped forward, pulling back his own hood and replied, “It is because they are my family Pyro.  I am their ancestor, Kashoku the Brave, the first high king of the echidnas, and the creator of the Master Emerald and the Seven Chaos Emeralds.  I began the line of guardians through my son and his children, and thus, am Hidama’s and Knuckles’ direct ancestor.  I hear they are in possession of the chaos emeralds, and I must speak with them about this immediately.  That is why I am here.”

   Giving Mikomi a confused look, Pyro stood up, rubbing his forehead and said, “Well, wait a minute…if you’re here to talk to them, then how come Mikomi came along?  Did he just come to torture us with a short visit?”

   “Ha, hardly Pyro…I came because well…I had to,” Mikomi started, "It’s kind of hard to explain, but we do need to talk to Dad and Uncle Hidama about it.  We just need to know where they are now that Angel Island is gone.”

   “But why?” Pyro asked again, “Can you at least tell me why?  You act as if something terrible is about to happen.”

   Mikomi glanced at Kashoku, who just finished pulling his red dreadlocks, striped with golden yellow fur, matching a stripe similar to Shadow’s on the top of his head, clear from the grip of his black cloak.  He straightened the golden diadem he wore on his head, decorated with plates of opal, set with emeralds and amethyst jewels, before glancing back at Mikomi, his amber eyes glowing with a hint of dread in response to Pyro’s question.

   Still, he knew that Pyro wouldn’t even consider telling them where Knuckles and Hidama were if he didn’t explain what he and Mikomi were doing there, and it was hard enough just trying to find where Pyro and Amarie lived.  The ancient echidna king closed his eyes, and almost as if he was merely listening to the thunder, he instead was trying to see if he had enough time to relax and explain himself or not.

   He let out a sigh, glancing to Mikomi, then looked back to Pyro and said, “Fine, Pyro, I will humor you with the story of our presence here, but afterwards you must promise me you will show me where I can find the Guardian sons.  We cannot tarry any longer than we absolutely must.

   Pyro lowered his hands, looked into the living room and said, “Fine, that’s okay with me.  Just…hurry up…my sister and brother-in-law will be here soon.”

   Kashoku followed Pyro into the living room, but Mikomi was slower to follow.  He glanced around the large and palatial place Amarie now called home, and was in awe.  He could see pictures of her on the wall, along with pictures of his friends, Kelsey, Amberly, Aries, and a few unfamiliar faces, and family as well.  It was comforting to his heart to see these precious faces once again.   He brought his hand up to his chest as he sighed happily, but he paused.  He could feel his heart beating in his chest.  He knew that Kashoku said they were going to look realistic and even feel as though they had a body, with hair and fur and skin, but that it would all be an illusion.

   He also just realized that he was able to sigh, but then again, so was Kashoku, and he did mention them being able to draw breath.  Yet Kashoku mentioned nothing about having a heartbeat, and yet Mikomi could feel his pounding in his chest, to the point where he could even hear it in his ears.  He placed a hand to his cheek and felt as though he could feel blood flowing through it.  This was strange, for when Kashoku’s arm had brushed up against him before, he could not feel this same warmth coming from him.

   Mikomi felt strange.  He could barely remember what it felt like to have a body, and yet he could recognize it instantly.  He wasn’t just a spirit that looked alive; he felt as if mortality was recapturing his spirit, even to the point where he was forgetting for a moment that he had ever died.  Still, he brushed off these concerns, and quickly caught up with Kashoku and Pyro, only to find out Kashoku was almost done telling his end of the tale.

   “Anyway, Mikomi exercised great strength and power by sapping the Master Emerald of its power, the only problem is, when he did so, he provided no way for the power to escape him.  Instead of flowing to the Seven Chaos Emeralds as I had intended for it to should this happen, Mikomi didn’t have enough Guardian blood to allow for this to occur smoothly so it tore his body apart in trying to escape, but since he died before this could happen, the power of the Master Emerald became tied to his soul.  Mikomi is now the Master Emerald essentially, and since that power that the Seven draw on has been absent for so long, they are now so weak not even your father could use them to go Super.  I need to collect the Seven so I can channel the Master Emerald’s power into them.  They will then be at full strength once again and able to defend life from evil.  Mikomi’s soul will also be freed from it, and he will be able to return to the afterlife and be at peace at last,” Kashoku explained.

   They both looked up as Mikomi entered the room, Pyro was almost at a loss for words.  He finally said, “This is crazy…Mikomi’s the Master Emerald now?  Hmm, it makes sense though that the Seven Chaos Emeralds would be weaker eh?  So, you’re telling me if you can just have the seven of them together for a little bit, you can channel the power back into them and be on your way?”

   Kashoku nodded and said, “Essentially so yes, for you see Pyro, I feel a great evil looming in the near future, and without the chaos emeralds at full strength, there won’t be much any of you can do to stop it.  It’s no cause for alarm at this moment, but it’s better to be prepared ahead of time as opposed to later.”

   Pyro’s eyes widened in fear and hesitation.  Before he could speak, Mikomi said, “But, it would be nice if I could see my friends and family again before then.  I never really got to say goodbye all that well.  I’m just dying to see Amarie again.”

    Kashoku gave a concerned eye to Mikomi and said, “Listen, Mikomi, about that.  Remember you’re only here to restore the Master Emerald’s power to the Seven.  It might be best if you let me get the Seven, then we can take care of what we need to, and slip back to where we belong.  We don’t want them getting their hopes up.”

   “He’s right!” Pyro piped up, suddenly coming to Kashoku’s defense.  He only thought of his sweet Amarie, and how these dreams of hers were enough to make her weep.  The last thing he wanted was for her to see her brother again and get emotionally tied to him when he couldn’t stay.  “Look, I’ll show you two where Knuckles lives now, and you can get out of here before Amarie comes back with Aries and Oliver.”

   Mikomi suddenly grew angry, which would have felt strange to him considering for so long he had dwelt in eternal peace and bliss.  However, as he was slowly beginning to feel mortal again, he felt mortal emotions stinging at his heart, and he wouldn’t stand for this denial.  He shouted, “Hey you, I have every right to see my sister.  They’re adults, and I think they can handle accepting that I can’t be with them forever!  Now you’re going to let me wait so I can see my sister, or you can just forget about restoring the Seven to the way they were.  I don’t have to relinquish the power to you if I don’t want to after all.”

   Pyro gasped, and then furrowed his eyebrows at Mikomi, glaring at him.  There was no way he was going to let Mikomi stick around, but at the same time had to keep in mind that he faced the dormant power of the Master Emerald here.  He decided it was perhaps better to let Kashoku bring things under control.

   The ancient echidna king was puzzled by Mikomi’s behavior.  He glanced at the Celestial Emerald, which he kept invisible to mortal eyes as it sat in his hands.  He indeed felt no anger…he felt just as he always did as a spirit in the after life.  He felt no heartbeat in his chest, even though he appeared mortal just has Mikomi did.  He was confused; Mikomi shouldn’t be getting angry, or feeling any kind of negative emotion because he was still just a spirit, or at least, he was supposed to be.  Kashoku was now concerned, for Mikomi was acting more like the mortal twenty-seven year old he looked like instead of the spirit he started out as when this journey began.

   He stood up, taking a step towards Mikomi and said, “Do you feel alright Mikomi?  Why are you angry?  There is no need for anger in the spirit world…”

   “I’m not a spirit!” Mikomi shouted, “Even so, this isn’t the spirit world.  This is where my family is…and I don’t understand why I’m not allowed to see my sister.  I don’t even remember the afterlife!”

   Kashoku blinked twice, reaching out to Mikomi and said, “You’re not supposed to be able to remember the afterlife…I told you parts of it would be obscured to you until we returned.”

   Mikomi backed up, coming to a stop against the entryway to the foyer, in full view of the front door.  He shook his head and said, “No, Kashoku, I mean…I can't even remember being dead.  The last thing I remember was sapping the Master Emerald’s power.  I feel as if I’m just now waking up from it.  I don’t even remember saying goodbye to them like you said I did.  Please, why won’t you let me see them?  Stay away from me!”

   A tear rolled down Mikomi’s cheek as he glared at Kashoku.  The echidna king gasped and stepped back from him.  He looked down at the Celestial Emerald once more, and realized that while the afterlife was obscure to him, he still knew he belonged there.  Mikomi acted as if he didn’t even remember dying anymore.  It was as if the memory of even being dead was now gone from the pages of his life.  “Tears,” Kashoku muttered, “Why is he weeping?  There are no tears where we…or at least…I, belong.  Could it be…that Mikomi is slipping back into his old life?  I wouldn’t because this is not my time period…but, since all the elements of his life are still here, perhaps his soul…and that temporary body, are becoming mortal again.”

   Pyro watched as Mikomi held back further tears, suddenly fearful of Kashoku after only seconds.  It made him think the same thing that Kashoku was pondering to himself, but before he could begin to sympathize or try to talk to either of them, his eyes were drawn to a pair of headlights pulling into the garage outside.  He could hear voices, that of his sister Aries, his brother-in-law Oliver, but most importantly, his wife, and Mikomi’s sister, Amarie.

   He let out a gasp, catching Kashoku’s attention.  He looked to Pyro, shaking his head and said, “There’s no point in trying to get rid of us Pyro.  I take back what I said before…maybe it will do Mikomi some good to see his sister, family, and friends again, especially now that…well, you know why.”

   Mikomi looked to them both; Pyro stared at Kashoku in disbelief, for he knew that Kashoku was referring to Amarie’s pregnancy, but also pointing out that Mikomi was still unaware of this at the moment.

   “Aww no, I don’t think so Kashoku!” Pyro shouted, “You and Mikomi can just leave out the back…the last thing Amarie needs is to get caught up into trouble, and apparently that’s why you’re here, to strengthen the chaos emeralds because something bad is about to happen, so why don’t the two of you get out of here and be done with it!”  He glanced at the back door and said, “Knuckles and Amy are living in the same apartment they did before they moved to Angel Island, and Hidama and Delilah live in the same building.  Now go on!”

   They could hear the jingling of keys as the voices approached the front door.  Kashoku could see sparks flying between Mikomi and Pyro, and he knew that because Mikomi wasn’t fully mortal yet, that his temper was going to be unpredictable and dangerous.  Kashoku looked to Pyro, begging for peace and said, “Please, Pyro, don’t be so pushy.  Just let Mikomi spend some time with his sister.  Now that I know where to find Knuckles and Hidama I can go get the chaos emeralds on my own.”

   Before Pyro could speak, Mikomi let out a shout and said, “How dare you try and keep me from my sister!  Apparently it was me who asked you to look after her before I disappeared!  Who are you to tell me what to do?”

   “Disappeared?” Kashoku muttered again, “He honestly has no recollection of dying to the point where it is foreign to his lips.  He is becoming mortal again isn’t he?”

   He was interrupted by Pyro and Mikomi, who were now face to face near the entrance to the foyer, Mikomi angry and demanding an explanation while Pyro still did his best to try and smooth things over.  He shook his head and said, “Listen Mikomi, it’s just…Amarie doesn’t need a whole lot of commotion going on right now.  You see, she’s…”

   “We’re back Pyro!” Amarie exclaimed as she came in the door.  The three of them looked to the door as Amarie came in with Aries and Oliver close behind them.  The three of them talked amongst themselves as they hung up their raincoats, and Oliver shook the rain off the umbrella before putting it in the stand.

   Mikomi was almost frozen when he saw them.  He immediately recognized his friend Aries, even if the guy with her was an unfamiliar face.  He stood about as tall as Pyro; he had large, fox-like ears that were shaped a little differently than fox ears and were even a little bigger than them too.  His fur and hair were a warm, golden orange color, while the fur on the inside of his ears was white, with tufts of brown at the base of them, the patch of fur on his face around his nose, mouth, and cheeks was white, as were the tips of his two tails, obviously inherited from his father.

   He had blue eyes, but had a band of dark brown fur around them in a style similar to his mother; it also looked like he had a stripe of the same color on his head as she did, only a wave of bangs shot up from it and obscured it from view.  These hairs fell over his left eye, but hung largely in between them so they didn’t cut off his vision.  The white fur at the tips of his cheeks was brushed out into feathery, free-flowing tufts.  He wore a white T-shirt with the silhouette of his company logo on it, along with a denim jacket and pants to complete the ensemble.  He wore a watch on his left wrist, white gloves on his hands, and yellow and red sneakers on his feet.

   Mikomi safely guessed that this was Oliver, Tails and Cream’s son, who was now Aries’ husband.  However, his eyes were quickly drawn to something else, and at the same time, the eyes of those that had just entered, were drawn back in his direction.  Amarie stepped forward, at first confused when she saw Kashoku, but in shock and awe when she saw what looked like her brother Mikomi, who had died ten years ago.  Sure, he looked different, having somehow aged ten years to catch up with them, but just as Pyro could see it in his eyes, she knew that this was infact her brother standing only steps away from her.

   Aries and Oliver came up behind Amarie, staring at the scene with just as much disbelief.  Oliver whispered, “What’s going on Aries?”

   She looked to her husband and said, “Ollie, that’s Amarie’s brother Mikomi, remember?  He died ten years ago to save us from the Master Emerald before it destroyed the world.  That other echidna is their ancestor I think it’s just…what are they doing here?”

   “Oh…,” Oliver said.  Over the years he had heard and seen plenty of Mikomi, from the memorial to him in the middle of town, to stories about him told at every family gathering from New Years to Christmas, and while Mikomi did look twenty-seven, as opposed to the pictures Oliver had seen of him as a seventeen year old, there was no mistaking that this was the same guy.  He glanced at Amarie, who stood silent and frozen before them, and reached for Aries’ hand, taking it in his own, both of them speechless and waiting for someone else to speak.

   Kashoku glanced at the frozen brother and sister.  He knew why both of them were unable to speak.  It was more than just the shock of being reunited; Mikomi had no idea that Amarie was expecting her first baby, and Amarie…after dreaming of him returning so much, it just added more of a sting to an already unfathomable shock.

   Pyro gave a worried eye to Amarie; he knew things were already hard enough on her.  He glanced at Mikomi once more before rushing to Amarie’s side.  He wrapped an arm around her and said, “It’s okay Amarie…everything’s going to be alright,” as he rubbed her tummy gently.

   “But…but Pyro…isn’t that…Mikomi?” Amarie cried.  She pulled away from Pyro and walked up to her brother.  Mikomi now stood much taller than Amarie, even after they had both grown up the last few inches within them.  She stood almost toe to toe with him, with only her belly coming between them.  She stared into his eyes, unsure of whether to weep for joy or confusion as she reached up to touch her brother’s face.

   Mikomi closed his eyes.  He could feel a shiver run through what was supposed to be a temporary body, meant only to make him look alive rather than feel alive, as her fingers brushed up against his cheek.  She could feel him tremble slightly underneath her touch as she just continued to stare at him, her breath flowing softly and shortly as she did so.  Mikomi heaved deep breaths, flexing his gloved fingers as she stroked him, and once again, a tear fell from his eyes, soaking up into Amarie’s gloves as it fell.  She let out a soft gasp, and whispered, “Mikomi?  Are you alright?”

   Kashoku watched silently as this happened.  He lowered his eyes and said, “He can indeed weep…he’s even trembling.  Still, I thought if his body was trying to become mortal again that the change would be more…troublesome.  It wouldn’t be something he would slip into easily…there would be turmoil…something more than just violent emotions and memory loss.  It shouldn’t be this easy to just adapt to having a body again.”

   However, Kashoku was awakened from his thoughts once more as he heard Amarie speak again.  “Mikomi?  Mikomi!  Please, say something, anything…”

   Finally, Mikomi opened his eyes, which were now glassy with tears.  He stared into his sister’s green eyes in disbelief and wonder, and reached up to touch her own face in return.  He barely caressed her cheek, running his fingers up the side of her head, and back down again as he looked between her face and her belly.  It’s almost as if he was becoming dizzy with awe and confusion.

   He thought, “Where did the time go?  How long have I been sleeping since the Master Emerald threatened to destroy all?  How could ten years have passed by without me?  I just…don’t understand.  What has happened to them all…what…happened to me?”

   Instead of answering his sister, he cringed heavily, bringing his hand to his forehead and holding it as if it pained him terribly.  There was a lapse in his memory, and it suddenly felt as if his whole mind was short circuiting on him as he tried to remember things that he wasn’t alive to witness.  It didn’t make sense. Ten years had passed and he felt as though he was just waking up from the events of that fateful day in his seventeenth year.  Nothing made sense, and suddenly he felt ill, and very light headed.  This light trembling felt like a violent jerking to him, as if he was being rocked by an earthquake or clap of thunder and lightning and shrapnel were tearing through him, even though to everyone around him he looked as if he had a bad headache and wobbly knees.

   Amarie placed her hand on Mikomi’s shoulder as he turned away from her, and once more she begged for him to speak.  “Mikomi, oh Mikomi, are you alright?  Say something please…I’m worried.”

   Mikomi struggled to look at his sister, opening his eyes halfway, but at the same time felt the life draining out of him as his knees began to buckle and his head began to swim and slosh.  Still, he didn’t want to worry his baby sister, and once more reached to touch her face.  He whispered, “Ama—Amarie, you’re…you’re…”  His fingertips had barely begun to grace her cheek when his words fell short, his eyes clenched tight, and with one final groan of pain, he slumped to the ground, falling in Kashoku’s arms as he quickly ran to his side, where he went unconscious and didn’t speak further.

   “Mikomi!” Amarie cried.  She did her best to kneel down beside Kashoku, placing her hand on his forehead.  He didn’t move, and only the beads of sweat on his forehead and the rising and falling of his chest let them know he was alive.

   As Pyro knelt down beside her and Aries and Oliver came beside him, Kashoku, looked to where he had sat the Celestial Emerald and murmured, “That’s it…this temporary body is indeed adapting back to mortality.  Pretty soon he won’t be able to return with me without dying again.  I have to take him back now…”  He paused, looking to Amarie as she wept, and Pyro as he did his best to console her.  All four of them looked distraught, and Kashoku just couldn’t bear to separate Amarie from her brother.

   Kashoku looked down to Mikomi and thought, “There’s still time; it’ll take a little while for his body to become fully mortal once more, and while he’s sure to be plagued by sickness and weakness as this transition occurs, there’s still a chance, if I hurry, to expel the Master Emerald’s power from his soul and bring him back with me before he becomes mortal again.  This way, he can spend time with his family and friends, and I can still get him back in one piece.”

   He looked up to Pyro and said, “You said Knuckles and Hidama are living in some apartment building here in town…and that they have the chaos emeralds with them. Where exactly is this place?  I need to speak with them immediately, and I need the chaos emeralds as soon as possible as well.”

   Amarie looked up at him with tears in her eyes, and Aries and Oliver too gave him a puzzled glance.  Kashoku waited for an answer, and Pyro looked to all of them and said, “Oh yeah…that.  I’ll explain it to the rest of you in a minute…lemme go show Kashoku where to go first.”

   As they stood up, Amarie said, “No Pyro…just go call Mom and Dad and tell them to come over here…they’re gonna want to see Mikomi anyway.  Tell them to bring Uncle Hidama and the chaos emeralds with them.  That way Kashoku won’t have to go out in the rain and he can stay here with Mikomi.”

   After he helped Amarie to her feet, Pyro nodded and said, “Okay, and then he can explain things to you instead of me…to tell you the truth, I’m still confused.”  Pyro then ran to the nearest phone to call Knuckles.

   Kashoku got up slowly, holding Mikomi in his arms, despite the fact that his body was only temporary, carrying him over to a nearby couch and laying him down on it gently.  As he went to pick up the Celestial Emerald, he bent over, placing his hands on his knees and panting heavily.

   While Amarie went to sit by Mikomi, Aries and Oliver walked over to Kashoku, unable to see the Celestial Emerald, but confused by his fatigue.  Aries asked, “Excuse me, sir, but, what’s wrong with Mikomi?”

   Kashoku looked at them, smiled and said, “I—you see, I had to create temporary bodies for us while we were here to protect our spirits, and apparently, because this is still Mikomi’s time period and everything that existed in his life then does now, his soul is trying to adapt this temporary body back to mortality.  He already has a heartbeat again, and this sudden fatigue is only a symptom of this occurrence.  It’s not happening to me because I don’t belong here…and yet he has a chance to live again, but that’s only if he wants to.  If he wants to come back with me, I have to do what we came here for quickly.  Sit down and I’ll explain everything to you.”

   Oliver nodded, taking Aries’ hand and leading her to sit on the hearth near where Amarie sat beside Mikomi. As Kashoku walked over to them, Amarie grabbed his hand and said, “Please…Kashoku, what’s wrong with my brother?  I saw you both in my dreams before you came here…what’s wrong and why are you here?”

   The echidna king’s eyes widened with a curious horror when she said this.  “Dreams?  What dreams?”  He paused, and said, “Unless Mikomi was subconsciously communicating with you, there should have been no way your wandering eyes could behold the events of the afterlife.  Perhaps Mikomi’s soul was calling home longer than I thought…it’s the only way you could know we were coming, or that something bad is about to happen in the near future…”

   “You have to restore power to the chaos emeralds,” Amarie interrupted, “I know what you’re going to say.  The Master Emerald’s power is tied to Mikomi’s soul, and it must be returned to the chaos emeralds so they can be at full strength and protect us from some new threat.  I know all that…”  She looked to her brother and whimpered, “I just want my brother to be alright.”

   Kashoku was stunned.  He studied Amarie carefully, trying to see into the inner depths of her soul.  “Could she be one of the seven wielders too?” Kashoku thought, “I’m not sure about Oliver over there, but I do know that Amarie is one of the Seven Wielders of the Chaos Emeralds…I—I don’t know if trying to restore the seven would be safe until she delivers.  What am I to do?  If I don’t do this quickly…it’ll be too late…Mikomi will be mortal again…and will never be never able to return with me…not until he dies again.  Oh my…”

   Pyro walked back into the room, sat down beside Amarie and tried to comfort her.  Kashoku sighed, finally revealing the Celestial Emerald to their eyes and wonder.  He sighed and said, “I guess now I should tell you the full story…not the abridged version I gave Pyro…although I was hoping it wouldn’t come to this point until I had the Seven Emeralds and the Seven Wielders…and had the Sons of the Guardian with me as well.”

   They all looked to Kashoku; Pyro said, “Seven Wielders?  What are you talking about?  Just…spill it Kashoku.  What’s wrong with Mikomi, and what’s this new evil you’re talking about?”

   As the thunder continued to crash outside, Kashoku lowered his eyes and said, “Fine then, I shall speak to you about these things.”  Looking to Amarie and Mikomi he added, “I’ll share with you…what’s at stake this time…listen carefully.”

   Amarie looked to her brother, closing her eyes as she felt her baby stir within her, and thought, “Oh Mikomi…please…I knew something was wrong.  Just promise me it won’t tear you away from me again…I don’t think I can survive that again.  Please…”

   Yet as Kashoku told the story again, Mikomi remained unmoving the entire time, lost to the void of the ten years he lost in death, a death he could no longer remember, and an afterlife that could no longer provide him peace.

Description
"Until the End of Forever"
By: Jade Lightning, a.k.a. Inuyashas-hanyougirl
Chapter 1: Reunited With so Much at Stake

   After Kashoku and Mikomi disappeared into the night, it passed by largely uneventful, for it would take them a few hours to reach Station Square.  This was long enough for morning to come, and by that afternoon, Amarie was ready to meet Oliver and Aries at the train station.  The three planned to catch dinner while Pyro was at work.

   Pyro had grown up to become the manager of a local bank; his love for numbers and his expert mathematical abilities finally caught up to him, and after only a few weeks working as a bank teller, he quickly moved up in the ranks of the local bank, becoming the manager of his franchise, explaining his considerable wealth, for he and Amarie lived in the ritzy part of town, and lived quite well to boot.  Amarie’s job as a fashion designer alone couldn’t provide for them as well as Pyro’s high income job, but she still enjoyed it, and insisted to keep working there as long as they wanted her.

   Of course now that she was one month away from giving birth to their child, she had stopped working on maternity leave, and was enjoying her so-called vacation.  That evening, while she, Aries, and Oliver caught dinner and a movie, Pyro came home to what he thought would be an uneventful evening, until Amarie and his sister and brother-in-law got home at least.  Still, as a roll of thunder crashed outside his house, Pyro could almost feel the approach of some disturbance coming sometime soon.

   Just as the rain started to pelt the ground, Pyro, who was eating a sandwich while he watched television, heard a knock at the door, and groaned in annoyance, guessing that it was Aries, impatient to wait for Amarie to come and unlock the door because of the rain.  He growled and shouted, “Come on Aries, quit being so vain.  Wait for Amarie and Oliver to open the door.”

   But the ringing bell and knocking did not stop, and Pyro did not hear the door open.  Taking the last bite of his sandwich, he got up from his chair and shouted, “I’m coming, I’m coming!”

   He opened the door, expecting to see his sister, but froze.  It was like something out of a horror movie.  The thunder crashed and the lightning flashed, illuminating two darkly dressed figures, standing to about his height, right before him.  Before he could let out a cry, the foremost figure raised his hand, gloved in white, placing a finger to his shrouded face and whispered, “Hush Pyro, son of Sonic the Hedgehog, we mean you no harm.  We merely come to you for directions.”

   “D—Directions?  What kind of directions?   Who are you and how do you know my name…and who my father is?” Pyro stuttered.

   The figure took a step inside the house, causing Pyro to back away as he did so, not offering a resistance out of confusion and fear.  The figure said, “I know everything about you Pyro…I know everything about your family, including your wife Amarie.  She is the daughter of Knuckles the Echidna, and the niece of Hinsei Hidama.  It is they that I am seeking, and I ask of you to point me in the right direction.”

   The hedgecat was confused, but certainly wasn’t going to be intimidated by this pair of intruders.  He drew a ball of fire to his palms, took a fighting stance and said, “Oh yeah?  What makes you think I’m gonna show you where Knuckles and Hidama are?  You’re after the chaos emeralds aren’t you?  Well, you’re not gonna get them!”

   The first figured groaned in annoyance and brought his hand to his head, muttering, “I didn’t come prepared to fight you.”  Glancing back at the second figure, he continued, “Can you please reason with him?  He’s your brother-in-law.”  Turning back to Pyro he said, “I simply need to speak to Knuckles and Hidama about something…I’m pretty sure they’re well aware of who I am, if they kept up with their ancient history that is.  I won’t stand for fighting with some child over matters so important.”

   Then, the figure went over and leaned against the wall in the foyer, while Pyro, his fire embers dying low, looked to the second figure, the one the first had just called his brother-in-law.  He took a step towards this silent one, and said, “Wait a minute, why did he call me your brother-in-law?  My only brother-in-law is my sister’s husband Oliver.”

   “Uhh, well…that’s the thing Pyro…umm,” the second figure started.

   Letting out a laugh, the first figure came up behind the second, looked to Pyro and said, “Do you mean to tell me you already forgot about him?  The one you promised you’d look after Amarie for…have you forgotten his face?”

   Pyro lowered his hands, his jaw opening slightly in disbelief.  He again brought his eyes to the second figure, and said, “You…you’re not…Mikomi?”

   The first figure let out another soft chuckle, took the hood of the second figure’s cloak in his hands and said, “Let’s see how good your memory is Pyro.  Let’s see if ten years was just enough to erase your memories of the son of Knuckles and Amy.”

   Slowly, the first figure pulled back the hood, revealing red ears tipped in white.  Next came that familiar echidna facial structure, and yet, one thing was immediately different.  Instead of those dreadlocks he wore before he died the figure now had one single lock on either side of his face, still tipped in white against his red fur and hair.  The rest of his hair was pulled back into a long ponytail, falling to just above the back of his knees, and again, tipped in white.

   While the rest of the black cloak remained set on his shoulders, now that the hood was pulled back, revealing his face and letting his ponytail hang free, there was no mistaking who this figure really was.  He opened his eyes, exposing at last the final piece of evidence that clearly painted the truth of his identity; his right eye was a rich sapphire blue, while the left was a deep amethyst purple.  One color belonged to his uncle’s eyes, while the other matched his father’s.  This was indeed, the son of Knuckles and Amy Rose, none other than Suta-Mikomi, the one who had died to save his loved ones ten years ago, from the wrath of an out of control Master Emerald.

   Pyro stared at Mikomi in disbelief; he even looked his age.  He no longer looked seventeen.  Despite being in an ageless place, he looked like the twenty-seven year old he would have been had he survived.  The hedgecat fell on his hands and knees and said, “Mikomi…it’s really…really you!  But…I don’t understand.”  He looked up at the second shrouded figure and added, “Who is this person with you?  How does he know everything about me and your family?”

   Another laugh escaped from this shrouded figure, who stepped forward, pulling back his own hood and replied, “It is because they are my family Pyro.  I am their ancestor, Kashoku the Brave, the first high king of the echidnas, and the creator of the Master Emerald and the Seven Chaos Emeralds.  I began the line of guardians through my son and his children, and thus, am Hidama’s and Knuckles’ direct ancestor.  I hear they are in possession of the chaos emeralds, and I must speak with them about this immediately.  That is why I am here.”

   Giving Mikomi a confused look, Pyro stood up, rubbing his forehead and said, “Well, wait a minute…if you’re here to talk to them, then how come Mikomi came along?  Did he just come to torture us with a short visit?”

   “Ha, hardly Pyro…I came because well…I had to,” Mikomi started, "It’s kind of hard to explain, but we do need to talk to Dad and Uncle Hidama about it.  We just need to know where they are now that Angel Island is gone.”

   “But why?” Pyro asked again, “Can you at least tell me why?  You act as if something terrible is about to happen.”

   Mikomi glanced at Kashoku, who just finished pulling his red dreadlocks, striped with golden yellow fur, matching a stripe similar to Shadow’s on the top of his head, clear from the grip of his black cloak.  He straightened the golden diadem he wore on his head, decorated with plates of opal, set with emeralds and amethyst jewels, before glancing back at Mikomi, his amber eyes glowing with a hint of dread in response to Pyro’s question.

   Still, he knew that Pyro wouldn’t even consider telling them where Knuckles and Hidama were if he didn’t explain what he and Mikomi were doing there, and it was hard enough just trying to find where Pyro and Amarie lived.  The ancient echidna king closed his eyes, and almost as if he was merely listening to the thunder, he instead was trying to see if he had enough time to relax and explain himself or not.

   He let out a sigh, glancing to Mikomi, then looked back to Pyro and said, “Fine, Pyro, I will humor you with the story of our presence here, but afterwards you must promise me you will show me where I can find the Guardian sons.  We cannot tarry any longer than we absolutely must.

   Pyro lowered his hands, looked into the living room and said, “Fine, that’s okay with me.  Just…hurry up…my sister and brother-in-law will be here soon.”

   Kashoku followed Pyro into the living room, but Mikomi was slower to follow.  He glanced around the large and palatial place Amarie now called home, and was in awe.  He could see pictures of her on the wall, along with pictures of his friends, Kelsey, Amberly, Aries, and a few unfamiliar faces, and family as well.  It was comforting to his heart to see these precious faces once again.   He brought his hand up to his chest as he sighed happily, but he paused.  He could feel his heart beating in his chest.  He knew that Kashoku said they were going to look realistic and even feel as though they had a body, with hair and fur and skin, but that it would all be an illusion.

   He also just realized that he was able to sigh, but then again, so was Kashoku, and he did mention them being able to draw breath.  Yet Kashoku mentioned nothing about having a heartbeat, and yet Mikomi could feel his pounding in his chest, to the point where he could even hear it in his ears.  He placed a hand to his cheek and felt as though he could feel blood flowing through it.  This was strange, for when Kashoku’s arm had brushed up against him before, he could not feel this same warmth coming from him.

   Mikomi felt strange.  He could barely remember what it felt like to have a body, and yet he could recognize it instantly.  He wasn’t just a spirit that looked alive; he felt as if mortality was recapturing his spirit, even to the point where he was forgetting for a moment that he had ever died.  Still, he brushed off these concerns, and quickly caught up with Kashoku and Pyro, only to find out Kashoku was almost done telling his end of the tale.

   “Anyway, Mikomi exercised great strength and power by sapping the Master Emerald of its power, the only problem is, when he did so, he provided no way for the power to escape him.  Instead of flowing to the Seven Chaos Emeralds as I had intended for it to should this happen, Mikomi didn’t have enough Guardian blood to allow for this to occur smoothly so it tore his body apart in trying to escape, but since he died before this could happen, the power of the Master Emerald became tied to his soul.  Mikomi is now the Master Emerald essentially, and since that power that the Seven draw on has been absent for so long, they are now so weak not even your father could use them to go Super.  I need to collect the Seven so I can channel the Master Emerald’s power into them.  They will then be at full strength once again and able to defend life from evil.  Mikomi’s soul will also be freed from it, and he will be able to return to the afterlife and be at peace at last,” Kashoku explained.

   They both looked up as Mikomi entered the room, Pyro was almost at a loss for words.  He finally said, “This is crazy…Mikomi’s the Master Emerald now?  Hmm, it makes sense though that the Seven Chaos Emeralds would be weaker eh?  So, you’re telling me if you can just have the seven of them together for a little bit, you can channel the power back into them and be on your way?”

   Kashoku nodded and said, “Essentially so yes, for you see Pyro, I feel a great evil looming in the near future, and without the chaos emeralds at full strength, there won’t be much any of you can do to stop it.  It’s no cause for alarm at this moment, but it’s better to be prepared ahead of time as opposed to later.”

   Pyro’s eyes widened in fear and hesitation.  Before he could speak, Mikomi said, “But, it would be nice if I could see my friends and family again before then.  I never really got to say goodbye all that well.  I’m just dying to see Amarie again.”

    Kashoku gave a concerned eye to Mikomi and said, “Listen, Mikomi, about that.  Remember you’re only here to restore the Master Emerald’s power to the Seven.  It might be best if you let me get the Seven, then we can take care of what we need to, and slip back to where we belong.  We don’t want them getting their hopes up.”

   “He’s right!” Pyro piped up, suddenly coming to Kashoku’s defense.  He only thought of his sweet Amarie, and how these dreams of hers were enough to make her weep.  The last thing he wanted was for her to see her brother again and get emotionally tied to him when he couldn’t stay.  “Look, I’ll show you two where Knuckles lives now, and you can get out of here before Amarie comes back with Aries and Oliver.”

   Mikomi suddenly grew angry, which would have felt strange to him considering for so long he had dwelt in eternal peace and bliss.  However, as he was slowly beginning to feel mortal again, he felt mortal emotions stinging at his heart, and he wouldn’t stand for this denial.  He shouted, “Hey you, I have every right to see my sister.  They’re adults, and I think they can handle accepting that I can’t be with them forever!  Now you’re going to let me wait so I can see my sister, or you can just forget about restoring the Seven to the way they were.  I don’t have to relinquish the power to you if I don’t want to after all.”

   Pyro gasped, and then furrowed his eyebrows at Mikomi, glaring at him.  There was no way he was going to let Mikomi stick around, but at the same time had to keep in mind that he faced the dormant power of the Master Emerald here.  He decided it was perhaps better to let Kashoku bring things under control.

   The ancient echidna king was puzzled by Mikomi’s behavior.  He glanced at the Celestial Emerald, which he kept invisible to mortal eyes as it sat in his hands.  He indeed felt no anger…he felt just as he always did as a spirit in the after life.  He felt no heartbeat in his chest, even though he appeared mortal just has Mikomi did.  He was confused; Mikomi shouldn’t be getting angry, or feeling any kind of negative emotion because he was still just a spirit, or at least, he was supposed to be.  Kashoku was now concerned, for Mikomi was acting more like the mortal twenty-seven year old he looked like instead of the spirit he started out as when this journey began.

   He stood up, taking a step towards Mikomi and said, “Do you feel alright Mikomi?  Why are you angry?  There is no need for anger in the spirit world…”

   “I’m not a spirit!” Mikomi shouted, “Even so, this isn’t the spirit world.  This is where my family is…and I don’t understand why I’m not allowed to see my sister.  I don’t even remember the afterlife!”

   Kashoku blinked twice, reaching out to Mikomi and said, “You’re not supposed to be able to remember the afterlife…I told you parts of it would be obscured to you until we returned.”

   Mikomi backed up, coming to a stop against the entryway to the foyer, in full view of the front door.  He shook his head and said, “No, Kashoku, I mean…I can't even remember being dead.  The last thing I remember was sapping the Master Emerald’s power.  I feel as if I’m just now waking up from it.  I don’t even remember saying goodbye to them like you said I did.  Please, why won’t you let me see them?  Stay away from me!”

   A tear rolled down Mikomi’s cheek as he glared at Kashoku.  The echidna king gasped and stepped back from him.  He looked down at the Celestial Emerald once more, and realized that while the afterlife was obscure to him, he still knew he belonged there.  Mikomi acted as if he didn’t even remember dying anymore.  It was as if the memory of even being dead was now gone from the pages of his life.  “Tears,” Kashoku muttered, “Why is he weeping?  There are no tears where we…or at least…I, belong.  Could it be…that Mikomi is slipping back into his old life?  I wouldn’t because this is not my time period…but, since all the elements of his life are still here, perhaps his soul…and that temporary body, are becoming mortal again.”

   Pyro watched as Mikomi held back further tears, suddenly fearful of Kashoku after only seconds.  It made him think the same thing that Kashoku was pondering to himself, but before he could begin to sympathize or try to talk to either of them, his eyes were drawn to a pair of headlights pulling into the garage outside.  He could hear voices, that of his sister Aries, his brother-in-law Oliver, but most importantly, his wife, and Mikomi’s sister, Amarie.

   He let out a gasp, catching Kashoku’s attention.  He looked to Pyro, shaking his head and said, “There’s no point in trying to get rid of us Pyro.  I take back what I said before…maybe it will do Mikomi some good to see his sister, family, and friends again, especially now that…well, you know why.”

   Mikomi looked to them both; Pyro stared at Kashoku in disbelief, for he knew that Kashoku was referring to Amarie’s pregnancy, but also pointing out that Mikomi was still unaware of this at the moment.

   “Aww no, I don’t think so Kashoku!” Pyro shouted, “You and Mikomi can just leave out the back…the last thing Amarie needs is to get caught up into trouble, and apparently that’s why you’re here, to strengthen the chaos emeralds because something bad is about to happen, so why don’t the two of you get out of here and be done with it!”  He glanced at the back door and said, “Knuckles and Amy are living in the same apartment they did before they moved to Angel Island, and Hidama and Delilah live in the same building.  Now go on!”

   They could hear the jingling of keys as the voices approached the front door.  Kashoku could see sparks flying between Mikomi and Pyro, and he knew that because Mikomi wasn’t fully mortal yet, that his temper was going to be unpredictable and dangerous.  Kashoku looked to Pyro, begging for peace and said, “Please, Pyro, don’t be so pushy.  Just let Mikomi spend some time with his sister.  Now that I know where to find Knuckles and Hidama I can go get the chaos emeralds on my own.”

   Before Pyro could speak, Mikomi let out a shout and said, “How dare you try and keep me from my sister!  Apparently it was me who asked you to look after her before I disappeared!  Who are you to tell me what to do?”

   “Disappeared?” Kashoku muttered again, “He honestly has no recollection of dying to the point where it is foreign to his lips.  He is becoming mortal again isn’t he?”

   He was interrupted by Pyro and Mikomi, who were now face to face near the entrance to the foyer, Mikomi angry and demanding an explanation while Pyro still did his best to try and smooth things over.  He shook his head and said, “Listen Mikomi, it’s just…Amarie doesn’t need a whole lot of commotion going on right now.  You see, she’s…”

   “We’re back Pyro!” Amarie exclaimed as she came in the door.  The three of them looked to the door as Amarie came in with Aries and Oliver close behind them.  The three of them talked amongst themselves as they hung up their raincoats, and Oliver shook the rain off the umbrella before putting it in the stand.

   Mikomi was almost frozen when he saw them.  He immediately recognized his friend Aries, even if the guy with her was an unfamiliar face.  He stood about as tall as Pyro; he had large, fox-like ears that were shaped a little differently than fox ears and were even a little bigger than them too.  His fur and hair were a warm, golden orange color, while the fur on the inside of his ears was white, with tufts of brown at the base of them, the patch of fur on his face around his nose, mouth, and cheeks was white, as were the tips of his two tails, obviously inherited from his father.

   He had blue eyes, but had a band of dark brown fur around them in a style similar to his mother; it also looked like he had a stripe of the same color on his head as she did, only a wave of bangs shot up from it and obscured it from view.  These hairs fell over his left eye, but hung largely in between them so they didn’t cut off his vision.  The white fur at the tips of his cheeks was brushed out into feathery, free-flowing tufts.  He wore a white T-shirt with the silhouette of his company logo on it, along with a denim jacket and pants to complete the ensemble.  He wore a watch on his left wrist, white gloves on his hands, and yellow and red sneakers on his feet.

   Mikomi safely guessed that this was Oliver, Tails and Cream’s son, who was now Aries’ husband.  However, his eyes were quickly drawn to something else, and at the same time, the eyes of those that had just entered, were drawn back in his direction.  Amarie stepped forward, at first confused when she saw Kashoku, but in shock and awe when she saw what looked like her brother Mikomi, who had died ten years ago.  Sure, he looked different, having somehow aged ten years to catch up with them, but just as Pyro could see it in his eyes, she knew that this was infact her brother standing only steps away from her.

   Aries and Oliver came up behind Amarie, staring at the scene with just as much disbelief.  Oliver whispered, “What’s going on Aries?”

   She looked to her husband and said, “Ollie, that’s Amarie’s brother Mikomi, remember?  He died ten years ago to save us from the Master Emerald before it destroyed the world.  That other echidna is their ancestor I think it’s just…what are they doing here?”

   “Oh…,” Oliver said.  Over the years he had heard and seen plenty of Mikomi, from the memorial to him in the middle of town, to stories about him told at every family gathering from New Years to Christmas, and while Mikomi did look twenty-seven, as opposed to the pictures Oliver had seen of him as a seventeen year old, there was no mistaking that this was the same guy.  He glanced at Amarie, who stood silent and frozen before them, and reached for Aries’ hand, taking it in his own, both of them speechless and waiting for someone else to speak.

   Kashoku glanced at the frozen brother and sister.  He knew why both of them were unable to speak.  It was more than just the shock of being reunited; Mikomi had no idea that Amarie was expecting her first baby, and Amarie…after dreaming of him returning so much, it just added more of a sting to an already unfathomable shock.

   Pyro gave a worried eye to Amarie; he knew things were already hard enough on her.  He glanced at Mikomi once more before rushing to Amarie’s side.  He wrapped an arm around her and said, “It’s okay Amarie…everything’s going to be alright,” as he rubbed her tummy gently.

   “But…but Pyro…isn’t that…Mikomi?” Amarie cried.  She pulled away from Pyro and walked up to her brother.  Mikomi now stood much taller than Amarie, even after they had both grown up the last few inches within them.  She stood almost toe to toe with him, with only her belly coming between them.  She stared into his eyes, unsure of whether to weep for joy or confusion as she reached up to touch her brother’s face.

   Mikomi closed his eyes.  He could feel a shiver run through what was supposed to be a temporary body, meant only to make him look alive rather than feel alive, as her fingers brushed up against his cheek.  She could feel him tremble slightly underneath her touch as she just continued to stare at him, her breath flowing softly and shortly as she did so.  Mikomi heaved deep breaths, flexing his gloved fingers as she stroked him, and once again, a tear fell from his eyes, soaking up into Amarie’s gloves as it fell.  She let out a soft gasp, and whispered, “Mikomi?  Are you alright?”

   Kashoku watched silently as this happened.  He lowered his eyes and said, “He can indeed weep…he’s even trembling.  Still, I thought if his body was trying to become mortal again that the change would be more…troublesome.  It wouldn’t be something he would slip into easily…there would be turmoil…something more than just violent emotions and memory loss.  It shouldn’t be this easy to just adapt to having a body again.”

   However, Kashoku was awakened from his thoughts once more as he heard Amarie speak again.  “Mikomi?  Mikomi!  Please, say something, anything…”

   Finally, Mikomi opened his eyes, which were now glassy with tears.  He stared into his sister’s green eyes in disbelief and wonder, and reached up to touch her own face in return.  He barely caressed her cheek, running his fingers up the side of her head, and back down again as he looked between her face and her belly.  It’s almost as if he was becoming dizzy with awe and confusion.

   He thought, “Where did the time go?  How long have I been sleeping since the Master Emerald threatened to destroy all?  How could ten years have passed by without me?  I just…don’t understand.  What has happened to them all…what…happened to me?”

   Instead of answering his sister, he cringed heavily, bringing his hand to his forehead and holding it as if it pained him terribly.  There was a lapse in his memory, and it suddenly felt as if his whole mind was short circuiting on him as he tried to remember things that he wasn’t alive to witness.  It didn’t make sense. Ten years had passed and he felt as though he was just waking up from the events of that fateful day in his seventeenth year.  Nothing made sense, and suddenly he felt ill, and very light headed.  This light trembling felt like a violent jerking to him, as if he was being rocked by an earthquake or clap of thunder and lightning and shrapnel were tearing through him, even though to everyone around him he looked as if he had a bad headache and wobbly knees.

   Amarie placed her hand on Mikomi’s shoulder as he turned away from her, and once more she begged for him to speak.  “Mikomi, oh Mikomi, are you alright?  Say something please…I’m worried.”

   Mikomi struggled to look at his sister, opening his eyes halfway, but at the same time felt the life draining out of him as his knees began to buckle and his head began to swim and slosh.  Still, he didn’t want to worry his baby sister, and once more reached to touch her face.  He whispered, “Ama—Amarie, you’re…you’re…”  His fingertips had barely begun to grace her cheek when his words fell short, his eyes clenched tight, and with one final groan of pain, he slumped to the ground, falling in Kashoku’s arms as he quickly ran to his side, where he went unconscious and didn’t speak further.

   “Mikomi!” Amarie cried.  She did her best to kneel down beside Kashoku, placing her hand on his forehead.  He didn’t move, and only the beads of sweat on his forehead and the rising and falling of his chest let them know he was alive.

   As Pyro knelt down beside her and Aries and Oliver came beside him, Kashoku, looked to where he had sat the Celestial Emerald and murmured, “That’s it…this temporary body is indeed adapting back to mortality.  Pretty soon he won’t be able to return with me without dying again.  I have to take him back now…”  He paused, looking to Amarie as she wept, and Pyro as he did his best to console her.  All four of them looked distraught, and Kashoku just couldn’t bear to separate Amarie from her brother.

   Kashoku looked down to Mikomi and thought, “There’s still time; it’ll take a little while for his body to become fully mortal once more, and while he’s sure to be plagued by sickness and weakness as this transition occurs, there’s still a chance, if I hurry, to expel the Master Emerald’s power from his soul and bring him back with me before he becomes mortal again.  This way, he can spend time with his family and friends, and I can still get him back in one piece.”

   He looked up to Pyro and said, “You said Knuckles and Hidama are living in some apartment building here in town…and that they have the chaos emeralds with them. Where exactly is this place?  I need to speak with them immediately, and I need the chaos emeralds as soon as possible as well.”

   Amarie looked up at him with tears in her eyes, and Aries and Oliver too gave him a puzzled glance.  Kashoku waited for an answer, and Pyro looked to all of them and said, “Oh yeah…that.  I’ll explain it to the rest of you in a minute…lemme go show Kashoku where to go first.”

   As they stood up, Amarie said, “No Pyro…just go call Mom and Dad and tell them to come over here…they’re gonna want to see Mikomi anyway.  Tell them to bring Uncle Hidama and the chaos emeralds with them.  That way Kashoku won’t have to go out in the rain and he can stay here with Mikomi.”

   After he helped Amarie to her feet, Pyro nodded and said, “Okay, and then he can explain things to you instead of me…to tell you the truth, I’m still confused.”  Pyro then ran to the nearest phone to call Knuckles.

   Kashoku got up slowly, holding Mikomi in his arms, despite the fact that his body was only temporary, carrying him over to a nearby couch and laying him down on it gently.  As he went to pick up the Celestial Emerald, he bent over, placing his hands on his knees and panting heavily.

   While Amarie went to sit by Mikomi, Aries and Oliver walked over to Kashoku, unable to see the Celestial Emerald, but confused by his fatigue.  Aries asked, “Excuse me, sir, but, what’s wrong with Mikomi?”

   Kashoku looked at them, smiled and said, “I—you see, I had to create temporary bodies for us while we were here to protect our spirits, and apparently, because this is still Mikomi’s time period and everything that existed in his life then does now, his soul is trying to adapt this temporary body back to mortality.  He already has a heartbeat again, and this sudden fatigue is only a symptom of this occurrence.  It’s not happening to me because I don’t belong here…and yet he has a chance to live again, but that’s only if he wants to.  If he wants to come back with me, I have to do what we came here for quickly.  Sit down and I’ll explain everything to you.”

   Oliver nodded, taking Aries’ hand and leading her to sit on the hearth near where Amarie sat beside Mikomi. As Kashoku walked over to them, Amarie grabbed his hand and said, “Please…Kashoku, what’s wrong with my brother?  I saw you both in my dreams before you came here…what’s wrong and why are you here?”

   The echidna king’s eyes widened with a curious horror when she said this.  “Dreams?  What dreams?”  He paused, and said, “Unless Mikomi was subconsciously communicating with you, there should have been no way your wandering eyes could behold the events of the afterlife.  Perhaps Mikomi’s soul was calling home longer than I thought…it’s the only way you could know we were coming, or that something bad is about to happen in the near future…”

   “You have to restore power to the chaos emeralds,” Amarie interrupted, “I know what you’re going to say.  The Master Emerald’s power is tied to Mikomi’s soul, and it must be returned to the chaos emeralds so they can be at full strength and protect us from some new threat.  I know all that…”  She looked to her brother and whimpered, “I just want my brother to be alright.”

   Kashoku was stunned.  He studied Amarie carefully, trying to see into the inner depths of her soul.  “Could she be one of the seven wielders too?” Kashoku thought, “I’m not sure about Oliver over there, but I do know that Amarie is one of the Seven Wielders of the Chaos Emeralds…I—I don’t know if trying to restore the seven would be safe until she delivers.  What am I to do?  If I don’t do this quickly…it’ll be too late…Mikomi will be mortal again…and will never be never able to return with me…not until he dies again.  Oh my…”

   Pyro walked back into the room, sat down beside Amarie and tried to comfort her.  Kashoku sighed, finally revealing the Celestial Emerald to their eyes and wonder.  He sighed and said, “I guess now I should tell you the full story…not the abridged version I gave Pyro…although I was hoping it wouldn’t come to this point until I had the Seven Emeralds and the Seven Wielders…and had the Sons of the Guardian with me as well.”

   They all looked to Kashoku; Pyro said, “Seven Wielders?  What are you talking about?  Just…spill it Kashoku.  What’s wrong with Mikomi, and what’s this new evil you’re talking about?”

   As the thunder continued to crash outside, Kashoku lowered his eyes and said, “Fine then, I shall speak to you about these things.”  Looking to Amarie and Mikomi he added, “I’ll share with you…what’s at stake this time…listen carefully.”

   Amarie looked to her brother, closing her eyes as she felt her baby stir within her, and thought, “Oh Mikomi…please…I knew something was wrong.  Just promise me it won’t tear you away from me again…I don’t think I can survive that again.  Please…”

   Yet as Kashoku told the story again, Mikomi remained unmoving the entire time, lost to the void of the ten years he lost in death, a death he could no longer remember, and an afterlife that could no longer provide him peace.