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"Until the End of Forever"
By: Jade Lightning, a.k.a. Inuyashas-hanyougirl
Chapter 3: Something to Hold  on to

   The rain died out shortly after passing into nothing but a drizzle, the last wisps of rain hitting the earth shortly before morning.  The clouds broke apart, allowing for the first rays of the morning sun to fly across the sky unhindered.  A wash of these rays penetrated the east window of the guest room that Mikomi and Hidama had spent their slumbering hours in together.  They first fell over Hidama’s closed eyes as he slept on the couch underneath the window sill, yet this only caused him to clench his eyes shut tighter in response, before rolling over on his side, pulling the blanket he slept with over his head, letting out a tired groan, and going back to sleep.

   However, as this soft and gentle light graced Mikomi’s face, he reacted to it immediately.   Though he had gone as far as to have forgotten that he even had died, something inside of him was attracted to this comforting and peaceful light, reminded only of the solace of the afterlife rather than the afterlife itself.  He slowly opened his eyes, turned to face the morning sun, and he was able to smile as he let out a yawn.  Yet, this break from turmoil would be very short-lived.

   To his dismay, the moment he tried to sit up in bed, that same sickness and weak feeling from the evening before abruptly returned.  His stomach ached, his head was swimming, he felt light-headed and feverish, and his entire body, head to toe, ached fiercely.  He could feel every bone and muscle of his body clearly, almost as if they wanted to be felt, and thus pressed and tortured every nerve to send a message of pain so they could be heard.

   It wasn’t just the ill and frail feeling that got to him however; he was ultimately lost in confusion and disarray as to what was going on around him.  Despite his ailments, Mikomi sat up in bed and slowly edged to the side closest to the window, and thus, closest to where his uncle slept.  As his sleepy eyes adjusted to being used in the pale morning light, where it was still quite dark around him, he could barely make out this sleeping figure on the couch before him.  However, he knew it was there, and immediately placed it as being Kashoku; he simply could not find it in his mind that it would be anyone else.

   But no…Mikomi knew what Kashoku felt like…this aura about him that was unique and ultimately different from anyone to follow, even his direct descendants, who would only have a small trace of it, and while he could feel this small trace, he knew this wasn’t Kashoku before him, and because of this, he became more confused, and increasingly frightened.  Nothing made sense to him; where he was, who was with him, and what happened to Kashoku.  His memory was lapsing and short-circuiting on him again, and he cringed, bringing his hand to his head as his feet hit the floor.

   His voice barely audible, he whimpered, “Kashoku…where, where are we?  You’re—You’re the only thing I remember…my past…everything, is nothing but a collection of shattered fragments.  Why have you deserted me?”

   Despite all this anguish that rolled through him, Mikomi was frightened, and simply could not rest until he found Kashoku, the only thing that was familiar to him now as his body, mind, and soul tried to adapt back to mortality.  He stood up slowly, terribly dizzy and trying to balance his weight.  It was as if he couldn’t even remember what it felt like to walk, at least physically.  He knew how to walk, but until now couldn’t recollect what it felt like.

   Once he steadied himself, he paused, looking at the figure on the couch once more, and still unable to place him, his brain burning and paining him if he tried to, only able to recognize that faint aura of Kashoku.  He tried to ignore the pain, and still totally unaware of where he was, he made his way to the bedroom door, the house still dark, lit only by the occasional night light and the small amount of weak morning light that made it from the outside.

   It was like Mikomi was walking blind.  His eyes were tired, and opening them exposed them to the relatively chill, dry air, and caused them to itch and sting, so he kept them shut at first, hoping he could find Kashoku simply by sensing that familiar aura.  However, just as he entered the hallway, a wave of different signals flew at him.  Some of them had the aura of Kashoku, a few stronger than others, while others simply had that Guardian aura about them.  Still more were unfamiliar and strange, and he couldn’t pick out Kashoku’s from them.  They were overloading the only perception he had left, and all the turmoil, was taking its toll.

   A tear fell from his eyes, and he whimpered, “Kashoku, why have you abandoned me in this place?  Where…where am I?”  He put the emphasis on the word “am,” making a reference to where his spirit was, as opposed to his location.  He felt out of place, like a stain on a white T-shirt that was threatening to be bleached out for its loathed existence.

   In desperation, Mikomi turned to the only thing he recognized; a stream of light poured out of a window high on the wall above the first flight on the staircase.  Facing the east a flood of light met his eyes as he looked up to it, almost as if it was in faint representation of the gates of Heaven, something he couldn’t remember, but could still feel the peace of.

   That light was his salvation, his only way out of this miserable hell, and so he climbed the stairs, only to be let down when he got to the first landing with the window high on the wall above him.  However, he did get something from this discovery.

   He was on the inside; the light was on the outside of this cage, and it was also, much higher up.

   Determined to reach the light, Mikomi climbed the last flight of stairs, reaching the second floor, where that flood of auras hit him harder, although the aura of Kashoku was no longer present, save in a very small amount, which unknown to him, rested in his sister Amarie, and the baby that rested inside her.

   He did his best to ignore the auras, since he knew they weren’t Kashoku’s and felt that they were only there to distract and mislead him.  He took a few steps down the hall, looking for a way out of the building, but also for a way to the light.  He walked down the hallway, clenching his eyes shut as tightly as he could and still be able to see, and while he was ignoring the auras, his heart wouldn’t let him bypass one particular one.  It was a unique aura, different from all the rest.  It not only possessed a sliver of Kashoku’s, as well as the aura of the Guardian, but strangely enough…it was almost identical to his own.

   It was coming from the last bedroom on the right side of the hall.  The hall ended with one more staircase around the corner, and Mikomi knew it would lead him to the light and the outside, but he simply could not ignore this aura, and so he turned into the bedroom, still fighting this wave of frail, sick, and confused feelings that consumed him.  Despite this pain, his steps were silent, and after taking a few steps into the room, the aura hit him again; it was accompanied by not one, but two more auras.  The first one was stronger, possessing a small aura of the Guardian and the chaos aura, another ingredient of the makeup of Kashoku’s only smaller and of a different kind.  The second aura was much smaller, much weaker, almost completely overshadowed by the other two and perhaps almost impossible to detect.

   As Mikomi came up to the aura that was almost identical to his own, however, that second aura got even stronger.  He got up to the side of the king sized bed in the room, falling to his knees and panting from weakness, but could feel these auras stronger than ever.  The figure sleeping in the bed he knelt beside possessed that identical aura, but, oddly enough, also possessed the weaker one, which was still more familiar than any he had encountered so far.  It enchanted him, for instead of confusing him and scaring him both auras, especially the smaller one, comforted him.

   Unbeknownst to the suffering and dazed Mikomi, he was kneeling down on Amarie’s side of the bed.  She was facing him as she rested comfortably on her side, and thus her pregnant tummy faced outward as well, allowing for the second aura, her baby’s aura, to reach Mikomi much easier.  Both her aura and the baby’s aura comforted Mikomi in a way Kashoku’s probably could not at this point, for as Mikomi became more and more mortal, Kashoku would become unfamiliar, as would all of the afterlife.  Still, in these early stages, it was the familiarity of his sister, and the baby she carried, which brought him the first bit of mortal comfort in this second beginning of his life.

   The trek from the first floor guest room to Pyro and Amarie’s bedroom on the second floor had taken almost all of the little strength Mikomi had.  No amount of panting, shaking, sweating, or crying would bring it back now.  He leaned up against the side of the bed, the tips of his ears just underneath Amarie’s face, trying to get enough breath, and frustrated that the hardest he could pant was not enough to satisfy his needs.

   Again, that question of where he was came back to haunt him.  He wasn’t as afraid of this place he was in, as he was of why he was in it.  He felt out of his element, as if his spirit was somewhere far from here and trying to control his body from that out of reach locale.  Whatever it was, he knew he wouldn’t find relief here, even with these two beautiful auras beside him.  Unable to reason with himself properly, Mikomi struggled to his feet once more, looking back towards the source of both auras with regret of having to leave them.

   “Not here…,” Mikomi whimpered.  He turned to leave the bedroom for that second staircase around the corner.  As he climbed them, he added, “Why…why were those auras so comforting…and that one…so identical to my own?  Why…?”

   Now the very auras that comforted him only served to bewilder and scare him even more.  Once he got to the top of the stairs, he felt no more auras, but instead a large room of empty space before him.  Opening his eyes again, only half way, he could see that it was split into two different spaces…not by partitions, but by purpose and design.  The area farthest from him had a table with a row of poles sticking out from either side, as well as this large black box, and even more differently shaped boxes, some with lights and buttons, in the area.  The space closest to him was set up with a few different kinds of chairs, including a rocker, a bucket chair, and a recliner, a small round table between them and several crates with things in them.

   In reality, what he was seeing was Pyro’s favorite place to unwind with a foosball table, big screen television set with satellite, a state of the art stereo system, and all his favorite gaming platforms, farthest from him, and the area closest to him was where Amarie would sit to relax on occasion, doing everything from drawing and crafting to doing a crossword puzzle.  Most importantly however, and part of what was in those crates, this was where Amarie kept most of what was salvaged from Angel Island that her father and uncle didn’t keep, including all that was left of Mikomi’s old life.  However, the hybrid echidna was too sickened to notice, or even care.

   All he was focused on were the two large windows that opened up to the outside on either side of this room.  It was the attic of the house, and the walls were sloped, meeting high above his head, but this didn’t phase Mikomi.  He went for the window facing northeast, fumbling with it a second in order to open it, before stepping out of it, faced with two options.  He could climb to the pinnacle of the roof, or risk falling to the ground below.

   He had to go higher…closer to the sun…the source of that light and only bit of comfort left.

   On the ground below him, Kashoku, not needing sleep and having rested off his fatigue, had the same desire to walk in the light of the morning sun.  Fortunately, he was lucid enough to head straight for the front door, knowing where he was going and unafraid of the darkness around him.  The world was strange, much different from how it was when he walked it centuries before…the air was dirtier, there was much more noise and more unnecessary development.  Still, he could still see the fragile wonders of beauty the way they existed when he walked hand in hand with Mitsukai in his years in the world.

   He bent over to pick a flower from the cold, wet earth.  Bringing it up to his nose, he inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly, relaxing to its fragrance as he thought of his dear Mitsukai.  Opening his eyes, he whispered, “My lady, this world is quite different from the one we knew…no wonder our children suffered.  They were exposed to outside influences…Mikomi didn’t just die to the Master Emerald…he died and saved its power from this ugliness that has marred the world.  I weep for not just my own blood, but for the lives that all this darkness touches…for I have seen the greater, healing light, and pray so strongly that it touches them in their darkest hour.”

   After his prayer, he gently laid the flower on the ground where he uprooted it, letting out a woeful sigh of relief as he did so.  He put his clenched fist to his chest, holding it over his heart, and bowing his head in one final prayer.  Opening his eyes, he whispered, “Mmm, it does my heart good to send word for hope back to the ones I know.”  He stood erect, looking towards the house behind him, as he added, “We’re gonna need all the prayers for help that we can get.”

   He froze, letting out a gasp after he finished speaking, for on the edge of the roof above him, he could see Mikomi standing there, hanging his head but facing in the direction of the morning sun as it rose over the horizon.  Kashoku’s eyes flashed with horror, for while he didn’t know how Mikomi got on to the roof, what scared him was the fact that he was up there to begin with, in this fragile and unstable state besides.

   “Mikomi!” he cried out.  This got the hybrid echidna’s attention, causing him to look to the ground below, finally able to sense Kashoku’s aura.  He had found him at last, but was now so close to this comforting light, he was torn between trying to reach it, or retreating to Kashoku on the ground below.

   Sick and confused, Mikomi knelt down as well as he could, trying to focus his eyes better so he could see Kashoku, and whimpered, “Kashoku…why have you left me here?  Where am I?” he asked again, “Where am I?  I’m not where I feel safe…away from the light and all comfort.”

   The echidna king slowly walked back towards the house, unsure of what to do.  If he wasn’t confined to this fragile temporary body, saving Mikomi would be easy, but now both of them were in danger of having these capsules destroyed, their souls unable to return to the afterlife, and instead lost forever in the void of all that didn’t exist.

   Reaching up to Mikomi, Kashoku tried to comfort him.  “You are home Mikomi…where you belong.  The night and storm have passed, and the light and warmth of the new day are coming.  You do not need to search for it.  It is coming to you my son.  Please…trust my words.  You are afraid and weakened now…I’ll look after you.”

   Mikomi was silent after this, and it was this silence that killed Kashoku inside.  While the afterlife was obscure to him, unlike Mikomi he knew he belonged there and could still remember certain things of it…namely words that were said and feelings that there were, and some of those words and feelings returned to him now.

   **“Are you mad?  Do you have any idea what something like this might do to him?”

   “Patience!  Patience with me please…I beg thee, hearken to me first.  It is not impossible for us to pass freely from this place to the world we once walked in life; in fact it is only impossible to move from there to here until death bids one here.  Mikomi can go there with quite ease, the only thing is, once his task is done, he must return, for he does not belong there and cannot linger there after it is all said and done.”

   “But, my lord, are you really going to leave us here?  What can you possibly do there that you cannot do here?”

   “My lady, I can finish what I started in my life; I created the Master Emerald and the Seven as gifts to you, and yet I made them far too magnificent and powerful for their own good.  You heard me before did you not?  If I was able to channel almost all of my power into their making, then surely I have the strength to channel the Master Emerald’s power into the Seven so they may be at full strength forevermore, freeing Mikomi from the burden of it being tied to his spirit, and allowing for the Seven to properly protect life as long as they need to.  After this, Mikomi and I can return to you all, and we can be at peace again, as well as the lives of everyone we must leave behind.”

   “I understand…and I trust that you’ll see Mikomi and the world through safely no matter what faces you.”**

   These words he exchanged with Mikomi’s grandfather and Mitsukai flooded into his memory sharply, causing him to cringe as he remembered this hidden memory, just like Mikomi did as he tried to remember things but couldn’t.  He brought his outstretched hand to his forehead, and thought, “I swore to protect him…I swore to bring him back alive and well…or at least in this new situation to ensure he comes out of this in one piece so he can live life once all is said and done.  What am I to do?”

   The echidna king was awoken from his thoughts by a cry from above.

   “Kashoku!  Why have you abandoned me here?” Mikomi cried.

   Looking up, Kashoku saw that Mikomi had edged further over the roof and was now reaching down for Kashoku desperately.  Filled with horror, Kashoku looked around in a panic for a way to get on the roof, crying out, “I haven’t abandoned you Mikomi!  Just stay where you are!  I’m coming to get you!”

   Finally, Kashoku found a trellis on the side of the house, just outside Amarie’s bedroom window.  He ran over to it, keeping his eyes on Mikomi as he did so, and cried out again, “I’m coming to you Mikomi, I promise!  Just hold still!”

   As he scaled the trellis, Mikomi curled up in a ball, his ponytail hanging off the side of the house, and his head only halfway supported as he teetered there, whimpering and shaking, the cold morning air only making his sickness worse.  As Kashoku climbed, he scolded himself again, “Darn it Kashoku…just because you don’t need to eat and drink doesn’t mean Mikomi doesn’t.  He needs food and something to rehydrate him before he gets sicker.  I haven’t even been here one day and already I’m about to lose him.”

   The trellis repeatedly hit the wall as Kashoku climbed it, for while he was light, it was enough extra weight to put stress on the grille.  The tapping sound got louder as he reached Amarie’s bedroom window, and it was enough to stir her out of her sleep.  She let out a sleepy yawn, a smile on her face as her baby woke her up with a little kick, she sat up slowly, only to hear the tapping sound being made by the trellis.  She looked to the window and saw the vines hanging off it shaking as Kashoku climbed it.  He made it past her window, and she could see the strands of rusty red hair waving in the wind behind him.

   Already frightened enough, she shook Pyro and cried, “Pyro!  Pyro!  Wake up!  Somebody’s climbing the trellis outside our window!”

   The hedgecat, drowsy and half hoping the events of the night before were a dream, growled softly and said, “Come off it Amarie…it’s probably just a raccoon or something.  Relax…”

   Amarie frowned, knowing full well a raccoon couldn’t make that much noise.  Leaving Pyro, who was clearly grouchy, to sleep, she wiggled her feet into her slippers, pulled on her bathrobe, and made her way down the stairs as quickly as she could.  She headed for the front door, but decided to peek in on Mikomi first, only to find his bed was empty, even when Hidama remained asleep on the couch in the room.

   “Mikomi!” Amarie cried, loudly enough to be heard throughout the house without being harsh or shrill.  Hidama woke up instantly, while Knuckles and Amy stirred just down the hall.  Pyro too heard this cry, and sat up in bed, struggling to rouse, while Aries and Oliver were slower to react.

   Amarie ran for the door, fearing that it was Mikomi climbing the trellis for whatever reason.  She opened the door, hurrying outside, only to find out it was worse than she imagined.  Mikomi was curled up, half hanging off the roof, still as sick and weak as before, incoherent and frightened, while Kashoku was the one climbing the trellis in an attempt to save him.

   Upstairs, Pyro peeked out the window to see Amarie standing on the lawn, looking frantic as she stared up at the roof.  The hedgecat hurried downstairs where Knuckles now stood, wondering where Amarie’s cries came from.

   Pyro ran up to him, and Knuckles asked, “Pyro?  Where’s Amarie?  Is she alright?”

   Hidama ran out of his room and cried, “Mikomi’s gone!  Where is he?”

   Knuckles looked at Hidama in horror, fearing both of his children were in danger.  Pyro ran for the front door and cried, “I don’t know about Mikomi, but Amarie is outside looking at the roof!  She said someone was climbing the trellis outside her window!”

   The brothers both exchanged another look of fear before running after Pyro and bounding outside, where the events were already unfolding.

   Kashoku had made it to the roof and was ready to bring Mikomi down, but Mikomi had now spotted Amarie and immediately recognized her as the one who had those two auras that comforted him before.  Now she comforted him more than even the morning sunlight, and torn between Kashoku trying to save him and Amarie crying out for him, Mikomi didn’t know what to do.

   The echidna king glanced down at the group in the yard.  He shouted, “Stop crying for him and attracting his attention!  Go back inside now!” in an intense, hissed whisper.

   Hidama, Knuckles, and Pyro knew that Kashoku could handle things once there were no more distractions and turned to go back inside.  However, they realized that Amarie was not following them.  She watched as Mikomi reluctantly stood up, keeping his eyes on Kashoku and nothing else.  She simply couldn’t leave until Mikomi was alright, but she did remain quiet as not to distract him.  Pyro, however, wanted to bring her back inside, and unfortunately brought the next horrors of that morning into play.

   He took a step back towards Amarie and cried out, “Amarie, come inside.  Kashoku will be able to get Mikomi down alright.  Come on,” in a hushed whisper.

   Amarie looked back at Pyro; while she knew she needed to stay quiet, her mood began to swing, as it had done so much for the past months, when Pyro told her to come inside.  Taking two steps away from him she cried softly, “Just let me stay Pyro.  If I don’t make any noise he won’t notice me and everything will be alright.  Let me stay here.”

   Pyro groaned softly, rubbing his forehead as if it pained him, looked at her gently, but firmly and said, “Come on Amarie, stop being silly.  Just come inside with us.”

   He reached out to take her hand, but she took another step back, crying, “No Pyro, let me stay here, please, that’s all I’m asking.”

   Poor Pyro knew this was a simple request, but all the stress from the evening before had shortened his fuse, and he wasn’t going to allow it.  He growled softly, not at Amarie, but in annoyance and said, “Amarie, stop it…just come inside!”

   On the roof, Kashoku had almost reached Mikomi, who remained oblivious to the confrontation below him, at least, until Amarie stepped closer to the house, almost directly below him.  He couldn’t hear the words being spoken, but closed his eyes as he trembled.  He could sense that the stronger of Amarie’s auras was in distress, and while he couldn’t understand why, the weaker of the two auras almost seemed to be crying out for the distress to be relieved.

   Mikomi opened his eyes, looking over his shoulder out of the corner of his eyes and saw Amarie and Pyro at odds below him.  Kashoku sensed that Mikomi was upset, and stepped closer to him, pleading, “Please, Mikomi, whatever’s troubling you, come with me so we can fix it.”

   Holding out his hand to Mikomi, the hybrid echidna looked at Kashoku as if he was deaf to Kashoku’s cries.  He stuttered, “Her aura…my aura…they’re…the same, in some parts…but hers is distressed…”

   Kashoku’s eyes widened in horror as Mikomi took one step to turn around.  Finally, he cried out, “Stay son of Knuckles!  Don’t you dare move!”

   At this point, Mikomi was blind to any reason.  Everyone from below heard Kashoku shout, drawing their eyes to the roof, just in time to see Mikomi lose his balance and fall from the roof, heading straight for Amarie below him.  Amarie let out a cry, unable to move as Mikomi fell.  Pyro pulled her out of the way fast, while Hidama reacted the quickest and dove for the ground Mikomi was falling to, catching his nephew in his arms, holding on to him tightly as everyone reeled from the shock.

   Knuckles ran to Hidama’s side as Kashoku climbed back down the trellis.  Hidama slowly began to sit up, still holding Mikomi, who was now crying softly, looking around at everyone in distress.  He stared at his father, uncle, and Amarie in particular, before closing his eyes once more, and cried, “Kashoku!  Kashoku!  Why have you abandoned me here?”

   Everyone let out a gasp; Knuckles looked heartbroken to see and hear his son suffer so much.  Hidama felt and showed the same distress.  Amarie began to weep, feeling tired and upset from all that had happened, while Pyro, still in shock, immediately felt bad for how he had acted, and simply held on to Amarie, hugging her and trying to comfort her.

   Kashoku got to the ground, but froze before running back to Mikomi.  He closed his eyes, and thought, “Mikomi should have remembered them all by now…or perhaps he had and his thoughts are all in a scrambled state because of all this torment and stress.”  Letting out a sigh, Kashoku looked up and said, “I haven’t abandoned you Mikomi, and neither has your family.  If you open your eyes you’ll see they’re all around you.  You told me you felt Amarie’s aura, as you feel my own…you can’t tell me that they aren’t your family…your father, your uncle, your sister…you know it in your heart.  Past all the confusion, sickness and fear, you know that…this is where you belong.”

   Letting out a soft gasp and abruptly opening his eyes, Mikomi looked up and past Hidama straight at Kashoku.  The ancient echidna king stood still, unmoving, his arms folded, his piercing amber eyes now frightening Mikomi, and as much as it hurt Kashoku to have to be firm like this, it was the only way he could encourage Mikomi to put his faith in his family, even as he still struggled to remember them.

    Mikomi felt his heart begin to slow as he saw Kashoku glare at him like this, a gaze only slightly less intense than the one he shot at Pyro the night before.  It frightened him, and while it wouldn’t permanently damage his relationship with his distant ancestor, while his body was sickened, his mind straining to function, and his spirit slowly breaking, he felt rejected by the one soul he thought he could trust, and now glanced around at the four figures above and around him.

   The figure that held him was also the one that rested on the couch in the room with him that morning.  It was he that stayed with Mikomi through the night, looking after him…much like he did, when they both were younger.  This was his uncle, for he could feel that bit of Kashoku’s aura, as well as the Guardian aura, but also one similar to the figure that stood beside him.  The figure that stood beside him had an aura made up of the Guardian aura, the hint of Kashoku’s, as well as some parts that Mikomi could feel within his own; however, this figure also shared similarities with the first figure’s aura.  If the one holding him was his uncle, then, did this mean that this soul was infact, his father?

   But what were their names?  Why couldn’t he remember their names?

   Before looking to the last two figures, Mikomi finally closed his eyes, unable to look at them, or Kashoku, any longer as he struggled through the pain and frailty to remember who these souls were.  It pained him to have forgotten those that obviously cared about him very much, and also had quite a deep connection to him; for they were his family.

   Hidama looked on sadly, holding on to Mikomi as tightly and gently as he could.  He rubbed Mikomi’s head gently, shedding a lone tear, and whispering, “It’s okay Miko.  Just, take your time…I—I know what it’s like, and surely Shadow could empathize.”

   Pyro looked up at Hidama and asked, “What do you mean?  When did you ever have a bout with amnesia, and this severe besides?”

   Drying his tears, Hidama looked up and said, “It was long before you were born…Mikomi wasn’t even born yet, although his birth did come in the immediate days after my recovery.  After I rescued Knuckles’ soul from near death, I offered my own in return, but instead was given a second chance at life, almost like Mikomi has, because of well, brotherly love.  Anyway, after I returned, I forgot almost everything.  The only thing I remembered immediately was Shadow, almost like Mikomi clings to Kashoku.  However, I gained things back slowly, and while Knuckles was the last thing I remembered, it was only a few short days before I did, and recovered fully.  We can only hope Mikomi will have this same fortune.”

   Kashoku remained a few feet away from them, but added, “Yes, often times it is the person that we hold the closest to our hearts that we remember the last, but the person we’ve come to depend on the most that comes back to us the quickest.  Everything else will come back in between.”

   Amarie looked down at his brother, one hand resting on her tummy, and the other cupped over her mouth as she tried to fight off her tears, and yet she couldn’t.  Her emotions got the better of her; she knelt down slowly, working her way to Mikomi’s side.  He opened his eyes to look at her, sensing those comforting auras, but having even more trouble recognizing her than his father and uncle.  As they stared at each other, eyes filled with tears, it seemed nobody knew what to say to make things better.

   Mikomi finally glanced down at Amarie’s belly, sensing the second, weaker aura as he did so.  While he was having trouble with some things, he knew what this meant.  This girl was carrying a baby inside of her…this was the source of the second aura.  He tried to remember who she was.  Her aura not only had hints of his father’s aura, but also the Guardian aura, and Kashoku’s aura, and at the same time, was also almost identical to his own.  Did this mean…that she was his sister?

   The minute he thought of his sister, he cringed, for it seemed that this memory was trying its hardest to elude him.  Seeing this pain and frustration, Amarie finally broke, moving forward and grabbing onto him tightly as she cried, “Mikomi, Mikomi, please, don’t pain yourself…but please…remember me!  Remember everyone, yourself, your life!  I don’t want you to hurt anymore…”

   Amarie burst into inconsolable tears, seen by how Pyro coming beside her to comfort her did nothing more than give her another arm to hold on to and cry into as he pulled her into a hug.  It wasn’t just her moods swinging anymore; Mikomi’s death was always a traumatic experience, and having to see Mikomi suffer this way was almost just as painful.

   Mikomi opened his eyes, fully as opposed to halfway, to watch his sister weep.  The figure that held her…his aura was different, and was the one he identified sleeping beside her before.  However, having come closer to the weaker aura that Amarie possessed, he could match some of the elements of it, to this figure’s aura, and finally matched Pyro as the father.  Still, he could only see their faces; other than trying to identify how they related to him through their auras, he was blind as to who they really were, or exactly why Amarie wept for him now.  All he knew was that he didn’t like her tears, for she was obviously in pain at seeing him this way, and as it always was in his youth, his heart melted when his baby sister was in pain, even if now he was unable to remember this.

   Fighting off his fatigue, illness, and pain, he sat up slowly, pulling away from Hidama’s arms and moving closer to his sister as Pyro held her.  Taking deep breaths, he waited for Pyro to look up at him.  Mikomi didn’t know how to start, but glanced at Pyro, and whispered, “I—I need to let her know…I’m alright.”

   Pyro’s eyes widened, both surprised and happy that Mikomi was able to fight his misery to help his sister, and nodded, gently raising Amarie up as she continued to cry, only to be taken into her brother’s arms.  He still felt unsteady, but somehow found some well of strength to see him through for the moment.

   It took Amarie a few moments to realize who was now holding her, but when she finally looked up at Mikomi’s face, her tears, her breath, even her heart froze for a moment as she stared into his eyes as he looked down at her.  He winced slightly, but still managed a weak, but reassuring smile.  He whispered, “I—I’m alright…I…wish you wouldn’t…cry anymore,” with an almost raspy voice.

   “Mi—Mikomi…,” Amarie murmured, her lips quivering as a few final tears rolled down her cheeks.

   Unable to remember her name, Mikomi still knew that this was his sister, and while the depth of their bond still escaped him, he still cared for her deeply.  Glancing down at her tummy once more, he immediately thought of her well-being, and just as Kashoku mentioned, he turned to who he depended on the most to help him, the first fragments that would ever return to him.

   He turned to Hidama, looking almost offended that Amarie was expected to have to sit outside in the cold, wet, morning air in her nightgown, with only a bathrobe and slippers to offer further protection, with a baby on the way.  After coughing hard to get his breath back, he asked, “Uncle Hidama, why on earth are you letting an expectant mother languish outside in the cold morning air?  That’s so unlike you…now you and Dad take her inside and get her breakfast and a blanket to wrap up in.”

   Having been told off by his own nephew, it took Hidama a few seconds to realize what had just happened.  Eyes widened, his smile strengthening, he said, “Mikomi!   You actually remember me?  And Knuckles, I mean, your father, you remember him too?”

   Mikomi looked around at everyone and shrugged, wincing again before replying, “Well…gosh…I guess, I—I do…”  Finally, the euphoria overtook him as he realized he could remember everything about his father and his uncle, everything from his first memories of them to his last, everything about them, and finally able to place names and relations with a face.

   Amarie sat up slowly, allowing Mikomi to turn around to look at Hidama and Knuckles.  That wondrous gaze on his face melted into one of sweet relief and joy.  He looked between them, tears pouring down his face, as he cried, “Dad…Uncle Hidama, I—I remember you!  Finally…I…I’m so…relieved…”

   Knuckles, who stood in shocked silence through this, immediately knelt down and embraced his son.  The reunion was finally happening, and the recovery, though starting slowly, was already in progress.

   As Knuckles, Hidama, and Mikomi has their reunion, Kashoku took a cue from Mikomi’s words and walked over to Amarie and Pyro, helping Amarie to her feet before walking towards the house.  Amarie and Pyro followed slowly but reluctantly, only to hear Kashoku whispering to himself a few feet away.

   “I was right…Knuckles and Hidama are his greatest protectors…his role models.  This is why he remembered them first, just as Hidama was able to remember Shadow upon awakening, seeing as Shadow was his savior.  Still, his recovery will be much more turbulent than Hidama’s ever was, for Hidama had his own body restored to him and his was more of a spiritual, emotional and mental recovery, while Mikomi’s is emotional, mental, and physical, physical most importantly and mental after.  It’s bound to be plagued with torment.”

   “Oh please don’t tell me that Kashoku, you can’t,” Amarie said as she came up behind him.

   Pyro held on to her hand, pulling her into a hug and saying, “Oh Amarie, I’m so sorry.  I wish nobody had to hurt anymore…especially you and Mikomi, but what else can we do that the process he’s going through won’t do on his own?”

   Kashoku looked at his distant granddaughter gently, seeing so much of his own daughter in her eyes, and able to feel the same auras in her that Mikomi did, hers, and that of the next heir to his line.  He placed his hand on her shoulder, causing both she and Pyro to look at him.  He smiled weakly and said, “We can make the process as smooth and comfortable as we can.  …I promised his grandfather I’d bring him home, but if Mikomi wants to stay and has that chance, I must make this transition as smooth and peaceful as possible.  That starts with getting him something to eat, plenty of fluids, and rest of course, and hopefully things won’t get much worse.”  He looked back to Knuckles and Hidama, who were now helping Mikomi stand, before looking back to Amarie and adding, “Of course, this also means I must work to gather the last chaos emeralds and wielders…and something tells me gathering the latter is more important…no doubt seeing the four of them, one most importantly, will help him heal, even if he can’t remember her, or any of them, right away.  He knows in his hearts that you all love him and are his family, and that’s all that matters.  His heart…will still guide him.”

   Amarie hung her head, looking back at her brother, before letting out a yawn.  Pyro laughed softly and said, “Come on Amarie, let’s get you inside.  It is kinda chilly out here…and I want to go ahead and make breakfast.”

   She smiled weakly, but nodded, and Pyro walked her past Kashoku to the door.  Kashoku, however, held Pyro back, and before Knuckles, Hidama, and Mikomi could reach them, he asked, “You said Hidama’s daughter Kelsey lived in Sandysun City with the other three wielders?  Do you have her phone number?  I need to call her and tell her that her family needs her.”

   Pyro nodded, and with that he and Kashoku quickly went inside, followed by Mikomi, Knuckles, and Hidama, still following slowly, for that frailty still plagued him, but with his father and uncle helping him along it was much easier for him.

   While Pyro started breakfast, Mikomi settled back down to rest on the living room couch, unable to place Aries or Oliver, and sadly, his mother.  He still could not remember Pyro, or his sister, who he clearly cared about more than anything.  This caused Kashoku to think that perhaps Amarie, being the closest to Mikomi’s heart, would be the last person he fully remembered.  It would be just as Hidama slowly remembered Knuckles; Mikomi would recall having a sister, and could recall just about everything about her before he would finally be able to concretely place a name and a face with the memories.

   Still, there were other elements of his life that Mikomi had left to remember, and so while the others ate breakfast, Kashoku retreated to a bedroom upstairs.  After Amy showed him how to use the telephone, which was still an invention that amazed him in how it worked even for his intelligence, he dialed the number Pyro gave him, and after just two rings, a voice, one that he never heard before but was still all too familiar as belonging to a dear family member, answered the phone.

   “Hello?  This is Kelsey Brokenstar speaking,” it said.

   Kashoku held his breath, for he knew he was speaking to the daughter of Hidama, his elder son, though separated by several generations, Kelsey, now married to the son of one of the Captains of the Guardian, though now this was simply a celebratory hereditary title, Zachary Brokenstar.  Still, he didn’t want to come across as a prank phone call and give her a bad impression, so he overcame this oddly mortal emotion, and spoke his intentions.

   “Yes, well…good morning to you Miss.  Before I introduce myself, indulge me a moment; are you indeed the daughter of Hinsei Hidama and Delilah Lynn…and your husband, the son of Aranelion and Camillia Brokenstar?” he asked.

   Kelsey, who was standing in her kitchen cooking breakfast, let out a small gasp.  For one, this voice sounded so familiar, even though she had never heard it before, almost in the same way hers sounded to Kashoku.  For the other, she wondered why this voice, well, person, was calling her to begin with, especially when he knew enough to place her and her husband Zachary with their parents.

   She reached and turned off the stove burner, allowing the strips of bacon she was frying to cool.  She switched the phone to her other hand and replied, “Well, yes sir, I am, and those are Zac’s parents too.  Now, might I ask, is there something I can help you with, or that Zac can help you with?”

   After a pause, Kashoku said, “Yes, I believe there is.  I asked you that to ask you this.  …Ten years ago, you suffered the loss of a family member…a cousin and brother in love, Suta-Mikomi, isn’t that right?”

   “Oh…,” Kelsey started.  She let out another gasp, higher this time, as she clenched her eyes shut to prevent any tears from forming as she thought of her long dead cousin, memories that still continued to pain her even ten years after his death.  Now she was slightly upset about this mystery caller, who not only knew enough about her and her husband to identify them, but also knew enough about her family to know of her cousin that died a decade before.

   Growing angry, she answered, “That’s right, but, why is this of any interest or concern to you?  Why do you even know about him, or Zachary and me?  What do you want from us?” in a firmer tone.

   Letting out a sigh, Kashoku knew it was best to get straight to the point, even if it hurt it to hear.  “Kelsey…having seen how Knuckles and Hidama reacted to this news initially, I can only surmise it’ll be just as hard to hear when it reaches your ears.  I, Kelsey, am your distant ancestor Kashoku, and your cousin, Suta-Mikomi…is alive.”

   Zachary walked into the kitchen at this point, only to find Kelsey unmoving, save for a slight tremble that rolled through her nerves.  Concerned, he asked, “Kelsey?  Sweetie, what’s wrong?”

   Kelsey couldn’t even turn to answer her husband.  Between being unsure of whether to believe this person, and the prospect that her cousin might indeed be alive again, she was overcome with a sudden weakness, dropped to her knees, and collapsed.

   “Kelsey!” Zachary cried out.  He ran to her side, pulling her into his lap, checking to see if she was alright, before he took the phone from her hands and asked, “Who is this?  Why did my wife faint just now?”

   “Oh dear…that is quite a different reaction than we got from Knuckles and Hidama, Amy too, of course, perhaps telling her that she was speaking to a long dead relative didn’t help either…,” Kashoku said, almost as if he were speaking to himself.

   Zachary’s eyes widened.  Growing angry, he asked, “I asked you a question, now answer me!  What’s this all about?”

   Kashoku returned his attention to the phone, and replied, “Gosh, I forgot to cover the receiver…I’ll never understand how phones work.  Anyway, I apologize, son of Aranelion, Captain of the Guardian.  I’d rather not explain it to you as I did for her.  Instead, I’d like to invite you to Station Square.  Kelsey’s father and uncle wish to have a visit over important family matters.  I also ask that you bring your cousin Jeremy and his wife Amberly with you when you come.  Do not tarry either.  You must come immediately.  I will say no more.”

   He hung up after this.  Zachary, slightly disgusted, slammed the phone down on the floor beside him and muttered, “Who the hell was that?  Did Knuckles and Hidama get a butler or something?”  He looked down to Kelsey, who finally started to rouse from fainting as he held her.  He smiled at her and asked, “Hey sweetie…are you alright?”

   Kelsey didn’t answer right away, still in daze and shock from what she heard.  She looked up at Zachary, a blank look in her eyes, and replied, “Zac…that guy.  He said his name was Kashoku…and that he was my, well, our ancestor, very distantly of course, and that…that Mikomi is…alive.”

   Zachary looked dumbfounded.  He said, “No way…that’s…impossible.  I went to medical school…and I know that that’s impossible…especially when you’ve been dead for as long as Kashoku has, or died in the way that Mikomi did, not even leaving a body.  Still, this guy, whoever he is, said that your dad and uncle want to see us, Jeremy and Amberly too…and immediately.  At least I’m on vacation now.”

   The two stood up, and as Kelsey redid her ponytail, she sighed and said, “Zac, I went to medical school too…and we both know what’s physiologically possible and what’s not, but, having lived around the Master Emerald and chaos energy and stories of Kashoku’s power for so long, I’m beginning to think it’s not impossible for such a thing.  You can never rule out the occasional miracle either.”

   Letting out a sigh, followed by a smile, Zachary replied, “That’s true…look, let’s not let this breakfast you made go to waste.  Then we’ll call Jeremy and Amberly, get packed, and go to Station Square and see what this is all about.”

   Kelsey returned his smile and gave him a quick kiss before he went to get two plates from the cabinet.  Before sitting down, Kelsey sighed quietly, and whispered, “Mikomi, could you really have…come back to me, to us all?  I’ve prayed for so long that you would be at peace, but at the same time that somehow you could come back.  Could my prayers finally have been answered?  Oh…I—I really hope so.”

   As she and Zachary sat down to have breakfast, Kelsey continued to think about her cousin.  She had no way of knowing that he was infact alive again, but instead of being at peace, was going through turmoil, and had to do his best to hang on to what little stability and comfort he had left, so far, in his father and uncle alone, and the sister, he could not yet remember.

Description
"Until the End of Forever"
By: Jade Lightning, a.k.a. Inuyashas-hanyougirl
Chapter 3: Something to Hold  on to

   The rain died out shortly after passing into nothing but a drizzle, the last wisps of rain hitting the earth shortly before morning.  The clouds broke apart, allowing for the first rays of the morning sun to fly across the sky unhindered.  A wash of these rays penetrated the east window of the guest room that Mikomi and Hidama had spent their slumbering hours in together.  They first fell over Hidama’s closed eyes as he slept on the couch underneath the window sill, yet this only caused him to clench his eyes shut tighter in response, before rolling over on his side, pulling the blanket he slept with over his head, letting out a tired groan, and going back to sleep.

   However, as this soft and gentle light graced Mikomi’s face, he reacted to it immediately.   Though he had gone as far as to have forgotten that he even had died, something inside of him was attracted to this comforting and peaceful light, reminded only of the solace of the afterlife rather than the afterlife itself.  He slowly opened his eyes, turned to face the morning sun, and he was able to smile as he let out a yawn.  Yet, this break from turmoil would be very short-lived.

   To his dismay, the moment he tried to sit up in bed, that same sickness and weak feeling from the evening before abruptly returned.  His stomach ached, his head was swimming, he felt light-headed and feverish, and his entire body, head to toe, ached fiercely.  He could feel every bone and muscle of his body clearly, almost as if they wanted to be felt, and thus pressed and tortured every nerve to send a message of pain so they could be heard.

   It wasn’t just the ill and frail feeling that got to him however; he was ultimately lost in confusion and disarray as to what was going on around him.  Despite his ailments, Mikomi sat up in bed and slowly edged to the side closest to the window, and thus, closest to where his uncle slept.  As his sleepy eyes adjusted to being used in the pale morning light, where it was still quite dark around him, he could barely make out this sleeping figure on the couch before him.  However, he knew it was there, and immediately placed it as being Kashoku; he simply could not find it in his mind that it would be anyone else.

   But no…Mikomi knew what Kashoku felt like…this aura about him that was unique and ultimately different from anyone to follow, even his direct descendants, who would only have a small trace of it, and while he could feel this small trace, he knew this wasn’t Kashoku before him, and because of this, he became more confused, and increasingly frightened.  Nothing made sense to him; where he was, who was with him, and what happened to Kashoku.  His memory was lapsing and short-circuiting on him again, and he cringed, bringing his hand to his head as his feet hit the floor.

   His voice barely audible, he whimpered, “Kashoku…where, where are we?  You’re—You’re the only thing I remember…my past…everything, is nothing but a collection of shattered fragments.  Why have you deserted me?”

   Despite all this anguish that rolled through him, Mikomi was frightened, and simply could not rest until he found Kashoku, the only thing that was familiar to him now as his body, mind, and soul tried to adapt back to mortality.  He stood up slowly, terribly dizzy and trying to balance his weight.  It was as if he couldn’t even remember what it felt like to walk, at least physically.  He knew how to walk, but until now couldn’t recollect what it felt like.

   Once he steadied himself, he paused, looking at the figure on the couch once more, and still unable to place him, his brain burning and paining him if he tried to, only able to recognize that faint aura of Kashoku.  He tried to ignore the pain, and still totally unaware of where he was, he made his way to the bedroom door, the house still dark, lit only by the occasional night light and the small amount of weak morning light that made it from the outside.

   It was like Mikomi was walking blind.  His eyes were tired, and opening them exposed them to the relatively chill, dry air, and caused them to itch and sting, so he kept them shut at first, hoping he could find Kashoku simply by sensing that familiar aura.  However, just as he entered the hallway, a wave of different signals flew at him.  Some of them had the aura of Kashoku, a few stronger than others, while others simply had that Guardian aura about them.  Still more were unfamiliar and strange, and he couldn’t pick out Kashoku’s from them.  They were overloading the only perception he had left, and all the turmoil, was taking its toll.

   A tear fell from his eyes, and he whimpered, “Kashoku, why have you abandoned me in this place?  Where…where am I?”  He put the emphasis on the word “am,” making a reference to where his spirit was, as opposed to his location.  He felt out of place, like a stain on a white T-shirt that was threatening to be bleached out for its loathed existence.

   In desperation, Mikomi turned to the only thing he recognized; a stream of light poured out of a window high on the wall above the first flight on the staircase.  Facing the east a flood of light met his eyes as he looked up to it, almost as if it was in faint representation of the gates of Heaven, something he couldn’t remember, but could still feel the peace of.

   That light was his salvation, his only way out of this miserable hell, and so he climbed the stairs, only to be let down when he got to the first landing with the window high on the wall above him.  However, he did get something from this discovery.

   He was on the inside; the light was on the outside of this cage, and it was also, much higher up.

   Determined to reach the light, Mikomi climbed the last flight of stairs, reaching the second floor, where that flood of auras hit him harder, although the aura of Kashoku was no longer present, save in a very small amount, which unknown to him, rested in his sister Amarie, and the baby that rested inside her.

   He did his best to ignore the auras, since he knew they weren’t Kashoku’s and felt that they were only there to distract and mislead him.  He took a few steps down the hall, looking for a way out of the building, but also for a way to the light.  He walked down the hallway, clenching his eyes shut as tightly as he could and still be able to see, and while he was ignoring the auras, his heart wouldn’t let him bypass one particular one.  It was a unique aura, different from all the rest.  It not only possessed a sliver of Kashoku’s, as well as the aura of the Guardian, but strangely enough…it was almost identical to his own.

   It was coming from the last bedroom on the right side of the hall.  The hall ended with one more staircase around the corner, and Mikomi knew it would lead him to the light and the outside, but he simply could not ignore this aura, and so he turned into the bedroom, still fighting this wave of frail, sick, and confused feelings that consumed him.  Despite this pain, his steps were silent, and after taking a few steps into the room, the aura hit him again; it was accompanied by not one, but two more auras.  The first one was stronger, possessing a small aura of the Guardian and the chaos aura, another ingredient of the makeup of Kashoku’s only smaller and of a different kind.  The second aura was much smaller, much weaker, almost completely overshadowed by the other two and perhaps almost impossible to detect.

   As Mikomi came up to the aura that was almost identical to his own, however, that second aura got even stronger.  He got up to the side of the king sized bed in the room, falling to his knees and panting from weakness, but could feel these auras stronger than ever.  The figure sleeping in the bed he knelt beside possessed that identical aura, but, oddly enough, also possessed the weaker one, which was still more familiar than any he had encountered so far.  It enchanted him, for instead of confusing him and scaring him both auras, especially the smaller one, comforted him.

   Unbeknownst to the suffering and dazed Mikomi, he was kneeling down on Amarie’s side of the bed.  She was facing him as she rested comfortably on her side, and thus her pregnant tummy faced outward as well, allowing for the second aura, her baby’s aura, to reach Mikomi much easier.  Both her aura and the baby’s aura comforted Mikomi in a way Kashoku’s probably could not at this point, for as Mikomi became more and more mortal, Kashoku would become unfamiliar, as would all of the afterlife.  Still, in these early stages, it was the familiarity of his sister, and the baby she carried, which brought him the first bit of mortal comfort in this second beginning of his life.

   The trek from the first floor guest room to Pyro and Amarie’s bedroom on the second floor had taken almost all of the little strength Mikomi had.  No amount of panting, shaking, sweating, or crying would bring it back now.  He leaned up against the side of the bed, the tips of his ears just underneath Amarie’s face, trying to get enough breath, and frustrated that the hardest he could pant was not enough to satisfy his needs.

   Again, that question of where he was came back to haunt him.  He wasn’t as afraid of this place he was in, as he was of why he was in it.  He felt out of his element, as if his spirit was somewhere far from here and trying to control his body from that out of reach locale.  Whatever it was, he knew he wouldn’t find relief here, even with these two beautiful auras beside him.  Unable to reason with himself properly, Mikomi struggled to his feet once more, looking back towards the source of both auras with regret of having to leave them.

   “Not here…,” Mikomi whimpered.  He turned to leave the bedroom for that second staircase around the corner.  As he climbed them, he added, “Why…why were those auras so comforting…and that one…so identical to my own?  Why…?”

   Now the very auras that comforted him only served to bewilder and scare him even more.  Once he got to the top of the stairs, he felt no more auras, but instead a large room of empty space before him.  Opening his eyes again, only half way, he could see that it was split into two different spaces…not by partitions, but by purpose and design.  The area farthest from him had a table with a row of poles sticking out from either side, as well as this large black box, and even more differently shaped boxes, some with lights and buttons, in the area.  The space closest to him was set up with a few different kinds of chairs, including a rocker, a bucket chair, and a recliner, a small round table between them and several crates with things in them.

   In reality, what he was seeing was Pyro’s favorite place to unwind with a foosball table, big screen television set with satellite, a state of the art stereo system, and all his favorite gaming platforms, farthest from him, and the area closest to him was where Amarie would sit to relax on occasion, doing everything from drawing and crafting to doing a crossword puzzle.  Most importantly however, and part of what was in those crates, this was where Amarie kept most of what was salvaged from Angel Island that her father and uncle didn’t keep, including all that was left of Mikomi’s old life.  However, the hybrid echidna was too sickened to notice, or even care.

   All he was focused on were the two large windows that opened up to the outside on either side of this room.  It was the attic of the house, and the walls were sloped, meeting high above his head, but this didn’t phase Mikomi.  He went for the window facing northeast, fumbling with it a second in order to open it, before stepping out of it, faced with two options.  He could climb to the pinnacle of the roof, or risk falling to the ground below.

   He had to go higher…closer to the sun…the source of that light and only bit of comfort left.

   On the ground below him, Kashoku, not needing sleep and having rested off his fatigue, had the same desire to walk in the light of the morning sun.  Fortunately, he was lucid enough to head straight for the front door, knowing where he was going and unafraid of the darkness around him.  The world was strange, much different from how it was when he walked it centuries before…the air was dirtier, there was much more noise and more unnecessary development.  Still, he could still see the fragile wonders of beauty the way they existed when he walked hand in hand with Mitsukai in his years in the world.

   He bent over to pick a flower from the cold, wet earth.  Bringing it up to his nose, he inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly, relaxing to its fragrance as he thought of his dear Mitsukai.  Opening his eyes, he whispered, “My lady, this world is quite different from the one we knew…no wonder our children suffered.  They were exposed to outside influences…Mikomi didn’t just die to the Master Emerald…he died and saved its power from this ugliness that has marred the world.  I weep for not just my own blood, but for the lives that all this darkness touches…for I have seen the greater, healing light, and pray so strongly that it touches them in their darkest hour.”

   After his prayer, he gently laid the flower on the ground where he uprooted it, letting out a woeful sigh of relief as he did so.  He put his clenched fist to his chest, holding it over his heart, and bowing his head in one final prayer.  Opening his eyes, he whispered, “Mmm, it does my heart good to send word for hope back to the ones I know.”  He stood erect, looking towards the house behind him, as he added, “We’re gonna need all the prayers for help that we can get.”

   He froze, letting out a gasp after he finished speaking, for on the edge of the roof above him, he could see Mikomi standing there, hanging his head but facing in the direction of the morning sun as it rose over the horizon.  Kashoku’s eyes flashed with horror, for while he didn’t know how Mikomi got on to the roof, what scared him was the fact that he was up there to begin with, in this fragile and unstable state besides.

   “Mikomi!” he cried out.  This got the hybrid echidna’s attention, causing him to look to the ground below, finally able to sense Kashoku’s aura.  He had found him at last, but was now so close to this comforting light, he was torn between trying to reach it, or retreating to Kashoku on the ground below.

   Sick and confused, Mikomi knelt down as well as he could, trying to focus his eyes better so he could see Kashoku, and whimpered, “Kashoku…why have you left me here?  Where am I?” he asked again, “Where am I?  I’m not where I feel safe…away from the light and all comfort.”

   The echidna king slowly walked back towards the house, unsure of what to do.  If he wasn’t confined to this fragile temporary body, saving Mikomi would be easy, but now both of them were in danger of having these capsules destroyed, their souls unable to return to the afterlife, and instead lost forever in the void of all that didn’t exist.

   Reaching up to Mikomi, Kashoku tried to comfort him.  “You are home Mikomi…where you belong.  The night and storm have passed, and the light and warmth of the new day are coming.  You do not need to search for it.  It is coming to you my son.  Please…trust my words.  You are afraid and weakened now…I’ll look after you.”

   Mikomi was silent after this, and it was this silence that killed Kashoku inside.  While the afterlife was obscure to him, unlike Mikomi he knew he belonged there and could still remember certain things of it…namely words that were said and feelings that there were, and some of those words and feelings returned to him now.

   **“Are you mad?  Do you have any idea what something like this might do to him?”

   “Patience!  Patience with me please…I beg thee, hearken to me first.  It is not impossible for us to pass freely from this place to the world we once walked in life; in fact it is only impossible to move from there to here until death bids one here.  Mikomi can go there with quite ease, the only thing is, once his task is done, he must return, for he does not belong there and cannot linger there after it is all said and done.”

   “But, my lord, are you really going to leave us here?  What can you possibly do there that you cannot do here?”

   “My lady, I can finish what I started in my life; I created the Master Emerald and the Seven as gifts to you, and yet I made them far too magnificent and powerful for their own good.  You heard me before did you not?  If I was able to channel almost all of my power into their making, then surely I have the strength to channel the Master Emerald’s power into the Seven so they may be at full strength forevermore, freeing Mikomi from the burden of it being tied to his spirit, and allowing for the Seven to properly protect life as long as they need to.  After this, Mikomi and I can return to you all, and we can be at peace again, as well as the lives of everyone we must leave behind.”

   “I understand…and I trust that you’ll see Mikomi and the world through safely no matter what faces you.”**

   These words he exchanged with Mikomi’s grandfather and Mitsukai flooded into his memory sharply, causing him to cringe as he remembered this hidden memory, just like Mikomi did as he tried to remember things but couldn’t.  He brought his outstretched hand to his forehead, and thought, “I swore to protect him…I swore to bring him back alive and well…or at least in this new situation to ensure he comes out of this in one piece so he can live life once all is said and done.  What am I to do?”

   The echidna king was awoken from his thoughts by a cry from above.

   “Kashoku!  Why have you abandoned me here?” Mikomi cried.

   Looking up, Kashoku saw that Mikomi had edged further over the roof and was now reaching down for Kashoku desperately.  Filled with horror, Kashoku looked around in a panic for a way to get on the roof, crying out, “I haven’t abandoned you Mikomi!  Just stay where you are!  I’m coming to get you!”

   Finally, Kashoku found a trellis on the side of the house, just outside Amarie’s bedroom window.  He ran over to it, keeping his eyes on Mikomi as he did so, and cried out again, “I’m coming to you Mikomi, I promise!  Just hold still!”

   As he scaled the trellis, Mikomi curled up in a ball, his ponytail hanging off the side of the house, and his head only halfway supported as he teetered there, whimpering and shaking, the cold morning air only making his sickness worse.  As Kashoku climbed, he scolded himself again, “Darn it Kashoku…just because you don’t need to eat and drink doesn’t mean Mikomi doesn’t.  He needs food and something to rehydrate him before he gets sicker.  I haven’t even been here one day and already I’m about to lose him.”

   The trellis repeatedly hit the wall as Kashoku climbed it, for while he was light, it was enough extra weight to put stress on the grille.  The tapping sound got louder as he reached Amarie’s bedroom window, and it was enough to stir her out of her sleep.  She let out a sleepy yawn, a smile on her face as her baby woke her up with a little kick, she sat up slowly, only to hear the tapping sound being made by the trellis.  She looked to the window and saw the vines hanging off it shaking as Kashoku climbed it.  He made it past her window, and she could see the strands of rusty red hair waving in the wind behind him.

   Already frightened enough, she shook Pyro and cried, “Pyro!  Pyro!  Wake up!  Somebody’s climbing the trellis outside our window!”

   The hedgecat, drowsy and half hoping the events of the night before were a dream, growled softly and said, “Come off it Amarie…it’s probably just a raccoon or something.  Relax…”

   Amarie frowned, knowing full well a raccoon couldn’t make that much noise.  Leaving Pyro, who was clearly grouchy, to sleep, she wiggled her feet into her slippers, pulled on her bathrobe, and made her way down the stairs as quickly as she could.  She headed for the front door, but decided to peek in on Mikomi first, only to find his bed was empty, even when Hidama remained asleep on the couch in the room.

   “Mikomi!” Amarie cried, loudly enough to be heard throughout the house without being harsh or shrill.  Hidama woke up instantly, while Knuckles and Amy stirred just down the hall.  Pyro too heard this cry, and sat up in bed, struggling to rouse, while Aries and Oliver were slower to react.

   Amarie ran for the door, fearing that it was Mikomi climbing the trellis for whatever reason.  She opened the door, hurrying outside, only to find out it was worse than she imagined.  Mikomi was curled up, half hanging off the roof, still as sick and weak as before, incoherent and frightened, while Kashoku was the one climbing the trellis in an attempt to save him.

   Upstairs, Pyro peeked out the window to see Amarie standing on the lawn, looking frantic as she stared up at the roof.  The hedgecat hurried downstairs where Knuckles now stood, wondering where Amarie’s cries came from.

   Pyro ran up to him, and Knuckles asked, “Pyro?  Where’s Amarie?  Is she alright?”

   Hidama ran out of his room and cried, “Mikomi’s gone!  Where is he?”

   Knuckles looked at Hidama in horror, fearing both of his children were in danger.  Pyro ran for the front door and cried, “I don’t know about Mikomi, but Amarie is outside looking at the roof!  She said someone was climbing the trellis outside her window!”

   The brothers both exchanged another look of fear before running after Pyro and bounding outside, where the events were already unfolding.

   Kashoku had made it to the roof and was ready to bring Mikomi down, but Mikomi had now spotted Amarie and immediately recognized her as the one who had those two auras that comforted him before.  Now she comforted him more than even the morning sunlight, and torn between Kashoku trying to save him and Amarie crying out for him, Mikomi didn’t know what to do.

   The echidna king glanced down at the group in the yard.  He shouted, “Stop crying for him and attracting his attention!  Go back inside now!” in an intense, hissed whisper.

   Hidama, Knuckles, and Pyro knew that Kashoku could handle things once there were no more distractions and turned to go back inside.  However, they realized that Amarie was not following them.  She watched as Mikomi reluctantly stood up, keeping his eyes on Kashoku and nothing else.  She simply couldn’t leave until Mikomi was alright, but she did remain quiet as not to distract him.  Pyro, however, wanted to bring her back inside, and unfortunately brought the next horrors of that morning into play.

   He took a step back towards Amarie and cried out, “Amarie, come inside.  Kashoku will be able to get Mikomi down alright.  Come on,” in a hushed whisper.

   Amarie looked back at Pyro; while she knew she needed to stay quiet, her mood began to swing, as it had done so much for the past months, when Pyro told her to come inside.  Taking two steps away from him she cried softly, “Just let me stay Pyro.  If I don’t make any noise he won’t notice me and everything will be alright.  Let me stay here.”

   Pyro groaned softly, rubbing his forehead as if it pained him, looked at her gently, but firmly and said, “Come on Amarie, stop being silly.  Just come inside with us.”

   He reached out to take her hand, but she took another step back, crying, “No Pyro, let me stay here, please, that’s all I’m asking.”

   Poor Pyro knew this was a simple request, but all the stress from the evening before had shortened his fuse, and he wasn’t going to allow it.  He growled softly, not at Amarie, but in annoyance and said, “Amarie, stop it…just come inside!”

   On the roof, Kashoku had almost reached Mikomi, who remained oblivious to the confrontation below him, at least, until Amarie stepped closer to the house, almost directly below him.  He couldn’t hear the words being spoken, but closed his eyes as he trembled.  He could sense that the stronger of Amarie’s auras was in distress, and while he couldn’t understand why, the weaker of the two auras almost seemed to be crying out for the distress to be relieved.

   Mikomi opened his eyes, looking over his shoulder out of the corner of his eyes and saw Amarie and Pyro at odds below him.  Kashoku sensed that Mikomi was upset, and stepped closer to him, pleading, “Please, Mikomi, whatever’s troubling you, come with me so we can fix it.”

   Holding out his hand to Mikomi, the hybrid echidna looked at Kashoku as if he was deaf to Kashoku’s cries.  He stuttered, “Her aura…my aura…they’re…the same, in some parts…but hers is distressed…”

   Kashoku’s eyes widened in horror as Mikomi took one step to turn around.  Finally, he cried out, “Stay son of Knuckles!  Don’t you dare move!”

   At this point, Mikomi was blind to any reason.  Everyone from below heard Kashoku shout, drawing their eyes to the roof, just in time to see Mikomi lose his balance and fall from the roof, heading straight for Amarie below him.  Amarie let out a cry, unable to move as Mikomi fell.  Pyro pulled her out of the way fast, while Hidama reacted the quickest and dove for the ground Mikomi was falling to, catching his nephew in his arms, holding on to him tightly as everyone reeled from the shock.

   Knuckles ran to Hidama’s side as Kashoku climbed back down the trellis.  Hidama slowly began to sit up, still holding Mikomi, who was now crying softly, looking around at everyone in distress.  He stared at his father, uncle, and Amarie in particular, before closing his eyes once more, and cried, “Kashoku!  Kashoku!  Why have you abandoned me here?”

   Everyone let out a gasp; Knuckles looked heartbroken to see and hear his son suffer so much.  Hidama felt and showed the same distress.  Amarie began to weep, feeling tired and upset from all that had happened, while Pyro, still in shock, immediately felt bad for how he had acted, and simply held on to Amarie, hugging her and trying to comfort her.

   Kashoku got to the ground, but froze before running back to Mikomi.  He closed his eyes, and thought, “Mikomi should have remembered them all by now…or perhaps he had and his thoughts are all in a scrambled state because of all this torment and stress.”  Letting out a sigh, Kashoku looked up and said, “I haven’t abandoned you Mikomi, and neither has your family.  If you open your eyes you’ll see they’re all around you.  You told me you felt Amarie’s aura, as you feel my own…you can’t tell me that they aren’t your family…your father, your uncle, your sister…you know it in your heart.  Past all the confusion, sickness and fear, you know that…this is where you belong.”

   Letting out a soft gasp and abruptly opening his eyes, Mikomi looked up and past Hidama straight at Kashoku.  The ancient echidna king stood still, unmoving, his arms folded, his piercing amber eyes now frightening Mikomi, and as much as it hurt Kashoku to have to be firm like this, it was the only way he could encourage Mikomi to put his faith in his family, even as he still struggled to remember them.

    Mikomi felt his heart begin to slow as he saw Kashoku glare at him like this, a gaze only slightly less intense than the one he shot at Pyro the night before.  It frightened him, and while it wouldn’t permanently damage his relationship with his distant ancestor, while his body was sickened, his mind straining to function, and his spirit slowly breaking, he felt rejected by the one soul he thought he could trust, and now glanced around at the four figures above and around him.

   The figure that held him was also the one that rested on the couch in the room with him that morning.  It was he that stayed with Mikomi through the night, looking after him…much like he did, when they both were younger.  This was his uncle, for he could feel that bit of Kashoku’s aura, as well as the Guardian aura, but also one similar to the figure that stood beside him.  The figure that stood beside him had an aura made up of the Guardian aura, the hint of Kashoku’s, as well as some parts that Mikomi could feel within his own; however, this figure also shared similarities with the first figure’s aura.  If the one holding him was his uncle, then, did this mean that this soul was infact, his father?

   But what were their names?  Why couldn’t he remember their names?

   Before looking to the last two figures, Mikomi finally closed his eyes, unable to look at them, or Kashoku, any longer as he struggled through the pain and frailty to remember who these souls were.  It pained him to have forgotten those that obviously cared about him very much, and also had quite a deep connection to him; for they were his family.

   Hidama looked on sadly, holding on to Mikomi as tightly and gently as he could.  He rubbed Mikomi’s head gently, shedding a lone tear, and whispering, “It’s okay Miko.  Just, take your time…I—I know what it’s like, and surely Shadow could empathize.”

   Pyro looked up at Hidama and asked, “What do you mean?  When did you ever have a bout with amnesia, and this severe besides?”

   Drying his tears, Hidama looked up and said, “It was long before you were born…Mikomi wasn’t even born yet, although his birth did come in the immediate days after my recovery.  After I rescued Knuckles’ soul from near death, I offered my own in return, but instead was given a second chance at life, almost like Mikomi has, because of well, brotherly love.  Anyway, after I returned, I forgot almost everything.  The only thing I remembered immediately was Shadow, almost like Mikomi clings to Kashoku.  However, I gained things back slowly, and while Knuckles was the last thing I remembered, it was only a few short days before I did, and recovered fully.  We can only hope Mikomi will have this same fortune.”

   Kashoku remained a few feet away from them, but added, “Yes, often times it is the person that we hold the closest to our hearts that we remember the last, but the person we’ve come to depend on the most that comes back to us the quickest.  Everything else will come back in between.”

   Amarie looked down at his brother, one hand resting on her tummy, and the other cupped over her mouth as she tried to fight off her tears, and yet she couldn’t.  Her emotions got the better of her; she knelt down slowly, working her way to Mikomi’s side.  He opened his eyes to look at her, sensing those comforting auras, but having even more trouble recognizing her than his father and uncle.  As they stared at each other, eyes filled with tears, it seemed nobody knew what to say to make things better.

   Mikomi finally glanced down at Amarie’s belly, sensing the second, weaker aura as he did so.  While he was having trouble with some things, he knew what this meant.  This girl was carrying a baby inside of her…this was the source of the second aura.  He tried to remember who she was.  Her aura not only had hints of his father’s aura, but also the Guardian aura, and Kashoku’s aura, and at the same time, was also almost identical to his own.  Did this mean…that she was his sister?

   The minute he thought of his sister, he cringed, for it seemed that this memory was trying its hardest to elude him.  Seeing this pain and frustration, Amarie finally broke, moving forward and grabbing onto him tightly as she cried, “Mikomi, Mikomi, please, don’t pain yourself…but please…remember me!  Remember everyone, yourself, your life!  I don’t want you to hurt anymore…”

   Amarie burst into inconsolable tears, seen by how Pyro coming beside her to comfort her did nothing more than give her another arm to hold on to and cry into as he pulled her into a hug.  It wasn’t just her moods swinging anymore; Mikomi’s death was always a traumatic experience, and having to see Mikomi suffer this way was almost just as painful.

   Mikomi opened his eyes, fully as opposed to halfway, to watch his sister weep.  The figure that held her…his aura was different, and was the one he identified sleeping beside her before.  However, having come closer to the weaker aura that Amarie possessed, he could match some of the elements of it, to this figure’s aura, and finally matched Pyro as the father.  Still, he could only see their faces; other than trying to identify how they related to him through their auras, he was blind as to who they really were, or exactly why Amarie wept for him now.  All he knew was that he didn’t like her tears, for she was obviously in pain at seeing him this way, and as it always was in his youth, his heart melted when his baby sister was in pain, even if now he was unable to remember this.

   Fighting off his fatigue, illness, and pain, he sat up slowly, pulling away from Hidama’s arms and moving closer to his sister as Pyro held her.  Taking deep breaths, he waited for Pyro to look up at him.  Mikomi didn’t know how to start, but glanced at Pyro, and whispered, “I—I need to let her know…I’m alright.”

   Pyro’s eyes widened, both surprised and happy that Mikomi was able to fight his misery to help his sister, and nodded, gently raising Amarie up as she continued to cry, only to be taken into her brother’s arms.  He still felt unsteady, but somehow found some well of strength to see him through for the moment.

   It took Amarie a few moments to realize who was now holding her, but when she finally looked up at Mikomi’s face, her tears, her breath, even her heart froze for a moment as she stared into his eyes as he looked down at her.  He winced slightly, but still managed a weak, but reassuring smile.  He whispered, “I—I’m alright…I…wish you wouldn’t…cry anymore,” with an almost raspy voice.

   “Mi—Mikomi…,” Amarie murmured, her lips quivering as a few final tears rolled down her cheeks.

   Unable to remember her name, Mikomi still knew that this was his sister, and while the depth of their bond still escaped him, he still cared for her deeply.  Glancing down at her tummy once more, he immediately thought of her well-being, and just as Kashoku mentioned, he turned to who he depended on the most to help him, the first fragments that would ever return to him.

   He turned to Hidama, looking almost offended that Amarie was expected to have to sit outside in the cold, wet, morning air in her nightgown, with only a bathrobe and slippers to offer further protection, with a baby on the way.  After coughing hard to get his breath back, he asked, “Uncle Hidama, why on earth are you letting an expectant mother languish outside in the cold morning air?  That’s so unlike you…now you and Dad take her inside and get her breakfast and a blanket to wrap up in.”

   Having been told off by his own nephew, it took Hidama a few seconds to realize what had just happened.  Eyes widened, his smile strengthening, he said, “Mikomi!   You actually remember me?  And Knuckles, I mean, your father, you remember him too?”

   Mikomi looked around at everyone and shrugged, wincing again before replying, “Well…gosh…I guess, I—I do…”  Finally, the euphoria overtook him as he realized he could remember everything about his father and his uncle, everything from his first memories of them to his last, everything about them, and finally able to place names and relations with a face.

   Amarie sat up slowly, allowing Mikomi to turn around to look at Hidama and Knuckles.  That wondrous gaze on his face melted into one of sweet relief and joy.  He looked between them, tears pouring down his face, as he cried, “Dad…Uncle Hidama, I—I remember you!  Finally…I…I’m so…relieved…”

   Knuckles, who stood in shocked silence through this, immediately knelt down and embraced his son.  The reunion was finally happening, and the recovery, though starting slowly, was already in progress.

   As Knuckles, Hidama, and Mikomi has their reunion, Kashoku took a cue from Mikomi’s words and walked over to Amarie and Pyro, helping Amarie to her feet before walking towards the house.  Amarie and Pyro followed slowly but reluctantly, only to hear Kashoku whispering to himself a few feet away.

   “I was right…Knuckles and Hidama are his greatest protectors…his role models.  This is why he remembered them first, just as Hidama was able to remember Shadow upon awakening, seeing as Shadow was his savior.  Still, his recovery will be much more turbulent than Hidama’s ever was, for Hidama had his own body restored to him and his was more of a spiritual, emotional and mental recovery, while Mikomi’s is emotional, mental, and physical, physical most importantly and mental after.  It’s bound to be plagued with torment.”

   “Oh please don’t tell me that Kashoku, you can’t,” Amarie said as she came up behind him.

   Pyro held on to her hand, pulling her into a hug and saying, “Oh Amarie, I’m so sorry.  I wish nobody had to hurt anymore…especially you and Mikomi, but what else can we do that the process he’s going through won’t do on his own?”

   Kashoku looked at his distant granddaughter gently, seeing so much of his own daughter in her eyes, and able to feel the same auras in her that Mikomi did, hers, and that of the next heir to his line.  He placed his hand on her shoulder, causing both she and Pyro to look at him.  He smiled weakly and said, “We can make the process as smooth and comfortable as we can.  …I promised his grandfather I’d bring him home, but if Mikomi wants to stay and has that chance, I must make this transition as smooth and peaceful as possible.  That starts with getting him something to eat, plenty of fluids, and rest of course, and hopefully things won’t get much worse.”  He looked back to Knuckles and Hidama, who were now helping Mikomi stand, before looking back to Amarie and adding, “Of course, this also means I must work to gather the last chaos emeralds and wielders…and something tells me gathering the latter is more important…no doubt seeing the four of them, one most importantly, will help him heal, even if he can’t remember her, or any of them, right away.  He knows in his hearts that you all love him and are his family, and that’s all that matters.  His heart…will still guide him.”

   Amarie hung her head, looking back at her brother, before letting out a yawn.  Pyro laughed softly and said, “Come on Amarie, let’s get you inside.  It is kinda chilly out here…and I want to go ahead and make breakfast.”

   She smiled weakly, but nodded, and Pyro walked her past Kashoku to the door.  Kashoku, however, held Pyro back, and before Knuckles, Hidama, and Mikomi could reach them, he asked, “You said Hidama’s daughter Kelsey lived in Sandysun City with the other three wielders?  Do you have her phone number?  I need to call her and tell her that her family needs her.”

   Pyro nodded, and with that he and Kashoku quickly went inside, followed by Mikomi, Knuckles, and Hidama, still following slowly, for that frailty still plagued him, but with his father and uncle helping him along it was much easier for him.

   While Pyro started breakfast, Mikomi settled back down to rest on the living room couch, unable to place Aries or Oliver, and sadly, his mother.  He still could not remember Pyro, or his sister, who he clearly cared about more than anything.  This caused Kashoku to think that perhaps Amarie, being the closest to Mikomi’s heart, would be the last person he fully remembered.  It would be just as Hidama slowly remembered Knuckles; Mikomi would recall having a sister, and could recall just about everything about her before he would finally be able to concretely place a name and a face with the memories.

   Still, there were other elements of his life that Mikomi had left to remember, and so while the others ate breakfast, Kashoku retreated to a bedroom upstairs.  After Amy showed him how to use the telephone, which was still an invention that amazed him in how it worked even for his intelligence, he dialed the number Pyro gave him, and after just two rings, a voice, one that he never heard before but was still all too familiar as belonging to a dear family member, answered the phone.

   “Hello?  This is Kelsey Brokenstar speaking,” it said.

   Kashoku held his breath, for he knew he was speaking to the daughter of Hidama, his elder son, though separated by several generations, Kelsey, now married to the son of one of the Captains of the Guardian, though now this was simply a celebratory hereditary title, Zachary Brokenstar.  Still, he didn’t want to come across as a prank phone call and give her a bad impression, so he overcame this oddly mortal emotion, and spoke his intentions.

   “Yes, well…good morning to you Miss.  Before I introduce myself, indulge me a moment; are you indeed the daughter of Hinsei Hidama and Delilah Lynn…and your husband, the son of Aranelion and Camillia Brokenstar?” he asked.

   Kelsey, who was standing in her kitchen cooking breakfast, let out a small gasp.  For one, this voice sounded so familiar, even though she had never heard it before, almost in the same way hers sounded to Kashoku.  For the other, she wondered why this voice, well, person, was calling her to begin with, especially when he knew enough to place her and her husband Zachary with their parents.

   She reached and turned off the stove burner, allowing the strips of bacon she was frying to cool.  She switched the phone to her other hand and replied, “Well, yes sir, I am, and those are Zac’s parents too.  Now, might I ask, is there something I can help you with, or that Zac can help you with?”

   After a pause, Kashoku said, “Yes, I believe there is.  I asked you that to ask you this.  …Ten years ago, you suffered the loss of a family member…a cousin and brother in love, Suta-Mikomi, isn’t that right?”

   “Oh…,” Kelsey started.  She let out another gasp, higher this time, as she clenched her eyes shut to prevent any tears from forming as she thought of her long dead cousin, memories that still continued to pain her even ten years after his death.  Now she was slightly upset about this mystery caller, who not only knew enough about her and her husband to identify them, but also knew enough about her family to know of her cousin that died a decade before.

   Growing angry, she answered, “That’s right, but, why is this of any interest or concern to you?  Why do you even know about him, or Zachary and me?  What do you want from us?” in a firmer tone.

   Letting out a sigh, Kashoku knew it was best to get straight to the point, even if it hurt it to hear.  “Kelsey…having seen how Knuckles and Hidama reacted to this news initially, I can only surmise it’ll be just as hard to hear when it reaches your ears.  I, Kelsey, am your distant ancestor Kashoku, and your cousin, Suta-Mikomi…is alive.”

   Zachary walked into the kitchen at this point, only to find Kelsey unmoving, save for a slight tremble that rolled through her nerves.  Concerned, he asked, “Kelsey?  Sweetie, what’s wrong?”

   Kelsey couldn’t even turn to answer her husband.  Between being unsure of whether to believe this person, and the prospect that her cousin might indeed be alive again, she was overcome with a sudden weakness, dropped to her knees, and collapsed.

   “Kelsey!” Zachary cried out.  He ran to her side, pulling her into his lap, checking to see if she was alright, before he took the phone from her hands and asked, “Who is this?  Why did my wife faint just now?”

   “Oh dear…that is quite a different reaction than we got from Knuckles and Hidama, Amy too, of course, perhaps telling her that she was speaking to a long dead relative didn’t help either…,” Kashoku said, almost as if he were speaking to himself.

   Zachary’s eyes widened.  Growing angry, he asked, “I asked you a question, now answer me!  What’s this all about?”

   Kashoku returned his attention to the phone, and replied, “Gosh, I forgot to cover the receiver…I’ll never understand how phones work.  Anyway, I apologize, son of Aranelion, Captain of the Guardian.  I’d rather not explain it to you as I did for her.  Instead, I’d like to invite you to Station Square.  Kelsey’s father and uncle wish to have a visit over important family matters.  I also ask that you bring your cousin Jeremy and his wife Amberly with you when you come.  Do not tarry either.  You must come immediately.  I will say no more.”

   He hung up after this.  Zachary, slightly disgusted, slammed the phone down on the floor beside him and muttered, “Who the hell was that?  Did Knuckles and Hidama get a butler or something?”  He looked down to Kelsey, who finally started to rouse from fainting as he held her.  He smiled at her and asked, “Hey sweetie…are you alright?”

   Kelsey didn’t answer right away, still in daze and shock from what she heard.  She looked up at Zachary, a blank look in her eyes, and replied, “Zac…that guy.  He said his name was Kashoku…and that he was my, well, our ancestor, very distantly of course, and that…that Mikomi is…alive.”

   Zachary looked dumbfounded.  He said, “No way…that’s…impossible.  I went to medical school…and I know that that’s impossible…especially when you’ve been dead for as long as Kashoku has, or died in the way that Mikomi did, not even leaving a body.  Still, this guy, whoever he is, said that your dad and uncle want to see us, Jeremy and Amberly too…and immediately.  At least I’m on vacation now.”

   The two stood up, and as Kelsey redid her ponytail, she sighed and said, “Zac, I went to medical school too…and we both know what’s physiologically possible and what’s not, but, having lived around the Master Emerald and chaos energy and stories of Kashoku’s power for so long, I’m beginning to think it’s not impossible for such a thing.  You can never rule out the occasional miracle either.”

   Letting out a sigh, followed by a smile, Zachary replied, “That’s true…look, let’s not let this breakfast you made go to waste.  Then we’ll call Jeremy and Amberly, get packed, and go to Station Square and see what this is all about.”

   Kelsey returned his smile and gave him a quick kiss before he went to get two plates from the cabinet.  Before sitting down, Kelsey sighed quietly, and whispered, “Mikomi, could you really have…come back to me, to us all?  I’ve prayed for so long that you would be at peace, but at the same time that somehow you could come back.  Could my prayers finally have been answered?  Oh…I—I really hope so.”

   As she and Zachary sat down to have breakfast, Kelsey continued to think about her cousin.  She had no way of knowing that he was infact alive again, but instead of being at peace, was going through turmoil, and had to do his best to hang on to what little stability and comfort he had left, so far, in his father and uncle alone, and the sister, he could not yet remember.