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"Until the End of Forever"
By: Jade Lightning, a.k.a. Inuyashas-hanyougirl
Chapter 4: Building Stability

   After finishing their breakfast, Zachary called his cousin Jeremy and told him what had happened.  Jeremy, showing a spot of his father’s personality laughed about it at first, but when he realized his cousin was serious, agreed to go to Station Square with them.  He hung up, promising to get himself and Amberly ready, but asked that Zachary and Kelsey go ahead on their own.

   It didn’t take long for Zachary and Kelsey to get packed and ready to go.  Zachary was dressed in his favorite, casual out fit; black slacks, a grey T-shirt, and a blue windbreaker jacket, along with his blue boots that had a black stripe down the middle.  His white gloves completed the ensemble.

   Zachary was tall for being a hybrid, about as tall as a full grown, full blooded echidna male, Hidama or Knuckles to be exact, and was infact, an inch or so taller than his father because of it.  This abnormality came from his mother’s height gene.  Other traits he inherited from his mother included both her eye shape and color, facial structure, and his long, cat-like tail.  However, he inherited his yellow fur from his father, as well as the orange triangle marks near his eyes, which were now deemed as a hereditary birthmark, symbolic of the Brokenstar blood-line, since his cousin Jeremy inherited them as well, albeit his were red while Zachary’s were orange.

   Infact, Zachary had no red markings whatsoever.  Instead, any markings he had were all orange.  He wore his hair much like his mother did, minus the fact that his hair was cut at the same length of his father’s.  His locks were tipped in orange only, and his bangs were striped with orange highlights.  His ears had the orange tips, but instead of cutting off evenly near the top, the orange fur tapered away in the front revealing yellow fur, while the backs of his ears were lined in the orange fur, creating a yellow triangle of fur between them.

   His tail, though long, flowing, and cat like, was still shaped and colored like his father’s echidna tail.  It was tipped in orange, bent midway, and ended at a point, but simply swished and hung like a cat tail.  He was the first example of the child of a hybrid and full blooded union, and was an example of what this new generation of hybrid children would look like, not coming from full blooded parents, but the children of these hybrids.  Soon, it wouldn’t just be two different species coming together, but instead you’d have children being born with at least three different species worth of blood flowing through their veins.  The future child of Aries and Oliver would be a good example, for it would have cat, hedgehog, fox, and rabbit blood flowing through it.  However, in Zachary Brokenstar, it was now known that if anything, these hybrid children would remain relatively unchanged from those who came before them.  They would simply look the most like the predominate gene in their DNA, while sporting features of the rest that flowed through them.

   Once Zachary was done packing, he sat down in his living room to wait for Kelsey, who was blow-drying her hair after a shower.  He shouted, “Hey Kelsey, I have a funny feeling that he’ll want to see Dad and Uncle Ell eventually, especially if they’re his direct descendants after all.  Maybe I should call them.”

   The sound of the blow-dryer faded away, and Kelsey walked into the living room with her backpack in her hands.  Her looks had changed a lot with the passage of years, as had everyone’s.  Her hair was no longer styled in dreadlocks, and now fell to an end right below her tail.  The white bands in her hair now formed zig-zag stripes.  Her bangs were now slightly more ruffled, and streaked with red.  Not wanting the flecks of red in her hair to be lost among the light blue, she used the red dye on her bangs to bring them out, lucky to find a shade of red identical to the color of her father’s fur.

   She wore two silver stud earrings in each ear.  Her outfit was inspired by her mother’s.  She wore a sleeveless shirt, black with a purple stripe down the center, just like her mother’s teal one with the white stripe.  Her denim flares were cut into loose triangles right at the flare, revealing purple material underneath.  The denim, infact covered up the purple pants underneath.  They were her favorite pair of pants, and she wore them with two brown leather belts, crisscrossed at the top.  Her black, fingerless gloves with purple cuffs, and black and brown slip-on shoes completed the ensemble.

   Kelsey smiled at her husband, shaking her head and replied, “I wouldn’t be surprised if that guy Kashoku hadn’t already called them…unless this is all some sick joke or something.”  Letting out a sigh, she grabbed her car keys and headed for the door.

   Zachary frowned, standing up quickly and grabbing his duffle bag.  He caught up to Kelsey as she reached to open the door.  Placing his hand on her shoulder, she looked at him, and he replied, “Aww Kelsey…who would kid about something like this?  Did he sound like anyone you know?  Whoever he was, if this was a joke, he has a sick sense of humor.  He acted like he didn’t even know how to use the phone.”

   He reached past her and opened up the door, letting her step out into the hallway first as he locked the door behind them.  She sighed once more and said, “That’s just it Zac.  His voice sounded familiar, but after running over every person I’ve ever known in my life, I can’t place it with anybody.  It’s almost as if the only reason it sounds familiar is because, well…he’s family.  If it really is Kashoku, then that would explain why he doesn’t know how to use the phone that well.  I’ve just…never been so confused before in my life.”

   The two walked hand in hand to the elevator, riding it down to the parking garage.  After mulling over a response, Zachary replied, “I just don’t understand…I’m not really questioning the possibility of Mikomi and Kashoku coming here from the dead as much as I am their timing.  Stuff like this, in legend or fiction, really only comes when something bad is about to happen.”

   Stepping into the parking garage, Kelsey laughed weakly and replied, “Don’t tell me that Zachary.  This is the not the time for something to be going wrong.  Amarie’s baby is due at the end of the month.  This is the last thing any of us need.  I’m pissed off to tell you the truth.  If Mikomi’s going to come back just to help us in another fight for survival and leave us again, then, well, I think it’d be better for him and Kashoku to let us handle things ourselves.  The last thing Amarie needs is to lose Mikomi again…it nearly killed her the first time.”

   Zachary let out a sigh as he threw his duffle bag into the backseat of his car.  Getting into the driver’s seat, he replied, “I’ll never forget that night…she and Pyro had had a fight and your dad called us and told us she had run away.  Then she was in the hospital three days later after she fell off that building near the Chemical Plant.  It drove her to attempt suicide…that’s what the fight was about…I recall Pyro proposed to her that night too, even if the formal proposal didn’t come for three more years.”

   The engine of their vehicle roared to life as they both buckled their seatbelts.  Kelsey sighed again and replied, “That’s what I’m talking about Zac!  She and Pyro fought because she was crying about Mikomi so much.  She wanted to die so she could be with him again, and then called herself selfish because she was all Uncle Knuckles and Aunt Amy had left.  Remember?  She fought with them that night too, and that’s why she ran away.  The police cornered her on that building and out of fear of being arrested she nearly fell to her death.  If Mikomi has to leave us again, I don’t know if her heart can take it.  Darn it, as much as I love Mikomi, he just can’t do that to her, not when she has a baby to think about.”

   “I agree…I may only be a pediatrician, but I know enough to know that stress like that is the last thing she needs.  Heck, if he really is here, he’s probably already causing trouble in that area.  Amarie’s already had one close call with her pregnancy.  She doesn’t need to be taking any chances,” Zachary replied.

   Kelsey watched as the landscape rolled by them as their vehicle pulled on to the highway.  She growled and said, “I’m her doctor darn it…and I won’t have anymore stress.  That near miscarriage in the beginning was bad enough…then it was the flu, and now this.  Grr…I don’t blame Mikomi for this…I know he isn’t responsible.  Only Kashoku has the power and the stupidity to come back to where he’s not wanted.  Poor Mikomi is just another victim.”

   “Ouch,” Zachary said, “You just dissed your own ancestor…the only person besides Shadow and your grandfather I think that your father has the biggest respect for.  Hidama preaches about Kashoku like he was some sort of god.”

   Letting out a growl, Kelsey shouted, “The only reason any of the echidnas gave any sort of respect to their ‘great leader’ was because he created the Master Emerald, the Chaos Emeralds, the Master Jewel and Spirit Jewels.  He wasn’t even responsible for the alliance with the hedgehogs!  They came to his children after he died and forged it.  The only reason he’s called the high king and crap is because he created those stupid gems.  Look at all he’s done to the world because of them.  Frankly I hate him for it.  If he had never created them the world would be better off.  The Master Emerald killed Mikomi…so this is Kashoku’s fault…and now he’s trying to kill Amarie.  Some great king, he’s hurting his own descendants.”

   Zachary blinked twice, stunned by this sudden outpouring of disdain for Kashoku, an ancestor the two of them had in common, though separated by several centuries of generations.  He could tell that Mikomi’s death had hurt Kelsey the same way it had with Amarie, only, Kelsey reacted not with tears, but with anger, anger, that being the daughter of Hinsei Hidama, was frightful and terrible when provoked to extremes.

   He knew enough about how angry Kelsey could become.  While they spoke of Amarie’s tangle with near suicide, Zachary couldn’t help but remember Kelsey’s range of emotions over the years he had known her.  After she and Amarie started going to school, Kelsey became Amarie’s protector in place of Mikomi, and all too frequently found herself in the principal’s office, and even suspended after punching one boy so hard his jaw cracked and required braces on his bottom teeth to straighten them out again.

   It was this friction that brought her and Zachary together.  Kelsey knew that her behavior was shameful, bringing her mother and father pain, and she hated that she was hurting them in this way.  Still, she couldn’t contain this rage, rage he knew stemmed from losing her cousin, and having to face a world of people who still treated her and Amarie like crap after her dear cousin had died to save them all and still didn’t care.  She felt they were shaming his memory and hurting them at the same time, and instead of crying, she turned to hatred, and violence.

   Just as Amarie fought with her parents, the echidna blood in Kelsey too fought for dominance in the many fights she would have with her parents.  Often times Kelsey and Amarie would stand side by side and shout at their fathers, looking them square in the eyes and remaining unafraid as they swore and shouted, all but ignorant of the many tears their mothers shed as they did so, and the few their fathers would once all was said and done.

   **Zachary met Kelsey at the memorial service following Mikomi’s death.  Immediately, the son of Aranelion Brokenstar was smitten by the daughter of Hinsei Hidama, and it appeared that maybe someday the houses of the Guardian and the Captain of the Guardian would be united in them.  They quickly became friends, but what Zachary didn’t see was this deep seeded anger she hid from him, but fell in love with her anyway.

   Still, this anger would reveal itself to him in time.  Amarie’s brush with death came when he and Kelsey were eighteen.  The two only saw each other a few times a year, Zachary going to school in Starshine Town, and Kelsey, of course, in Station Square.  Yet, this near tragedy brought them together again, and it was now that Kelsey’s violent side came to visit.

   By the time he showed up, Knuckles, Amy, Hidama and Delilah had come as well.  Tagging along with his father, Zachary was desperate to see Kelsey so he could comfort her, but quickly found out the last thing she was dealing with were tears and sadness.  Zachary and Aranelion arrived only to see Kelsey shouting furiously at both Hidama and Knuckles, talking down to them as if they were criminals, blaming them for Amarie’s sadness.  She argued that Pyro had done nothing wrong, and that if Knuckles was really a good father he would have been understanding of her pain instead of driving her to attempt suicide.

   Hidama, normally tolerant and reasonable when she argued with him, finally reached his breaking point and shouted back at her.  Kelsey remained undaunted, whether due to bravery or adrenaline, and shouted just as angrily at her father.  Zachary was shocked, and looked to his father Aranelion, who looked on in dread, perhaps remembering the night in the wilderness when Hidama hit Elianaron, and shouted at them in the same way.

   “It seems she’s inherited that same anger Zac,” he said, “Although why it is so violent I don’t understand.”

   Zachary’s heart went out to Kelsey, for he couldn’t believe the girl he had given his heart to, one who loved to laugh and smile, and was close to her father and mother despite these arguments, was shouting at her father even as he screamed at her in return.  It was scary, and heart breaking, for Delilah was weeping and screaming for them to stop, as was Amy.  Knuckles, however, didn’t help matters by siding with his brother, hoping that the two of them screaming would intimidate Kelsey enough to stop.

   Zachary gazed at Kelsey, for he knew she wasn’t this ruthless or cold.  After a moment, he let out a gasp, for as he looked into her eyes, she could see them quiver on the edge of a tear.  Kelsey was simply using this anger to hide her tears.  Closing his eyes, he could tell that she was fighting with all her strength to keep from breaking down as her father and uncle screamed at her with all their might.

   Opening his eyes, he cried, “Stop!” running to Kelsey’s side and pulling her away from them.  He glared at Hidama and Knuckles and said, “Do you really think you’re helping things?  You don’t even know why Kelsey is so angry do you?”

   Hidama glanced up long enough to see Aranelion standing a few feet away, shuffling his weight from one foot to another, before looking up at him with a sympathetic look in his eyes.  He looked back to Zachary, unable to feel any anger towards the son of his best friend, growled and turned away, neither of the brothers giving him an answer, probably because they didn’t have one.

   After they retreated, Kelsey turned her anger to Zachary, tearing away from him and shouting, “What the hell was that Zachary?!  I was handling it!  Dad and Uncle Knuckles have to learn to take what they can dish out, darn them.  They aren’t the boss of me, and don’t tell me that I’m over-reacting, because you’re lucky enough to have a father who isn’t dumber than a sack of dust!  Just leave me alone!”

   Kelsey ran out of the hospital after this.  Zachary brushed off any shock as he chased her, thinking, “What did she mean by that?  It’s almost like she’s expressing hate towards the echidnas in general and not her father or uncle.  She loves them both dearly and she knows it.”

   Having his mother’s speed, he caught up to her quickly, only to find she was sitting in a corner of the parking lot crying her eyes out, hiding behind a tire of one of the cars parked there.  Not speaking, he sat down beside her and pulled her into his arms.  She didn’t put up a fight, but simply cried, whimpering, “Oh Zachary…my dad and uncle are so stupid.  They’re just as dumb as all of those echidnas…including the idiot who made the Master Emerald and killed Mikomi.”

   “I was right then,” Zachary started, “It’s not your father and uncle that you hate…but the echidnas.  Do you hate the echidnas just because of the one who created the Master Emerald?”

   Kelsey looked up at Zachary, holding onto him and said, “Zac…I’m not like Amarie.  I don’t like to cry and show weakness.  Now that Mikomi’s gone, I have to protect her.  That’s why when people make fun of us, not even remembering the fact that Mikomi died for their sorry souls, instead of crying, I get angry.  That why I hit that one guy…I wanted him to hurt as much as the Master Emerald has hurt me, and sometimes I feel like Dad and Uncle Knuckles would much rather side with the creator of the Master Emerald over Mikomi.  It’s like, they’ll be angry that it killed him, but they’ll never hate the ‘almighty creator.’  It makes me angry…this guy has won a higher spot in their hearts just by creating the Master Emerald that killed Mikomi, who apparently doesn’t mean hell to them anymore to defend.”

   “Aww Kelsey…it’s okay.  I can understand why you hate the creator, but don’t hate your father, uncle, and the echidnas for it.  If anything he’s brainwashed them all into worshipping him like a dictator.  They’re all victims like us.  Honestly I don’t see why he was bull-headed to create such a dangerous weapon in the first place.  He sounds like a complete idiot and a selfish soul to punish his descendants in such a way as to make them feel inadequate if they do one thing wrong.  I hope he’s happy for all he’s done.  Still, for Mikomi’s sake, try and make peace with your father and uncle.  All this anger is just as bad as Amarie’s depression, and I don’t like to think that you’re hurting, okay?”

   Smiling, Kelsey dried her tears and said, “Thank you Zac…I just…I hate him so much…Kashoku or whoever he is.  It’s his fault Mikomi is dead…he’s responsible for the extinction of his kind.  I wish he’d burn in hell for this.”**

   That was it…Zachary now remembered what Kelsey said.  She directed all her anger, including the reason for Mikomi’s death, towards Kashoku.  Now she was given the possibility that Kashoku had brought Mikomi back to them just because times were growing darker and he needed their help.  Kelsey felt that he was just here to do more damage…to add insult to injury.  It had taken them all years to heal, and now Kashoku was threatening to undo it all, and she hated him for it.

   “The fact that Hidama and Knuckles respect him so much probably won’t help things,” Zachary thought, “Maybe seeing Mikomi will soothe over the anger.  It’s taken Kelsey so long to let go of the anger…for Amarie to let go of the depression…for Pyro to feel he’s repaid some sort of debt to Mikomi…for Knuckles to let go of feeling he’s responsible for the death of his son.  They’ve all suffered so much…if Mikomi’s here only to leave again, we might as well let this new darkness kill us all, for trying to move on would have been in vain.”

   Zachary and Kelsey remained silent on the rest of the trip, Zachary staring at the road, lost in thought, as Kelsey watched the world go by, praying for comfort and any kind of absolution for peace.  It was just fortunate that the trip to Station Square was short, for the silence could break even the strongest of souls if it continued for too long.

   Pulling into the city limits of Station Square, Zachary asked, “Should I go to Pyro and Amarie’s house?  The caller ID showed that the call came from there, even though this guy said it was your father and uncle who wanted to see us.”

   Kelsey sighed, rubbing her forehead as if it pained her, and said, “Yes Zac…even if we’re supposed to go to Dad’s apartment, I want to stop by and make sure Amarie and the baby are okay.  She doesn’t have an appointment for a couple weeks now, but I’m worried that all this might have stressed her out.  I can’t risk anymore complications with this pregnancy…she and Pyro know it too.  No doubt this has Pyro ticked off as well.”

   Glancing at Kelsey, Zachary sighed again.  He was afraid enough of having Kelsey come face to face with the echidna she hated more than death, but he knew having to deal with both Kelsey’s anger and Pyro’s fiery personality when it came to Amarie’s well-being was going to be a bitter pill to take, perhaps creating more stress for Amarie than anything else.

   At this point, he was just hoping that Mikomi could soothe away any anger.  This was the most he could hope for, because no matter what, Mikomi brought them all together, and perhaps this one thing in common, would lay the battles to rest.

   Zachary pulled up to the side of the road, stopping so there was enough room for the mailman to get to Pyro and Amarie’s mailbox.  At the same time, however, he could see Hidama standing next to one of the cars parked in the driveway.  Neither Hidama or Knuckles had any desire to drive, but Amy and Delilah did, and it was Delilah who hopped down out of the driver’s seat, finally come to join them all in the reunion.

   Kelsey got out of their car and ran to her parents, embracing them tightly as Zachary ran up to join them.  She looked to Hidama and said, “Daddy?  Is it really true?  Is Mikomi really…alive?”

   Hidama glanced at his daughter, wife, and son-in-law and with a weak smile he nodded, seeing the immediate excitement get to the three of them.  He spoke up and said, “No, don’t get excited.  You see…Mikomi’s body is only temporary…well, Kashoku meant for it to be, but Kashoku thinks because this is still Mikomi’s lifetime that his soul is trying to adapt back to mortality.  Now, talking to two med school graduates, I know this makes no sense…but…I’ve learned that when Mikomi destroyed the Master Emerald, it didn’t escape him, but instead became tied to his very soul, which is perhaps why this is able to take place, and also why he is here now.”

   Zachary glanced nervously at Kelsey, for something like this is what he knew she didn’t want to hear.  She was speechless as she stared at her father.  Delilah answered him by asking, “But Hidama, does this mean that he can become mortal again and stay here with us?  What about Kashoku?”

   “Oh who gives a damn about him…darn it all.  I knew he would only come here if something bad was going to happen!” Kelsey shouted.  “What does he want Dad?  Does he want to kill another one of us?  Perhaps he wants to take Amarie and her baby back with him hmm?”

   Hidama shot a scolding look at Kelsey.  Over time he had learned of his daughter’s sensitivity towards Kashoku, and had learned not to be angry with her for it.  He hugged her tightly and said, “Oh Kelsey…Kashoku never meant to hurt anyone.  He never meant to create the Master Emerald as a weapon, nor did he intend for us to suffer so.  He is both kind and giving.  If Mikomi gets to stay with us and live again you have Kashoku to thank, and that alone I believe demonstrates his apologies for our suffering.  Try if you can to put your anger aside, if not out of respect, then do it for your cousins.  Mikomi is very sick right now, and he can only remember your uncle and I.  Like the amnesia I had when I nearly died, it might take him awhile to remember everything.”

   Kelsey gasped as she looked to her husband.  Zachary knew plenty of his father-in-law’s struggles, and could understand immediately what this meant for Mikomi.  He took Kelsey’s hand in his own and said, “I think he has a point Kelsey.  Remember we’re here to help Mikomi and Amarie.  Besides, arguing with Kashoku will only bring up old wounds that we’ve finally laid to rest.”

   Her eyes threatening to spill over with tears, Kelsey shook her head, but nodded afterward and said, “You’re right Zac…and I promise I’ll try my best…even though…it’s Kashoku that I blame for this happening in the first place.”

   Hidama let out a clenched sigh, nodding and saying, “Fair enough…and from now on I’d rather not speak of the matter, all for the sake of preserving peace while Mikomi heals.”

   Before they could turn to enter the house, the sound of a roaring engine filled the air.  Moments later, a motorcycle turned the corner before pulling to a stop at the curb on the other side of the driveway.  Two figures were on the motorbike, both wearing helmets, which obscured their identity until the driver got off, putting the kickstand down and allowing the passenger to hop off.

   The driver pulled off his helmet, hanging it on one of the handle-bars as he ran his fingers through his red hair.  It was Jeremy, the son of Elianaron Brokenstar, and Zachary’s cousin.

   Jeremy’s mother was a squirrel named Hannah, only she died when he was only a toddler of three.  He got many of his features from his father, including the hereditary Brokenstar triangle marks above his eyes, and his predominantly yellow fur.  His markings, however, were not orange, but red, and just as Zachary had only orange marks, Jeremy had only red marks.  His triangle marks were red, and so were the single bands on locks of hair on either side of his face.  These locks were similar to Zachary’s, but there was only one on each side.  The rest of his hair, styled a lot like his mothers, was red, and started almost like a Mohawk, the bangs falling between his eyes, going over his head and falling down to the tip of his tail.

   He had no marks on his ears, and the rest of his traits came from his late mother, including his eye color, height, body build, and his curled, squirrel tail.  His mother could have possibly influenced his red hair, as she had brown fur offset by a rusty red.  His facial structure, however, was neither his mother’s or his father’s.  Instead, his facial structure came from his hedgehog grandmother, Elianaron’s mother, Aerealei.

   He coordinated his favorite colors in his outfit; he wore a green T-shirt with black bands at the ends of the sleeves, black shorts that were frayed at the hems, and black boots with white socks.  He also wore a blue lanyard cord with two charms hanging at the end.  The charms were both tiny daggers, made to represent his father’s daggers, Tempest and Twilight.

   Jeremy worked as an auto-mechanic, with the bike he arrived on a constant project of his.  He also loved steel and metal working as a past time, and it was actually his wife that helped him make the charms he wore.  It was also his wife that arrived with him, and now hung her helmet beside his own.

   His wife was none other than the daughter of the infamous Shadow the Hedgehog and Rouge the Bat.  It was Amberly, and as the years had gone by, as it had done for everyone else, time and Mikomi’s death had changed her significantly.

   Instead of letting her hair grow longer, Amberly had it cut to just above her shoulders.  She also added streaks of white to her black and red striped bangs in homage to her mother’s fur color.  As she grew she became more interested in fashion, and even started her own fashion and jewelry lines, calling them “The Chaos Heart Collection” in honor of her parents.  The company logo was her father’s green chaos emerald, with a pink heart in the center of it, the pink heart inspired by her mother’s outfit.

   Because of this, she wore an outfit that she designed herself, which coordinated the colors, yellow, brown, blue, purple and pink.  Her brown shirt had a v-neck collar lined with blue, as were the short sleeves at the cuffs, and the hem at the bottom.  It was also a laced shirt, with the laces starting near the top of the v-neck collar and revealing a yellow undershirt behind them.  She wore a sheer pink sash for a belt.  Her skirt was inspired the one she wore in her youth, with the hanging material in the back where the skirt ended.  The lining was purple with blue at the hems, and brown on the outside.  The rest of the skirt was largely brown to match the shirt.  It had a triangle shape of yellow on both the front and the back in the middle, ending with the brown as it met a layer of purple material.  After this purple, was one final layer, more blue, at the hem.

   She wore brown laced boots; the tongue of the shoe behind the laces was pink.  Her gloves were much like the ones her mother wore, only they were purple with blue cuffs to match the rest of her outfit.

   Over the years her left wing straightened more after being used and strengthened, and she could still fly, now better than ever before.  Of course, it helped when it came to her real job.  She got most of her money from her clothes and jewelry lines, but her real passion rested in teaching at a preschool in Sandysun City.  She loved children, and the fact that Amarie and Pyro were becoming parents first was something Pyro loved to tease them about.

   After fixing her hair, Amberly, who was apparently in just as much shock about it all, ran up to Kelsey and hugged her tightly, acting as if she hadn’t seen her in years, even though they were best friends and now lived within minutes of each other.  Perhaps it was the relationship they had with Mikomi before he died that bonded them together, but nevertheless, this current situation was trying for them both.

   “Oh Kelsey…have you seen him yet?  Is he really here?” Amberly asked.

   “That’s what I’d like to know,” Jeremy said, walking up to his cousin, who over the years he treated more and more like a brother.

   Kelsey pulled back and looked at Amberly and said, “No, I haven’t.  Dad was just telling me that Mikomi has amnesia, so he probably won’t even remember us right away.  Apparently he’s becoming mortal again, but whatever’s going on has made him sick, so we need to look after him.  Course…the fact that that rotten Kashoku is the one that brought him back just irks me.”

   “Kelsey…,” Hidama said warningly.

   Amberly looked between Kelsey and Hidama and said, “So he really is here?  I just…can’t believe it.  I’m dying to see him.”

   Jeremy walked up beside Amberly and said, “Heh, yeah, it only took Amberly ten minutes to get ready.  It was a new speed record!”

   Zachary laughed, while Kelsey gave him a look, and Amberly lightly pushed Jeremy a few steps back, scowled, and said, “Oh Jeremy, shut up.  I can’t help it if I care about what I look like enough to spend more than two seconds on it every morning.”

   “Humph, it’s that reason right there that I told Zachary to go on ahead of us.  I figured I’d be waiting two hours before we left.  And I’ll have you know that the grease stains on my face every night are not part of my morning make-up ritual,” Jeremy replied, grinning.

   Amberly turned to her husband, pulling him closer to him until they were nose to nose and replied, “Mmm, yep…you dress for your job, you rugged auto-mechanic you.  You don’t have to worry about dressing for a mountain-load of children everyday.  Hee hee, speaking of which, when are you going to see about getting us one of our own?”

   Jeremy flushed red slightly, and replied, “Gee Amberly…I tried, but none of those children’s parents want to give up their child yet.  Maybe if you tried another country?”

   “Oh Jeremy stop it!” Amberly cried, letting out a laugh as she hugged him.  Zachary glanced nervously at Kelsey, almost as if the current conversation was causing him to feel insecure.

    Kelsey understood what was bothering her husband, for it was a secret they kept to themselves, and in an attempt to alleviate his worry, she walked up to Amberly and Jeremy, locked in a kiss, and said, “I don’t mean to interrupt anything, but aren’t you forgetting what we came here for?”

   The two of them opened their eyes and glanced up and back at Kelsey, quickly pulling out of their kiss and collecting themselves.  Both of them flushed red with embarrassment.  Amberly laughed and said, “Gee Kelsey, I’m sorry…but you know how Jeremy gets when I talk about having our own little bundle of joy.  He always kids about it and I have to kiss some sense into him.  He’ll listen to me eventually.”

   Zachary winced a little as she spoke.  Jeremy walked up beside her and said, “Heh, I’m listening Amberly, and trust me…I’m working on it.”

   “Oh you…Kelsey’s right, we’ll fight over this later,” Amberly said.

   As Amberly walked towards the house, Jeremy called out, “Don’t you mean we’ll wrestle over the decision?  That’s more fun than fighting!”  Then he ran to catch up with her.

   Amberly laughed and cried, “Jeremy stop!  For Pete’s sake…”

   Hidama and Delilah started to follow them, leaving Kelsey and Zachary alone.  Kelsey growled at Jeremy’s antics, and turned to see Zachary was frozen in place, staring at the ground with a bleak look in his eyes.

   “Oh Zachary…,” Kelsey cried.  She ran up to her husband and hugged him tightly.  He slowly reacted and wrapped on arm around her, the other arm hanging at his side as he stuffed his hand into the pocket of his windbreaker.  She looked up at him as he continued to stare at the grass, his face empty and pale.  “Don’t let them get to you Zachary, please don’t.  I mean, if they knew about it all…,” she started.

   “Kelsey…they haven’t had a child yet because it was their choice, I don’t care what Amberly or Jeremy say.  Everyone knows that they only started wanting to have children once Amarie got pregnant.  They aren’t fooling me,” Zachary said.

   Kelsey sighed, resting her head on Zachary’s chest, and stroking the collar of his jacket.  She whispered, “I know Zac…but…no one knows about our trouble, so, well, you’ve got to try and not let it bother you.  Can you try?”

   Zachary finally looked at her, let out a sigh and said, “Amberly says she took her job because she loves children…I was studying for my job long before she ever considered it.  I’d appreciate it if she didn’t flaunt that around like she thought of it first.  You and I did.  We talked about having children before we were married, and now that it just isn’t happening for us…and they act like it’s all a game…it pisses me off.”

   Delilah stepped back outside, and called, “Are you coming you two?”

   “We’ll be there in a minute Mom…,” Kelsey called back.

   After Delilah stepped back inside, Zachary let out one more sigh, but smiled and said, “Well, your dad said we needed to keep the peace and he’s right.  I’ll just…have to ignore Jeremy and Amberly for the moment.”

   Zachary and Kelsey walked hand in hand to the door.  Halfway there, Kelsey said, “Don’t worry Zac…it’ll come for us eventually.  …I can’t wait for you to meet Mikomi.  Even if he doesn’t remember me he’ll at least get a fresh start with you.”

   “A fresh start…,” Zachary started, “I think that’s what we all could use.”

   The two walked inside the house, and saw Delilah leaning against the wall, her face cupped in her hands, crying quietly.  Kelsey ran up to her, with Zachary on her heels.  Giving her mother a hug, Kelsey asked, “Are you okay Mom?”

   Delilah looked up, tears streaming down her face, rolling over a smile.  Nodding she murmured, “He’s really here…he…he doesn’t remember me, but that’s our little Mikomi.  Oh my stars…”

   Kelsey let out a gasp, looking quickly to Zachary before running ahead into the living room.  She froze when she saw the scene before her; Amberly trying to hold back tears, Jeremy trying to comfort her, Hidama leaving the room to find Delilah, Amarie sitting with her father and mother…the three of them sitting with none other than Suta-Mikomi, Kelsey’s long dead cousin.

   Zachary came up behind her.  The minute he did so, Kelsey, her lips quivering, cried out softly, “Mikomi…could it really be you?”

   Everyone looked at Kelsey, but it was the gaze of Mikomi’s eyes that had everyone captivated, locked in a clenched breath.  He instantly recognized Kelsey as someone important to him, and while he could feel his brain short circuit as he tried to remember her, he could feel she held a special place in his heart.

   “You…,” he murmured.  He stood up slowly, fighting off sickness and fatigue, and took a few steps close to her, her eyes threatening to spill over with tears.  However, before he could make it halfway to her, a sudden wave of weakness consumed him, causing him to fall to his knees.

   “Mikomi!” Kelsey cried out.  She raced up to him, kneeling down before him and pulling him into her arms, holding him tightly.  “Don’t struggle…everything will be okay,” she whispered, the tears now pouring down her face.  She balanced his head on her shoulder, while she rested hers on his own, hugging him tightly as she cried.

   Everyone stood silent as they watched this touching reunion, all except for Kashoku who now ran into the room at hearing Kelsey cry out Mikomi’s name.  He stopped short as he saw her embracing him, lowered his eyes and whispered, “The daughter of Hinsei Hidama…my elder son…she is indeed, one of the wielders…”

   Kelsey, not noticing Kashoku right away, whimpered, “It’s really you Mikomi…I just…can’t believe it.”

   Mikomi opened his eyes, glancing at her, and whether by sheer fortune or gradual healing, he was able to place her as his cousin.  He raised his arms up, hugging her in return, and murmured, “Aww Kelsey…don’t cry.  You know I don’t like it when you cry.”

   Knuckles let out a gasp when he heard this.  He stood up, walked over and knelt beside them and said, “Mikomi, you remember Kelsey?”

   The cousins looked at Knuckles, Kelsey smiling brightly, and Mikomi wincing in a slight confusion, until he realized he indeed remembered everything about his cousin, just as he had with Hidama and Knuckles, he remembered his first memory of her to his last, and everything about her.  Looking at his father he said, “Gee Dad…I…I guess I do.”  Looking back to Kelsey, he smiled stronger and cried, “Oh Kelsey, it’s really you!”

   They hugged each other tighter, until Kelsey caught Kashoku out of the corner of her eyes, letting out a soft gasp when she did so.  This caught Mikomi’s attention.  Looking back between Kelsey and Kashoku, not knowing of her hatred for the high king, he said, “Oh, Kelsey, that’s Kashoku…he’s the one who brought me back.”

   Kelsey didn’t answer him, but stared at Kashoku coldly.  Knuckles and Hidama glanced at each other worriedly, fearing what was about to unfold.  She stood up slowly and whispered, “I know who he is Mikomi…”  As she took a few steps closer to Kashoku, she whispered again so only Kashoku could hear it, “He’s the one who killed you.”

Description
"Until the End of Forever"
By: Jade Lightning, a.k.a. Inuyashas-hanyougirl
Chapter 4: Building Stability

   After finishing their breakfast, Zachary called his cousin Jeremy and told him what had happened.  Jeremy, showing a spot of his father’s personality laughed about it at first, but when he realized his cousin was serious, agreed to go to Station Square with them.  He hung up, promising to get himself and Amberly ready, but asked that Zachary and Kelsey go ahead on their own.

   It didn’t take long for Zachary and Kelsey to get packed and ready to go.  Zachary was dressed in his favorite, casual out fit; black slacks, a grey T-shirt, and a blue windbreaker jacket, along with his blue boots that had a black stripe down the middle.  His white gloves completed the ensemble.

   Zachary was tall for being a hybrid, about as tall as a full grown, full blooded echidna male, Hidama or Knuckles to be exact, and was infact, an inch or so taller than his father because of it.  This abnormality came from his mother’s height gene.  Other traits he inherited from his mother included both her eye shape and color, facial structure, and his long, cat-like tail.  However, he inherited his yellow fur from his father, as well as the orange triangle marks near his eyes, which were now deemed as a hereditary birthmark, symbolic of the Brokenstar blood-line, since his cousin Jeremy inherited them as well, albeit his were red while Zachary’s were orange.

   Infact, Zachary had no red markings whatsoever.  Instead, any markings he had were all orange.  He wore his hair much like his mother did, minus the fact that his hair was cut at the same length of his father’s.  His locks were tipped in orange only, and his bangs were striped with orange highlights.  His ears had the orange tips, but instead of cutting off evenly near the top, the orange fur tapered away in the front revealing yellow fur, while the backs of his ears were lined in the orange fur, creating a yellow triangle of fur between them.

   His tail, though long, flowing, and cat like, was still shaped and colored like his father’s echidna tail.  It was tipped in orange, bent midway, and ended at a point, but simply swished and hung like a cat tail.  He was the first example of the child of a hybrid and full blooded union, and was an example of what this new generation of hybrid children would look like, not coming from full blooded parents, but the children of these hybrids.  Soon, it wouldn’t just be two different species coming together, but instead you’d have children being born with at least three different species worth of blood flowing through their veins.  The future child of Aries and Oliver would be a good example, for it would have cat, hedgehog, fox, and rabbit blood flowing through it.  However, in Zachary Brokenstar, it was now known that if anything, these hybrid children would remain relatively unchanged from those who came before them.  They would simply look the most like the predominate gene in their DNA, while sporting features of the rest that flowed through them.

   Once Zachary was done packing, he sat down in his living room to wait for Kelsey, who was blow-drying her hair after a shower.  He shouted, “Hey Kelsey, I have a funny feeling that he’ll want to see Dad and Uncle Ell eventually, especially if they’re his direct descendants after all.  Maybe I should call them.”

   The sound of the blow-dryer faded away, and Kelsey walked into the living room with her backpack in her hands.  Her looks had changed a lot with the passage of years, as had everyone’s.  Her hair was no longer styled in dreadlocks, and now fell to an end right below her tail.  The white bands in her hair now formed zig-zag stripes.  Her bangs were now slightly more ruffled, and streaked with red.  Not wanting the flecks of red in her hair to be lost among the light blue, she used the red dye on her bangs to bring them out, lucky to find a shade of red identical to the color of her father’s fur.

   She wore two silver stud earrings in each ear.  Her outfit was inspired by her mother’s.  She wore a sleeveless shirt, black with a purple stripe down the center, just like her mother’s teal one with the white stripe.  Her denim flares were cut into loose triangles right at the flare, revealing purple material underneath.  The denim, infact covered up the purple pants underneath.  They were her favorite pair of pants, and she wore them with two brown leather belts, crisscrossed at the top.  Her black, fingerless gloves with purple cuffs, and black and brown slip-on shoes completed the ensemble.

   Kelsey smiled at her husband, shaking her head and replied, “I wouldn’t be surprised if that guy Kashoku hadn’t already called them…unless this is all some sick joke or something.”  Letting out a sigh, she grabbed her car keys and headed for the door.

   Zachary frowned, standing up quickly and grabbing his duffle bag.  He caught up to Kelsey as she reached to open the door.  Placing his hand on her shoulder, she looked at him, and he replied, “Aww Kelsey…who would kid about something like this?  Did he sound like anyone you know?  Whoever he was, if this was a joke, he has a sick sense of humor.  He acted like he didn’t even know how to use the phone.”

   He reached past her and opened up the door, letting her step out into the hallway first as he locked the door behind them.  She sighed once more and said, “That’s just it Zac.  His voice sounded familiar, but after running over every person I’ve ever known in my life, I can’t place it with anybody.  It’s almost as if the only reason it sounds familiar is because, well…he’s family.  If it really is Kashoku, then that would explain why he doesn’t know how to use the phone that well.  I’ve just…never been so confused before in my life.”

   The two walked hand in hand to the elevator, riding it down to the parking garage.  After mulling over a response, Zachary replied, “I just don’t understand…I’m not really questioning the possibility of Mikomi and Kashoku coming here from the dead as much as I am their timing.  Stuff like this, in legend or fiction, really only comes when something bad is about to happen.”

   Stepping into the parking garage, Kelsey laughed weakly and replied, “Don’t tell me that Zachary.  This is the not the time for something to be going wrong.  Amarie’s baby is due at the end of the month.  This is the last thing any of us need.  I’m pissed off to tell you the truth.  If Mikomi’s going to come back just to help us in another fight for survival and leave us again, then, well, I think it’d be better for him and Kashoku to let us handle things ourselves.  The last thing Amarie needs is to lose Mikomi again…it nearly killed her the first time.”

   Zachary let out a sigh as he threw his duffle bag into the backseat of his car.  Getting into the driver’s seat, he replied, “I’ll never forget that night…she and Pyro had had a fight and your dad called us and told us she had run away.  Then she was in the hospital three days later after she fell off that building near the Chemical Plant.  It drove her to attempt suicide…that’s what the fight was about…I recall Pyro proposed to her that night too, even if the formal proposal didn’t come for three more years.”

   The engine of their vehicle roared to life as they both buckled their seatbelts.  Kelsey sighed again and replied, “That’s what I’m talking about Zac!  She and Pyro fought because she was crying about Mikomi so much.  She wanted to die so she could be with him again, and then called herself selfish because she was all Uncle Knuckles and Aunt Amy had left.  Remember?  She fought with them that night too, and that’s why she ran away.  The police cornered her on that building and out of fear of being arrested she nearly fell to her death.  If Mikomi has to leave us again, I don’t know if her heart can take it.  Darn it, as much as I love Mikomi, he just can’t do that to her, not when she has a baby to think about.”

   “I agree…I may only be a pediatrician, but I know enough to know that stress like that is the last thing she needs.  Heck, if he really is here, he’s probably already causing trouble in that area.  Amarie’s already had one close call with her pregnancy.  She doesn’t need to be taking any chances,” Zachary replied.

   Kelsey watched as the landscape rolled by them as their vehicle pulled on to the highway.  She growled and said, “I’m her doctor darn it…and I won’t have anymore stress.  That near miscarriage in the beginning was bad enough…then it was the flu, and now this.  Grr…I don’t blame Mikomi for this…I know he isn’t responsible.  Only Kashoku has the power and the stupidity to come back to where he’s not wanted.  Poor Mikomi is just another victim.”

   “Ouch,” Zachary said, “You just dissed your own ancestor…the only person besides Shadow and your grandfather I think that your father has the biggest respect for.  Hidama preaches about Kashoku like he was some sort of god.”

   Letting out a growl, Kelsey shouted, “The only reason any of the echidnas gave any sort of respect to their ‘great leader’ was because he created the Master Emerald, the Chaos Emeralds, the Master Jewel and Spirit Jewels.  He wasn’t even responsible for the alliance with the hedgehogs!  They came to his children after he died and forged it.  The only reason he’s called the high king and crap is because he created those stupid gems.  Look at all he’s done to the world because of them.  Frankly I hate him for it.  If he had never created them the world would be better off.  The Master Emerald killed Mikomi…so this is Kashoku’s fault…and now he’s trying to kill Amarie.  Some great king, he’s hurting his own descendants.”

   Zachary blinked twice, stunned by this sudden outpouring of disdain for Kashoku, an ancestor the two of them had in common, though separated by several centuries of generations.  He could tell that Mikomi’s death had hurt Kelsey the same way it had with Amarie, only, Kelsey reacted not with tears, but with anger, anger, that being the daughter of Hinsei Hidama, was frightful and terrible when provoked to extremes.

   He knew enough about how angry Kelsey could become.  While they spoke of Amarie’s tangle with near suicide, Zachary couldn’t help but remember Kelsey’s range of emotions over the years he had known her.  After she and Amarie started going to school, Kelsey became Amarie’s protector in place of Mikomi, and all too frequently found herself in the principal’s office, and even suspended after punching one boy so hard his jaw cracked and required braces on his bottom teeth to straighten them out again.

   It was this friction that brought her and Zachary together.  Kelsey knew that her behavior was shameful, bringing her mother and father pain, and she hated that she was hurting them in this way.  Still, she couldn’t contain this rage, rage he knew stemmed from losing her cousin, and having to face a world of people who still treated her and Amarie like crap after her dear cousin had died to save them all and still didn’t care.  She felt they were shaming his memory and hurting them at the same time, and instead of crying, she turned to hatred, and violence.

   Just as Amarie fought with her parents, the echidna blood in Kelsey too fought for dominance in the many fights she would have with her parents.  Often times Kelsey and Amarie would stand side by side and shout at their fathers, looking them square in the eyes and remaining unafraid as they swore and shouted, all but ignorant of the many tears their mothers shed as they did so, and the few their fathers would once all was said and done.

   **Zachary met Kelsey at the memorial service following Mikomi’s death.  Immediately, the son of Aranelion Brokenstar was smitten by the daughter of Hinsei Hidama, and it appeared that maybe someday the houses of the Guardian and the Captain of the Guardian would be united in them.  They quickly became friends, but what Zachary didn’t see was this deep seeded anger she hid from him, but fell in love with her anyway.

   Still, this anger would reveal itself to him in time.  Amarie’s brush with death came when he and Kelsey were eighteen.  The two only saw each other a few times a year, Zachary going to school in Starshine Town, and Kelsey, of course, in Station Square.  Yet, this near tragedy brought them together again, and it was now that Kelsey’s violent side came to visit.

   By the time he showed up, Knuckles, Amy, Hidama and Delilah had come as well.  Tagging along with his father, Zachary was desperate to see Kelsey so he could comfort her, but quickly found out the last thing she was dealing with were tears and sadness.  Zachary and Aranelion arrived only to see Kelsey shouting furiously at both Hidama and Knuckles, talking down to them as if they were criminals, blaming them for Amarie’s sadness.  She argued that Pyro had done nothing wrong, and that if Knuckles was really a good father he would have been understanding of her pain instead of driving her to attempt suicide.

   Hidama, normally tolerant and reasonable when she argued with him, finally reached his breaking point and shouted back at her.  Kelsey remained undaunted, whether due to bravery or adrenaline, and shouted just as angrily at her father.  Zachary was shocked, and looked to his father Aranelion, who looked on in dread, perhaps remembering the night in the wilderness when Hidama hit Elianaron, and shouted at them in the same way.

   “It seems she’s inherited that same anger Zac,” he said, “Although why it is so violent I don’t understand.”

   Zachary’s heart went out to Kelsey, for he couldn’t believe the girl he had given his heart to, one who loved to laugh and smile, and was close to her father and mother despite these arguments, was shouting at her father even as he screamed at her in return.  It was scary, and heart breaking, for Delilah was weeping and screaming for them to stop, as was Amy.  Knuckles, however, didn’t help matters by siding with his brother, hoping that the two of them screaming would intimidate Kelsey enough to stop.

   Zachary gazed at Kelsey, for he knew she wasn’t this ruthless or cold.  After a moment, he let out a gasp, for as he looked into her eyes, she could see them quiver on the edge of a tear.  Kelsey was simply using this anger to hide her tears.  Closing his eyes, he could tell that she was fighting with all her strength to keep from breaking down as her father and uncle screamed at her with all their might.

   Opening his eyes, he cried, “Stop!” running to Kelsey’s side and pulling her away from them.  He glared at Hidama and Knuckles and said, “Do you really think you’re helping things?  You don’t even know why Kelsey is so angry do you?”

   Hidama glanced up long enough to see Aranelion standing a few feet away, shuffling his weight from one foot to another, before looking up at him with a sympathetic look in his eyes.  He looked back to Zachary, unable to feel any anger towards the son of his best friend, growled and turned away, neither of the brothers giving him an answer, probably because they didn’t have one.

   After they retreated, Kelsey turned her anger to Zachary, tearing away from him and shouting, “What the hell was that Zachary?!  I was handling it!  Dad and Uncle Knuckles have to learn to take what they can dish out, darn them.  They aren’t the boss of me, and don’t tell me that I’m over-reacting, because you’re lucky enough to have a father who isn’t dumber than a sack of dust!  Just leave me alone!”

   Kelsey ran out of the hospital after this.  Zachary brushed off any shock as he chased her, thinking, “What did she mean by that?  It’s almost like she’s expressing hate towards the echidnas in general and not her father or uncle.  She loves them both dearly and she knows it.”

   Having his mother’s speed, he caught up to her quickly, only to find she was sitting in a corner of the parking lot crying her eyes out, hiding behind a tire of one of the cars parked there.  Not speaking, he sat down beside her and pulled her into his arms.  She didn’t put up a fight, but simply cried, whimpering, “Oh Zachary…my dad and uncle are so stupid.  They’re just as dumb as all of those echidnas…including the idiot who made the Master Emerald and killed Mikomi.”

   “I was right then,” Zachary started, “It’s not your father and uncle that you hate…but the echidnas.  Do you hate the echidnas just because of the one who created the Master Emerald?”

   Kelsey looked up at Zachary, holding onto him and said, “Zac…I’m not like Amarie.  I don’t like to cry and show weakness.  Now that Mikomi’s gone, I have to protect her.  That’s why when people make fun of us, not even remembering the fact that Mikomi died for their sorry souls, instead of crying, I get angry.  That why I hit that one guy…I wanted him to hurt as much as the Master Emerald has hurt me, and sometimes I feel like Dad and Uncle Knuckles would much rather side with the creator of the Master Emerald over Mikomi.  It’s like, they’ll be angry that it killed him, but they’ll never hate the ‘almighty creator.’  It makes me angry…this guy has won a higher spot in their hearts just by creating the Master Emerald that killed Mikomi, who apparently doesn’t mean hell to them anymore to defend.”

   “Aww Kelsey…it’s okay.  I can understand why you hate the creator, but don’t hate your father, uncle, and the echidnas for it.  If anything he’s brainwashed them all into worshipping him like a dictator.  They’re all victims like us.  Honestly I don’t see why he was bull-headed to create such a dangerous weapon in the first place.  He sounds like a complete idiot and a selfish soul to punish his descendants in such a way as to make them feel inadequate if they do one thing wrong.  I hope he’s happy for all he’s done.  Still, for Mikomi’s sake, try and make peace with your father and uncle.  All this anger is just as bad as Amarie’s depression, and I don’t like to think that you’re hurting, okay?”

   Smiling, Kelsey dried her tears and said, “Thank you Zac…I just…I hate him so much…Kashoku or whoever he is.  It’s his fault Mikomi is dead…he’s responsible for the extinction of his kind.  I wish he’d burn in hell for this.”**

   That was it…Zachary now remembered what Kelsey said.  She directed all her anger, including the reason for Mikomi’s death, towards Kashoku.  Now she was given the possibility that Kashoku had brought Mikomi back to them just because times were growing darker and he needed their help.  Kelsey felt that he was just here to do more damage…to add insult to injury.  It had taken them all years to heal, and now Kashoku was threatening to undo it all, and she hated him for it.

   “The fact that Hidama and Knuckles respect him so much probably won’t help things,” Zachary thought, “Maybe seeing Mikomi will soothe over the anger.  It’s taken Kelsey so long to let go of the anger…for Amarie to let go of the depression…for Pyro to feel he’s repaid some sort of debt to Mikomi…for Knuckles to let go of feeling he’s responsible for the death of his son.  They’ve all suffered so much…if Mikomi’s here only to leave again, we might as well let this new darkness kill us all, for trying to move on would have been in vain.”

   Zachary and Kelsey remained silent on the rest of the trip, Zachary staring at the road, lost in thought, as Kelsey watched the world go by, praying for comfort and any kind of absolution for peace.  It was just fortunate that the trip to Station Square was short, for the silence could break even the strongest of souls if it continued for too long.

   Pulling into the city limits of Station Square, Zachary asked, “Should I go to Pyro and Amarie’s house?  The caller ID showed that the call came from there, even though this guy said it was your father and uncle who wanted to see us.”

   Kelsey sighed, rubbing her forehead as if it pained her, and said, “Yes Zac…even if we’re supposed to go to Dad’s apartment, I want to stop by and make sure Amarie and the baby are okay.  She doesn’t have an appointment for a couple weeks now, but I’m worried that all this might have stressed her out.  I can’t risk anymore complications with this pregnancy…she and Pyro know it too.  No doubt this has Pyro ticked off as well.”

   Glancing at Kelsey, Zachary sighed again.  He was afraid enough of having Kelsey come face to face with the echidna she hated more than death, but he knew having to deal with both Kelsey’s anger and Pyro’s fiery personality when it came to Amarie’s well-being was going to be a bitter pill to take, perhaps creating more stress for Amarie than anything else.

   At this point, he was just hoping that Mikomi could soothe away any anger.  This was the most he could hope for, because no matter what, Mikomi brought them all together, and perhaps this one thing in common, would lay the battles to rest.

   Zachary pulled up to the side of the road, stopping so there was enough room for the mailman to get to Pyro and Amarie’s mailbox.  At the same time, however, he could see Hidama standing next to one of the cars parked in the driveway.  Neither Hidama or Knuckles had any desire to drive, but Amy and Delilah did, and it was Delilah who hopped down out of the driver’s seat, finally come to join them all in the reunion.

   Kelsey got out of their car and ran to her parents, embracing them tightly as Zachary ran up to join them.  She looked to Hidama and said, “Daddy?  Is it really true?  Is Mikomi really…alive?”

   Hidama glanced at his daughter, wife, and son-in-law and with a weak smile he nodded, seeing the immediate excitement get to the three of them.  He spoke up and said, “No, don’t get excited.  You see…Mikomi’s body is only temporary…well, Kashoku meant for it to be, but Kashoku thinks because this is still Mikomi’s lifetime that his soul is trying to adapt back to mortality.  Now, talking to two med school graduates, I know this makes no sense…but…I’ve learned that when Mikomi destroyed the Master Emerald, it didn’t escape him, but instead became tied to his very soul, which is perhaps why this is able to take place, and also why he is here now.”

   Zachary glanced nervously at Kelsey, for something like this is what he knew she didn’t want to hear.  She was speechless as she stared at her father.  Delilah answered him by asking, “But Hidama, does this mean that he can become mortal again and stay here with us?  What about Kashoku?”

   “Oh who gives a damn about him…darn it all.  I knew he would only come here if something bad was going to happen!” Kelsey shouted.  “What does he want Dad?  Does he want to kill another one of us?  Perhaps he wants to take Amarie and her baby back with him hmm?”

   Hidama shot a scolding look at Kelsey.  Over time he had learned of his daughter’s sensitivity towards Kashoku, and had learned not to be angry with her for it.  He hugged her tightly and said, “Oh Kelsey…Kashoku never meant to hurt anyone.  He never meant to create the Master Emerald as a weapon, nor did he intend for us to suffer so.  He is both kind and giving.  If Mikomi gets to stay with us and live again you have Kashoku to thank, and that alone I believe demonstrates his apologies for our suffering.  Try if you can to put your anger aside, if not out of respect, then do it for your cousins.  Mikomi is very sick right now, and he can only remember your uncle and I.  Like the amnesia I had when I nearly died, it might take him awhile to remember everything.”

   Kelsey gasped as she looked to her husband.  Zachary knew plenty of his father-in-law’s struggles, and could understand immediately what this meant for Mikomi.  He took Kelsey’s hand in his own and said, “I think he has a point Kelsey.  Remember we’re here to help Mikomi and Amarie.  Besides, arguing with Kashoku will only bring up old wounds that we’ve finally laid to rest.”

   Her eyes threatening to spill over with tears, Kelsey shook her head, but nodded afterward and said, “You’re right Zac…and I promise I’ll try my best…even though…it’s Kashoku that I blame for this happening in the first place.”

   Hidama let out a clenched sigh, nodding and saying, “Fair enough…and from now on I’d rather not speak of the matter, all for the sake of preserving peace while Mikomi heals.”

   Before they could turn to enter the house, the sound of a roaring engine filled the air.  Moments later, a motorcycle turned the corner before pulling to a stop at the curb on the other side of the driveway.  Two figures were on the motorbike, both wearing helmets, which obscured their identity until the driver got off, putting the kickstand down and allowing the passenger to hop off.

   The driver pulled off his helmet, hanging it on one of the handle-bars as he ran his fingers through his red hair.  It was Jeremy, the son of Elianaron Brokenstar, and Zachary’s cousin.

   Jeremy’s mother was a squirrel named Hannah, only she died when he was only a toddler of three.  He got many of his features from his father, including the hereditary Brokenstar triangle marks above his eyes, and his predominantly yellow fur.  His markings, however, were not orange, but red, and just as Zachary had only orange marks, Jeremy had only red marks.  His triangle marks were red, and so were the single bands on locks of hair on either side of his face.  These locks were similar to Zachary’s, but there was only one on each side.  The rest of his hair, styled a lot like his mothers, was red, and started almost like a Mohawk, the bangs falling between his eyes, going over his head and falling down to the tip of his tail.

   He had no marks on his ears, and the rest of his traits came from his late mother, including his eye color, height, body build, and his curled, squirrel tail.  His mother could have possibly influenced his red hair, as she had brown fur offset by a rusty red.  His facial structure, however, was neither his mother’s or his father’s.  Instead, his facial structure came from his hedgehog grandmother, Elianaron’s mother, Aerealei.

   He coordinated his favorite colors in his outfit; he wore a green T-shirt with black bands at the ends of the sleeves, black shorts that were frayed at the hems, and black boots with white socks.  He also wore a blue lanyard cord with two charms hanging at the end.  The charms were both tiny daggers, made to represent his father’s daggers, Tempest and Twilight.

   Jeremy worked as an auto-mechanic, with the bike he arrived on a constant project of his.  He also loved steel and metal working as a past time, and it was actually his wife that helped him make the charms he wore.  It was also his wife that arrived with him, and now hung her helmet beside his own.

   His wife was none other than the daughter of the infamous Shadow the Hedgehog and Rouge the Bat.  It was Amberly, and as the years had gone by, as it had done for everyone else, time and Mikomi’s death had changed her significantly.

   Instead of letting her hair grow longer, Amberly had it cut to just above her shoulders.  She also added streaks of white to her black and red striped bangs in homage to her mother’s fur color.  As she grew she became more interested in fashion, and even started her own fashion and jewelry lines, calling them “The Chaos Heart Collection” in honor of her parents.  The company logo was her father’s green chaos emerald, with a pink heart in the center of it, the pink heart inspired by her mother’s outfit.

   Because of this, she wore an outfit that she designed herself, which coordinated the colors, yellow, brown, blue, purple and pink.  Her brown shirt had a v-neck collar lined with blue, as were the short sleeves at the cuffs, and the hem at the bottom.  It was also a laced shirt, with the laces starting near the top of the v-neck collar and revealing a yellow undershirt behind them.  She wore a sheer pink sash for a belt.  Her skirt was inspired the one she wore in her youth, with the hanging material in the back where the skirt ended.  The lining was purple with blue at the hems, and brown on the outside.  The rest of the skirt was largely brown to match the shirt.  It had a triangle shape of yellow on both the front and the back in the middle, ending with the brown as it met a layer of purple material.  After this purple, was one final layer, more blue, at the hem.

   She wore brown laced boots; the tongue of the shoe behind the laces was pink.  Her gloves were much like the ones her mother wore, only they were purple with blue cuffs to match the rest of her outfit.

   Over the years her left wing straightened more after being used and strengthened, and she could still fly, now better than ever before.  Of course, it helped when it came to her real job.  She got most of her money from her clothes and jewelry lines, but her real passion rested in teaching at a preschool in Sandysun City.  She loved children, and the fact that Amarie and Pyro were becoming parents first was something Pyro loved to tease them about.

   After fixing her hair, Amberly, who was apparently in just as much shock about it all, ran up to Kelsey and hugged her tightly, acting as if she hadn’t seen her in years, even though they were best friends and now lived within minutes of each other.  Perhaps it was the relationship they had with Mikomi before he died that bonded them together, but nevertheless, this current situation was trying for them both.

   “Oh Kelsey…have you seen him yet?  Is he really here?” Amberly asked.

   “That’s what I’d like to know,” Jeremy said, walking up to his cousin, who over the years he treated more and more like a brother.

   Kelsey pulled back and looked at Amberly and said, “No, I haven’t.  Dad was just telling me that Mikomi has amnesia, so he probably won’t even remember us right away.  Apparently he’s becoming mortal again, but whatever’s going on has made him sick, so we need to look after him.  Course…the fact that that rotten Kashoku is the one that brought him back just irks me.”

   “Kelsey…,” Hidama said warningly.

   Amberly looked between Kelsey and Hidama and said, “So he really is here?  I just…can’t believe it.  I’m dying to see him.”

   Jeremy walked up beside Amberly and said, “Heh, yeah, it only took Amberly ten minutes to get ready.  It was a new speed record!”

   Zachary laughed, while Kelsey gave him a look, and Amberly lightly pushed Jeremy a few steps back, scowled, and said, “Oh Jeremy, shut up.  I can’t help it if I care about what I look like enough to spend more than two seconds on it every morning.”

   “Humph, it’s that reason right there that I told Zachary to go on ahead of us.  I figured I’d be waiting two hours before we left.  And I’ll have you know that the grease stains on my face every night are not part of my morning make-up ritual,” Jeremy replied, grinning.

   Amberly turned to her husband, pulling him closer to him until they were nose to nose and replied, “Mmm, yep…you dress for your job, you rugged auto-mechanic you.  You don’t have to worry about dressing for a mountain-load of children everyday.  Hee hee, speaking of which, when are you going to see about getting us one of our own?”

   Jeremy flushed red slightly, and replied, “Gee Amberly…I tried, but none of those children’s parents want to give up their child yet.  Maybe if you tried another country?”

   “Oh Jeremy stop it!” Amberly cried, letting out a laugh as she hugged him.  Zachary glanced nervously at Kelsey, almost as if the current conversation was causing him to feel insecure.

    Kelsey understood what was bothering her husband, for it was a secret they kept to themselves, and in an attempt to alleviate his worry, she walked up to Amberly and Jeremy, locked in a kiss, and said, “I don’t mean to interrupt anything, but aren’t you forgetting what we came here for?”

   The two of them opened their eyes and glanced up and back at Kelsey, quickly pulling out of their kiss and collecting themselves.  Both of them flushed red with embarrassment.  Amberly laughed and said, “Gee Kelsey, I’m sorry…but you know how Jeremy gets when I talk about having our own little bundle of joy.  He always kids about it and I have to kiss some sense into him.  He’ll listen to me eventually.”

   Zachary winced a little as she spoke.  Jeremy walked up beside her and said, “Heh, I’m listening Amberly, and trust me…I’m working on it.”

   “Oh you…Kelsey’s right, we’ll fight over this later,” Amberly said.

   As Amberly walked towards the house, Jeremy called out, “Don’t you mean we’ll wrestle over the decision?  That’s more fun than fighting!”  Then he ran to catch up with her.

   Amberly laughed and cried, “Jeremy stop!  For Pete’s sake…”

   Hidama and Delilah started to follow them, leaving Kelsey and Zachary alone.  Kelsey growled at Jeremy’s antics, and turned to see Zachary was frozen in place, staring at the ground with a bleak look in his eyes.

   “Oh Zachary…,” Kelsey cried.  She ran up to her husband and hugged him tightly.  He slowly reacted and wrapped on arm around her, the other arm hanging at his side as he stuffed his hand into the pocket of his windbreaker.  She looked up at him as he continued to stare at the grass, his face empty and pale.  “Don’t let them get to you Zachary, please don’t.  I mean, if they knew about it all…,” she started.

   “Kelsey…they haven’t had a child yet because it was their choice, I don’t care what Amberly or Jeremy say.  Everyone knows that they only started wanting to have children once Amarie got pregnant.  They aren’t fooling me,” Zachary said.

   Kelsey sighed, resting her head on Zachary’s chest, and stroking the collar of his jacket.  She whispered, “I know Zac…but…no one knows about our trouble, so, well, you’ve got to try and not let it bother you.  Can you try?”

   Zachary finally looked at her, let out a sigh and said, “Amberly says she took her job because she loves children…I was studying for my job long before she ever considered it.  I’d appreciate it if she didn’t flaunt that around like she thought of it first.  You and I did.  We talked about having children before we were married, and now that it just isn’t happening for us…and they act like it’s all a game…it pisses me off.”

   Delilah stepped back outside, and called, “Are you coming you two?”

   “We’ll be there in a minute Mom…,” Kelsey called back.

   After Delilah stepped back inside, Zachary let out one more sigh, but smiled and said, “Well, your dad said we needed to keep the peace and he’s right.  I’ll just…have to ignore Jeremy and Amberly for the moment.”

   Zachary and Kelsey walked hand in hand to the door.  Halfway there, Kelsey said, “Don’t worry Zac…it’ll come for us eventually.  …I can’t wait for you to meet Mikomi.  Even if he doesn’t remember me he’ll at least get a fresh start with you.”

   “A fresh start…,” Zachary started, “I think that’s what we all could use.”

   The two walked inside the house, and saw Delilah leaning against the wall, her face cupped in her hands, crying quietly.  Kelsey ran up to her, with Zachary on her heels.  Giving her mother a hug, Kelsey asked, “Are you okay Mom?”

   Delilah looked up, tears streaming down her face, rolling over a smile.  Nodding she murmured, “He’s really here…he…he doesn’t remember me, but that’s our little Mikomi.  Oh my stars…”

   Kelsey let out a gasp, looking quickly to Zachary before running ahead into the living room.  She froze when she saw the scene before her; Amberly trying to hold back tears, Jeremy trying to comfort her, Hidama leaving the room to find Delilah, Amarie sitting with her father and mother…the three of them sitting with none other than Suta-Mikomi, Kelsey’s long dead cousin.

   Zachary came up behind her.  The minute he did so, Kelsey, her lips quivering, cried out softly, “Mikomi…could it really be you?”

   Everyone looked at Kelsey, but it was the gaze of Mikomi’s eyes that had everyone captivated, locked in a clenched breath.  He instantly recognized Kelsey as someone important to him, and while he could feel his brain short circuit as he tried to remember her, he could feel she held a special place in his heart.

   “You…,” he murmured.  He stood up slowly, fighting off sickness and fatigue, and took a few steps close to her, her eyes threatening to spill over with tears.  However, before he could make it halfway to her, a sudden wave of weakness consumed him, causing him to fall to his knees.

   “Mikomi!” Kelsey cried out.  She raced up to him, kneeling down before him and pulling him into her arms, holding him tightly.  “Don’t struggle…everything will be okay,” she whispered, the tears now pouring down her face.  She balanced his head on her shoulder, while she rested hers on his own, hugging him tightly as she cried.

   Everyone stood silent as they watched this touching reunion, all except for Kashoku who now ran into the room at hearing Kelsey cry out Mikomi’s name.  He stopped short as he saw her embracing him, lowered his eyes and whispered, “The daughter of Hinsei Hidama…my elder son…she is indeed, one of the wielders…”

   Kelsey, not noticing Kashoku right away, whimpered, “It’s really you Mikomi…I just…can’t believe it.”

   Mikomi opened his eyes, glancing at her, and whether by sheer fortune or gradual healing, he was able to place her as his cousin.  He raised his arms up, hugging her in return, and murmured, “Aww Kelsey…don’t cry.  You know I don’t like it when you cry.”

   Knuckles let out a gasp when he heard this.  He stood up, walked over and knelt beside them and said, “Mikomi, you remember Kelsey?”

   The cousins looked at Knuckles, Kelsey smiling brightly, and Mikomi wincing in a slight confusion, until he realized he indeed remembered everything about his cousin, just as he had with Hidama and Knuckles, he remembered his first memory of her to his last, and everything about her.  Looking at his father he said, “Gee Dad…I…I guess I do.”  Looking back to Kelsey, he smiled stronger and cried, “Oh Kelsey, it’s really you!”

   They hugged each other tighter, until Kelsey caught Kashoku out of the corner of her eyes, letting out a soft gasp when she did so.  This caught Mikomi’s attention.  Looking back between Kelsey and Kashoku, not knowing of her hatred for the high king, he said, “Oh, Kelsey, that’s Kashoku…he’s the one who brought me back.”

   Kelsey didn’t answer him, but stared at Kashoku coldly.  Knuckles and Hidama glanced at each other worriedly, fearing what was about to unfold.  She stood up slowly and whispered, “I know who he is Mikomi…”  As she took a few steps closer to Kashoku, she whispered again so only Kashoku could hear it, “He’s the one who killed you.”