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"Until the End of Forever"
By: Jade Lightning, a.k.a. Inuyashas-hanyougirl
Chapter 5: Fitting it all Together

   The echidna high king was well aware of Kelsey’s anger towards him, and returned her cold gaze with his own, piercing glare.  This froze Kelsey in her tracks, while Kashoku made up the rest of the distance between them until they were almost face to face.  He gazed at her, his amber eyes eventually softening as he took a step back, bowing down as he spoke.  “Kelsey Brokenstar…daughter of my distant son Hidama, it is a pleasure to meet another heir of my house.”

   Kelsey let out a gasp, hardly respecting such a reaction from Kashoku after she accused him of murdering Mikomi.  He looked up at her, a smile on his face, and whispered, “I am many things Kelsey…a fool maybe, but not a killer.  The only killer in this room is hatred, which is something I intend to keep at bay…is that clear?”

   Trembling after Kashoku’s words, Kelsey could only nod as he stood up again.  He let out a sigh, pulling her into his arms and whispered, “Kelsey…not a day goes by that I don’t regret the misfortune I have placed on all my kindred…and that includes you.  Now I have come here to make things right…I brought Mikomi, not only because I need him, but all because I feel…he belongs here, and if I can give him that chance, I’ll go to any means to give it to him.  Keep your faith in me…that is all I ask.”

   “You…you need him?  But why?” Kelsey asked, looking at him.  “What’s wrong?”

   As he pulled out of this embrace, Kashoku lowered his eyes and shook his head.  “Indeed, daughter of Hidama, I need him, for he holds all of the power of the Master Emerald…it is tied to his very soul.  Ask your father or uncle, for with their guardian blood they can feel this power pouring from the depths of his being.  This is a problem, and I have come to rectify it.  I had every intention of returning to the beyond with Mikomi, for his grandfather especially was quite angry with me for this nonsense, but if he can remain here once my work is done, then let it be.”

   Mikomi stood up slowly, cringing and staggering a bit as he tried to walk to Kelsey.  Zachary came up beside him to steady him, only for Mikomi to say, “My grandfather?  …I don’t remember such a thing…he’s dead isn’t he?”

   Kashoku looked back to Mikomi and said, “You don’t remember being dead Mikomi.  In your mind now you’ve merely been sleeping the past ten years, but I…while the afterlife is obscured to me, know that I belong there, and I remember clearly your grandfather’s displeasure at losing you, considering he had to leave his sons behind in his horrific death.  You…you reminded him of his sons, Hinsei Hidama and Knuckles, but I also know that he’d never ask you to trade in the opportunity to live a little bit longer, for it is a dream I’m sure he’s had since his last minutes of life on this earth and thereafter.”

   Mikomi lowered his eyes, glancing back at his father and uncle, who now looked to each other with mournful eyes as Kashoku spoke of their father.  He then looked back to Kelsey, her hand cupped over her mouth as she still tried to process all that was said about Mikomi.  Zachary walked up between her and Mikomi, making eye contact with his distant ancestor.  Kashoku gazed at him, able to trace his very soul to that of his own son, despite the fact that over the years it had gone through many changes, Zachary’s distant ancestor around the time of the Battle for Power founding the House of the Captains.

   Before Zachary could speak, Kashoku stepped back, bowing once more and saying, “Son of Aranelion, Captain of the Guardian, it is an honor to meet you at last.”

   Zachary glanced at Kelsey; as Kashoku rose, he looked back to him, nodding and replied, “The honor is mine.  …Might I ask what restoring the chaos emeralds is going to involve?”

   Pyro, having heard the story three times already, stood up, groaning and said, “No way…we’re not going to listen to the Wielders Story, the creation of the Master and Seven…not until everyone who needs to know it is here.  I’m tired of it already…”

   Kashoku shot Pyro a look, causing the hedgecat to flush red as he sat back down beside Amarie.  Kashoku sighed, looking to each pair of eyes in the room and said, “Therein lies the problem Pyro…for not everyone I need for this process is present.  Now I have all seven Wielders in my company.  I mentioned to the rest of you that the Seven were not randomly chosen…they all have some tie to either my bloodline or the chaos emeralds.  In this case, they meet three criteria; they are either members of the House of the Guardian, descendants of the House of the Captains, or descendant from the souls that can wield the awesome powers of the Seven Chaos Emeralds.  Now that I’ve told you all this with the Seven in our presence, it should be no chore to figure out who these seven souls are.”

   The newly arrived members now exchanged glances with the others in the room.  It was true what Kashoku said, for they could now place each other…except for Aries and Mikomi.  Zachary nodded slowly, as if he understood, but asked, “So, since Jeremy and I are descendants of the House of the Captains, Amberly, Oliver and Pyro descended from those that can wield the chaos emeralds, and Kelsey and…Amarie…oh dear…”  He trailed off as he named the last of the seven wielders, glancing at a heavily pregnant Amarie as she sat beside her mother and husband on the couch, realizing what this meant for her and her unborn baby.

   Kelsey let out a soft gasp, looking to Kashoku and crying, “That won’t work Kashoku.  Surely you know what this means for…”

   “Indeed I do Kelsey, and yet this cannot be changed.  Aries cannot be a wielder for she is a Guardian, and Mikomi cannot for obvious reasons.  In light of the danger presented here, I simply must wait until…,” Kashoku started, looking to Amarie, Pyro and Amy, then continued, “…the child is born.  Shortly after that, the restoration must occur, not just so the peace of our planet will be secure…but so Mikomi will be free from the weight of its power.”

   At this point, Hidama walked up beside Mikomi, looked to Kashoku and said, “That said, you’re not ready to begin the process anyway…you are still missing something very important.”  He glanced over at the glass tabletop dinning room table, where five of the chaos emeralds sat together, yellow, light blue, silver, purple, and dark blue.  Everyone’s eyes followed his own, including Kashoku’s, for they knew what Hidama was alluding to; the last two chaos emeralds were missing…red and green.

   Kashoku sighed, shaking his head as he looked to Hidama.  “Indeed,” he started, “For I am short two chaos emeralds, and cannot restore them unless they are together and in the hands of their wielders.  Each chaos emerald has a specific wielder, and if I don’t miss my guess, the two wielders here that will not have their match are the two tied to their location.”

   The seven wielders glanced at each other.  Zachary looked to the table and walked up to it, Pyro and Mikomi following him.  They looked over his shoulder as he reached for one, but he paused, and asked, “How will I know it’s mine?”

   Mikomi looked to Kashoku and said, “Won’t it react under his touch just like they do when a guardian touches them?  When Uncle Hidama picked one up it started to glow, and no doubt it works the same way for Shadow and Sonic.”  Looking back to Zachary he said, “You’ll just have to hold each one until you find the one that reacts to your touch.”

   Kashoku nodded in approval.  “You are indeed wise Mikomi, for you speak rightly.  Reach for them son of Aranelion, and your chosen chaos emerald will speak to you.”

   Zachary glanced at Kashoku once more, before reaching for one of the chaos emeralds, the purple one.  Taking it in his hand, it remained dark, but as he handed it to Pyro, it lit up brightly.

   “Whoa!” Pyro exclaimed, holding it up to get a better look at it.  “How come I get purple and not blue?”

   Knuckles and Hidama walked up to get a closer look.  Hidama said, “It doesn’t matter what color you get Pyro.  Their colors have nothing to do with their powers…infact I always meant to ask you why you chose those colors for them Kashoku.”

   “They were chosen by Mitsukai,” Kashoku explained, “Only she really knows the answer to that.  I simply asked her and she gave me direction.”

   Placing a finger on Pyro’s chaos emerald, Knuckles closed his eyes, trying to get a read on the chaos emerald’s power level, before sighing, opening his eyes and saying, “It’s true…this chaos emerald is weaker than I could have guessed.  That goes to show how much the seven depended on the One.”

   Walking up to the brothers, Kashoku shook his head and said, “They’re actually much weaker than this my sons…they are only as strong as they are now, not only because they are connecting with their wielders, but more importantly because the source is with them again.  Take Mikomi away and they’re basically worthless.  Now you see how dangerous this situation is.  I’m desperate to have their powers restored, or at least have them reunited again, for this long lived peace won’t last for long.”

   The rest of the wielders, including Amarie, now crowded around the remaining four chaos emeralds.  Zachary now picked up the dark blue chaos emerald.  Getting nothing, he handed it to Kelsey.  After she got nothing, she started to hand it to Jeremy, but instead it fell to the ground when he didn’t grasp it properly.  Oliver bent down to pick it up, and immediately its inner glow returned.

   Gazing at it with wide eyes, he showed it to Aries, and said, “Found mine,” showing it to everyone else in turn.  Now the silver, light blue, and yellow chaos emeralds remained.  Zachary took the yellow one in his hands and at last found his chaos emerald as it awakened under his touch.  He gave it a similar gaze of wonder.

   Pyro saw this and said, “No fair…his chaos emerald matches his fur color…”

   Amarie laughed and said, “Pyro you dummy, it doesn’t matter if they match your fur or not…and besides, you have purple streaks in your hair so you can’t complain.  Nobody here has silver fur…”

   As if she took a cue from Amarie, Kelsey reached for the light blue chaos emerald, and not surprisingly it sprung to life once she did so, causing Pyro to pout, especially after what Amarie had said.  He rolled his eyes, laughed and said, “Okay, I’m cool with that…but, who does the silver one belong to?”

   Delilah walked up to Hidama and said, “Correct me if I’m wrong, but if what Kashoku said is true, the silver one will belong to Amarie.  He said the two missing ones will belong to the ones closest to the source of their location.”

   Everyone looked at Amberly and Jeremy, but first looked to Amarie as she began to reach for the silver chaos emerald.  Mikomi, who still couldn’t remember his sister, looked on in horror, knowing that chaos energy was the last thing she needed to be exposed to, and ran to her side immediately, holding her back from touching the chaos emeralds.  He pulled her into his arms, holding her firmly but gently.

   “Kashoku, you can’t expose her to chaos energy!  It’s too dangerous!” Mikomi cried, holding her tightly as he clenched his eyes shut to suppress tears and fatigue.

   Amarie let out a soft gasp, still shocked by this but enchanted by her brother hugging her, holding her close, so close that he could feel her baby as it moved inside of her.  She glanced at his face as the baby kicked her gently, and could see him clench his eyes shut tighter in response.  She hugged him back, resting her head on him, enjoying this embrace.

   Everyone watched this tender scene, smiling at the siblings as they hugged.  Kashoku, however, shook his head, and responded, “Then why are you hugging her Mikomi?  The Master Emerald’s power, the largest concentration of this chaos energy, is tied to your very soul.  Does that not mean that you’re exposing the both of them to this danger?”

   Mikomi gasped suddenly, almost ripping away from Amarie, had she not maintained her hold on him.  Everyone else looked to Kashoku in horror, and yet, he smiled, shaking his head and said, “Your fears are understandable, but remember Mikomi, the seven are barely a shadow of their former selves…hardly a threat.  And another point; your body, though it is fragile, is a much better container for that chaos energy than any gemstone.  It is tied to your soul, and would take much more than a simple embrace to tear it out.  It’ll take the power of the Celestial Emerald and the power of two Guardians to bring it forth.  You need not worry.”

   Amarie looked to her brother, knowing he couldn’t remember her, and smiled, pulling him back to her and hugging him.  As he slowly returned it, she whispered, “Can you feel the baby Mikomi?  It’s hugging you too.”

   Though his mind continued to taunt him with his amnesia, he knew that because this girl was his sister, that her unborn child was his nephew or niece, and thus he could feel his heart race faster when she said this.  Trembling slightly, he rested his head on her shoulder and simply nodded, his breathing slightly labored as he stood there.

   “Mikomi?” Amarie asked.  She could feel him shaking, and could hear his heavy breaths.  She whispered, “You always looked after me when I needed you, and now it’s my turn to look after you.  …You’ll be alright.”

   Making sure she had a firm hold on him, she started to walk him over to one of the dining room chairs, helping him sit down as he rested his head on the table, unable to speak as he shivered.  Amarie watched this sadly, then looked to her mother and father and said, “It’s as if he’s being born again…he’s weak, needs rest, but most importantly, someone to take care of him.”

   Amy and Knuckles looked on sadly, the echidna putting his arm around his wife and hugging her tightly.  Amarie looked to her ailing brother once more, before looking again to the silver chaos emerald that rested only inches away from where his head rested on the table.  Reassured by Kashoku, she reached for it, taking it in her hands, where its inner glow bloomed to life under her touch, and yet released next to no power when it did so.  Kashoku looked to the five wielders, their chaos emeralds brought to life once more, before looking to the final two wielders, still missing their chaos emeralds, and were thus the ones tied to their location.

   “I was right…the two wielders missing their chaos emeralds are the ones closest to where they are now held,” Kashoku started.  Walking up to Amberly and Jeremy, he continued, “The red and green chaos emeralds are undoubtedly in the possession of Amberly’s father and mother, Shadow the Hedgehog, and Rouge the Bat.  We simply must find them…I fear they may be in great danger because of this and their chosen path of isolation.”

   Amberly, who had finally collected herself after bursting into tears once she saw Mikomi, looked to her husband, and then to Kashoku and cried, “Danger?  Why are my parents in danger?”

   Kashoku sighed, shaking his head and said, “Because Amberly, they are alone, and unaware of this threat that now faces them.  They now hold two chaos emeralds that not even Shadow can use to protect them.  No doubt there are many others that know this, and if my fears are justified, there are those with wishes of malcontent that will be hunting them down in order to seize their chaos emeralds.  They will most likely be after the others soon…maybe even the wielders, but most importantly, once they discover the secret of their source,” he said looking to Mikomi, “They will be after him as well.  For now, I fear for Shadow and Rouge’s safety, which is why I must find them immediately.”

   A collective gasp escaped everyone in the room, the most shock coming from Amberly, who now grabbed hold of Kashoku and cried, “Who are you talking about?  What are they going to do with my mom and dad?”

   Catching a frightened glare from Jeremy, who shared in Amberly’s worry for his in-laws, Kashoku lowered his eyes and replied, “It’s not your parents they want Amberly.  These people will simply want to the two chaos emeralds they hold, and seeing as how your parents treasure them as a sign of their union, I can only surmise they will defend them to the lengths of the edge of their strength.  I don’t know much about these people, or what their exact purposes are, but I can assure you any sort of negativity of this kind needs to be feared and treated with the utmost importance.”

   Tears filled Amberly’s eyes; she turned to Jeremy, hugging him tightly.  As he returned this embrace, he looked to Kashoku and said, “But that’s the problem Kashoku.  Nobody knows where Shadow and Rouge are, not even Amberly.  They’re constantly traveling from one place to another.  They do call from time to time, but never say where they’re going.  Last time we heard from them was a week ago.  They were in Radical City visiting Shadow’s friends, the band members or whatever, and mentioned we probably wouldn’t hear from them until they came here when Amarie’s due date rolled around.  Shadow promised they would be here, but until then who knows where they’ve gone?”

   “Oh my…,” Kashoku said.  He turned away from Amberly and Jeremy, cupping his hand to his chin, and closing his eyes.  “Shadow does indeed have friends in many places…the band members I recall…Bill, Joel, and Zachary, they helped him rescue Hidama all those years ago.  Still, if he and Rouge are going to come back here in four weeks, they’ll be working their way towards Station Square, thus they could go no farther north than the ancestral home of my distant kindred, the Northern Kingdom.  They could go no farther west than Twinkle Park…no further south than South Island.  That narrows my search area nicely.”

   Hidama eyed Kashoku curiously and asked, “Search area?  You mean you intend to look for them?   Isn’t that a bit risky for you?”

   The echidna king looked up at Hidama, laughed softly and said, “Hidama, I cannot leave Mikomi.  I believe the Celestial Emerald helps to soothe some of his suffering, and since I must keep it in my possession, I cannot leave him.  I also promised your father I would not leave his side, for if something were to happen to either Mikomi or I, our souls would be lost to the void forever.  Until his body is more stable, I cannot risk leaving him alone.  I’m only a little heartier than he is.”

   Letting out a gasp, Hidama glanced at his nephew; Mikomi remained unmoving, save for a slight tremble and a soft whimper as he rested his head on the desk.  Everyone’s eyes followed his, and while they watched him, Kashoku walked over to the window and continued, “That is why I have called on some friends to assist us.  I put in a call to the Captains of the Guardian, and have sent word to Sonic as well, although I’m not sure how fast he will be able to react.  Some of you will simply have to look for Shadow and Rouge, although I’d beg at least one of you to stay behind, Knuckles or Hidama, incase they come after the Wielders, the Five…or the One.”

   “You don’t mean…Mikomi?” Amy asked.  She was now sitting beside him at the table, rubbing his back gently and stroking his hair.  “How soon do you think it will be before they find out?”

   Kashoku glanced at her gently, then at Knuckles, smiling weakly, and said, “My lady…I’m afraid I don’t doubt that they might have picked up on the source already.  When Mikomi was standing on the roof this morning, there’s no doubt in my mind that the same equipment they were using to track Shadow could pick up on that concentration of chaos energy.  Mikomi’s body may contain it well, but it can’t mask it, and I’m sure that they’ve already turned their sights once again to this place.  I mourn this, because it is my wish to hold back this storm for one month longer, but do not know how to go about doing so.  Should I use a large concentration of my power to mask it, I could put my own soul at risk, although now I’m not sure how many choices I have left.”

   Amy immediately went pale, knowing instantly what this meant for both of her children.  “No…,” she murmured.  She could feel her son continue to tremble under her touch; overcome with worry, Amy put her arms around him and hugged him tightly, unable to speak further.  Knuckles’ face lost most of its color as well as he looked to his daughter and son-in-law, shaking his head in disbelief, unable to find any words to say.

   It seemed that nobody knew what to say; Kashoku lowered his eyes, and whispered, “I’m sorry, but I cannot speak anything less than the truth.  This is the last thing I’d wish on any of you, especially my own family.”

   Hidama glanced at Kashoku; he could feel the sadness pouring from his soul, yet at the same time he could tell that Kashoku was almost unsure of what to do.  It was almost as if he was being overloaded with problems.  He was the great echidna high king, and yet now, in this very room, Hidama realized that even he had his flaws.  Looking to Kelsey, he could tell she finally realized this as well.

   The entire room was consumed with the grim news Kashoku had just presented them with.  The echidna king murmured, “I’m in error…I should have known from the beginning to protect the Seven and the One from ill use.  Only in the Celestial Emerald have I corrected this flaw.  I cannot let anymore misfortune destroy the peace my children have toiled so long and hard to preserve.”  He looked up, glancing at Mikomi, before he said, “I’d be too frightened to restore the chaos emeralds until Mikomi’s body is more stable anyway…the Celestial Emerald and the blood of the Guardian should soften the transfer, but I won’t risk that kind of stress.  For now, we simply must find Shadow and Rouge, and tough it out until then, protecting the Seven Wielders, Chaos Emeralds, and the One until the time is right.  Once my other two sons come to me we’ll take steps to find the final chaos emeralds.”

   Zachary and Jeremy exchanged glances, and then looked to Kashoku.  “Wait, so you already called our parents?” Jeremy asked.

   Kashoku returned their gazes, and replied, “Naturally Jeremy, as sons of Armundae, late Captain of the Guardian, they are my sons as much as Hidama and Knuckles are, whether they are full blooded or not.  I called them once I got finished speaking to your cousin…needless to say Aranelion was more ready to believe me than his son was.”

   “Well forgive me Kashoku, but when I saw Kelsey pass out before my eyes I wasn’t really open to such a stretch…you’re also talking to…,” Zachary started.

   “A medical school graduate Zachary…I know, and I hold nothing against any of you for being hesitant,” Kashoku started.  Turning to Hidama and Knuckles, he added, “Aranelion simply heard his father’s voice in my own, and thus he was more ready to trust to faith.”

   Kelsey let out a soft gasp when he said this, for she remembered how Kashoku’s voice sounded familiar to her even when she couldn’t place it.  Zachary looked to Kashoku and said, “That’s right…you’ve been with our grandfather before haven’t you?”

   Kashoku nodded, and replied, “Armundae walks side by side with the one he died to protect, the Guardian, and so I walk with both of them.  Before I left, Armundae asked I deliver a message to his sons, which I now must force myself to remember as my knowledge is lost.  Once I tell Aranelion and Elianaron it is up to them if they wish to share it with you or their mother.”

   He turned to Hidama and Knuckles, and added, “That reminds me…your father also had something to say to the two of you.  …He actually told Mikomi to tell you first, but now that he’s forgotten dying, he’s forgotten these words as well, which is why I am pleased I chose to remember them for myself.  I think I’ll tell them to you over lunch.  Aranelion and Elianaron should be here shortly after then.”

   Having said this, Kashoku brought the worries of bad times to come to a temporary end.  Walking in the direction of the kitchen without another word, Hidama and Knuckles were immediately following him, begging to hear what their father had asked him to tell them.  Half of the room peeled away with them, including Jeremy, who was trying to console Amberly as she feared for her parents, Oliver and Aries, who wondered how long it would take her father to arrive and whether Kashoku had called Oliver’s father or not, and Delilah, who followed her husband.  The rest of them, Kelsey, Zachary, Pyro and Amarie, now shifted their gazes to Amy, who continued to hold Mikomi, who still shook heavily underneath her, his breathing better but still labored.

   “My poor baby boy…,” Amy whispered, stroking his hair and the back of his ears as she held him, covering him as he continued to rest his head on the table.  “You were taken away from me too suddenly…and now you’re already in danger again.  I’ll protect you this time…I won’t let anyone take you away from me again, and neither will your father.”

   Kelsey and Amarie couldn’t look at them, knowing full well that Mikomi still couldn’t remember his mother, even when she clearly still hadn’t recovered from his death completely, holding him like she did when he was still a child.  Zachary and Pyro glanced at each other, realizing the same thing but unable to understand exactly how deeply this affected the family.

   Mikomi could hear Amy's words, and yet still struggled to place her as his mother.  He was about to speak in an attempt to console both her and himself, but paused; he could feel something wet and hot soaking through his hair and fur to his scalp.  This girl who now held him tightly as she rested her head on his back, her aura containing so much of what he felt in his own, was crying, her tears falling hot on his hair.

   He opened his eyes, glancing at her out of the corner of his eyes, only able to see half of her face, most of her hair falling down the side of his head.  With one of his hands, he reached up to touch her hair, immediately closing his eyes, his first memory coming back to him.  His first memory, was of his mother’s face, her green eyes, pink hair, and her sweet smile.  She was holding him, for he was still a baby, singing to him, making him laugh and smile…it was the best feeling he could remember, and finally, everything about his mother returned to him, and now he understood why she wept.  Joy overflowed from his heart so fiercely he felt ready to burst.  The joy he felt at remembering his father, was almost even greater when he remembered his mother.

   Still, his sickness and fatigue limited this release of joy, and in light of this, he turned his head as best he could and looked up at her, and said, “Please don’t cry Mother, it’s not your fault that I died…even if I can’t remember it, you don’t need to feel it was your fault.  I love you.”

   Amy shot up like a bullet, gasping shrilly, when she heard her son speak, calling her “Mother” and saying he loved her.  She could see him looking at her with his mismatched eyes, smiling as strongly as he could, his eyes on the edge of tears.

   As tears filled her own eyes, she whispered, “Mi—Mikomi…you…you remember me?”

   This got the attention of everyone left in the room, including Knuckles, who now walked back in looking for Amy.  He ran up to her, only to hear Mikomi reply, “Mom…you are my first memory…I couldn’t have forgotten you for long.”

   Knuckles was now in just as much shock, looking to Amy, only to see that she was even more stunned, unable to speak, paralyzed with happiness now that Mikomi remembered her…calling her “Mom” again.  Mikomi could see this too, glancing at his father, before fighting his fatigue to sit up, ignoring sudden dizziness, and hugging his mother tightly, letting a few tears fall from his eyes as he did so.

   “Oh Mikomi…I love you so much.  I’m just so happy that you’re healing and here with us again.  We’re finally a family again,” Amy whispered, hugging Mikomi tightly.

   Kelsey and Zachary smiled at each other, turning to leave so Amy, Knuckles and Mikomi could have some time alone, retreating to the kitchen for lunch.  Pyro got up to follow them, but didn’t once he realized Amarie wasn’t following him, still sitting on the couch, watching her mother hug her brother tightly, and her father look on proudly.  She knew that while Mikomi was here, they weren’t a family yet…because he still couldn’t remember her, and Pyro could recognize this immediately.

   He sat down beside her and said, “Don’t worry Amarie, Kashoku did say that it’s probably going to be the person he holds closest to his heart that he’ll remember last, and it’s most likely you since he’s remembered his mom, dad, uncle and cousin…unless it’s your Aunt Delilah, which I doubt, it’ll be you who he remembers last, because he holds you the closest to his heart.  He has to fight for his memories of you…they’ll come back to him soon, I promise…long before the baby is born I’m sure.  Let’s go have some lunch.”

   Amarie glanced at Pyro sadly, but smiled and stood up with him.  As they walked to the kitchen, she looked over her shoulder once more and replied, “Oh Pyro…it’s just…last night…before he fainted…he said my name.  He knew who I was.  What happened in that instant to make him forget me?”

   Pyro kissed Amarie on the cheek, sighed, and said, “Maybe that was when the actual restoration of his body began.  Maybe when he saw you, he finally made up his mind and realized he wanted to live again, and went ahead and let it happen.  That’s all I can guess…maybe Kashoku will know.”

   The hedgecat waited for Amarie to reply, but all he got was a weak smile as she looked back to him, nodding, and giving him a kiss in return.  Kashoku, not needing to eat, watched them pass him from the hallway, going outside to wait for Aranelion and Elianaron while the others ate.

   Knuckles, Amy, and Mikomi joined the others for lunch, for while Kashoku didn’t need to eat, Mikomi had to, and so he sat with the others, talking about the memories he did remember, trying his best to place the others, and forging new ones as he got better acquainted his Oliver, Jeremy, and Zachary.  He still couldn’t remember Aries, Pyro, and of course, Amarie, nor could he remember Amberly, or Rouge or Shadow, the latter of which he had looked up to as a second father in the short time he knew him.

   After he had eaten enough, Mikomi slipped away to find Kashoku, and before anyone could notice this, they had no idea of where he had gone.  Still, noticing that Kashoku was missing too, they knew that Mikomi was most likely with him, and they went on eating their lunch, talking about everything from the chaos emeralds, to Mikomi, and what it would take to restore them, to Shadow and Rouge’s whereabouts.

   Shortly after lunch time, Zachary left his extended family to catch up with a much more distant relation, Kashoku, who was infact the common distant ancestor he shared with Kelsey, Amarie, Jeremy, and now Mikomi, though the Brokenstar bloodline was far removed from the line of the Guardian.

   He found Kashoku sitting outside with Mikomi; they sat side by side in a wooden swing that hung suspended from a large oak tree in the right side yard. They were keeping watch for the arrival of Aranelion, Camillia, and Elianaron no doubt, but at the same time were talking with one another, Mikomi still trying to make better sense of his situation, while Kashoku hid a fear of danger that now festered in his heart behind his concern for his distant loved ones.

   “Your progress may be gradual, but it will all come to you in time Mikomi I promise,” Kashoku said, “The fact that you were able to remember Kelsey almost instantly is a sign of things to come; you'll be able to remember your sister long before she has her baby I'm sure.”

   Mikomi heaved a heavy sigh and replied, “But that’s just it Kashoku. It’s not simply the fact that I’m amnesiatic about things, but…I just have this overwhelming sense of missed time.  I mean, you all tell me I’ve been dead and in Heaven for ten years, and yet I feel I’ve only been asleep…perhaps for one long night, only to find out ten years have passed.  My sister is pregnant, my cousin, all my friends are married…there’s even a memorial in my honor in Station Square!  It’s just…scary.”

   The echidna king smiled sympathetically, putting an arm around the shoulder of his distant grandson and hugging him tightly.  “Don’t worry Mikomi…as you ease back into mortality things will make more sense again.  Needless to say we can now explain your sudden reappearance.  We could say you went through a similar experience to the one Hidama did when he saved your father, only you awoke in a distant village where the people took care of you until you were finally able to remember enough to know where you belonged and came home.”

   “That sounds legit to me,” Zachary said as he walked over to them.  They looked up to him, and he continued, “I hope I’m not interrupting, but Kashoku made a good point.  Now it won’t be so freaky to people when they see you alive.  Heh, they’ll still keep that memorial up anyway…you did save the entire world after all.”

   Mikomi blinked slowly, gazing at Zachary for a moment, trying to gather scattered information on who he was.  He knew that Zachary was the son of Aranelion and Camillia, making them distant kindred, but the fact that he had married Mikomi’s cousin tied them together closer.  Being the next oldest son out of the interconnected family, Mikomi was beginning to feel a sort of kinship with Zachary, feeling more comfortable with him as opposed to Jeremy and Oliver, at least to begin with.

   He stood up, realizing that the two of them stood to about the same height, and said, “This may seem random…but it’s really nice to have more guys in the family now…considering I was surrounded by girls my entire childhood.”

   Zachary laughed and replied, “Heh, I was the exact opposite.  It was always me and Jeremy…the only girls we got to see were at school…of course, when I met Kelsey and your family and friends that all changed, but…”

   Before he could finish, a car horn honked in the distance.  Kashoku, Mikomi and Zachary looked to the driveway to see a black truck pull up in the drive way.  “Ah, that must be Dad,” Zachary started.

   Kashoku stood up, and the three watched as the driver’s side door opened.  Out stepped Aranelion Brokenstar, still wearing his favorite black hat and signature light blue shirt with demin jeans.  From the back seat, his twin brother Elianaron climbed out after him, still wearing his hair the same, despite the fact that trials of the past had changed his demeanor drastically.

   Camillia the Cat, her long pink hair falling to the back of her knees, hopped out of the passenger’s side as Aranelion and Elianaron walked around to her side of the vehicle.  Kashoku was almost frozen with awe when he saw the two sons of Armundae, Captain of the Guardian, the final two survivors of his kindred.  He took a few paces towards them. They looked to him as he approached, Aranelion and Elianaron fascinated with the fact that they were going to meet their distant ancestor, one they had in common with their dear friend Hidama, and the first high king of the echidna race that they loved.

   It was developing into a tender scene…that is, until the passenger’s side door flung open all the way and a little pink and yellow cat hybrid jumped out of the car, catching Kashoku in her sight, and immediately bounding towards him giggling and laughing until she tackled him, causing him to fall backwards as she latched onto him, hugging him tightly.

   “Airelea!” Aranelion cried, lowering his eyes and sighing softly. He glanced at Elianaron and Camillia and said, “Something tells me Kashoku isn’t aware of our little treasure.”

   Camillia giggled, while Elianaron chuckled softly, the three of them looking back to a dazed Kashoku as he tried to collect himself, little Airelea still holding onto him.

   By this point, Zachary and Mikomi had run to help Kashoku. At the same time, Jeremy and Oliver had stepped outside after they heard the truck horn honk. While Jeremy ran to greet his dad, Oliver went to see what had knocked Kashoku to the ground.

   Aranelion knelt down, pulling Airelea off Kashoku.  She laughed and cried, “I’m sorry Daddy, but I saw Mr. Kasoku and wanted to hug him!”  Turning to Kashoku she said, “Sorry Mr. Kasoku, I didn’t mean ta knock ya down, hee hee.”

   Zachary laughed and said, “‘Kasoku’ eh?  That’s cute.”  He shook his head as he and Oliver helped Kashoku stand and said, “You’re alright Airelea…I know you love to meet new people, just don’t knock them down in your eagerness okay?”

   Airelea giggled and replied, “Okie dokie big brother!  Hee hee.”

   Meanwhile Kashoku looked to Oliver and said, “I thought you said that Aranelion and Elianaron only had sons.”

   Oliver went red in the face, grinning sheepishly and said, “Don’t mean to argue with you sir but that’s not it.  You asked me if they had children, and I started by saying they both had sons.  After I mentioned that Jeremy’s mother died and you prayed for her, you immediately switched into the Seven Wielders speech before I could remember to finish.”

   Kashoku stared at Oliver in disbelief, for he knew that the fox hybrid had made his point.  He sighed deeply before looking back to Aranelion, who smiled at him and said, “Well, I guess you’ve met my daughter Airelea.  She’s only five years old so you'll have to forgive her…she loves meeting new people.”

   “Hee hee, yep I do!” Airelea cried.

   Mikomi glanced at Zachary, for now he realized the two of them had another thing in common.  They both had little sisters…however, Mikomi could only sigh sadly, watching as Kashoku greeted Aranelion, Elianaron, Camillia and Airelea, for unlike Zachary, Mikomi still had no recollection of his dear sister.  It pained him, for as he listened to Airelea’s happy laugh, he could almost hear the echoes of Amarie’s laughter flowing from his distant, and almost completely forgotten past, which was only just now, starting to fit back together.

   Miles away from there, somewhere outside of Casinopolis, a rogue pair of eyes watched Shadow the Hedgehog and Rouge the Bat walk hand in hand together through the town, holding their chaos emeralds in their free hands.  Lowering his binoculars, he whispered, “Target sighted.  I’ve found the first two chaos emeralds Miss.  What action should I take next?”

   On the other side of the radio sat a woman, her legs crossed as she sat at a desk in her office.  A menacing smile crept across her lips, coated with pink lip-gloss.  She cackled softly and said, “That shouldn’t be a question my dear.  Go after them; bring me their chaos emeralds…and then, get back here as soon as you can.  I think I may have finally found the Master Emerald’s lost power…and perhaps a power greater than that.  We must strike quickly, so hurry and get those chaos emeralds…now!”

   Hanging up the radio microphone, she continued, “Those chaos emeralds will be mine!  Soon, I’ll show the world the answer to world peace…peace, comes through struggle and conflict…struggle and conflict, come from chaos!  Bring the Chaos Power to me, and the world will be at peace…under my dominion!”

   Now it seemed Kashoku’s fears were justified, for as he welcomed the last of his kindred, the rogue figure now made his way to Casinopolis, hell bent to retrieve Shadow and Rouge’s chaos emeralds for his leader, a mistress determined to bring true peace…but at a cost.  She was threatening to undo the peace that Mikomi bought with his life, and now would have to put on the line once more, in order to preserve it.

Description
"Until the End of Forever"
By: Jade Lightning, a.k.a. Inuyashas-hanyougirl
Chapter 5: Fitting it all Together

   The echidna high king was well aware of Kelsey’s anger towards him, and returned her cold gaze with his own, piercing glare.  This froze Kelsey in her tracks, while Kashoku made up the rest of the distance between them until they were almost face to face.  He gazed at her, his amber eyes eventually softening as he took a step back, bowing down as he spoke.  “Kelsey Brokenstar…daughter of my distant son Hidama, it is a pleasure to meet another heir of my house.”

   Kelsey let out a gasp, hardly respecting such a reaction from Kashoku after she accused him of murdering Mikomi.  He looked up at her, a smile on his face, and whispered, “I am many things Kelsey…a fool maybe, but not a killer.  The only killer in this room is hatred, which is something I intend to keep at bay…is that clear?”

   Trembling after Kashoku’s words, Kelsey could only nod as he stood up again.  He let out a sigh, pulling her into his arms and whispered, “Kelsey…not a day goes by that I don’t regret the misfortune I have placed on all my kindred…and that includes you.  Now I have come here to make things right…I brought Mikomi, not only because I need him, but all because I feel…he belongs here, and if I can give him that chance, I’ll go to any means to give it to him.  Keep your faith in me…that is all I ask.”

   “You…you need him?  But why?” Kelsey asked, looking at him.  “What’s wrong?”

   As he pulled out of this embrace, Kashoku lowered his eyes and shook his head.  “Indeed, daughter of Hidama, I need him, for he holds all of the power of the Master Emerald…it is tied to his very soul.  Ask your father or uncle, for with their guardian blood they can feel this power pouring from the depths of his being.  This is a problem, and I have come to rectify it.  I had every intention of returning to the beyond with Mikomi, for his grandfather especially was quite angry with me for this nonsense, but if he can remain here once my work is done, then let it be.”

   Mikomi stood up slowly, cringing and staggering a bit as he tried to walk to Kelsey.  Zachary came up beside him to steady him, only for Mikomi to say, “My grandfather?  …I don’t remember such a thing…he’s dead isn’t he?”

   Kashoku looked back to Mikomi and said, “You don’t remember being dead Mikomi.  In your mind now you’ve merely been sleeping the past ten years, but I…while the afterlife is obscured to me, know that I belong there, and I remember clearly your grandfather’s displeasure at losing you, considering he had to leave his sons behind in his horrific death.  You…you reminded him of his sons, Hinsei Hidama and Knuckles, but I also know that he’d never ask you to trade in the opportunity to live a little bit longer, for it is a dream I’m sure he’s had since his last minutes of life on this earth and thereafter.”

   Mikomi lowered his eyes, glancing back at his father and uncle, who now looked to each other with mournful eyes as Kashoku spoke of their father.  He then looked back to Kelsey, her hand cupped over her mouth as she still tried to process all that was said about Mikomi.  Zachary walked up between her and Mikomi, making eye contact with his distant ancestor.  Kashoku gazed at him, able to trace his very soul to that of his own son, despite the fact that over the years it had gone through many changes, Zachary’s distant ancestor around the time of the Battle for Power founding the House of the Captains.

   Before Zachary could speak, Kashoku stepped back, bowing once more and saying, “Son of Aranelion, Captain of the Guardian, it is an honor to meet you at last.”

   Zachary glanced at Kelsey; as Kashoku rose, he looked back to him, nodding and replied, “The honor is mine.  …Might I ask what restoring the chaos emeralds is going to involve?”

   Pyro, having heard the story three times already, stood up, groaning and said, “No way…we’re not going to listen to the Wielders Story, the creation of the Master and Seven…not until everyone who needs to know it is here.  I’m tired of it already…”

   Kashoku shot Pyro a look, causing the hedgecat to flush red as he sat back down beside Amarie.  Kashoku sighed, looking to each pair of eyes in the room and said, “Therein lies the problem Pyro…for not everyone I need for this process is present.  Now I have all seven Wielders in my company.  I mentioned to the rest of you that the Seven were not randomly chosen…they all have some tie to either my bloodline or the chaos emeralds.  In this case, they meet three criteria; they are either members of the House of the Guardian, descendants of the House of the Captains, or descendant from the souls that can wield the awesome powers of the Seven Chaos Emeralds.  Now that I’ve told you all this with the Seven in our presence, it should be no chore to figure out who these seven souls are.”

   The newly arrived members now exchanged glances with the others in the room.  It was true what Kashoku said, for they could now place each other…except for Aries and Mikomi.  Zachary nodded slowly, as if he understood, but asked, “So, since Jeremy and I are descendants of the House of the Captains, Amberly, Oliver and Pyro descended from those that can wield the chaos emeralds, and Kelsey and…Amarie…oh dear…”  He trailed off as he named the last of the seven wielders, glancing at a heavily pregnant Amarie as she sat beside her mother and husband on the couch, realizing what this meant for her and her unborn baby.

   Kelsey let out a soft gasp, looking to Kashoku and crying, “That won’t work Kashoku.  Surely you know what this means for…”

   “Indeed I do Kelsey, and yet this cannot be changed.  Aries cannot be a wielder for she is a Guardian, and Mikomi cannot for obvious reasons.  In light of the danger presented here, I simply must wait until…,” Kashoku started, looking to Amarie, Pyro and Amy, then continued, “…the child is born.  Shortly after that, the restoration must occur, not just so the peace of our planet will be secure…but so Mikomi will be free from the weight of its power.”

   At this point, Hidama walked up beside Mikomi, looked to Kashoku and said, “That said, you’re not ready to begin the process anyway…you are still missing something very important.”  He glanced over at the glass tabletop dinning room table, where five of the chaos emeralds sat together, yellow, light blue, silver, purple, and dark blue.  Everyone’s eyes followed his own, including Kashoku’s, for they knew what Hidama was alluding to; the last two chaos emeralds were missing…red and green.

   Kashoku sighed, shaking his head as he looked to Hidama.  “Indeed,” he started, “For I am short two chaos emeralds, and cannot restore them unless they are together and in the hands of their wielders.  Each chaos emerald has a specific wielder, and if I don’t miss my guess, the two wielders here that will not have their match are the two tied to their location.”

   The seven wielders glanced at each other.  Zachary looked to the table and walked up to it, Pyro and Mikomi following him.  They looked over his shoulder as he reached for one, but he paused, and asked, “How will I know it’s mine?”

   Mikomi looked to Kashoku and said, “Won’t it react under his touch just like they do when a guardian touches them?  When Uncle Hidama picked one up it started to glow, and no doubt it works the same way for Shadow and Sonic.”  Looking back to Zachary he said, “You’ll just have to hold each one until you find the one that reacts to your touch.”

   Kashoku nodded in approval.  “You are indeed wise Mikomi, for you speak rightly.  Reach for them son of Aranelion, and your chosen chaos emerald will speak to you.”

   Zachary glanced at Kashoku once more, before reaching for one of the chaos emeralds, the purple one.  Taking it in his hand, it remained dark, but as he handed it to Pyro, it lit up brightly.

   “Whoa!” Pyro exclaimed, holding it up to get a better look at it.  “How come I get purple and not blue?”

   Knuckles and Hidama walked up to get a closer look.  Hidama said, “It doesn’t matter what color you get Pyro.  Their colors have nothing to do with their powers…infact I always meant to ask you why you chose those colors for them Kashoku.”

   “They were chosen by Mitsukai,” Kashoku explained, “Only she really knows the answer to that.  I simply asked her and she gave me direction.”

   Placing a finger on Pyro’s chaos emerald, Knuckles closed his eyes, trying to get a read on the chaos emerald’s power level, before sighing, opening his eyes and saying, “It’s true…this chaos emerald is weaker than I could have guessed.  That goes to show how much the seven depended on the One.”

   Walking up to the brothers, Kashoku shook his head and said, “They’re actually much weaker than this my sons…they are only as strong as they are now, not only because they are connecting with their wielders, but more importantly because the source is with them again.  Take Mikomi away and they’re basically worthless.  Now you see how dangerous this situation is.  I’m desperate to have their powers restored, or at least have them reunited again, for this long lived peace won’t last for long.”

   The rest of the wielders, including Amarie, now crowded around the remaining four chaos emeralds.  Zachary now picked up the dark blue chaos emerald.  Getting nothing, he handed it to Kelsey.  After she got nothing, she started to hand it to Jeremy, but instead it fell to the ground when he didn’t grasp it properly.  Oliver bent down to pick it up, and immediately its inner glow returned.

   Gazing at it with wide eyes, he showed it to Aries, and said, “Found mine,” showing it to everyone else in turn.  Now the silver, light blue, and yellow chaos emeralds remained.  Zachary took the yellow one in his hands and at last found his chaos emerald as it awakened under his touch.  He gave it a similar gaze of wonder.

   Pyro saw this and said, “No fair…his chaos emerald matches his fur color…”

   Amarie laughed and said, “Pyro you dummy, it doesn’t matter if they match your fur or not…and besides, you have purple streaks in your hair so you can’t complain.  Nobody here has silver fur…”

   As if she took a cue from Amarie, Kelsey reached for the light blue chaos emerald, and not surprisingly it sprung to life once she did so, causing Pyro to pout, especially after what Amarie had said.  He rolled his eyes, laughed and said, “Okay, I’m cool with that…but, who does the silver one belong to?”

   Delilah walked up to Hidama and said, “Correct me if I’m wrong, but if what Kashoku said is true, the silver one will belong to Amarie.  He said the two missing ones will belong to the ones closest to the source of their location.”

   Everyone looked at Amberly and Jeremy, but first looked to Amarie as she began to reach for the silver chaos emerald.  Mikomi, who still couldn’t remember his sister, looked on in horror, knowing that chaos energy was the last thing she needed to be exposed to, and ran to her side immediately, holding her back from touching the chaos emeralds.  He pulled her into his arms, holding her firmly but gently.

   “Kashoku, you can’t expose her to chaos energy!  It’s too dangerous!” Mikomi cried, holding her tightly as he clenched his eyes shut to suppress tears and fatigue.

   Amarie let out a soft gasp, still shocked by this but enchanted by her brother hugging her, holding her close, so close that he could feel her baby as it moved inside of her.  She glanced at his face as the baby kicked her gently, and could see him clench his eyes shut tighter in response.  She hugged him back, resting her head on him, enjoying this embrace.

   Everyone watched this tender scene, smiling at the siblings as they hugged.  Kashoku, however, shook his head, and responded, “Then why are you hugging her Mikomi?  The Master Emerald’s power, the largest concentration of this chaos energy, is tied to your very soul.  Does that not mean that you’re exposing the both of them to this danger?”

   Mikomi gasped suddenly, almost ripping away from Amarie, had she not maintained her hold on him.  Everyone else looked to Kashoku in horror, and yet, he smiled, shaking his head and said, “Your fears are understandable, but remember Mikomi, the seven are barely a shadow of their former selves…hardly a threat.  And another point; your body, though it is fragile, is a much better container for that chaos energy than any gemstone.  It is tied to your soul, and would take much more than a simple embrace to tear it out.  It’ll take the power of the Celestial Emerald and the power of two Guardians to bring it forth.  You need not worry.”

   Amarie looked to her brother, knowing he couldn’t remember her, and smiled, pulling him back to her and hugging him.  As he slowly returned it, she whispered, “Can you feel the baby Mikomi?  It’s hugging you too.”

   Though his mind continued to taunt him with his amnesia, he knew that because this girl was his sister, that her unborn child was his nephew or niece, and thus he could feel his heart race faster when she said this.  Trembling slightly, he rested his head on her shoulder and simply nodded, his breathing slightly labored as he stood there.

   “Mikomi?” Amarie asked.  She could feel him shaking, and could hear his heavy breaths.  She whispered, “You always looked after me when I needed you, and now it’s my turn to look after you.  …You’ll be alright.”

   Making sure she had a firm hold on him, she started to walk him over to one of the dining room chairs, helping him sit down as he rested his head on the table, unable to speak as he shivered.  Amarie watched this sadly, then looked to her mother and father and said, “It’s as if he’s being born again…he’s weak, needs rest, but most importantly, someone to take care of him.”

   Amy and Knuckles looked on sadly, the echidna putting his arm around his wife and hugging her tightly.  Amarie looked to her ailing brother once more, before looking again to the silver chaos emerald that rested only inches away from where his head rested on the table.  Reassured by Kashoku, she reached for it, taking it in her hands, where its inner glow bloomed to life under her touch, and yet released next to no power when it did so.  Kashoku looked to the five wielders, their chaos emeralds brought to life once more, before looking to the final two wielders, still missing their chaos emeralds, and were thus the ones tied to their location.

   “I was right…the two wielders missing their chaos emeralds are the ones closest to where they are now held,” Kashoku started.  Walking up to Amberly and Jeremy, he continued, “The red and green chaos emeralds are undoubtedly in the possession of Amberly’s father and mother, Shadow the Hedgehog, and Rouge the Bat.  We simply must find them…I fear they may be in great danger because of this and their chosen path of isolation.”

   Amberly, who had finally collected herself after bursting into tears once she saw Mikomi, looked to her husband, and then to Kashoku and cried, “Danger?  Why are my parents in danger?”

   Kashoku sighed, shaking his head and said, “Because Amberly, they are alone, and unaware of this threat that now faces them.  They now hold two chaos emeralds that not even Shadow can use to protect them.  No doubt there are many others that know this, and if my fears are justified, there are those with wishes of malcontent that will be hunting them down in order to seize their chaos emeralds.  They will most likely be after the others soon…maybe even the wielders, but most importantly, once they discover the secret of their source,” he said looking to Mikomi, “They will be after him as well.  For now, I fear for Shadow and Rouge’s safety, which is why I must find them immediately.”

   A collective gasp escaped everyone in the room, the most shock coming from Amberly, who now grabbed hold of Kashoku and cried, “Who are you talking about?  What are they going to do with my mom and dad?”

   Catching a frightened glare from Jeremy, who shared in Amberly’s worry for his in-laws, Kashoku lowered his eyes and replied, “It’s not your parents they want Amberly.  These people will simply want to the two chaos emeralds they hold, and seeing as how your parents treasure them as a sign of their union, I can only surmise they will defend them to the lengths of the edge of their strength.  I don’t know much about these people, or what their exact purposes are, but I can assure you any sort of negativity of this kind needs to be feared and treated with the utmost importance.”

   Tears filled Amberly’s eyes; she turned to Jeremy, hugging him tightly.  As he returned this embrace, he looked to Kashoku and said, “But that’s the problem Kashoku.  Nobody knows where Shadow and Rouge are, not even Amberly.  They’re constantly traveling from one place to another.  They do call from time to time, but never say where they’re going.  Last time we heard from them was a week ago.  They were in Radical City visiting Shadow’s friends, the band members or whatever, and mentioned we probably wouldn’t hear from them until they came here when Amarie’s due date rolled around.  Shadow promised they would be here, but until then who knows where they’ve gone?”

   “Oh my…,” Kashoku said.  He turned away from Amberly and Jeremy, cupping his hand to his chin, and closing his eyes.  “Shadow does indeed have friends in many places…the band members I recall…Bill, Joel, and Zachary, they helped him rescue Hidama all those years ago.  Still, if he and Rouge are going to come back here in four weeks, they’ll be working their way towards Station Square, thus they could go no farther north than the ancestral home of my distant kindred, the Northern Kingdom.  They could go no farther west than Twinkle Park…no further south than South Island.  That narrows my search area nicely.”

   Hidama eyed Kashoku curiously and asked, “Search area?  You mean you intend to look for them?   Isn’t that a bit risky for you?”

   The echidna king looked up at Hidama, laughed softly and said, “Hidama, I cannot leave Mikomi.  I believe the Celestial Emerald helps to soothe some of his suffering, and since I must keep it in my possession, I cannot leave him.  I also promised your father I would not leave his side, for if something were to happen to either Mikomi or I, our souls would be lost to the void forever.  Until his body is more stable, I cannot risk leaving him alone.  I’m only a little heartier than he is.”

   Letting out a gasp, Hidama glanced at his nephew; Mikomi remained unmoving, save for a slight tremble and a soft whimper as he rested his head on the desk.  Everyone’s eyes followed his, and while they watched him, Kashoku walked over to the window and continued, “That is why I have called on some friends to assist us.  I put in a call to the Captains of the Guardian, and have sent word to Sonic as well, although I’m not sure how fast he will be able to react.  Some of you will simply have to look for Shadow and Rouge, although I’d beg at least one of you to stay behind, Knuckles or Hidama, incase they come after the Wielders, the Five…or the One.”

   “You don’t mean…Mikomi?” Amy asked.  She was now sitting beside him at the table, rubbing his back gently and stroking his hair.  “How soon do you think it will be before they find out?”

   Kashoku glanced at her gently, then at Knuckles, smiling weakly, and said, “My lady…I’m afraid I don’t doubt that they might have picked up on the source already.  When Mikomi was standing on the roof this morning, there’s no doubt in my mind that the same equipment they were using to track Shadow could pick up on that concentration of chaos energy.  Mikomi’s body may contain it well, but it can’t mask it, and I’m sure that they’ve already turned their sights once again to this place.  I mourn this, because it is my wish to hold back this storm for one month longer, but do not know how to go about doing so.  Should I use a large concentration of my power to mask it, I could put my own soul at risk, although now I’m not sure how many choices I have left.”

   Amy immediately went pale, knowing instantly what this meant for both of her children.  “No…,” she murmured.  She could feel her son continue to tremble under her touch; overcome with worry, Amy put her arms around him and hugged him tightly, unable to speak further.  Knuckles’ face lost most of its color as well as he looked to his daughter and son-in-law, shaking his head in disbelief, unable to find any words to say.

   It seemed that nobody knew what to say; Kashoku lowered his eyes, and whispered, “I’m sorry, but I cannot speak anything less than the truth.  This is the last thing I’d wish on any of you, especially my own family.”

   Hidama glanced at Kashoku; he could feel the sadness pouring from his soul, yet at the same time he could tell that Kashoku was almost unsure of what to do.  It was almost as if he was being overloaded with problems.  He was the great echidna high king, and yet now, in this very room, Hidama realized that even he had his flaws.  Looking to Kelsey, he could tell she finally realized this as well.

   The entire room was consumed with the grim news Kashoku had just presented them with.  The echidna king murmured, “I’m in error…I should have known from the beginning to protect the Seven and the One from ill use.  Only in the Celestial Emerald have I corrected this flaw.  I cannot let anymore misfortune destroy the peace my children have toiled so long and hard to preserve.”  He looked up, glancing at Mikomi, before he said, “I’d be too frightened to restore the chaos emeralds until Mikomi’s body is more stable anyway…the Celestial Emerald and the blood of the Guardian should soften the transfer, but I won’t risk that kind of stress.  For now, we simply must find Shadow and Rouge, and tough it out until then, protecting the Seven Wielders, Chaos Emeralds, and the One until the time is right.  Once my other two sons come to me we’ll take steps to find the final chaos emeralds.”

   Zachary and Jeremy exchanged glances, and then looked to Kashoku.  “Wait, so you already called our parents?” Jeremy asked.

   Kashoku returned their gazes, and replied, “Naturally Jeremy, as sons of Armundae, late Captain of the Guardian, they are my sons as much as Hidama and Knuckles are, whether they are full blooded or not.  I called them once I got finished speaking to your cousin…needless to say Aranelion was more ready to believe me than his son was.”

   “Well forgive me Kashoku, but when I saw Kelsey pass out before my eyes I wasn’t really open to such a stretch…you’re also talking to…,” Zachary started.

   “A medical school graduate Zachary…I know, and I hold nothing against any of you for being hesitant,” Kashoku started.  Turning to Hidama and Knuckles, he added, “Aranelion simply heard his father’s voice in my own, and thus he was more ready to trust to faith.”

   Kelsey let out a soft gasp when he said this, for she remembered how Kashoku’s voice sounded familiar to her even when she couldn’t place it.  Zachary looked to Kashoku and said, “That’s right…you’ve been with our grandfather before haven’t you?”

   Kashoku nodded, and replied, “Armundae walks side by side with the one he died to protect, the Guardian, and so I walk with both of them.  Before I left, Armundae asked I deliver a message to his sons, which I now must force myself to remember as my knowledge is lost.  Once I tell Aranelion and Elianaron it is up to them if they wish to share it with you or their mother.”

   He turned to Hidama and Knuckles, and added, “That reminds me…your father also had something to say to the two of you.  …He actually told Mikomi to tell you first, but now that he’s forgotten dying, he’s forgotten these words as well, which is why I am pleased I chose to remember them for myself.  I think I’ll tell them to you over lunch.  Aranelion and Elianaron should be here shortly after then.”

   Having said this, Kashoku brought the worries of bad times to come to a temporary end.  Walking in the direction of the kitchen without another word, Hidama and Knuckles were immediately following him, begging to hear what their father had asked him to tell them.  Half of the room peeled away with them, including Jeremy, who was trying to console Amberly as she feared for her parents, Oliver and Aries, who wondered how long it would take her father to arrive and whether Kashoku had called Oliver’s father or not, and Delilah, who followed her husband.  The rest of them, Kelsey, Zachary, Pyro and Amarie, now shifted their gazes to Amy, who continued to hold Mikomi, who still shook heavily underneath her, his breathing better but still labored.

   “My poor baby boy…,” Amy whispered, stroking his hair and the back of his ears as she held him, covering him as he continued to rest his head on the table.  “You were taken away from me too suddenly…and now you’re already in danger again.  I’ll protect you this time…I won’t let anyone take you away from me again, and neither will your father.”

   Kelsey and Amarie couldn’t look at them, knowing full well that Mikomi still couldn’t remember his mother, even when she clearly still hadn’t recovered from his death completely, holding him like she did when he was still a child.  Zachary and Pyro glanced at each other, realizing the same thing but unable to understand exactly how deeply this affected the family.

   Mikomi could hear Amy's words, and yet still struggled to place her as his mother.  He was about to speak in an attempt to console both her and himself, but paused; he could feel something wet and hot soaking through his hair and fur to his scalp.  This girl who now held him tightly as she rested her head on his back, her aura containing so much of what he felt in his own, was crying, her tears falling hot on his hair.

   He opened his eyes, glancing at her out of the corner of his eyes, only able to see half of her face, most of her hair falling down the side of his head.  With one of his hands, he reached up to touch her hair, immediately closing his eyes, his first memory coming back to him.  His first memory, was of his mother’s face, her green eyes, pink hair, and her sweet smile.  She was holding him, for he was still a baby, singing to him, making him laugh and smile…it was the best feeling he could remember, and finally, everything about his mother returned to him, and now he understood why she wept.  Joy overflowed from his heart so fiercely he felt ready to burst.  The joy he felt at remembering his father, was almost even greater when he remembered his mother.

   Still, his sickness and fatigue limited this release of joy, and in light of this, he turned his head as best he could and looked up at her, and said, “Please don’t cry Mother, it’s not your fault that I died…even if I can’t remember it, you don’t need to feel it was your fault.  I love you.”

   Amy shot up like a bullet, gasping shrilly, when she heard her son speak, calling her “Mother” and saying he loved her.  She could see him looking at her with his mismatched eyes, smiling as strongly as he could, his eyes on the edge of tears.

   As tears filled her own eyes, she whispered, “Mi—Mikomi…you…you remember me?”

   This got the attention of everyone left in the room, including Knuckles, who now walked back in looking for Amy.  He ran up to her, only to hear Mikomi reply, “Mom…you are my first memory…I couldn’t have forgotten you for long.”

   Knuckles was now in just as much shock, looking to Amy, only to see that she was even more stunned, unable to speak, paralyzed with happiness now that Mikomi remembered her…calling her “Mom” again.  Mikomi could see this too, glancing at his father, before fighting his fatigue to sit up, ignoring sudden dizziness, and hugging his mother tightly, letting a few tears fall from his eyes as he did so.

   “Oh Mikomi…I love you so much.  I’m just so happy that you’re healing and here with us again.  We’re finally a family again,” Amy whispered, hugging Mikomi tightly.

   Kelsey and Zachary smiled at each other, turning to leave so Amy, Knuckles and Mikomi could have some time alone, retreating to the kitchen for lunch.  Pyro got up to follow them, but didn’t once he realized Amarie wasn’t following him, still sitting on the couch, watching her mother hug her brother tightly, and her father look on proudly.  She knew that while Mikomi was here, they weren’t a family yet…because he still couldn’t remember her, and Pyro could recognize this immediately.

   He sat down beside her and said, “Don’t worry Amarie, Kashoku did say that it’s probably going to be the person he holds closest to his heart that he’ll remember last, and it’s most likely you since he’s remembered his mom, dad, uncle and cousin…unless it’s your Aunt Delilah, which I doubt, it’ll be you who he remembers last, because he holds you the closest to his heart.  He has to fight for his memories of you…they’ll come back to him soon, I promise…long before the baby is born I’m sure.  Let’s go have some lunch.”

   Amarie glanced at Pyro sadly, but smiled and stood up with him.  As they walked to the kitchen, she looked over her shoulder once more and replied, “Oh Pyro…it’s just…last night…before he fainted…he said my name.  He knew who I was.  What happened in that instant to make him forget me?”

   Pyro kissed Amarie on the cheek, sighed, and said, “Maybe that was when the actual restoration of his body began.  Maybe when he saw you, he finally made up his mind and realized he wanted to live again, and went ahead and let it happen.  That’s all I can guess…maybe Kashoku will know.”

   The hedgecat waited for Amarie to reply, but all he got was a weak smile as she looked back to him, nodding, and giving him a kiss in return.  Kashoku, not needing to eat, watched them pass him from the hallway, going outside to wait for Aranelion and Elianaron while the others ate.

   Knuckles, Amy, and Mikomi joined the others for lunch, for while Kashoku didn’t need to eat, Mikomi had to, and so he sat with the others, talking about the memories he did remember, trying his best to place the others, and forging new ones as he got better acquainted his Oliver, Jeremy, and Zachary.  He still couldn’t remember Aries, Pyro, and of course, Amarie, nor could he remember Amberly, or Rouge or Shadow, the latter of which he had looked up to as a second father in the short time he knew him.

   After he had eaten enough, Mikomi slipped away to find Kashoku, and before anyone could notice this, they had no idea of where he had gone.  Still, noticing that Kashoku was missing too, they knew that Mikomi was most likely with him, and they went on eating their lunch, talking about everything from the chaos emeralds, to Mikomi, and what it would take to restore them, to Shadow and Rouge’s whereabouts.

   Shortly after lunch time, Zachary left his extended family to catch up with a much more distant relation, Kashoku, who was infact the common distant ancestor he shared with Kelsey, Amarie, Jeremy, and now Mikomi, though the Brokenstar bloodline was far removed from the line of the Guardian.

   He found Kashoku sitting outside with Mikomi; they sat side by side in a wooden swing that hung suspended from a large oak tree in the right side yard. They were keeping watch for the arrival of Aranelion, Camillia, and Elianaron no doubt, but at the same time were talking with one another, Mikomi still trying to make better sense of his situation, while Kashoku hid a fear of danger that now festered in his heart behind his concern for his distant loved ones.

   “Your progress may be gradual, but it will all come to you in time Mikomi I promise,” Kashoku said, “The fact that you were able to remember Kelsey almost instantly is a sign of things to come; you'll be able to remember your sister long before she has her baby I'm sure.”

   Mikomi heaved a heavy sigh and replied, “But that’s just it Kashoku. It’s not simply the fact that I’m amnesiatic about things, but…I just have this overwhelming sense of missed time.  I mean, you all tell me I’ve been dead and in Heaven for ten years, and yet I feel I’ve only been asleep…perhaps for one long night, only to find out ten years have passed.  My sister is pregnant, my cousin, all my friends are married…there’s even a memorial in my honor in Station Square!  It’s just…scary.”

   The echidna king smiled sympathetically, putting an arm around the shoulder of his distant grandson and hugging him tightly.  “Don’t worry Mikomi…as you ease back into mortality things will make more sense again.  Needless to say we can now explain your sudden reappearance.  We could say you went through a similar experience to the one Hidama did when he saved your father, only you awoke in a distant village where the people took care of you until you were finally able to remember enough to know where you belonged and came home.”

   “That sounds legit to me,” Zachary said as he walked over to them.  They looked up to him, and he continued, “I hope I’m not interrupting, but Kashoku made a good point.  Now it won’t be so freaky to people when they see you alive.  Heh, they’ll still keep that memorial up anyway…you did save the entire world after all.”

   Mikomi blinked slowly, gazing at Zachary for a moment, trying to gather scattered information on who he was.  He knew that Zachary was the son of Aranelion and Camillia, making them distant kindred, but the fact that he had married Mikomi’s cousin tied them together closer.  Being the next oldest son out of the interconnected family, Mikomi was beginning to feel a sort of kinship with Zachary, feeling more comfortable with him as opposed to Jeremy and Oliver, at least to begin with.

   He stood up, realizing that the two of them stood to about the same height, and said, “This may seem random…but it’s really nice to have more guys in the family now…considering I was surrounded by girls my entire childhood.”

   Zachary laughed and replied, “Heh, I was the exact opposite.  It was always me and Jeremy…the only girls we got to see were at school…of course, when I met Kelsey and your family and friends that all changed, but…”

   Before he could finish, a car horn honked in the distance.  Kashoku, Mikomi and Zachary looked to the driveway to see a black truck pull up in the drive way.  “Ah, that must be Dad,” Zachary started.

   Kashoku stood up, and the three watched as the driver’s side door opened.  Out stepped Aranelion Brokenstar, still wearing his favorite black hat and signature light blue shirt with demin jeans.  From the back seat, his twin brother Elianaron climbed out after him, still wearing his hair the same, despite the fact that trials of the past had changed his demeanor drastically.

   Camillia the Cat, her long pink hair falling to the back of her knees, hopped out of the passenger’s side as Aranelion and Elianaron walked around to her side of the vehicle.  Kashoku was almost frozen with awe when he saw the two sons of Armundae, Captain of the Guardian, the final two survivors of his kindred.  He took a few paces towards them. They looked to him as he approached, Aranelion and Elianaron fascinated with the fact that they were going to meet their distant ancestor, one they had in common with their dear friend Hidama, and the first high king of the echidna race that they loved.

   It was developing into a tender scene…that is, until the passenger’s side door flung open all the way and a little pink and yellow cat hybrid jumped out of the car, catching Kashoku in her sight, and immediately bounding towards him giggling and laughing until she tackled him, causing him to fall backwards as she latched onto him, hugging him tightly.

   “Airelea!” Aranelion cried, lowering his eyes and sighing softly. He glanced at Elianaron and Camillia and said, “Something tells me Kashoku isn’t aware of our little treasure.”

   Camillia giggled, while Elianaron chuckled softly, the three of them looking back to a dazed Kashoku as he tried to collect himself, little Airelea still holding onto him.

   By this point, Zachary and Mikomi had run to help Kashoku. At the same time, Jeremy and Oliver had stepped outside after they heard the truck horn honk. While Jeremy ran to greet his dad, Oliver went to see what had knocked Kashoku to the ground.

   Aranelion knelt down, pulling Airelea off Kashoku.  She laughed and cried, “I’m sorry Daddy, but I saw Mr. Kasoku and wanted to hug him!”  Turning to Kashoku she said, “Sorry Mr. Kasoku, I didn’t mean ta knock ya down, hee hee.”

   Zachary laughed and said, “‘Kasoku’ eh?  That’s cute.”  He shook his head as he and Oliver helped Kashoku stand and said, “You’re alright Airelea…I know you love to meet new people, just don’t knock them down in your eagerness okay?”

   Airelea giggled and replied, “Okie dokie big brother!  Hee hee.”

   Meanwhile Kashoku looked to Oliver and said, “I thought you said that Aranelion and Elianaron only had sons.”

   Oliver went red in the face, grinning sheepishly and said, “Don’t mean to argue with you sir but that’s not it.  You asked me if they had children, and I started by saying they both had sons.  After I mentioned that Jeremy’s mother died and you prayed for her, you immediately switched into the Seven Wielders speech before I could remember to finish.”

   Kashoku stared at Oliver in disbelief, for he knew that the fox hybrid had made his point.  He sighed deeply before looking back to Aranelion, who smiled at him and said, “Well, I guess you’ve met my daughter Airelea.  She’s only five years old so you'll have to forgive her…she loves meeting new people.”

   “Hee hee, yep I do!” Airelea cried.

   Mikomi glanced at Zachary, for now he realized the two of them had another thing in common.  They both had little sisters…however, Mikomi could only sigh sadly, watching as Kashoku greeted Aranelion, Elianaron, Camillia and Airelea, for unlike Zachary, Mikomi still had no recollection of his dear sister.  It pained him, for as he listened to Airelea’s happy laugh, he could almost hear the echoes of Amarie’s laughter flowing from his distant, and almost completely forgotten past, which was only just now, starting to fit back together.

   Miles away from there, somewhere outside of Casinopolis, a rogue pair of eyes watched Shadow the Hedgehog and Rouge the Bat walk hand in hand together through the town, holding their chaos emeralds in their free hands.  Lowering his binoculars, he whispered, “Target sighted.  I’ve found the first two chaos emeralds Miss.  What action should I take next?”

   On the other side of the radio sat a woman, her legs crossed as she sat at a desk in her office.  A menacing smile crept across her lips, coated with pink lip-gloss.  She cackled softly and said, “That shouldn’t be a question my dear.  Go after them; bring me their chaos emeralds…and then, get back here as soon as you can.  I think I may have finally found the Master Emerald’s lost power…and perhaps a power greater than that.  We must strike quickly, so hurry and get those chaos emeralds…now!”

   Hanging up the radio microphone, she continued, “Those chaos emeralds will be mine!  Soon, I’ll show the world the answer to world peace…peace, comes through struggle and conflict…struggle and conflict, come from chaos!  Bring the Chaos Power to me, and the world will be at peace…under my dominion!”

   Now it seemed Kashoku’s fears were justified, for as he welcomed the last of his kindred, the rogue figure now made his way to Casinopolis, hell bent to retrieve Shadow and Rouge’s chaos emeralds for his leader, a mistress determined to bring true peace…but at a cost.  She was threatening to undo the peace that Mikomi bought with his life, and now would have to put on the line once more, in order to preserve it.