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"Until the End of Forever"
By: Jade Lightning, a.k.a. Inuyashas-hanyougirl
Chapter 7: The Time to Come Together

   Inside the house, Kashoku had retreated to the bedroom that Mikomi now shared with Elianaron, despite the fact that he could not place the twins just yet.  Mikomi had followed Kashoku into the house, weeping slightly at first after Shadow had challenged Kashoku, but the echidna king had requested that Mikomi leave him alone to pray.  Now Mikomi sat alone in the living room, no longer crying, but with a blank expression on his face.

   He felt completely and extremely confused, as if he didn’t know what to think or feel or say.  He hung his head low, his breath slightly heavy, as he whispered words to himself, dazed and confused.

   “How…how can I know that I belong here but not feel that way?” Mikomi whispered.  “Even now I’ve remembered a good part of my family and my history, and Kashoku tells me I’ll remember the rest by the time I become mortal again…maybe even long before then, but still…like right now, sometimes I feel as if I’m just a random soul that just happened to get stuck in a place they don’t belong.  Perhaps they belonged there before, which is why they linger there, but time has gone on without them and no longer demands their presence.”  He looked up, first glancing outside at where the crowd began to break up, and then let out a sigh as he stared up at the ceiling.  “They all moved on and grew up without me.  Until now I felt I belonged with Kashoku…that he too was simply a guest in a place he didn’t belong, even when I was faced with the chance to live again, which I…I accepted.  But now, now that he’s requested to be alone, so am I alone.  This is one disgusting transition…I want to feel like I belong already.  I want to fit in and recover my history.  I know there will always be ten years I cannot account for, but I want to resume my role in their lives, instead of just being a bystander to it all.”

   Having heard the scuffle outside, Delilah peeked around the corner of the entryway to see who she heard speaking in the living room.  When she saw her now twenty-seven year old nephew, alone and quite distraught, she let out a soft whimper.  Besides Amarie, Delilah was the only close family member that Mikomi had yet to remember, and this troubled Delilah, who much like Hidama, had loved Mikomi like a son since the couple never had their own.  She hesitated before entering the room, her ears pressed back tightly against her black artist’s cap, as she let out a sad sigh.  Camillia spotted her childhood friend standing there, and went to see what was troubling her.

   “Hey Delilah, what has you upset?” she asked.

   Delilah looked up, bringing a finger to her lips, and said, “Shh,” before glancing back into the room to make sure Mikomi had not heard her.  She looked back to Camillia, shook her head and replied, “I’m sorry Cam; I don’t want Mikomi to hear me out here.  It’s just…he’s remembered all of his family except for Amarie and, well, me.  We know that Amarie will probably be the last of everyone that he remembers…but, it hurts me inside that he’s suffering so, unable to remember a large part of his life or the circle of hearts that love him.  I just wish I could tell him that and have him know who is saying it.  He’s heard it all before, but I just want him to know his Aunt Delilah loves him.”

   Camillia took Delilah’s hands and said, “Come on Del.  It’ll be okay.  I know that he still remembers you in his heart, even if he can’t place a face with the memories.  He knows you love him.  You don’t even have to speak it.  The best you can do is be there for him now.”

   The girls looked at each other, and hugged each other tightly, before Delilah looked back in on Mikomi and said, “You’re right…come and sit with us.  He still has to remember you too.”

   She walked into the living room with Camillia following her.  She hesitated once more, deciding not to sit down until she got Mikomi’s attention.  Struggling to find her voice, she asked, “Hey…Miko?  Do you mind if Camillia and I sit with you?”

   The echidna hybrid regained his awareness that he had lost to his wandering thoughts, looking up at his Aunt and her friend, seeing the pink cat smiling at him, while the light blue hedgehog who spoke to him gazed at him with pained eyes even as she tried to smile.  Still unable to place her, but recognizing instantly from her aura that she was important to him, he managed a smile about as weak as her own and said, “Sure, I was getting tired of the silence anyway…it’s sickening.”

   Delilah and Camillia glanced at each other once more, before Delilah sat down on Mikomi’s left and Camillia on his right.  Taking one of her nephew’s hands, now covered in black gloves with yellow cuffs, and a square cut out on the backside of his hand where knuckle claws would be if he had them, she took a breath and asked, “Sickening?  How…nevermind.”  She let out a sigh, unsure of exactly what she wanted to say.  Mikomi looked up at her, with a concerned look in his eyes.  He glanced back at Camillia, who shook her head, looking at both of them sympathetically.

   She murmured to herself, “It must be so hard for Delilah to watch her nephew suffer so, especially when she can’t do anything to help him.  I’m surprised she’s holding up this well.  I just wish I could help them both.”

   By now, Mikomi had looked back to his Aunt, before staring at his hands, including the one she held in her own.  He let out a gasp when he heard Camillia speak; she had called him Delilah’s nephew, which meant she was his Aunt.  He now remembered where he placed her aura to; his cousin Kelsey’s aura had much of Delilah’s in her own, and now that made sense to him.  Slowly…like a bead of dew in the last struggle to drip free from a leaf, he began to place his Aunt, and even her best friend Camillia from one of his forgotten memories.  Another large part of his life was being restored.

   **It was only a few weeks after his little sister was born, and while he still could not place Amarie as his sister, Mikomi could remember slowly feeling neglected in the days after she was born.  The excitement wore off, and now that his Mom and Dad were spending more time looking after her, Mikomi could remember finding himself spending more time with his Uncle Hidama, and this same light-blue furred, shy but sweet hedgehog that now sat beside him, his Aunt Delilah.  Treating his cousin Kelsey more like a sister, unwilling at first to accept the new baby as a good thing as opposed to a curse.

   Kelsey was napping,  and a five-year-old Mikomi was baking cookies with his Aunt.  “What’s wrong?” she asked him, seeing the saddened look in his eyes as he looked at his house intensify every day.

   Mikomi, getting straight to the point, said, “I’m so mad at her…she took my Mom and Dad away from me.  Now all they want to do is spend time with her.  Can I be your son now Aunt Delilah?”

   His aunt, smiling and yet understanding the situation, stuck the next batch of cookies in the oven before sitting beside him and saying, “Now Mikomi, they gave you just as much love and attention when you were little.  Your sister can’t do anything for herself yet and needs their love and care.  Just because she needs more of their time doesn’t mean they’ve stopped loving you any less.  I’ll tell you one thing…she’s going to learn more from you than anybody.  It’ll be you who shows her the way in life…in everything from learning to playing.  Just wait a little longer Mikomi, and I’m sure you’ll see everything will work itself out.”  She paused, handing him a freshly baked cookie and added, “But until then, you’re more than welcome to spend time with your Uncle Hidama, cousin Kelsey, and I, okay?”

   After hearing this and taking a bite out of his cookie, Mikomi was finally starting to understand what was going on in his life.  He gave his aunt a big hug and said, “Thanks Aunt Delilah.  I love my Mom, Dad, even my sister, but it’s so great to have you, Kelsey, and Uncle Hidama to love too.”

   “And I’ll always love you Mikomi, no matter what, you never forget that,” she replied, returning the hug and kissing his cheek.**

   A tear rolled down Mikomi’s cheek, landing on the front of his new T-shirt; it was black, and had a large blue emerald printed on the front, with a yellow crescent moon draped across the top of it.  Two smaller versions of this emblem were on each sleeve, just above the yellow cuffs.  Along with brown pants, this was his new outfit, and his boots matched his shirt, black with a blue stripe down the middle and yellow crescents on the sides.

   He looked up from his lap, looking back at Camillia before looking to Delilah, who had closed her eyes and looked away trying to suppress her tears, her ears flattened against her hat.  He said, “You don’t need to cry Aunt Delilah…even when I couldn’t remember you, I knew that you always loved me, and that you always will.  I love you too.”

   Letting out a gasp, Delilah opened her tear-filled eyes, then smiled as she hugged Mikomi tightly.  “Oh Mikomi…that’s all I wanted to know.  I just wanted you to know that I love you.  I’m so glad you’re okay.”

   As the two embraced each other, Mikomi could feel his spirit heal a little more.  He was slowly finding his place in it all again, and he knew everything would be alright.  As he pulled back from the hug, he looked to Camillia and said, “And you…you’re Zachary’s mom.  I remember you coming to visit Angel Island plenty when I was younger, but I don’t recall seeing much of Zac then.”

   Camillia hugged Mikomi tightly, and though she smiled, it waivered a bit as she said, “Well he certainly came a long a few times, as did Aranelion, Elianaron, and Jeremy, but as the years went by we all just…I don’t know.  We became more dependent on e-mail and telephone to correspond.  So, you might not remember Zachary that well.  You only saw him a few times over the years, so he’s more like a fresh face than anything else.  Airelea on the other hand was born five years ago so she’s the only true new face here.”

   “That’s right,” Mikomi said pulling back from the hug, “There were a few times when I saw Zac and Jeremy, and even Oliver, but…hmm, we never had any good reunions where we were all together at once.”

   Delilah shook her head and said, “That changed Mikomi…after you died we made a point to reunite every year on the anniversary of it, and we’ve never failed in getting together for that week.  It starts on the anniversary of the fall of Angel Island, and usually ends by the end of that week, around the time you passed away.   We always regretted not starting the ritual sooner, but, now that you’re here, maybe we can make amends for that finally.  It just hasn’t been the same without you Miko.”

   Mikomi was silent after this, realizing at last how much he had missed his loved ones.  He also finally felt like he belonged here, but, there was still something to pull him out of this, and this very factor walked into the room at that very moment.

   It was Kashoku, fresh from prayer, and ready to face the perils before him.  Once he caught notice of Camillia, Delilah, and Mikomi, he turned and half-bowed, saying, “My apologies if I provided some sort of interruption.  I know Mikomi and the rest of you have so much to catch up on…however…in the same way, so do I, have unfinished business of my own.”

   He paused, for without having to look he could sense Pyro, Amarie, and Shadow wander into the room, searching for some resolution with Kashoku and Mikomi for what had happened before.  He closed his eyes, murmuring something softly to himself in the ancient echidna tongue, one not even Hidama could understand, for the version he spoke went through many changes over the centuries, especially after the War of the Jewels, which separated the tribe forever, and thus their languages and cultures took on vast changes as time passed.

   Then he opened his eyes, turned to Shadow and said, “I walked the world in a time of great peace.  I saved that first echidna tribe from their persecutors, not the mutant army though; my kindred brought those enemies onto themselves in their selfishness, selfishness Hidama learned to abandon in favor of peace, another trait of mine that survived to his blood.  Beyond that, I created the One and the Seven, and their sister Jewels, as a gift for my queen, a sign of our greatness.  This greatness was not pride or supremacy.  No, our greatness was learning to live in harmony with the world around us, abandoning the need for warfare, and healing and wounds we shared with our enemies as I came into power.  We were what one would call today…a utopia.  Unfortunately, I underestimated the strength of my power, strength only I was born to control, and thus they abandoned these ideals for more worldly ones as they continued without me.  Still, the fact that my future sight could not see this places the blame for that tragedy on my shoulders, and thus, I should not involve Mikomi or the others any more than I should.”

   He turned back to Mikomi, glancing between him and Amarie, and then said, “You shall stay where you belong Mikomi.  I…will be the one to go retrieve the Seventh Chaos Emerald.  Once I have done this, I shall require you, your father and uncle, and the Seven Wielders only once more…to restore that power to the Seven, and trust that the world shall unite in an effort to protect them from evil.  The war against evil is one all life must fight together.  This is what we realized…and that is why the Masters and Jewels were created the way they were.

   “You see, I have been asked why there were Seven Chaos Emeralds to the One, and most often there are those that assume that I made one for each of the village elders, but this was not so, for the elders were appointed after their creation for the soul purpose of being their wielders.  Instead, I made the seven for the seven divisions of life that comprised the world at their making.  They were a sign of how the power divided was a dangerous thing, shown by how the capture of one can signal the beginning of a tragedy.  However, when they were united by the One, which in this case was how we were united by abandoning our differences in the favor of peace, everything was alright.  Though the One is gone now, that does not mean that the symbol is not.  The world must come together to protect the power that is meant to save them, instead of going for their own motives and putting risk to all freedom and peace.”

   Mikomi was silent, processing all that was said, but stood up soon after, and said, “So, you’re going to go…alone to find it?  I—I can’t let you do that.  We need to go together.”

   Amarie let out a gasp, and was ready to protest, but before she could speak, Kashoku held his hand out toward her, pausing her from speaking, and then looked back to Mikomi and said, “You need to stay where you belong.  With the Celestial Emerald I can pick up on the Seventh in no time…besides, I’ve realized it’s not the Celestial Emerald and its ties to Heaven that have soothed your suffering…it is, your family and loved ones who have done this.  To separate you from them would be to take away your only life line.  Your fight is not to survive to return to Heaven; your challenge is to now fight to stay alive until you can settle back into your life again.  That is your mission for now, and mine is to finish what I came to do.”

   Shadow walked up to Kashoku and Mikomi and said, “Lord Kashoku, I wish you’d let me accompany you, for that chaos emerald belongs to Rouge, and it is a sign of our union.  I must see to its recovery.  …Jacob is also a dear friend of mine, and I want to save him if I can.  I believe he has been ensnared in a similar fashion to how Hidama was, only this person has it so advanced that while she’s controlling him he has more of his own free will while Hidama had none until the very end as he started to break free.  I’m also concerned about Olivia’s daughter.  Apparently, this Ms. Flise person he serves has her captured but has not been able to force her to submit just yet.  So please, let me come with you.  I have served the echidnas for many years; I’d be ashamed to not help in this final struggle.”

   Kashoku was about ready to deny Shadow’s request, but, he knew what the Green and Red Chaos Emeralds had come to represent for Shadow and Rouge.  It was as if Rouge had her wedding ring stolen from her when Jacob took her chaos emerald, and Shadow was hard pressed to not go after it.  After all he had done for Hidama and Knuckles, he also knew that Shadow was ready to finish this business at last.

   With a small grin on his face, Kashoku shook his head, but then looked to Shadow and said, “My friend, denying you right to pursue what you love, would be like denying right to a knight to go after his princess, or a father the right to see his child be born.  There’s no escaping it; you will come with me whether I want you to or not, and I know this.  …We’ll go together.  With our combined forces, retrieving the chaos emerald should pose no challenge…I also plan to try and rescue Jacob and his niece if I can.”

   Amarie glanced at Pyro, finally able to smile, even Delilah and Camillia were happy with Kashoku’s plan of action, but, poor Mikomi; for whatever reason he felt the need to stick with Kashoku, even when he knew he needed to try and fit into his old life instead of clinging to Kashoku.  He walked closer to Kashoku and said, “Please, Kashoku, if I do not go with you I feel inadequate.  I cannot explain it, but, I cannot stand idly by while you race into danger, unable to do anything to help you.”

   “Oh Mikomi…,” Amarie whimpered, for she realized Mikomi still gave more thought to Kashoku’s welfare than his own or those who loved him.  She latched onto Pyro, ready to cry again, but still listened as Kashoku spoke.

   Kashoku paused for a moment, but embraced Mikomi, and whispered, “My son, you hold my power within you; your purpose is to protect it, just as it is your father and uncle’s purpose to protect you in light of this.  We are all in danger, regardless of how we face it, and I ask you simply to face it here.  Protect your family and yourself in my stead; this is all I ask, and that is enough.”

   Mikomi stepped back, at first looking at Kashoku in disbelief, before he finally understood it all.  He half-bowed, looking between Shadow and Kashoku and said, “If you two can’t get the job done on your own, what good could I possibly be anyway?”

   Amarie finally felt like things were going to work out, and slowly pulled away from Pyro, walked up to her brother and said, “What matters…is what good you can do here.  We…we need you Mikomi, not even for the Chaos Emeralds…we need you, because, you’re family.  We’re incomplete without you.”

   He looked to his sister, and for a moment he felt the fog in his mind start to lift.  By this time, he had remembered everyone, save Aries, Pyro, their parents, and Oliver’s parents, and a few minor parts of his life, for in remembering Camillia he regained his memories of the Brokenstar Twins, and even Hannah, and it seemed as he remembered more and more that the fight to recover his memories of his sister was slowly becoming easier.  He could look into her eyes and begin to feel the depth of his ties to her once more, and so he smiled warmly after she spoke, at last beginning to feel the sense of belonging he expressed such a deep desire for only minutes before.

   However, before he could begin to reply to her, they heard Hidama’s voice crying out frantically, “Kashoku!  Shadow!  There’s a helicopter heading this way, and it’s descending fast!”

   Everyone’s attention was drawn to the nearby window looking out over the side yard.  Kashoku and Shadow looked at each other in horror, taking off for the backyard with no more words spoken.  Delilah, Camillia, Pyro, Mikomi, and Amarie followed them.

   When they arrived in the backyard, they found everyone else was already there, watching this large, black helicopter, coming from the same direction that Shadow and Rouge had, heading right for them, threatening to land in Pyro and Amarie’s backyard, crushing everything beneath it as it did so.  Little Airelea stood behind her uncle and father, who were closest to the edge of the yard facing the approaching chopper.

   “Uncle Ell, Daddy, what is that thing?” she cried.

   The twins exchanged a worried glance, knowing full well trouble was about to strike, but quickly looked to Airelea.  Aranelion cried, “Airelea!  Go stand with your mother now!  Go!”

   Elianaron took Airelea in his arms and retreated for the back of the crowd where Camillia now stood.  Airelea cried for her father, and to take Elianaron’s place, Zachary ran to his father, followed by Kelsey, as well as Shadow and Kashoku.

   “Dad?  Who are these people?” Zachary shouted as the roar of the helicopter made it hard to hear.

   Shadow answered for Aranelion, saying, “No doubt this is Miss Flise come to take what she thinks is rightfully hers!  If Kashoku is right, she probably tracked Mikomi on the roof yesterday and is just lucky the other six chaos emeralds are here as well!  Humph, well unfortunately she is greatly outnumbered this time!”

   That’s what Shadow thought.  Unfortunately, Jackie knew exactly what she was doing.  As she watched the helicopter descend, she spotted Kashoku, giggling happily and said, “Perfect! That’s the creator right there!  Back from the dead to save his family…how disgustingly sweet…if only you had an ancestor to help you my poor Katerina…”

   From the back of the vehicle, a Greyfox with long pink hair and pink and grey bangs stepped forward, wearing a layered blue and purple dress.  She frowned and said, “Don’t call me Katerina.  It sounds too royal…and I have no desire to be regal.”

   Jackie smirked but quickly said, “But of course Kate, I’m so sorry.  Still, you should be proud of who you are, for soon you shall rule in a perfect world…and you do have someone to help you.  I promised you I’d find the ones responsible for killing your mother didn’t I?”

   Kate looked up from her folded arms, her interest piqued, for Jackie had promised she would find the fiends who killed her mother, Queen Olivia, and as Jackie pointed outside the helicopter window, she beckoned the young fox girl to come see what she was gesturing to.

   As Kate peered out the window, Jackie directed her focus, not to Kashoku, but to Mikomi, who now stood beside his sister as they gazed at the helicopter in horror.  Jackie said, “It is he who is responsible for your mother’s death sweet Kate.  He didn’t kill her directly; the ones who did that are already destroyed by my guidance, but he is the root of the problem.”

   Kate looked at Jackie in disbelief, and so Jackie continued, “He holds a great power, and that is why your kingdom was attacked.  These people are after the power he holds.  I too am seeking the power he carries, but this is because I want to nullify and use it for true peace.  That way, there will be no wars, no death, nothing.  As long as he still lives with that power within him, the misery shall continue.  That is why we must capture him, as well as the rest of the chaos emeralds, for I need them for my plan to work.  That is all I ask of you my dear, then you can watch him die for the suffering he inflicted on the world, including your mother.”

   Jackie’s deception’s continued; hiding the fact that she was the one who killed Olivia in search of this power, she planted a seed of deep hatred in Kate’s heart for Mikomi, someone she had not even gotten the chance to meet, and already desired to kill.

    Still, Kate had hardly forged an alliance with Jackie, and simply said, “Let’s get him, no matter what it takes.”

   With a wicked smile, Jackie nodded and called to Jacob, “Bring it down Jacob sweetie!  Don’t be concerned with what you have to crush; if those idiots have any brains they’ll get out of our way!”

   As the helicopter began to descend, Kate pulled back away from Jackie and the window.  It was that attitude of hers that Kate didn’t like.  The only reason she even stuck by Jackie was to find justice for her mother and the dead of the Northern Kingdom, and it now appeared that after all of Jackie’s nonsense, she would finally get what she was searching for.

   On the ground, the growing shadow of the descending helicopter grew larger over Aranelion, Zachary, Kelsey, Mikomi, Pyro, and Amarie.  Aranelion let out a shout as he herded Zachary and Kelsey to safety, and Mikomi called out, “Hurry Pyro, get Amarie to safety!”

   In the rush, nobody had realized what this meant when Mikomi confidently called Pyro by name.  However, as Pyro led Amarie to the back of the crowd, he realized this, and cried, “Mikomi!  You remember me!” only to realize Mikomi was no longer with him.  He and Amarie both looked to see Mikomi standing bravely in face of the landing helicopter, safe from the vicinity of its shadow, but closer than anyone, except for Shadow and Kashoku who now ran to his side.

   “Mikomi!” Amarie cried.  It was too late to run back to him, for the helicopter landed right after that, crushing the fence on that side of the backyard, but landing for the most part in the neighboring yard.

   Shadow shouted, “What are you doing Mikomi?  Get out of here!”

   As Kashoku stood beside him, he said, “He knows that it’s him that they’re after.  He’s willing to do whatever he can to protect his family, and I cannot stop him from fulfilling this desire, just as I cannot stop you in striving to retrieve the red chaos emerald.  We must stand beside him and help him fight.  Remember, all life must fight to preserve the One peace!”

   With that, Shadow, Kashoku, and Mikomi, as well as everyone else, directed their gaze to the helicopter, waiting for the side hatch to come open to reveal the malice they would face.  However, they were caught by surprise when the brainwashed Jacob leapt out from a hatch on the top of the chopper, landing within inches of Shadow, ready to get revenge for his humiliating loss in Casinopolis.

   Kashoku and Mikomi were knocked back by the force of the impact, and Shadow, dazed and confused by the first hit was put at an immediate disadvantage.  Mikomi looked on in horror as he rose to his feet, and completely disregarding the weakness of his still temporary shell, he charged head on into the fray, revealing his true strength, blasting Jacob into the sky.  The Greyfox landed on his feet, unhurt, but in shock of this sudden outburst of power.

   Mikomi took a fighting stance, shielding Shadow from further harm, glaring at Jacob and said, “You won’t be hurting him again; I’ll see to that myself.”

   A growl escaped Jacob as he rubbed his nose with his fist, only to find his nose was now bleeding after that first swift punch from Mikomi’s right fist.  Simply being injured made Jacob’s blood boil, but before he could retaliate, a voice finally emerged from the black helicopter behind him.

   “Aww, come now Jacob sweetie, don’t waste your rage on these lowlifes, even if they are the ones responsible for the destruction of your kingdom,” the voice said.

   Hidama now ran to the front of the crowd, where Kashoku helped Shadow to his feet, and Mikomi continued his stare down of Jacob and the chopper.  Hidama gave his attention, not to the voice, but to Jacob.  His heart sank, for he could see that his dear friend from long ago was now corrupted, heart and soul.

   “It’s no good; she hasn’t just ensnared his mind.  She’s brainwashed him to the point where he can’t even remember the ones who he loves.  I could remember Knuckles, and while I was blinded by that darkness, it was that love for him that I never forgot that set me free.  Jacob here…he must have lost everything he cared about.  Nothing was worth fighting for anymore…and that’s why he surrendered to her,” Hidama explained.

   Shadow, Kashoku, and Hidama returned their attention to the helicopter, where they could now see the long legs of a human emerge first from the shadows.  She had long hair that appeared to be naturally red, but dyed into a rich violet color.  She wore a tight black vest and long black flares to match.  Her boots, again black, had pink shoe laces crossed from the top of the boots on down, and her final accessory was her pair of green tinted sunglasses, which she now lifted so she could better see those who stood before her.

   She looked to Hidama for a moment, letting out a laugh and said, “Gee, you would know Hidama, considering you’re partly to blame for his downfall.  It’s that nephew of yours that’s to blame.”

   Hidama let out a growl, glaring at Jackie he said, “I don’t know who you are, but I and no one close to me would ever bring harm to anyone, especially not to my dear friend Jacob, who along with his poor sister was all I had to keep me alive for many years.”

   Kashoku stepped forward and said, “I see through you, you deceitful witch.  You cannot hide your crooked soul from the eyes of one who has walked in the world beyond this.  Mikomi is the reason you are here; it’s the power he carries that you seek, and for that reason you will do whatever you can to seize him, even if it means portraying him as the source of Jacob’s pain so he’ll be more willing to apprehend him.”

   Jackie was humored by Hidama’s words, but was simply disgusted with Kashoku’s; however, she was not easily angered and impulsive as Sir Burns was, and after picking out a few faces from the crowd, she stepped down coming within inches of Kashoku, Mikomi and Hidama, and said, “Quiet you fool.  You brought this upon them all.  You should be the last one to speak about crooked intentions.  I know your secret echidna; one wrong move, and I’ll crack both you and Mikomi like discarded egg shells.”

   Kashoku was taken aback slightly, but showed no weakness.  Still, he was unable to speak, and so Mikomi spoke instead.  He shouted, “You’ll be doing nothing of the sort!  What you will do is let Jacob go and give Rouge back her chaos emerald!”

   Hidama glanced nervously between Jacob and Mikomi, but once he realized he was now Mikomi’s first source of defense, he added, “And what of Olivia’s daughter?  Where have you taken her?”

   “Quiet echidna,” a voice said, “The last thing I need is help from the ones responsible for my mother’s death.”  Kate stepped out from the helicopter, adjusting her gold choker necklace, which had an emerald jewel set in gold hanging from it.

   Everyone looked to her as she stood beside her uncle.  “You’ll pay for this dearly Shadow; and that hybrid too.  In attacking my poor uncle you’ve only proved how spiteful you are inside.  You respect nothing.”

   Hidama looked at Kate, seeing so much of Olivia in her.  He shook his head, smiling weakly and said, “It’s not too late for her Kashoku.  Kate has not yet succumbed to her uncle’s fate.  She’s merely been deceived by this witch into thinking we’re the ones who killed her mother.”  He paused, then stepped forward and said, “Kate, your mother was like a sister to me.  We spent a great deal of time together, imprisoned by a common enemy.  We kept each other’s hope alive.  To learn that she has died and your glorious kingdom fall prey to some new malice brings misery to my heart, but I can assure you, this person here is not the one who has that desire to make things right.  Infact I believe she is the source of the malice.  She seeks the power I protect to bring the world under her dictatorship, and hopes you and your uncle will do this for her.”

   For a moment, Kate appeared as if she was willing to listen to Hidama, who had a much friendlier voice and face than Jackie.  This infuriated Jackie who knew that Hidama just might be her undoing.  She let out a scream, stomped her foot, and shouted, “Shut up!  Shut up you stupid echidna!  You lie!”  She then threw a punch at Hidama, knocking him to the ground, the red chaos emerald tumbling to the ground and landing near Mikomi’s feet.  It suddenly burst to life once more, and she could finally be one-hundred percent sure that Mikomi held the power of the Master Emerald.

   Amarie looked to Pyro while everyone ran to help Hidama, and said, “Get Rouge’s chaos emerald quick!”

   Pyro nodded and ran for the chaos emerald.  Unfortunately, she saw this, and was tired of nothing going her way.  She pulled out a gun from a holster on her belt, aimed it at Pyro, and fired.  He was immediately trapped in a state of suspended animation, unable to move, but able to scream and shout to be released.

   While Jacob moved to recover the chaos emerald, Amarie let out a cry, “Pyro!” before moving as quickly as she could for the front of the crowd.

   “No Amarie!  Come back!” Amy cried.

   Too much was happening at once; while Knuckles looked to see why Amy cried, Amarie reached for Pyro, only to be grabbed by Jacob, who held her securely but surprisingly gently, as if he knew she was pregnant and loosened his grip because of it.

   “Silence!” Jackie shouted.  Everyone looked to her; she now had her chaos emerald back, as well as Pyro and Amarie in her possession.  She shouted, “Kate!  You keep the girl in check while I apprehend Mikomi…unless Mikomi would like me to smite his sister and brother-in-law instead.”

   “No!” Mikomi shouted.

   Jackie stepped forward and laughed, saying, “Oh yes Mikomi.  You can either come along with me, or I can destroy them all.  It’s your choice.”

   Shadow looked to Kashoku and said, “Can’t you do something?”

   Kashoku looked ready to fall apart.  He shook his head and said, “Not while they have Amarie.  While the Celestial Emerald isn’t a malicious power, it can still be bad to expose the unborn child to a wave that powerful.  Plus, we don’t want to hurt Kate or Jacob.  I—I don’t know what to do.”

   Shadow then turned to Knuckles and Hidama and said, “We’ll just have to get Amarie away from them.  Then we can finish them off.”

   Before any of them could move, the blades of the helicopter sprung to life.  Jackie gave Mikomi no moment to answer, grabbing him quickly, and pulling him and Pyro onto the chopper, ready to take off.

   The confusion returned as everyone began to shout in disbelief.  Kelsey and Zachary watched in horror, but before they would begin to despair, she turned to him, hugged him tightly and said, “Go after them Zac.  Amarie might need one of us.  Hurry!”

   He pulled away from her, nodded and said, “I love you.”  He then looked to the helicopter as it started to take off.  He put his head down and ran for it, leaping into the air and grabbing hold of one of the skis before it pulled into the sky.

   Aranelion looked on in horror as his son disappeared inside the helicopter.  Camillia still held Airelea and cried, “Why Zachary?  Why did you do that?”

   Kelsey ran up to them.  “He’s going with them incase Amarie needs him.  That’s all we can do for her right now,” she said sadly.

   Little Airelea let out a whimper and cried, “Zachary…where did they take my big brother?”

   The helicopter was soon out of sight.  Everyone left behind was stunned.  Knuckles and Amy were inconsolable, as both of their children, and their grandchild, were now gone.  At the same time, Sonic finally arrived at the house, just in time to learn his son was gone as well, and the grandchild he shared with Knuckles was gone too.

   “This is insane!” Sonic shouted, “I can’t even make it here in time to try and prevent this!”

   Knuckles gave Sonic a glare, but not really angry as much as he was frustrated.  Shadow stepped forward and said, “It was all happening so fast Sonic; I doubt any of us could do anything.  Not even Kashoku could…wait…where is Kashoku?”

   Everyone was silent when they heard Shadow’s question.  They looked around only to see Kashoku trying to stand up after collapsing to the ground.  Hidama and Shadow ran to help him stand, and as they did so, he said, “I’m fine…I just…I was overcome when there was nothing I could do.”

   Once he was on his feet, he said, “I think now it’s only too clear how we have to handle this.”  He glanced at everyone around him and said, “All is not lost.  We still have our power, as well as six of the seven chaos emeralds.  We simply have to track her down, recover the seventh and our loved ones, and bring her down for good.  This is hardly an impossible task, for I know you all are perfectly aware of how strong of a force you can become when you band together.  I came here to complete a task, and I will not rest until all is made right again.”

   He looked to the helicopter once more before it disappeared completely.  “Hang in there Star of Hope.  We’ll be there to rescue you in no time.  I promised I would make things right, and that’s exactly what I’ll do.”  He turned back to everyone and said, “Now we must regroup and organize a battle plan.  She won’t hurt them.  She’s only using them all as bait for the remaining six, so let’s make use of what time we have as best we can.”

   With that, everyone started to go inside.  Tails and Cream arrived soon after, and with the entire group of them together, they were finally able to make a plan to rescue their loved ones and restore power to the Chaos Emeralds once and for all.  Knuckles, Amy, Sonic, Aranelion and Camillia did their best to put aside their worry and sadness, and so they all came together, for just as Kashoku spoke of, with this power combined, they would be a force only a few could contend with.

   In a secret base not too far away, this was a force that for Amarie, Pyro, Zachary, and Mikomi, couldn’t come soon enough.

Description
"Until the End of Forever"
By: Jade Lightning, a.k.a. Inuyashas-hanyougirl
Chapter 7: The Time to Come Together

   Inside the house, Kashoku had retreated to the bedroom that Mikomi now shared with Elianaron, despite the fact that he could not place the twins just yet.  Mikomi had followed Kashoku into the house, weeping slightly at first after Shadow had challenged Kashoku, but the echidna king had requested that Mikomi leave him alone to pray.  Now Mikomi sat alone in the living room, no longer crying, but with a blank expression on his face.

   He felt completely and extremely confused, as if he didn’t know what to think or feel or say.  He hung his head low, his breath slightly heavy, as he whispered words to himself, dazed and confused.

   “How…how can I know that I belong here but not feel that way?” Mikomi whispered.  “Even now I’ve remembered a good part of my family and my history, and Kashoku tells me I’ll remember the rest by the time I become mortal again…maybe even long before then, but still…like right now, sometimes I feel as if I’m just a random soul that just happened to get stuck in a place they don’t belong.  Perhaps they belonged there before, which is why they linger there, but time has gone on without them and no longer demands their presence.”  He looked up, first glancing outside at where the crowd began to break up, and then let out a sigh as he stared up at the ceiling.  “They all moved on and grew up without me.  Until now I felt I belonged with Kashoku…that he too was simply a guest in a place he didn’t belong, even when I was faced with the chance to live again, which I…I accepted.  But now, now that he’s requested to be alone, so am I alone.  This is one disgusting transition…I want to feel like I belong already.  I want to fit in and recover my history.  I know there will always be ten years I cannot account for, but I want to resume my role in their lives, instead of just being a bystander to it all.”

   Having heard the scuffle outside, Delilah peeked around the corner of the entryway to see who she heard speaking in the living room.  When she saw her now twenty-seven year old nephew, alone and quite distraught, she let out a soft whimper.  Besides Amarie, Delilah was the only close family member that Mikomi had yet to remember, and this troubled Delilah, who much like Hidama, had loved Mikomi like a son since the couple never had their own.  She hesitated before entering the room, her ears pressed back tightly against her black artist’s cap, as she let out a sad sigh.  Camillia spotted her childhood friend standing there, and went to see what was troubling her.

   “Hey Delilah, what has you upset?” she asked.

   Delilah looked up, bringing a finger to her lips, and said, “Shh,” before glancing back into the room to make sure Mikomi had not heard her.  She looked back to Camillia, shook her head and replied, “I’m sorry Cam; I don’t want Mikomi to hear me out here.  It’s just…he’s remembered all of his family except for Amarie and, well, me.  We know that Amarie will probably be the last of everyone that he remembers…but, it hurts me inside that he’s suffering so, unable to remember a large part of his life or the circle of hearts that love him.  I just wish I could tell him that and have him know who is saying it.  He’s heard it all before, but I just want him to know his Aunt Delilah loves him.”

   Camillia took Delilah’s hands and said, “Come on Del.  It’ll be okay.  I know that he still remembers you in his heart, even if he can’t place a face with the memories.  He knows you love him.  You don’t even have to speak it.  The best you can do is be there for him now.”

   The girls looked at each other, and hugged each other tightly, before Delilah looked back in on Mikomi and said, “You’re right…come and sit with us.  He still has to remember you too.”

   She walked into the living room with Camillia following her.  She hesitated once more, deciding not to sit down until she got Mikomi’s attention.  Struggling to find her voice, she asked, “Hey…Miko?  Do you mind if Camillia and I sit with you?”

   The echidna hybrid regained his awareness that he had lost to his wandering thoughts, looking up at his Aunt and her friend, seeing the pink cat smiling at him, while the light blue hedgehog who spoke to him gazed at him with pained eyes even as she tried to smile.  Still unable to place her, but recognizing instantly from her aura that she was important to him, he managed a smile about as weak as her own and said, “Sure, I was getting tired of the silence anyway…it’s sickening.”

   Delilah and Camillia glanced at each other once more, before Delilah sat down on Mikomi’s left and Camillia on his right.  Taking one of her nephew’s hands, now covered in black gloves with yellow cuffs, and a square cut out on the backside of his hand where knuckle claws would be if he had them, she took a breath and asked, “Sickening?  How…nevermind.”  She let out a sigh, unsure of exactly what she wanted to say.  Mikomi looked up at her, with a concerned look in his eyes.  He glanced back at Camillia, who shook her head, looking at both of them sympathetically.

   She murmured to herself, “It must be so hard for Delilah to watch her nephew suffer so, especially when she can’t do anything to help him.  I’m surprised she’s holding up this well.  I just wish I could help them both.”

   By now, Mikomi had looked back to his Aunt, before staring at his hands, including the one she held in her own.  He let out a gasp when he heard Camillia speak; she had called him Delilah’s nephew, which meant she was his Aunt.  He now remembered where he placed her aura to; his cousin Kelsey’s aura had much of Delilah’s in her own, and now that made sense to him.  Slowly…like a bead of dew in the last struggle to drip free from a leaf, he began to place his Aunt, and even her best friend Camillia from one of his forgotten memories.  Another large part of his life was being restored.

   **It was only a few weeks after his little sister was born, and while he still could not place Amarie as his sister, Mikomi could remember slowly feeling neglected in the days after she was born.  The excitement wore off, and now that his Mom and Dad were spending more time looking after her, Mikomi could remember finding himself spending more time with his Uncle Hidama, and this same light-blue furred, shy but sweet hedgehog that now sat beside him, his Aunt Delilah.  Treating his cousin Kelsey more like a sister, unwilling at first to accept the new baby as a good thing as opposed to a curse.

   Kelsey was napping,  and a five-year-old Mikomi was baking cookies with his Aunt.  “What’s wrong?” she asked him, seeing the saddened look in his eyes as he looked at his house intensify every day.

   Mikomi, getting straight to the point, said, “I’m so mad at her…she took my Mom and Dad away from me.  Now all they want to do is spend time with her.  Can I be your son now Aunt Delilah?”

   His aunt, smiling and yet understanding the situation, stuck the next batch of cookies in the oven before sitting beside him and saying, “Now Mikomi, they gave you just as much love and attention when you were little.  Your sister can’t do anything for herself yet and needs their love and care.  Just because she needs more of their time doesn’t mean they’ve stopped loving you any less.  I’ll tell you one thing…she’s going to learn more from you than anybody.  It’ll be you who shows her the way in life…in everything from learning to playing.  Just wait a little longer Mikomi, and I’m sure you’ll see everything will work itself out.”  She paused, handing him a freshly baked cookie and added, “But until then, you’re more than welcome to spend time with your Uncle Hidama, cousin Kelsey, and I, okay?”

   After hearing this and taking a bite out of his cookie, Mikomi was finally starting to understand what was going on in his life.  He gave his aunt a big hug and said, “Thanks Aunt Delilah.  I love my Mom, Dad, even my sister, but it’s so great to have you, Kelsey, and Uncle Hidama to love too.”

   “And I’ll always love you Mikomi, no matter what, you never forget that,” she replied, returning the hug and kissing his cheek.**

   A tear rolled down Mikomi’s cheek, landing on the front of his new T-shirt; it was black, and had a large blue emerald printed on the front, with a yellow crescent moon draped across the top of it.  Two smaller versions of this emblem were on each sleeve, just above the yellow cuffs.  Along with brown pants, this was his new outfit, and his boots matched his shirt, black with a blue stripe down the middle and yellow crescents on the sides.

   He looked up from his lap, looking back at Camillia before looking to Delilah, who had closed her eyes and looked away trying to suppress her tears, her ears flattened against her hat.  He said, “You don’t need to cry Aunt Delilah…even when I couldn’t remember you, I knew that you always loved me, and that you always will.  I love you too.”

   Letting out a gasp, Delilah opened her tear-filled eyes, then smiled as she hugged Mikomi tightly.  “Oh Mikomi…that’s all I wanted to know.  I just wanted you to know that I love you.  I’m so glad you’re okay.”

   As the two embraced each other, Mikomi could feel his spirit heal a little more.  He was slowly finding his place in it all again, and he knew everything would be alright.  As he pulled back from the hug, he looked to Camillia and said, “And you…you’re Zachary’s mom.  I remember you coming to visit Angel Island plenty when I was younger, but I don’t recall seeing much of Zac then.”

   Camillia hugged Mikomi tightly, and though she smiled, it waivered a bit as she said, “Well he certainly came a long a few times, as did Aranelion, Elianaron, and Jeremy, but as the years went by we all just…I don’t know.  We became more dependent on e-mail and telephone to correspond.  So, you might not remember Zachary that well.  You only saw him a few times over the years, so he’s more like a fresh face than anything else.  Airelea on the other hand was born five years ago so she’s the only true new face here.”

   “That’s right,” Mikomi said pulling back from the hug, “There were a few times when I saw Zac and Jeremy, and even Oliver, but…hmm, we never had any good reunions where we were all together at once.”

   Delilah shook her head and said, “That changed Mikomi…after you died we made a point to reunite every year on the anniversary of it, and we’ve never failed in getting together for that week.  It starts on the anniversary of the fall of Angel Island, and usually ends by the end of that week, around the time you passed away.   We always regretted not starting the ritual sooner, but, now that you’re here, maybe we can make amends for that finally.  It just hasn’t been the same without you Miko.”

   Mikomi was silent after this, realizing at last how much he had missed his loved ones.  He also finally felt like he belonged here, but, there was still something to pull him out of this, and this very factor walked into the room at that very moment.

   It was Kashoku, fresh from prayer, and ready to face the perils before him.  Once he caught notice of Camillia, Delilah, and Mikomi, he turned and half-bowed, saying, “My apologies if I provided some sort of interruption.  I know Mikomi and the rest of you have so much to catch up on…however…in the same way, so do I, have unfinished business of my own.”

   He paused, for without having to look he could sense Pyro, Amarie, and Shadow wander into the room, searching for some resolution with Kashoku and Mikomi for what had happened before.  He closed his eyes, murmuring something softly to himself in the ancient echidna tongue, one not even Hidama could understand, for the version he spoke went through many changes over the centuries, especially after the War of the Jewels, which separated the tribe forever, and thus their languages and cultures took on vast changes as time passed.

   Then he opened his eyes, turned to Shadow and said, “I walked the world in a time of great peace.  I saved that first echidna tribe from their persecutors, not the mutant army though; my kindred brought those enemies onto themselves in their selfishness, selfishness Hidama learned to abandon in favor of peace, another trait of mine that survived to his blood.  Beyond that, I created the One and the Seven, and their sister Jewels, as a gift for my queen, a sign of our greatness.  This greatness was not pride or supremacy.  No, our greatness was learning to live in harmony with the world around us, abandoning the need for warfare, and healing and wounds we shared with our enemies as I came into power.  We were what one would call today…a utopia.  Unfortunately, I underestimated the strength of my power, strength only I was born to control, and thus they abandoned these ideals for more worldly ones as they continued without me.  Still, the fact that my future sight could not see this places the blame for that tragedy on my shoulders, and thus, I should not involve Mikomi or the others any more than I should.”

   He turned back to Mikomi, glancing between him and Amarie, and then said, “You shall stay where you belong Mikomi.  I…will be the one to go retrieve the Seventh Chaos Emerald.  Once I have done this, I shall require you, your father and uncle, and the Seven Wielders only once more…to restore that power to the Seven, and trust that the world shall unite in an effort to protect them from evil.  The war against evil is one all life must fight together.  This is what we realized…and that is why the Masters and Jewels were created the way they were.

   “You see, I have been asked why there were Seven Chaos Emeralds to the One, and most often there are those that assume that I made one for each of the village elders, but this was not so, for the elders were appointed after their creation for the soul purpose of being their wielders.  Instead, I made the seven for the seven divisions of life that comprised the world at their making.  They were a sign of how the power divided was a dangerous thing, shown by how the capture of one can signal the beginning of a tragedy.  However, when they were united by the One, which in this case was how we were united by abandoning our differences in the favor of peace, everything was alright.  Though the One is gone now, that does not mean that the symbol is not.  The world must come together to protect the power that is meant to save them, instead of going for their own motives and putting risk to all freedom and peace.”

   Mikomi was silent, processing all that was said, but stood up soon after, and said, “So, you’re going to go…alone to find it?  I—I can’t let you do that.  We need to go together.”

   Amarie let out a gasp, and was ready to protest, but before she could speak, Kashoku held his hand out toward her, pausing her from speaking, and then looked back to Mikomi and said, “You need to stay where you belong.  With the Celestial Emerald I can pick up on the Seventh in no time…besides, I’ve realized it’s not the Celestial Emerald and its ties to Heaven that have soothed your suffering…it is, your family and loved ones who have done this.  To separate you from them would be to take away your only life line.  Your fight is not to survive to return to Heaven; your challenge is to now fight to stay alive until you can settle back into your life again.  That is your mission for now, and mine is to finish what I came to do.”

   Shadow walked up to Kashoku and Mikomi and said, “Lord Kashoku, I wish you’d let me accompany you, for that chaos emerald belongs to Rouge, and it is a sign of our union.  I must see to its recovery.  …Jacob is also a dear friend of mine, and I want to save him if I can.  I believe he has been ensnared in a similar fashion to how Hidama was, only this person has it so advanced that while she’s controlling him he has more of his own free will while Hidama had none until the very end as he started to break free.  I’m also concerned about Olivia’s daughter.  Apparently, this Ms. Flise person he serves has her captured but has not been able to force her to submit just yet.  So please, let me come with you.  I have served the echidnas for many years; I’d be ashamed to not help in this final struggle.”

   Kashoku was about ready to deny Shadow’s request, but, he knew what the Green and Red Chaos Emeralds had come to represent for Shadow and Rouge.  It was as if Rouge had her wedding ring stolen from her when Jacob took her chaos emerald, and Shadow was hard pressed to not go after it.  After all he had done for Hidama and Knuckles, he also knew that Shadow was ready to finish this business at last.

   With a small grin on his face, Kashoku shook his head, but then looked to Shadow and said, “My friend, denying you right to pursue what you love, would be like denying right to a knight to go after his princess, or a father the right to see his child be born.  There’s no escaping it; you will come with me whether I want you to or not, and I know this.  …We’ll go together.  With our combined forces, retrieving the chaos emerald should pose no challenge…I also plan to try and rescue Jacob and his niece if I can.”

   Amarie glanced at Pyro, finally able to smile, even Delilah and Camillia were happy with Kashoku’s plan of action, but, poor Mikomi; for whatever reason he felt the need to stick with Kashoku, even when he knew he needed to try and fit into his old life instead of clinging to Kashoku.  He walked closer to Kashoku and said, “Please, Kashoku, if I do not go with you I feel inadequate.  I cannot explain it, but, I cannot stand idly by while you race into danger, unable to do anything to help you.”

   “Oh Mikomi…,” Amarie whimpered, for she realized Mikomi still gave more thought to Kashoku’s welfare than his own or those who loved him.  She latched onto Pyro, ready to cry again, but still listened as Kashoku spoke.

   Kashoku paused for a moment, but embraced Mikomi, and whispered, “My son, you hold my power within you; your purpose is to protect it, just as it is your father and uncle’s purpose to protect you in light of this.  We are all in danger, regardless of how we face it, and I ask you simply to face it here.  Protect your family and yourself in my stead; this is all I ask, and that is enough.”

   Mikomi stepped back, at first looking at Kashoku in disbelief, before he finally understood it all.  He half-bowed, looking between Shadow and Kashoku and said, “If you two can’t get the job done on your own, what good could I possibly be anyway?”

   Amarie finally felt like things were going to work out, and slowly pulled away from Pyro, walked up to her brother and said, “What matters…is what good you can do here.  We…we need you Mikomi, not even for the Chaos Emeralds…we need you, because, you’re family.  We’re incomplete without you.”

   He looked to his sister, and for a moment he felt the fog in his mind start to lift.  By this time, he had remembered everyone, save Aries, Pyro, their parents, and Oliver’s parents, and a few minor parts of his life, for in remembering Camillia he regained his memories of the Brokenstar Twins, and even Hannah, and it seemed as he remembered more and more that the fight to recover his memories of his sister was slowly becoming easier.  He could look into her eyes and begin to feel the depth of his ties to her once more, and so he smiled warmly after she spoke, at last beginning to feel the sense of belonging he expressed such a deep desire for only minutes before.

   However, before he could begin to reply to her, they heard Hidama’s voice crying out frantically, “Kashoku!  Shadow!  There’s a helicopter heading this way, and it’s descending fast!”

   Everyone’s attention was drawn to the nearby window looking out over the side yard.  Kashoku and Shadow looked at each other in horror, taking off for the backyard with no more words spoken.  Delilah, Camillia, Pyro, Mikomi, and Amarie followed them.

   When they arrived in the backyard, they found everyone else was already there, watching this large, black helicopter, coming from the same direction that Shadow and Rouge had, heading right for them, threatening to land in Pyro and Amarie’s backyard, crushing everything beneath it as it did so.  Little Airelea stood behind her uncle and father, who were closest to the edge of the yard facing the approaching chopper.

   “Uncle Ell, Daddy, what is that thing?” she cried.

   The twins exchanged a worried glance, knowing full well trouble was about to strike, but quickly looked to Airelea.  Aranelion cried, “Airelea!  Go stand with your mother now!  Go!”

   Elianaron took Airelea in his arms and retreated for the back of the crowd where Camillia now stood.  Airelea cried for her father, and to take Elianaron’s place, Zachary ran to his father, followed by Kelsey, as well as Shadow and Kashoku.

   “Dad?  Who are these people?” Zachary shouted as the roar of the helicopter made it hard to hear.

   Shadow answered for Aranelion, saying, “No doubt this is Miss Flise come to take what she thinks is rightfully hers!  If Kashoku is right, she probably tracked Mikomi on the roof yesterday and is just lucky the other six chaos emeralds are here as well!  Humph, well unfortunately she is greatly outnumbered this time!”

   That’s what Shadow thought.  Unfortunately, Jackie knew exactly what she was doing.  As she watched the helicopter descend, she spotted Kashoku, giggling happily and said, “Perfect! That’s the creator right there!  Back from the dead to save his family…how disgustingly sweet…if only you had an ancestor to help you my poor Katerina…”

   From the back of the vehicle, a Greyfox with long pink hair and pink and grey bangs stepped forward, wearing a layered blue and purple dress.  She frowned and said, “Don’t call me Katerina.  It sounds too royal…and I have no desire to be regal.”

   Jackie smirked but quickly said, “But of course Kate, I’m so sorry.  Still, you should be proud of who you are, for soon you shall rule in a perfect world…and you do have someone to help you.  I promised you I’d find the ones responsible for killing your mother didn’t I?”

   Kate looked up from her folded arms, her interest piqued, for Jackie had promised she would find the fiends who killed her mother, Queen Olivia, and as Jackie pointed outside the helicopter window, she beckoned the young fox girl to come see what she was gesturing to.

   As Kate peered out the window, Jackie directed her focus, not to Kashoku, but to Mikomi, who now stood beside his sister as they gazed at the helicopter in horror.  Jackie said, “It is he who is responsible for your mother’s death sweet Kate.  He didn’t kill her directly; the ones who did that are already destroyed by my guidance, but he is the root of the problem.”

   Kate looked at Jackie in disbelief, and so Jackie continued, “He holds a great power, and that is why your kingdom was attacked.  These people are after the power he holds.  I too am seeking the power he carries, but this is because I want to nullify and use it for true peace.  That way, there will be no wars, no death, nothing.  As long as he still lives with that power within him, the misery shall continue.  That is why we must capture him, as well as the rest of the chaos emeralds, for I need them for my plan to work.  That is all I ask of you my dear, then you can watch him die for the suffering he inflicted on the world, including your mother.”

   Jackie’s deception’s continued; hiding the fact that she was the one who killed Olivia in search of this power, she planted a seed of deep hatred in Kate’s heart for Mikomi, someone she had not even gotten the chance to meet, and already desired to kill.

    Still, Kate had hardly forged an alliance with Jackie, and simply said, “Let’s get him, no matter what it takes.”

   With a wicked smile, Jackie nodded and called to Jacob, “Bring it down Jacob sweetie!  Don’t be concerned with what you have to crush; if those idiots have any brains they’ll get out of our way!”

   As the helicopter began to descend, Kate pulled back away from Jackie and the window.  It was that attitude of hers that Kate didn’t like.  The only reason she even stuck by Jackie was to find justice for her mother and the dead of the Northern Kingdom, and it now appeared that after all of Jackie’s nonsense, she would finally get what she was searching for.

   On the ground, the growing shadow of the descending helicopter grew larger over Aranelion, Zachary, Kelsey, Mikomi, Pyro, and Amarie.  Aranelion let out a shout as he herded Zachary and Kelsey to safety, and Mikomi called out, “Hurry Pyro, get Amarie to safety!”

   In the rush, nobody had realized what this meant when Mikomi confidently called Pyro by name.  However, as Pyro led Amarie to the back of the crowd, he realized this, and cried, “Mikomi!  You remember me!” only to realize Mikomi was no longer with him.  He and Amarie both looked to see Mikomi standing bravely in face of the landing helicopter, safe from the vicinity of its shadow, but closer than anyone, except for Shadow and Kashoku who now ran to his side.

   “Mikomi!” Amarie cried.  It was too late to run back to him, for the helicopter landed right after that, crushing the fence on that side of the backyard, but landing for the most part in the neighboring yard.

   Shadow shouted, “What are you doing Mikomi?  Get out of here!”

   As Kashoku stood beside him, he said, “He knows that it’s him that they’re after.  He’s willing to do whatever he can to protect his family, and I cannot stop him from fulfilling this desire, just as I cannot stop you in striving to retrieve the red chaos emerald.  We must stand beside him and help him fight.  Remember, all life must fight to preserve the One peace!”

   With that, Shadow, Kashoku, and Mikomi, as well as everyone else, directed their gaze to the helicopter, waiting for the side hatch to come open to reveal the malice they would face.  However, they were caught by surprise when the brainwashed Jacob leapt out from a hatch on the top of the chopper, landing within inches of Shadow, ready to get revenge for his humiliating loss in Casinopolis.

   Kashoku and Mikomi were knocked back by the force of the impact, and Shadow, dazed and confused by the first hit was put at an immediate disadvantage.  Mikomi looked on in horror as he rose to his feet, and completely disregarding the weakness of his still temporary shell, he charged head on into the fray, revealing his true strength, blasting Jacob into the sky.  The Greyfox landed on his feet, unhurt, but in shock of this sudden outburst of power.

   Mikomi took a fighting stance, shielding Shadow from further harm, glaring at Jacob and said, “You won’t be hurting him again; I’ll see to that myself.”

   A growl escaped Jacob as he rubbed his nose with his fist, only to find his nose was now bleeding after that first swift punch from Mikomi’s right fist.  Simply being injured made Jacob’s blood boil, but before he could retaliate, a voice finally emerged from the black helicopter behind him.

   “Aww, come now Jacob sweetie, don’t waste your rage on these lowlifes, even if they are the ones responsible for the destruction of your kingdom,” the voice said.

   Hidama now ran to the front of the crowd, where Kashoku helped Shadow to his feet, and Mikomi continued his stare down of Jacob and the chopper.  Hidama gave his attention, not to the voice, but to Jacob.  His heart sank, for he could see that his dear friend from long ago was now corrupted, heart and soul.

   “It’s no good; she hasn’t just ensnared his mind.  She’s brainwashed him to the point where he can’t even remember the ones who he loves.  I could remember Knuckles, and while I was blinded by that darkness, it was that love for him that I never forgot that set me free.  Jacob here…he must have lost everything he cared about.  Nothing was worth fighting for anymore…and that’s why he surrendered to her,” Hidama explained.

   Shadow, Kashoku, and Hidama returned their attention to the helicopter, where they could now see the long legs of a human emerge first from the shadows.  She had long hair that appeared to be naturally red, but dyed into a rich violet color.  She wore a tight black vest and long black flares to match.  Her boots, again black, had pink shoe laces crossed from the top of the boots on down, and her final accessory was her pair of green tinted sunglasses, which she now lifted so she could better see those who stood before her.

   She looked to Hidama for a moment, letting out a laugh and said, “Gee, you would know Hidama, considering you’re partly to blame for his downfall.  It’s that nephew of yours that’s to blame.”

   Hidama let out a growl, glaring at Jackie he said, “I don’t know who you are, but I and no one close to me would ever bring harm to anyone, especially not to my dear friend Jacob, who along with his poor sister was all I had to keep me alive for many years.”

   Kashoku stepped forward and said, “I see through you, you deceitful witch.  You cannot hide your crooked soul from the eyes of one who has walked in the world beyond this.  Mikomi is the reason you are here; it’s the power he carries that you seek, and for that reason you will do whatever you can to seize him, even if it means portraying him as the source of Jacob’s pain so he’ll be more willing to apprehend him.”

   Jackie was humored by Hidama’s words, but was simply disgusted with Kashoku’s; however, she was not easily angered and impulsive as Sir Burns was, and after picking out a few faces from the crowd, she stepped down coming within inches of Kashoku, Mikomi and Hidama, and said, “Quiet you fool.  You brought this upon them all.  You should be the last one to speak about crooked intentions.  I know your secret echidna; one wrong move, and I’ll crack both you and Mikomi like discarded egg shells.”

   Kashoku was taken aback slightly, but showed no weakness.  Still, he was unable to speak, and so Mikomi spoke instead.  He shouted, “You’ll be doing nothing of the sort!  What you will do is let Jacob go and give Rouge back her chaos emerald!”

   Hidama glanced nervously between Jacob and Mikomi, but once he realized he was now Mikomi’s first source of defense, he added, “And what of Olivia’s daughter?  Where have you taken her?”

   “Quiet echidna,” a voice said, “The last thing I need is help from the ones responsible for my mother’s death.”  Kate stepped out from the helicopter, adjusting her gold choker necklace, which had an emerald jewel set in gold hanging from it.

   Everyone looked to her as she stood beside her uncle.  “You’ll pay for this dearly Shadow; and that hybrid too.  In attacking my poor uncle you’ve only proved how spiteful you are inside.  You respect nothing.”

   Hidama looked at Kate, seeing so much of Olivia in her.  He shook his head, smiling weakly and said, “It’s not too late for her Kashoku.  Kate has not yet succumbed to her uncle’s fate.  She’s merely been deceived by this witch into thinking we’re the ones who killed her mother.”  He paused, then stepped forward and said, “Kate, your mother was like a sister to me.  We spent a great deal of time together, imprisoned by a common enemy.  We kept each other’s hope alive.  To learn that she has died and your glorious kingdom fall prey to some new malice brings misery to my heart, but I can assure you, this person here is not the one who has that desire to make things right.  Infact I believe she is the source of the malice.  She seeks the power I protect to bring the world under her dictatorship, and hopes you and your uncle will do this for her.”

   For a moment, Kate appeared as if she was willing to listen to Hidama, who had a much friendlier voice and face than Jackie.  This infuriated Jackie who knew that Hidama just might be her undoing.  She let out a scream, stomped her foot, and shouted, “Shut up!  Shut up you stupid echidna!  You lie!”  She then threw a punch at Hidama, knocking him to the ground, the red chaos emerald tumbling to the ground and landing near Mikomi’s feet.  It suddenly burst to life once more, and she could finally be one-hundred percent sure that Mikomi held the power of the Master Emerald.

   Amarie looked to Pyro while everyone ran to help Hidama, and said, “Get Rouge’s chaos emerald quick!”

   Pyro nodded and ran for the chaos emerald.  Unfortunately, she saw this, and was tired of nothing going her way.  She pulled out a gun from a holster on her belt, aimed it at Pyro, and fired.  He was immediately trapped in a state of suspended animation, unable to move, but able to scream and shout to be released.

   While Jacob moved to recover the chaos emerald, Amarie let out a cry, “Pyro!” before moving as quickly as she could for the front of the crowd.

   “No Amarie!  Come back!” Amy cried.

   Too much was happening at once; while Knuckles looked to see why Amy cried, Amarie reached for Pyro, only to be grabbed by Jacob, who held her securely but surprisingly gently, as if he knew she was pregnant and loosened his grip because of it.

   “Silence!” Jackie shouted.  Everyone looked to her; she now had her chaos emerald back, as well as Pyro and Amarie in her possession.  She shouted, “Kate!  You keep the girl in check while I apprehend Mikomi…unless Mikomi would like me to smite his sister and brother-in-law instead.”

   “No!” Mikomi shouted.

   Jackie stepped forward and laughed, saying, “Oh yes Mikomi.  You can either come along with me, or I can destroy them all.  It’s your choice.”

   Shadow looked to Kashoku and said, “Can’t you do something?”

   Kashoku looked ready to fall apart.  He shook his head and said, “Not while they have Amarie.  While the Celestial Emerald isn’t a malicious power, it can still be bad to expose the unborn child to a wave that powerful.  Plus, we don’t want to hurt Kate or Jacob.  I—I don’t know what to do.”

   Shadow then turned to Knuckles and Hidama and said, “We’ll just have to get Amarie away from them.  Then we can finish them off.”

   Before any of them could move, the blades of the helicopter sprung to life.  Jackie gave Mikomi no moment to answer, grabbing him quickly, and pulling him and Pyro onto the chopper, ready to take off.

   The confusion returned as everyone began to shout in disbelief.  Kelsey and Zachary watched in horror, but before they would begin to despair, she turned to him, hugged him tightly and said, “Go after them Zac.  Amarie might need one of us.  Hurry!”

   He pulled away from her, nodded and said, “I love you.”  He then looked to the helicopter as it started to take off.  He put his head down and ran for it, leaping into the air and grabbing hold of one of the skis before it pulled into the sky.

   Aranelion looked on in horror as his son disappeared inside the helicopter.  Camillia still held Airelea and cried, “Why Zachary?  Why did you do that?”

   Kelsey ran up to them.  “He’s going with them incase Amarie needs him.  That’s all we can do for her right now,” she said sadly.

   Little Airelea let out a whimper and cried, “Zachary…where did they take my big brother?”

   The helicopter was soon out of sight.  Everyone left behind was stunned.  Knuckles and Amy were inconsolable, as both of their children, and their grandchild, were now gone.  At the same time, Sonic finally arrived at the house, just in time to learn his son was gone as well, and the grandchild he shared with Knuckles was gone too.

   “This is insane!” Sonic shouted, “I can’t even make it here in time to try and prevent this!”

   Knuckles gave Sonic a glare, but not really angry as much as he was frustrated.  Shadow stepped forward and said, “It was all happening so fast Sonic; I doubt any of us could do anything.  Not even Kashoku could…wait…where is Kashoku?”

   Everyone was silent when they heard Shadow’s question.  They looked around only to see Kashoku trying to stand up after collapsing to the ground.  Hidama and Shadow ran to help him stand, and as they did so, he said, “I’m fine…I just…I was overcome when there was nothing I could do.”

   Once he was on his feet, he said, “I think now it’s only too clear how we have to handle this.”  He glanced at everyone around him and said, “All is not lost.  We still have our power, as well as six of the seven chaos emeralds.  We simply have to track her down, recover the seventh and our loved ones, and bring her down for good.  This is hardly an impossible task, for I know you all are perfectly aware of how strong of a force you can become when you band together.  I came here to complete a task, and I will not rest until all is made right again.”

   He looked to the helicopter once more before it disappeared completely.  “Hang in there Star of Hope.  We’ll be there to rescue you in no time.  I promised I would make things right, and that’s exactly what I’ll do.”  He turned back to everyone and said, “Now we must regroup and organize a battle plan.  She won’t hurt them.  She’s only using them all as bait for the remaining six, so let’s make use of what time we have as best we can.”

   With that, everyone started to go inside.  Tails and Cream arrived soon after, and with the entire group of them together, they were finally able to make a plan to rescue their loved ones and restore power to the Chaos Emeralds once and for all.  Knuckles, Amy, Sonic, Aranelion and Camillia did their best to put aside their worry and sadness, and so they all came together, for just as Kashoku spoke of, with this power combined, they would be a force only a few could contend with.

   In a secret base not too far away, this was a force that for Amarie, Pyro, Zachary, and Mikomi, couldn’t come soon enough.