HOME | DD

Description
"Until the End of Forever"
By: Jade Lightning, a.k.a. Inuyashas-hanyougirl
Chapter 8: Something Divine in His Eyes

   As the helicopter raced back to Jackie’s home base, which was actually a luxurious mansion she built for herself, the tensions were already building up for the captives and their captors.  By the time Zachary was pulled onto the chopper, Pyro was released from the suspended animation, but strangely weakened by it.  Amarie now held him in her lap, while Mikomi glared at Kate with uneasy eyes.

   Before any words were exchanged, Jackie roughly shoved Zachary into the back of the helicopter, causing him to stumble and fall into Mikomi, who held his ground so he would not fall on Amarie and Pyro behind him.  While this happened, Kate let out a soft gasp, still disgusted with Jackie’s demeanor, and for a moment wondering if what Hidama said about her was really true.  If Jackie could treat these four cruelly, then, could she really have the malice enough to murder her mother and three cousins?

   Kate looked on as Jackie laughed and Zachary and Mikomi struggled to stand.  She cried, “I can’t believe you were this stupid you hybrid freak!  You’re free from captivity, and then blindly dive head on into it!  Did you really think you could bring down this helicopter and save them?”

   After making sure Mikomi and the others were alright, Zachary turned and glared at Jackie, his emerald green eyes filled with a fire of rage.  He replied, “Heck no you wench.  I came because of Amarie.  I don’t know if your material eyes could see this, but she’s pregnant, and she’s due very soon, and since I’m a graduate in that medical field, I came along to make sure she’d be alright.  Unlike you, I don’t involve myself or others in such rotten circumstances.”

   Once again, Jackie’s laughter was cut short when she heard Zachary’s words.  She again stomped her foot like a child and cried, “Humph, whatever.  I know you really jumped up here in a valiant attempt to impress everyone, including that wife of yours that you can give no child to.”

   Zachary let out a gasp, his face going pale.  How much did this woman know about them all?  He stammered a bit, pointing at her and said, “You, what are you, some sick spy girl?  How could you know…something so personal…private…?”

   “Demoralizing?” she offered.  She laughed again and said, “You idiot, I know everything about all of you!  I knew Amarie was pregnant and due in a few weeks to be exact.  Why do you think I captured her?  Now her parents have no choice but to come after you.  If it was just Mikomi well…Kashoku would be all high and mighty because of his insecurities and come alone to rescue him.  That selfish jerk Shadow would come along too because he treats this chaos emerald as a wedding ring.  But no, now that I have Amarie and Pyro they’ll all come, including Sonic, who’s probably pissed with Knuckles for letting this happen.  They always did have a way of fighting with each other when it was least convenient for them.”

   Pyro and Amarie looked to each other in horror, and then to Zachary, who fell to his knees, his stomach feeling sick at what he was hearing.  Mikomi looked at Zachary with concern.  He didn’t know the full depth of Zac’s problem but was fed up with this woman using these weaknesses to hurt them.  He stood up, looked her in the eyes and said, “That’s enough.”

   Again, Jackie stopped laughing, and suddenly she and Mikomi were locked in a stare down.  There was something about his eyes that terrified her; it wasn’t the mismatched colors.  It was almost as if she was looking into a gateway to some divine ferocity.  Perhaps since Mikomi still had a small tie to Heaven at this point, she was able to see the most furious anger the world would ever know; anger that only evil things would ever see.  For this divine anger was taken out on anything that brought terror to the souls of the peaceful, and this was something Jackie had already easily accomplished.

   While this was happening, Kate looked on anxiously.  For the first time, in as long as Kate had known her, Jackie looked truly terrified.  This hybrid echidna, which apparently held so much worth in her heart, was scaring her more than anything had so far.  Kate was beginning to think Mikomi wasn’t as helpless as he appeared, and was probably just feigning weakness.  However, there was one thing that Mikomi couldn’t escape, and that was the same thing that enabled him to scare Jackie; it was his tie to Heaven.  His temporary shell still fought to become mortal, and it was now, sadly, that it decided to continue on with this process.

   Before Jackie could try to reply, Mikomi winced as a feeling of sickness and fatigue rolled through his body just as before.  He immediately broke out into a heavy sweat as he fought with what little strength as he had to keep from collapsing, but failed miserably as his knees began to buckle beneath him.  He began to growl softly, sick and tired of the pain, and perturbed that he could no longer face Jackie, for that moment.

   Zachary, having recovered from Jackie’s earlier taunts, looked up, only to see Mikomi dropping to the floor, shaking heavily as he did so, and growling the entire way.  “Miko!” he cried, before crawling forward and picking Mikomi up, steadying him as they sat together on the floor.

   Mikomi glanced back and up at Zachary, and whispered, “I—I can’t stand it Zac.  One minute I’m feeling fine, and the next…I—I…ugh.”  Unable to finish speaking, he closed his eyes, now clinging to Zachary like a helpless child.

   “Aww Mikomi,” Zachary whispered as he looked down on him, placing a hand on the back of Mikomi’s head and looking back to Amarie and Pyro sadly.  Much to his anger, he heard a quiet laugh from Jackie, evolve into a vicious uproar of a cackle at the scene.

   “My stars…THIS weakling, …this…sorry excuse for a pathetic creature, was trusted with the most POWERFUL weapon in the universe!?  This stupid, sick, disgusting excuse for a soul was given the power of the Master Emerald?  This is insane!   Why do you people allow such a waste of life to possess this power when someone as great and powerful, and beautiful, and WONDERFUL as I is deserving of it?  You people are idiots!  All of you!” she cried, even glancing at Kate and Jacob as he flew the helicopter when she said this.

   While Jacob was imprisoned by her corruption and could only admire and serve her, the others, including Kate, were more than aware and angered by her words.  For Kate in particular, Jackie’s attitude was getting old; but at the same time, she realized that Jackie made a point in her declaration.  Why was Mikomi trusted with this power?  He appeared to only know how to act big in an attempt to hide how weak he really was.  At the same time, he feigned sickness to get sympathy.  Kate may have hated Jackie, but was starting to mistrust Mikomi at the same time.

   Still, she looked back at Amarie and Pyro, even glancing at Zachary for a moment; she realized the three of them were just more victims of this circumstance.  Even though they defended and cared for Mikomi, they could just as easily be fooled as she was, even for a fleeting moment, especially since he was a member of their family.

   Before Zachary, or even Pyro could retaliate and defend Mikomi, Kate stood up, looked to Jackie and said, “Alright princess, leave them alone.  If Mikomi is really as terrible as you say he is, simply existing is enough shame on his shoulders.”

   Jackie immediately stopped laughing and looked to Kate with wide eyes.  Unwavering in her confidence, Kate’s soft, green eyes took on a fierce intensity whenever she challenged Jackie, or anyone for that matter, and it was because of this that this time, she decided it was best just to back off as Kate had suggested.  Besides, Kate had made a point in what she said.

   Glancing back at Mikomi once more, Jackie casually tossed her hands in the air, laughed and said, “Whatever you say…and be careful Kate, for while you may be a princess, I am not.  I am your queen.”  She turned to walk back to the cockpit, and added, “Remember that…all of you.  You will all answer to me, and I refuse to believe this excuse for a soul and that ingrate Kashoku can do anything about it.”

   Pyro, who had almost fully recovered by this point, stood up and retaliated, “Oh yeah?  We’ll see about that you witch!  You’re still missing six of the chaos emeralds, and you’ll never defeat them all, never!”

   Whether Jackie was out of hearing range or not, she didn’t answer Pyro’s declaration.  Instead, Kate, fresh off an angry growl from Jackie’s haughtiness, looked to Pyro and said, “Quiet you; I may have gotten her off your back for now, but you can’t count on me forever.”

   The hedgecat growled softly, for while he was at odds with Kate, he recognized that she had gotten Jackie to leave them alone for the moment, and so he decided not to challenge her.  He slowly sat back down, putting his arms around Amarie as they sat together, but keeping a steady eye on Kate at the same time.  Amarie was in shock and disbelief, and continued to stare at the floor, concentrating her focus on her baby as it moved gently inside of her, unaware of the jeopardy its mother, father, and entire family were now in.  It served as a distraction for Amarie, a slight tremble telling a grim tale of the breakdown she faced were it not for this.

   Zachary kept a firm and comforting arm around Mikomi.  As he sat there, he felt he was going through a very surreal experience.  Ever since he got better acquainted with Kelsey, he was fed constant stories of her poor cousin Mikomi, who for her entire life was more like an older brother than a cousin.  Besides Amarie, Mikomi was Kelsey’s best friend…her only friend, until she lost him.  His death impacted her life to a great degree, and it was always his memory that served to make her happy again when times were low.  Zachary felt for so many years he only provided her a level a comfort that Mikomi couldn’t anymore.  Over time Zachary realized this wasn’t true, but to be able to meet, and hold and comfort this dear soul after so long, it was almost as if he was living a dream.  He felt he already knew Mikomi so well; he was in fact, quite honored, simply to get to meet this precious soul, this “Star of Hope” even in such bleak times.

   After a few minutes of rigid silence, Zachary finally looked up at Kate and said, “I’m confused.  If you clearly hate Jackie so much, why do you side with her?  Are you simply looking after your uncle?”

   The Greyfox let out a gasp, then abruptly frowned and said, “I don’t hate her!  Jackie just…can get on my nerves.  She’s such a diva and a drama queen…that and my uncle serves her as if she were more important than his late wife.”  After a pause, Kate added, “Besides, Jackie promised me she’d help me find the one responsible for the death of my mother, and she’s done that.  As much as I dislike her, she kept her word.  Finally my poor mother and the rest of my kingdom will have justice.”

   “Whoa…,” Zachary murmured.  He looked back at Pyro and Amarie, then down at Mikomi, before quickly looking back up at her, a gasp escaping him, and saying, “Wait just a minute!  You think that this is all Mikomi’s fault?  How could it be!?  He only came back here three days ago!  Unless that was the exact same night your kingdom was attacked, I seriously doubt he had anything to do with it!”

   Pyro stood back up and added, “Yeah!  Besides, if whoever Jackie said attacked them was looking for the Master Emerald’s power, they would have to have had at least a little bit of time to recognize that it was even back here!  Unless…they were like Jackie and were looking for it for years.”

   Zachary looked to Pyro, and was quite pleased.  Pyro had just proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Jackie was the only one responsible for any grief Kate and her family had suffered.  Anyone else would have to have been looking for this power for years, especially if they had a way to track it as Jackie had.  Another point; if someone was this smart, why would they then attack the Northern Kingdom, which clearly had no ties to it whatsoever?  Even more chilling, perhaps the Northern Kingdom did have ties to the Master Emerald; Jacob and Olivia were in fact, were the two souls that kept the spirit of Hinsei Hidama, the eldest son of the last Guardian, alive during his torture.  Perhaps this was why Jackie targeted the Northern Kingdom, and Jacob specifically; but still, why did she attack them at all?  There had to be more than just a desire for a Greyfox pelt motivating her to slaughter so many of them, and yet her true intentions were well hidden, and served to confuse them all.

   This attack from Zachary and Pyro angered Kate considerably, and while she wouldn’t stomp her feet or throw a tantrum, she let a low growl escape her before she mumbled, “Don’t…you…EVER, suggest that she did that again!  Jackie would never do something that vicious!”

   “Oh really?” Zachary asked.  Gently laying down Mikomi, who now trembled under a cold sweat, Zachary stood up, facing the Greyfox and said, “Now you make it sound like Jackie is your savior.  Make up your mind Kate.  You don’t even know Mikomi and already you’re passing judgment on him.  Mikomi died to save your sorry behind ten years ago and you didn’t even know it!  You wanna know why the Master Emerald is tied to his soul?  It’s because he had to absorb the blast of energy before it destroyed the world, including your precious kingdom!  Once it was tied to his soul, it left the world with him!  Your little friend Jackie must have started to realize that as she did research on what happened to it!  I bet she even knows what happened to Sir Burns and Team Maniacal when they tried to use it for their own ‘dictatorship peace!’  Jackie’s the one who killed your mother!  She was probably looking for someone to do her dirty work for her, like your uncle, or maybe even someone with ties to the guardian…who do you think she’d pick?  That’s right, your uncle and mother!  My word, why can’t you see that?!  Are you blind?!”

   As Zachary shouted at her, Mikomi began to regain awareness, and looked up at him with Amarie and Pyro, in just enough time to see Kate next to tears, confused and tired of being yelled at.  She slowly built up a vicious scream, letting it out violently with a right hook punch to Zachary’s jaw.

   Zachary struggled to keep his balance; Mikomi stood up quickly so Zachary would not trip over him, and yet the events from earlier began to repeat themselves anyway.  The hedgecatna, as Zachary was sometimes called, began a backwards tumble, only this time, he threatened to fall down hard on poor Amarie.

   Amarie let out a cry as she was unable to get up and move that quickly.  Pyro moved in front of her to shield her and her tummy, while Mikomi thrust his arms into the remaining space to soften the fall so Pyro would not be forced into Amarie after taking the blow.

   Pyro wrapped his arms around Amarie and waited for the movement to stop, unable to move himself or Amarie out of the way as they had no room left to move in the confined space of the helicopter.  Zachary now rested on Mikomi’s arms, dazed, his jaw aching and his gums bleeding, and Mikomi struggled to remain standing.  While the sick feelings had left him once again, the fatigue had not, and it was becoming difficult to stand, much less balance Zachary’s weight precariously on his arms as they shook.

   Zachary could see this, and as blood filled his mouth and leaked from it slowly, he sputtered, “Just…just hold on a minute Mikomi.  I’ll be up in one second.”

   As Mikomi’s legs began to shake violently, he could feel what strength he had slipping away from him and the overwhelming urge to faint take it over.  He began to breathe heavy breaths in an attempt to hold his position, but cried, “Please Zachary!  I don’t know how much longer I can hold you!”

   Frightened, Amarie cried out, “Please Mikomi, hang on!”

   Pyro held her as tightly and gently as he could, and pleaded with Zachary, “Hurry up Zac!  Please!”

   But it was all too much; Mikomi could feel his head spinning, and as it happened the night he came back from Heaven, the trembles felt like a violent shaking, his head was swimming, and he felt ready to drop to and through the floor.

   Still, he couldn’t let Zachary fall onto Pyro…and Amarie…he just couldn’t…

   With tears leaking from his eyes, Mikomi let out a cry, “Zachary!  Please!”

   By now, Kate had calmed down, still in shock that she had punched Zachary in the jaw.  She returned her attention to the others, and was finally aware of the situation.  Mikomi was struggling with all of his might to keep Zachary from falling down on Pyro, shoving him into a heavily pregnant Amarie, but was failing fast.

   Kate was still good on the inside, and while she was upset with Zachary and Mikomi, she wouldn’t let Amarie or her baby get hurt as a result of her anger and Zachary’s stupidity in provoking it.  She ran forward, ducking underneath Mikomi, using her body to hold him up and her arms to help steady Zachary as he stood up and regained his balance.

   Once Zachary was able to ease himself down to the floor so he could nurse his aching jaw, Kate turned her attention to Mikomi, who by now had put next to all of his weight on her as his strength failed.  She steadied herself, and asked, “Can’t you stand up at all Mikomi, or whoever you are?  You’re gonna bring us both down!”

   While Pyro went to help Zachary, Amarie looked to Kate and said, “He’s really that weak Kate.  He’s not faking it.”  Amarie started to stand up and said, “Let me help you.”

   Kate rolled her eyes, sighed and said, “No, you sit down.  I’ll get him.”  Taking a breath, Kate wrapped her arms behind her and around Mikomi and slowly eased herself up, pulling him up with her.  Once they were both standing, she pulled one of his arms around her shoulders, balancing his weight evenly across them, and then walked him over to a small couch on the other side of the helicopter.  She gently lowered him so he was resting comfortably on the couch, and then caught her breath for a moment.

   As she did this, Mikomi opened his eyes, realizing what she had just done for him.  Almost as if the events from before had not affected his opinion of her, he smiled and said, “Thank you.”

   She let out a gasp, her ears stiffening up as she heard this.  She turned around and said, “What?  For helping you over here?  Feh, I just did that to get your limp body out of the floor.  There’s barely enough room here as it is.”

   Mikomi started to feel better, and let out a laugh.

   “What’s so funny?  Are you making fun of me?” Kate asked.

   The two were left alone for the moment, while Amarie and Pyro helped Zachary, so they wouldn’t see what transpired here.  Mikomi sat up half way, smiled and said, “No, I mean, thank you for keeping me from letting Zac fall on my sister.  It’s terrible; the way I am now I can’t even keep my sister safe from something like that…of course, the fact that she’s caught up in this shows this even more.  I’m just…the last thing I wanted was for any of my family to get involved, let alone my poor baby sister.  Heck, I call her my baby sister, and here she is about to have one!  She doesn’t deserve this.  None of them do.”

   Kate’s heart went soft at Mikomi’s words.  She sat down on an ottoman that sat near the couch, concerned when she saw a look of sadness overtake Mikomi’s gentle eyes, even as he smiled through it.  “It’s okay…really…I didn’t mean to snap at you.”

   Almost as if he hadn’t heard Kate, he went on, “I wasn’t exactly aware of what I was doing that day…I just…saw my sister holding Pyro, scared that they were going to die, and I only wanted to make sure that didn’t happen, no matter what it took.  I walked to the Master Emerald, about to erupt and destroy us all.  It was like I was in a trance.  I could hear my mom and aunt screaming for my dad and uncle to wake up.  By the time they did…I—I told them I loved them, and the power just…tore through me.  But…it didn’t hurt.  I knew that my sister would be safe.  All of them would move on and live the normal lives they craved and deserved.  I was at peace in Heaven, they were at peace here.  Look at them; they got married, went to school, got jobs…made lives for themselves.  Now, I come back to save them, but put them in danger in the process.  It’s like…nothing I can do can save them…nothing.  I can’t even keep my cousin’s husband from falling.  I can’t save my sister…what am I supposed to do?”

   He didn’t realize it, but he had almost recovered all of his memories.  In remembering Pyro, as it worked with Shadow, he also remembered Aries and her parents, Sonic and Blaze.  Somehow this also sparked his memories of Tails and Cream.  All that was wrong…was he couldn’t remember his sister.  That was the last thing he had to fight for, but for now, he was fixated on the trouble he was causing her and those he loved.

   Mikomi’s sadness softened Kate’s normally sturdy heart.  It wasn’t that she was evil or spiteful; she was, and especially since the death of her mother, just a little rough around the edges.  The door to her heart was hard to open, and yet, Mikomi’s words, expressing grief for all and anyone he had hurt, started to do the job.

   She moved from the ottoman to whatever space was left on the couch and said, “Hey now, come on, don’t get all weepy on me.  Jackie won’t hurt Amarie…she won’t hurt any of them.  All she wants is the chaos emeralds.  She won’t hurt you.”

   Holding back tears, Mikomi sat up completely, looked to her and said, “I wish I could believe you.”

   Kate gasped again, and as she looked into his mismatched eyes, she also saw into this gateway to something divine, only, she didn’t see divine anger.  She saw divine love and peace.  She knew that Mikomi had every reason to be angry right now, and not just with her.  He had every reason to be angry about Amarie, Pyro, Zachary, and even himself being captured; he had every reason to be angry about the suffering this would cause his family and friends; he had every reason to be angry that he could do nothing about it.  Yet, she saw no anger in his eyes; she could feel none emanating from the depths of his soul.  Whether it was this tie to Heaven, or simply the fact that he still was only a spirit in a shell, she was awed by this peace…this gentle warmth and love simply pouring from his heart, radiating from his soul, shown clear to all the world, simply by a glance from his mismatched, but beautiful eyes.

   She felt paralyzed; she was unable to move or speak, but felt no pain.  She felt euphoric; looking at Mikomi, gazing into his eyes froze her with this strange warmth and easiness that she never felt before in her life.  She could compare it to nothing.  Not once had she ever felt this happy…this comforted…so…enveloped and cradled by love.

   Regaining awareness, Kate could see Mikomi continuing to gaze at her in this way, whether he was intentionally doing so or not.  She could feel her lower lip quivering and her throat tightening up on her, making it hard to breathe.  She switched to breathing through her slightly opened mouth while she continued to look into his eyes, lost to this wonderful feeling this action pulled her into.

   Trying to find her voice, she murmured, on the edge of a tremor, “You…you can believe me.  Even if…you can’t believe Jackie, you…can believe me.  I—I promise.”

   As she said this, she reached up to touch his face; she wanted to make sure this was real, and not just an illusion.  Her fingers barely began to brush his cheek and the euphoric peace only got stronger about her.  It would have been impossible to dissuade her to abandon it, at least, until Amarie, Pyro and Zachary finally returned their attention to what happened to Mikomi.

   Amarie was the first to spot them sitting together, in just enough time to see Mikomi close his eyes in reaction to the feeling of Kate’s fingers brushing over his cheek.  Still unsure of what to think of Kate after she had punched Zachary, Amarie cried, “What are you doing to him?”

   It would have been more appropriate to ask, “What are you doing with him,” for when Pyro and Zachary heard this, they whipped around fast and looked in the same direction, expecting to find Kate shifting her malcontent to Mikomi.

   Kate let out a gasp, the euphoric feeling disappearing immediately as she whirled around in her seat to face them.  Mikomi quickly opened his eyes, in shock of what was unfolding before him.  He watched as the same girl that only moments before appeared to be opening up to him, revert to the rough-around-the-edges girl she was when she punched Zachary.

   She stood up quickly, her eyes regaining that fierceness from before when she saw the three of them looking at her and demanding an explanation to Amarie’s question.  She frowned, growling softly, then crossed her arms and said, “Humph, so, is that how you thank me?  I just saved you and your baby from being crushed by your own in-law because Mikomi’s weak body couldn’t take it.  Feh, I was just checking to make sure he was alright after I walked him over here.  I don’t know if you noticed this, but he’s almost half a foot taller than me, so leave me the heck alone.  I didn’t have to help you after all.  I could have stood back and watched you fall all over yourselves…but no, I’m not nasty like Jackie is.  I actually care about other people…unlike you.”

   Mikomi looked on sadly, shaking his head.  “Oh Kate,” he whispered to himself, “That’s not who you really are…is it?  Why do you insist on acting this way?  Do you feel you can trust no one anymore?”

   Meanwhile, Amarie let out a gasp, slightly hurt by what Kate said.  Pyro, who was tired of all the mayhem going on, wouldn’t stand for his wife being offended like this.  He rushed forward, past Zachary, until he was almost nose to nose with Kate.  After a tense pause, he pulled back one step, pulling a weak ball of fire to his hands and said, “Don’t you ever insult my wife like that again!  I’ll make you pay for it in burns and ashes!”

   Zachary, though his jaw still pained him, let out his own soft growl, and balled up his fists, looking ready to give Kate some payback for what she did before.  Though Kate stood her ground, inside, this was the last thing she meant to cause.

   Finally, Mikomi stood up and said, “Alright, stop it.  All of you.  Pyro, Zac, Kate did help us a few minutes ago.  The least we can do is return the favor with a thank you.  I’ve seen enough bloodshed for one day, understand?”  He then turned to Amarie, who he still could not remember, smiled gently and said, “She wasn’t trying to hurt me, alright?  There’s nothing to worry about.  She didn’t mean to frighten you or hurt your feelings either.”

   Pyro let the embers in his hands die down, while Zachary unclenched his fists, both of them looking at Mikomi in disbelief.  Amarie nodded slowly, realizing she overreacted a little in her accusation, turned to Kate and said, “I’m sorry.  I shouldn’t haven’t overreacted.  I am grateful you helped us back there.”

   Before Kate could reply, Mikomi nodded, then turned to Kate and said, “And I thanked you already…just, don’t take out your frustrations on her.  This is traumatic enough for her; the last thing she needs is more unnecessary grief.  I beg of you, if you feel you must hurt someone, take it out on me.  I am the source of this after all.”

   “Oh Mikomi,” Amarie whimpered.

   Shaking his head, Mikomi added, “I’m not saying this is my fault directly…I’m just saying the fact that it was the power I carry that Jackie wanted putting you in the crossfire when she came for it is a weight on my shoulders.  That’s all.”

   Kate listened to Mikomi carefully.  Unlike what she first thought, while Mikomi wouldn’t admit to causing any pain directly, he was willing to accept blame for any hurting caused by the role he did play in it all.  He was hardly the cold and heartless person Jackie had made him out to be, and after getting such a euphoric feeling from looking into his eyes, it was much easier for her to believe now that he was someone she could trust…someone, unlike Jackie, she could count on to make things right.

   He turned to look back at her, and when he saw her looking at him, he saw the roughness melt away again; that same look in her eyes returned.  He smiled at her, and she too tried to smile, only managing half of one, before the helicopter came to a stop, landing at long last.

   In an instant, Jackie ran back in from the cockpit, and cried, “We’re home everyone!  I’m so super excited that you’ll get to see my lovely home!  Be grateful, if you were captured by someone who wasn’t as wonderful and awesome as me, you’d be stuck in a dingy basement crawling with bugs and dust!  Come along now!”

   Jacob followed her in and began to drag Pyro and Zachary off the helicopter.  Jackie then reached for Mikomi, pulling him into her arms and said, “Don’t you worry sweetie; I’ll look after you myself.  Hee hee.”  She then turned to Kate and said, “Don’t just stand there you lazy girl!  You help Amarie inside!  Hurry up now!”

   Mikomi glared at Jackie as she walked him off the helicopter.  Kate let out a growl, frowning again, and muttering, “I hate her…I hate her so much.”

   Amarie looked at Kate and said, “You really hate her?  Or are you just mad at her again?  You said before she could do no wrong.”

   Kate looked at Amarie, growling softly, but remembering Mikomi’s words.  The reason she didn’t continue to be rough with Amarie, was that she was beginning to trust Mikomi.  That and the fact that Amarie was pregnant was a bigger factor.  Kate began to feel sorry for Amarie, and as with Mikomi, she could no longer speak harshly to her.

   She let out a sigh, took Amarie’s hand and said, “Come on, we don’t want to fall behind.”

   The two girls looked to each other; Kate’s eyes looked sad and heavy with grief, and Amarie felt that almost like Kelsey used anger to hide her pain that Kate used her anger to hide her misery.  Of course, Amarie also realized Kate felt she couldn’t trust anyone, and so she simply nodded, not bothering her again for an answer to her question.

   As they caught up with Mikomi, Zachary, and Pyro, they spoke no more words.  Kate simply thought to herself, “Can I really trust her?  Can I trust any of them?  Are they right about Jackie?  Did she really…kill my mother?  Does that mean she’s willing to hurt them too?  Would she even hurt Amarie and Pyro’s baby?  I want to help them.  Mother would want me to help whoever is hurting…but what can I do?”

   Jackie kept her words from before.  She led her four captives into her opulent mansion, guiding them through it in an impromptu tour, leading them to the second floor of the west wing.  After seeing everything from her kitchens, to her bedroom, to the hundreds of glorious outfits she would wear as dictator and queen, they were brought to a large master bedroom, one that had two beds in it, a cathedral ceiling, wall-to-wall plush carpeting, and a landscape window that stretched almost the entire length of the north wall of the room, looking out to the countryside below.

   Miss Flise was quite pleased with these accommodations, and after a bit more gloating and self-praise, she left, along with Jacob, and even Kate, who was still confused, upset, and unsure of who she could trust.

   Amarie sat down on one of the king sized beds, lowered her eyes, holding back a tear, and whimpered, “Oh why, why did this have to happen?”

   “Oh Amarie,” Pyro cried softly.  He ran over to the bed and sat beside her, holding her close.  He continued, “Don’t worry sweetie.  I’m sure that my dad, and your dad, and all of them will be here soon!  I mean, can’t Kashoku’s emerald track the chaos power too?”

   Mikomi, who gazed at the world outside, nodded, and explained, “The Chaos energy has a similar signature to the Celestial energy, reason being because both sources came from Kashoku.  The difference between them is that Chaos power can be used for good and evil, and Celestial power only used for good.  He should have no trouble tracking the power inside of me; even the weak chaos emerald Jackie has will call out to him.”

   Pyro looked to Amarie, smiling as strongly as he could and said, “You see girl?  They’ll all be here soon…all of them.  They’ll get Rouge’s chaos emerald back, kick Jackie’s butt, then we can restore the chaos emeralds and everything will be alright again.”

   Zachary, who now sat leaning up against the foot of the other bed, lowered his eyes and said, “Yeah, but how long do you think it’ll take them?”

   The hedgecat glared at Zachary for asking such a question, but Mikomi mediated the situation by saying, “Kashoku doesn’t need a plan.  Most likely he’s rallying everyone together before they launch their assault.  He’s got the strongest heroes in the world on his side, as well as their children.  He’s at less of a disadvantage than Jackie thinks he is.  All we have to do now is wait.  That’s all we can do.”

   After he finished speaking, silence consumed the room.  Mikomi then moved from the window, over to the bed where Amarie sat with Pyro, looked to her, smiled and said, “You’re next.”

   She was confused at first as to what he meant, but as he smiled at her, she finally understood his words.  “Mikomi…?” she asked, her smile strengthening.

   “Soon…I promise,” he whispered.  He then walked over to the other bed, sitting down on one side of it, to collect his thoughts.  On the floor, Zachary resumed his anger at Jackie for exposing his secret, for while none of them had made much of a deal of it so far, the fact that they heard it at all made him sick to his stomach.  He thought of his dear Kelsey, and how much he loved her, and how so dearly, he wanted to see her again.

   However many miles rested between them, on the other end of them, Kelsey was missing Zachary.  She knew he was having a hard time of things lately, and just hoped that he was alright.  But there was no time to get sad now; Kashoku had finally finished explaining the story to anyone left who needed to hear it, namely Sonic, Tails, and Cream, and had also explained any other points he had left out to everyone.

   Sonic, who finally made up with Knuckles after what happened before, stood up and said, “Then what else is there left to do Kashoku?  Let’s just take our chaos emeralds and go!  I won’t let this…Flise woman or whatever, keep my son, daughter-in-law and grandchild captive like this!”

   “Poor Mikomi,” Cream added, looking at her husband, “It’s just a good thing he’s as hardy as he is now.  He’s still in danger.”

   “I want my big brother back!” Airelea cried, going back and forth between hugging her mother and Kelsey.

   Everyone started talking at once, but Kashoku raised his hand, holding the sixth chaos emerald, the green one, in the air.  “Please, everyone.  We will go, just as soon as I discover which wielder the green chaos emerald calls to.”

   Amberly and Jeremy stood nearby.  They walked up to Kashoku, and taking the chaos emerald from him, they discovered that Shadow’s chaos emerald was the one destined for his son-in-law, Jeremy Brokenstar, for it burst to life once more under his touch.

   “Like mother, like daughter,” Kashoku said with a smile.  He walked to a nearby window, lowered his head, and continued, “We go to recover Amberly’s chaos emerald.  Once we recover it, we’ll have to somehow subdue both Jackie and Jacob, for I do not believe Kate will pose a threat.  Once the chaos emeralds are restored and Mikomi freed from that power, things shall return to the peace he died to give the world.”

   The others, still slightly unsure of how Kashoku meant to track Mikomi and the seventh emerald, stood back in awe as the Celestial Emerald was finally made visible to their sight.  Kashoku looked back and said, “Follow me however you will, by vehicle, foot, or wing.  We fly into the night, and come the end of our journey, we shall find what we seek.  Let us go!”

   Kashoku teleported outside, ready to let the Celestial Emerald guide him.  With a shout, Jeremy grabbed Amberly’s hand and they ran outside, jumping on his motorcycle to follow.  In a similar fashion, all of them that were able to drive ran to their vehicles, and those that didn’t hitched a ride with them.  Ready for an off-road race into the night, they followed Kashoku and the light of the Celestial Emerald.  They knew that somewhere in that dark horizon, their loved ones waited.  It was in this place, as night fell, that Kate, after much thinking, returned to that bedroom that was now their prison, wanting just a little more from Mikomi, as she tried to make up her mind on what was right, and began to realize her true heart.

Description
"Until the End of Forever"
By: Jade Lightning, a.k.a. Inuyashas-hanyougirl
Chapter 8: Something Divine in His Eyes

   As the helicopter raced back to Jackie’s home base, which was actually a luxurious mansion she built for herself, the tensions were already building up for the captives and their captors.  By the time Zachary was pulled onto the chopper, Pyro was released from the suspended animation, but strangely weakened by it.  Amarie now held him in her lap, while Mikomi glared at Kate with uneasy eyes.

   Before any words were exchanged, Jackie roughly shoved Zachary into the back of the helicopter, causing him to stumble and fall into Mikomi, who held his ground so he would not fall on Amarie and Pyro behind him.  While this happened, Kate let out a soft gasp, still disgusted with Jackie’s demeanor, and for a moment wondering if what Hidama said about her was really true.  If Jackie could treat these four cruelly, then, could she really have the malice enough to murder her mother and three cousins?

   Kate looked on as Jackie laughed and Zachary and Mikomi struggled to stand.  She cried, “I can’t believe you were this stupid you hybrid freak!  You’re free from captivity, and then blindly dive head on into it!  Did you really think you could bring down this helicopter and save them?”

   After making sure Mikomi and the others were alright, Zachary turned and glared at Jackie, his emerald green eyes filled with a fire of rage.  He replied, “Heck no you wench.  I came because of Amarie.  I don’t know if your material eyes could see this, but she’s pregnant, and she’s due very soon, and since I’m a graduate in that medical field, I came along to make sure she’d be alright.  Unlike you, I don’t involve myself or others in such rotten circumstances.”

   Once again, Jackie’s laughter was cut short when she heard Zachary’s words.  She again stomped her foot like a child and cried, “Humph, whatever.  I know you really jumped up here in a valiant attempt to impress everyone, including that wife of yours that you can give no child to.”

   Zachary let out a gasp, his face going pale.  How much did this woman know about them all?  He stammered a bit, pointing at her and said, “You, what are you, some sick spy girl?  How could you know…something so personal…private…?”

   “Demoralizing?” she offered.  She laughed again and said, “You idiot, I know everything about all of you!  I knew Amarie was pregnant and due in a few weeks to be exact.  Why do you think I captured her?  Now her parents have no choice but to come after you.  If it was just Mikomi well…Kashoku would be all high and mighty because of his insecurities and come alone to rescue him.  That selfish jerk Shadow would come along too because he treats this chaos emerald as a wedding ring.  But no, now that I have Amarie and Pyro they’ll all come, including Sonic, who’s probably pissed with Knuckles for letting this happen.  They always did have a way of fighting with each other when it was least convenient for them.”

   Pyro and Amarie looked to each other in horror, and then to Zachary, who fell to his knees, his stomach feeling sick at what he was hearing.  Mikomi looked at Zachary with concern.  He didn’t know the full depth of Zac’s problem but was fed up with this woman using these weaknesses to hurt them.  He stood up, looked her in the eyes and said, “That’s enough.”

   Again, Jackie stopped laughing, and suddenly she and Mikomi were locked in a stare down.  There was something about his eyes that terrified her; it wasn’t the mismatched colors.  It was almost as if she was looking into a gateway to some divine ferocity.  Perhaps since Mikomi still had a small tie to Heaven at this point, she was able to see the most furious anger the world would ever know; anger that only evil things would ever see.  For this divine anger was taken out on anything that brought terror to the souls of the peaceful, and this was something Jackie had already easily accomplished.

   While this was happening, Kate looked on anxiously.  For the first time, in as long as Kate had known her, Jackie looked truly terrified.  This hybrid echidna, which apparently held so much worth in her heart, was scaring her more than anything had so far.  Kate was beginning to think Mikomi wasn’t as helpless as he appeared, and was probably just feigning weakness.  However, there was one thing that Mikomi couldn’t escape, and that was the same thing that enabled him to scare Jackie; it was his tie to Heaven.  His temporary shell still fought to become mortal, and it was now, sadly, that it decided to continue on with this process.

   Before Jackie could try to reply, Mikomi winced as a feeling of sickness and fatigue rolled through his body just as before.  He immediately broke out into a heavy sweat as he fought with what little strength as he had to keep from collapsing, but failed miserably as his knees began to buckle beneath him.  He began to growl softly, sick and tired of the pain, and perturbed that he could no longer face Jackie, for that moment.

   Zachary, having recovered from Jackie’s earlier taunts, looked up, only to see Mikomi dropping to the floor, shaking heavily as he did so, and growling the entire way.  “Miko!” he cried, before crawling forward and picking Mikomi up, steadying him as they sat together on the floor.

   Mikomi glanced back and up at Zachary, and whispered, “I—I can’t stand it Zac.  One minute I’m feeling fine, and the next…I—I…ugh.”  Unable to finish speaking, he closed his eyes, now clinging to Zachary like a helpless child.

   “Aww Mikomi,” Zachary whispered as he looked down on him, placing a hand on the back of Mikomi’s head and looking back to Amarie and Pyro sadly.  Much to his anger, he heard a quiet laugh from Jackie, evolve into a vicious uproar of a cackle at the scene.

   “My stars…THIS weakling, …this…sorry excuse for a pathetic creature, was trusted with the most POWERFUL weapon in the universe!?  This stupid, sick, disgusting excuse for a soul was given the power of the Master Emerald?  This is insane!   Why do you people allow such a waste of life to possess this power when someone as great and powerful, and beautiful, and WONDERFUL as I is deserving of it?  You people are idiots!  All of you!” she cried, even glancing at Kate and Jacob as he flew the helicopter when she said this.

   While Jacob was imprisoned by her corruption and could only admire and serve her, the others, including Kate, were more than aware and angered by her words.  For Kate in particular, Jackie’s attitude was getting old; but at the same time, she realized that Jackie made a point in her declaration.  Why was Mikomi trusted with this power?  He appeared to only know how to act big in an attempt to hide how weak he really was.  At the same time, he feigned sickness to get sympathy.  Kate may have hated Jackie, but was starting to mistrust Mikomi at the same time.

   Still, she looked back at Amarie and Pyro, even glancing at Zachary for a moment; she realized the three of them were just more victims of this circumstance.  Even though they defended and cared for Mikomi, they could just as easily be fooled as she was, even for a fleeting moment, especially since he was a member of their family.

   Before Zachary, or even Pyro could retaliate and defend Mikomi, Kate stood up, looked to Jackie and said, “Alright princess, leave them alone.  If Mikomi is really as terrible as you say he is, simply existing is enough shame on his shoulders.”

   Jackie immediately stopped laughing and looked to Kate with wide eyes.  Unwavering in her confidence, Kate’s soft, green eyes took on a fierce intensity whenever she challenged Jackie, or anyone for that matter, and it was because of this that this time, she decided it was best just to back off as Kate had suggested.  Besides, Kate had made a point in what she said.

   Glancing back at Mikomi once more, Jackie casually tossed her hands in the air, laughed and said, “Whatever you say…and be careful Kate, for while you may be a princess, I am not.  I am your queen.”  She turned to walk back to the cockpit, and added, “Remember that…all of you.  You will all answer to me, and I refuse to believe this excuse for a soul and that ingrate Kashoku can do anything about it.”

   Pyro, who had almost fully recovered by this point, stood up and retaliated, “Oh yeah?  We’ll see about that you witch!  You’re still missing six of the chaos emeralds, and you’ll never defeat them all, never!”

   Whether Jackie was out of hearing range or not, she didn’t answer Pyro’s declaration.  Instead, Kate, fresh off an angry growl from Jackie’s haughtiness, looked to Pyro and said, “Quiet you; I may have gotten her off your back for now, but you can’t count on me forever.”

   The hedgecat growled softly, for while he was at odds with Kate, he recognized that she had gotten Jackie to leave them alone for the moment, and so he decided not to challenge her.  He slowly sat back down, putting his arms around Amarie as they sat together, but keeping a steady eye on Kate at the same time.  Amarie was in shock and disbelief, and continued to stare at the floor, concentrating her focus on her baby as it moved gently inside of her, unaware of the jeopardy its mother, father, and entire family were now in.  It served as a distraction for Amarie, a slight tremble telling a grim tale of the breakdown she faced were it not for this.

   Zachary kept a firm and comforting arm around Mikomi.  As he sat there, he felt he was going through a very surreal experience.  Ever since he got better acquainted with Kelsey, he was fed constant stories of her poor cousin Mikomi, who for her entire life was more like an older brother than a cousin.  Besides Amarie, Mikomi was Kelsey’s best friend…her only friend, until she lost him.  His death impacted her life to a great degree, and it was always his memory that served to make her happy again when times were low.  Zachary felt for so many years he only provided her a level a comfort that Mikomi couldn’t anymore.  Over time Zachary realized this wasn’t true, but to be able to meet, and hold and comfort this dear soul after so long, it was almost as if he was living a dream.  He felt he already knew Mikomi so well; he was in fact, quite honored, simply to get to meet this precious soul, this “Star of Hope” even in such bleak times.

   After a few minutes of rigid silence, Zachary finally looked up at Kate and said, “I’m confused.  If you clearly hate Jackie so much, why do you side with her?  Are you simply looking after your uncle?”

   The Greyfox let out a gasp, then abruptly frowned and said, “I don’t hate her!  Jackie just…can get on my nerves.  She’s such a diva and a drama queen…that and my uncle serves her as if she were more important than his late wife.”  After a pause, Kate added, “Besides, Jackie promised me she’d help me find the one responsible for the death of my mother, and she’s done that.  As much as I dislike her, she kept her word.  Finally my poor mother and the rest of my kingdom will have justice.”

   “Whoa…,” Zachary murmured.  He looked back at Pyro and Amarie, then down at Mikomi, before quickly looking back up at her, a gasp escaping him, and saying, “Wait just a minute!  You think that this is all Mikomi’s fault?  How could it be!?  He only came back here three days ago!  Unless that was the exact same night your kingdom was attacked, I seriously doubt he had anything to do with it!”

   Pyro stood back up and added, “Yeah!  Besides, if whoever Jackie said attacked them was looking for the Master Emerald’s power, they would have to have had at least a little bit of time to recognize that it was even back here!  Unless…they were like Jackie and were looking for it for years.”

   Zachary looked to Pyro, and was quite pleased.  Pyro had just proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Jackie was the only one responsible for any grief Kate and her family had suffered.  Anyone else would have to have been looking for this power for years, especially if they had a way to track it as Jackie had.  Another point; if someone was this smart, why would they then attack the Northern Kingdom, which clearly had no ties to it whatsoever?  Even more chilling, perhaps the Northern Kingdom did have ties to the Master Emerald; Jacob and Olivia were in fact, were the two souls that kept the spirit of Hinsei Hidama, the eldest son of the last Guardian, alive during his torture.  Perhaps this was why Jackie targeted the Northern Kingdom, and Jacob specifically; but still, why did she attack them at all?  There had to be more than just a desire for a Greyfox pelt motivating her to slaughter so many of them, and yet her true intentions were well hidden, and served to confuse them all.

   This attack from Zachary and Pyro angered Kate considerably, and while she wouldn’t stomp her feet or throw a tantrum, she let a low growl escape her before she mumbled, “Don’t…you…EVER, suggest that she did that again!  Jackie would never do something that vicious!”

   “Oh really?” Zachary asked.  Gently laying down Mikomi, who now trembled under a cold sweat, Zachary stood up, facing the Greyfox and said, “Now you make it sound like Jackie is your savior.  Make up your mind Kate.  You don’t even know Mikomi and already you’re passing judgment on him.  Mikomi died to save your sorry behind ten years ago and you didn’t even know it!  You wanna know why the Master Emerald is tied to his soul?  It’s because he had to absorb the blast of energy before it destroyed the world, including your precious kingdom!  Once it was tied to his soul, it left the world with him!  Your little friend Jackie must have started to realize that as she did research on what happened to it!  I bet she even knows what happened to Sir Burns and Team Maniacal when they tried to use it for their own ‘dictatorship peace!’  Jackie’s the one who killed your mother!  She was probably looking for someone to do her dirty work for her, like your uncle, or maybe even someone with ties to the guardian…who do you think she’d pick?  That’s right, your uncle and mother!  My word, why can’t you see that?!  Are you blind?!”

   As Zachary shouted at her, Mikomi began to regain awareness, and looked up at him with Amarie and Pyro, in just enough time to see Kate next to tears, confused and tired of being yelled at.  She slowly built up a vicious scream, letting it out violently with a right hook punch to Zachary’s jaw.

   Zachary struggled to keep his balance; Mikomi stood up quickly so Zachary would not trip over him, and yet the events from earlier began to repeat themselves anyway.  The hedgecatna, as Zachary was sometimes called, began a backwards tumble, only this time, he threatened to fall down hard on poor Amarie.

   Amarie let out a cry as she was unable to get up and move that quickly.  Pyro moved in front of her to shield her and her tummy, while Mikomi thrust his arms into the remaining space to soften the fall so Pyro would not be forced into Amarie after taking the blow.

   Pyro wrapped his arms around Amarie and waited for the movement to stop, unable to move himself or Amarie out of the way as they had no room left to move in the confined space of the helicopter.  Zachary now rested on Mikomi’s arms, dazed, his jaw aching and his gums bleeding, and Mikomi struggled to remain standing.  While the sick feelings had left him once again, the fatigue had not, and it was becoming difficult to stand, much less balance Zachary’s weight precariously on his arms as they shook.

   Zachary could see this, and as blood filled his mouth and leaked from it slowly, he sputtered, “Just…just hold on a minute Mikomi.  I’ll be up in one second.”

   As Mikomi’s legs began to shake violently, he could feel what strength he had slipping away from him and the overwhelming urge to faint take it over.  He began to breathe heavy breaths in an attempt to hold his position, but cried, “Please Zachary!  I don’t know how much longer I can hold you!”

   Frightened, Amarie cried out, “Please Mikomi, hang on!”

   Pyro held her as tightly and gently as he could, and pleaded with Zachary, “Hurry up Zac!  Please!”

   But it was all too much; Mikomi could feel his head spinning, and as it happened the night he came back from Heaven, the trembles felt like a violent shaking, his head was swimming, and he felt ready to drop to and through the floor.

   Still, he couldn’t let Zachary fall onto Pyro…and Amarie…he just couldn’t…

   With tears leaking from his eyes, Mikomi let out a cry, “Zachary!  Please!”

   By now, Kate had calmed down, still in shock that she had punched Zachary in the jaw.  She returned her attention to the others, and was finally aware of the situation.  Mikomi was struggling with all of his might to keep Zachary from falling down on Pyro, shoving him into a heavily pregnant Amarie, but was failing fast.

   Kate was still good on the inside, and while she was upset with Zachary and Mikomi, she wouldn’t let Amarie or her baby get hurt as a result of her anger and Zachary’s stupidity in provoking it.  She ran forward, ducking underneath Mikomi, using her body to hold him up and her arms to help steady Zachary as he stood up and regained his balance.

   Once Zachary was able to ease himself down to the floor so he could nurse his aching jaw, Kate turned her attention to Mikomi, who by now had put next to all of his weight on her as his strength failed.  She steadied herself, and asked, “Can’t you stand up at all Mikomi, or whoever you are?  You’re gonna bring us both down!”

   While Pyro went to help Zachary, Amarie looked to Kate and said, “He’s really that weak Kate.  He’s not faking it.”  Amarie started to stand up and said, “Let me help you.”

   Kate rolled her eyes, sighed and said, “No, you sit down.  I’ll get him.”  Taking a breath, Kate wrapped her arms behind her and around Mikomi and slowly eased herself up, pulling him up with her.  Once they were both standing, she pulled one of his arms around her shoulders, balancing his weight evenly across them, and then walked him over to a small couch on the other side of the helicopter.  She gently lowered him so he was resting comfortably on the couch, and then caught her breath for a moment.

   As she did this, Mikomi opened his eyes, realizing what she had just done for him.  Almost as if the events from before had not affected his opinion of her, he smiled and said, “Thank you.”

   She let out a gasp, her ears stiffening up as she heard this.  She turned around and said, “What?  For helping you over here?  Feh, I just did that to get your limp body out of the floor.  There’s barely enough room here as it is.”

   Mikomi started to feel better, and let out a laugh.

   “What’s so funny?  Are you making fun of me?” Kate asked.

   The two were left alone for the moment, while Amarie and Pyro helped Zachary, so they wouldn’t see what transpired here.  Mikomi sat up half way, smiled and said, “No, I mean, thank you for keeping me from letting Zac fall on my sister.  It’s terrible; the way I am now I can’t even keep my sister safe from something like that…of course, the fact that she’s caught up in this shows this even more.  I’m just…the last thing I wanted was for any of my family to get involved, let alone my poor baby sister.  Heck, I call her my baby sister, and here she is about to have one!  She doesn’t deserve this.  None of them do.”

   Kate’s heart went soft at Mikomi’s words.  She sat down on an ottoman that sat near the couch, concerned when she saw a look of sadness overtake Mikomi’s gentle eyes, even as he smiled through it.  “It’s okay…really…I didn’t mean to snap at you.”

   Almost as if he hadn’t heard Kate, he went on, “I wasn’t exactly aware of what I was doing that day…I just…saw my sister holding Pyro, scared that they were going to die, and I only wanted to make sure that didn’t happen, no matter what it took.  I walked to the Master Emerald, about to erupt and destroy us all.  It was like I was in a trance.  I could hear my mom and aunt screaming for my dad and uncle to wake up.  By the time they did…I—I told them I loved them, and the power just…tore through me.  But…it didn’t hurt.  I knew that my sister would be safe.  All of them would move on and live the normal lives they craved and deserved.  I was at peace in Heaven, they were at peace here.  Look at them; they got married, went to school, got jobs…made lives for themselves.  Now, I come back to save them, but put them in danger in the process.  It’s like…nothing I can do can save them…nothing.  I can’t even keep my cousin’s husband from falling.  I can’t save my sister…what am I supposed to do?”

   He didn’t realize it, but he had almost recovered all of his memories.  In remembering Pyro, as it worked with Shadow, he also remembered Aries and her parents, Sonic and Blaze.  Somehow this also sparked his memories of Tails and Cream.  All that was wrong…was he couldn’t remember his sister.  That was the last thing he had to fight for, but for now, he was fixated on the trouble he was causing her and those he loved.

   Mikomi’s sadness softened Kate’s normally sturdy heart.  It wasn’t that she was evil or spiteful; she was, and especially since the death of her mother, just a little rough around the edges.  The door to her heart was hard to open, and yet, Mikomi’s words, expressing grief for all and anyone he had hurt, started to do the job.

   She moved from the ottoman to whatever space was left on the couch and said, “Hey now, come on, don’t get all weepy on me.  Jackie won’t hurt Amarie…she won’t hurt any of them.  All she wants is the chaos emeralds.  She won’t hurt you.”

   Holding back tears, Mikomi sat up completely, looked to her and said, “I wish I could believe you.”

   Kate gasped again, and as she looked into his mismatched eyes, she also saw into this gateway to something divine, only, she didn’t see divine anger.  She saw divine love and peace.  She knew that Mikomi had every reason to be angry right now, and not just with her.  He had every reason to be angry about Amarie, Pyro, Zachary, and even himself being captured; he had every reason to be angry about the suffering this would cause his family and friends; he had every reason to be angry that he could do nothing about it.  Yet, she saw no anger in his eyes; she could feel none emanating from the depths of his soul.  Whether it was this tie to Heaven, or simply the fact that he still was only a spirit in a shell, she was awed by this peace…this gentle warmth and love simply pouring from his heart, radiating from his soul, shown clear to all the world, simply by a glance from his mismatched, but beautiful eyes.

   She felt paralyzed; she was unable to move or speak, but felt no pain.  She felt euphoric; looking at Mikomi, gazing into his eyes froze her with this strange warmth and easiness that she never felt before in her life.  She could compare it to nothing.  Not once had she ever felt this happy…this comforted…so…enveloped and cradled by love.

   Regaining awareness, Kate could see Mikomi continuing to gaze at her in this way, whether he was intentionally doing so or not.  She could feel her lower lip quivering and her throat tightening up on her, making it hard to breathe.  She switched to breathing through her slightly opened mouth while she continued to look into his eyes, lost to this wonderful feeling this action pulled her into.

   Trying to find her voice, she murmured, on the edge of a tremor, “You…you can believe me.  Even if…you can’t believe Jackie, you…can believe me.  I—I promise.”

   As she said this, she reached up to touch his face; she wanted to make sure this was real, and not just an illusion.  Her fingers barely began to brush his cheek and the euphoric peace only got stronger about her.  It would have been impossible to dissuade her to abandon it, at least, until Amarie, Pyro and Zachary finally returned their attention to what happened to Mikomi.

   Amarie was the first to spot them sitting together, in just enough time to see Mikomi close his eyes in reaction to the feeling of Kate’s fingers brushing over his cheek.  Still unsure of what to think of Kate after she had punched Zachary, Amarie cried, “What are you doing to him?”

   It would have been more appropriate to ask, “What are you doing with him,” for when Pyro and Zachary heard this, they whipped around fast and looked in the same direction, expecting to find Kate shifting her malcontent to Mikomi.

   Kate let out a gasp, the euphoric feeling disappearing immediately as she whirled around in her seat to face them.  Mikomi quickly opened his eyes, in shock of what was unfolding before him.  He watched as the same girl that only moments before appeared to be opening up to him, revert to the rough-around-the-edges girl she was when she punched Zachary.

   She stood up quickly, her eyes regaining that fierceness from before when she saw the three of them looking at her and demanding an explanation to Amarie’s question.  She frowned, growling softly, then crossed her arms and said, “Humph, so, is that how you thank me?  I just saved you and your baby from being crushed by your own in-law because Mikomi’s weak body couldn’t take it.  Feh, I was just checking to make sure he was alright after I walked him over here.  I don’t know if you noticed this, but he’s almost half a foot taller than me, so leave me the heck alone.  I didn’t have to help you after all.  I could have stood back and watched you fall all over yourselves…but no, I’m not nasty like Jackie is.  I actually care about other people…unlike you.”

   Mikomi looked on sadly, shaking his head.  “Oh Kate,” he whispered to himself, “That’s not who you really are…is it?  Why do you insist on acting this way?  Do you feel you can trust no one anymore?”

   Meanwhile, Amarie let out a gasp, slightly hurt by what Kate said.  Pyro, who was tired of all the mayhem going on, wouldn’t stand for his wife being offended like this.  He rushed forward, past Zachary, until he was almost nose to nose with Kate.  After a tense pause, he pulled back one step, pulling a weak ball of fire to his hands and said, “Don’t you ever insult my wife like that again!  I’ll make you pay for it in burns and ashes!”

   Zachary, though his jaw still pained him, let out his own soft growl, and balled up his fists, looking ready to give Kate some payback for what she did before.  Though Kate stood her ground, inside, this was the last thing she meant to cause.

   Finally, Mikomi stood up and said, “Alright, stop it.  All of you.  Pyro, Zac, Kate did help us a few minutes ago.  The least we can do is return the favor with a thank you.  I’ve seen enough bloodshed for one day, understand?”  He then turned to Amarie, who he still could not remember, smiled gently and said, “She wasn’t trying to hurt me, alright?  There’s nothing to worry about.  She didn’t mean to frighten you or hurt your feelings either.”

   Pyro let the embers in his hands die down, while Zachary unclenched his fists, both of them looking at Mikomi in disbelief.  Amarie nodded slowly, realizing she overreacted a little in her accusation, turned to Kate and said, “I’m sorry.  I shouldn’t haven’t overreacted.  I am grateful you helped us back there.”

   Before Kate could reply, Mikomi nodded, then turned to Kate and said, “And I thanked you already…just, don’t take out your frustrations on her.  This is traumatic enough for her; the last thing she needs is more unnecessary grief.  I beg of you, if you feel you must hurt someone, take it out on me.  I am the source of this after all.”

   “Oh Mikomi,” Amarie whimpered.

   Shaking his head, Mikomi added, “I’m not saying this is my fault directly…I’m just saying the fact that it was the power I carry that Jackie wanted putting you in the crossfire when she came for it is a weight on my shoulders.  That’s all.”

   Kate listened to Mikomi carefully.  Unlike what she first thought, while Mikomi wouldn’t admit to causing any pain directly, he was willing to accept blame for any hurting caused by the role he did play in it all.  He was hardly the cold and heartless person Jackie had made him out to be, and after getting such a euphoric feeling from looking into his eyes, it was much easier for her to believe now that he was someone she could trust…someone, unlike Jackie, she could count on to make things right.

   He turned to look back at her, and when he saw her looking at him, he saw the roughness melt away again; that same look in her eyes returned.  He smiled at her, and she too tried to smile, only managing half of one, before the helicopter came to a stop, landing at long last.

   In an instant, Jackie ran back in from the cockpit, and cried, “We’re home everyone!  I’m so super excited that you’ll get to see my lovely home!  Be grateful, if you were captured by someone who wasn’t as wonderful and awesome as me, you’d be stuck in a dingy basement crawling with bugs and dust!  Come along now!”

   Jacob followed her in and began to drag Pyro and Zachary off the helicopter.  Jackie then reached for Mikomi, pulling him into her arms and said, “Don’t you worry sweetie; I’ll look after you myself.  Hee hee.”  She then turned to Kate and said, “Don’t just stand there you lazy girl!  You help Amarie inside!  Hurry up now!”

   Mikomi glared at Jackie as she walked him off the helicopter.  Kate let out a growl, frowning again, and muttering, “I hate her…I hate her so much.”

   Amarie looked at Kate and said, “You really hate her?  Or are you just mad at her again?  You said before she could do no wrong.”

   Kate looked at Amarie, growling softly, but remembering Mikomi’s words.  The reason she didn’t continue to be rough with Amarie, was that she was beginning to trust Mikomi.  That and the fact that Amarie was pregnant was a bigger factor.  Kate began to feel sorry for Amarie, and as with Mikomi, she could no longer speak harshly to her.

   She let out a sigh, took Amarie’s hand and said, “Come on, we don’t want to fall behind.”

   The two girls looked to each other; Kate’s eyes looked sad and heavy with grief, and Amarie felt that almost like Kelsey used anger to hide her pain that Kate used her anger to hide her misery.  Of course, Amarie also realized Kate felt she couldn’t trust anyone, and so she simply nodded, not bothering her again for an answer to her question.

   As they caught up with Mikomi, Zachary, and Pyro, they spoke no more words.  Kate simply thought to herself, “Can I really trust her?  Can I trust any of them?  Are they right about Jackie?  Did she really…kill my mother?  Does that mean she’s willing to hurt them too?  Would she even hurt Amarie and Pyro’s baby?  I want to help them.  Mother would want me to help whoever is hurting…but what can I do?”

   Jackie kept her words from before.  She led her four captives into her opulent mansion, guiding them through it in an impromptu tour, leading them to the second floor of the west wing.  After seeing everything from her kitchens, to her bedroom, to the hundreds of glorious outfits she would wear as dictator and queen, they were brought to a large master bedroom, one that had two beds in it, a cathedral ceiling, wall-to-wall plush carpeting, and a landscape window that stretched almost the entire length of the north wall of the room, looking out to the countryside below.

   Miss Flise was quite pleased with these accommodations, and after a bit more gloating and self-praise, she left, along with Jacob, and even Kate, who was still confused, upset, and unsure of who she could trust.

   Amarie sat down on one of the king sized beds, lowered her eyes, holding back a tear, and whimpered, “Oh why, why did this have to happen?”

   “Oh Amarie,” Pyro cried softly.  He ran over to the bed and sat beside her, holding her close.  He continued, “Don’t worry sweetie.  I’m sure that my dad, and your dad, and all of them will be here soon!  I mean, can’t Kashoku’s emerald track the chaos power too?”

   Mikomi, who gazed at the world outside, nodded, and explained, “The Chaos energy has a similar signature to the Celestial energy, reason being because both sources came from Kashoku.  The difference between them is that Chaos power can be used for good and evil, and Celestial power only used for good.  He should have no trouble tracking the power inside of me; even the weak chaos emerald Jackie has will call out to him.”

   Pyro looked to Amarie, smiling as strongly as he could and said, “You see girl?  They’ll all be here soon…all of them.  They’ll get Rouge’s chaos emerald back, kick Jackie’s butt, then we can restore the chaos emeralds and everything will be alright again.”

   Zachary, who now sat leaning up against the foot of the other bed, lowered his eyes and said, “Yeah, but how long do you think it’ll take them?”

   The hedgecat glared at Zachary for asking such a question, but Mikomi mediated the situation by saying, “Kashoku doesn’t need a plan.  Most likely he’s rallying everyone together before they launch their assault.  He’s got the strongest heroes in the world on his side, as well as their children.  He’s at less of a disadvantage than Jackie thinks he is.  All we have to do now is wait.  That’s all we can do.”

   After he finished speaking, silence consumed the room.  Mikomi then moved from the window, over to the bed where Amarie sat with Pyro, looked to her, smiled and said, “You’re next.”

   She was confused at first as to what he meant, but as he smiled at her, she finally understood his words.  “Mikomi…?” she asked, her smile strengthening.

   “Soon…I promise,” he whispered.  He then walked over to the other bed, sitting down on one side of it, to collect his thoughts.  On the floor, Zachary resumed his anger at Jackie for exposing his secret, for while none of them had made much of a deal of it so far, the fact that they heard it at all made him sick to his stomach.  He thought of his dear Kelsey, and how much he loved her, and how so dearly, he wanted to see her again.

   However many miles rested between them, on the other end of them, Kelsey was missing Zachary.  She knew he was having a hard time of things lately, and just hoped that he was alright.  But there was no time to get sad now; Kashoku had finally finished explaining the story to anyone left who needed to hear it, namely Sonic, Tails, and Cream, and had also explained any other points he had left out to everyone.

   Sonic, who finally made up with Knuckles after what happened before, stood up and said, “Then what else is there left to do Kashoku?  Let’s just take our chaos emeralds and go!  I won’t let this…Flise woman or whatever, keep my son, daughter-in-law and grandchild captive like this!”

   “Poor Mikomi,” Cream added, looking at her husband, “It’s just a good thing he’s as hardy as he is now.  He’s still in danger.”

   “I want my big brother back!” Airelea cried, going back and forth between hugging her mother and Kelsey.

   Everyone started talking at once, but Kashoku raised his hand, holding the sixth chaos emerald, the green one, in the air.  “Please, everyone.  We will go, just as soon as I discover which wielder the green chaos emerald calls to.”

   Amberly and Jeremy stood nearby.  They walked up to Kashoku, and taking the chaos emerald from him, they discovered that Shadow’s chaos emerald was the one destined for his son-in-law, Jeremy Brokenstar, for it burst to life once more under his touch.

   “Like mother, like daughter,” Kashoku said with a smile.  He walked to a nearby window, lowered his head, and continued, “We go to recover Amberly’s chaos emerald.  Once we recover it, we’ll have to somehow subdue both Jackie and Jacob, for I do not believe Kate will pose a threat.  Once the chaos emeralds are restored and Mikomi freed from that power, things shall return to the peace he died to give the world.”

   The others, still slightly unsure of how Kashoku meant to track Mikomi and the seventh emerald, stood back in awe as the Celestial Emerald was finally made visible to their sight.  Kashoku looked back and said, “Follow me however you will, by vehicle, foot, or wing.  We fly into the night, and come the end of our journey, we shall find what we seek.  Let us go!”

   Kashoku teleported outside, ready to let the Celestial Emerald guide him.  With a shout, Jeremy grabbed Amberly’s hand and they ran outside, jumping on his motorcycle to follow.  In a similar fashion, all of them that were able to drive ran to their vehicles, and those that didn’t hitched a ride with them.  Ready for an off-road race into the night, they followed Kashoku and the light of the Celestial Emerald.  They knew that somewhere in that dark horizon, their loved ones waited.  It was in this place, as night fell, that Kate, after much thinking, returned to that bedroom that was now their prison, wanting just a little more from Mikomi, as she tried to make up her mind on what was right, and began to realize her true heart.