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Description
"Until the End of Forever"
By: Jade Lightning, a.k.a. Inuyashas-hanyougirl
Epilogue: “Until the End of Forever”

   Another adventure was now over for our group of heroes.  With the chaos emeralds restored, the world need no longer fear maniacs like Jackie Flise from trying to destroy all things good.  While Hidama returned the red and green chaos emeralds to Shadow and Rouge, the remaining five would remain in his care.  Because they were not the same burden that the Master Emerald was, the House of the Guardian regained a little responsibility in protecting them.  After Hidama and Knuckles passed away, their children would have an easy time looking after them.

   After all, the responsibility of preserving peace, as Kashoku had said, was the duty of all life, not just one or two souls.  The task of protecting the chaos emeralds being shared by the circle of friends was a symbol of this.

   Everyone was able to return back to their normal lives, and yet everyone who came out of the trials of that night had their lives changed on at least some level.  If not right away, everyone, specifically the five couples of this new generation, had blessings unnumbered coming their way.

   Aries and Oliver were quick to return to their home dimension.  While the couple were immediately smitten with their nephew, Aries owed it to her mother, Blaze, to take over guarding the Sol Emeralds so Blaze could visit with her grandson.  Aries, infact, took more of the responsibility of guarding them as she got older, not only so Blaze could spend time with Sonic, Pyro, and Suta, but in preparation for when she would have her own family some day.

   A few years later, Oliver and Aries were blessed with a son.  Together they named him Miles Taylor, after Oliver’s father; Taylor was a name Aries had always adored, and so putting them together, they found the perfect name for their son.  Ironically, this gave little Miles Taylor the same initials as his grandfather, Miles “Tails” Prower.

   Because Miles was their only child, the Guardianship of the Sol Emeralds one day would be passed to him.  He would be the first male Guardian of the gems in centuries, but would also prove to be one of the greatest their world would ever know.

   In the days following the close of the adventure, Amberly and Jeremy finally remembered the conversation they had had that night on the way to Jackie’s mansion.  Even though Zachary and Kelsey were expecting their first baby at long last, the couple still felt the need to reconcile with them.  Sitting down and talking about it, Amberly and Jeremy finally realized why they were hurting Zachary and Kelsey with their antics, and so the wounds were healed at last.

   Of course, it really wasn’t necessary to apologize anymore, Zachary told them with a smile on his face.  He had no reason to be upset anymore, nor would he ever, about that subject at least.  Months later, Kelsey gave birth to their first child, a daughter, named Layla.  The couple were reassured another time that they had no need to stress, when they were blessed with another daughter, named Heather.  Infact, the couple would have one more child, a son named Dylan, before their family was complete.  Zachary and Kelsey finally had the family they had dreamed of together at long last.

   Things would also work out for Jeremy and Amberly.  While Amberly would have to tease Jeremy for a little bit longer, eventually, he would hold true to his promise.  Their first child, a daughter Amberly named Roxanne, was born a few months after her cousin Layla.  Around the time Oliver and Aries’ son Miles Taylor was born, Amberly gave Jeremy a son, who he named Armin, in memory of his grandfather.  When this was done, Aranelion and Elianaron both had descendents named in the memory of their parents; Aranelion had his daughter Airelea, and Elianaron had his grandson Armin.

   Because the two families remained in Sandysun City, their five children went to school together, and became best friends, and not just cousins, much as Zachary and Jeremy had growing up.  They weren’t the only ones who would come from this circle of friends.  Aside from their very distant cousin Miles Taylor, the five children had somewhat closer relations, who would also become some of the best friends they would ever know.

   Little Suta, the son of Pyro and Amarie, would be the oldest of the group, and yet he would not be the only child the son of Sonic and Blaze and the daughter of Knuckles and Amy would be blessed with.  In the years to come, they would give Suta two younger brothers and a sister.  First, their son Andrew was born; after Andrew, they had a little girl, named Ember, in honor of her father’s name, Pyro, and her grandmother’s name, Blaze, all three inspired by fire.  Not surprisingly, Ember too would have fire powers, just like Blaze and Pyro.

   Amarie and Pyro’s final child, a son named Jesse, was born around the same time as his cousin Dylan.  The four couples going into that fateful night received many blessings, as did their parents, the original group of heroes.

   But what about Mikomi and Kate?

   All of this happiness was to come in the future, and yet, for now, Mikomi and Kate were just now getting their start.  As Mikomi had hinted at, he was quick to ask Kate to marry him…that is, after he explained it all to his family and friends, showing them all their souls in perfect harmony to best illustrate his feelings for Kate.  Until the couple was able to find jobs and support themselves, Pyro and Amarie invited them to stay with them.

   This was something Mikomi would instantly accept, for it meant he would get to spend time with his nephew, Suta.  He was reminded of his uncle, Hidama, for their situations were very similar.  Hidama, after finally being able to return to his old life, settled in with living with his brother, sister-in-law, and nephew, Mikomi, the same day that Mikomi was born.

   The echidna hybrid couldn’t help but laugh at this amusingly.  Here he was, finally able to return to his own life, on the very day that his nephew Suta was born.  Now he found himself living with his nephew and family as he adjusted to life again.  There was one, big difference though, and that difference was Kate.  Unlike his poor uncle, Mikomi was blessed enough to have his soul mate right there with him, right from the start.

   Mikomi and Kate helped look after their nephew as they planned for their wedding, and their life together.  One afternoon, a little over two months after the that night in Jackie’s mansion, they were baby-sitting Suta while Pyro and Amarie took the day off.  It was “well-deserved” as Mikomi put it.  In reality, Mikomi and Kate would look for any excuse to be alone with little Suta.

   Kate walked into the living room after getting a drink, and could see Mikomi sitting on the couch, holding Suta in his arms.  The two gazed at each other with unblinking eyes.  She watched this, and when Mikomi finally blinked, little Suta giggled happily, clapping his tiny hands as Mikomi rubbed his eyes with his free hand.

   “I can’t believe he knows enough to laugh at you like that,” Kate said with a giggle, “He’s a smart little one.”

   After blinking a few times, Mikomi laughed and replied, “Heh, I think he just finds it funny when I groan in pain from dry and itchy eyes after exhausting myself from fighting the urge to blink.”

   Babbling a bit, Suta grabbed Mikomi’s finger and began to suck on it, as he had become accustomed to, closing his eyes as if ready to nap as he settled down.

   Smiling at this Mikomi gently nuzzled Suta before kissing him on the forehead.  “Poor baby.  He’s already ready for another nap.”

   “That’s so precious,” Kate said with a happy sigh.  Before she would say more, she looked back to the television.  The afternoon news was on, and the story they were now covering involved a very familiar face.

   “Ugh, it’s that wretched woman again,” Kate growled.

   Looking up at the television, Mikomi’s smile gave way to a sigh and rolled eyes.  “I can’t believe she’s still caught up in the legal system.  They’ve got over fifteen witnesses to her murdering Jacob.  What more do they want?  They have his body, they have the scythe that killed him…she doesn’t need a trial.  She needs a jail cell,” he said.

   Lowering her eyes, Kate murmured, “I wish they would gas her to death.”

   Mikomi looked at her, and his heart went out to hers as it wept.  Standing up, he took little Suta over to his playpen and laid him down gently.  He gave Suta his pacifier in place of his finger, and after rubbing his head, and giving him one more smile, Mikomi returned his attention to Kate.

   Turning the television set off, Mikomi put his arm around her and said, “Eh, you don’t want them to gas her Kate.  What you want them to do is to sentence her to life in prison so she can go to jail and be bullied by prisoners for the rest of her life.  Watch that show about violence in prisons and you’ll see what I mean.  Even in a women’s prison they won’t hesitate to beat the hell out of you if you mess up.  Jackie won’t last long.”

   Kate sighed again, recognizing that Mikomi was trying to cheer her up, and yet she wasn’t ready to let it go.  She rested her head on his shoulder and said, “I don’t care how she’s punished Mikomi…I know that they can’t do anything to her for how she stabbed you and Kashoku, but she murdered my uncle, and while I know he’s happy in the afterlife, this is the best chance we have to keep her from getting her freedom back and trying to hurt us all again.  If they’d go ahead and lock her up then we could focus on getting married and building our lives together.  This nightmare would finally be over.”

   Mikomi hugged Kate, kissing her on the top of her head and rubbing her back gently.  He knew that Kate was still suffering on some level, and it hurt him that he couldn’t do anything about it.  Glancing at Suta as he slept, Mikomi was reminded of the times he spent with his uncle Hidama when he was little, particularly his first lessons in the echidna language.  The only time he ever heard it spoken was when Hidama told Delilah he loved her.  Mikomi remembered becoming fascinated by it, and asked his uncle to teach him the old echidna language…and it started with those few words of love.

   He rested his head on hers, and whispered, “Hai H’Nai loo Se’tal, Kate.”

   About ready to cry, Mikomi’s words distracted Kate from her sadness.  She lifted her head up, looked at him, confused, and asked, “What did you say Mikomi?”

   With a smile, Mikomi replied, “Hai H’Nai loo Se’tal…that’s how echidnas said ‘I love you’ to their spouses.  Uncle Hidama taught me the echidna language when I was younger, and this was my first lesson.  You see, he always said it to Aunt Delilah, and I was so enchanted by it, I asked him to teach it to me.  Anyway, he told me that in the echidna tribe there were two ways to say ‘I love you’ and the one I just used was for your spouse only.  The echidnas placed a high value on true love, to the point where they had an exclusive phrase for expressing it.  Love for anything else, from family and friends to nature, was expressed in a different way, and if you confused the two, you brought shame to your relationship with your spouse.  Of course, when you love someone so much, you won’t easily get the two confused.”

   Kate gazed at Mikomi as she took in everything he said.  Eventually, a warm smile came to her lips, and she hugged Mikomi tightly.  As he returned it, he let out a chuckle and said, “I guess that cheered you up a little eh?”

   She giggled softly, then pulled back to look at him, with a nod, she replied, “Hai H’Nai loo Se’tal Mikomi.  I hope I got that right.”

   Mikomi smiled and kissed her.  He replied, “Yeah you did Kate…perfectly.  Of course, you and I don’t need words, for we have the song that our spirits sing to remind us of our sweet love.  …We’re special Kate, not everyone will get to hear that song…they simply have to trust their hearts.”

   Returning the kiss, Kate cuddled up next to him, and replied, “Even then Mikomi, I think with you, trusting what’s in my heart is as easy as it is to breathe.”

   The two lovers remained lost in each other’s eyes and smiles for only a brief moment, before leaning into a warm kiss as they sat together.  Suddenly, the honk of a car horn caused them to come apart and look to the front door.

   With a laugh, Mikomi said, “Aww darn it.  I can’t believe they’re back already.  You and I never have enough time with Suta.  He always sleeps through most of it…”  Pausing he looked back to Kate and added, “Although the time I get to spend with you more than makes up for it.”

   Mikomi stood up, but Kate took his hand, causing him to look at her as she gently pulled him back down to his seat.  Once he was sitting beside her once more, she giggled softly, and whispered, “Maybe we’ll just have to have our own little one to fill the gaping void in our lives that only little Suta can hope to nurse for the moment.”

   With a proud smile, and gentle laugh, Mikomi hugged Kate, and as they heard Pyro and Amarie opening up the door, he whispered, “Yeah we will Kate, and from a love like this, I can only expect beautiful things.”

   He couldn’t have been more correct.  After getting married, Mikomi and Kate finally found a place of their own and began to build their life together.  As he had said, their love brought them many happy blessings, including five children.  Their first child was named Jake, in memory of his great-uncle.  Their second child, a daughter, was named Natalia.  Two more children, a daughter named Rebecca and a son named Brandon came later.  Their last child, a daughter, was named Aimee, after Mikomi’s mother, Amy Rose.

   Little Aimee was not only the youngest of Mikomi and Kate’s children, but was also the youngest child born in this circle of friends.  This was a generation that would only come to know of the Master Emerald in stories told by Hidama and Knuckles at every family gathering from New Years to Christmas.  This was a generation that would be free from the burden of its power.  Any danger that tried to disrupt their lives was quickly diminished by the Seven Chaos Emeralds.  As it was always hoped to be, peace was preserved, and though it would never go unchallenged, the task of fighting for it was never again laid on the shoulders of one.  At last, it was a task shared by all the world.

   As the five couples of this generation built their lives together, they made sure that Kashoku’s wish for the world was not forgotten.  The publicity involving Jackie’s trial and sentencing resulted in Jackie finally cracking under the pressure and revealing every detail of her plan, including how she cultivated the elements that corrupted Jacob’s soul.  This was frightening for a world that was still relatively fresh off Sir Burns’ plans for world domination.  The free world began to see how the genius of a few evil minds could threaten to undo everything that they had come to know and cherish.

   Yet at the same time, everyone recognized something else.

   If all it took was the corrupted genius of one person like Jackie Flise or Sir Burns to destroy all life, then how hard could it be to work towards making sure that never happened again?

   With thousands upon thousands of souls working towards the greater good, if all their efforts were put together towards the One peace, then maybe, just maybe, the dreams of a megalomaniac of the future would remain just that, dreams.

   “Finally…they understand it,” Kashoku murmured to himself as he watched all that happened in the world below him, while sitting underneath the same golden tree he had when this journey had begun.

   His queen soon joined him.  Sitting beside her husband, Queen Mitsukai asked, “Are they doing well Kashoku?”

   Looking to her, Kashoku nodded and smiled.  “Indeed my lady,” he replied, “You know Suta is doing well, and Zachary’s and Kelsey’s baby will soon be born.  I do believe that all five couples are going to be duly blessed, even Mikomi and Kate, while those that came before them will enjoy the same happiness.  …Still, my joy comes, from the simple fact, that the world around them is ready to work towards the One peace.  They realize now the same dream that you and I hoped for all eternity to be cradled by.  They understand now that the need for heroes may come when times are at their darkest, for it is not impossible for masterminds like Sir Burns and Jackie to rise to power.  However, what they do understand, is if they all work together to achieve peace, the burden will never rest on one soul.  They understand that it is something the world must suffer through together.  In the end, they’ll be better for it.”

   Rising to his feet with Mitsukai and looking over the blessed realm, he continued, “Just as the Seven draw their power from the One, there will be times that the free world will need to look to the strength and courage of one great power in order to persevere.  Those I left behind shall rise to that task, and so shall all to follow them.  With the Seven to see them through, they can beat back any darkness, and inspire all the world to continue this mission.  It is all I wanted for them to understand.  True power comes from being, not simply strong and just, but in working towards the benefit of all.  Mikomi has done this not once, but twice, and I do believe he and his loved ones are stronger because of it.”

   Taking Mitsukai’s hand, the couple walked down the hill towards the heavenly expanse before them.  Kashoku added, “When he returned to them, did you see their determination to keep him with them?  They not only learned from the past, but they realized that if Mikomi was brave enough to give his life for theirs, then they had the same strength to fight for his.  What’s happening now is the same thing, only now it’s on the global scale that it needs to be on.  I do believe…another attack like the one they just weathered will be long in coming, and they will have time for their children to be born and grow.  They have their peace, and until they reach eternity, it will see them through.”

   Stopping their walk, Mitsukai looked to her husband and said, “Indeed, you saw everyone through safely, and now that your mission is done, you are able to rest.”

   Kashoku smiled warmly, sighed happily and said, “My lady, at last…I am home.”

   This journey had come to a close, and yet the final journey was still in the making.  Along the road of life, these new souls born to this generation of heroes would experience many things.  There would be times of struggle, times of joy; feelings of loss, and feelings of love.  This was the unending journey of life, for you see, it continues until the end of forever, following everyone to the eternity beyond this.

   The sacrifices of a few, saved the lives of many, and wrote into the pages of the lives of all a new understanding of the miracles of the world around them.  All their stories will intertwine as everyone works to preserve the One peace.  As long as that safety net does not fall, each life will have a chance to live.  To work for the glory of the greater good, the One peace, is all it takes to make a difference in the world.

   These were the lessons Kashoku wanted the world to remember, and because of the struggles and triumphs of these heroes, they are words that will never be forgotten.

   The stories of the lives of these heroes will never die.  They will live on, as will peace they still fight to protect, until the end of forever.

Description
"Until the End of Forever"
By: Jade Lightning, a.k.a. Inuyashas-hanyougirl
Epilogue: “Until the End of Forever”

   Another adventure was now over for our group of heroes.  With the chaos emeralds restored, the world need no longer fear maniacs like Jackie Flise from trying to destroy all things good.  While Hidama returned the red and green chaos emeralds to Shadow and Rouge, the remaining five would remain in his care.  Because they were not the same burden that the Master Emerald was, the House of the Guardian regained a little responsibility in protecting them.  After Hidama and Knuckles passed away, their children would have an easy time looking after them.

   After all, the responsibility of preserving peace, as Kashoku had said, was the duty of all life, not just one or two souls.  The task of protecting the chaos emeralds being shared by the circle of friends was a symbol of this.

   Everyone was able to return back to their normal lives, and yet everyone who came out of the trials of that night had their lives changed on at least some level.  If not right away, everyone, specifically the five couples of this new generation, had blessings unnumbered coming their way.

   Aries and Oliver were quick to return to their home dimension.  While the couple were immediately smitten with their nephew, Aries owed it to her mother, Blaze, to take over guarding the Sol Emeralds so Blaze could visit with her grandson.  Aries, infact, took more of the responsibility of guarding them as she got older, not only so Blaze could spend time with Sonic, Pyro, and Suta, but in preparation for when she would have her own family some day.

   A few years later, Oliver and Aries were blessed with a son.  Together they named him Miles Taylor, after Oliver’s father; Taylor was a name Aries had always adored, and so putting them together, they found the perfect name for their son.  Ironically, this gave little Miles Taylor the same initials as his grandfather, Miles “Tails” Prower.

   Because Miles was their only child, the Guardianship of the Sol Emeralds one day would be passed to him.  He would be the first male Guardian of the gems in centuries, but would also prove to be one of the greatest their world would ever know.

   In the days following the close of the adventure, Amberly and Jeremy finally remembered the conversation they had had that night on the way to Jackie’s mansion.  Even though Zachary and Kelsey were expecting their first baby at long last, the couple still felt the need to reconcile with them.  Sitting down and talking about it, Amberly and Jeremy finally realized why they were hurting Zachary and Kelsey with their antics, and so the wounds were healed at last.

   Of course, it really wasn’t necessary to apologize anymore, Zachary told them with a smile on his face.  He had no reason to be upset anymore, nor would he ever, about that subject at least.  Months later, Kelsey gave birth to their first child, a daughter, named Layla.  The couple were reassured another time that they had no need to stress, when they were blessed with another daughter, named Heather.  Infact, the couple would have one more child, a son named Dylan, before their family was complete.  Zachary and Kelsey finally had the family they had dreamed of together at long last.

   Things would also work out for Jeremy and Amberly.  While Amberly would have to tease Jeremy for a little bit longer, eventually, he would hold true to his promise.  Their first child, a daughter Amberly named Roxanne, was born a few months after her cousin Layla.  Around the time Oliver and Aries’ son Miles Taylor was born, Amberly gave Jeremy a son, who he named Armin, in memory of his grandfather.  When this was done, Aranelion and Elianaron both had descendents named in the memory of their parents; Aranelion had his daughter Airelea, and Elianaron had his grandson Armin.

   Because the two families remained in Sandysun City, their five children went to school together, and became best friends, and not just cousins, much as Zachary and Jeremy had growing up.  They weren’t the only ones who would come from this circle of friends.  Aside from their very distant cousin Miles Taylor, the five children had somewhat closer relations, who would also become some of the best friends they would ever know.

   Little Suta, the son of Pyro and Amarie, would be the oldest of the group, and yet he would not be the only child the son of Sonic and Blaze and the daughter of Knuckles and Amy would be blessed with.  In the years to come, they would give Suta two younger brothers and a sister.  First, their son Andrew was born; after Andrew, they had a little girl, named Ember, in honor of her father’s name, Pyro, and her grandmother’s name, Blaze, all three inspired by fire.  Not surprisingly, Ember too would have fire powers, just like Blaze and Pyro.

   Amarie and Pyro’s final child, a son named Jesse, was born around the same time as his cousin Dylan.  The four couples going into that fateful night received many blessings, as did their parents, the original group of heroes.

   But what about Mikomi and Kate?

   All of this happiness was to come in the future, and yet, for now, Mikomi and Kate were just now getting their start.  As Mikomi had hinted at, he was quick to ask Kate to marry him…that is, after he explained it all to his family and friends, showing them all their souls in perfect harmony to best illustrate his feelings for Kate.  Until the couple was able to find jobs and support themselves, Pyro and Amarie invited them to stay with them.

   This was something Mikomi would instantly accept, for it meant he would get to spend time with his nephew, Suta.  He was reminded of his uncle, Hidama, for their situations were very similar.  Hidama, after finally being able to return to his old life, settled in with living with his brother, sister-in-law, and nephew, Mikomi, the same day that Mikomi was born.

   The echidna hybrid couldn’t help but laugh at this amusingly.  Here he was, finally able to return to his own life, on the very day that his nephew Suta was born.  Now he found himself living with his nephew and family as he adjusted to life again.  There was one, big difference though, and that difference was Kate.  Unlike his poor uncle, Mikomi was blessed enough to have his soul mate right there with him, right from the start.

   Mikomi and Kate helped look after their nephew as they planned for their wedding, and their life together.  One afternoon, a little over two months after the that night in Jackie’s mansion, they were baby-sitting Suta while Pyro and Amarie took the day off.  It was “well-deserved” as Mikomi put it.  In reality, Mikomi and Kate would look for any excuse to be alone with little Suta.

   Kate walked into the living room after getting a drink, and could see Mikomi sitting on the couch, holding Suta in his arms.  The two gazed at each other with unblinking eyes.  She watched this, and when Mikomi finally blinked, little Suta giggled happily, clapping his tiny hands as Mikomi rubbed his eyes with his free hand.

   “I can’t believe he knows enough to laugh at you like that,” Kate said with a giggle, “He’s a smart little one.”

   After blinking a few times, Mikomi laughed and replied, “Heh, I think he just finds it funny when I groan in pain from dry and itchy eyes after exhausting myself from fighting the urge to blink.”

   Babbling a bit, Suta grabbed Mikomi’s finger and began to suck on it, as he had become accustomed to, closing his eyes as if ready to nap as he settled down.

   Smiling at this Mikomi gently nuzzled Suta before kissing him on the forehead.  “Poor baby.  He’s already ready for another nap.”

   “That’s so precious,” Kate said with a happy sigh.  Before she would say more, she looked back to the television.  The afternoon news was on, and the story they were now covering involved a very familiar face.

   “Ugh, it’s that wretched woman again,” Kate growled.

   Looking up at the television, Mikomi’s smile gave way to a sigh and rolled eyes.  “I can’t believe she’s still caught up in the legal system.  They’ve got over fifteen witnesses to her murdering Jacob.  What more do they want?  They have his body, they have the scythe that killed him…she doesn’t need a trial.  She needs a jail cell,” he said.

   Lowering her eyes, Kate murmured, “I wish they would gas her to death.”

   Mikomi looked at her, and his heart went out to hers as it wept.  Standing up, he took little Suta over to his playpen and laid him down gently.  He gave Suta his pacifier in place of his finger, and after rubbing his head, and giving him one more smile, Mikomi returned his attention to Kate.

   Turning the television set off, Mikomi put his arm around her and said, “Eh, you don’t want them to gas her Kate.  What you want them to do is to sentence her to life in prison so she can go to jail and be bullied by prisoners for the rest of her life.  Watch that show about violence in prisons and you’ll see what I mean.  Even in a women’s prison they won’t hesitate to beat the hell out of you if you mess up.  Jackie won’t last long.”

   Kate sighed again, recognizing that Mikomi was trying to cheer her up, and yet she wasn’t ready to let it go.  She rested her head on his shoulder and said, “I don’t care how she’s punished Mikomi…I know that they can’t do anything to her for how she stabbed you and Kashoku, but she murdered my uncle, and while I know he’s happy in the afterlife, this is the best chance we have to keep her from getting her freedom back and trying to hurt us all again.  If they’d go ahead and lock her up then we could focus on getting married and building our lives together.  This nightmare would finally be over.”

   Mikomi hugged Kate, kissing her on the top of her head and rubbing her back gently.  He knew that Kate was still suffering on some level, and it hurt him that he couldn’t do anything about it.  Glancing at Suta as he slept, Mikomi was reminded of the times he spent with his uncle Hidama when he was little, particularly his first lessons in the echidna language.  The only time he ever heard it spoken was when Hidama told Delilah he loved her.  Mikomi remembered becoming fascinated by it, and asked his uncle to teach him the old echidna language…and it started with those few words of love.

   He rested his head on hers, and whispered, “Hai H’Nai loo Se’tal, Kate.”

   About ready to cry, Mikomi’s words distracted Kate from her sadness.  She lifted her head up, looked at him, confused, and asked, “What did you say Mikomi?”

   With a smile, Mikomi replied, “Hai H’Nai loo Se’tal…that’s how echidnas said ‘I love you’ to their spouses.  Uncle Hidama taught me the echidna language when I was younger, and this was my first lesson.  You see, he always said it to Aunt Delilah, and I was so enchanted by it, I asked him to teach it to me.  Anyway, he told me that in the echidna tribe there were two ways to say ‘I love you’ and the one I just used was for your spouse only.  The echidnas placed a high value on true love, to the point where they had an exclusive phrase for expressing it.  Love for anything else, from family and friends to nature, was expressed in a different way, and if you confused the two, you brought shame to your relationship with your spouse.  Of course, when you love someone so much, you won’t easily get the two confused.”

   Kate gazed at Mikomi as she took in everything he said.  Eventually, a warm smile came to her lips, and she hugged Mikomi tightly.  As he returned it, he let out a chuckle and said, “I guess that cheered you up a little eh?”

   She giggled softly, then pulled back to look at him, with a nod, she replied, “Hai H’Nai loo Se’tal Mikomi.  I hope I got that right.”

   Mikomi smiled and kissed her.  He replied, “Yeah you did Kate…perfectly.  Of course, you and I don’t need words, for we have the song that our spirits sing to remind us of our sweet love.  …We’re special Kate, not everyone will get to hear that song…they simply have to trust their hearts.”

   Returning the kiss, Kate cuddled up next to him, and replied, “Even then Mikomi, I think with you, trusting what’s in my heart is as easy as it is to breathe.”

   The two lovers remained lost in each other’s eyes and smiles for only a brief moment, before leaning into a warm kiss as they sat together.  Suddenly, the honk of a car horn caused them to come apart and look to the front door.

   With a laugh, Mikomi said, “Aww darn it.  I can’t believe they’re back already.  You and I never have enough time with Suta.  He always sleeps through most of it…”  Pausing he looked back to Kate and added, “Although the time I get to spend with you more than makes up for it.”

   Mikomi stood up, but Kate took his hand, causing him to look at her as she gently pulled him back down to his seat.  Once he was sitting beside her once more, she giggled softly, and whispered, “Maybe we’ll just have to have our own little one to fill the gaping void in our lives that only little Suta can hope to nurse for the moment.”

   With a proud smile, and gentle laugh, Mikomi hugged Kate, and as they heard Pyro and Amarie opening up the door, he whispered, “Yeah we will Kate, and from a love like this, I can only expect beautiful things.”

   He couldn’t have been more correct.  After getting married, Mikomi and Kate finally found a place of their own and began to build their life together.  As he had said, their love brought them many happy blessings, including five children.  Their first child was named Jake, in memory of his great-uncle.  Their second child, a daughter, was named Natalia.  Two more children, a daughter named Rebecca and a son named Brandon came later.  Their last child, a daughter, was named Aimee, after Mikomi’s mother, Amy Rose.

   Little Aimee was not only the youngest of Mikomi and Kate’s children, but was also the youngest child born in this circle of friends.  This was a generation that would only come to know of the Master Emerald in stories told by Hidama and Knuckles at every family gathering from New Years to Christmas.  This was a generation that would be free from the burden of its power.  Any danger that tried to disrupt their lives was quickly diminished by the Seven Chaos Emeralds.  As it was always hoped to be, peace was preserved, and though it would never go unchallenged, the task of fighting for it was never again laid on the shoulders of one.  At last, it was a task shared by all the world.

   As the five couples of this generation built their lives together, they made sure that Kashoku’s wish for the world was not forgotten.  The publicity involving Jackie’s trial and sentencing resulted in Jackie finally cracking under the pressure and revealing every detail of her plan, including how she cultivated the elements that corrupted Jacob’s soul.  This was frightening for a world that was still relatively fresh off Sir Burns’ plans for world domination.  The free world began to see how the genius of a few evil minds could threaten to undo everything that they had come to know and cherish.

   Yet at the same time, everyone recognized something else.

   If all it took was the corrupted genius of one person like Jackie Flise or Sir Burns to destroy all life, then how hard could it be to work towards making sure that never happened again?

   With thousands upon thousands of souls working towards the greater good, if all their efforts were put together towards the One peace, then maybe, just maybe, the dreams of a megalomaniac of the future would remain just that, dreams.

   “Finally…they understand it,” Kashoku murmured to himself as he watched all that happened in the world below him, while sitting underneath the same golden tree he had when this journey had begun.

   His queen soon joined him.  Sitting beside her husband, Queen Mitsukai asked, “Are they doing well Kashoku?”

   Looking to her, Kashoku nodded and smiled.  “Indeed my lady,” he replied, “You know Suta is doing well, and Zachary’s and Kelsey’s baby will soon be born.  I do believe that all five couples are going to be duly blessed, even Mikomi and Kate, while those that came before them will enjoy the same happiness.  …Still, my joy comes, from the simple fact, that the world around them is ready to work towards the One peace.  They realize now the same dream that you and I hoped for all eternity to be cradled by.  They understand now that the need for heroes may come when times are at their darkest, for it is not impossible for masterminds like Sir Burns and Jackie to rise to power.  However, what they do understand, is if they all work together to achieve peace, the burden will never rest on one soul.  They understand that it is something the world must suffer through together.  In the end, they’ll be better for it.”

   Rising to his feet with Mitsukai and looking over the blessed realm, he continued, “Just as the Seven draw their power from the One, there will be times that the free world will need to look to the strength and courage of one great power in order to persevere.  Those I left behind shall rise to that task, and so shall all to follow them.  With the Seven to see them through, they can beat back any darkness, and inspire all the world to continue this mission.  It is all I wanted for them to understand.  True power comes from being, not simply strong and just, but in working towards the benefit of all.  Mikomi has done this not once, but twice, and I do believe he and his loved ones are stronger because of it.”

   Taking Mitsukai’s hand, the couple walked down the hill towards the heavenly expanse before them.  Kashoku added, “When he returned to them, did you see their determination to keep him with them?  They not only learned from the past, but they realized that if Mikomi was brave enough to give his life for theirs, then they had the same strength to fight for his.  What’s happening now is the same thing, only now it’s on the global scale that it needs to be on.  I do believe…another attack like the one they just weathered will be long in coming, and they will have time for their children to be born and grow.  They have their peace, and until they reach eternity, it will see them through.”

   Stopping their walk, Mitsukai looked to her husband and said, “Indeed, you saw everyone through safely, and now that your mission is done, you are able to rest.”

   Kashoku smiled warmly, sighed happily and said, “My lady, at last…I am home.”

   This journey had come to a close, and yet the final journey was still in the making.  Along the road of life, these new souls born to this generation of heroes would experience many things.  There would be times of struggle, times of joy; feelings of loss, and feelings of love.  This was the unending journey of life, for you see, it continues until the end of forever, following everyone to the eternity beyond this.

   The sacrifices of a few, saved the lives of many, and wrote into the pages of the lives of all a new understanding of the miracles of the world around them.  All their stories will intertwine as everyone works to preserve the One peace.  As long as that safety net does not fall, each life will have a chance to live.  To work for the glory of the greater good, the One peace, is all it takes to make a difference in the world.

   These were the lessons Kashoku wanted the world to remember, and because of the struggles and triumphs of these heroes, they are words that will never be forgotten.

   The stories of the lives of these heroes will never die.  They will live on, as will peace they still fight to protect, until the end of forever.