Dark Guardian: Chapter 13

It had been two-and-a-half weeks since the miraculous resurrection of Cosmo the Seedrian, and life seemed to finally be settling down for the members of the Sonic Team. No word had been heard from the mysterious humanoid known as Kai during that time and Eggman had failed to make a reappearance after his defeat on the Emerald Coast. With the lull in activity everyone had taken to doing activities that they would have considered normal, save for one exception. Sonic had returned to his favorite pastime of running again, moving quickly but never seeming to get anywhere. Knuckles continued to spend much of his time on Angel Island vigilantly guarding his Master Emerald despite there being no apparent threat. Amy had returned to her ongoing pursuit of winning Sonic's affection and continuing to fail miserably, much to her disappointment. Shadow remained just as antisocial as ever, although he would make occasional visits to Tails and Cosmo. Vanilla and Cream remained busy as usual occupying themselves with domestic pursuits, while Cream would occasionally go flower picking. The only difference in routine for the team rested solely with the honey colored two-tailed fox Miles Prower.

Ever since the resurrection of his lost love Tails' demeanor had showed a marketable improvement. He had resumed being the cheerful, modest fox that everyone had come to love, and by contrast had displayed an added zeal for life that no one had expected. He continued to live by himself in his home, but was far from being alone as Cosmo made regular visits every day. Every day since she had been back Tails had taken her on a date somewhere different, showing her the wonders of his home planet. Despite spending a large portion of his time with Cosmo, Tails somehow managed to find the time to produce a slew of new inventions, most likely as a result of the extra energy one gains in the company of mutual love. It could be said that life could not be better for the young fox, and he was now happier than he had been in his entire life.

Since her return Cosmo had been living with Vanilla, occupying the spare bedroom that had been given to her. She rarely spent much time at her new home however, preferring to be with Tails whenever possible. Thus far Cosmo had been adjusting to life on Mobius fairly easily. When she was not with Tails she was most often found in Vanilla's garden, tending to the plants with an effectiveness that rivaled even Vanilla's. By day she acted as though she were the happiest creature in the universe. Nighttime brought its own woes however as Vanilla would often hear Cosmo crying in her sleep and be forced to console her. The strain of being taken from her family again had been difficult on the little Seedrian, as Vanilla knew it would be. She knew that with time things would be easier for Cosmo, and come daylight she would once again become the warm and happy girl that everyone had come to love. Overall it seemed that life had finally taken a turn for the better for the best friends of Team Sonic.

Although things had remained relatively benign since the return of Cosmo from the dead, the members of Team Sonic and especially Tails could not seem to shake the feeling of a shadowy presence looming over them. While he himself had made no appearance since the day of his revelation the words of the mysterious human, Jaran Kai, still echoed in the backs of their minds. He had promised that he would be watching over Tails and Cosmo, and while no one spoke of it, this set them all on edge. How full of truth this statement was could only be left to guesses, but whenever they were alone or in quiet they could almost feel the cold brown eyes of the strange man bearing down on them. Even if he had no proof, Tails was almost certain that his and Cosmo's dark guardian was still there, watching, waiting, and ready to show himself when the situation demanded it.

On this particular day Tails had woken up a bit earlier. He had made himself a quick breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast and then made his way down to the hangar of his workshop, deciding to get some work done before picking Cosmo up for a date. Upon entering the hangar he flipped the large switch controlling the lights, illuminating the massive room and its equally large set of vehicles that it contained. Tails quickly strolled past the massive frame of the Blue Typhoon, making his way across the hangar and over to the smaller aircraft on the other side. The fox came to a halt in front of the X Tornado, looking up at his favorite plane with a thoughtful expression. Ever since Tails had witnessed the remarkable craft that Kai piloted, which he had called Andra, his mind had been working on a way to make his plane faster and more maneuverable than its rival. For Tails it was not about competition, but rather his constant desire to make his plans as fast, agile, and durable as he could possibly make them. If he saw room for improvement, then it was his job to improve. Aside from that, it seemed to Tails that being able to keep up with Andra might come in handy someday, although he still could not imagine how. It would help if he had some kind of engine schematics from Andra, but considering how secretive Kai was, Tails doubted that he would ever be able to acquire any. This was also under the assumption that he was still around, which there had been no indication of. If Tails was certain of anything though, it was that Kai was still there. How he knew, he could not explain. It was almost as if he could sense his presence nearby. Maybe it was just paranoia, maybe it was true. However there was no sense in thinking about something that he could not prove as he set to work on removing the engine block from the X Tornado to be enhanced.

As Tails began the tedious process of removing the bolts that anchored the X Tornado's engine to the rest of the plain, he felt a sudden breeze rush past him. He quickly spun around to see what had caused the sudden gust of wind only to find his best friend Sonic propped up against the right wing of the X Tornado. Tails breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing his friend, glad that it was only Sonic who had made the sudden entrance.

"Sonic, you scared me!" Tails complained to his friend, "Don't do that!"

"Sorry bro," Sonic apologized, "I was just in the neighborhood and thought I would drop by. I can go if you want."

"No, it's fine," Tails assured, "I was just doing some work on the X Tornado."

"Cool," Sonic said as he walked over next to Tails, "so what are you doing to it?"

"I'm trying to see if I can make it faster," Tails said as he unscrewed the first bolt, letting it drop to the floor with a light clinking sound.

"Faster? It can already keep up with me... on a slow day," Sonic said with a slight smirk.

"I know, but I'm trying to make it faster than Kai's ship," Tails said, "Did you see the way that thing moved?"

"It's been awhile since we've seen that guy," Sonic said, "Do you think he's gone by now?"

"He said he would be around for a while. I'm pretty sure we'll see him again eventually."

"Yeah... right. So how have you and Cosmo been?" Sonic asked, changing the subject.

Tails' cheeks immediately began to flush red as he suddenly began to pay particularly close attention to his work. He continued to make conversation with Sonic, avoiding eye contact as much as he could. "We're fine," Tails replied to his friend simply.

"Just 'fine'?" Sonic asked with a playful smirk, "Done anything romantic lately?"

"We... went to the cliffside of Green Hill Zone the other day," Tails said as he let another bolt drop to the floor, "We had a picnic and spent some time talking. I feel like we're getting closer. That's good, right?"

"Ah, yeah! Totally!" Sonic said seeming uncertain about his answer.

"You should spend more time with Amy," Tails suggested to Sonic, "Who knows, you might decide you like her as much as she likes you."

"Aha... doubt it," Sonic said uncomfortably, "So are you planning on doing anything with her today?"

"I'm not sure," Tails said propping himself against the engine, looking thoughtful, "there aren't many more places left to take her close by. I guess we could go visit the lake again."

"Have you gone to Twinkle Park yet?" Sonic asked curiously, "I bet she would like it there. Besides, they're having a special. Cute couples get in free!"

"Ah... no," Tails said, seeming oddly hesitant, "I haven't been there with her yet."

"Well then you haven't been everywhere!" Sonic said, "You should go there today!"

"I don't know if that would be a good idea," Tails said evasively, "There might be... people there."

"So?" Sonic replied, "There are people everywhere. Why would that matter?"

"Well," Tails began, seeming to grow suddenly nervous, "I'm just afraid of how they might react to-to... Cosmo."

"Wait, are you saying you're embarrassed by Cosmo?" Sonic said shocked.

"NO! NO! That's not what I meant!" Tails said frantically, waiving his hands about, "I just- you know how people can be Sonic."

Sonic tilted his head in response, seeming confused by this answer. "I don't think I get what you mean, Tails."

Tails suddenly ceased his work, setting down the wrench he had been using to remove the bolts from the plane. He then began to pace the floor of the hangar, staring at his feet in thought. As he spoke his words seemed to come out with much uncertainty.

"It's just-" Tails began, "you remember when you found me, Sonic. I was afraid to speak to anyone because of my... deformity," Tails visibly swished his namesakes back and fourth then continued, "Everyone picked on me because I looked weird. I think Cosmo is beautiful, but others..." Tails trailed off as he said this, stopping in the middle of the hangar and lowering his head. He breathed a deep sigh and spoke in an unusually quiet voice. "I don't want them to hurt her," Tails said, "She's been through enough. She doesn't need to be picked on just because she's an alien. I have to protect her from that."

Sonic was quiet for a moment as he took in what Tails had to say. He finally spoke in a calm and understanding tone. "I guess I can see why you would feel that way," Sonic acknowledged, "I mean, she is a bit different, with the green hair, no fur, the flowers on her head-"

"I like her flowers," Tails muttered, acting somewhat offended.

"Oh yeah, sorry," Sonic said, correcting himself, "Anyways, what I was getting at though, you can't hide her from people forever if she's living here. That wouldn't be fair to her. Besides, you'll be there to help her get used to everything, right? So what's there to worry about?"

Tails pondered this for a moment, bringing his hand up and placing it under his chin in thought. "I guess you're right," he admitted, "Twinkle Park could be fun I guess."

"Awesome! I bet she'll have a blast!" Sonic said enthusiastically, "When are you going to pick her up?"

"I figured I would get her around eleven or something," Tails replied, "I don't want to rush her out of the house this early."

"It's nine o-clock Tails," Sonic pointed out, "I'm sure she's awake."

"Well, yeah," Tails said, "she just seems a bit tired lately. I thought maybe I would let her rest longer today before we did anything."

"Well you two have been going out every day since she got back. Maybe she just needs to rest today."

Tails stopped for a moment, staring out into space as he pondered what Sonic had just said. He suddenly slapped his forehead with the palm of his hand, causing Sonic to stare at him strangely. "I feel so stupid!" Tails said in frustration, "I didn't think that going all those places would make her tired! How could I-"

"Whoa, buddy, chill out!" Sonic said, trying to calm Tails down, "So she got a little tired. I don't think she'd be mad about that. Just hang out here today! You don't always have to take her somewhere to have a date!"

"That's true," Tails said calming down slightly, "I guess I could just call her and have her meet me hea-"

A loud buzzing sound interrupted Tails' speech which he identified as his doorbell. Tails had recently added a doorbell feature to the keypad that unlocked his front door so that he would be able to hear guests arrive even if he were occupied in his workshop. Tails quickly walked away from his work on the X Tornado and across the hangar, heading toward a desk on the far wall which had a monitor siting on top of it. Sonic followed behind, curious as to who was at his best friend's front door. Upon reaching the desk, Tails flipped on the monitor as a series of surveillance images from around his house came into view. Tails tapped a button underneath the screen a few times, cycling through the images until finally locating the one of his front door. Tails was surprised to see Cosmo on the live feed, patiently waiting for him to answer the door. He then reached for another button under the screen, pressing and holding it as a red indicator flashed on next to it.

"Cosmo, me and Sonic are in the hangar," Tails said out loud, "Come in and walk down the stairs, and be careful!" He then released the button and shut off the monitor, turning to Sonic with a curious expression. "I never asked her to come," Tails said to his best friend, "I hope nothing's wrong."

"You worry too much, Tails," Sonic laughed, "She came to see her boyfriend!"

"Well yeah, I guess," Tails said, blushing at the use of the term "boyfriend".

Soon enough Tails began to hear the soft pitter-patter of footsteps and looked in the direction of the stairwell to see Cosmo exit. A bright smile crossed his face upon seeing his love as he quickly walked over to meet her. Cosmo approached him as well, throwing her arms around him upon reaching him. Finally they separated, with Tails looking back at Cosmo with an eager grin on his face.

"Hi Cosmo!" Tails greeted happily, "How are you this morning? You surprised me when you showed up at the door!"

"I'm sorry, I should have called," Cosmo apologized, "Should I come back later?"

"You don't have to call to come see me!" Tails said with a laugh, "I'm glad you're here! I was going to come and pick you up in a few hours anyway."

"Oh, alright then," Cosmo said smiling, then looked in the direction of the X Tornado with the half-removed engine block, "What are you working on?"

"Oh, this?" Tails said as he took Cosmo's hand and led her over to the X Tornado, "I was going to see if I could replicate the speed of Andra with the X Tornado's engines. I was trying to remove them so I could access its internal parts better."

"Oh, that's... fascinating," replied Cosmo, seeming confused, "I wish that there were some way I could help, but I'm afraid I just don't know enough about it to be much of use."

"It's no trouble Cosmo," Tails said, beginning to remove the bolts on the engine again, "I could teach you someday, if you want."

"Maybe," Cosmo replied, "I was wondering if there were any plans that you had for today-"

"Well actually," Tails said unknowingly interrupting, "I was going to ask you-"

"-Because I was wondering," Cosmo began, but stopped when she heard Tails speaking, "Sorry, you go first."

"No, I'm sorry," Tails apologized with a blush, "You first."

"Well... I don't want to be rude... but I was wondering if we might... stay here for the day?"

Tails was silenced by this question, looking at Cosmo with a dumbfounded expression. "Huh?" He replied stupidly.

"Well, I do appreciate you taking me to all these wonderful places," Cosmo said, "but I think I am a bit fatigued. I was hoping that I might stay here with you for a while... if that's alright with you?"

Tails stood silent for a moment, staring at Cosmo with a bemused expression. Cosmo tilted her head to the side, curious at Tails' reaction. "Tails? I'm sorry, I hope I didn't ruin your plans today."

"No! Of course not!" Tails said quickly so as to not make Cosmo feel guilty, "It's just..."

"What?" Cosmo pressed, "What is it?"

"Nothing," Tails said with a chuckle, "Sure, we can hang out here today! I could make lunch and we could watch a movie or something."

"That sounds like fun!" Cosmo said enthusiastically, "Ah... thank you for understanding."

"Of course I do!" Tails said with a grin before turning back to work on the X Tornado, "I should have guessed that you would get tired eventually. Let me just finish pulling the engine out of the Tornado before we do."

"I'll get out of your hair then," Sonic said, walking in the direction of the stairs, "Sounds like you guys have plans."

"You can stay for a minute, Sonic," Tails said as he removed another bolt from his plane, "this might take a few minutes."

"Whatever you say buddy," Sonic said making a complete turn and walking back over to the X Tornado, propping himself on the wing again. "So Cosmo," he began, "How's everything going at Miss Vanilla's?"

"Very well thank you," Cosmo said politely, "They've made me feel very welcome at there home. I'm... very happy there."

"You sure? I was running last night and went by there. I heard someone crying. It sounded like you."

Tails immediately froze, turning from his work and looking directly at Cosmo, who began to shy away from his gaze. He slowly began to approach her, tilting his head to the side questioningly. He then stopped in front of her as Cosmo looked up at him worriedly. "Cosmo, have you been crying at night?" He asked.

Cosmo was quiet for a moment, looking at the ground while avoiding the questioning stares of the two Mobians in the room. Finally she sighed, nodding her head up and down in response to Tails' question.

"Why?" Tails asked, suddenly growing worried, "You're not... unhappy here, are you?"

"Of course I'm happy!" Cosmo replied quickly, then seemed to grow melancholy, "It's just, when I'm alone at night... I can't help but think about my family. I know they were happy that I would be able to return, but I still miss them. I can't help but wonder why I couldn't bring them back with me. Is that selfish... that I wish I could be alive and have them too?"

"Of course not!" Tails said, taking Cosmo's hands into his comfortingly, "I would expect you to miss your family! After seeing them for the first time in a while, it must have been hard to leave them."

"I... don't remember," Cosmo said in a low voice, "I told you that everything from when I was dead was a bit fuzzy. Leaving was one of the things I just can't seem to remember. In fact, the whole thing is starting to feel like one of those dreams that you forget when you wake up. All I know is that I miss them."

"I understand," Tails said softly, wrapping his arms around Cosmo in a gentle hug, "I wish I could bring them back for you. You know that if you ever begin to feel like you miss them, you can always call me. I don't care if it's the middle of the night or whenever. If you need me, I'll answer, okay?"

"Thank you," Cosmo said hugging back affectionately, "I'll remember that. There is something else though... that has been keeping me awake at night. I have been having dreams."

"What kind of dreams?" Tails asked curiously, "Scary ones?"

"Yes," Cosmo replied, "I can't understand them. I keep dreaming about a man in a black robe with a hood."

"You mean Jaran Kai?" Tails asked tilting his head to the side, "Well he is kind of scary looking. I guess I can see why you would have bad dreams about him."

"Yes, but in my dreams his eyes looked different. They looked empty, and they glowed. He always does the same thing too, he laughs at me, then he jumps at me and everything goes black, then I wake up. Do you think it means something, Tails?"

Tails fell quiet for a moment as his eyes seemed to grow distant. He began staring out into space as Cosmo's description of her dream provoked a memory from him. He recalled that he had experienced a similar dream, nay, from Cosmo's description the same dream only a few weeks following Cosmo's death. At first he thought it to be a result from his feelings of pain and loss, but now Cosmo was experiencing the exact same dream. Were these dreams trying to tell them something about Kai, something evil?

"I wouldn't worry too much," Sonic said, breaking Tails thoughts as both he and Cosmo turned to face the blue hedgehog, "We haven't seen that creep since the day you showed up, Cosmo. He's probably long gone by no-"

"He is not," a monotone voice suddenly said from the shadows of the hangar. Everyone in the hangar gave a start and Cosmo let out a slight shriek at hearing the sudden voice. The three friends turned to face the nearby corner of the hanger, seeing a pair of brown eyes staring at them from out of the shadows. Slowly the concealed figure stepped into the light, revealing itself to be the cloaked figure, Jaran Kai.

"How did you get in here?" Tails said defensively, growing tense at Kai's sudden entry into his workshop.

"I walked through the front door," Kai replied in a nonchalant voice.

"You know it's rude to just teleport into someone's house," Sonic said in an aggressive tone.

"Had you been listening, I said I entered through the front door," Kai said in rebuttal.

"How? It's locked with a code," Tails said, "You can't get in unless you broke in!"

"It was already open," Kai stated flatly.

"Well I- what?" Tails said, scratching his head.

Kai gave a loud grunt of annoyance, stomping over to the monitor sitting on the desk. Upon reaching it he flipped its power switch on as the screen once again showed the area around Tails' front door. Sure enough, the screen displayed the door wide open, provoking a surprised reaction from Tails.

"Sorry," Cosmo said suddenly, causing Tails to look at her, "I forgot to close it when I came in."

"It's... fine Cosmo," Tails said turning back to the monitor, "I should go close it."

Kai briefly glanced at the television monitor, waiving his hand in its direction. As if on cue the door closed shut. Tails looked back in Kai's direction, while Kai gave a slight smirk at his own display of telekinesis. He then approached Tails and Cosmo, stopping just in front of them and crossing his arms. Cosmo drew closer to Tails, grabbing onto his arm as Tails glared at the human. Kai was silent for a moment before he began to speak in his usual serious tone. "I have come to ask a favor of you, Miles Prower."

Tails looked at Kai with a strange expression, pulling away from Cosmo as he stepped forward to address him. He was slightly intrigued with the fact that Kai had approached him asking for assistance. Nevertheless, he continued to remain cautious as he spoke with the Guardian of Realms. "What do you need?" Asked Tails, "I don't know what I have that you would want."

"You presume I wish for material items," Kai said, "but all I want is your aid. I need your help in the construction of something."

Tails was immensely curious as he listened intently to Kai's words. "You want me to help you build something?" Tails clarified, "What?"

"I wish to construct... a dwelling," Kai said hesitantly, "where I may retreat to so that I might rest and perform work."

"You want me to build you a house?" Tails said in bemused surprise, "Why do you need one? Where have you been staying all this time?"

"The cockpit of my ship..." Kai said slowly, "Is not the most comfortable of retreats. Aside from that, I thought it might help our relations if you were able to find me in a single location, as apposed to my sudden appearances such as this."

Tails was stunned. Here was a being that had traveled the Cosmos, served beings higher than he could imagine, and had powers of awesome magnitude, asking for a house. Tails could not help but be amused at the idea of such a complicated entity asking for such a simple thing, but repressed a chuckle as he continued to inquire of the man. "I guess there's no reason to say no," Tails replied, "You'll have to go out and buy the materials so I can-"

"I do not possess any currency that this world deems valuable," Kai said sourly, "but perhaps you would consider a trade?"

"A trade?" Tails asked in curiosity, "I guess that would be okay. What would you trade me though? Houses are expensive to build."

"Technology," Kai replied, "I understand that you are a proficient engineer. I am also aware that my universe is quite a bit more advanced technologically than yours is. I would be willing to share advancements in exchange for a home- err- house. Would you be willing?"

Tails smiled a bit upon hearing this. Kai's ship was one of the single most advanced craft he had ever seen, surpassing even Metarex ships in design. Perhaps he could use this opportunity to acquire the engine schematics he sought in exchange for giving this man a home. "How about your ship's engine schematics?" Tails asked with a mischievous grin, "That should be a good start."

"Which ones? The sub-light engines?" Kai clarified.

"Wait, what?" Tails said in confusion, "Sub-light? Is there any other kind? Wait, are you saying your ship has true faster than light-"

"Ignore my prattle," Kai said quickly interrupting Tails, "Yes, I will gladly provide you with Andra's ion drive schematics as a down payment. Do we have an arrangement?"

"YES!" Tails yelled, practically jumping up and down in excitement, which made Cosmo giggle, "You've got a deal Kai!"

"Excellent!" Kai said, reaching his hand out and shaking Tails' gloved one, "Take your time in preparing, I can wait, and thank you."

"No problem!" Tails replied, shaking back in a traditional good businessman gesture.

As Tails was shaking hands with the man known as Kai he began to notice something about him that he had not before. His grip was firm and powerful, as if he could crush the life out of the many universes he had traveled, like play-dough. Yet for the amount of power this individual held it was surprisingly controlled. The way he shook Tails hand was gentle and non-threatening. This seemed to make Kai seem oddly friendly, even if for a moment.

Kai released the handshake and took a step back from Tails, giving a slight smirk at the kitsune. He then turned on his heal and began walking towards the staircase, talking over his shoulder as he did. "I will contact you soon so that we may begin planning, goodbye."

As the mysterious man exited the hangar up the staircase, Tails continued to stare after him with a baffled expression. Soon Cosmo and Sonic were at his side, both staring with equally confused expressions on their faces. After a long silence Sonic turned to Tails, speaking with an inquiring tone. "What was that all about?"

Tails just shook his head, turning back toward his work while giving a slight glance over his shoulder at the staircase. "I... have no idea," Tails said as he began to work on removing the X Tornado's engine again...

Meanwhile outside of Tails' house, Kai had just exited the front door and stepped onto Tails' walkway. He came to a sudden stop as he looked around him, taking in the sights of the surrounding Mystic Ruins area. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, feeling the serenity around him. Something about Mobius made him feel at ease, although what he could not place. Perhaps it was the abundance of nature on Mobius, perhaps it was the fact that the air itself was saturated with this strange and yet familiar power that the Mobians called Chaos, or perhaps it was the warm and open hearts of the creatures he was assigned to protect. Whatever the case, he knew that he felt more welcome here than he had in any of the universes he had visited in the past. "A shame that it might all come crashing down," he thought to himself.

The sensation of peace he felt was suddenly lost as a round shadow suddenly blocked out the sun. Kai groaned in irritation as he looked upward, finding the source of the shadow to be a rounded, pod-like craft carrying a man with a large orange mustache and wearing sunglasses. Eggman gave a devious smirk as he looked down at Kai, folding his hands complacently.

"You seem to be getting along with the pests rather well," he said in a snide voice, "but if you would really like to help them you would be on my side, not theirs."

"And what do you have to offer me that they do not?" Kai replied with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm sure that we could work out an arrangement that would be mutually beneficial," Eggman said with a toothy grin.

"I'm listening," Kai said.

Unbeknownst to the two humans, a dark figure was watching them from high in the treetops. A black hedgehog stared down at Kai with a hateful glare in his red eyes. He gritted his teeth in anger as he observed the scene play out before him.

"Got you," Shadow growled under his breath...