Dark Guardian: Chapter 4

"What is this!?" Shadow said taking a step backward from Cosmo, "How the HELL is that possible!?"

"T-Tails, whatever this is it's not funny," Amy said trembling as she too backed away.

"That's a robot, right?" Knuckles asked nervously, "THAT HAS TO BE A ROBOT, RIGHT!?"

"Tails... dear..." Vanilla said in a weak voice, "that looks like-"

"Cosmo," Sonic said in a whisper so quiet that it was barely audible. A single tear made its way down the hedgehog's cheek.

Everyone fell silent as they looked upon the supposedly dead plant girl. No one could have been prepared to see her image after her tragic fate aboard the Blue Typhoon. What they were seeing at this moment simply could not be real. All laws that they knew about the universe told them that this was impossible. Yet here was Cosmo in full form speaking to them. This was either an elaborate and cruel ruse created by someone or it was quite impossibly real.

Cosmo began to grow nervous from the stares that everyone was giving her and took a few steps backward. Tails noticed her discomfort and came up behind her placing a hand on her shoulder. Cosmo looked over her shoulder at Tails, then back at everyone else, who continued to give her exasperated looks.

Tails could not help but feel bad for Cosmo because of the way his friends were acting. While he had expected them to be surprised, he had not expected them to react fearfully. This especially irritated him because he knew Cosmo was afraid of being rejected and this was not helping. Finally the awkward silence became too much for Tails as he spoke up.

"Come on guys, Cosmo's back! Why are all of you looking at her like she's a monster or something?"

The room remained silent. Cosmo began to squirm where she stood before turning to face Tails. "Maybe I should leave?" Cosmo whispered quietly. She then heard light footsteps behind her and turned to see Cream walking toward her from across the room. Before Cream reached her however Vanilla placed a hand on Cream's shoulder, stopping her. Cream looked up at her mother and noticed that her eyes were full of fear.

Tails also noticed this and tilted his head to the side in confusion. "Guys?" He said slowly, "Why are you-"

"Tails, no one can come back from the dead," Knuckles said in a low voice, "The Chaos Emeralds couldn't even bring Cosmo back. I don't know what that is, but it's definitely not Cosmo."

"What!?" Tails asked in shock, "It is too Cosmo! She's back! Why are you being like this?"

"Then how did she come back Tails?" Amy asked, "Her plant was destroyed, remember?"

"Yeah but-" Tails began to object, but was then interrupted by Shadow.

"Listen fox, I know you want to believe it's her," he said in a low voice, "but you know it can't be. Sonic and I used Chaos Regeneration and that failed. Whatever this... thing is, it's not Cosmo. Tell him Sonic."

Sonic still stood in the same spot remaining completely silent. He slowly began to stagger backward towards one of the couches, sinking down onto it with shaky knees. He continued to stare at Cosmo with glassy eyes.

"Sonic? Are you alright?" Amy said noticing this.

"Mommy, why are you scared?" Cream asked as she tried to pull away from her mother, "Cosmo's back! Aren't you happy?"

"I-I'm not sure she is," Vanilla said in a shaky voice.

"Guys, stop it!" Tails demanded, "You're hurting her feelings! We spent all this time waiting for her to come back and now you're afraid of her?"

"Let's just see about that then," Shadow said stomping over to where Vanilla had dropped her teacup and picking up one of the shards of glass. He then stomped over to Cosmo, who was shaking in fear. In one quick motion he grabbed Cosmo's wrist, holding the shard of glass in his other hand.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Tails demanded, running over to Shadow and raising his fist. Shadow merely pushed him backward, causing him to fall on his rear. He looked at Shadow furiously, seeing him holding Cosmo's wrist in such an undignified manner as she trembled before the black hedgehog.

"I swear," Shadow snarled at Cosmo, "if you're some kind of machine, I'll scatter your parts all over this house for deceiving him!"

In one sharp motion Shadow made a quick slice across Cosmo's palm, causing her to squeal in pain. Shadow's eyes suddenly grew wide as he watched a syrupy green fluid flow from the cut on Cosmo's hand. He quickly dropped the shard of glass on the floor and stepped away from Cosmo.

"I don't believe it," Shadow said in a shocked voice, "How is that possible!?"

Cosmo ran to Tails and buried her head in his chest while clenching her fist to keep the green fluid from running down her hand. She began to sob loudly as Tails wrapped his arms around her, while glaring angrily at the others.

"What's wrong with you!?" Tails yelled, "Now she's bleeding! Is that proof enough that she's real!?"

Vanilla reacted quickly and dashed into the kitchen, grabbing a rag from beside the sink and running back into the living room. She cautiously approached Cosmo, kneeling down before her and Tails who was still cradling her in his arms. She gently placed a hand on Cosmo's shoulder, turning her around to face her. Vanilla gently took Cosmo's hand, staring at the green blood. She carefully wrapped the rag around the wound, tying it off behind Cosmo's hand. Vanilla then looked up into Cosmo's eyes, which were upset and confused. She stared for a long time, tilting her head to the side in bewilderment.

"Cosmo? Is it really you?" Vanilla asked softly.

"I-I'm sorry," Cosmo sniffed, "I didn't mean to intrude. I just wanted to see all of you."

"No way," Amy said quietly. Amy was all too familiar with Cosmo's apologetic attitude. They had spent a great deal of time on the Blue Typhoon together and had become as close as sisters. To hear her pessimism again left her without a shadow of a doubt that this was Cosmo.

Cream was the quickest to react, sprinting across the room and tackling Cosmo in a hug. Cosmo went from confused to surprised in a matter of seconds, hugging Cream out of reflex. Cream began to bawl into Cosmo's shoulder with tears of joy.

"Cosmo! We thought we would never see you again!" The little bunny cried, "We thought you had died! We missed you so much! Oh Cosmo, your back!"

"Y-yes... I am," Cosmo said beginning to cry herself, "I missed you too Cream. Thank you."

Both girls were then gripped in a hug by a hysterical Amy, whose makeup began to smear from her tears. As Tails looked upon this scene a smile began to spread across his face. They believed him. They believed that Cosmo was really back; and they had missed her after all.

After Amy had regained some composure she looked up at Cosmo, quivering slightly from shock. "H-how?" She asked, "We thought you were dead! Why didn't you tell us!?"

"I was," Cosmo replied in a broken voice, "but I came back. I did miss all of you very much though."

"I don't know how it's possible," Knuckles said in amazement, "but that's definitely Cosmo. We- I- how did you- what happened?"

"I'm not sure," Cosmo said breaking away from the girls, "I don't remember much... but I do remember all of you, and our time together. I don't know how I came back, but I'm glad I did."

Sonic stood from the couch and began to slowly walk across the room toward Cosmo. Everyone was hushed as they watched this, waiting to see Sonic's reaction. He stopped in front of Cosmo and stared down at her in disbelief, while Cosmo looked back at him with discomfort in her expression.

Sonic suddenly dropped to his knees in front of Cosmo, staring at her in amazement. He tilted his head to the side seeming to analyze the plant girl in his mind. Finally after almost ten minutes of silent staring he spoke in a soft, broken voice.

"It-it's really you? Cosmo? Are you really-"

"Are you alright Sonic?" Cosmo asked curiously, "Did I upset you?"

Sonic continued to stare at Cosmo with a dumbfounded expression. No one could possibly guess what was going on in the cobalt hedgehog's mind at the moment, and his facial expressions were too difficult to interpret. It was as if Sonic was experiencing every emotion simultaneously and his face could not decide which one to display. Everyone waited silently to see what Sonic would do.

In a sudden movement Sonic had thrown his arms around Cosmo and was squeezing her in a tight hug. Cosmo jumped slightly from being startled by Sonic. Everyone watched in awkward silence as they attempted to decipher the meaning behind the hedgehog's strange reaction. He finally spoke from over Cosmo's shoulder in a quiet voice.

"I'm sorry... I though that you weren't- I- It's great to have you back Cos. You have no idea how much we needed you. Thank you."

"Ah... you're welcome," Cosmo said sounding confused, "What exactly did I do though?"

Sonic gave no answer and instead released Cosmo from her tight hug, walking over to Tails and weakly placing his hand on Tails' shoulder. He looked down at his friend with guilt filled eyes as he spoke in a hoarse voice.

"I'm sorry I didn't believe you Tails," Sonic simply said. He then walked toward the front door and opened it, stepping outside. Everyone stared blankly at the door for a moment before returning their attention to Cosmo, who stood closely beside Tails.

"I-I-I can't believe it," Vanilla said in a shaky voice, "After all I have been told... Do you remember me dear?"

"Yes," Cosmo replied shyly, "You're Cream's mother, Miss Vanilla."

"How did you make it back?" Amy asked confused, "We thought you were-"

"I was," Cosmo confirmed, "I don't exactly remember how I got back though. All I remember is black. Wait... I remember something else I think... seven rainbow lights?"

"The Chaos Emeralds?" Knuckles wondered out loud, "Did they have something  to do with you being here?"

"That seems to be the most likely explanation," Shadow said from one corner of the room.

"Yeah?" Amy snapped, "So you suddenly believe her after PUTTING A BIG CUT ACROSS HER WRIST!? You're a real jerk, Shadow!"

"You wanted to know if she was real as much as I did," Shadow rationalized, "The evidence seems to indicate that she is, so just forget about it."

"Shadow, I think that you owe Cosmo an apology," Vanilla said, "There were more reasonable ways of determining whether she is Cosmo or not."

"We had to find out somehow," Shadow replied, "I don't owe anyone an apology."

"I will not tolerate cruelty in my house," Vanilla said sternly, "You intentionally injured Cosmo. I don't care what you're intentions were; you will apologize to Cosmo!"

Shadow shot Vanilla a cold glare, while she herself gave him one equally cold. While Vanilla was a kind person, her years as a parent had made her a formidable debater. She had encountered many different personalities in her years, and Shadow's shallow demeanor was no stranger to her. To Vanilla, Shadow was just an adolescent with a sour attitude. Even in all his stubbornness Shadow knew he would not be able to outwit Vanilla. He gave a loud snort as he walked across the room toward Cosmo.

Cosmo took a few nervous steps backward from Shadow and bumped into Tails, who held her close in a protective fashion. Shadow stared at Cosmo for a moment seeming to be silently debating himself. Finally he let out an irritated sigh and looked away, speaking without making eye contact.

"My methods for discovering your true nature may have been a bit... barbaric," Shadow said in a low voice, "I accept all accusations made against me regarding that."

"Really? That's the best you can do?" Amy snapped, "I think Cosmo deserves a REAL apology from you, Shadow!"

"I suppose that will have to do for now," Vanilla said rubbing her forehead in frustration. She then returned her attention to Cosmo who seemed quite confused at the moment. A wide smile broke out over Vanilla's face as she knelt before the green haired girl and addressed her pleasantly.

"I don't quite know what to say," Vanilla said excitedly, "Where did you find her Tails?"

"I was walking on the beach watching the sunrise and she just kind of... appeared," Tails explained, "I'm just as confused as all of you guys are."

"I don't understand," Cream said, "I thought Cosmo's plant got destroyed. How did she come back if it's gone?"

"You said you saw 'seven rainbow lights' right Cosmo?" Amy asked curiously.

"Yes. I suppose they could be the Chaos Emeralds, but I also saw something black. It seemed to be moving as well, like... black cloth. I don't know... it's all so fuzzy."

"Don't strain yourself Cosmo," Tails said patting her on the shoulders, "It might come back to you later."

"I don't believe we should overlook this," Shadow said in a monotone voice, "The means of her return could mean something more than what we see right now. It might be something... unpleasant."

"Yeah? Well no one really cares what you think," Amy said harshly.

"Now Amy, Shadow may have a point," Vanilla said calmly, "Although Cosmo coming back is a wonderful thing, these things do not happen every day. I don't think you should take this lightly."

"Why are you guys so worried?" Tails asked, "Cosmo's back! Everything can go back to normal now! Were all back together!"

"You're letting your emotional attachment to her get in the way of your reasoning, Tails," Shadow said, "Have you considered the possibility that the cloaked man may be behind this?"

Tails froze. He had considered this idea, but dismissed it when faced with the possibility of Cosmo being an illusion to make him suffer. Cosmo had mentioned that she had seen black cloth. The cloak of the unknown figure had been made of black cloth. This made the idea of a false Cosmo seem even more likely, but this had to be the real Cosmo. He was sure of it.

Tails became defensive, stepping in front of Cosmo and holding his arms out while looking angrily at Shadow. "I don't care what you think!" The fox snapped, "This is Cosmo! We don't have any evidence that the figure brought her back! I won't let you tell me it's not her when I know it is!"

"I'm not denying that it's her," Shadow said in a serious tone, "but we have to consider all possible explanations for her return, including the unpleasant ones."

"WHY DO WE HAVE TO!?" Tails yelled, "COSMO'S BACK AN-"

"Tails," Cosmo said in a meek voice, "Please don't be upset. Shadow is just thinking of everyone's safety. I would like to find out how I got back as well. I think it would put everyone's minds at ease."

Tails began to calm down at hearing Cosmo say this. He turned to look at Shadow, who was looking away and had his arms crossed. Tails' ears curved back and he bowed his head shamefully as he spoke.

"I'm sorry Shadow. I shouldn't have gotten so defensive," Tails apologized.

Shadow turned his head and looked at the fox, raising an eyebrow. He spoke in a tone that almost resembled sympathy.

"We all want to believe this is the real Cosmo," he muttered, "I'm not so much questioning if this is Cosmo as I am why and how she is here. The likeness is too much to deny at this point. Besides, machines and illusions don't bleed."

"You mean you think it's really her?" Amy asked.

"For now," Shadow said coldly.

"Perhaps we should worry about this later," Vanilla said, "For now, we should get to know each other again! After all, Cosmo has been gone for a long time. It really is so wonderful to have you back dear!"

"Thank you all," Cosmo said appreciatively, "It's good to be back with all of you."

"Where did you go?" Cream asked curiously, "What happened when you died? Did you go to Heaven?"

"I... don't remember," Cosmo answered, "Although I do remember a very beautiful place, I don't remember exactly what it looked like or what it was called."

"Well you sure did miss a lot," Knuckles said, "but I guess now you have time to catch up. It's great to have you back Cosmo."

"Thank you Knuckles," Cosmo said sweetly, "It's good to see you as well."

"I'll bet Tails was really happy to have you back, huh?" Amy asked suggestively.

Tails cheeks turned a light shade of pink as he tried to hide his gaze behind his shoulder. Cosmo giggled at this and pulled him closer, wrapping her arms around him in a gentle hug. Tails face turned even redder, but he made no attempt to break the hug. His bashfulness slowly began to fade and he grew a bit more confident as he returned the hug. He turned his face to Cosmo and smiled, while she herself began to blush.

"Yeah, I am," he said while staring into Cosmo's eyes.

The group talked for a while, bringing Cosmo up to date on all of the events that she had missed while she was gone. They carefully avoided any mention of the ordeal Tails went through, feeling that it was not their place to reveal such information. Also, no one wanted to take the responsibility of upsetting either of them, especially after all that had happened. Instead, they decided to enjoy the presence of their returned friend and talk about what things were to come for them.

After almost a half-hour of talking, Amy began to grow concerned for Sonic since he had not come back inside yet. She silently excused herself as she stood from the couch, walking toward the front door. As she walked across the room she noticed Shadow standing in one of the far corners, carefully observing the newly resurrected Cosmo. She silently scoffed and shook her head as she opened the door, walking out into the bright sunlight and cool breeze. After shutting the door behind her she began to shift her gaze about the yard, trying to spot the blue hedgehog. She grew frustrated when she could not find him and began yelling loudly in hopes that he was close enough to hear her.

"Sonic!" She yelled, "Are you out here?"

"I'm right here Amy!" Came Sonic's voice from nearby, "You don't have to get all freaked out. Jeez!"

Amy turned her head toward where she heard Sonic's voice coming from and was surprised to see him propped up against the side of Vanilla's house with a distraught look upon his face. Amy walked over and stood in front of him with a worried expression.

"Sonic, what are you doing out here?" Amy asked impatiently, "Tails is inside and he wants you to see Cosmo. Why are you being like this?"

"He doesn't want me in there," Sonic said bowing his head shamefully.

"What?" Amy asked surprised, "Of course he does! He and Cosmo are in love and I know he would want his big brother's approval."

"Amy, I can't go back in there," Sonic said sadly, "Not after what I did."

"Huh?" Amy said in confusion, "What are you talking about Sonic?"

"Don't you remember?" Sonic asked in a frustrated tone, "I told him that Cosmo couldn't come back. I told him that it was impossible. Amy... I told him to get over her. Now she's back. I was wrong. I tried to kill his hopes, and she came back anyway. What does that say about me? I tried to make Tails think there was no hope! Some brother I am."

Amy looked at Sonic with sad eyes. She could not help but sympathies with Sonic. While none of Team Sonic had ever expected to see Cosmo again, Sonic had been particularly hard on Tails about trying to move on and forget what had happened. She knew that it was not out of selfishness, but rather the desire to see Tails happy again. This made it hard for Sonic now that Cosmo was back because it proved that he had been wrong the entire time. The fact that he had tried to destroy hope that was in fact valid made him feel terrible.

Amy gave Sonic a sad smile. She reached out and took the hedgehog's hand, giving it a tight squeeze as she spoke softly.

"Sonic, none of us thought Cosmo was coming back," Amy said, "We were all wrong, but she's back now and Tails is happy! So you were a little hard on him, we all were, but now you can make up for it!"

"But how do I make up for taking away his hope?" Sonic asked sadly.

"You can start by going back in there," Amy said, "and spending time with your little brother and his new girlfriend."

Sonic stood up and began pacing around, seeming to debate something in his mind. A few times he would stop and look at Amy before returning to his pacing. Finally he stopped in front of her giving a slight grin.

"Thanks Ames. You may freak me out sometimes, but you're a really great friend."

"Thanks Sonic, I- HEY!" Amy yelled, about to take a swipe at the cobalt hedgehog with her Piko Piko Hammer. Sonic had already made it to the door and dashed inside however, leaving a bewildered Amy outside. Amy stood there for a moment trying to decide exactly what had just happened, but instead just shook her head and smiled as she walked back inside to join the others.

No one seemed to notice when Sonic entered the room as they happily chatted with Cosmo, who was smiling joyfully at being able to see her friends again. Tails on the other hand remained mostly silent, seeming entranced by Cosmo. Sonic looked at the two and noticed that Tails had managed to find Cosmo's hand and was gently holding it in his. He gave a slight chuckle at this sight, glad to see his brother happy about something again.

Hearing Sonic's chuckle, Tails and Cosmo both turned their heads to see him standing against the wall behind them. They both smiled at the blue hedgehog as he walked over to the other couch and sat down facing them.

"You okay Sonic?" Tails asked, "Where did you go? Did something happen?"

"Oh dear, I didn't upset you did I?" Cosmo asked nervously.

"You? Upset me?" Sonic said seeming exasperated, "Nah, I just stepped out to get some fresh air. So how does it feel to be back Cosmo?"

"Oh, it's wonderful!" Cosmo exclaimed, "I missed you all very much. It's so good to finally be able to spend time with you all in peace."

"And you say you don't remember how you got back?" Sonic asked curiously.

"No. We thought that it might have something to do with the Chaos Emeralds, but..."

"Maybe," Sonic said nodding his head, "That could be why they're drained."

"Drained!?" Cosmo asked shocked, "I hope that I didn't cause that. I know how important they are to Mobius."

"Hey, no sweat," Sonic said casually, "I'm sure we'll fix them somehow. At least you're back. We all really missed you, especially Tails."

Tails cheeks turned pink again as he looked at Cosmo bashfully, while Cosmo also blushed. "Yes, and I missed him as well," Cosmo whispered quietly.

Sonic gave one of his trademark smirks at this, seeing how happy his brother felt at having Cosmo back. He could not help but chuckle at his best friend's love-struck bashfulness.

"Well, if there's anything we can do to help you find out how you got back, just let us know," Sonic offered with a smile.

"Thank you," Cosmo said, "I will."

"It really is great to have you back," Sonic continued on, "I never was one to believe in this kind of thing, but it really is a miracle."

"But then miracles happen every day, don't they?" A voice suddenly hissed.

Everyone in the room gasped at the sound of this new voice, which sent shivers up their spines. They had heard this voice before, and each time they had heard it disaster followed. They knew the voice well, and feared the creature that it belonged to. Everyone in the room turned in their seats slowly, unprepared to face the one who possessed the voice...