"Shattered Illusions"
Authors: Robert Brown and Francis Tolbert

Disclaimer: This story uses characters created and copyrighted by Sega of
            America, Inc. and Archie Comics (except where noted, in which case
            they were created and copyrighted by us or by another and we have
            permission to use them).  The authors hereby give permission for 
            this story to be downloaded and/or printed at 1 copy per user as 
            long as (1) no changes to the story are made without our express 
            written(not e-mailed) permission and (2) no attempt is made to 
            profit from this story.  If either or both rules are violated, it 
            will be considered a violation of copyright law.

Author's Note: Hello again everyone.  I actually have good news to report this
time.  First I'd like to welcome a new beta-reader into the fold.  Primarily, 
I used to foist our stories off on two good friends, Brian Sapinski and Trevor
Lake.  They were mostly bothered if they had nothing else to do.  But now we
have an "official" beta-reader, Matt Lenz.  For the past couple of stories, he
has been challenging us to be better writers and better storytellers by 
pointing out flaws or perceived flaws.  So, we figured instead of him doing 
that after the story was posted, give him the opportunity to do it beforehand.
This is the first story he's beta-read, so I want you guys to let me know if
you can notice a difference.  
               Also, I want to thank our friend Red Sonic and his friend Jay 
for giving us the technical name to one of the wrestling moves we use in this
fic: the seated stretch muffler.  Yes, that's right, there's wrestling!!!  I 
know some of you fans out there have been bugging us for more.  Consider this 
your wish granted, and stay tuned for more.
		   On a final note, I've finally joined up on a Sonic message
board.  You'll find me hanging around Fans United for SatAM at satamsonic.com 
as Proforce.  It's a great site that is dedicated to Sat AM Sonic, as you 
might be able to guess, with a lot of great people and some old familiar 
names on it.  Come by and say hi if you get a chance.  You won't be 
disappointed.  Till next time everyone, Happy Reading!

Cast of Characters(in order of appearance)
Bunnie D'Coolette
Prince Juice Hedgehog***
Darrin D'Coolette***
Angela Shi-rat***
Desirée D'Coolette***
Antoine D'Coolette
Princess Alicia Rose Hedgehog***
Krella###
Tanin###
DJ Osaya###
Nadia Osaya***
"The Kameleon"###
Lissette Lexford***
Michelle Burrow***
James Echidna***
Charisma###
The Unholy One***
Donovan Osaya###
Rosie Shi-rat
"The Owl"###
Tanis Shi-rat***
Edwin###
Metal Sonic
Knuckles Echidna
Maxwell Kavenoff###
King Sonic Hedgehog
Queen Sally Alicia Hedgehog

#39

	Bunnie quickly scrambled to her feet, her hands instinctively going to
straighten out her referee's uniform.  Juice was crouched in one corner,
waiting for his opponent to get up after scoring a near-fall just seconds ago.  
Darrin, the unlucky opponent, was struggling to his feet in the opposite 
corner, leaning heavily on the ring ropes for support.
	Darrin had been on the receiving end of a lot of punishment from Juice
over the past few minutes.  Though she was supposed to be an impartial 
official, this was her son getting a beatdown.  She knew it was for the best 
as they needed the practice, but it was hard not to shout out encouragement 
and advice.
	Juice, on the other hand, was just waiting for his chance.  As soon as
Darrin got to his feet, Juice was going to plant him hard with a Spear.  And
from the way Darrin was barely able to kick out after Juice hit him with a 
DDT, this one would be over quickly.  He timed it perfectly, waiting for just 
the right moment to charge forward, aiming at his midsection.
	But what Juice wasn't counting on was Darrin's sidestep.  Juice tried to
stop his momentum, but a hard shove from Darrin made it impossible as well as
sending him between the top and middle turnbuckles to the steel post beyond.
	"Juice!"  Angela yelled, stretching the tag rope to the fullest as Juice
fell backward to land on his back.  She reached out as far as she could, 
loudly urging Juice to get to the corner and tag her in.  Up until that 
moment, she'd been more self-conscious about her uniform than concerned with
the match.  Said uniform consisted of one of Desirée's jumpsuits dyed grey to
match her taste in colors and a pair of grey knee-high boots.  To everyone's 
surprise, few adjustments had to be made for the jumpsuit to fit Angela 
properly.  But then, Angela only rarely wore something besides her robes so it 
was understandable.
	Across the ring, Desirée stood in a similar outfit, only hers was a 
bright red as opposed to the pink she normally wore.  She too was urging her 
partner, in this case her brother, to make the tag.  Darrin was crawling 
toward his sister's voice, his vision a little too blurry at the moment to 
make her out distinctly.  Since he had to crawl along the long side of the 
ring, Juice was able to tag in his partner first.  But with a last second 
lunge, Darrin slapped his hand against his sister's and then lay still on the 
mat to catch his breath.
	Angela had been running over to try and cut Darrin off from making the
tag, but she quickly backpedalled when Desirée entered the ring.  Desirée 
stalked over toward the white mouse, but Angela stuck her foot out to try and
stop her.  That kick was caught, however, and Angela was then spun around only 
to be met with a lariat as she came completely around.  Juice stumbled over to 
try to help only to be on the receiving end of a lariat of his own from 
Desirée.
	Desirée continued alternating knockdown shots on her opponents.  She 
knew it wasn't enough to do any real damage, but that wasn't her intent.  All
she wanted to do was give her brother a chance to recuperate.  She nearly got
caught when Angela reversed an Irish Whip, but managed to bounce off the ropes
and catch Angela with a flying forearm.
	Desirée kipped up to her feet and looked around for Juice.  She saw him
just in time to duck under Juice's clothesline.  As Juice turned around, she
caught him flush in the chin with a savate kick, sending him over the top rope
to the mats below.
	"Ready Darrin?"  Desirée asked, grabbing a dazed Angela's wrist and 
hauling her to her feet.  At Darrin's nod, she pulled Angela over to the 
corner and tagged her brother back in.  But instead of coming into the ring, 
Darrin began climbing the turnbuckles.  At the same time, Desirée got behind
Angela and ducked down, putting her head between the mouse's legs and then 
standing up so that Angela was sitting on her shoulders.
	The sudden movement snapped Angela back to alertness, but that was only
until Darrin leapt off the top turnbuckle, knocking her off his sister's 
shoulders with the D'Coolette twins' special tag team finisher: the Doomsday
Device.
	Darrin rolled Angela onto her back and went for the pin, shooting a half
nelson, hooking one of her legs, and locking his hands together.  Bunnie 
dropped down to make the count as Desirée vaulted over the top rope and landed
on Juice with the tope con hilo to make sure he couldn't interfere.  One...
two...three.  
	Bunnie called for the bell, which was eagerly rung by Antoine.  "The
winners of this match," he announced as Desirée slid back into the ring, "the
team of Desirée and Darrin D'Coolette!"
	"Good job you two," Bunnie said, raising the hands of her children in 
victory.  "Now hit the showers."
	"Now for you two," she said, turning around to see that Juice had 
dragged himself into the ring to check on Angela.  "You both fought well, but
you both fought rashly."
	"What do you mean?"  Juice asked hotly, earning a glare from Bunnie.
"We were in control most of that match."
	"And yet one mistake cost you it all," Bunnie said, crossing her arms 
under her chest.  "You're a great wrestler Juice, I'm not going to deny that.
But you're too eager to believe your opponent is more hurt than he is.  I knew
Darrin wasn't worn down enough for you to hit him with your Spear.  All you 
had to do was hit a couple more moves, set him up in the center of the ring 
for your finisher instead of the corner, and you might have won.  Or maybe if 
you'd allowed your partner to do more in the match, things could've been 
different.
	"And you Angela," she continued, switching her gaze to the Holy One in
training who was still down on the mat, "you should never have left Juice 
shoulder as much of the match as he did.  Instead of insisting on tagging in, 
you were content to just stand there and let him do all the work.  Part of 
being a team is to do things equally." 
	"I thought I had him," Juice muttered, helping Angela into a sitting
position and then to her feet.  "Are you OK?"  he whispered in her ear.
	"I'm fine," Angela whispered back.  "Just a little sore."
	"Well, I hope you feel better tomorrow," Bunnie said, making Juice and
Angela jump apart slightly.  "Bright and early, you're both getting a private 
lesson."
	"Aw man!"  Juice moaned.  "I still don't see why we have to go through
all this and Alicia doesn't."
	"It's simple really," Bunnie said with a sigh.  "The four of you I can
teach.  Alicia, on the other hand, I can't teach anything to.  Or have you
forgotten how she beat me?"  Juice went quiet and offered no other arguments.  
Bunnie just smirked to herself as she allowed herself to relive what was one 
of the most shocking days of her fighting life.
	All the Chosen Ones had their own styles, unique to their personalities.
Juice tried to be a smashmouth, in your face kind of wrestler even though he 
did not have the strength for it and had allowed his ego to take over his 
brain more than once.  His favorite finisher was the Spear, and the match was 
always over when he hit it, he just didn't hit it that often.  
	Darrin was an expert in mat wrestling, preferring to slowly wear down 
opponents to the point where they just didn't have the strength to kick out of 
his pins.  His main problem was that he was prone to frustration if his 
opponent refused to stay down.  To end a match, he preferred to use the La
Magistral cradle.
	Angela's wrestling style surprised everyone at first, which was why it
was so effective.  She used a high-flying style that made use of her fast 
feet and faster wit.  In one match she had against one of Bunnie's other
students, she actually spent more time on the top rope then the mat.  She 
would always trashtalk an opponent, seeking to put them off balance mentally.  
And once they were, she'd move in for the kill.  Of course, if her opponent 
didn't respond to her taunting, she was put off balance herself.  Her 
specialty finisher was a corkscrew moonsault.
	Desirée knew many different styles of wrestling adopted from her martial
arts training, so an opponent never quite knew what to expect from her...at
the beginning of a match anyway.  Her only weakness was that once she'd 
decided on a style to use, she wouldn't change her mind.  Her favorite way to
end a match was a sit-down hanging neckbreaker.
	But Alicia herself was a consummate wrestler.  Not only was she a 
natural at every style from high flying to hardcore, but she was able to 
switch up styles midfight to confuse her opponents.  Even more impressive, she
didn't have a single finishing maneuver like the other Chosen Ones; she had an
arsenal of them.  Against Juice, she turned his Spear into an Impaler DDT.
She rolled out of a sunset flip attempt by Darrin only on make him tap out 
with an elevated Boston Crab.  Angela fell victim to one of Alicia's father's
favorite wrestling moves: the frog splash.  And Desirée found herself pinned
after Alicia locked her in a cradle suplex.
	But what had made everyone pause was the match that occurred between
student and teacher.  Though not originally intended to be a marathon match, 
that's exactly what it had turned into.  Neither one could gain the advantage 
over the other for long.  Finally, Bunnie thought she'd had Alicia where she 
wanted her as she caught her student rushing into the corner with a foot to 
the face.  When she'd tried to end it with a savate kick, however, Alicia went 
low and dropkicked her at the knee.
	Bunnie had crumpled to the mat immediately, grabbing at her knee.  
Alicia had pounced on that injury and grabbed Bunnie's leg, wrapping it around
Alicia's own neck as she turned Bunnie over onto her stomach and sat between 
her shoulder blades in the seated stretch muffler.  Bunnie had tried to fight 
off the pain enough to get to the ropes, but she'd had no choice but to tap 
out.  Since that day, Alicia's presence at the wrestling lessons was purely 
voluntary, and she usually only showed up to hone a new maneuver she'd thought
up.
	"Excuse me!"  a young voice called from outside the ring, breaking 
Bunnie's reverie.  
	Bunnie turned to look at the owner of the voice and saw a young male 
bear, no older than eight, and dressed in the uniform of a palace page.  
"What can I do for you sugah?"  she asked him, sliding under the bottom ring
rope and squatting down to speak with the boy face-to-face.
	"I was told that the princess might be here," the young bear said, 
puffing his chest out with pride.  "I'm to tell her that the printings she has
asked for are completed."
	"Alicia's not here right now," Bunnie said, having to hold in a smile as
the young boy seemed to deflate in disappointment.  
	"But...I was told to tell her this," the boy said with a pout.
	"I know where she is," Angela said as she climbed out of the ring with
Juice's help.  "I'll get her for you."
	"But I'm supposed to do it!" he whined before he caught himself, looking
down and flushing in embarassment.
	Angela laughed lightly, the sound a balm to the boy's inflamed cheeks.
"Everything will be all right," she said softly, making him look up at her.  
"Just go and tell whoever sent you that Alicia will be there as soon as she's 
able and I'll make sure she is, all right?"
	The boy nodded shyly, then took off for the palace.  "You have a way
with children," Juice said quietly from where he stood next to her.
	"I do, don't I?"  Angela said, looking up at Juice and allowing herself 
to get lost in his eyes for a moment.  "I..should be going," she said after a
long moment, stepping away from him and bowing her head as she disappeared in 
a whirlwind.  
	Juice stared at the spot where Angela had disappeared until he felt a 
hand on his shoulder.  "Things have a way of working themselves out sugarhog,"
Bunnie said, using the nickname she usually only used for his father.  "Don't
give up on it."
	"I hope you're right Aunt Bunnie," Juice said slowly.  "I hope you're
right."
	On a nearby but secluded beach, Alicia was once more picking herself up
off the sand and brushing it off her jogging suit.  "What am I doing wrong?"
she muttered, settling down into a ready stance.  She held it for a moment,
letting the cold sea breeze hit her face, before exploding into a run, leaving
a sonic boom and a greyish streak behind in her wake.  
	Once she reached the end of the beach, she executed a quick turn and ran
back down the other way.  She did that a few more times, five laps in total, 
and then tried to stop.  But there was the problem.  She'd been working on her
control for the past three weeks now, but she had yet to learn how to stop.
At least, stop without plowing facefirst through the sand.  And this time was
no different as she couldn't stop herself and slid about ten feet.
	Alicia spat out a mouthful of sand and rolled to her back.  The beach 
she was using wasn't her first choice as a training ground, especially in the
middle of autumn.  She had wanted to train in the Great Forest, but there were
simply too many trees there to hurt herself on.  The Wolf Pack's meadow seemed
like the ideal spot, but she'd collapsed her knee during the first training 
run when her foot hit a depression covered by tall grass.
	It was that incident that made her trust Angela with her secret.  She 
was the first to see Alicia limping, and refused to heal her until Alicia came
clean about how she got injured.  Alicia had had no choice but to tell her, 
after swearing her to secrecy.  And because Angela had promised on her love
for Juice, Alicia knew that this was a promise that would never be broken.
	"I thought you came out here to train Alicia," a soft voice said, "not 
to just lay in the sand."
	Alicia kipped up to her feet and turned to face Angela.  "You forgot
your robe," she said with a smile, snapping her tail like a furry whip to 
shake some of the sand out.
	Angela looked down at herself and blushed.  "I--I just came from the
wrestling--"
	"I'm just kidding Angela," Alicia said with a laugh.  "Relax.  Besides,
it's not like there's anyone else around here to see you."
	Angela had to admit she was right.  After she'd found out about Alicia's
training and the need for secrecy, she'd recommended this beach, and placed a 
few wards around it so that you couldn't see it if you didn't know it was 
there.  "Enough about that," Angela said to change the subject.  "I was just
told by one of the pages that the printings you asked for are ready.  You can
pick them up whenever you like."
	"Perfect," Alicia said as she stretched out her legs.  "I'll be right
there, you can go on ahead."
	"Actually, do you mind a passenger?"  Angela asked slowly.  "I have a 
few things I want to talk about with you."
	While Alicia and Angela were flying and talking, Krella was furiously
scribbling notes on a scroll in the castle of her Father.  "Great, this is
just terrific!"  she snarled, sending the inkwell and her notes flying with
one wide sweep of her arm.  She sat back in her chair, grumbling to herself.
	She'd been at it for three weeks now, but with precious little success.
Most anything she came across wasn't powerful enough to recharge the Water 
Emerald or just simply folklore.  The only possibility was the Deep Water 
Pool, but she still had found no way to get to it, much less bring it back to 
the castle.  Only the Chosen Ones had the capabilities of retrieving this 
artifact with the technology at their disposal, an option Krella did not have.
There was only one thing she could do now, and it shamed her to admit it.
	She pushed up out of her chair and strode from the library, climbing the
different staircases until she came to the floor where everyone's living 
quarters were.  She came to a stop in front of one of the doors and knocked on
it three times.
	A few seconds passed before the door opened to reveal a yawning Tanin.
"What is it Krella?"  he asked.  "Has Father called a meeting?"
	"No," Krella said, seeming locked in an internal battle of some sort.  
"I...I need your help Tanin."
	If Tanin felt the least bit surprised by this revelation, he did not 
show it.  "With what?"  he asked calmly.
	Krella hissed her breath out between her teeth.  "I can't find the way 
to the Deep Water Pool," she explained.  "As you know, it's at the bottom of
the deepest lake in Mobius, but what I only just found out is that it's 
located in a landmass at the northern Polar Cap.  And there is no other
artifact that can recharge the Emerald.  The last thing I want to do is 
disappoint Father again.  I don't know how many more times he'll give me a 
chance to--"  Krella's voice stilled when she felt Tanin's hands come to rest 
on her shoulders.  "Will you help me?"
	Tanin pondered her request for a moment.  He knew she had swallowed a 
great deal of pride to ask him this.  If she had gone to anyone else, they 
would've just looked at her like she was stupid or outright laughed in her
face.  And because it was so important, he knew his answer.  "Of course," he
said, making her look up at him.  "I will meet you down there in a moment."
	Krella nodded crisply as she stepped away.  "Thank you.  I will show 
you what I've found when you arrive."  Tanin nodded in return and closed his 
door, shaking off the remaining sleepiness he felt from his afternoon nap.  
	That night, Alicia strolled into the printing room of the palace, a 
happy smile on her face.  The talk between her and Angela had been rather
productive, if solemn, and it hardened her determination to follow through on
her plans.  "I heard my order is ready?"  she said, closing the door behind 
her.
	"Oh, Princess!"  an elderly fox said, bowing quickly.  
	"Please don't bow," Alicia said quickly, helping him to a chair when he
couldn't straighten back up.  "There, just take it easy, all right?"
	"I'm very sorry, Princess," the fox said, taking off his spectacles and
wiping them on a cloth.  "I'm just not as young as I used to be."
	"It's quite all right," Alicia said, flashing him a warm smile.  "I 
don't like standing on ceremony much anyway.  So please, call me Alicia."
	"As you wish Alicia," he said, placing his spectacles on his greying
muzzle.  "I have the posters you requested; they're lying on the table over
there."
	Alicia walked over to them and went over them with a critical eye.  "You
do very good work," she said with a smile.  "This is exactly what I wanted."
	"It's my pleasure," the elderly fox said, a smile of his own lighting
his eyes.  "If you need anymore, please don't hesitate to contact me."
	"This should suffice for now.  But if I need anything else, I know where
to come."
	"Have a good night then Prin--I mean, Alicia."
	Alicia smiled and shifted the stack of posters into one arm as she 
walked off to her room.  "The search begins tomorrow," she said, looking at
the face on the posters.  "And maybe, just maybe, I can finally put it behind
me."
	The next morning, a weary Desirée and DJ stumbled into the palace.  
They'd spent all night at the Great Library searching for information on the
next water artifact, but their labors had yielded precious little results.  
They hadn't wanted to give up, but if they hadn't teleported when they did, 
they would have both fallen asleep right there.  And that would've broken the
promise Desirée had made to Nadia to make sure DJ returned home safely.
	"OK DJ," Desirée said through a yawn, lightly rubbing her face in an 
attempt to keep herself awake.  "We made it back in one piece.  Need me to 
walk you home, or can ya make it from here?"  At DJ's sign that he could do it
himself, Desirée permitted a smile to touch her lips.  "Good.  I'll see ya
later, after we've both had time to get some sleep.  Sweet dreams, sugah."
	DJ closed his eyes as he felt the firm pressure of Desirée's lips on his
cheek, too tired to keep a small sigh from escaping his lips.  He opened his 
eyes as she walked away, chuckling noiselessly as she nearly collided with a 
wall in her sleepiness.  He watched her until she turned a corner and then 
headed down the opposite way toward his home.
	As tired as he was, DJ could not help but notice that he was on the 
receiving end of a number of glares as he walked home.  No matter what hallway
he took, there was at least one teenage boy that tried to burn a hole through
him with his stare.  A couple looked like they wanted to do more than stare, 
but there were just too many other animals around for that.  And through it 
all, DJ had absolutely no clue as to why.
	He reached the main door to his home and opened it, nearly falling 
through the doorway before catching himself.  "Is that you DJ?"  Nadia asked
as she walked in from the bathroom, tying her bathrobe on more securely.  DJ
thumped the wall three times with his fist to let his mom know that it was
him.  "Your father's still asleep, so it's just you and me for breakfast this
morning," she said as she walked toward the kitchen.  "Are you hungry or do 
you--"
	DJ lifted his head up and looked at his mother when she stopped talking.
She too was now staring at him like those boys did earlier in the palace
hallways.  But instead of anger in her stare, he felt something more like
surprise and anxiousness.  She strode over to him, seeming to cover the whole
distance in only a couple of steps.  He flinched when his mother grabbed him
by the hair and chin, tilting the side of his face toward the light.  Forcing
his eyes open, he glared up at his mother with an expression that clearly 
said, "Whatever it is, I'm too tired."
	Nadia straightened up and let go of DJ, heaving a big sigh.  She stormed
off to the kitchen, leaving DJ there to nod off against the wall.  That is, 
until she returned and shoved an ice cube down the back of his shirt.  DJ's 
eyes snapped back open as he hopped around, trying to dislodge the ice cube.
When it finally dropped out, he stared at his mother with a mixture of hurt 
and disbelief.
	Nadia said nothing as she took her son by the arm and led him to the
bathroom.  "Take a look," she said, tilting his face so that one of his cheeks
was clearly reflected.
	DJ focused his eyes on his cheek and froze in shock.  There, standing 
out in bright pink against the grey of his fur, was a small lip print that was
perfect in every way.  No blurred edges, no smears, no thin spots, just a 
perfect pink print.  And that could only mean one thing, there was no way to
convince himself otherwise now.
	He stared at the print for what seemed a long time, unaware that his 
mother was trying to get his attention.  He was vaguely aware when she left 
the room, but he became fully aware when she dropped another ice cube down the
back of his shirt.  He fished it out quickly this time and whirled to face his
mother.
	"You'd better go talk to her," Nadia said, looking into her son's eyes.
"Because if you don't soon, I will."  DJ nodded and swallowed before edging 
out of the bathroom.  Before he left though, he tossed the ice cube in his 
hand so that it fell down the front of his mother's bathrobe.  She yelped in
surprise and shook it out quickly, but it was enough time for DJ to get away.
"She better not hurt you," Nadia said, picking the ice cube off the floor.
"She'll deal with me if she does."
	DJ hurried through the palace, his fatigue completely forgotten in the 
face of what he'd just learned.  He paid little heed to where he was going,
just barely dodging some of the animals in the hallways.  One of the ones he
didn't manage to dodge was Alicia, and they both went down in a heap of limbs
and papers.  "DJ!"  Alicia yelled, disentagling him from her.
	DJ hopped up to his feet and ran off, shooting an apologetic glance at
Alicia before he was out of sight and pointing to the mark on his cheek.  
Alicia watched him go in surprise before she let out a chuckle.  "Well, it's 
about time," she thought, getting to her knees and gathering the posters she
had been carrying.  She didn't notice someone scooping up a poster as he 
walked by and quickly turning a corner.
	That animal, a grey raccoon, stared at the poster in his hands as a 
scowl grew on his face.   "This must not be allowed to go on," he said to
himself.  "At least this time I don't have work to go to so I can attend to
things...personally."
	DJ managed to get to the D'Coolette's door with a minimum of incidents.
Pausing only a moment to get his breath, he knocked loudly and waited.
	The door opened in only a moment to show Antoine behind it.  "DJ?"  he
asked in surprise.  "What are you doing here?  I thought for sure you'd be
asleep like Desirée."  DJ turned his face so that Antoine could see the 
marking on his cheek.  Nodding to show he understood, Antoine stepped aside
and opened the door to let DJ in.
	DJ forced himself to walk to Desirée's door and knocked gently on it.
When there was no answer, he knocked again.  With still no answer, he knocked
as loud as he could.  "All right I'm coming!"  Desirée said, pulling the door
open angrily.  "Oh, DJ!"  she said, her anger turning to surprise.  "What's
wrong sugar?"
	DJ pointed to the lip print on his cheek and then looked at her 
expectantly.  Desirée looked at it, looked him in the eyes, then looked back
at it.  "So?"  she asked, not understanding what the problem was.
	DJ's eyes widened in disbelief.  He signed to her what his mother said 
so fast that his hands were shaking.  Desirée grabbed his hands in hers to 
stop them and looked deeply into his eyes.  DJ was struck for a moment by 
Desirée's looks.  Even without her makeup, she was still the most beautiful 
creature that he had ever seen.
	"DJ," she said in a soft and weary voice, "I'm tired.  I need to sleep
in order for us to talk clearly about this, and I'm sure you do too.  If your
mom can't understand that, then too bad for her.  Now you have a choice.  
Either you go home and get some sleep, or you come in here and get some sleep
with me."
	DJ blushed so badly that even his fur turned pink.  His blush only 
worsened when he realized that Desirée was wearing a very flimsy nightrobe
that showed as much cleavage as her regular jumpsuit did and ended well above
the knee.  He quickly turned around and left, not even entertaining the other
option.  "Too bad," Desirée murmured as she closed the door.  "I'd hoped he 
would pick the other one."  She shed her robe and fell on the bed, asleep 
before she even hit the sheets.
	In the meantime, Alicia had made it to the fountain at the center of
town and was now mobbed by some of the children that liked to play around it.
"Hey there you guys," she said with a smile.  "Do you think you could help me
out?"
	"Sure!"  they all chorused.
	Alicia chuckled and sat down on the edge of the fountain.  "I need you
all to spread these around as much as you can," she said, handing each of the
kids a few posters.  "Hang them up anywhere you don't see one.  And you can
hand a few of them out to your families and friends."
	"Michelle!"  Lissette called, running up to the fountain.  "Where are
you?"
	"I'm here Lissette!"  the young badger said, waving her little grey-
furred hand up in the air.  "I'm with the princess!"
	"Oh, Alicia," Lissette said, brushing a tendril of red hair behind her
ear.  "I didn't see you there.  Is everything OK?"
	"Yeah, everything's fine," Alicia said.  "I'm just enlisting the help
of these kids here."
	"With what?"  Lissette asked.  Alicia handed her a poster and Lissette
looked over it.  "'Have you seen this animal?  If so, contact Princess Alicia
at the palace,'"  she read, her eyes dropping to the hand drawn picture of a 
badger underneath it.  "Hey, he's cute," she said with a smirk.  "Boyfriend 
hunting?"
	"No, it's nothing like that," Alicia said with a faint blush on her
cheeks.  "He saved my life when I went after the Healing Chalice.  I never got
the chance to really thank him so I just want to know who he is."
	"It sounds so romantic," Lissette said in a dreamy voice that was ruined
by the giggle she couldn't hold in.
	"Like you would know anything about romance," a lavendar echidna sneered
as he appeared out of thin air.
	Lissette's fists clenched in anger.  "What are you doing here James?"
she snarled through clenched teeth.  "Shouldn't you be training to be an even
bigger idiot than you are?  Or does that just come naturally to you?"
	James' sneer melted away to a snarl of his own.  "Not that it's any of
your business, but I was hoping to find a calm place to meditate.  Obviously
not going to happen with you here."
	"So why don't you just go away?  Or maybe you like to listen in on girl
talk, is that it?  Maybe wishing you were a girl instead of a guy?"
	"Where do you get off talking to me like that?"
	"Where do you get off breathing?"
	Alicia and the kids watched the argument as if it were a tennis match.
But finally, when it looked like their language would go beyond what was 
acceptable for a child to hear, she stepped up to them and shoved a pile of
posters in each of their hands.  "Here, take these and make yourselves 
useful," she said in her best princess voice.
	"Excuse me?"  they both yelled at her.
	"You heard me," she returned calmly.  "Now look, if you two are going to
behave like children, I'm going to treat you like them.  Now go on, hang up 
these posters with the other kids."
	"Are you sure you can trust him with something this important?"  
Lissette asked.  
	"Enough!"  Alicia yelled, making them both jump.  "I gave you both a 
royal order.  Feel free to refuse it, but if you do or I hear of any more
arguing between the two of you I'm going to take you both by your ears, fly 
over to the Power Ring Pool, and throw you in!"
	"You wouldn't," James scoffed, but his eyes showed he was unsure.
	"Try me," Alicia said calmly, fixing James with a haughty stare.  James 
tried to return it for a time, but eventually looked away.  With another glare 
at Lissette, he turned and walked away.
	"Why do I let him under my skin like that?"  Lissette growled.  Without
waiting for an answer, she turned on her heel and stalked away.
	Alicia watched them both go with a sigh.  She quickly handed out the 
rest of the posters to her other helpers and sent them off in different 
directions.  "Let's hope those two don't kill each other," she thought as she
flew back to the palace.  "At least," she added with a mischievous smirk, "not
until they get done with those posters."
	The posters were up within minutes and were soon the talk of all of
Mobotropolis.  Some swore the badger depicted looked like their brother, their
father, or their third cousin twice removed.  Some even took a poster home 
with them to try and make sure.  But there was one who took a poster for a
different, darker reason.
	It was no more than an hour later when Krella and Tanin emerged from the
library.  They'd just woken up from an exhausted slumber that had them both
slumped over the pile of books they'd gathered.  Krella had wanted to continue
the research, but Tanin had insisted that there was nothing more they could 
do.  Krella had tried to pay him no mind, but had finally acquiesced with a 
sigh.  And that brought them to where they were now, about to talk with Father
about their extremely risky plan that seemingly had no alternative.
	"I still don't like this Tanin," Krella muttered.  
	"We don't have to like it," Tanin said.  "We just have to get it done.
As you said, it's not a good idea to disappoint Father again."
	Krella yawned, rubbing her bleary eyes.  "I suppose--" she began, only
to bang her head into something.  Or rather, someone.
	"Ow!"  Charisma mewled, rubbing her forehead.  "Why don't you watch 
where you're going?"
	"I am not in the mood for you today Charisma," Krella growled.  "Where
have you been anyway?  I didn't think Father had told you to go back to the
palace this week."
	"Well, I took it upon myself to do so," Charisma answered defensively.
"And it's lucky I did too.  The princess is having these posters put up to
find someone.  Maybe we can use this to our advantage somehow."
	"And I think I know how," Krella said, rubbing her chin.  "Tanin, 
remember how we said that we would be at a major disadvantage if we ran into
the Chosen Ones?  Well what if we used this to make sure they never even show 
up?"
	"I don't think I follow," Tanin said, the confusion in his voice 
mirroring what was shown on Charisma's face.
	"Never mind," Krella said, grabbing them both by the wrists and pulling
them toward Father's throne room.  "I'll explain when we get there."
	Their Father, the Unholy One, sat on his throne as he mused over the 
more recent events that had happened.  After a perfectly executed plan to 
obtain the Amulet of the Four Winds, with the exception of the unlocking of
that blasted Holy Vengeance spell, everything had gone decidedly downhill.
First had been his own inability to recruit or kill Snively's daughter, then
they'd lost a prime opportunity to get the Healing Chalice and kill the 
princess, and then they'd missed an opportunity to make a strike on the 
remaining water artifact when the princess had disappeared three weeks ago.
Perhaps his Fallen Ones needed a bit of persuasion to get them back on track.
	As he was pondering this, the doors to his throne room burst open to
admit Krella, who was still dragging Tanin and Charisma with her and jabbering
a mile a minute.  At first, the Unholy One was incensed by Krella's actions;
how dare she act like this!  But then what she was saying started to sink in,
and an evil smile replaced his look of anger.  "I understand what you're 
saying my child," he said, cutting Krella's rambling off.  "And I admit, it is
truly a well thought out plan.  I know exactly what we can do to capitalize on
the princess' distraction.  You and Tanin are to concern yourselves solely 
with recharging the Emerald; leave the rest to me."
	"As you command Father," Krella said, suddenly realizing her mistake and
dropping into a low bow before him.  She remained like that until her Father 
dismissed her and the others, then quickly exiting before the punishment she
knew she deserved could come.
	A little while later, Donovan was heading to work.  He'd already been 
informed of the situation between his son and Desirée, but he trusted his wife
to take care of it.  If things got out of hand, she knew where to find him and
he'd come do damage control as much as he could.  
	He turned a corner and fell back in shock as Rosie suddenly appeared in 
front of him.  "Donovan!"  Rosie said, grabbing his hands in her own shaking 
ones, "thank the Almighty we got to you before you got to work."
	"What's wrong?"  he asked, a cold fear creeping into his stomach.  "Has
something happened to Tanis?"
	"It's horrible," Rosie said.  "He won't come out of his study.  I don't
know if he's eaten or slept, he won't talk to me.  He won't even let me in!
I've done my best to keep this from Angela, but I know she suspects that
something's wrong."
	"Whoa whoa, wait a minute.  What are you keeping from her?"
	"During his last talk with you, I managed to translate the scrolls.  Oh
how I wish to the Almighty I hadn't."
	"What's so horrible about that?"  Donovan asked, confused.  "I thought
he'd be happy to read the words of his ancestor, I know the queen would be to 
read the words of Tanak' Acorn."
	"You don't understand Donovan.  I found the codes to translate them in
each other's scrolls."
	Donovan reeled as if he'd been struck a physical blow.  "Are you 
absolutely sure of this?"  he asked in a whisper.  Rosie nodded, tears forming
at the corners of her eyes.  He pulled out his communicator and flicked the
switch.  "Nadia," he said in as steady a voice as he could muster, "take my 
shift until you can find a replacement."
	"Of course," Nadia said.  "Rosie was already here so I know the story.  
You just get to Sanctuary and take care of Tanis.  Hand me over to Rosie 
before you go."  Donovan handed the communicator over and then activated his 
teleporter chip.  With a flash of light, he  disappeared.  
	"You can stay with me while they talk," Nadia said to a still shaken 
Rosie.  "Or you can go watch as Bunnie schools your daughter."
	A faint smile crossed her lips but it quickly faded.  "I think I'd 
rather stay with you.  Angela will know something's wrong if I show up there,
and she can't know of this yet.  Not until Tanis decides what we can do."
	As Donovan approached Sanctuary to talk to Tanis, a much different 
conversation was about to be held in one of his old bases.  The young badger 
who was known simply as "The Owl" was sitting in one of the chairs, reading a
computer manual when the door burst open.  "To what do I owe the honor of this
visit?"  he asked without looking up.
	Without warning, the book was ripped from his hands and a poster slammed
down on the table in front of him.  "What is the meaning of this?"  The 
Kameleon demanded as The Owl picked up the paper.  "Do you realize what this
can do?"
	"Relax, will you?"  The Owl said, rolling up the poster.  "I'm sure 
she'll bore of this soon."
	"You don't believe that anymore than I do.  You had better take care of
this young Owl, before your future queen commits strike three and we declare 
her out.  Now I'd better go before I'm missed."
	The Owl watched him go with a sigh.  "He's right," he muttered to 
himself as he made preparations.  "But I have faith in my future queen.  She 
will not disappoint me.  Still, it would not hurt to make sure."
	Far away from this site, Tanis sat locked within his study at Sanctuary,
his eyes locked on the scrolls on the table before him.  So intent was his 
stare and concentration that he wasn't even aware of the sound of stone 
sliding against stone.  What he couldn't miss, however, was the hand that was
placed on his shoulder and the voice that spoke, "What do you think you're 
doing to yourself Tanis?"
	Tanis jumped and whirled around, or tried to at least.  In his weakened
and sleep-deprived state, all he could manage was a slow turn of his head.
"Donovan?"  he asked in a dry voice that reminded them both of before he had
been youthened.  "How did you get in here?  Not even you could get passed the
spells I placed on the door."
	"Who says I used the door?"  Donovan asked, a small smile quirking his
lips.  He glanced over to where a door of sorts stood open in one of the walls
and said, "I haven't used that passage since I found it as a child, but I
never forgot about it."
	Tanis shook his head and slumped against Donovan as he lost his balance.
"Forgive me for not being up to our usual talks," he said in almost a whisper.
	"That's twice you've assumed something Tanis.  I'm not here to talk 
about my problems.  I'm here so that you can talk about yours."
	Tanis straightened up and looked up at Donovan.  "Rosie sent you, didn't
she?"
	"Of course," Donovan said with a small chuckle.  "But then, isn't it
Nadia who usually sends me to talk with you?"
	Tanis sighed as Donovan pulled up a chair next to him.  "I assume she
told you why I'm like this?"
	"She has, but I'd rather hear things from you."
	"Why bother when you can read it for yourself?"  Tanis asked, gesturing 
to the scrolls in front of him.  "Go ahead, read one.  Rosie did a thorough
job of translating them, I even double checked to make sure she did it right."
	Donovan looked over at Tanis before shrugging and picking one up.
"'Contained herein is the diary of Iridal Shi-rat,'" he read and then looked
up at Tanis.  "Are you sure you want me to...?"
	"I'm positive," Tanis said firmly.  "It's the only way you can truly 
understand what it is I'm going through."
	Donovan nodded with a sigh and looked to the scroll again, hoping Tanis
would stop him before he read too much but knowing he wouldn't.
*                                     *                                      *
	"You who are able to read this know who I am and the great works I have
accomplished, both alone and with my dear friend Tanak' Acorn.  But in 
translating this, you have discovered my own great personal shame.  What you 
fear is true, and I shall try to explain things as best I can.
	"I never thought I'd put these feelings into words, but I cannot die 
with a heavy conscience.  I would speak of this with another Holy One, but who
can I turn to when all turn to me?  No, this will remain between myself, 
whosover is reading this, and the Almighty.  What you choose to do with this
information is your choice to make; but I know you will make the right one.
	"Soon after we all left the cave, Tanak' and I knew that we had a lot of
work ahead of us.  There was so much to be done, and only we were willing to
undertake what was necessary.  And, as often happens in cases like this, we
grew to respect and care for each other deeply as the best of friends.
	"By the Almighty, my hand shakes so much as I write this, but it needs 
to be written.  I don't know when it started exactly.  It may have been one
of the long nights we spent drawing up the plans for his palace and my
Sanctuary, or it could've been any time he made dinner for me because he knew
I hadn't eaten that day, or even one of the multitude of times he said a kind
word just to lift my spirits.  All I know is that one day when we hugged to
congratulate each other on working through a problem and I stepped back to 
look in his eyes is when I knew.  Beyond the shadow of a doubt, I had fallen 
in love with Tanak Acorn.
	"I couldn't believe it; it just couldn't be!  But the more I tried to
deny it, the bigger and stronger it grew.  But I knew it could never be.  It
was now my secret shame to love my best friend, and oh how it weighed down my
heart and soul every day!  
	"I know I don't need to explain myself here, but I will anyway.  
According to the Covenant we ourselves had forged, it would be his line that
rules while mine kept the Covenant safe through our neutrality.  Were this
love to be expressed or returned, I could no more remain neutral than he could 
rule with a Holy One by his side.  Oh!  Cursed be our luck that the very thing
that brought us together must now keep us apart!
	"And so, time passed as it must.  All the preparations were made, our 
new homes built, and peace was finally upon the land.  Both Tanak' and I met 
those who would become our mates, and all seemed well with the world.  But it 
is always when things seem their best when you might find they are at their 
worst.
	"I remember the day like it was yesterday, when now it has been nearly
fifty years.  It was the night before we were to be married, him to Fara 
Chesnu, the daughter of a very influential squirrel, and me to Dhorvyn 
Tanalor, a Holy One I had known for many years and who had agreed to take my 
name so that the line of Shi-rat would not end before it began.
	"I was making the final preparations on my dress when Tanak' stopped by.  
I wondered why he was coming by so late and he said he had to see me, that he
had a confession I needed to hear.  I was concerned for him because of the 
haunted look on his face and so I let him in to see what it was that troubled
him so.
	"It took a bit of coaxing, but I finally got it out of him.  He was 
worried that he was committing a great sin, marrying for all the wrong 
reasons.  His marriage to Fara would ensure his rule and his line as well as
quiet all his detractors.  But for all that he cared for her and loved her,
he was not in love with her.  
	"I consoled him that what he was doing was the right thing, that he was
putting the planet before himself.  I could see that my words were getting
through to him and he finally accepted the truth of them.  He thanked me then
and asked me how I knew the right things to say.  I told him that it was my
job to, but the truth is that I had been telling myself those words for some
time now.
	"But that's when it happened.  I should have just let him leave; I 
should have kept my mouth shut.  But I had to know.  I asked him, if he were
not in love with Fara, who was he in love with?  He looked straight into my
eyes and I knew...I knew!  Almighty forgive us, but he loved me just as much
as I loved him!
	"To this day I'm not sure how it began.  All I know is that somehow I
ended up in his arms with his lips pressed upon mine.  It put everything I
had ever felt in my life to shame, Heaven itself could not have been more 
perfect than that kiss.  Without a coherent thought, I teleported us out of
Sanctuary and into the cave where we first met, the holy place where we first 
forged the covenant, now further consecrated by the ultimate expression of our
purest love and my own virginal blood....
	"The night seemed to pass by so slowly, and when the rays of the rising
sun found us we were both curled up against each other deeply asleep.  It was
only when we awoke that the full impact of what we had done hit us.  What had
we done!  There was no excuse for our actions, and by them we could've 
destroyed everything we had worked so hard to bring about.  We were lucky that
no child would be born from our union that night.  And yet through the horror 
of it all, we just could not deny that we both had wanted it...no, needed it.
	"We made another vow that morn that these events would never be 
revealed to anyone, not even the ones we were about to pledge our lives to, 
but only in whatever way we chose to make our final mark on this world.  We 
did marry our intendeds that day and went on to raise families that would 
keep our dreams alive and strong for generations to come.
	"For years, I asked for forgiveness for my sin from the Almighty, but my 
prayers went unanswered until very recently.  Just last night, the Almighty
visited me in my dreams and told me to stop asking for forgiveness.  I cried
because I thought my sin too great to forgive, but I was told I had committed
no sin.  I was told that any expression of such a pure love as Tanak' and I 
had could never be considered a sin.  And if I was to ask forgiveness for
anything, it would be for denying my heart.
	"And that brings me to this last testament.  My conscience is clear, and
I can die in peace.  I only hope that when I rejoin Dhorvyn, Fara, and my
beloved Tanak', that they will have waited for me, and that we will be 
together for the rest of time."
*                                     *                                      *
	Donovan looked up from the scroll and laid it down on the table with
trembling hands.  "I had no idea," he said softly.
	"None of us did," Tanis said in a weary voice.  "None of us did."
	Donovan took in a deep breath and let it out slowly.  "I only have one
question to ask of you," he said after a moment.  "If the Almighty has 
forgiven her, why can't you?"
	Tanis' gaze snapped over to Donovan with just a hint of fire burning in
them.  But that fire was quickly extinguished as the truth of Donovan's words
sunk in.  "You're right," he said finally.  "It's just that the one being I 
thought could do no wrong has kept something like this hidden from everyone 
for so long.  It shakes me to my core.  My beliefs, my faith....was it all
based on a lie?"
	"How could it be?  So she wasn't perfect.  No one is!  Maybe it's time
you saw her as a real animal and not some ideal.  What she did in no way 
lessens her works or her life."
	"What will this do to Angela though?  If she were to find out about 
this, she would feel justified in pursuing her relationship with Juice.  How
can I tell her of these things?"
	"Are you saying this as a Holy One, or as a father?"
	Tanis had the grace to look down in shame.  "I'll ask for guidance in
this, as I should have from the beginning.  Whatever I am told, I will do."
	"Well, right now I am telling you to go get some sleep.  And when you
wake up, you will eat what I've prepared for you.  And after that, we will
talk some more."
	Tanis chuckled tiredly.  "All right, all right.  You win."
	"Good," Donovan says, slipping one of Tanis' arms around his shoulders
and helping him to his feet.  "Just remember Tanis, our communication isn't
just a one way deal."
	"I'll remember that from now on," Tanis said, struggling to keep his 
eyes open.  "From now on."
	Sometime that afternoon, Alicia was in her room preparing to leave for
another training session with her mother when there came an urgent knocking 
on her door.  She opened it to find a guard there looking nervous.  "What's
the matter?"  she asked.  "Has something happened?"
	"Princess," the guard, a female bobcat, said quickly, "he's here, the
badger from your poster.  He's asking to meet with you."
	Alicia's eyes widened in surprise.  "Take me to him, now," she said,
following along behind the guard as they sprinted to the front gates of the
palace, Alicia careful not to use her newly gained speed.
	When they arrived, a large badger was waiting there for her, seemingly
ill at ease under the scrutiny of the other guards on duty.  He had on a 
tattered raincoat that looked like it had seen better days and a pair of 
fingerless gloves that seemed a bit too small for his hands.  But it was his
face that captured her attention.  It was nearly exactly how she'd drawn it, 
except for a few minor variations.  "Is it really you?"  she asked, taking a
step closer to him.
	"It's me," he said in a quiet but rough voice.
	Alicia arched an eyebrow at the sound his voice made.  It didn't sound
like she remembered it, but that could be due in part to the condition she had
been in at the time.  "How can I know for sure?"  she wondered.  "I wouldn't
put it past some animals to act like they are him just to try and get close to
me."  Aloud, she said, "if you truly are him, then how was it we met?"
	The badger smiled, but it seemed a touch strained.  "It's something I
don't like remembering, but it was when you were in the chamber of the Healing
Chalice and you were about to die.  I put the Chalice back together and healed
you with it."
	Alicia smiled a warm and genuine smile when she heard that.  "It is you!
Let him through, let him through."  The guards moved aside and bowed in
accordance with her order.  "So tell me," she said as she took his arm and led 
him into the palace, "what is your name?"
	"Edwin," the badger said, patting her hand.  "My name is Edwin."
	As Alicia was showing Edwin around the palace, Krella and Tanin were 
completing their final preparations.  "Do these wetsuits have to be this 
skintight?"  Krella asked of Tanin who was himself changing on the other side 
of a curtain they'd strung up for modesty, smoothing down her fur as best she 
could while pulling her wetsuit on.
	"Absolutely," Tanin said, struggling into his own wetsuit.  "Some of the
runes I've inscribed on these wetsuits will protect us from the cold and 
pressure, but only if no water gets between the suit and our fur.  We'd freeze 
or be crushed in seconds if that happened, and no magic I could use would save 
our lives down there.  And before you ask, the other runes will protect us 
from the bends on the way up."
	Krella sighed as she finished zipping up her suit and pulled the hood 
over her head.  "I understand, I'm just not comfortable in anything this 
tight.  This is something Charisma should wear, not me."
	"Do you want to tell Father that that's your reason?"
	"Of course not," Krella snapped.  "Come on, let's just go before I 
change my mind.  Are you done?"  She could see Tanin nod through the other 
side of the curtain and pulled it down.  Tanin turned to her to say something,
but all he ended up doing was staring.  Krella grew increasingly uncomfortable
under his stare until she couldn't take it anymore.  "You know what, forget 
it!  I'll just deal with Father's--"
	"Wait," Tanin said quickly, cutting her off.  "I was just taking a 
little by surprise, that's all."  And it was true, the wetsuit showed Tanin
that Krella did indeed have womanly curves on her petite body.  While she was
nowhere near as endowed as Charisma, what she had looked perfect on her.  
"Why do you keep yourself hidden away by loose clothes?"  he asked her.  "If
Charisma saw you like this, she'd never tease you again."
	Krella couldn't help the embarassed flush that reddened her cheeks and
muzzle.  "I was trained to use my mind," she gritted out, "not my chest.  And
besides, I'm not comfortable with anyone seeing me like this, remember?  So 
let's just go before I don't.  Do you have the Emerald?"
	Tanin nodded as he shouldered on his double tank and helped Krella on 
with hers.  "Grab onto me," he said as he prepared himself to cast the spells
needed.  "Be warned, this is further than I've ever tried to go before, so 
we'll need to make the trip in three or four jumps.  Krella nodded and wrapped
both arms around his waist as the dark whirlwind surrounded them and they 
vanished.
	While Krella and Tanin were completing the first jump of their journey,
DJ was walking down the halls with a purpose.  He'd finally rested and eaten
enough to regain his strength, and he was determined to have that "talk" with
Desirée now.  He wanted...no, needed answers, and she was going to give them
to him.
	DJ knocked on the D'Coolette's door as soon as he reached it, not 
stopping until it opened.  "I've been wondering when you were gonna show up
sugah," Desirée said, letting him in.  "Come on, let's get this over with."
She led him over to the couch and sat down, motioning for him to sit down 
next to her.  "All right, so what do you want to know?"
	DJ just looked at her, as if his question should be the most obvious 
thing in the world.  Desirée sighed and looked calmly at him.  "No DJ, it was
not a mistake," she said softly.  DJ got a look on his face like he didn't 
believe her and she let out a frustrated sigh.  "You don't believe me?  Fine!
Believe this then."  She grabbed hold of DJ's face and pulled his cheek to
her and planted another firm kiss on it, not letting go until she'd left a
mark just like the first.
	Shock, happiness, and confusion were all present on DJ's face when she
let him go.  Desirée could almost feel him asking, "Why me?"  before he even
turned to look at her again.  "In case you're wondering why I did that," she
said before he could make any gestures, "I have only one way to answer that.
I love you DJ."
	DJ gasped when he heard that and stared at her in surprise.  But the 
truth was there in her eyes, plain for anyone to see.  Slowly, shakily, he 
gestured to her that he felt the same.  Desirée's eyes seemed lit from within
when he did that and she hugged him close to her, crying tears of happiness
softly into his shoulder.  DJ pulled back slightly and gently wiped her tears 
from her cheeks.
	Desirée closed her eyes and leaned into his touch, a small shiver 
running through her body just from that light touch.  She opened her eyes 
halfway and looked at him through her eyelashes.  Placing her hand on his 
cheek, she slowly guided his head toward her and closed her eyes again,
tilting her head to the side.  
	DJ couldn't believe what was about to happen.  He was sure this would 
all be a dream and he would wake up feeling sad and frustrated.  But it was no
dream when he felt the first hesitant touch of her lips on his, and all he 
felt was happiness and love.  His own eyes closed and he leaned more into the
kiss, wrapping his arms around her as he felt her doing the same to him.  And
there they stayed, experiencing their first kiss of many that day.
	Meanwhile, while DJ and Desirée continued to have their "talk," Tanin 
and Krella were just finishing up their trip to the Polar Cap.  As soon as
the dark whirlwind faded, both of them could feel their breath being taken 
away by the subfreezing winds that swirled around them.  But that was almost 
immediately replaced by a comforting warmth as the runes Tanin had inscribed 
on the wetsuits activated, glowing with a blood red light.  "You do good 
work," she murmured, pulling down her mask and placing her regulator in her 
mouth.
	Tanin did the same and then checked both his tanks and Krella's.  "These
tanks should provide us with ninety minutes of air," he said through the 
speaker in his regulator.  "That should be more than enough time to do what we
have to."
	Krella nodded and then gestured to the lake they stood beside, somehow
unfrozen even in this extreme cold.  "It's a long way down, so conserve your
strength," she said, holding her mask in place as she fell backward into the
water.  Tanin followed right behind her and they were soon swimming their way
down into the inky blackness of the lake, the runes on their suits soon the
only light there was.
	Unaware of any of this, Alicia walked Edwin through the halls of the 
palace, talking with him and trying to find out more about him.  Some of his
answers were straight and to the point, but some were vague and he tried to 
change the subject.  Alicia couldn't shake the feeling that something was off
about him, but she attributed it to her imagination.  Maybe she'd built him up
in her mind that it was only normal that she be a little disappointed.  Still,
she was almost positive that he hadn't been this tall the last time she'd seen
him.
	"Hey there Alicia," Lissette said, running up to them waving.  "I see 
you found your mystery savior, huh?"
	"Yes I did," Alicia said with a smile.  "Lissette, this is Edwin.  
Edwin, this is Lissette, a friend of mine."
	"A pleasure to meet you," Edwin said with a charming smile.
	"Likewise," Lissette returned with a smile of her own.  "I hope you 
won't be a stranger."
	"Well, that's up to the princess here, isn't it?  I'll keep coming back
for as long as she wants me to."
	"Well, I look forward to meeting you again.  You'll both have to excuse
me right now though.  Metal's waiting for me, and I'm already late."
	"All right, I'll talk to you later then," Alicia said.  
	Lissette nodded and stepped to the side so they could pass.  She turned
to continue down the hallway but stopped when she saw Metal Sonic right there
waiting for her.  "You startled me Metal," she said, taking a couple breaths
to calm herself.  "Why didn't you wait for me?"
	"I came to see what was taking you so long," Metal Sonic said, watching
Alicia and Edwin as they walked away.  "Say Lissette, who's that guy with 
Alicia?"
	"That's Edwin, the guy who saved her life.  The one she was looking for
with those posters, remember?  I told you about them this morning."
	"Hmm," was all the robot said, narrowing his eyes at the badger.  
"There's something not quite right about him."
	"What do you mean?"
	"My scanners are giving me conflicting readings when I look at him.  I
can't make heads or tails of them."
	"Did you run a diagnostic on them?"
	"Yeah, twice.  I'm telling you, I don't like this."
	Lissette's eyebrows drew together in worry.  "Maybe our resident Shi-rat
should meet with Alicia's savior.  Think you can track Angela down?"
	"I have a pretty good idea where she is," Metal Sonic said.  "Follow 
me."
	Meanwhile, Tanin and Krella had been diving for about thirty minutes
straight down.  "It shouldn't be much further," Krella said, expelling a 
stream of bubbles.  "How are you holding up?"
	"I'm fine," Tanin answered, "but I'm getting an uneasy feeling.  We
should do this and get back as quickly as possible."
	Krella nodded and then turned her head to look at something.  "Am I 
going crazy, or do you see a light down there?"
	"I see it too.  I think we just found what we're looking for."
	"Then let's get down there and--"  Krella stopped talking as a large
shadow passed in front of the light.  "What in the Abyss was that?"
	Tanin chanted a quick spell and threw a ball of light in the direction
that the shadow had gone.  Only a few yards away it contacted with something,
exploding into a bright brilliance.  Tanin and Krella stared at the creature
before them.  It resembled a giant squid, but with a lot more tentacles and 
each one had a cruel barb on the end of it that was surely poisoned.  It's 
eyes glowed red with anger as it stared at the two Fallen Ones.  "What is 
that thing?"  Krella asked, edging away from it.
	"A kraken!"  Tanin yelled, just barely keeping his regulator in his
mouth.  "Move!"  But before they could, the kraken shot out two of its 
tentacles and wrapped them up tight, drawing them in toward the beak on its 
underside.
	Tanin's eyes crackled with power as the chant he spoke sent an electric
current into its tentacle, forcing it to release them and back off.  "Hurry, 
while it's stunned!"  he called, but even then it was too late.  The kraken 
backed off slowly until it settled itself on the Deep Water Pool, it's two 
red eyes glaring at them as Tanin's light spell faded and the darkness 
returned.
	"How are we supposed to get through that?"  Krella demanded.  "Nothing
I read even mentioned it."
	"Anyone who's seen it probably hasn't lived to tell the tale," Tanin 
pointed out.  "We can't worry about that right now though.  If we spend too 
long trying to beat him, we won't have enough air to make it back to the 
surface.  We have to do something and we have to do it now."
	Krella would have gritted her teeth if she didn't have the regulator in
her mouth.  "I'll try to keep it distracted.  You'll have to figure out some
way to destroy it.  Can you handle that?"
	"Of course I can, but what are you...?"
	"Hey ugly!"  Krella yelled, swimming away from Tanin with exaggerated
movements.  "Catch me if you can!"
	The kraken let out a rumbling growl that shook the water around it and
launched a number of tentacles at Krella, not to wrap her like last time but
to impale her on the barbs.  Krella, however, avoided the tentacles easily 
and gracefully in a way that could've made Destín jealous, weaving through 
them as if they were standing still.  During this she kept up her stream of 
insults, which just served to infuriate the kraken and draw its full attention
to her.  
	While it was thus distracted, Tanin crept up behind it charging up a 
spell between his hands.  But when he came within a few feet, one of the 
kraken's rear tentacles shot right out at him, whipping him across the chest 
and knocking him to the lake floor.
	"Tanin!"  Krella yelled as the kraken turned its attention to him.  She
quickly grabbed hold of one of its tentacles and yanked on it.  But the kraken
paid her no mind as it closed in on Tanin, who was just now struggling up to a
sitting position.  Panicked, she ripped the regulator from her mouth and 
chomped down on the tentacle, locking her jaws around it.
	The kraken screeched in pain, turning its attention once more to Krella
and trying to shake her off its injured appendage.  But she held fast even as
the lack of oxygen began to darken her vision.  "Krella!  Get clear!"  she 
heard Tanin yell from what seemed a great distance away.  Groggily she let go, 
fumbling for her regulator before she passed out.  But she'd been too long 
without air and she could feel herself losing consciousness.
	Something cold was placed against her lips just as her lungs burned with
the need for air.  She used whatever strength she had left to open her mouth
and whatever it was was forced into her mouth just as she had to take a 
breath.  But instead of drawing in water, she felt air filling her lungs.  
"What?"  she asked weakly as her body struggled to draw in as much air as it 
could.
	"Easy, breathe slowly," Tanin said as he lay her back on the lake floor.
"You lost some air with that stunt so I don't know how much you have left."
	"What happened?"  she asked again as her vision cleared.  "Where's the
kraken?"
	Tanin pointed to the kraken's charred and lifeless husk, floating
slowly upward away from the Pool.  "When it went back after you I lunged at it
and fried it with as much electricity as I could muster.  But where did you 
learn to swim like that?"
	"I've always known how.  I just don't get to do it much with all the
research I do.  Like I said, I was trained for my brains, nothing else."  
Krella sat up with Tanin's help and looked at the glowing Pool.  "Have you 
recharged the Emerald yet?"  she asked.
	"No, I think you've earned that right," he said, taking the Emerald from
a pouch at his belt and pressing it into her palm.  
	High above the surface of the planet, a lone echidna sat meditating in 
the Emerald chamber.  Everything was calm and peaceful both within and 
without, forming the perfect balance.  But that balance was shattered as a 
spike of power ran through him.  He opened his eyes and saw one of the 
pedestals in the room begin to glow a deep blue.  Narrowing his eyes sharply, 
he sent a mental command to the Floating Island and sent it streaking through
the sky toward the palace.
	As these two events were occurring, Alicia and Edwin were sitting on a
bench in the palace gardens, alone for the first time that day.  "I really 
want to thank you for saving my life," she said, playing with the hem of her
shirt.  "You have no idea how much that means to me."
	"Oh, I think I have an idea," Edwin said with that smile of his.  "But
then, I don't think you know just how important you are to everyone.  In fact,
I brought you a little gift to show you how much you mean to us.  Close your
eyes, and no peeking, OK?"  Alicia nodded and closed her eyes, fidgeting a 
little in anticipation.  Edwin waved his hand in front of her eyes to make 
sure she wasn't looking.  He smiled then, but this was no charming smile.  It
was a smile full of hatred and evil, one that was reflected in the flaming
runesword that suddenly appeared in his outstretched hand.
	"I'm sure I was told they went through here," Lissette said to Angela, 
opening the door to the gardens just in time to see Edwin raise the runesword 
high above his head, a crazed look in his eyes.  "Alicia!"  she yelled, 
grabbing a smoke bomb from her tool belt and tossing it at them.
	Alicia opened her eyes to see the smoke bomb heading their way and to 
see Edwin slash it in two with his runesword, covering the area with smoke and
obscuring her vision.  She held one hand over her mouth and nose to try and 
keep the smoke out when she felt a pair of hands grab her and drag her away.
"What's going on here?"  she demanded, looking to her friends and to Edwin.
But when she met Edwin's gaze, she found they were not the warm brown she had
seen.  Now they were milky white and seemed to bore right into her skull so
that she couldn't look away.  Before either of her friends could intervene, 
she howled in terror and fell to the ground, as stiff and unmoving as a 
statue.
	"Kavenoff!"  Angela yelled, launching a stream of energy at him that
stripped away his transformation and revealed the rat underneath.  
	"How do you like my new trick?"  Maxwell Kavenoff asked in his normal
pain-filled voice.  "Father told me to keep it for a special occasion, and 
the death of the princess certainly covers that, don't you think?"
	"See to Alicia," Lissette said, taking a pair of gloves from her belt 
and slipping them on.  "I'll deal with Chuckles over here."
	"But Lissette, you don't know...."  Angela began before Lissette waved
her off.
	"Just trust me, OK?"  she asked, making two fists and slamming the 
gloves together.  "Why don't you try picking on me?"  she yelled at the
Kavenoff, circling him.
	"But of course!"  the Kavenoff cackled gleefully.  He leapt toward her
with an overhead slash, intending to cleave her into two separate pieces.  
But Lissette sidestepped the slash and punched the sword, her gloves sending
a large electric current along the blade and through the rat's body, making
him yell in pain and fall back.
	"I have a couple surprises of my own," Lissette said, slamming her fists
together again.  "Why don't you attack again and I'll show you some more."
	"With pleasure," the Kavenoff said, levelling his sword at Lissette.  
But instead of attacking directly, he shot a blast of flame from the tip of 
it.  Lissette crossed her arms in front of her face to protect herself, but
the sheer power of it forced her back, making her fly through the air and land
hard against the bench, both her forearms singed and blistered.
	"Lissette!"  Angela screamed, readying a spell between her hands.  She 
started to stand up to throw it when a hand grabbed her arm and made her stop.
She looked down in surprise to see that the hand belonged to Alicia.  As she 
watched, Alicia's eyes snapped open and she sat up suddenly, fixing a cold and
dark gaze on the Kavenoff.
	The Kavenoff was advancing slowly on Lissette, savoring the pain and 
fear he could feel wafting off of her.  He raised his sword over his head 
deliberately, letting her see her death approach.  But he never got to make 
his swing as a hand grabbed his shoulder and spun him around.  "You!"  he
exclaimed when he saw Alicia there.
	"Your stare holds no power over me!"  Alicia said as she punched him 
right in the mouth, forcing the bigger rat to stagger back and drop his sword.  
"I faced my greatest fear and I fear it no more!"  
	She ducked under a wild swing and switched around behind him, locking 
her hands around his waist and bridging back in a German Suplex.  But instead 
of letting go, she kept her hands locked and struggled to her feet, bringing 
the Kavenoff with her as she executed a second German Suplex.  Still not 
letting go, she made her way to her feet once again and planted him with a 
third and final German Suplex, finally releasing her grip as they landed.
	Alicia kipped up to her feet and turned to glare at her opponent, her
face still set in that mask of hatred.  She waited until the Kavenoff got to
his feet before she delivered a foot to his face, making his head snap back 
and felling him once again.  Before he got up this time, she ran over to him
and jumped up, dropping her leg right across his throat.
	The Kavenoff rolled to his hands and knees, clutching his throat as he
gasped for air.  But Alicia wasn't even close to finished with him.  She 
grabbed him by his hair and hauled him up to his feet, burying her knee into
his stomach repeatedly.  
	Angela watched in awe and horror from where she was trying to heal 
Lissette.  She had never seen Alicia so full of hate as she was now, but she
only hoped she could keep it under control.  They all knew what happened to 
the one who killed the host of the Kavenoff, but Alicia didn't seem to care 
about that right now.
	Alicia hoisted Maxwell up onto her shoulders in a fireman's carry and
pushed his legs off over her head while holding onto his head.  As he came
down, she brought his head in closer to her body and dropped to one knee, 
forcing the back of his neck over it and making the Kavenoff cry out in pain.
Then she grabbed him by the arm and pulled him into a sitting position just
long enough to lock her legs around his head and arm in a triangle choke, 
grabbing his head as she fell backward and using her legs to pull the rest of 
him the other way.
	"Alicia!"  Angela yelled getting to her feet to stop her.  "No!"  But
before she could reach them, she heard a loud and very distinctive pop from
the region of the Kavenoff's neck.
	The Kavenoff yelled as he felt his neck snap but then let out a mad 
laugh as he lost feeling in his body.  "Thank you so much!"  he said in a 
tortured voice.  "I can only imagine the misery I will perform when I'm in
your body!"
	"Think again Kavenoff," Alicia said darkly, her eyes flashing like twin
pools of dark fire.  "You won't be going anywhere."
	The Kavenoff suddenly stopped laughing as a look of concern crossed his
face.  "What is the meaning of this?"  he yelled frantically.
	"Something interesting I learned when I nursed my friends back to 
health," Alicia said, kneeling down next to the Kavenoff and staring right 
into his eyes.  "Did you know you could break your neck without dying?  Of 
course, you will end up paralyzed from the neck down, unable to move for the
rest of your life.  And that's exactly what I've done to you.  Now you're 
trapped in this body for all eternity.  The only misery you will experience
for the rest of time will be your own!"
	A look of genuine fear crossed Maxwell's face for the first time ever as
he understood what Alicia had done to him.  But try as he might, he could not 
move any part of his body.  Not even the force of the Kavenoff spirit had any
effect.  "Father!"  he screamed in terror before vanishing right before their
eyes.
	Alicia knelt there for a moment longer before rising to her feet and
storming off, her body still trembling in rage.  Both Angela and a revived 
Lissette could do nothing but stare at her in a mixture of shock, awe, and 
fear.
	The Unholy One was congratulating Krella and Tanin, who had changed from
their wetsuits the moment they returned, on a job well done when Maxwell 
suddenly appeared at their feet.  "What is the meaning of this?"  the Unholy 
One demanded after seeing the state he was in.
	"Father!"  Maxwell cried in a fearful voice.  "I cannot move!  She's
trapped me!  She's ended my game!"
	"Relax Maxwell," Tanin said, sinking down beside him and holding his 
hands over his neck.  "I need your help Father, I can't heal him alone."
	The Unholy One quickly added his power to Tanin's as they began to heal
the damage caused to Maxwell's neck.  "What does he mean that his game is
ended?"  he asked as they worked.
	"Can't you feel it Father?  With his neck broken like this, he'd never
be able to move again, but he couldn't die either.  He'd have been trapped in
this shell for all eternity."
	The Unholy One growled in annoyance.  "Remember to whom you speak 
Tanin," he said in a low but dangerous voice.
	"I'm sorry Father," Tanin said, immediately contrite.
	Krella slowly backed out of the room as the others worked on healing
Maxwell, bumping into Charisma on her way out.  "I guess it's true what they
say," Charisma murmured as she stared wide-eyed at Maxwell.
	"What do you mean?"  Krella asked as she fought to keep her voice from
quavering.
	Charisma looked at Krella and said in a completely serious voice, "Don't
ever mess with a woman's heart for the Abyss hath no fury like the wrath of a
woman scorned."  And for one of the few times either one could remember, both
Krella and Charisma were in complete agreement.
	Alicia stayed in her room until late that night, not letting anyone in 
even to bring her food.  When she finally did emerge, she walked toward the
throne room full of purpose.  "I'm gong to call off the search," she told
herself.  "I got lucky this time, who knows who else might try to take 
advantage of this.  It's time I stopped thinking about myself and started 
focusing on my destiny."
	When she reached the throne room, she heard raised voices arguing beyond
them so she cracked them open and peered inside.  "How were we to know?"  
Sonic asked.  "It's not like we have any way to find out they're on the move.  
Every time they've fought them has been pure coincidence to this point."
	"Well you'd better find a way," Knuckles growled.  "Because you were all 
so distracted today the Fallen Ones managed to recharge the Water Emerald 
without so much as a token resistance from any of you.  I don't know what 
you're doing to teach them, but you're obviously not doing it right."
	"How dare you talk to us like that?"  Sally demanded.  "We are doing the
best we can!  And it's worked well up until this point.  Every day we push our
children harder and harder, training them in every way we know how.  It was 
your prophecy that marked them as the Chosen Ones, but they are still our 
children.  They are not some unfeeling machines you can order off to battle 
whenever you feel like it.  Eighteen years ago we fought to stop just that, or 
have you forgotten what you put us through then?"
	"Of course I haven't forgotten, but that's no excuse.  If the Unholy One
can recharge all seven Emeralds--"
	"Something that's impossible while we still hold the fire artifacts,"
Sonic pointed out.  
	"Make sure you keep hold of them," Knuckles said, turning around to 
leave and catching sight of Alicia.  "Oh no," he muttered.
	"It's my fault," Alicia whispered, but the sound carried easily through
the silent room.  "It's all my fault."
	"Alicia," Sally began, taking a step toward her before Alicia turned and
flew away.  "Alicia!"
	"I hope you're happy," Sonic told Knuckles in a low voice.  
	Knuckles looked at Sonic a moment before bowing his head.  "I did not 
mean for that to happen," he said quietly.
	"Now you know how we feel," Sally said, turning her back to him as he
teleported out.
	"Should we go after her?"  Sonic asked, looking ready to do just that.
	"No," Sally said, all her ire seeming to drain out of her in an instant.
"I think what she needs right now is to be alone.  Besides, I have a pretty
good idea where she's headed."
	Sonic nodded and wrapped his arms around Sally in a warm hug, pressing
soft kisses to her forehead and each cheek in turn before settling his lips
lightly on hers.  Sally clung to Sonic as they kissed drawing strength from 
him as surely as he was drawing from her.
	Alicia flew through the Great Forest, tears streaming from her eyes.
"How could I have been so selfish?"  she asked herself over and over, narrowly
missing trees in her flight.  "What have I done?"
	She flew until she reached Knothole, finally sinking down to collapse by
the Power Ring Pool, sobbing loudly and openly.  So great was her despair and
the tears it wrung from her that she cried herself to sleep, tears still 
falling from her eyes.  
	She didn't know how long she was asleep, but she started awake as she 
felt someone drape a blanket over her.  The figure shrank back but she grabbed
his arm and pulled him into the full moonlight.  "Is it really you this time?"  
she asked in a breathless voice hoarse from her crying.
	The badger before her sighed and looked away, but not before she could
see the same kind look in his eyes that she had seen that day.  "I will not be
tricked again," she said in a low voice, her anger rising up again.  "You will
answer me two questions.  And you'd better hope I like the answers I get."  
When the badger nodded, she asked her first question.  "When you saved me in 
the chamber of the Healing Chalice, what did you keep calling me?"
	"What you are, my future queen," the badger said, and the voice was 
exactly how she remembered it.  
	Alicia could feel her anger dropping away, but she held onto it until he
answered her next question.  "When was the last time I was aware of your 
presence watching me?"
	"It was right after you made your wish on the Gem of Enchanted Dreams,"
the badger said quietly.  "You turned around to look at me though you couldn't
see me, and you blew me a kiss before flying off toward your home."  A slight
blush rose on his cheeks as he said that last part.
	"It is you," she whispered, grabbing onto the front of his graduation
gown and crying into his chest.  The Owl was a little startled by her actions 
but his arms slowly crept around her as he drew her into a warm embrace.  
"Why?"  she asked through her sobs.  "Why must everything I try to do cause 
such heartache?"
	"Not everything," the Owl pointed out as he held her, "just the things
you don't think through.  Your guilt led you to do something that nearly cost
you your life.  Your anger led you into a situation that could've been a trap
though it turned out for the best.  And your desire to meet me lowered your
guard so much that anyone could take advantage of it.  As the future queen, 
you must learn to temper your emotions with your knowledge, for only then will
you truly be able to rule justly and wisely."
	"But I'm not the future queen," Alicia protested.  "Juice is first in
line to the throne."
	"Pah!  He has trouble ruling over his own stomach, much less an entire
planet.  Trust me, you are the future queen.  You just don't realize it yet."
	Alicia sighed and nuzzled her head into his chest.  "You watch over me,
don't you?  Only around when I truly need you."
	"That is correct, which is why I had no intention of showing myself even
with all those posters.  Unfortunately, by the time I found out about them, 
the Fallen Ones had already set their plans in motion."
	"But all I wanted to do was thank you," Alicia insisted.  "You saved my
life, and I don't even know your name."
	"Your well-being is thanks enough for me.  But if you insist on knowing
my name, it is Edgar."
	"Edgar....  It fits you somehow.  Please Edgar, allow me to thank you as
I want."
	Edgar let out a quiet sigh.  "It isn't necessary, but if doing so will
allow you to get back on track, then by all means, please do so."
	Alicia lifted her head from his chest and looked up at him.  She reached
up slowly with one hand and curled her fingers around the back of his neck.  
Before he could react, she pulled him down into a sweet and tender kiss, the
first kiss she had ever known that felt as it should between a man and a 
woman.
	Edgar was stunned by Alicia's actions, but found himself kissing her 
back as she held the kiss.  They kissed like that for a time before they both
drew back and looked at each other.  "Y-You're welcome," he stammered out.
"Although I feel like I should be thanking you."
	Alicia let out a soft giggle, a blush staining her cheeks pink under the
moonlight.  "I should head back now," she said, getting to her feet with his
help.  "I'm going to make you an oath.  From this day on, as you continue to
watch me, you will see me acting as a future queen should.  You'll be proud to
call me that."
	Edgar smiled softly as he looked at her.  "I already am.  You should go
before they come looking for you.  It would not be well for me to be seen."
Before Alicia could ask what he meant by that, Edgar stepped back and away
from her, melting into the shadows that surrounded them.
	Alicia looked after him for a long moment.  "Keep watch over me," she
whispered loud enough for him to hear before flying off back home, feeling 
like a great weight had been lifted from her.

    Source: geocities.com/televisioncity/satellite/6616/sonic/rbft

               ( geocities.com/televisioncity/satellite/6616/sonic)                   ( geocities.com/televisioncity/satellite/6616)                   ( geocities.com/televisioncity/satellite)                   ( geocities.com/televisioncity)