Mobius Destiny (A Sonic Boom Fanfic)

Chapter Six

Chapter Six

Kay had spent quite a lot of time thinking. Too much time, perhaps. But with the tent quiet as everyone rested in safety after the harrowing last few days, there wasn't much else to do, and her body refused to let her sleep even though she was actually very tired.

So, as it tended to do, her mind wandered to thoughts of the future. She couldn't see it anymore, now that – as she had tried to tell Aurora – she didn't have any Chaos power in her. But she knew enough about the nature of Mobius in general to be able to formulate some sort of logical assumption.

Her main question at this point was...now what? Her first goal upon entering this dimension had been to get off Bygone Island and see what the rest of this version of the world she loved had to offer. Now she was in the Dragon Kingdom caught up in a war between highly skilled ninja clans, her old friend was a crown prince, the echidna who represented peace on Prime was trying to ruin that very element here, and to top it all off, she had a language barrier to deal with for the first time in her life. She had traveled all over Mobius Prime and never had that problem, but here? Here she couldn't understand what was being said more than half the time. She was isolated, in the dark, an outcast in a foreign country, and she had nothing except her minimal hand-to-hand combat skills thanks to training first with Shadow on Prime and then Donatello in New York.

So she'd done it. She'd gotten off Bygone Island and found herself in the midst of an adventure again. But it was obvious she was useless here, so...now what? Espio was going to fight Aurora – that much was certain. He had half the clans behind him, half the clans against. He needed soldiers, trained professionals; not some eighteen-year-old girl who had once been the center of everything.

Wait...eighteen? Kay paused, suddenly realizing something. She'd been vacationing in New York in early August, but she'd missed her flight, which had left her stranded there for over a month. Add that to the weeks she'd already been in this dimension, and that meant...she was actually nineteen now. Sometime in the middle of all this craziness, her birthday had come and gone.

Well how about that, she thought. I'm nineteen years old.

But that was beside the point, and she quickly pushed the thought away. What good was she to Espio in this dimension? How much help could she truly be here? Aurora and Shadow were the only ones who seemed to truly understand her past importance, but that was just it – it was in the past. It didn't matter now. She had no power. She had no advanced skills other than her knowledge of the planet, and that had all been thrown out the window the instant she was deposited on that mountain on Bygone. What was she supposed to do now? She didn't want to leave Espio in the middle of potentially the biggest event of his life, but she also didn't want to get in his way, and more and more she felt like that was all she was doing here. Kay didn't know what to do.

Suddenly she was pulled from her wandering thoughts when a Gossamer warrior (not the same one from before) entered the tent, bowed to Espio, and announced something. Espio nodded his thanks, the warrior left, and the prince got to his feet again.

"Come on," he said, first in his native language and then in Kay's. "I think we're well overdue for a good, full meal."

~

Kay shuffled along behind Espio, Li Yuen, and Nikōru as they made their way to the makeshift dining area of the Gossamer camp. There were no tables here, unlike the haven. The Gossamer had only an open plot of ground that was completely clear of any items whatsoever so everyone could cram together and sit while they ate. As soon as Espio approached the Gossamer warriors who were waiting in line for their food stepped aside and bowed, insisting he go ahead of them. But just as he'd done in the haven, Espio refused to be given special treatment when it came to rations. He did not move from where he stood at the back of the line, and his three followers did the same.

Once they'd gotten their food, Espio moved in a straight line toward a group of clearly higher-ranking ninjas and sat with them, Li Yuen close behind him. Kay stopped a few paces behind him, unintentionally forcing Nikōru to stop with her.

I shouldn't impose upon their conversation when they're discussing such important matters, Kay thought to herself, gradually moving to a fairly open spot of ground nearby but clearly not part of the circle Espio was now sitting in. I won't be able to understand what they're saying anyway. As she sat, she realized Nikōru had followed her and was joining her in keeping a respectful distance from the prince. Apparently she'd had the same idea. Well, about the imposing part, at least.

After a few moments of silence, Nikōru spoke. "Kay." Her accent made the name sound off slightly. "Anata wa daijōbudesuka?" She gestured to Kay and then to her face, which smiled for just a moment before settling back into a concerned look.

Taking a guess that the lynx was asking if she was all right, Kay nodded, smiling back for a moment. "I'm fine," she replied, tapping her temple. "I'm just thinking."

Seeming to understand, Nikōru nodded, smiled softly, and began to eat. Even though it had only been a few hours since the last time either of them had seen food, the rogue Storm warrior ate quickly, as if afraid the meal would disappear by some other means if not by her own. She was about halfway finished and Kay had only just started when another person joined their outcast group.

"Hello, keiiwohyōsuru gesuto." The Gossamer warrior from earlier in the day said with a smile as he sat down, his own meal balanced evenly in two of his four hands. "Are you ladies faring well?"

Surprised not only by his sudden appearance but also by seeing his eight spider legs so close up, Kay stammered a moment before nodding quickly. "Y-Yes, we're all right. We've rested most of the afternoon."

"That's good," the Gossamer said. "It looked as if you two were trying to communicate just now. Can she speak your language?"

Kay couldn't help but laugh. "If she could, we wouldn't have been acting like monkeys just now, I think."

He laughed as well. "Fair enough." He extended one of his free hands to her. "I am Goshimā Tomoya, at your service."

It had been so long since Kay had shaken anyone's hand in greeting that for a moment she almost forgot what his outstretched palm meant. Recovering quickly, she took it and replied, "My name is Kay."

"Kay," Tomoya repeated clearly, with no accent whatsoever. Then he turned to Nikōru, bowed slightly from his sitting position, and introduced himself again. She repeated his greeting. "Well, Kay, Nikōru...do you need a translator?"

Surprised, Kay glanced at Nikōru, then back to Tomoya. "Really? Are you sure?"

Tomoya smiled. "I imagine being the only women on a journey like yours while not being able to speak to each other hasn't exactly been fun, has it? I may be the only person besides the prince and his bodyguard who can translate for you, and I don't think they exactly have the time for that at present."

Again Kay looked to Nikōru. The lynx seemed to be catching on to what was being said, and her eyes lit up with obvious excitement. That was all the convincing Kay needed. She grinned. "We'd love to have a translator."