Ch3 P7 - Reborn Memory

Jericho rotated himself around to face the gang, his hands clenching and teeth gritting. He never expected company to follow, and he knew they could not be trusted. According to their laughter, they were up to something. He never let his guard down as they approached him.

The leader of the crowd raised his hand and saluted to Jericho. "Hey there, dude~" He spoke smoothly. He then came to a halt, a meter from Jericho's position. "I see you're strolling along all alone. Mind if we join ya?"

"I'd rather be unaccompanied, thank you…" Jericho murmured. "I was in the middle of sweet relief until you showed up." He turned his body sideways, his eyes still on them in case they'd make a move to attack him. His spines bristled uneasily to send them a warning.

The leader waved his arms. "Whoa, man. We mean no harm. We're here for peace, not war, see?" He held up two fingers in a sign of peace. His cunning smile, otherwise, was unconvincing to Jericho.

Jericho's eyes squinted. "What do you want?"

"I just wanna be your friend." The leader cautiously stepped up to the hedgehog. "I noticed you walking without no one at your side."

"I was on my way back home. I won't need company, but thank you for your concern." Jericho now faced away from them and started to walk off. However, the leader slid right in front of him. The two members followed his move.

"Leaving so soon?" The leader whined. "We haven't even gotten the chance to introduce ourselves. Couldn't we get the chance to, you know, hang out for a while, get to know each other more closely?" His sharp smile widened.

Jericho growled. "Stand aside. I'm going home."

The leader crossed his arms and slumped, leaning on one leg. "Boy, someone's being a grouch tonight." He unfolded his arms to outstretch his hand, wanting to shake Jericho's. "The name's Dak. I'm the leader of this pack." He rocked his head to his left shoulder, glancing at the critter with the sleeveless shirt. "To my left is Grim…" He tilted his head to the right, looking toward the muscular creature. "And my right is Rex. They're like my brothers…"

Both the members, Grim and Rex, held out a hand to shake Jericho's in greeting. Jericho was suspicious of Grim, examining him closely of his posture. His left arm still hid around his back, as if concealing something from Jericho's view that proved a threat to him. Jericho stared straight into Grim's eyes. "How come you have one arm twisted behind your back like that?"

Grim blinked, then cleared his throat as he straightened up. He answered in a hesitant voice, unable to answer directly. His fingers behind him fidgeted with the baseball bat handle. "Oh, well uh… it's a handshake of courtesy. Haven't you ever seen a rich man greeting?"

Jericho scanned the creature from head to toe, sneering. "You don't appear wealthy to me."

"But it's to show respect!" Dak frantically interrupted with a yelp. He chuckled softly. "To our new friend… It does not matter if you're rich or not." He tried wrapping one arm around Jericho, but Jericho jerked away from him, unleashing a threatening growl. Dak watched him, then thought to himself, rubbing his chin. "Now I wonder if this loser's got money… maybe we can beat him up for it…"

"Thank you, but no thank you," said Jericho. "You're not trusted enough for me to consider you all as my friends…" He gazed at Grim again. "Find someone else to toy with. I'm going home." He turned around to leave the alley.

Dak's mouth twitched. "That's what the problem is…" He whispered. "We don't see any other on our property except you." He turned his head over to Grim and nodded, signaling him to make his move.

Grim finally pulled his bat out and rushed behind Jericho, then swung it right against the dark hedgehog's back. The bat shattered into wooden bits and splinters. It made no effect…

Dak and Rex stared blankly, their mouths falling open. Grim, too, was in shock. Jericho froze and glared back at Grim, and grabbed at his throat. He yanked him close so that their noses practically touched. His chilling breath rolled on the critter's muzzle as he hissed. "Tell me you just didn't try to wound me with that weapon you were stealthily hiding behind your back."

Grim was unable to speak, for he was choking in Jericho's strong grip. He clung to his arms, trying to loosen his fingers so he could breathe. Only wheezes escaped his lips.

"Let's get him!" Dak exclaimed, and charged forth with Rex, lifting a closed fist to punch Jericho. He thought he had the chance to cause a blow. He thrust his arm forth, aiming for Jericho's face, but it was caught in Jericho's free hand within a flash. The leader jerked from the sudden unexpected movement. It was much too quick for his eyes.

Jericho snarled, then squeezed his grasp on Dak's hand, snapping his bones under the skin. "Is this how you truly treat friends? Pitiful…"

Dak yowled and knelt down on one knee from the unbearable pain. "Ow, hey man! Y-You're breaking my hand!" He cried in agony while attempting to tug away. "Let go of me!" Jericho, however, refused to release him. He held both Grim in midair with one hand, and Dak with the other. Grim's eyes were rolling back in their sockets, his air supply slowly cutting short. He couldn't stand without much air.

Jericho kept his face expressionless. "You should have known better than to try and hurt me. You've provoked me far enough, now you'll suffer for the consequences."

"We'll see about that!" Rex's deep tone roared, and he hauled Jericho back by the scruff of the neck. It caused Jericho to finally let go of Dak and Grim, who both had subsided onto the ground. Jericho just hung there like a rag doll, his eyes narrowing viciously, then dissolved into a mist, leaving air in Rex's hand. Rex's eyes stared blankly at the empty space Jericho was once in.

Grim stumbled to his feet, coughing harshly as he massaged his throat. He made sure his esophagus wasn't crushed. When he could at last breathe properly, he shouted hoarsely. "Wh-what the hell is he?!"

Rex rubbed his fingers together, wondering if he really did catch Jericho, or else it was only an illusion. He dropped his hand at his side. "I don't know, man, but he sure is fucked up…" He turned to check the leader, Dak. "We should have left the freak, Boss."

Dak winced as he got up, holding his limp hand. His flesh around his wrist and fingers had swelled and bent abnormally. "Yeah, he's a freak alright…" He squinted around the area, looking for any sign of Jericho. "But I betcha he's got money. We just need to find a way to get 'em from him."

Grim scooted over to the group, his hand still covering his neck. "Where the hell did he go? He just… poofed!"

"He didn't poof," said Rex. "He melted like salt in water."

"Will you both shut up?!" Dak snapped. His loud voice silenced his brethren. Dak sighed shakily, then glanced around the area. He looked calm for a second, then hissed. "Come on!! Where the fuck are you! Are you sc-sc-sc-scared?" He made a sarcastic stutter in his voice, trying to make himself sound tough.

Grim flinched. "Boss, what the hell are you doing?"

"We haven't had this tough of a visitor before for a loooong time. Now's our chance to have some fun."

"Are you crazy? You don't know what you're up against. He already broke your hand. We should get out of here while we have the chance!"

"Show yourself, you freak!" Dak shouted, completely ignoring his follower. "Bwack, bwack, bwack, bih-gwaaack!" He created a sound effect of a chicken.

Grim looked around cautiously, his ears pinned behind his head out of pure fear, when he spotted a shadow of Jericho on the ground. Jericho was squatting on the flattened summit of the building's shadow, his tail whipping furiously from side to side. Grim pointed at the shadow. "There! There!" He turned his head to look up. Dak did the same, but there was nothing but the starless night, a swirling smoke fading from sight. Grim's eyes were wide. "I-I thought I saw him."

"So, your main reason of being here is for theft and dominance of territory… I knew you were nothing but crooks. I'm not that unintelligent to figure you three out…"

The gang turned around, and spotted Jericho standing down the end of the alley. A faint golden flash twinkled between his fingers. He raised the shining object high.

"Looking for something like this by the way?" He wondered, his eyes unenthusiastic. There, pressed tightly between his fingers was a small circular coin, complete of untainted gold.

Grim's eyes squinted to get a more focused look of the object. "Is that what I think it is?"

"It's a gold coin!" Dak cried for joy. "I knew he had money, and it's mine!"

"Those aren't common around here." Grim itched his head. "He must be foreign or somethin'."

Rex smacked him behind the head. "Duuuh, have you not noticed his accent, you moron?"

"Will you two ever stop talking?" Dak growled. "He's got a gold coin, which means he's got more hidden somewhere. The coin should belong to me. We can buy ourselves some booze with it."

Jericho's eyebrows furrowed, unimpressed by their attitude toward money. He spoke calmly to the group. "All you have to do is get by me and you'll earn it as a reward." He bent one forefinger, beckoning them to risk coming for the coin. He smirked slightly to reflect a sharp fang.

Grim caught sight of his teeth's glint, and suddenly felt uneasy about this. He stepped back, while Dak stepped the opposite direction.

"Are you tempting me to fight for it?" He asked.

"I just want to see how much of a fool you are, whether you'd risk yourself for a mere coin, or turn around and save what you have left of yourself," Jericho answered. "I already broke your hand, what more can I do to you without killing you?" His tail swished to the side. "If I were you, I'd stay away from the bait."

Dak chortled. "Oh god, you're hilarious! Of course I'm going for the coin! I ain't runnin' off with empty pockets!"

"Greed…" Jericho sighed. "It's a deadly sin…"

Dak huffed, then charged at Jericho with a full good fist, leaving his limp hand hanging freely. Jericho's eyes squinted, dissatisfied by the leader's move, and dissolved just as Dak swung his fist. Dak's eyes widened. "Damn it, he vanished again! He tricked me!"

"Boss, behind you!" Grim's voice cried out. Dak was too slow to react as he turned his head around. Just as he did so, Jericho punched him in the face, clenching the coin between his fingers, as it knocked his nose. As the coin made forceful contact with his nose, a loud crack echoed in the silence.

Dak yowled and fell back, covering his nose with his good hand. "Aw, shit! What the fuck! You son of a bitch!"

"You do have quite a mouthful…" Jericho grumbled. His body froze solid as he stared unblinkingly at his gold coin, which was stained in a drip of blood. His pale face twisted, his muzzle wrinkling at the stench of the blood, and he quickly dropped the coin from his hand and stepped back.

Dak watched the coin clink the ground at his feet and spin in a twister until it collapsed flat on one surface, then glared at Jericho. He lowered his hand, a trickle of blood oozing from his nostrils. "What are you… a monster?"

Jericho's eyes were blank as he looked at Dak's face, hypnotized by the reddened sight of blood dripping, then shook out of the trance and stared at his own hands, stepping further back. "No… I don't want to be…" He covered his mouth and nose to block out the aroma. "Take the coin and get out. I no longer want it…"

Dak stared at him. Jericho hissed, his eyes flickering white. "Pick it up!" Dak jerked and quickly snatched the coin, shoving it into his pocket, then ran off, the other boys hurrying behind him.

"We're done here." Dak mumbled. "Let's get out of here. We have what we wanted now..."

Jericho gritted his teeth, watching the gang disappear from his eyes, then turned away, exhaling as he slowly lowered his hand from his face. He groaned from the hunger he had fought against. "That was close… I hope I never see them again."

"Hey Mister!"

Jericho's ears perked up, and he looked to see the fox from earlier running toward him. It was Anna. Jericho blinked. "I remember you. You're the fox on the street who was with that girl hedgehog..."

"You must be Jericho." Anna smiled. "Sonic's told me and Trisha so many things about you."

Jericho was curious and nervous. "What exactly did he say?"

Anna shrugged. "Ooh about how you became our new member last Halloween, and it's almost your first anniversary of being a part of the team. If I'm counting right, Halloween comes in fourteen days… Too bad Trisha and I didn't get the chance to meet you earlier. We had to head out on a one year art festival around the world. It was fun at least. But we don't plan on participating in it for a while. We miss this city too much." She laughed. "And of course, our friends."

Jericho's ear flicked as he thought quietly. "So he never told you my secret yet…"

Anna outstretched her hand, her smile still on her face. "I'm Anna by the way, if you didn't know it up till now."

Jericho bobbed his head, smirking in return. "Anna. Yes. I recognize the name…" He gazed at her hand, then carefully shook it. "Delighted to meet you at last, Anna."

"Likewise~ I'm so happy to see a new member on the team. It's been a while since our last member." She then shuddered as she clasped Jericho's hand in hers with her other hand. "Buuurr, you're freezing. It's obvious now that Fall is here." She let go to rub her arms, making the blood circulate more to get her skin warm. "I knew I should have brought a sweater. It is cold out."  She paused when she watched Jericho stare at his own hand wearily, stroking his fingers together. Her ears flopped sideways. "Are you alright? I didn't offend you, did I?"

Jericho lifted his head to look at Anna, lost in confusion. Anna itched the side of her cheek. "You look… sad."

"Oh… No, I'm fine. I was just in deep thought." Jericho touched the palm of his hand gently before wiping it on his hip, as if trying to get rid of something. "It is a little cold out, I suppose."

"You must be freezing though. All you got on are boots and gloves." Her head tilted as she gazed at Jericho's silver bracelets. The red gems encircling them were dim in glow, but flashing. Anna was concerned. "How come your bracelets are flickering like that?"

Jericho blinked, then twisted his arm to take a look at his gloves. He cupped one hand over his right bracelet. "They usually do that when I'm low in power. I just need to eat and rest. I was on my way back to base, but was unfortunately preoccupied at the time.."

"Well, this city is not one of the most friendly places on earth. There are nice people, as well as rude people." Anna sighed. "Can't help it sometimes, you know? The world is not perfect, and neither are we."

Jericho was silent, but he answered with a nod and focused on his jewels again, his fingers brushing over the bulges.

Anna watched him again, and wondered. "Need a hand getting back to base?"

Jericho's ear flicked, and he stepped forth. "No… I can handle it myself. But thank you for the offer. It was generous… I just need to rest. I used up a little bit of energy when I came across those criminals."

Anna scanned around her, finding broken pieces from the bat, and knelt down to collect them in her hand. "Were you in a fight?"

"Technically no. I didn't want to fight. I wanted to see how foolish they were, having to deal with a creature like me."

Anna stood straight up, her eyes narrowing. "Why do you say that?"

Jericho blinked. His mouth went into a straight line. "Say what?"

"You make 'creature' sound like an insult to yourself."

"… But it's true."

Anna's eyes furrowed more. She didn't understand.

Jericho closed his eyes and sighed softly through his lips, and resumed to walking toward home. "You'll understand later on…"