The Helper

"I would like to introduce our graduating class of familiars. These young men and women have trained tirelessly in the art of protection and support."

Umbra's ears buzzed as he scanned through the outrageous crowd before him. It was a hopeless cause. Umbra wasn't even sure why he was looking. But he was.

"I believe we should begin by introducing our Valedictorian, Umbra Astral!"

Just as rehearsed, Umbra stood and bowed. Another glance at the crowd confirmed his fears.

In the front row, an empty chair seemed to glare at him, marked with the name 'Astral.'

----

Umbra's feet sank into the damp ground as he flew out of the mouth of the temple, gasping as cold rain hit his back. Panting for breath, he hastily scanned the vicinity, but Tails was nowhere in sight.

Umbra touched his sleeve, an idea forming in his head. Tails had been laying on him. His scent was all over his arm.

Cautiously, he took a deep breath, inhaling Tails's distinct smell. Umbra couldn't remember the last time he had tracked someone solely by smell, but he was going to have to try. He had seen Aunora do it during their solo mission, so how hard could it be?

Following his nose, Umbra stumbled into the brush, his senses alive as he shuffled through the hundreds of specific, varying scents that seemed to pool in the jungle. A path opened up to him, faint, but workable. He had his trail.

He dived through the bushes, the rain creating a haphazardly slippery run through layers of mud and leaf litter. Darkness had settled over the trees, and it took all of Umbra's concentration not to break his neck.

The scent trail opened to a clearing by a small stream. Tails knelt at the bank, hands over his face. Umbra could hear him heaving for breath. Magic crackled across his skin.

Cautiously, he took a step forward, crouching beside Tails. He was trembling violently, eyes unfocused and wide.

Slowly, Umbra took Tails by the hand, gently squeezing it. "Can you feel that?"

Tails shakily turned to Umbra, flinching. He nodded as if his head was under water.

"Good. Focus on that. I'm going to ask some questions. Please answer them to the best of your ability," Umbra continued to squeeze Tails's hand, giving him something steady to direct his attention to. "What do you see around you?"

"Trees...Um, s-some sand..." Tails coughed into his sleeve, and Umbra could see the flash of magic, "And you."

"What can you hear?"

"Crikets," Tails looked up, his eyes becoming less glassy, "Your voice...some birds, too." The magic around him started to die out.

Umbra bought Tails's hand to the edge of the bank, dipping his fingers into the water. "Now, how does the water feel? Is it cold? Can you feel the mud at the bottom?"

Tails took a shuddering breath as he stared at the water lapping around his wrist. "It's really cold. And, uh, there's a little rock under my hand. It's in the mud."

"Take a deep breath," Umbra murmured, "Through the nose, and then out your mouth." Umbra watched with calm but stern eyes as Tails followed his directions. He smiled, "Thank you. You did good, I'm proud."

Tails hugged his chest, wiping his eyes. "What was that?" he croaked, voice less frantic than before.

"Just a little something to calm you down. Now, can you tell me what's wrong?"

Tails closed his fingers around Umbra's hand. "I'm just really stressed out. I don't like being emperor. It's horrible." Tails paused, turning his head away from Umbra, "Aw geez, I must sound so whiny. I shouldn't be complaining. There's people worse off than I am. I'm sorry."

Umbra shook his head, wrapping an arm around Tails's shoulders. "No, it's okay. These are your feelings. Don't apologise for your emotions. Just because people think you should be happy, doesn't mean you are."

"I just feel so...unwanted, y'know?" Tails eyes blazed with another wave of oncoming tears, "Like nothing I say or do even matters. The Council has treated me like nothing my entire life. I just want people to pay attention to me."

Umbra's heart skipped a beat. He pushed aside the memories that threatened to resurface.

"That's why I really wanted to release Coatl. He was the first person to treat me like I mattered."

Tails fell against Umbra's shoulder. "But I just don't wanna tell anyone how I feel, y'know? I don't wanna annoy anybody or upset them. That's why I've kept me being a hybrid mage a secret. I don't want people to worry. I've gotta be a leader and just..."

"Put up a brave face?" Umbra asked, his cool demeanor faltering.

Tails laughed dryly. "Yeah, just like that."

Umbra rubbed his shoulders, feeling the tension in his neck muscles. "Tails, it's okay to be upset. It's okay to be scared. There's nothing wrong with telling someone how you feel. Bottling up everything inside only makes you feel worse." A nauseous feeling clawed its way up Umbra's throat. He bitterly swallowed it.

Tails pressed his face against Umbra's sleeve. "I wish I could be strong like you."

Umbra leaned back with a frown, closing his eyes. "Actually, Tails..."

Author's Note- ahha im back in the writing spirit