The third installment in my Hero's End Saga. Enjoy
Who ever imagined it would have ever come to this outcome? Sonic certainly didn't. He kept wishing he would wake up from this horrible nightmare he was suffering from. Yet no matter how hard he tried he couldn't. He wasn't dreaming, he was staring at cold hard reality. The closest person in his life, someone who was practically his brother, dead. His best friend Miles 'Tails' Prower, dead, killed by a bullet fired by his own hand. That was mere hours ago. Sonic never left the kitsunes side, not during the emotionally painful trip here, not during when Tails was officially pronounced dead, and he remained still by his side as he laid on the cold steel table, covered up to his neck by a white sheet.
Amy was here earlier, having been with Sonic when they found Tails. She couldn't stay in the hospital for very long, since not long after finding the dead kitsunes she fell into an emotional wreck. The blue blur understood perfectly why she left, but he couldn't leave, no, it was more like he wouldn't leave. He remained next to Tails even as the sun dropped below the tree line.
The hospital had quiet down for the evening; visit hours had long come and gone. Unless you were working the night shift, you weren't supposed to be there. Yet no one had the heart to tell that to Sonic. He knew he would have to leave eventually, so where was the logic in staying? It would time, possibly a very long, but he would get over it eventually.
"I'm just gonna go now." Sonic said quietly. "I'll be back Tails." As expected no one answered. "I know you can't hear me…but I promise." He said quietly to the kitsunes lifeless body. Again no one answered, so Sonic took this as his cue to leave. He made his way to the door, rubbing his exhausted eyes as he walked along.
"Just where do you think you're going?" A cold voice said, making the hedgehog stop dead in his tracks. There was no way it could be true. In total disbelief he slowly turned around, only to lock eye with the now sitting up Tails. "…Well? Say something!" The kitsunes barked. His eyes were filled with a lifeless cold hatred, nothing like they were when he was alive.
"You're dead. You have the bullet hole to prove it." Sonic said, with a slight bit of fear and disbelief in his voice.
"Thanks for point out the painfully obvious!" Tails growled, turning so his legs now dangled off the table. Sonic reached back for the doorknob. "A little scared are we?" Tails taunted.
"What's with the attitude?"
"Let's see…could it be because you disappoint me greatly?!" The fox said angry. Sonic couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"What do you mean Tails?"
"I looked up to you Sonic. When I first met you I worshipped the ground on which you walked! Yet all these years later you let me down!" The kitsunes said lowering himself off the table.
"Tails you know I cared for you"
"If you cared so much for me why didn't you try harder, oh great hero?!" Tails slowly began shuffling his bare feet along the floor. "Who am I kidding? You're no hero!"
"You don't mean that Ta…"
"Shut up!" Tails yelled, cutting him off. "This goes beyond just me hedgehog! You know very well….you could've saved her!" He came to a stop just mere inches from Sonic, who could smell Tails slightly decomposing. "You could've saved both of us Sonic! Why couldn't you save us Sonic?! Sonic?! Sonic?!" Tails violently grabbed the freaked out hedgehog, and began shaking him.
"Stop it! Stop it!" Sonic yelled, and then his eyes snapped opened.
"Mr. Sonic, Im sorry but you can't sleep here." A nurse said softly. The blue blur nervously glanced over to the metal table, seeing Tails now completely covered by the white sheet. Apparently he had fallen asleep, and the last few moments he experienced was all one horrifying nightmare, yet it seemed so real. Sonic could swear Tail's corpse was standing in front of him. "It's time for you to go sir." The nurse said softly one again before leaving. Rising to his feet, Sonic walked over not to the door, but to the metal table.
"I'll be back first thing tomorrow little buddy." He said softly, before turning back and heading out the door. As he walked down the hospital corridors, various clocks showed it was one in the morning. It could've been three forty two on a Sunday in the middle of August, and he wouldn't care. Sonic didn't feel like caring for a whole lot. His mood didn't lighten up one bit when he step foot outside. A chilly night out, and the night sky above showed a slight chance of rain. Then something came to him: this was very similar to that fateful night all those years ago. Walking along the deserted road, the lonely hedgehog began to replay that day in his mind. The day that this all began.
"I better move fast if I don't wanna get caught out here!" Then nine year old Sonic thought, running as fast as his legs could carry him. Weather called for rain any minute now. He didn't like the rain, he didn't like it one bit. He didn't like the way it made the air smell after a storm, he didn't like how it clung to his fur, and he HATED how it slicked up the road. Take a wild guess at what happens when he runs too fast on a slick road? "Shortcut!" He called, making a sharp turn into the woods. All Sonic had to do was make it back to his plane, known as the Tornado. Robotnik was here in this region of Mobius, but where exactly? The blue blur planned to check Emerald Hill Zone next. He would have to worry about that later, for a bigger problem was staring him right in the face. Someone had been busy making modifications to his plane, and that someone was finishing up the paintjob.
"I see you been busy." Sonic said, startling the painter big time. He appeared to be just a little fox kit… with two tails. Now there's something you don't see every day.
"I'm…I'm sorry! It…it's just your plane looked li….like it ne…ne…needed a tune up, and I co…couldn't help myself!" the fox said clearly frighten of what Sonic was possibly gonna do. Yet Sonic had his full attention on the plane.
"…I like what you did to the color." Sonic said honestly after a few moments of silence.
"Really?" The fox said surprised.
"Really. I always wanted it to be blue, so now it matches with me. What else did you do?" The young fox instantly stopped being scared.
"I did bunches! I fixed the propeller, fixed the landing gear, and modified the engine!" Sonic had to rub his ears to see if he was hearing right.
"You did all of that in just four hours? How old are you?" The fox had to count his fingers, then he held up three. Sonic was beyond amazed. Only three years old and this kid could do all of that? "Your parents must be proud of you." He knew he had said something wrong when the fox turned his eyes to the ground and began crying. "What did I say?"
"I…don't have…a mommy….or daddy!" The fox cried.
"Hold it, you don't have parents? Don't tell me you live by yourself?" Much to the hedgehog's dismay, the kit nodded.
"No…one wants me…to sleep…in their house…because I…am….a…freak!" He sobbed, waving his twin tails to prove his point. Sonic had heard enough.
"Hey, you are not a freak." He said firmly, getting down on one knee so he was at eye level with the fox. "You are not a freak you understand?" After sniffling the fox nodded. "Having something like two tails doesn't make you a freak. It makes you special." The fox looked deeply into Sonic's eyes.
"Really?" Sonic smiled.
"Really." Then the blue hedgehog wrapped his arms around the fox. "I'll tell you what, it gets pretty lonely flying around like I do, and doing what I do. How would you like to come with me?" The kit looked like his eyes were gonna bulged out of his head.
"You would let me?" Sonic nodded.
"Sure would….but I need your name." The fox frowned, then mumbled something Sonic couldn't quite hear. "What was that?" Then the fox said louder,
"Miles Prower." Sonic couldn't help but snicker, since the kids named sounded like mile-per-hour. "Don't laugh!" Miles said, looking like he was gonna cry again. "I hate my name!"
"Well I can't call you something you hate. Let's see…..how about I call you…..Tails?" The fox though about it for a moment, then hugged Sonic.
"I love it!" Tails said happily.
"Good to know. Climb on it." Sonic said opening the cockpit, letting the fox climb in.
"What's your name?" Tails asked curiously.
"Oh you can call me Sonic." The blue hedgehog climbed into the plane and closed the cockpit right as the rain began to fall. "We'll camp here for the night, and then we're off to Emerald Hill Zone." He said to his new friend.
"Sonic….are we friends?" Tails asked innocently. The blue one looked back to the two tailed fox.
"To be honest with you, I think we're gonna be the best of friends."
Sonic was slowly filling with emotion, remembering that fateful day. The rain had begun to pour down upon him over half an hour ago, but he could care less.
"We…we did become best friends. We even became brothers." Sonic couldn't tell if it was the rain or his own tears that was washing down his face. He finally paused to see just where he wandered off to. Was it a mere coincidence he was at the spot in Station Square where Tails defeated Eggman? Sonic walked over a block away where the grand statue honoring both Sonic and Tails for saving the city from Eggman and Perfect Chaos. He could only stare up at it as the rain drenched him to the bone.
"…Are you happy Tails?" Sonic called to the statue, not caring if anyone heard him. "Are you happy where you are? I….I hope you know what you're missing out on!" It may have looked ridiculous to see Sonic yelling at a statue of his best friend, but for him it was releasing built up tension. "You had your whole life ahead of you; you had so much to live for! I know….you missed Cosmo really bad, but did it have to come to this?!" For a moment he expected the statue to answer. "We all miss her Tails, how do you think I feel? I couldn't save her….and I couldn't save you!" A brief clash of thunder rang out. "I let you down Tails! I'm sorry!" Now Sonic had tears mixing with the rain. "Don't just stand there say something!" Lightning briefly lit the night sky, illuminating the statue's faces. "That's right…..you can't! I'm never….never gonna hear from you again….it's not fair!" Suddenly and violently Sonic took hole of a full trashcan and threw it into the statue, scattering the contents around and about to the soaked by the rain.
"Why?! We could've helped you Tails! Did she mean that much to you?!" Thunder and lightning lit up the sky. Slowly Sonic walked out to the center of the street, holding his arms out to the side, looking up to the night sky. "Come on! Right here!" Another clash of thunder rang out. "Come on! Hit me! Do it! Come on!" Lightning yet again flashed across the sky. "Please! I'm begging you! Hit me!"
"Sonic!" A voice rang out. The blue hedgehog looked beyond his shoulder and was surprised to see Shadow the Hedgehog standing there in the rain, looking slightly angry.
"Wha…what are you doing here Shadow?"
"You never made it home after the hospital closed. Your friends were worries sick." The ebony hedgehog explained.
"Do they…"
"We all know about Tails." Shadow cut him off. Sonic was running out of questions.
"How did you find me?"
"The search for you was called off hours ago, but look who I find standing outside my front door." Shadow said pointing to an apartment building.
"You…you didn't…"
"I heard every word you said." Shadow slowly began approaching him. "What were you thinking?"
"Back off faker!" Sonic said deadly serious.
"Getting yourself struck by lightning? Just what was that gonna prove? What was that gonna fix?" Shadow came to a stop mere feet from Sonic. The only sound around them was the pitter patter of rain hitting the pavement. "When's this gonna be over for you huh?" Shadow asked seriously.
"Back off Shadow! You'll never know." Sonic said, turning to walk away.
"When's it gonna be over? When's it gonna be good enough, hey don't you turn your back on me!" Shadow growled deeply, lunging forward, and forcing Sonic to look at him, man to man. The blue hedgehog tried to break free, till Shadow said, "Sonic things go wrong! You can't explain it, you can't predict it! But come on killing your self's not gonna bring Tails back!" At that moment Sonic stopped struggling and let Shadow's words sink in. He didn't realize it at the time but this is exactly what he needed: a wakeup call. "I'm sorry he died, I truly am, but he's in a better place now, so you gotta move on; stop living in the past, beating yourself up over it and look at what you have in front of you!"
"…what are you saying Shadow?"
"You have people who care Sonic!"
The ebony hedgehog gave sonic a light shove, sending the blue hedgehog bottom first into a building puddle of water. Shadow began walking away, but paused to look over his shoulder. "You're wrong you know? I know what you're going through. I know what it's like….I have for fifty years." Finally Shadow left Sonic in the condition his mind was in. Sonic sat where he was, not noticing the rain drenching him, before rising to his feet. He sloshed his soaked shoes over to the base of statue. He sat directly under the Tails portion, and that's where he remained till dawn.
The rain had stopped some time earlier, with it the sun rose high making it a sight to behold. Citizens of Station Square didn't know of the tragic news they would receive when they began to move about, involving the hero they lost. Only a handful currently knew…and one made it his personal mission to make sure no one ever forgets.
When the sun rose Sonic had a promise to keep. As soggy as he was, he walked all the way to where Tails was. Ignoring the weird looks he was getting, Sonic walked down the hospital corridors, and down to the morgue.
"Hey…it's me again." Sonic said quietly to his decease friend. "…I know you can't hear me….but I came back…just like I promised." He pulled up a metal chair and sat next to his best friend's lifeless body. "Had a little talk last night… and umm, I really needed it. I… I know I have to come to terms with this." He paused to gather his thoughts. "I know you'll never blame me for your death, and I hope you know no one blames you for…her death. There's too much for me to say right now in the condition I'm in." Sonic looked down at his soggy fur, then continued. "Tails…it's time to give you what you deserved. It's time to give you what you earned." Slowly Sonic got up, but before he could leave, he walked back over to Tails.
"…See you later."