EDIT (December 22nd, 2008): Hello, friends. Ladyamalphia here to preach. I finished this… lovely… piece of literature last March. It sickens me veerry much. Please, for everyone's sake, turn back now. This story is going to be a waste of your life x). Trust me, I would love nothing more than to just… delete/douse with gasoline and set aflame… it. But I couldn't do that, because of the many magnificent – though undeserved – reviews I received :). If you're looking for something to read, let me suggest one of my other, less sickening stories. Anything but this.

Please… press the back button…

No?

Don't say I didn't warn you.

--LA

A/N: Yes, that's right… Hina is back and… umm… plant…ier than ever :D! Hoorah! For anyone who hasn't read Child's Play, I strongly suggest you do before you read this one… The link's just below. And heck, while you're at it, you might as well write a nice little review :D! I'm really not too sure of the rest of the plot of this one… this chapter's really more of an introduction to what Hina is like after her little transformation-magig at the end of Child's Play. By the way, this one starts off about a month after Child's Play… so Hina is still a cute baby :P. As I'm sure I have said, I have a horrible sense of time… so I couldn't say how long it's going to be. OH! And before I forget… A classmate and I had an… ahem… rather loud discussion regarding my writing. It ended in a small bet regarding what age people would guess that I am based on my stories. I bet that they would guess too young, and he said too old. So if you wouldn't mind taking a guess if (coughwhencough) you review I'd really appreciate it! Without further ado, I present to you A Familiar Stranger.

Child's Play: .net/secure/live_?storyid=3672327&chapter=1

Teehee… The only character I own in this chapter is Hina. And if you touch her without my permission, I will send my scary narwhale army to your house and they'll bomb it with narwhaley… narwhaleness!!!!!!!... Pardon me. Please enjoy the story.

Hina gently patted the loose soil around a tall fern. There was something extremely significant about this small action, and the evening air was filled with a distinct aura of conclusion. This simple act ended an era, for this fifteen-foot high fern was one of the very same overgrown house-plants which had crowded Tails' workshop only weeks earlier. It was the final plant to be relocated into a large empty lot beside Tails' home. What was once desolate and scarce now resembled a thick jungle. Hina got to her feet and brushed the dirt off of her hands and knees. Although mere months before, her entire life had been completely contained in a single seed, she was now just over two feet tall, and had a long, heart shaped face. Her hair was the same length and shade of sea green, and homed two beautiful pink roses which were adorned with shining silver rings. Her dress had stretched until it covered her ankles, and she had sprouted nearly all of her baby teeth. Although the icy blue broach on her chest had neither repaired the thin crack on its surface, nor grown along with the rest of Hina's body, it still shone and radiated a thin light whenever a room was completely dark. She looked sadly up at Tails.

"We're done."

Her vocabulary had inexplicably increased during her growth spurt. Tails knelt beside her with a smile.

"Good job." He whispered, gently brushed a speck of dirt from Hina's cheek. He hugged her, and then got back to his feet.

"Thank you." They were silent for a moment, until Hina spoke again. "Can I come visit them sometimes?"

"Of course!" Tails laughed, lifting Hina onto his shoulders, even though she was much taller than when she was a baby. For some reason, however, she had barely seemed to have gained a pound. He carried her easily the almost hundred meters to their home. He placed her down when they reached the front door.

"Mipro," She asked. Her voice was still high-pitched and adorable. Tails was happy that her name for him had remained, even though Knuckles was no longer "Nun", and Cream was Cream. Tails really liked that Hina had a special name for him, and it made him feel extremely parental. "What was Cosmo like?"

With a sigh, Tails pushed a button, and the large doors opened to the ceiling of the tall room. This was the umpteenth time the small girl had asked that question, and it still pained Tails to answer. The plantless workshop seemed empty and lonely without its previous floral inhabitants.

"It looks big!" Hina stated, here voice echoing. Luckily, she had been completely distracted from her question.

"It certainly does." replied Tails, smiling at the awestruck child. Despite the fact that she had learned some new words, Hina was still a little girl at heart. She then led the way into the kitchen confidently. Even Tails had to admit that it was strange to walk straight across the workshop without having to dodge a singe branch or bough.

"Ready for bed?" Asked Tails with a yawn. Hina shook her head violently.

"No, Mipro! I need my snack!" she insisted. A snack before bed had been part of her daily schedule for so long that it seemed as necessary and unavoidable as the sun rising. "And let's play the worm game!"

"Aright." Tails laughed, walking to the pantry. He grabbed a handful of long, raw spaghetti noodles and picked a ruby-coloured apple from a basket on the counter. "What kind of bird are you today?"

"Peep! Peep! Robin! " Hina giggled, opening her mouth and tilting her head back to be fed.

"Alright, little birdy." Tails said, slicing the apple into eights, then sixteenths. He took the noodles and snapped them into several pieces each. "Today the worms aren't cooked, so we're gonna break them up. Kay?"

"Peep?" Hina said, cocking her head as if she didn't understand English. She tilted her head and opened her mouth wide, keeping happy eyes on Tails. He plopped the brittle pieces of spaghetti into her mouth, where she happily chewed them, enjoying the cracking sound each bite made. When the worms had been devoured, Tails placed a sweet apple slice on Hina's tongue.

"Here come the beetles…" He laughed, and the insects slowly decreased in number until Hina was happily chewing her last beetle.

"Ready now?" He asked, after Hina swallowed the mouthful. She nodded, and stretched her arms out on her sides. This was just another part of the tiny family's nighttime ritual; a little bird, of course, needed to be flown to her nest. Tails lifted her above his head with both arms, and Hina flapped her wings fervently, trying to keep in the air. He carried her to her bedroom- a former guestroom- and dropped her on the squishy bed which was laden with stuffed animals and frilly pillows.

"I need my nest!" She laughed, snuggling into the covers.

"Of course!" Tails replied, sinking into a bow. He hopped beside her on the bed and bunched the blankets, pillows, animals and comforters into a ring to make a nest, just big enough for a sleepy bird. She crawled into the crater, and Tails tossed a final blanket on top of her. She snuggled herself deep into her nest until she was almost completely buried by her ocean of comfort.

"Nightie night, Mipro." came her muffled voice from under her mountain of bedding. "I love you."

"Sweet dreams, Hina." He answered, with a sleepy smile. He flipped the switch of the child's nightlight. It was a strong light tinted blue, and was adorned with a beautiful amethyst and quartz daisy which cast purple and white splashed on the soft pink walls. Tails tiptoed to the door, and quietly switched the main light off. Careful to tread quietly, he made his way back to the workshop. He walked across the room, shuddering slightly when he passed a certain table which a forensic investigator had informed Tails took the life of a mouse who had broken into his house in an attempt to kidnap Hina a month previously. He locked the door with a yawn, taking a casual look out the window as he made his way to bed. To his surprise, there was a sports car parked in front of the empty lot which homed Hina's plants. Two figures were evidently deep in conversation and often pointing out at different places on the lot. After a moment, both got into the car and drove away.

With a causal shrug, Tails left the workshop thinking about Cosmo.

"Am I doing a good enough job?" he said aloud, staring at the ceiling. He desperately hoped that Cosmo would have though that he was doing a satisfactory job. He wanted her daughter to have the best possible life that he could provide. A nasty voice from the back of his head sneered indignantly.

'she nearly died after a month of you taking care of her!'

Tails frowned at his mirror reflection, realizing that the debate in his head had carried him to the bathroom. He snatched up his toothbrush and angrily scrubbed away, and then took a hot, steamy shower which calmed him. The optimistic part of his brain finally piped up and defended him, replaying Hina's words.

'I love you.'

A/N: There ya go! Chapter ONE! :D! Please remember to review, and thank you ever so much for reading! (if you couldn't tell, I've been obsessively watching Alice in Wonderland lately). Please review!!!

--LA