~*I Believe In…*~

I believe…In myself and destiny and all things that have and always will be.

Musical Inspiration: Green Hill Zone (Piano)

Tails lay on his back, arms folded behind his tawny head, studying the sweep of stars far, far above him.

Miles Prower was extremely intelligent for such a young fox. He was a boy by the standards of any society, animal or human. He could tell you exactly how far the stars were, how they were made, why the night was dark, and create a spaceship to sail that very same night if he so wished.

He had done so already.

Regardless, Tails wasn't arrogant in the slightest. If anything, he could do with a self-esteem boost, for the shy fox would never toot his own horn, so to speak. But he was happy, very happy. The kid lacked for nothing, and he had everything he wanted and more.

Well. Almost everything.

Reaching over, the techno genius closed his gloved hands around a notepad. Pulling the black pen from its silver spirals, he began scribbling an abstract blueprint design for…something. Just so he could busy himself whilst he thought over the day.

Sonic, his constant traveling companion, was wandering Mobius and the human world of Earth. Naturally, Tails accompanied him. The two had been together for years, and the eight-year old fox practically worshipped the sixteen-year old hedgehog. The pair were currently far south of the last Mobian city, Metropolis. They were actually closer to the human town of Sanctum…

Scratching out his current drawing, Tails swished his twin tails—the very same appendages that had given him his name—thoughtfully. The lush, verdant, summer-warm forest around them was known as Heartwood, famous in Mobian folklore for reuniting the two star-crossed lovers Rollo and Janie after the former had been gone for so long in a war…

Naturally, Tails knew the story well. Love wasn't something that interested him heavily, but the intelligent fox had a general intrigue for all forms of writing, be it about science or love or anything else.

Twitching his ears, he lifted his white muzzle and gazed down the small, wooded hillside. At its base, an orange fire blazed brightly, illuminating a dark blue shape slumbering near its warm embrace. An immense feeling of affection welled up inside of him.

That was Sonic, of course. His caretaker, his first and best friend, his brother in every way but blood. It was hard not to like him, and Tails was no exception to that rule. He loved Sonic as only family members could love one another—irrevocably.

Beyond the napping hedgehog lay Mirror Lake. Once again, it was the setting of fairy tales. It was said that the still surface of the water, perfectly clear and with nary a ripple, had caused the impromptu death of Marcus the Vain as he gazed too deeply into its depths and ended up drowning himself because he had been too stuck on his own beauty to look away.

Now that I do find unlikely. No one is that stupid!

Tails tapped his fingers against his notepad, laying it down at his side again. The grass swished and rustled softly as he stood, padding quietly down the hill. He was restless, as was becoming the case more and more often these days. Huffing so hard that his whiskers trembled, the fox found a spot on the lakeshore devoid of troublesome duckweed, crouching near the water's flawless shine.

The moon's light played havoc with Mirror Lake, shimmering so intensely in places that Tails's eyes couldn't even focus on some spots for long without starting to ache. He directed his sky-blue stare towards his own reflection instead, looking down at himself and wondering if he liked what he saw there.

Gazing back was a young fox, youthful in features from his oversized ears—(they hadn't caught up to his body, Sonic joked)—to his small snout. His orange fur was smooth and well-kept, save for three unruly spines that insisted on jutting forward from his head like hedgehog quills (he liked it that way). His muzzle was snow-white, like the tops of his tails, his gloves, and his chest. His eyes, however, were different from the rest of him. Maybe not wiser, but older somehow. Stronger, showing an inner strength that belied his scrawny frame.

Reaching out, Tails tapped the surface of the lake. A single ripple flowed outward, but that was all. Soon after, the water became stone-still again. Flicking an ear, the fox noted the rustling of the trees nearby—(their canopies were thick with cherry blossoms)—and he wondered why the lagoon resisted the tug of the elements.

He could be wrong, but he thought the wind had a hand in causing the usual shifting that occurred in ponds and such.

Curious now, Tails leaned even closer and saw straight down to the bottom of the water. It was crystal-clear and very enticing. He'd have a good swim in it before they left. Fish, not threatening in size or appearance, darted calmly across the lake floor.

What causes that? What makes Mirror Lake so special? Why's it have no waves?

Tails poked the surface again. He was a practical kid, in some senses. He had an inner scientist that saw the world as a place of rules and things that could be explained with a few theories. He had some friends, however, that saw it as something else entirely.

Like Knuckles. The stoic echidna that guarded the powerful and legendary Master Emerald had no patience for his "smart babble". Knuckles would probably not question the workings of the Mirror Lake. He'd say it was simply like that, and it would always be that way. Magic and nature were one and the same to the echidnas, whom had a society based on the might of the Chaos Emeralds and their Master.

Others, like Amy and Sonic, were probably similar to Knuckles. It was just that way, and there wasn't an explanation needed for it. Or if they did think of it, it was only as an idle passing thought and not a seed to take root until it spread.

He himself…well, Tails was quite honestly interested in finding a scientific answer. But maybe science didn't have a solution for something like this. Maybe it really was just…this way.

It made him think of Cream, oddly. Cream the Rabbit and her Chao, Cheese. Cream was two years his junior, and the bunny would see magic and intrigue in everything. Where Tails only saw the breeze shaking down leaves when he turned his head, he knew she would say it was a wood nymph that sprang away as soon as he turned to look, and that made the leaves fall…

Tails sighed and shook his head. Sleep pricked at his eyes but he couldn't seem to find its empty embrace when he reached for it. As he thought about Cream, he also thought about what she had. A loving mother—her father was gone—a permanent home, and plenty to eat. He and Sonic by no means starved, but as nomads that never stayed put for long, some nights were rougher than others.

A permanent home didn't entice him for now. Tails liked to travel and see the world and find answers to its riddles. As for food, well, he and Sonic still had satchels full of the stuff. And if he really wanted, the Blue Blur could zip off to a fast food stand and be back before thirty minutes had passed from their very position right now near the lake.

No, what he really longed for, the only thing he didn't truly have, was a mother. And a father.

He was an orphan, for Sonic didn't know his parents and neither did anyone else. Even Eggman had admitted once to not knowing the fox's parents. It made Tails somewhat melancholy now as he watched a few sakura flowers settle noiselessly on the still surface of the tarn.

Where are my parents?

If he applied his considerable IQ to the task, he could possibly find his parents. His unnamed mother and father. It might take years, but there was a good chance, if he tried. But a part of him was scared, scared to try and do just that. Why?

…What if they had abandoned him? Didn't want him? The two-tailed freak with the brain power of a dozen regular humans and animals. What if he had been banished from his home because of his unnatural, though very useful, namesakes?

Twirling his twin tails tightly, the boy genius lifted off of the ground. The wind from his ascension didn't even stir Mirror Lake's smooth top. He loved to fly, though it tired him out, hence why he had built an airplane, the X-Tornado, a while ago.

Settling down again, the fox buried his head in his arms, drew his knees to his chest, and sighed. He suddenly felt very alone in the world.

Soft steps behind him reminded Tails that he wasn't.

"Yo, Tails. You okay?"

"Hey, Sonic." Oh no, his voice had cracked. Lifting his head, the kid flicked some stray tears from his whiskers.

The blue hedgehog looked nervous—comfort wasn't his forte—but nonetheless, he sat down near his friend. "What's the matter, Tails?"

"N-Nothing." He sniffed and rubbed his eyes.

"Ah, c'mon. Something's wrong. You can tell me," Sonic assured him. There was nothing but warmth in his voice and green gaze.

Shuffling uneasily, the fox asked tentatively, "Do you…do you think my parents loved me, Sonic?"

Silence for a second. This startled him, and Tails turned to his companion worriedly. To his surprise, Sonic's spines were drooping and his ears were flat to his head.

"I don't think so."

Shock froze the techno genius's tongue and dried out his mouth. A fresh wave of despair washed through him, scouring his insides clean.

"I know so." Sonic finished, clapping a hand on Tails's shoulder. He gave him a thumbs up, grinning hugely. "I know you must miss your parents, and I don't blame you. But I know they love you and wherever they are now, they're proud and happy. It's not every day you see a two-tailed fox, and with your face all over TV, they must be bursting with pleasure!"

Tails's ears pricked straight up, and hope clouded his tone and danced through his next few words. "You really think so?"

"Not think so, know so." The hedgehog abruptly grew serious, brows drawing together as he said, "Tails, I know you had nothing at first. So when I found you, and grew to like you, you know what I thought?"

Captivated by his idol's unusually wise mannerisms, the fox just shook his head.

Sonic smiled, emerald eyes flashing in the moon's light. "I thought to myself, 'Sonic, if you take care of this kid, you'll have more responsibility than you've ever had before. You'll have to make sure he's clothed and fed, safe, and happy. And you know what else? You'll have to do something difficult.' And at the time, the reason I kept insisting that you leave and find someone else to hang around with, was because, buddy…I was scared of responsibility back then."

"You were scared?" The concept was staggering.

"Yeah, I was! I was freaked out!" Sonic laughed, and then turned somber again. "The biggest thing I was concerned about was the hardest thing. Tails, I knew that if I took care of ya, I'd have to be your family. Not just your brother, but your mom. Your dad. Your everything. Pal, y'know I have a family. A mother and a father and an uncle and more relatives than I care to remember. They're doing great back in Knothole with Sally watchin' over them. But I didn't know how to be those things, and I was afraid that if I screwed up in some unfixable way, what then?"

"But…?" Tails began, feeling a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

"I decided to take you on. And Tails…" Sonic sighed and closed his eyes. It was unlike him to be so serious, but he knew the hedgehog had plenty of times like this. "It was the best decision of my life. I had a friend and a little brother."

Touched to his very core, the fox did the only thing he could think of. He flung his arms around Sonic and hugged him tightly, ignoring the quills that prodded his skin past his short fur. The Fastest Thing Alive was frozen for a heartbeat, likely in shock, and then he returned the gesture.

"No matter what you believe, remember that you're my family, even if you no longer have one." Sonic murmured.

Tails pulled back at last, feeling happy tears stalk down the side of his face. He rubbed them away with the back of his gloved hands. "T-Thanks, Sonic!"

Like flipping a switch, the charismatic hedgehog was once more carefree. "Hey, no problem Tails! Now, you better get to bed. Me too, heh." He gestured to the sky over their heads, and just on the horizon, only a thin band of orange but there nonetheless, was the dawn.

Guilt flowed freely within the fox. "Oh, I'm sorry Sonic!"

Sonic waved it off, standing. He helped the boy genius to his feet and indicated the campsite. As Tails trailed after him, he suddenly recalled his notepad.

"Oh, I forgot something! Can I go get it? I'll be just a second!"

The Blue Blur shrugged in a way that said he could do whatever he pleased. He yawned and shook his head, muttering something about the wind changing direction.

The duo followed the wind wherever it went, after all.

Racing up to the hillside, Tails picked up his notepad and began swiftly writing something.

I believe…

In science and magic—that things have laws but some things just can't be explained.

In love and hate—both are strong, but one is stronger and is never wrong.

In family and friends—they will always be there for you.

"Tails, you comin'?" Sonic called.

"Be right there!"

He scribbled one last hurried line before bolting down to the fireside.

In happiness and despair—those fortunate enough to understand the above will never be short of joy.

Um…right. This was probably super bad but I wanted to get this idea out of my head, so sorry for any OOC-ness and etc. I'm annoyed with FF for getting rid of my normal page breakers for some reason—they don't show up, and I don't know if anyone else has suddenly had theirs go POOF like that.

Anyway. Reviews are very much appreciated!