a/n: wow, this is old. i'm gonna continue it though, if i remember what my fifteen-year-old mind was thinking. XD

disclaimer: sonic and co. are © to sonic team. however, the characters here that are obviously not in the games are © to me. nameless they are, but they're characters nonetheless. no profits!

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the clock turns back
written by: sylenis

chapter 1 - past

Thunder clapped, and the rain started pouring. A young hedgehog woman stumbled through the woods, a bundle in her hand. After a moment of silence, it started crying. Little hands flailed about, his face turning red. The mother tried to silence him, exhausted from her long trip.

"I'm so sorry, honey… I didn't wish for this…" On the verge of sobbing herself, she wiped away her tears, and continued running.

"If your father had been alive… only if… I can't give up. He's always told me to never slow down, no matter what…" She wheezed, brushing past trees, and many other obstacles. The baby quieted down for awhile, clinging to his mother's warmth. He was uncomfortable, but noted that his mother wasn't too happy, either. She had hoped that the weather would change for the better, but it only got windier, and wetter. It was extremely dark, and she had to grope around the forest with one hand, while holding the baby with the other. For three dreaded hours, she trudged through the muddy forest, and after hope was almost lost, she ended up in a quiet village. It was vast, and obviously no one was around at this late hour. "This must be South Island…."

"Hello?" She called out, weakly, emerald eyes scanning the village. "I need.. help…" She coughed, sitting down against a tree, near a river. The baby was on his back on her lap, not able to turn over. Heavy rain dropped onto his delicate eyelids, as it blurred his vision. He stared up into the moon, it looking like half of it was chopped off irregularly, but it was really a large branch of a pine oak blocking that half. Bawling loudly, he hoped to catch her attention, but it was no use. Finally, out of exhaustion, he stopped, having a little trouble breathing. The baby hedgehog started coughing, and spluttering a bit. His mother wasn't responding at all…

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Rain hit on the rooftop of Tails' workshop hard. He himself had already been in a deep sleep on his own cot, but Sonic the Hedgehog didn't feel quite right… It was two in the morning, and it seemed like four minutes was an eternity. He rolled over, trying to find a comfortable spot. He heaved a heavy sigh.

"Why can't I sleep! This is really bugging me…" He groaned, turning over once more. He longed to wake up Tails, but he didn't want to bother him. Then again, he was too tired to really do anything. It's just that he couldn't sleep—too tired to sleep, you could say. Something was bothering him. Oh well, whatever it was, it as disturbing his sleep. The hedgehog inhaled slowly, and closed his eyes, hoping his brain would signal his body to fall asleep already. Opening his eyes, he stared through the window to stare at the pale moon… well, half of the moon anyway. Eggman had destroyed some of it recently.

"Déjà vu..?" he muttered, rubbing his tired eyes. Sighing heavily again, the hedgehog rolled over once more. "I need a vacation. I really do… I'm stressed out for no reason." Sonic shook his head, and gradually, he started falling asleep on his own.

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The baby felt somehow different. He was wrapped up in snug blankets, surrounded by pillows. He heard two voices, one masculine and the other feminine. They were discussing something. The baby blinked himself awake, rolling over. He poked his head out from underneath, bright sunlight dancing across his face.

"…but, honey, I don't know if we can keep him… if that's even legal." Said the feminine voice.

"But he has no parents anymore… don't see any trace of him having other family." The male said, sighing as he took a seat. The female raccoon bit her lip. "He's not even our species…" He patted her back.

"We can't let the poor thing to live on his own, can we? Let's take him in as our own…" the male raccoon took her hand. "Besides… we've been trying to have a child for years. But first, he needs a serious check-up. He doesn't seem to be taken care of too well, helpless thing. All I did was clear his air-way…"

The female smiled. "Okay." The raccoons picked up the already awake bundle. He was giggling.

"Blue fur, brown eyes, interesting… this is a unique one." He said, examining it. The female stroked the top of the baby's fur. "I wonder what we should name him?" The male shrugged, handing the baby over to his wife.

"I dunno, really. Let's get him to the hospital, first."

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Hedgehog, Male. He didn't have a last name, or a first. So the hospital labeled by his species, and then his gender. Then he was taken in for examination. After about half an hour…

"This baby is the son of one of the hedgehogs that used to live here… he passed away recently from picking up a deadly bacterial infection up north. Ah, if only I could remember his name…" said the cat, she was the doctor. The female raccoon immediately spoke up.

"And his mother.…" she stopped to bite her lip. The doctor nodded.

"Well…" he hoisted the baby up higher, and now he was playing with her earrings. "Erk—"

"Is it possible that we can… adopt him?" The female spoke timidly.

"Names, please."

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Sonic rolled over in his bed. It was early in the morning, and Tails had already awoken. The rain already cleared away, and it was a lot quieter now, except for Sonic's snoring. Tails could tell that Sonic didn't sleep too much last night—his covers were bedraggled and he was in the most bizarre of positions. The fox chuckled as he got himself something to eat, and started to get to work.

"Mom…" Sonic muttered suddenly. Tails turned his head to look at him. He wasn't awake—he must have been dreaming. Tails blinked, wondering why Sonic would be thinking about his mother at a time like this—who was Sonic's mother, anyway? Tails really didn't know his own parents, either… he flapped his ears over head, solemnly working on his stuff. Had Sonic been thinking about the past that he couldn't remember? Maybe that's why Sonic's been fussing all night. Sonic and Tails hadn't really known their parents—but to Tails, it seemed that Sonic really was the one who raised him. Sonic, too, himself had been very young when he found baby Miles Prower, or 'Tails' as he named him (hence the double tails), name tag and everything. He must have been abandoned because of his abnormality, Sonic thought. So, he took him in as his little brother, and raised him to this day. Sonic had been a great 'father', but he was more of a brother.