I'm rewriting this so everyone can enjoy it. I didn't make any changes to this chapter.
I.
It's just a t-shirt, silly.
Morning sunlight poured into the plain room. It didn't bother him. He was already up. Sitting on the edge of his bed, Silver glanced out the window. The light blinded him for a brief moment. He used his arm to block it, wishing he had curtains. The future was bright now. It was a sunny place where everyone could start over, where they could rebuild their cities and restart civilization. Everyone was pleased with their new life. Everyone but him. He had suffered a loss in order to make these people happy, and they didn't even notice him when he walked down the newly paved roads.
Blaze had always told him not to take what people say to heart, but he couldn't help it. Humans were very judgmental, and didn't keep their harsh words to themselves. They whispered to one another, but his advanced hearing picked it up. So, he tended to stay at home, only leaving to gather life necessities: food, pans, clothes, water, et cetera. Without the frisky feline around to put him to work, he had become extremely disorganized. Books could be found in random places, even in the kitchen. His closet was loaded with piles of clothes, mainly shirts because he wasn't fond of the uncomfortable feeling from wearing pants. Dishes were often rotting in the sink for days before he reminded himself to wash them. Papers littered his desk, covering the keyboard of his laptop. It was never on – He didn't have much of a use for it anyway.
He jumped off his bed and into the other room. Silver had a small one-story house. It was just enough space for him to live comfortable alone. He placed a tea kettle on the stove and sat at the table, waiting for the familiar hissing of the boiled water. There was a window directly in front of him. Outside, new grass was poking through the cracked earth. Buds on a nearby tree were just beginning to form – He even caught sight of a few leaves. The sky was bright blue and had a few puffy clouds lazily floating by. She would be proud of him. If only she could see what they had done…she would be very proud.
Blaze hadn't died. He knew that for sure. She was sent to a different dimension. But, did she have memories of him? Did she know who he was? Did she miss him as much as he missed her? Where was she? He sighed to himself, staring down at his ungloved hands. Silver would've never guessed that being alone hurt so much. The memories were too vivid for him to forget, no matter how hard he wanted to.
A whistling sound altered him that the water was ready. He poured it into a mug and placed a teabag inside it, letting the string hang over the edge. Waiting, he watched the stream rise from the cup and disappear into the air. After a few minutes the water had turned a dark green color. He removed the bag and took a sip, cringing at the burning feeling as it slipped down his throat. He returned to the table, warming his hands on the heated mug.
What would he do today? The laundry was finished; the clothes just had to be folded. He did the dishes the previous night while listening to the radio. He would watch a movie, but he doesn't own a television set. Blaze would have them take a walk around the newly forming town nearby to purchase a batch of cookies from the baker. Maybe he'll stop by after lunch.
He took another sip from the mug, enjoying the calming taste of the Japanese tea. She always laughed at him. She said he was weird by drinking tea rather than coffee. It was just one of his many un-boyish characteristics. She often teased him whenever he wore an apron, or when he cried during a sad TV show, or the fact that he'd read a romance novel instead of comic books. He felt foolish, but knew she would defend him if anyone else ridiculed the way he lived. Silver smiled at the thought of her yelling at someone like Amy to protect him.
His thoughts were interrupted when he tried to take another sip from his mug, only to find that it was empty. He placed it in the sink and dragged himself back to his room. He rummaged through his closet for a moment, pulling out a plain, black t-shirt. He slipped it on. It was meant to be worn on a human, so, on him it appeared ridiculously long, ending just before his knees. The sleeves almost reached his elbows. He wore a white belt around his waist. It hugged him, showing off slight feminine curves he had gained from his eating habits. He never ate much. Not like there was much to eat before Iblis' defeat, anyway.
Silver sat at his desk, pushing away some of the papers. He pressed a button on the computer and it came to life. Since the town had established electricity, cable, and Wi-Fi, he was able to leach off them. Of course, he was billed for the electricity, but no one seemed to care that he borrowed their internet access. He checked his messages subconsciously, not really expecting anything. To his surprise, he had received an e-mail from Sonic. He stared at it, puzzled. How could he receive a message from someone in a completely different time period? He pushed the thought aside and clicked it. It read:
OMG. I finally figured out how to use this thing. Hey, drop by sometime soon. We all want to see you again. PS Bring the manual so I can figure out how to hook this thing up to the cameras to spy on Egghead.
He chuckled to himself. Sonic was always impaired when it came to technical things. He wanted to do everything on his own too, meaning that he most likely refused Tails' help. The message had been sent a few days ago. Silver smiled. He could travel back to see everyone, it's not like he would be missed here, anyway. Maybe he could bring them a batch of cookies from the baker as well.
An hour later, he had straightened everything up for his leave. Finally, his clothes were neat. His bed had been made for the first time in weeks. And, those pesky papers had been placed in an orderly pile beside his desk. He would need to take a suitcase. He didn't own much, but he enjoyed being clothed throughout the day. Of course, he could always buy something new. Pulling a suitcase from under his bed, he decided to take a few of his prized possessions: his favorite shirts, a framed picture of Blaze, his laptop, and a sketchbook.
About two months ago, he had met another anthropomorphic creature that strangely resembled Sonic. It was at an art festival. Silver was admiring the artist drawing an exact copy of the person posing before him. They were introduced, and the white hedgehog immediately became interested in the profession. So, the painter taught him a few tricks. The two spent the day practicing. When the festival closed down, the artist had given him a sketchbook, along with a few supplies. He never did remember his name.
He closed his suitcase and unwrapped a fake Chaos Emerald Tails had designed for him. It would allow Silver to travel back in time to see them. But, it was a one-way ticket. Once in the past, he would need two real Emeralds and either Sonic or Shadow's help to return home. Hopefully, he wouldn't have to deal with the black hedgehog that much. He and Shadow didn't have a good relationship. They always fought before, and he was positive things haven't changed between them.
He held up the dim Emerald and muttered 'Chaos Control'. A swirling blue portal appeared in front of him. Holding his suitcase close beside him, he stepped into it, pulled forward by the strength of the vortex. Colors whirled around him for a brief moment, and then disappeared in a flash of bright light. He had shut his eyes to protect them. It flung him onto lush grass. The case flew out of his hands and bumped into the front door of an unfamiliar house. Silver hadn't known where it would take him, since Tails created it, but hoped the fox's coordinates were correct.
He scrambled to his feet and snatched his suitcase off the ground. The door was opened just as he straightened himself. A familiar blue hedgehog was standing before him. He was holding an armful of empty DVD cases. With a bright smile, he literally dropped everything and outstretched his arms. "Silver!" He pulled the youth into a tight hug. Silver hadn't been embraced in such a long time. For some reason, he didn't want to be let go. "It's so good to see you." Sonic said, an awkward tone staining his voice. A moment slowly passed them. Neither of the two had released each other. "I'm glad to see you too, Silver." It was then that he noticed he was still clinging to the hero.
"Sorry I didn't arrive sooner," He apologized, stepping back to allow the other room to breathe. "I just got your message." He held out the requested manual. Sonic's eyes lit up.
"Hey, thanks! I've been dying for this." He leaned against the frame of the doorway, accidentally kicking one of the fallen DVD cases. His ears flicked forward as he remember they were there. "C'mon in." He said, scooping up the cases and pushing the door aside to allow Silver access. "It's a bit of a mess, so watch were you step." After placing everything down in a messy pile on the carpet, Sonic took the suitcase from the hand of his guest. "Everyone's outside." He said, motioning for the white hedgehog to follow him. "Guess who's here!"
The gang was crowded around a large swimming pool. Their conversations ceased as they caught sight of Silver. Amy was the first to respond. She waved with a bright smile. Cream and her chao sat beside the pink hedgehog, the rabbit's feet partially in the water. Tails was there, overly happy to find that his fake Emerald had been successful. Rouge didn't seem to notice, she was too busy working on tan, he assumed. Shadow merely gave him a quick glance, then returned to the book in his hands. Sonic sighed, disappointed at the welcoming they were giving him.
"Don't worry, they'll realize eventually."
"Thanks, Sonic." He leaned forward on his toes and gave the blue hedgehog a quick kiss on the cheek. He stepped back, giving Silver a strange look. In the past, Blaze had thanked him with a kiss, being the kind person that she was. He grew up responding in the same way, but what he didn't realize was that the gesture had a completely different meaning in this time period.
"Uh, sure." The two stood in uncomfortable silence for a while. "Lemme show you to your room." He picked up the suitcase he had set down beside him and led the white hedgehog back inside. "How long do you plan on staying?" Sonic's bright smile had returned.
Silver hadn't put much thought into exactly how long. Perhaps a day or two. But, now that he thought about it, a week would be better. Maybe two weeks? "I don't know, about a month?" They climbed the stairs.
"A month?" Sonic sounded surprised. "With this much stuff?" He opened a door at the end of the upstairs hall and stepped aside, letting Silver go in first. He quickly changed the subject, not allowing him time to respond. "My room's right next door. This is the furthest away from Shadow," He said, knowing the two hedgehogs didn't get along. "Amy is across the hall. Just ask either of us if you need anything."
The room was plain: a bed placed in the corner by a window, a desk facing the wall on the other side, a dresser, a nightstand beside the bed, two closets, and a short, Japanese-styled table in the middle of the room. Silver immediately went to peek out the window. Below him was the swimming pool. He could see most of his presumed friends. "This is nice."
Sonic set the suitcase beside the bed. "Alright. I'll be downstairs if you need me." He attempt to leave the room, but stopped himself. "Oh, Silver?" The white hedgehog glanced over his shoulder. "What the hell are you wearing?" He asked, pointing to the oversized shirt.
"Wha-This?" He looked down at himself, not finding anything wrong with his outfit. "It's just something I got at this little corner store." The hero tugged and the hem of the youth's shirt, inspecting it. He seemed unconvinced.
"Seriously. What is this?" Sonic asked again, gently tugging at the belt around his waist. To the blue hedgehog, it appeared to be a strange, futuristic dress.
Silver giggled. His cheeks turned a light shade of pink. "It's just a t-shirt, silly."
"It looks great on you." He smiled.