Okay, so I don't own Sonic the Hedgehog. SEGA does. There's my disclaimer. As for the story, it just popped into my mind one day, and I've been meaning to write a fic under this category, so I thought why not? Anyways, I DO, however, own my OC; Laine. Please no flames, because I'm sick of them. Respective criticism is appreciated Enjoy!
All was quiet that night in Emerald City that night. It was dark and gloomy with dull, gray clouds hanging over the moon, making it much spookier than need be. It was also chilly, with bitter cold winds gusting through the empty streets. It was also showing signs of rain. Heavy rain.
As it was late, most were in their warm, pleasant homes, deep asleep in their cozy little beds. All except one lone figure, who crept and lurked around in the shadows.
The young male figure, no older than eight at the time, glanced around, the shadows enveloping him in their dark, welcoming arms. The teenager stepped away from the shadows, and, instead, walked up underneath a lone street lamp.
As the light flooded around the newcomer, it was revealed that he was a black cat; a species not commonly found in those areas. He had long, blood-red hair that reached his mid-back, which flowed messily behind him in the wind. He wore a white t-shirt; dirty with a tear here and there, but a shirt nonetheless and also wore a pair of dark blue jeans and black, combat boots. A red scarf and what appeared to be airship goggles were also on his person, the goggles pulled up onto his forehead. He had a small, brown backpack hanging loosely over his shoulder, and his eyes were large and golden, looking as if he could see into you with a mere glance. His name, though? Laine Dune.
Laine wasn't a particularly great kid. His father was, and still is, a fugitive. His mother was incapable of taking care of him, his brother, and his sister. So they were moved to an orphanage. After his sister was adopted, his brother, Erik, escaped the orphanage to start a new life. Laine had just escaped himself, and was in search of his brother.
Laine frowned as his eyes scanned the unfamiliar surroundings, his gloved hand tightening on a small bottle of liquid he was carrying. "Where am I?" the cat thought to himself, as he let out a sigh of frustration and kicked a nearby dumpster in sheer anger, the thud of the boot touching metal being carried out through the quiet streets.
And that's when he first heard it.
The child was about to turn around and head back the way he came, when he cocked his head to an unfamiliar sound. Laine growled and swiftly pocketed the container, pulling out a small, worn sword from a hidden sheath. His ears perked as the sound became louder and louder. "Curiosity killed the cat, you know," Laine mentally reminded himself as he stalked closer to the strange noise, suppressing a small grin. His mother had always told him that he knew too much for his own good…
But his smile disappeared as soon as he saw what the sound was coming from.
Behind a rather large dumpster was a shivering, baby hedgehog. Laine just stared at the child as it continued to wail, and the eight year-old slowly put the weapon away, knowing there was no use for it.
He then picked up the small baby from the cardboard box, not really certain of what to do. He had never really seen a baby before. The cat bit his bottom lip as the hedgehog continued to cry. Laine was trying to calm it down, just as it started to rain.
That made the situation even worse, unfortunately. The young feline merely sighed as he took off his shirt and wrapped the small child in it like a blanket, and ran to the nearest shelter; an abandoned, ancient warehouse.
Once Laine found a large area that was actually dry, he set the young hedgehog down, and sat beside the child. He had stopped crying as soon as they had escaped the rain, which was now pouring down on the rooftops now. Curiously, the infant turned to his tired rescuer, eyeing the teenager.
Laine turned his head slightly, his golden eyes locking into the hedgehog's round, green ones. "Looks like we're gonna be here a while," the cat said as he patted his company's head, causing the younger of the two to giggle. The feline grinned slightly. "Well, do you have a name?"
The hedgehog just stared blankly at Laine, causing the older child to sigh. "Well, I gotta call you something!" As the young cat pondered, the infant toddled turned his attention to a shiny, red apple. The sweet fruit must have fallen from the apple tree that loomed over a large hole in the ceiling. The eldest didn't notice what the baby was looking at, until he ran to the apple at such a speed, which caused the black cat to gasp in shock.
The infant, barely able to stand, was incredibly fast. "Even faster than me," he thought to himself; he was one of the fastest children on the playground.
That's when the kitten grinned slightly, as the undeveloped baby picked the apple up and ran back to his guardian at the speed of light. "I'll call you Sonic!" Laine said excitedly, as he picked the hedgehog, now entitled Sonic, and spun him around. "Now, how's say I make us some apple sauce, hmm?"
Not too long afterwards, Laine and Sonic finished the apple sauce that the older made with a bowl, a spoon, and an old hammer he had found. Not the best, but the two were able to eat it. As the kitten cleaned the now dirty utensils with the rain water that dripped down from cracks in leaks in the worn roof, little Sonic was content on playing with Laine's fluffy tail, causing both to giggle and smile.
Just as Laine was finishing, the blue hedgehog yawned and rubbed his eyes. That's when the older child knew just how late it was. It had stopped raining about twenty minutes ago, but it was still plenty wet. He yawned as well as he put his items back into his pack. He then picked Sonic up, and laid him down on a large and fortunately dry stack of hay. The infant curled up, and glanced at Laine with heavy eyelids as he yawned once more. Laine placed his t-shirt over the infant to keep him warm.
The boy then lay down next to his newfound friend, tiredly smiling. "We'll sleep here for tonight… G'night, Sonic…" he murmured before falling asleep, his arm wrapped around the younger.
Laine groaned as he awoke the next morning, hay sticking to his cold, wet body as he slowly sat up. Light was shining down from a wide crack in the ceiling, causing Laine to hiss and rub his eyes. The lad then glanced around the room, trying to remember where he was.
He looked down when he felt something move near his side. Sonic was lying next to him, fast asleep. He was holding onto Laine's tail, curled into the boy's hip. The older child grinned, but frowned as he studied Sonic, running a hand through his unusual blue fur.
Laine knew that he and his brother barely had enough money to support themselves; but a baby? No way, they just didn't have enough. The kitten knew what he had to do.
Biting his lip, he looked out at what must've been a window, except now the glass was missing. It was still early; the Sun must have risen about half an hour ago. No one was probably in town yet. Laine glanced back at Sonic, who was shivering slightly, but was still fast asleep. The cat silently walked back over to the infant, before picking him and the t-shirt up and glancing around.
Laine noticed a rather large cardboard box, though it was a bit wet from the rain. The young feline placed his t-shirt at the bottom of the box, and placed Sonic on top of that. The hedgehog seemed to stir slightly from his slumber. "Shh… go back to sleep," Laine soothed the child as he took a pen and small strip of paper out of his backpack and wrote SONIC in big letters.
Satisfied, he quickly placed the paper next to the baby himself, before slinging his pack over his shoulder and slowly and gently picked up the box. Sonic yawned but continued sleeping as Laine silently ran out and away from the warehouse.
It wasn't long before Laine finally found a suitable house. It was two-stories, and from what he could see through the windows, the people living there must be rich. The child glanced around the area, making sure once more that the coast was clearly before swiftly walking over to the front of the house, where he placed the cardboard box on the slightly damp steps.
Sonic seemed to wake up then, yawning and rubbing his eyes, as he glanced around and up at Laine. The older child bit his lip as he watched the hedgehog, who grinned up at his protector and reached his arms up to him.
The cat glanced around once more, knowing some Mobians would wake up soon. He kneeled down in front of the box, which caused Sonic's smile to widen. "Look, kid, I have to go now," Laine said uneasily, as the younger just stared at blankly at the feline.
The kitten groaned, as Sonic tried getting up. "No, you have to say here, little buddy," Laine said, and glanced around again worriedly. "I have to go, Sonic. But I hope you'll always remember me as your protector." And with that, Laine kissed Sonic's forehead, and left, knowing that would not be the last time the two crossed paths.
Good? Bad? Please tell me in a review! :D Short, but I made this in about two hours. No flames please!