NOTE: This picture inspired me to write this story:

.com/?qh=§ion=&q=chao+came+home#/dw20io

Check it out, and credit to her for some parts of the story.

I don t own Sonic. I only own Sara, Charlie, Cha Cha, and Sara s mother and father.
_

It was a beautiful day at the peaceful Chao Garden, a garden that no one knows exists. The sun shines its bright, golden rays on the green grass. The wind made the trees dance slightly.

At the center of this garden a baby Chao with light purple dragon arms, legs, antennas, wings, horns, and a blue raccoon tail, was playing with her favorite toy, a small, red toy car. She was moving it around with her clawed dragon hand, making car sounds to give herself a fun experience.

While she was distracted with her toy car, another Chao came up to her. This Hero Chao had light green peacock wings, a unicorn horn, pink rabbit ears and dark blue penguin fins. Her body was colored differently than the smaller Chao. She had a snow-white body with a sky-blue belly, and she had a pink halo that floats above her head.

The Hero Chao tapped the baby Chao on the shoulder.

"Sara", she said in a soft, comforting voice, "it's time for dinner."

The baby Chao stopped playing with her toy and jumped to her feet. Her egg-shaped eyes grew with excitement.

"What are we having?" The Chao, whose name is Sara, asked with excitement, "What are we having?"

"Your favorite," the Hero Chao answered, pointing at the stack of fruit behind her. "Round Fruit."

Sara eyed the blue, spherical fruit. Her small dot that floats above her head transformed into a big, yellow heart.

"Hooray!" Sara cried, hugging her mother, "Thank you mommy!"

The pair walked up to the fruit. A pink Chao was waiting for them. This male Chao had huge blue-green wings and a sphere floating above his head. His jesters are curled backwards behind his head, and his body is a mellow pink. On his arms are some stripes; the smallest one dark pink, the medium one purple, and the largest one, which is on his hand, is dark blue. His belly and his toes are a light orange color.

The father Chao greeted the two family members. "How's my little Sara doing?" He said, rubbing the baby Chao's bald head.

"I'm having the best day ever daddy!" Sara squealed.

"That's good my little angel." The pink Chao said.

"Well, let's eat!" The mother Chao said.

Dinner time was a delicious experience to the baby Chao. Despite her parents reminding her to eat slowly and to chew her food, Sara gobbled down the Round Fruit, licking her lips after the food went down her throat.

After Sara was cleaned up from the mess and the crumbs swept up, the baby Chao walked in front of a small dark hole on the huge rocky mountains.

"Where are you going Sara?"

The Chao stopped and looked at her mother.

"I'm going to pick flowers," Sara responded, "why?"

The Hero Chao shook her head. "It's almost time for your nap. You don't want to be tired in Kindergarten tomorrow, do you?"

The small Chao did not listen. With a hint of desperation in her voice, she said, "Please, mommy? I'll give you a pretty flower if you let me go."

The Hero Chao sighed.

"OK," the mother said, "but after ten minutes, you come back here. Deal?"

Sara nodded. "Deal!" She cried in excitement.

Sara ran through the small cave and found herself in a small and colorful meadow. The flowers were sporting plenty of colors: the asters had red, the lisianthus had purple, the sunflowers had yellow and orange, and there are many more bright and beautiful colors.

The toddler skipped through the meadow, straying far from her home step by step until she is far enough that the sounds within the garden is barely audible.

Sara glanced at the pretty flowers.

"Hmmm..." She wondered, "Which flower is the prettiest one to bring home?"

She looked at the peony briefly and shook her head. Then she looked at the group of irises, but then looked for something else.

After a few minutes of searching, she saw a pink rose all by itself. The rose had just recently bloomed, and its flowery smell was like an exotic perfume.

Sara's eyes grew big. "This is perfect!" She said aloud.

Grabbing the rose, she gently pulled it out of its home, the soil.

When she turned to get back home, she saw something that she never saw before.

Black smoke was slowly flowing into the sky from over the mountain.

Curious, the baby Chao scurried back through the cave towards home.

When she stepped through the cave the atmosphere was getting hotter and the smoke was thick. Sara saw where the smoke was coming from; a moving substance with orange and red colors.

Sara then realized what was going on: a fire was destroying her home.

Frightened and choking on the smoke, the toddler Chao dropped the rose and ran through the cave back into the meadow.

Then she realized that her parents are still in the garden. Scared for her parents' lives, she ran through the cave again all the way to the garden...and what she saw traumatized her.

Her parents' bodies are charred from the fire. Their lifeless bodies laid on the burned ground as the fire continued to run rampant.

Sara glanced around the garden, and saw a cigar on the charred grass.

Humans... She thought, remembering that her parents told her that humans are careless and they always litter everywhere.

Knowing that it's too late for her to save her parents, Sara fled out of the garden.

Night was coming after many hours had passed, and the baby Chao was walking through the meadow.

With tears streaming down from her eyes, Sara sobbed from the lost of her parents.

"Where am I going to stay now?" She asked aloud, "Am I going to die?"

Sara stared at the meadow, her temporary home.

"I can't stay here..." She whispered, "But this is the only place that I know..."

She then decided to find a better place to stay. Glancing at the meadow one last time, she ran off to the forest.

The forest's green trees danced when the cold breeze blew them. The smell of bark and forest leaves are new to the Chao's nose. The darkness from the night colored the grass and trees a dark purple.

Sara shivered from the freezing breeze that frequently blew around her hairless body. Looking for a place to stay warm, she came across a bush with leaves larger than the trees leaves.

Slowly, she walked up to the bush and checked the back of it.

No predators... She thought with relief.

Checking her surroundings, she pulled off one of the leaves from the bush and covered herself up with it. She snuggled beside the bush to get some extra warmth from it, and after a few minutes, she slept for the night.

Morning had came too early to Sara. The birds were chirping loudly to announce that a new day had begun.

When she couldn't take the birds' loud songs any longer, Sara groggily opened her egg-shaped eyes.

The first thing she saw was an illusion of her mother in front of her. Her soft voice whispered, "Good morning, sunshine."

She even smelled the food that her father had delivered from the trees in the garden. The spherical orange fruit was beside her, waiting for her to eat it after a long night of fasting in her sleep.

Sara shook her head and realized that it was a fantasy. She realized that she is covered in a large, green leaf. The morning dew dripped from the bush's leaves to her sky-blue face.

The baby Chao got up, and the first thing she noticed was that she was famished.

Glancing around the area for food, she found nothing. These forest trees are not fruit trees.

Her stomach growled, demanding her to find food to satisfy it, but she knew that she can't do anything about it.

She also realized that she was dead thirsty as well, but the only thing she can drink was the dew.

Knowing that she must do this to survive, she grabbed the leaves and sucked the dew off of them. It was not good enough to fully quench her thirst, but it was acceptable for now.

After all of the dew was gone, Sara glanced at her new surroundings.

"Well," She said to herself, "I guess this is where I'll stay..."

After a few hours had passed, Sara remained where she was, her stomach persistently demanding food from her. The hunger was so intense that she started to have stomach pangs.

Holding her stomach, the baby Chao wanted to cry from the pain.

While she was occupied with her stomach, she felt a sudden breeze. Sara peeked from the bush and saw a tall, blue hedgehog standing beside a tree, enjoying the view. In his right hand was a red sausage with brown sauce on top of it. The sausage, along with the sauce, was in some kind of bun.

The smell was delicious and mouth-watering. Sara wanted to jump out and eat it off of the hedgehog's hands.

Instead, she stayed hidden behind the bush, watching the hedgehog enjoying his meal.

Sara started to moan in sadness and hunger.

Right before the cobalt hedgehog took a bite of his red sausage on the bun, he heard the Chao moaning. He glanced around to find where the sound was coming from.

Sara knew that she can't get caught, considering the fact that her parents warned her to stay away from humans and other animals. She ducked her head behind the bushes.

Her floating sphere ruined her hiding as the hedgehog spotted the ball. As his curiosity grew, he walked to the bush and looked behind it.

"Hey there, little buddy." He said as soon as he saw the baby Chao.

Sara grew scared, not knowing what the hedgehog might do to her.

She was surprised that the hedgehog gently petted her on the head.

"What are you doing here, little guy?"

Sara looked up at the tall hedgehog, and replied, "I-I'm not a boy. I'm a girl."

"Oh, sorry." He said with a chuckle. "So, uh..." He started, "What are you doing here in the middle of the forest? Chao don't belong here."

Sara started to get comfortable with the stranger due to his carefree attitude. "Well, um..." She said, "My home was burned down, and my parents were gone..."

The hedgehog looked at the baby Chao.

"Aw, poor little Chao," he said, petting Sara on the head again, "it must be tough losing your parents as a baby."

Sara did not respond to his comment, but her stomach responded with a growl.

"You hungry?" He asked, trying hard to not scare the baby Chao.

Sara remembered that her parents warned her to not accept food or anything from a stranger, but her hunger was getting so intense that she can't take it. She nodded.

The hedgehog looked at his chili dog and broke it in half.

"Here," he said, offering Sara half of the chili dog, "I don't know if you can eat this, but go ahead and try it."

Sara looked at the strange food. "W-what is it?"

"It's a chili dog." The hedgehog responded.

Sara took the chili dog from his hand and whispered, "Thank you." Taking a huge bite from the food, the first thing that met her mouth was the spiciness from the chili dog. The chili sauce's texture is unfamiliar to the baby Chao, but she did not care. She was hungry, and she finally had something to eat.

Sara slowly ate the spicy chili dog in multiple bites. The friendly hedgehog had already ate his chili dog, and he was watching the Chao eat her half.

"Wow," He commented, "you must be starving!"

Sara nodded. "I have not eaten anything all day." She replied, "Thank you, Mr. Hedgehog."

"Ah, it's all right, little girl," he said, petting the Chao on the head yet again, "I'm glad that I could help. I'm Sonic, Sonic the Hedgehog! What's your name?"

"Um..." Sara started to say nervously, "My name is Sara. Do you know where a Chao Garden is by any chance?"

Sonic glanced at her.

"Of course!" He said cheerfully, "I own three gardens at the Chao Lobby. Why?"

Sara gulped, then continued, "I...I have no place to live, and I wanted to find a place to stay..."

Sonic smiled and offered her his hand.

"Sure!" He said, "I have some space in the garden, so you might be a great addition to the family."

Sara grabbed the hedgehog's hand and climbed up on his shoulder.

"Hang on tight, little one!" He warned, "It's gonna be a speedy ride!"

Before Sara settled on Sonic's shoulder, the hedgehog ran as fast as a jet engine.

Sara held on to Sonic, worried about losing her grip. This hedgehog was not kidding that it will be a speedy ride, either. He was so fast, she couldn't tell where they are. All she can see was a blur of her surroundings.

Just as she finally held a firm grip on the hedgehog, the hedgehog suddenly skidded to a halt, nearly making her fly off of him.

"Well, we're here." He said.

Sara looked up. There was a huge, light blue portal in front of them. Its swirling nearly made the baby Chao dizzy.

"Let's go in." Sonic said.

He walked into the portal, and all Sara saw were blurs of light blue swirls.

They then found themselves inside a lobby. Outside of it was a dark sky with stars, as if they were in space. There were three entrances: an entrance made with stone, an entrance on top of the stairs, and an entrance at the bottom of the stairs to the right of the other two gardens.

Sonic walked to the stone entrance.

"Welcome to your new home, little one." He said before going through the entrance.

The garden was as beautiful as Sara's old home. The grass was light green and the sky had a few clouds. There was a waterfall, and the water fell into a big pool. The trees bear delicious orange fruit.

There were different Chao playing on the garden; one Chao with red and dark red colors was playing with its rattle, three colorful Chao, one shiny pink, one shiny sky blue, and one onyx were chasing a blue and yellow ball, and one Chao, a dark blue, was swimming in the water.

As soon as the pair entered the garden, all of the Chao scurried to them, with most of them squealing with joy.

"Hi Sonic!"

"Welcome back, Mr. Sonic!"

"Did you get anything while you were gone?"

"Give me something to eat, Mr. Sonic!"

The blue hedgehog petted each and every one of these Chao.

"Hey guys," he said, "I have a special surprise for all of you."

All of the Chao gathered up to see the surprise.

Sonic offered Sara, who was hiding behind his quills, his hand. Sara nervously grabbed it and climbed down until she landed on the ground.

All of the Chao suddenly squealed with joy and they gathered around the baby Chao.

"Hi there! My name's Gazini! What's your name?"

"Nice to meet you, new Chao!"

"Are you a friend of Mr. Sonic's?"

Sara wanted to push the Chao away and run, but she stood there, frozen.

"Hey, hey, guys!" Sonic shouted. All of the Chao piped up and turned their attention to Sonic.

"You're scaring the poor girl," he said, "she's not used to this place yet."

All of the Chao looked down and they all muttered, "Sorry."

Sonic picked up Sara and told her, "It's OK. They're your new brothers and sister. Don't be afraid."

Sara nodded. "O-ok..." She said.

He put down the baby Chao.

"Everyone," Sonic announced to the other Chao, "this is Sara."

"Hi Sara!" All of the Chao squealed.

Sonic looked at the baby Chao. "Why don't you take a tour of your new home?"

Sara slowly nodded. "Ok."

Sara wandered aimlessly around the garden, trying to find a hiding place for herself.

While she was distracted, a Chao wearing a skull hat came up to her. The skull concealed his face, and he had a spiked ball floating above his head. He was holding a fruit.

When Sara saw the spiked ball, she started to panic inside.

Dark Chao... She thought. She remembered the time that her parents told her to stay away from Dark Chao, because they wreak havoc and even attack other Chao.

The Dark Chao offered his hand and said, "I'm Charlie. What's your name?"

"S-Sara." Sara responded.

Then her stomach growled again.

Charlie stared at Sara, then glanced at the fruit he was holding.

To Sara's shock, he broke the fruit in half and offered her one half.

"You can have this." He said.

Sara stared at the Dark Chao. Usually they never share with other Chao.

She pushed the thoughts away, however, and took the fruit.

"Thank you, Charlie." She muttered.

She ate the fruit.

Then another Chao came over. This Chao was like Sara, except it had dark green on its hands, feet, and the tip of its head, which was straight back.

The Chao greeted the baby Chao, "Hi there, Sara. My name's Cha Cha."

Cha Cha offered her hand to shake.

Sara stared at Cha Cha's hand, then slowly grabbed it and they shook.

"Hi..." She muttered.

"You'll be my little sister," Cha Cha said with a smirk, "and Charlie will be your older brother."

Charlie nodded in agreement.

"Ok..." Sara said.

Silence came. Then Cha Cha said, "Do you want to play in the water?"

Sara's sphere turned into an exclamation mark. She was unsure of the Chao's kindness, but knowing that she was her new sister now, she said, "Sure."

The threesome ran to the pool of clear water and jumped in it and swam, enjoying the sun shining on them.

This will be my new home...and my new family... Sara thought with a smile on her face that was identical to her mother's as she takes in the sun shining on her face.