It's late in the night where everything's at peace. The crickets are playing their usual melody... Several owls hoot away the night... All the little critters are sleeping away in their homes... Everything seems so wonderful...until an alarm goes off.
A pair of blue eyes snap open.
Of course, it comes from where Dr. Robotnik lives. The tower's large, metallic demeanor flashes a red light at the top.
From a mile away, she can hear gunshots. If she looks close enough, she can see robots fighting off the intruder.
"..." the figure's silent, taking in the scene before her.
Ever since she arrived here, things have been pretty quiet until now. She heard rumors about Dr. Robotnik (or Eggman, as most call him) and where he resides. The female wanted to see what it looks like up close. Yet, someone beat her to it.
The figure stands and starts rushing towards the destination. The tower isn't that far away. It's only a mile from where she started from. Her eyes focus on the tower ahead. She dodges trees that are in the way and jumps over logs. The stranger stops in front of a tree, a golden locket rising from her chest. Moon light shines on the locket, the surface glittering with pride. Once she takes a step forward, the locket lands on her front once more. She can hear explosions from the inside of the tower.
Her mind wonders how much damage this intruder can make before it's satisfied. With so much noise and explosion, it would not be surprising if it attracted more curious Mobians. Like herself for example.
The young echidna's eyes scan the area. Many robot parts scatter across the burning field. Noticing the fire, she froze, eyes widening in terror. Her body shakes violently. It becomes harder to breathe with each shaky breath she inhales. Her grip on a nearby tree tightens. Tears threaten to fall from the female's eyes.
Breathe...! Breathe...! Breathe Rukia...!
Another explosion snaps her out of trance. Rukia covers her eyes as her legs give out. A quiet sob escapes through her dry lips. A minute passes. Rukia makes sure that her breathing's back to normal before standing again. Sighing, she wipes away her tears. The echidna's still shaking, but she remains strong on her feet. Licking her lips, Rukia avoids the sight of the fire to look around again.
Whoever destroyed these robots aren't merciful, that's for sure. When stepping back, she notices a small group of Mobians standing on a hill with a beat up airplane.
"Are they friends with the intruder...? Or with Dr. Robotnik...?" Rukia's assumption trails off.
No doubt they came because of the alarm. Why else would they be here? It's not like they're here to have a picnic. Though, maybe they were star gazing before all this happened. Who knows. Rukia can come up with a lot of possibilities, but it won't give her any answers. What she doesn't know for sure is their goal.
Allies or enemies?
Before she can further observe them, Rukia hears another explosion from within the tower. Her attention goes back to the building. As soon as she looks back, a bright light bursts out from the tower. She can only watch, dumbfounded by the events that's happening before her eyes. The light enlarges and spreads further. Rukia stands there motionless, accepting her fate. Soon, the light engulfs Rukia and everything around her.
Darkness...that's all that she can see as she lies on the ground unconscious. Rukia starts hearing crickets playing their nonchalant melody. A gentle breeze ruffles softly against her fur. She shudders in her sleep as her eyes slowly open. The first thing she notices is the dark sky with a bright full moon and some stars mixed in.
That's odd... Usually, there would be several stars up there. Is she imagining things? No. She's pretty sure that she saw a lot of stars tonight, so why...
Her body moves into a sitting position. Rukia rubs her head with a sigh. A painful ringing bursts in her mind as soon as she touches her head. Her right eye twitches before Rukia groans. She rubs her temples to ease the pain. While she does this, Rukia lifts her head a little to see where she is. Her eyes widen, astonished of the new scenery around her.
It's also bright.
Grunting, she moves a hand over her eyes to create a shadow. As her mind throbs against her skull, Rukia surveys the area.
There are several buildings surrounding the area and strange machines moving on the ground. There's small and big machines with a variety of colors. The lights that shine in different areas create a bright atmosphere. With a lot of humans roaming around, it just makes the scene...alive.
She stares in awe, speechless of the new scenery. Despite the pounding in her head, Rukia can't take her eyes off of the area.
This place should feel foreign to her, yet it doesn't. It isn't the first time that she's seen many humans instead of Mobians in one place. The area around her feels more...modern. She's used to much older buildings.
After glancing from left to right, Rukia can't spot any Mobians walking along with the humans. She's thankful that the area where she's sitting is dark. Rukia's unsure of what these humans might think if they see someone like her. With the lack of her kind, she decides it's best to stay in the shadows and observe.
What a night this has become. It was only a while ago that she was standing within a forest. A burning field in her vision... Explosions on Dr. Robotnik's tower, then a bright light swallows everything it touches. Just thinking about it makes her dizzy.
Soon, Rukia hears a rush of water nearby.
Once the throbbing subsides, she stands and walks over to the fountain. Rukia stares into the water and watches her reflection ripple. Dipping her fingers in the water, she sighs in content of how cool it is. Rukia presses her white gloved hands together and fills her palms with water. She splashes it against her face. Rukia does this a couple of times before she's satisfied. Exhaling, the purple echidna watches the water drip from her face and then back into the fountain.
In the reflection, Rukia's wearing brown and white clothes with a gray cloth around her chest. With the way she's dressed, it's as if Rukia's ready to explore some lost ruins. But, she's wearing a long brown skirt instead of a pair of shorts.
Rukia pushes her left bang out of the way to rub her eyes. Blinking away the extra water, she removes her hand and glances back at the humans. She walks over to some trees and hides. Due to the lack of lights around here, people didn't pay attention to the park. Their focus is elsewhere. Rukia notices several humans running down a certain street. A crowd is starting to gather in a specific spot.
Curious.
Yet, she isn't adventurous enough to move from her hiding spot. Rukia remains motionless. With the crowd in the way, she can't see what's happening.
There's a lot of commotion though. She's unsure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Perhaps there's someone famous down there. Hero...? Villain...? A celebrity...? Whatever the case, it's making the human's noisy. Even the children are jumping around trying to catch a glimpse of what's going on.
Sighing, Rukia turns around and heads back to the middle of the park. All a sudden, she hears shouts from behind her. Rukia whirls back around. Men in uniform are holding onto a net with someone underneath it. It turns out to be a blue hedgehog. A Mobian to be exact.
The humans struggle taking down the hedgehog. Sonic dashes onward without breaking a sweat.
These guys weigh nothing compared to what he's used to. Still, Sonic mentally applauded their dedication on doing their job. Too bad he can't make it easy for them. Being in a cage isn't his style. The sooner he's away, the better for his chances at keeping his freedom.
While he's searching for an escape route, a familiar silhouette grabs his attention. Within the shadows, Sonic can make out an echidna.
At first, he thought it was Knuckles. When he observes the figure some more, Sonic realizes it's a mistake. It's an echidna, but it isn't Knuckles. This one has a shade of purple instead of red. Needless to say, Sonic's surprised by this, believing he was the only one here. Well, that just makes things more interesting, doesn't it?
Grinning, Sonic's determination to lose these guys increase. He finds a chance and jumps on top of a police car. The men didn't have time to react. All of them went right into the side window and become stuck. Once Sonic's free of the net, he runs back to where he saw the echidna. He disappears from the humans view.
Believing he disappeared, she goes to turn around again. Her heart skips a beat when Rukia senses someone nearby. She immediately comes face to face with the blue hedgehog. Gasping, Rukia stumbles backwards to place some distance between them. While stumbling, the stranger in front of her chuckles. Her right eye twitches involuntarily. Once she's content with the length, Rukia stops and studies the hedgehog.
Just as she saw, he's a blue hedgehog with a pair of red and white stripped shoes. On his hands are white gloves with matching socks. Amusement flashes in his emerald green eyes as his grin turns into a smile.
"You surprised me. I thought I was the only one here." Sonic admits, observing her as well.
Rukia's silent for a moment before she nods in agreement.
"Likewise."
It's a quiet response, but Sonic heard her. The purple echidna's voice is deep, yet soft spoken. It goes well with her reserved appearance. She's watches him closely, her expression blank.
Sonic scratches his nose, an awkward tension surrounding the two. His smile falters a little. "Though, I've never met you before."
Rukia remains quiet after hearing that fact. Hearing no response, Sonic presses on. Let's see if he can break the ice with an introduction.
"My name's Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog. What's your name?" Sonic curiously asks.
Her eyes widen at the name. Oh, Rukia knows that name. Who doesn't? During her travels, she heard his name through whispers and conversations. He's a hero who's saved their planet more than once. Always defeating Dr. Robotnik and other enemies that threaten the peace. There's one more piece of information she's learned and that's his speed. Sonic's the fastest hedgehog on their planet, Mobius. Rukia has never seen him in action, but something in her gut tells her that she will experience it. Sooner or later.
Noticing her relax after hearing his name, it makes Sonic feel somewhat relieved. The awkward tension dissolves and there's room to breathe now. At least he broke the ice. Even if it's only a little. Her guard's still up, but her face is less tense than before.
"Please accept my apology for being rude. My name is Rukia. Rukia the Echidna." Rukia introduces herself.
"Nah, you didn't do anything rude," Sonic waves his hand around. He gives Rukia a thumbs up to assure her, "So, your name's Rukia, huh?"
Rukia nods in response to his question.
"Nice to meet ya!" Sonic's smile turns into a friendly grin.
"It is a pleasure to meet you as well." Rukia responds with a bow of her head.
Well, isn't this one polite. It reminds Sonic of Cream, the tiny bunny who's courteous and kind to her friends. Speaking of which... If she's here, then that means his friends have come to this world as well. Though, the question is... Where are they? Are they safe? Sonic hopes that the humans aren't after them as well. That is, if they found them. He didn't hear anything about the others when he was running away. Maybe they're hiding? Sonic didn't know and it bothers him. The hedgehog has faith in his friends abilities, but it still doesn't ease his nerves.
Rukia's heart starts pounding harder in her chest. Her eyes start to glow when she suddenly feels many presences around her. She looks over her shoulder to see a policeman.
"I found him!" the man shouts. Sonic snaps out of his thoughts and abruptly looks at him.
As soon as the stranger said so, more policemen come out. They're set on taking Sonic down. Even if it's by force.
Not wanting to get caught again, he grabs Rukia's hand. Rukia didn't have time to comment on his sudden reaction. Sonic's legs tense as he dashes away with Rukia right behind him. The humans didn't stand a chance. Both of them disappear right in front of their eyes.
Everything around Rukia is a blur. The only thing that she can describe is the road. It's smooth, yet hard under her feet. Nothing compared to the grass where she was last standing on. White, bold lines keep appearing and disappearing from her view. How fast are they going? This is the fastest Rukia has ever experienced. She has some speed, but not like this. It's not even close. So, Rukia tries her best to keep up with Sonic and not fall flat on her face. It's difficult every once in a while when she stumbles, but Rukia manages. Somewhat.
Her instincts prove to be correct once again. The echidna just didn't expect to witness Sonic's speed this soon. Well, considering the situation they're in, Rukia understands why she did. The humans made him go into action. Despite that fact, his speed's remarkable. It doesn't even look like he's breaking a sweat. Rukia's thankful that he's a good guy.
The two of them continue running on some highway. The road's completely empty, creating an open space for them. Up in the sky, however, there's a helicopter that has a spot light on them. Rukia glances over her shoulder to catch sight of the flying machine that's tailing them.
Rukia turns her head and notices police cars up ahead. Large blocks of concrete barricade the road. There's no space for them to run around or straight ahead. It's a dead end for the two of them unless they come up with something. It's not like they can fly or burrow under ground.
"Sorry about this." Sonic suddenly apologies.
He pulls Rukia towards him, picks her up and carries her bridal style. Startled by his bold action, her arms immediately went around him. Sonic picks up the pace, his legs tightening for the jump. He holds onto Rukia before taking one last step.
"Here we go!" Sonic exclaims.
Sonic presses hard against the ground and then leaps over the blockade. Rukia takes a glimpse below her. All she can see are expressions of awe on the humans faces. Judging by their reactions, this might be the first time they saw this type of miracle.
First time for everything.
Sonic easily lands on the ground. With the policemen behind them, he bolts down the road once again. Since the ground team failed to stop Sonic, the helicopter resumes it's chase. It proves futile, however, when Sonic's speed outruns the helicopter. They're forced to pull back when they lose sight of him. Sonic continues running. He wants to make sure that there's a lot of distance between them and the police.
Rukia keeps a look out for anything suspicious.
If there's anything to report, she would inform Sonic about it. Luckily, it's just the two of them on the road.
They keep this up for a while until Sonic slows down. As soon as he comes to a stop, he gently places Rukia down and backs away.
"Thank you." Rukia appreciates his help by nodding at him.
"No problem!" Sonic winks at her before jumping and landing on a nearby street lamp.
Rukia goes over to a rail and leans against it. She props her hand to lean her head against. A warm breeze caresses her cheek and dreadlocks. The peaceful atmosphere calms her nerves. She sighs, comfortable with the silence. Her eyes surveys the area, noticing how far they've come from the city. Rukia glances at the sky. Many stars cover the dark sky with the bright full moon in the middle.
Compared to the stars from the city, there are more around here to view. It's something to appreciate. There's just something about star gazing that eases the mind. Perhaps it might be the beauty of the sky, or the atmosphere. Whatever the case, it always soothes her.
As Rukia glances up at Sonic, she notices that he's watching the stars. She can't read his expression since he's facing away from her. She pushes herself off from the rail and walks over to the lamp post. Despite the relaxing mood, Rukia still has some questions. It's best to ask them now or something else might come up.
"That light..." Rukia starts off, catching Sonic's attention as he looks down at her, "...what exactly was it?"
Sonic thinks about it for a moment, wondering what light she's referring to. Is she asking about the light from the Chaos Emeralds? It's possible that it was Chaos Control. They did travel to an unknown place. It's been a while since he's seen Chaos Control in action, though.
"It was probably Chaos Control." Sonic answers.
"Chaos Control...?" Rukia questions.
"Yeah. Have you heard about it?" Sonic asks her, wondering if she didn't know.
It wouldn't be a first since not everyone has seen or heard about it.
Rukia turns her head before answering, "I have heard of it during my travels. Yet, to actually see such a thing for the first time... It is a new experience for me," Rukia answers, "Especially something that big."
Sonic didn't say anything. He did acknowledge her response with a nod though.
"Since you're here, I think my friends also came to this world. Hopefully they're okay." Sonic says.
Rukia's silent, not sure how to respond to that. While the two of them are quiet, Rukia hears a distant siren coming their way. Sonic jumps from the lamp post and lands on the road. They notice five race cars coming towards them.
The one that stands out the most, however, is the red one.
Rukia stands beside Sonic, waiting for a chance to escape. The five race cars slow down in front of them. With the light in their eyes, it's hard to see who's coming out of the red one. Once Rukia's use to the brightness, she takes a long look at the human.
With most humans, they're taller than most Mobians. So, his height didn't surprise her. He's wearing a red racing uniform to match his vehicle and a helmet to match his uniform.
"Yo! Blue hedgehog," the human greets Sonic with a brief wave of his hand, "There's been a local search for you. Thank you for waiting."
Annoyed by this situation, Sonic turns to leave. But, the man tells him to wait. Once the man takes off his helmet, he starts speaking again.
"You should hear a person's words out until the end." the man advises Sonic as he leans against his race car.
Sonic didn't say anything, but he did stop walking. His ears twitched, waiting for the man to continue. Once the man looks over at Sonic, he then notices Rukia.
"Oh? We've only been informed of a blue hedgehog. We didn't know he had a friend." the man speaks while looking at her.
Rukia didn't respond to his observation. She keeps her mouth firmly shut, though her eyes did narrow. This man smells like trouble and she doesn't like it one bit. Her body tenses, waiting for him to do something.
"Well, it just make things more exciting." the man says after a couple of seconds pass. With a small grin, he turns his attention back on Sonic.
"This city is... This place is too peaceful. In the last year, only one criminal was captured. He brought his formula machine onto the freeway, pretending to be a racer. His fun only lasted two minutes," the man starts and then he begins to smirk, "He drove from place to place... Hell, you can make ramen in two minutes, you know." the man jokingly says, waiting for their reactions.
"... Ramen?" Rukia questions, expressing confusion over this piece of information.
"What? You don't know what ramen is?" the man asks in disbelief.
"No, I do not. Please excuse us for not having time to read about your...culture. We were too busy running away from you humans after all." Rukia points out, crossing her arms after speaking.
Sonic smirks over at Rukia for her sarcastic remark. So, underneath that polite attitude is someone with a back bone. A fighter. He doesn't know how much will power she has in her though. He just met the girl. This should be interesting!
The human male's taken back by her remark, but ends up laughing. He's not mocking her. It's just the sudden truth to it that made him react that way.
"Sorry, sorry," the man wipes away the tears from his eyes, "Let me teach you who we are then."
He takes a moment to collect himself. After the laughter's gone, the human speaks.
"Well, in this city, we're the special highway high speed squad, the S Team!" he introduces his team, "I'm the leader. I'm called Highway Star!" the man introduces himself with a title instead of a real name.
There's a slight pause before he speaks again, "Sorry, that was a long introduction." the man, Highwest, apologies. His smirk widens.
"From now on, it's going to be fast!"
An engine roars out, surprising both Mobians. Sonic immediately picks Rukia up and bolts down the road. The four white race cars, that were behind the man, pursues after them at great speed. Compared to the police cars, the ones behind them are faster and persistent. Rukia can pretty much touch the vehicle since they're that close. Noticing another road, Sonic curves to the right and continues onward. They follow without breaking formation.
"So they want to play tag? This should be fun!" Sonic excitedly shouts.
"I do not think this is fun..." Rukia comments with a frown.
Sonic only grins down at her before picking up the pace. He isn't the only one to speed up. The riders behind them accelerate. It didn't take long to surround the Mobians. Sonic glances around, enjoying all the action.
"They're better than the ones before." Sonic notices, impressed with their speed.
"That is suppose to be a bad thing, Sonic." Rukia tells him.
She nervously glances at the drivers. They're driving closer, trapping them in the middle. Rukia tightens her grip on Sonic. Noticing the worried expression, Sonic's grin softens.
"Don't worry! I got this!" Sonic assures her.
Rukia glances back at him and nods, placing her trust in his abilities. If Sonic's not troubled by this situation, then she should feel the same way.
Easier said than done when Rukia doesn't know what he's planning.
Sonic suddenly disappears with Rukia in his arms. This astounds the drivers. The one on the right hears someone knocking on his window. He looks over to see a grinning Sonic. Before the human can say anything, Sonic disappears again. This time he appears on top of the race car. While standing, he stares at the driver upside down.
"... You are going to give kids out there bad ideas." Rukia sighs as she shakes her head.
Rukia's sitting on top of the vehicle, though a little ways back. Even if Rukia points out how wrong this is, she isn't any better. Sonic gives Rukia a sheepish grin. He turns his head to look at the readers.
"You guys, don't stand on moving cars, okay?" Sonic warns them. He wiggles his index finger for the extra effect.
"Please do not. We do not want any of you to get hurt." Rukia pleads with the audience.
After giving out advice, Sonic picks her up again and jumps off the car. He lands and immediately sprints down the road. His pace's quicker than before.
The racers become desperate as they gain more speed. They're trying to catch up. To prove that it's useless to catch up to him, Sonic does something amazing. He turns around and starts running backwards. At the same pace.
"Wha..."
Rukia's jaw drops at his daring act. There's not a word to describe how she feels about this. She's just...speechless! How can he pull off this feat without skipping a beat? It's just insane!
She narrows her eyes and closes her mouth. Rukia points an accusing finger at him.
"You... Show off."
Sonic snickers at her comment. A smug smirk forms on his lips, ecstatic about the reactions. From Rukia and the drivers. Sonic can see the humans frustrated expressions through their windshields. His smirk widens, finding this too funny.
The four riders suddenly maneuver to the sidelines. The red vehicle from before appears in the back. Rukia watches the car warily.
An uneasy feeling clenches her stomach. What is that man planning to do...?
She didn't have to wait long as the red race car blasts forward. This stuns both of them. Sonic leaps out of harms way. The vehicle rushes by and continues onward, leaving them behind. Noticing the difference in speed from the white vehicles, Sonic's excitement grows.
"Get on my back." Sonic instructs her.
Rukia looks up at him with a questioning glance. She didn't say anything as she climbs over his shoulders and ends up on his back. Making sure she doesn't fall off, her arms wrap around him. Sonic's arms wrap around her legs.
"Hold on tight." Sonic warns her, his speed increasing dramatically.
He's going so fast, she forces her eyes shut. Since there's only darkness, Rukia doesn't know what happens next. That is until she feels weightless. Her eyes open to see that the two of them are flying in the sky. Rukia glances down and notices how bright the lights are.
They look like Christmas lights blending in with different colors. An artist would be jealous for not being here to see this view. It would inspire them to create a beautiful painting. At least, that's what Rukia likes to believe.
Climbing off of Sonic's back, she starts to glide through the air. Sonic continues to float forward.
"It's quite beautiful." Sonic compliments the lights.
Rukia nods her head in agreement, "It is colorful."
"There was that amusing guy too." Sonic points out, looking over his shoulder.
Highway Star, the man that talked with them before, stands on a nearby cliff. He can only watch the two fly off.
"This might be fun." Sonic finishes with a grin, enjoying this world already.
They continue forward, noticing that they're flying over some houses.
There's one problem...
Sonic's beginning to fall and above a pool nonetheless! He starts freaking out about the water. Sonic attempts to run in mid air, but it proves useless.
Gravity's not kind to the hedgehog. Noticing that he's falling, Rukia glides over to him.
Too late.
Sonic hits the pool hard, creating a huge geyser. The water smacks against Rukia. She spins in mid-air and lands on some bushes. She's thankful for the cushion. But, it's covered with thorns.
Rukia right eye twitches. Grunting, she quickly jumps off. While she's busy taking thorns off her bottom, Rukia senses someone come outside. Before she can react, Rukia hears another splash. She looks over at the pool to see no one there. The echidna hastily rips off the thorns and jogs over to the edge of the pool. As soon as she reaches the pool, a human boy surfaces with Sonic.
The boy's startled by Rukia's sudden appearance. Not waiting for him to say anything, Rukia offers her hand. He stares at her hand for a moment before grabbing it. Rukia's grip tightens as she pulls them out of the water. As soon their feet touch the ground, Rukia let's go. She gives them some space to breathe.
Sonic coughs out some water, shivering from the sudden cold air. The boy pats his back, being mindful of the quills on Sonic's back. He glances at Rukia for a moment and then returns his focus on Sonic.
"Are you alright?" the young boy asks, rubbing his back.
"Yeah, thank you." Sonic replies, giving him a side glance.
The little human widens his eyes, shocked that Sonic spoke. Blinking a couple of times, he goes to speak again.
"You...can talk?" the boy hesitantly asks him.
Sonic just stares at him. Rukia places a hand on her cheek, watching the scene unfold. Is it really surprising that they can speak? Apparently so. Seeing the boy's reaction, however, amuses Rukia.
"Naturally, why not?" Sonic replies as if it's the most obvious thing to do.
"Wow, you're really speaking," the boy says in disbelief before smiling, "I'm Chris! And you? What's your name?"
"It's Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog." Sonic introduces himself.
Chris glances back at Rukia, noticing that she's been quiet through the whole thing. Rukia looks at him, waiting for him to speak.
"And your name? What is it?" Chris asks, curious to know her name as well.
Rukia's quiet for a moment before she answers, "My name is Rukia."
Disclaimer: I only own Rukia. No one else.
Author's Notes: WHAT'S UP MY PEOPLE!? GUESS WHAT!? I'm going to start revising my old story and uploading the revised version with a separate story. I'm so inspired and pumped up! I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH MYSELF! So! Here's the thing. I will update this story whenever I can because I work a lot and it takes a lot of brain power to go through my old chapters. That and well... Fixing a lot of stuff and hating myself for it. |||OTL After this, I'm going to update my profile and let people know I'm back.
I'm sorry for leaving things like this. It WON'T happen again. If it does, I will remind myself that I need to keep going, even if I have to force myself to do it. I love my character. I really do. An artist that I follow inspired me to write again, so here I am and I'm here to stay!
Thank you for reading and you guys know the drill! If there's anything that needs to be fixed, let me know! My minds open for anything! See ya around~!