Mended Bonds
Warning: Mentions of Depression and attempted suicide
8/1/16
Mobius was at peace once again, after the defeat of Dark Oak and the Metarex.
However, it was at the cost of two casualties: Cosmo the Seedrian, and Shadow the Hedgehog. Two people on Mobius loved these people dearly:
Tails had Cosmo, and Rage had Shadow.
The young fox wolf hybrid wasn't the same after Shadow's disappearance.
Her smiles became permanent frowns, and she isolated herself from Sonic and friends. Despite everyone trying to cheer her up, she just couldn't shake it off.
Shadow's first disappearing act was enough, but twice was too much for her Autistic mind to bear.
Rage kept herself secluded in the most dangerous parts of Emerald Forest. Nobody dared to enter unless they wanted a butt whooping from extremely powerful Ursarings. The half-fox was inside a tree trunk, most of it was sleeping.
She woke up after a solid week, and now she was very hungry, but she was frozen in place.
She was wearing a dark purple jumpsuit with pink cuffs, and three, big rubies decorated across her chest, and a belt that was covered in rubies.
Most of the wild Pokemon visited her tree out of concern for her, and tried getting her to talk about her feelings. But if it's one thing Rage knew, from witnessing the death of her parents, that she would rather ignore it until it doesn't bother her anymore.
"Maggie?"
Rage growled hearing her dæmon's voice. Kopa took the shape of a Snowy Owl as he perched himself on the tree branch.
"Listen, I've been around town, and everyone is worried sick about you." He said. "It's been six months, we can't go on like this. It's just pure luck that Sonic can always beat up Eggman on his own, but this is unacceptable!"
Rage looked over her shoulder and saw her dæmon; his feathers pure white and decorated with very, very faint spots. Even though her health was rapidly deteriorating, Kopa still looked healthy. Rage often wonders why….
"It's not like this is anything new, Kop." She growled.
"You've seen me like this."
"But not this depressed!" Kopa cried, tears making themselves known.
"I know you loved Shadow, I miss Moriomin too, but we can't let it take control of our lives!"
Rage was surprised to hear Kopa mention Morio, Shadow's German Shepherd dæmon, who vanished with him too.
"... Who was worried?"
Kopa climbed inside the trunk and became a mouse as he crawled up Rage's sleeve to get to her shoulder.
"Ms. Vanilla said Cream was asking for you. Amy was telling me to tell you to 'cheer up and try to find another fish in the sea',
"Fish!" Rage spat. "None of those boys can replace Shadow."
Kopa ignored her outburst and continued,
"Sonic was even taking a risk coming here just to find you. You still have people care about you, but Tails…"
The half-wolf raises her ears at the mention of her "little brother".
"What? What did he say?"
Kopa hesitated, and said, "Nobody's seen him at all. Sonic would find him working on his X Tornado, but most of the time he's almost nonexistent."
Rage blinked away her tears. What was Tails doing? From what Kopa told her before her week long hibernation, Tails seemed to be doing fine as he tended to the plant Cosmo left behind.
Weird… I might be paranoid, but.. Rage uncrossed her arms and turns her body to face the opening of the trunk. She squeezed herself out with ease and fell out of the trunk, and lands on her nose.
"For the love of-!" She hissed, rubbing her nose. Small animals scattered away from her, some stared at her with awe and the Pokemon looked relieved to see her out.
Rage tucked Kopa in her scarf and dashed off.
"No, no WAIT!" Rage lost control and rammed into the door, knocking it off its hinges and landed on the floor. The half-fox shook it off and got back up.
She immediately smells Tails' scent in the house and followed it upstairs, and stops in front of a closed bathroom door.
Rage knocks on the door, but most of her friends say she bangs on it.
"Wh-Who's there?!"
Rage blinked at his harshness. "It's Rage, what are you doing?"
She heard a faint ting inside the bathroom and became suspicious.
"Tails? What do you got in there?"
"Nothing! Just leave me alone!"
Rage frowned. She was fourteen years old now, she doesn't have to take lip from an eight year old! Rage leans on the door, and breaths through her nose.
She caught the faintest scent of something that she can recognize and compare to her parents' fate…
Blood?! No, is he-?!
Rage immediately kicked the door off its hinges with her bare foot; Tails covered his head to avoid the flying door and glared at her. Even his own dæmon, a dusty yellow Barn Owl named Serena, was furious with her.
"Go away, Rage!" He cried.
Rage saw Tails' arm covered in red with a knife in his hand. The half-wolf raised her hand, the knife was enveloped in a magenta aura and flew from Tails' hand as Rage walked up and grabbed his wrists.
Kopa pinned Serena as she became a yellow tabby cat.
"Are you serious right now?!" She demanded. "You could've cut a vein in your arm that was an important artery and bled to death!"
"At least I'll be with Cosmo!"
Rage stared at him and forcefully dragged Tails to his room and threw him on the bed. Kopa had Serena by her scruff and tossed her to Tails, but she became an owl and flew overhead.
"Listen to me and listen good," Rage said to the younger vulpine. "Killing yourself is not going to bring Cosmo back! Does Sonic know you're doing it?"
Rage pricked her ears when she heard whimpering. Tails finally broke down and cried. Serena was on the floor, sprawled out and trembling as Kopa nuzzles her head.
Rage sighed and ran her fingers through her mane of hair. Sonic was better at communicating with Tails than she was. Sure they talked and joked like brother and sister, but she's never comforted Tails when he's like this.
"Look-."
"Why do you suddenly care?" He asked suddenly, spitefully. Rage felt unnerved by his hostility.
"What…? You're my brother-."
"Liar! You're not my sister!"
Rage winces at the fury in Tails' voice, her own tails bushes wildly as the young vulpine said, "Sisters look out for their brothers! Sisters comfort their brothers when their down. You just left! You were too self absorbed into your own grief to care about me!"
Tails' tears began to fall from his muzzle.
"Sure Sonic always tried to cheer me up, but I needed you too! I was always able to talk to you whenever I want, even if it's something as small as being picked on.
But you just left me and never cared! And now you come back after six months?!"
Rage's arms trembled at his criticism, but he was hitting the nail right on the head.
She bailed when he needed her most, in the moment of tragedy that they had in common, she willfully and selfishly abandoned everyone… And Tails.
"I'm sorry." She said softly. "But I'm here now, I'm not any different."
Tails laughed mockingly.
"Have you looked in the mirror? Look! You're a mess!"
He points to his own, full length mirror. Rage stares at her reflection in wary disbelief.
A dreadfully skinny vixen was staring back at her. Her fur, formally rich golden, was a dull yellow, nothing more. Her white colorations, which were her muzzle and tails tips, were as dirty as the city snow.
Her amethyst purple eyes, which people told her look like jewels, were blank with small hints of light. Her hair was ragged, it was always this was, but it was more ragged than before.
Rage never cared to look in a mirror before, but now, she barely recognized herself anymore.
"I never understood why you punish yourself so much." Tails said, catching her attention. "You know everyone is always trying to talk to us after… The Metarex. You always bottle up everything inside and stay off the radar. Why?"
Rage was getting flashbacks of dead bodies of a fox and a wolf, and thousands of mechs destroying everything she knew.
"Because I like it this way!" She blurted out. "Our pasts as outcasts were similar, yes, but you had Sonic by your side since you were five. I had nobody when I was your age because people hated me just for being born!"
"Nobody cared nor did they bat an eye when I was a kid who was lost and scared and desperate for someone to love me! I've been beaten, spat on, cursed at, and almost forced into slavery on several occasions!
I had to learn to freeze my heart and hide from people like that so I wouldn't have to suffer the emotional abuse! That's why I'm used to shutting people out whenever tragedy follows me!"
"And it did!" She wailed. "It took Shadow from me! He was the only guy who understands me, my pain, my grief! I loved that I was able to get him to smile, even if it was brief, it meant something to me! But now-!"
Rage coughed, choking on her own sobs. She walked towards Tails and pulled him into a tight hug, being two inches shorter than Sonic, Tails' head rested near her bosom.
Kopa became a Snowy Owl and wrapped his wing around Serena and allowed her head on his chest.
"I'm sorry, man!" Rage whispered. "I screwed up, I know, but this is the last time I'll pull that stunt. And this," she says, holding his now healing arms.
"This cutting needs to stop. You're not only hurting yourself, but you're hurting me too! If you had died, Sonic would be crushed. And I'd lose it, because I wasn't there to stop you."
Tails slowly wraps his arms around Rage as tears stung his eyes. Their tails wrap around one another in a protective embrace.
"I'm sorry about Cosmo." Rage whispered, remembering the quiet Seedrian that she was suspicious at first then quickly grew fond of.
"My vision told me she was gonna do it, but I couldn't change her fate…"
"It's okay." Tails whispered. "... I'm sorry about Shadow."
The half-wolf can envision the black hedgehog with red streaks, and that stupid "Haha, I'm better than you!" smirk.
"Kinda surprised me, I mean, he attacked Cosmo. I just assumed you'd turn on me because I…"
"I know," Tails said, looking at her. "But I know you wouldn't go for crazy guys."
Rage blinked and saw a faintest smile on Tails' muzzle.
"Well… There was a green hedgehog who looked like Sonic…"
"What?!"
Rage held her hands up defensively with a huge smile.
"Kidding! I'm kidding!"
"Good!" Tails laughed. "I mean you and that guy - you'd give Sonic a heart attack!"
Rage snickered and rubs her nose in a similar fashion that Sonic would do; Tails smiled softly at her.
"What?"
"You're smiling again, I missed it."
Rage snorted and scratches her cheek.
"Hehe. I try ~."
Grrrrr.
Tails blinked at Rage as she slowly looks away from him.
"... Maggie? How long has it been since you've eaten?"
"About a week ago."
Tails shook his head. "No wonder you look a mess! C'mon, I'll make breakfast, Sonic should be back."
"Actually." She said. "Can I have a chili dog instead?"
Tails stared at her as if she was stupid.
"... Do it at your own risk."
Rage did eat the las chili dog, and she wrapped a bandage around Tails' arm.
The younger two tailed vulpine nodded gratefully.
"Thanks… Big Sis."
The two foxes heard the door close and see Sonic with his wildcat dæmon Sellabelle.
The blue hedgehog notices Rage for the first time in months.
"Hey, lil sis." He said softly. "How's it going?"
"Fine." She replied stiffly, resenting the babying. But she figured she deserves it for worrying them.
"Bro? What happened to your arm?!"
Tails glanced at Rage, who nodded. Tails told Sonic about harming himself, and Rage was shocked to hear that he's been doing it since she vanished.
Sonic stared at Tails in sorrow, and hugged the little fox tightly, apologizing for not noticing it sooner.
Rage sighed in content. She knew she was going to have to face the others soon, and they'll tiptoe around her for a few weeks, but she was glad she came back-.
"Where's my last chili dog?"
Rage glanced at the hedgehog who was looking around with annoyance.
"Tails? What happened to the chili dog?!"
Tails said nothing, but looked at Rage. Sonic followed his gaze to her, and his quills became sharper in the tips as his emerald green eyes burned with outrage.
Rage stares at him innocently. "Yes, brother dear?"
Sonic lunged at her, but Rage jumps at the last minute and ran outside.
"Get back here and face me like a woman!"
"I'm only fourteen!" She called back as the blue hedgehog tried to pounce on her.
Rage was smiling wide as she realized what she almost lost. She promises never to do it again, and Kitsune always keep their promises.
Remember, if you feel depressed or suicidal, talk to someone: your mom, dad, brother, sister or closest friend or trusted adult. Your life DOES mean something to people who love you.