As you may know, the original Chaos Regeneration was not a very big success. That is because I got lazy and started to rush it. I had plans for it, but I screwed that over by condensing it into a few chapters. I hope to revive these plans now. If you've read the original, you know how it ends, but there's gonna be a whole lot more plot between the beginning and end this time around! I hope you all enjoy this one!

I carried the quarter-liter of water from the kitchen tap to the living room window sill, where sat a beautiful green plant in a beautiful chiseled white pot. I emptied the water into the soil in gentle circles. She was doing well: she was standing tall and green, and several buds were already beginning to develop. I smiled. As I stood there staring, I realized that I was starting to recover. It had only been weeks since the incident, but I knew that my heart was mending. Slowly, but surely…

The phone rang. I snapped out of my trance and went to answer it. When I picked up, the familiar voice of Vector came through.

"Hey, Tails…" I had only twice before received a call from the Chaotix Agency.

"Er… Hey, Vector… What's wrong?"

"We've… got a busted radio… Do you think you have time to come and… fix it?" I didn't speak to Vector very often, but I knew that he wasn't normally hesitant—or thoughtful—with his words. I suspected something more than a busted radio.

"Sure I do! I'll be right there!"

"Really? Thanks, Tails!"

"No problem!" I hung up. I hadn't had anything to do in a while. Although I was starting to feel better, my inspiration was still escaping me. I couldn't think up any projects to pass the time on, so I was happy to take up any work that presented itself. I grabbed an appliance toolbox from my workshop and made for the Chaotix HQ.

x

The detectives' office was a tiny rental building in the middle of the city. Upon knocking on the wooden door, I was welcomed in by the team's smooth, secluded ninja, Espio. He led me into the office's main room, where Vector waited with a radio in his hands. He gave a warm greeting, but that was all. He wasn't nearly as outgoing as he was the last time I met him. He paused between phrases and occasionally avoided eye contact. I decided not to address it and took the radio into another room to repair it in peace. It was several levels beyond "busted," but I could still fix it. I pulled out some tools and began to fully disassemble it.

Progress was starting to come along pretty well. I was fiddling with the receiver when a bee began orbiting my head.

"Hi, Tails!" His voice was excessively loud.

"Hey, Charmy."

"How's it going?"

"Uh… Pretty well…" I wanted to take the opportunity to ask about Vector, but I knew he wouldn't tell me anything unless I tricked him into talking. I had to be shrewd with my words. "How long has this been broken?"

"Huh? The radio?" He rubbed the back of helmet. Why does he wear that thing at all times? "About a week…"

"A week? Why didn't Vector call me sooner?"

"Hmm… I'm not sure, but… I think it has something to do with Cos- ack!" I gave him a sidelong glance.

"What's it got to do with Cosmo?" I asked calmly.

"N-no… Cost! We thought it'd cost too much, so we… We saved up!" I smirked. He knew that I worked for free.

"Meh… I'll just ask Vector about it." The bee started to buzz louder. Panic. Exactly what I was going for.

"No! Uh… I'll tell you!" I gave him my attention. "He thought it'd be… too early to… bother you… It wasn't until Espio- ack!" I didn't have to say a thing to earn a groan of frustration—and an explanation—from him. "Ugh… Espio's been checking up on you. He… he let Vector know when it was okay to call…"

"Oh, that's nice."

"Please don't tell them I said anything! He'd-"

"I won't." His relief was immediately visible.

"Th-thanks…" Without another word, he ambled off. I was left to finish my job in peace. I still couldn't help but wonder, though, why Vector of all people was still being so careful around me. Everyone else had already started treating me normally, so why not him?

x

I went straight home after fixing the radio. Not that I had anything to do there, but because I didn't feel like going anywhere else. I eventually found myself in my workshop, trying my hardest to find inspiration. Or something to fix. Or upgrade. Or repaint. Or… anything! How is there nothing to do here? I was starting to get annoyed. Angry, even. That all disappeared, though, when one of my maintenance terminals began to emit long, slow beeps. I rushed over to it. One of the lights on the terminal shined yellow. I read the label next to it.

Basement Hangar Water

A leak in the basement hangar! With a wide grin on my face, I gathered my supplies and hurried down the stairs.

My basement was pretty typical. Other than the fact that it housed a three hundred meter spaceship. I took a moment to appreciate its blue and white exterior before a bout of sour memories made me avert my eyes. After some searching, I found the growing puddle of water. I followed the stream of water to its source: a detached pipe. It wasn't a hard repair at all. I cleaned up the mess and returned the supplies to their place.

I was leaving the basement when I experienced something I hadn't felt in a while: the urge to do something. This something, however, was something that I knew I shouldn't do. I turned back towards the spaceship. I knew it was a bad idea. I knew nothing good could come out of it. Despite all that, I felt like I would find something that I was missing. Against all logic, I made for the ship's main entrance.

The interior was pretty dark, but I could still see. I started at a brisk walk, peering into every opened doorway I came across. I was in the sleeping quarters. I recognized Knuckles's room by its simplicity, then Sonic's by the mess that he left behind, then Amy's by its pinkness, then mine by its neatness. There was one room with a closed door. I couldn't stand to open it. I knew all too well whose it was. For some reason, this gave me a pulse of adrenaline. I picked up my pace to a jog and stopped looking into each room I came across. I kept speeding up. Eventually, I was sprinting through the corridors of a place that I never even wanted to return to.

I finally found myself on the bridge. There were five stations: two on each side and one in the center. The stations' monitors were covered in a thin film of dust. Still kicking myself for following my urge, I took a seat in the captain's chair. There was a familiar control board with a grey handle next to it. It was deactivated, so I started pressing some buttons. Nothing happened, of course. I took hold of the handle and thoughtlessly pressed the red button on top. It sent a terrible shiver down my back. After a second, I realized what I had pressed and snatched my hand away. Before I could distract myself with something else, the memories returned. In that moment, I relived every word, every emotion. I let the tears come and soak my fur. Just when I was starting to recover, after all those weeks, I had broken down all over again.

No. I never did recover. I thought I had finally accepted my circumstances, but I never had. I would never recover. I was missing a part of myself! I'd die of heartache in only a matter of time. I had to bring her back. I was scared and confused. I felt like there was nothing in the world to be done.

How much better was chapter one this time around? If you like this, then you'll love Tails118's story The Lightning Wars on DeviantArt! Please check it out!

Replaced the last couple sentences for continuity.