Okay, this is my first published story with Azura, my idea of Sonic and Amy's daughter. Her information, as well as Gabriel's, is on my profile. Hopefully you shouldn't have to check that out to understand. Enjoy!

~Wolf~

The piercing cry of a young hedgehog shattered the silence of the early morning. "Early" meaning about four a.m. While it should have woken everyone in the house, the sound merely roused an exhausted groan from the parents. They were already lying awake in bed, and had been all night, listening to the never-ending shrieks from the cub. The cerise female glanced at her husband, who sighed and stood. He walked into the kitchen, turned on the coffee maker, and splashed water from the sink over his face. Sluggishly, he began the trip to young Azura Rose's room, which was on the other side of the house.

He walked in and gently picked up the crying, sky blue newborn. It had been like this ever since they brought her home a week ago, and Sonic swore he was going to go insane. Trying to function on little to no sleep and the occasional jolt of caffeine was not working for any of them. As he held the cub, however, her cries subsided and she began to calm. Amy entered the room and smiled softly, coming up and gently embracing the cobalt hedgehog. "This won't last forever, you know."

Sonic sighed, gazing at Amy. "I know, I know. You keep telling me that."

"It's the truth. I'm sure you weren't the most fun thing to deal with the first week you were around."

"Probably not," chortled Sonic.

"Exactly. Zura's going to grow up in a flash, and we're going to be laughing and joking about this first week."

"I doubt it."

"Of course you do, because right now all we know is a shrieking little girl. But she'll grow up, Sonic. Faster than you want. Look at us!"

Sonic sighed, unable to fight the logic thrown at him. It was true: it felt as if just yesterday, he was fifteen and only worried about himself. Now, ten years had rushed by and he was the father of the most beautiful, albeit loudest, little girl in the world. "Yeah… I guess you're right."

"Of course I am. Now I'll take Zura, you go try and get some sleep. Aren't you racing Tails' new plane tomorrow?"

Sonic rolled his eyes. "It doesn't stand a chance."

"It will if you don't rest at all. Now shoo."

Sonic laughed. "Shooing."

Three Years Later

Azura raced about the parking lot trying to avoid her father, giggling furiously in her supposed victory. She glanced over her shoulder, almost positive she had avoided capture. Intent on keeping her lead, the sky blue toddler jumped behind the nearest car, and right into the waiting arms of Sonic. Her squeals of shock and protest rang loud and clear, but Sonic managed to keep her in his grasp. "Zura, you have to go."

"I don't wanna!" she cried, squirming.

"You only have to stay for a few hours, alright?"

"But I don't wanna!" she exclaimed.

With a sigh, Sonic dropped the argument and carried her into the Day Care Centre, where an otter teacher smiled softly at the two. She reached out for Azura, but the cub leapt down and clung determinedly to her father's leg. Sonic groaned and ran his hand over his ears and quills. Exasperated, he muttered to no one in particular: "What do I do?"

The otter, however, heard. "Oh, don't worry about it. She'll be reluctant for a couple weeks, but she'll be over the separation anxiety fast, I guarantee you. She won't even notice you're gone." With a smile, she gently took Azura's hand and led her over to another group of young ones playing happily with some toys. She returned to Sonic with some paperwork and a pen. "Just fill this out, and she'll be set for the semester."

"Semesters already," muttered Sonic, grabbing the paper and beginning to mindlessly fill out the information. Then, as he let his thoughts wander, he accidentally triggered some old memories. Flashing images of a night long ago, when he was cradling his daughter and complaining to Amy about how loud she could be. She was right, though: he did laugh at it now. Yet now he was put into a similar situation. He did not really want to peel Azura off of him five days a week. It was not a pleasant situation to be in. Still, he was told it would be over fast. It'll be over faster than you want.

Eager to leave the Centre, he scribbled his last few answers and handed the paper back. "Here."

"Thanks. And your daughter's already playing happily, sir. You won't have to worry about a thing."

Sonic laid his ears back and tensed visibly. That didn't take long… "Yeah… um… that's great." He did not wait for the teacher's reply, but bolted out the door, somewhat hurt that he was already second-best in his daughter's hierarchy.

Azura glanced over her shoulder, and when she noticed her father had left, began to panic. She ran to the door and cried desperately, trying to wish her father back to her. However, he was already far out of earshot. The otter picked her up and tried to soothe her gasps as she cried. Eventually, she managed to calm the cub and get her to play with the others, but she was never truly content. She continued to ask for her father throughout the day. While the otter continued the day's activities, she could not help but think of the hedgehog father who was so disturbed by his daughter's apparent ease of transition and the toddler who loved her father so much she could not bear to think he had left her. It was a sweet story, if not bittersweet; for neither knew the other's true feelings.

That Night

Sonic had finally gotten used to entire nights with uninterrupted sleep, but the night after Azura's first daycare trip was different. About three in the morning, the little cub toddled into the room and crawled into the bed beside him. The sudden movement and extra warmth woke Sonic, but not Amy. He smiled softly in the darkness as the dim, red light from the digital clock revealed the outline of his daughter curled up tightly against him. He held her close and rubbed her ears, when he suddenly noticed she was crying.

Quietly, he whispered: "What's wrong, Zura?"

In the traditional whisper of a toddler, which is not near as quiet as a parent would wish, the cub replied: "You left me today, Daddy."

Realizing the conversation was not going to remain quiet enough to stay in the bedroom, Sonic picked Azura up and walked into the living room. He sat her on the couch, then went into the kitchen and grabbed two chocolate-chip cookies before returning. He handed one to Azura then sat her in his lap. "Alright, let's start over. What do you mean, Zura?"

"You left me! Alone!" she replied, her jade eyes teary as they gazed into her father's emerald ones.

"I had to, Zura. You couldn't come with me and your mom to Metal City. You wouldn't have liked it."

"But you left me!"

"I thought you were happy," stated Sonic, somewhat confused. "You were playing when I left."

"I thought you were stayin' with me," she murmured, sniffling.

Sonic gazed at his daughter with love and a new understanding of how she worked: she didn't forget he was not there. She wanted him the whole time. "Zura, I'm sorry. I should've been more clear. But you know you have to go again tomorrow, right?"

"Wha?!"

"Yes, Azura. But you know what? I'll miss you, and if you ever need anything, you just tell your teacher, alright? She knows how to reach me, and when she does, I'll be with you in seconds. Sound good?"

Azura smiled a little, obviously content for the moment. "Yeh. Um… Daddy?"

"Yes?"

"Can I have some milk 'fore I go bed?"

Sonic chuckled softly to himself, agreed, and then returned the toddler to her bed. As he tried to fall asleep again, he could not help but think that one day, she really would not notice he was gone. He pondered this for over an hour, fidgeting, until Amy finally woke up. "What's your problem?" she muttered, obviously tired.

"Huh? Nothing, Ames. Just go back to bed."

The female needed no second bidding, and was out again before he could change his mind. He sighed, then resigned himself to sleep. She was not leaving him yet. That was all that mattered.

Sixteen Years Later

Infuriated, nineteen-year-old Azura stormed into the house, slamming the door and screaming her frustration to the room she thought was empty. "I hate him! I hate his guts!"

"Could you keep the drama below seven thousand decibels, please? It's almost midnight."

Azura jumped and glanced at her father, who was leaning on the doorpost and gazing at her tiredly. "Sorry," she murmured, whipping around and hiding her face. Sonic walked over and forced her to look at him, only to see she had been crying, and still was.

"Zura… What happened?"

"Gabriel… he… he…" Any resolve she had shattered, and the young hedgehog broke down in tears on her father's chest. Sonic simply held her close, wondering what his best friend's son could have done to his daughter now. Cream and Tails had been very kind to Azura her entire life, but Gabriel, their fox-rabbit hybrid son, seemed to be breaking Azura's heart at every turn. Most of the time it was unintentional, but it was beginning to get tiring.

Azura eventually regained some of her composure. "Want to try again?" murmured Sonic, tentatively trying to bring up the subject again, in the vain hope that she might give him some reasonable answers.

"Y-yeah… Gabriel… he… I was over at his house, and I was trying to drop some hints that we should consider… I don't know…"

"Marriage?"

"I guess. But… he's completely oblivious!" she exclaimed.

Sonic sighed, and led Azura over to the same couch he had comforted her on so many times before. The dark living room reminded him of the many times he had to explain to her there were no monsters in the closet, and if there were, how he could keep her safe. Now, he had graduated to "boy problems." Why Azura had never completely opened up to Amy on this subject, he would never know. Instead of trying to explain away her problems, though, he let her cry as he laid beside her, comforting her by his presence alone.

This gave him far too much time to think. In his mind, he had already jumped ahead two years. While some days Azura would come home, and he would swear she would give up on Gabriel, he knew that she really loved him. He also knew the fox hybrid was not as oblivious as Azura thought. Tails had said to him that Gabriel had been looking at engagement rings, trying to find the best one, and was planning to ask Sonic for permission to marry Azura. This could only lead to one thing: in the not-too-distant future, he would be giving away his daughter, his only child, to the boy that was causing her to cry her heart out now.

No, it did not make sense to him, but he let it go. For now, he would simply comfort her, and prepare himself for the day when she came home with the ring on her hand, squealing and crying for an entirely different reason. He had to admit, he did not mind her crying with sorrow right now. It meant she was still his.

Eventually, she managed to calm her sobs, still leaning against her father. He smiled softly and kissed her lightly on her head. Her breathing finally regulated, and soon she was fast asleep. It broke his heart to see her like that: it reminded him of times when he had to sleep alongside her to ensure her she was safe. Soon, that would no longer be his job: it would be Gabriel's. No, it would not be like this forever, but for now, she was his, and his alone, and he would live in that moment until his turn was up. He would hold on to the moment, for it would pass faster than he wanted; just like everything else.