'Til Later Then (A Sonic the Hedgehog One-shot)
Author's Note: Yosh! It is I! The crazy one who always seems to get writer's block has created a Sonic the Hedgehog series OC, and is quite pleased with the outcome. I quite like this character actually, as I forced myself to draw her on paper, and I was quite happy with the final, albeit scratchily pencil coloured, result. I did, however, have to reference back and forth between an image of Amy Rose and my written character description to get the hard worked final result, but, apart from the referencing back and forth, I am proud to say that the character is original ^^.
Anyway, since this character is in a one-shot for the moment, I shall add her character profile. This one-shot may also be a prelude of sorts to my up and coming chapter fic for Sonic the Hedgehog, I just have to wait for Christmas to roll by first(I'm getting Sonic Unleashed as a present! x3 Anyway, onto the character description now. . .
Name: Roxanne "Roxy" Prower
Species: Hedgehog
Age: Fifteen
Appearance: Sky blue fur with sky blue and white quills. Her left ear is white and, similarly to Amy, has fur that forms a hair style around her head with the help of her quills, with a side fringe which occasionally falls into her right eye. Eyes are a purple-blue colour. She wears a blue singlet top with a white skirt over dark blue tights. She also wears dark blue and white boots
Main Ability: Like Sonic and Shadow, she loves to run, though her speed doesn't match up to Sonic's it's almost close to matching Sonic's own speed. She also has an affinity concerning the use of daggers and throwing knives, and keeps several knives on her person when needed.
Other: She is Tails' cousin, and lives by herself on a small farm on the outskirts of Knothole, which Tails visits sometimes to help his cousin care for the animals and produce.
It was another ordinary day in Knothole for most of its inhabitants, Sonic was up to his usual mischief again, but there was no sign of his partner in crime, one Tails Prower, which confused aforementioned blue hedgehog to no end. While causing mischief, he noticed that his friend wasn't around, and took liberty upon himself to go looking for him, running a one-hedgehog search party through the entirety of Knothole, before finding himself heading towards the farming district. . .
"Tails! Could you go fetch some water from the well for dinner please? I need to cook the vegetables." I called as I stood in the kitchen at the cutting board, peeling potatoes and carrots for a stew I was going to cook for dinner that night.
"Sure thing Roxy!" My younger cousin, Tails, called from outside, where he was pulling up some ripened onions and sweet potatoes for dinner. I wiped a little sweat from my brow as I sliced the carrots and cut the potatoes into rough cubes. When I was finished with that task, I dumped the skins and other general rubbish into the scrap bucket for the chickens and washed my hands, before picking up the cutting board and sliding the already chopped vegetables into the stew pot. I wiped my hands on a dry tea towel before walking out of the kitchen to see if Tails needed any help with the vegetables and water.
"Tails?" I called, opening the front door and peering outside, seeing no immediate sign of my cousin, before spotting him waving to me from the vegetable patch. I smiled and walked over to him, kneeling next to him as he tried and failed to pull up a stubborn onion. I grabbed onto the foliage of the plant as well, but with both of us, we still failed in pulling up the plant. I grunted and pulled harder, Tails doing the same.
"Stubborn plant." I grunted, groaning from the effort of trying to uproot the plant. Tails just nodded to show his agreement. As I resettled my grip on the plant and tried again, I suddenly felt like I was being watched from behind. Curious, I looked behind me while continuing to pull at the plant, but saw nothing and no one behind me. Confused now, I turned back around to glare at the stubborn plant again, only to meet a pair of green eyes.
It took all of a split second before I yelped in surprise, my grip on the onion going lax as I landed on my rump. The air left in my lungs left them in a whoosh as I landed on my behind, blinking in surprise from the impact.
"Ouchie." I muttered, getting onto my hands and knees to stand again. When I looked up, I saw Tails hugging, then talking amiably with the suddenly-there royal blue, green eyed hedgehog that had startled me.
"Um…" I murmured, completely confused. This caused the attention of both boys to turn to me as I stood again.
"Oh! Sorry, Roxy." Tails chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck absent-mindedly, before turning to the hedgehog that was, evidently, a friend of his.
"Where have you been, Tails? I've only been looking for you all over Knothole." The blue hedgehog asked, looking back and forth between Tails and I. Tails continued to rub the back of his neck a little longer.
"Sorry Sonic, but I was here helping my cousin out today." The hedgehog, Sonic, blinked in surprise, then looked at me again.
"Cousin huh?" He asked amiably, looking me up and down. I simply raised a non-existent eyebrow at him.
"Roxy, meet Sonic. Sonic, this is my cousin Roxanne Prower, but everybody calls her Roxy." Sonic held out a hand, which I accepted and shook.
"It's nice to finally meet a friend of my cousin. I've heard so much about you." I smiled in a friendly manner, which Sonic openly returned.
"It's nice to meet family of Tails as well." He replied, a grin on his face, before his look switched to one of confusion.
"What were you having trouble with just now anyway?" he asked confusedly. I blushed a little, scratching my cheek lightly in embarrassment.
"We were trying to pull up one of my onions for dinner tonight, but the one we're trying to pull up won't budge." I explained, turning to glare once again at the offending vegetable. Sonic simply laughed, causing Tails and I to turn and look at him in confusion. Sonic turned to me and grinned briefly.
"Tell you what, I'll get that onion out of the ground for ya, easy." He winked, causing me to blush a little once again.
"Uh, s-sure, I guess. Tails, do you want to help me pull up some other vegetables for the stew?" Tails nodded and walked over to the basket he'd been using before to show me what he'd gathered.
"Let's see, potatoes, sweet potatoes and a pumpkin are already in the kitchen. I also have some parsley and thyme I could use." I murmured to myself, pulling a few sprigs of thyme from the bush in the garden near the house.
"I already have the chicken ready to carve for the stew as well. I just need that onion out of the ground, as well as some carrots." When I turned around to ask Sonic if he'd managed with the temperamental onion yet, there was an onion fresh from the ground, near my nose, a white gloved hand attached to it. I blinked, then looked passed the onion to see Sonic holding the onion up, a grin on his face. I smiled and gingerly took the offered onion, putting it into the basket with the thyme and other vegetables, with a few carrots that Tails had collected in the basket, I invited Sonic to join us for dinner, before all three of us went indoors, Sonic and Tails carrying the basketful of vegetables between them while I carried the bucket of water from the well.
"So, no indoor plumbing out here?" Sonic asked casually as the boys set the basket on the table while I filled the sink basin with half the water from the bucket, to wash the fresh vegetables and herbs.
"Not really. I haven't had a chance to get up-to-date plumbing here, but I don't mind using the well for the kitchen at least. The rest of the house has plumbing where it's needed, it's just costly to install plumbing here in the kitchen." I explained as I grabbed a knife and cut into the outer skin of the onion to peel it off. Tails moved himself into the living room to watch television, whereas Sonic remained in the kitchen and talked casually with me as I prepared dinner. It was nice, and in ways Sonic's personality was a welcome change to my run-of-the-mill everyday routine. He seemed like the kind of hedgehog that could befriend anyone in Mobius, aside from Doctor Eggman, who just has major control issues in my opinion.
As we talked, I got to know a bit more about Sonic, including the fact that he's the fastest hedgehog in Mobius, which was made evident when I met him earlier, as well as the fact that he had an impatient streak to him. I couldn't help but laugh when he asked how much longer it would take me to finish peeling and chopping vegetables so that he could race me to see how fast I was.
"Sorry Sonic, but I'll be a little bit longer." Was my complacent answer. He huffed in response, crossing his arms over his chest. I giggled, as I tossed the chopped onions, thyme and parsley leaves into the now heating stew pot, before starting on carving the chicken.
"You know Sonic, my mother once told me that patience is a virtue." I teased, turning to smile at him a moment to prove I meant no insult. He grinned in response, shrugging his shoulders.
"Sorry, but that's just how I roll." I nodded in agreement.
"I do love running, I just don't get to do it as often as I like, seeing as I have a farm, with animals and plants to look after." I explained as I continued to cut the chicken I removed from the carcass into chunks for the stew. I heard Sonic gasp in slight astonishment.
"Really? I live to run, I dunno what I'd do if I couldn't run every day." I had to smile at that one.
"You sound just like I did a few years back, before I lost my parents." I murmured, drifting to unwanted memories for a few moments, before composing myself and finishing with the chicken, I added the chunks of chicken to my stew, before adding the lid to the pot to let the meat and vegetables cook in the chicken stock I'd added to the brew. I cleaned my hands on a tea towel before sitting at the small table in the dining room, offering Sonic a seat to join me.
He sat next to me, and rested a sympathetic hand on my shoulder, before letting go after a few moments. I smiled at him in thanks, before I leaned my chin on my laced fingers and grinned lazily at him.
"So, before we race, do tell me about this Amy Rose that I hear stories about from my dear cousin." Sonic groaned a little, before I received the full story – how Amy was a year younger than us, and that she was completely and utterly smitten with Sonic, who gave off an oblivious air to her affections all the time he was around her.
"I mean, she's a good friend and all, but I just don't see her like that what-so-ever." He finished, banging his head on the table for good measure. I sighed and crossed my arms, closing my eyes in thought.
"The way I see it is all teenage girls her age normally have a crush on someone that they idolise. Apparently, Amy looks up to you a lot and developed a crush on you. She may think it's love, and she might even tell you so, but how can it be so if there's no true feeling other than admiration of a persona behind it." I opened my eyes to find Sonic staring at me blankly.
"Uh, dummy speak please?" He asked jokingly, which caused me to laugh.
"Basically her crush on you is so huge that she believes it's love, when it isn't, just an extreme form of admiration, commonly found in hormonal teenaged girls." I shrugged complacently, standing to check the stew. "It's as simple as that, my dear hedgehog." I called from the kitchen. Sonic was behind me not a second later.
"Any idea how to make her back off?" He asked. "I don't wanna hurt her feelings or anything by telling her to her face that I don't like her like that, I wouldn't feel right." He admitted. I turned bright red at the sudden question.
"Um…well…I, uh, I guess that the only way to indirectly tell her that you don't feel like that about her is to maybe find a girlfriend or a potential mate. It's only an idea though." I murmured the last bit at the sudden glint in Sonic's eye.
"What about you Roxy? You got anybody special?" He asked suddenly, leaning on the counter top next to the stove where I was standing over the stew pot.
"Not really. The only family that I have left is Tails. I don't have a boyfriend or a mate, either. Y'see, not many people in Knothole know me, except for the grocer's I sell my vegetables to, Tails, and now you. I'm so busy keeping track of my patch of land here on the outskirts of Knothole that I don't have any friends, or know many boys that could be a significant other of any sort, and my closest neighbour is about an hour away, if I walk…." I trailed off there, staring passed the pot of stew I was stirring.
"There was, someone like that once, a couple years ago. I thought that he was the most amazing thing in the world, until he left me, and Knothole, without warning. He ran off with another girl." I murmured, placing the lid back on the pot and sighing, thinking to myself for a moment, before looking up to smile at Sonic again.
"How about that race now?" I asked pleasantly, to which Sonic nodded in response, before leading the way outside to scope the ground while I pulled on my boots again.
"That tree by the road down there okay?" He asked, pointing to a small tree on the next hillock. I nodded my agreement, bouncing on my feet to help stretch my legs a little.
"On my mark?" He asked. I hummed in agreement, as we both crouched next to each other on the road in front of my house.
"Three…" I shifted my feet.
"Two." He and I both straightened our legs for the beginning dash.
"One!" He called, and we were both off and running. We were almost to the tree when he started to speed up a bit more, slapping his hand down on the trunk a few seconds before I could. As I slapped the tree, I started to slow myself down, running passed it along the crest of the hillock until I slowed to a walk. I heard Sonic whoop at his conquest, a grin on his face.
"Better luck next time." He called in a slightly teasing tone. I grinned in response, not minding the jibe much, since it had been a while since I last did any running.
Returning to the tree and Sonic, I flopped down at the base of the trunk, lying in the shade under the leaves.
"What a beautiful sunset." I murmured after a few moments of silence, sitting up to admire the brilliant colours that lit the sky. I heard shuffling, and guessed that Sonic had sat beside me.
"Yeah, it is." He murmured in agreement. We stayed to finish watching the sunset, before heading back to my house, as I was worrying as per whether or not the stew was boiling over, which it thankfully wasn't. I ladled the stew into three bowls and handed Sonic and Tails their bowls at the table, giving them soup spoons as well, before I joined them with my own dinner.
"Wow, Roxy, this is great." Tails cheered, before digging into more of his stew. I smiled at my younger cousin's compliment.
"Thanks Tails, I appreciate it." I smiled at my cousin, happy that he liked the meal I'd prepared, since I didn't get to do things with my cousin often, so it was nice to be able to cook a good meal for him to enjoy with his friends.
"If you like, you could take the leftovers home to share with your other friends." I suggested, smiling as both boys wolfed down the stew as I ate it more slowly, savouring the flavours of the stew I'd cooked.
After dinner, I was in the kitchen again, pouring the leftover stew into a take home container for Tails and cleaning up the mess I had made in the process of making dinner. I hummed to myself as I did, easily placing everything back where it belonged when it had been thoroughly cleaned. Moving around in the kitchen, I supposed I looked to the world as if I didn't have a single worry or care, like I was in my own, still bubble that had floated away from my life, my worries, everything that kept me grounded in life in general. I came back to my senses again upon feeling the silent presence of Sonic in the room again.
"Ya know, looking at you right now, I don't think anybody'd guess that you have a world of worries on your shoulders." He commented. I could feel his gaze burning into my back, in a good way.
"I was actually just thinking that myself." I murmured in response, carefully scrubbing my stew pot. I heard him hum, whether in agreement or for some other reason, I wasn't sure.
"Say, Roxy," Sonic began. I heard him move, felt a rush of air, and suddenly felt him behind me. I turned around, abandoning the stew pot, to find that I was correct, and Sonic had indeed appeared in front of me. He suddenly seemed hesitant, tentative.
"Uh…well, I uh…" He mumbled. I couldn't help but giggle.
"Y'wanna know something Sonic?" I asked suddenly, causing him to blink, before he nodded, looking at me eagerly.
"I don't generally date guys I've only known for a day." I winked teasingly at him, causing him to turn red. I looked down at our feet now, I was becoming bashful, concerning this subject at least.
"Y'see, I like to get to know people more before I decide where they stand with me, y'know…" I murmured, trailing off in sudden embarrassment. I felt a gentle hand pull my chin up, and Sonic's lips suddenly on my cheek In a chaste kiss.
"Does that mean I get to come visit tomorrow?" He asked, hopefully, after he pulled away from me, a small grin on his face. Now cherry red, I just nodded.
"S-sure, I don't mind at all." I smiled happily, which he readily returned.
"Great." He murmured, returning to the living room with Tails as I finished in the kitchen, before joining them. We talked for a little longer before they had to leave.
I walked them to the front gate and hugged Tails, before he jumped into the Tornado, looking back at Sonic expectantly.
"I'll catch up to ya, Tails." Sonic called. Tails nodded, waved to me, and was off into the skies again, headed for home. Sonic turned to me.
"'Til later then?" I murmured, a small smile on my lips. Sonic nodded.
"'Til later." He agreed, speedily leaning in to press another kiss to my cheek, squeezing my hand gently in farewell in the same instant, before he was gone in a flash of blue. I sighed, bedazzled, and leaned against my fence, looking after the blue flash that leapt into the air and landed safely on top of the disappearing Tornado.
"'Til later, Sonic." I murmured, looking up at the starry skies of Mobius, a wistful smile on my face. Maybe life wouldn't be so bad after all, with Sonic the Hedgehog in my life…
The End. . . For Now
Additional Author's Note: Okay, I hope you all enjoyed that and didn't think it was too random. I now have an idea for my chapter fic as well, since I recently discovered the Sonic X anime series on the ever so wonderful internet ^^ My fic will follow that storyline for the moment, with a few necessary changes, and, once I get that going, or finished, or whatever, I'll make a start on a Sonic Unleashed fic, which may or may not be another prelude to my up and coming Sonic X fic, depending on the placing of Unleashed in the game series as per where the Chaos Emeralds come into play.
That's all folks! Keep your eyes on alerts for future updates, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year to everybody! :3