I should note that this story was written before Sonic: Ressurection and uploaded later.
This story takes place during the great war, Jules and Bernie are actualy Sonic's parents, Cochoa is Hershey's mother and Amedeus is Tails' father, with all that bieng said, enjoy and please review! I love to hear feedback about my work.
My unit was in a bloody mess, each one of us was beaten, burtned or bloodied by the endless rain of artilery fire. The air was stuffy thick with the smoke of the explotions, my ears ringing loudly over my commander's yells, commanding us down one alley, then another, trying to shake the deadly mortar fire. Finaly we ducked into the basement entrance of a small shoping center, cratered from fire. I catched my breath, and gazed over the cratered building that I was hidieng behind, some of the rebar of the cement still glowing red hot from the shelling. I saw my commander soutiung something I coudl't understand into his hand radio. My brother Charles turned me, shouting in my face.
"How do you feel?" He asked simply.
I mentaly scaned my wounds, I had a twisted elbow, my right arm was badly bruised with a small gash on the palm of my right hand, it was sore but not seriose. I had countless minor burns and bruises.
"I'm beat up," Jules said. "But I can run,"
Charles offred me his canteen. "Drink it slow, you look dehydrated,"
I took his advice, drinking the warm gritty water, didn't taste very well, but at least it was wet. I relaxed my muscles, knowing in just a few more seconds I'd be running for my life again. The commander turned to the few of us who were left, shouting over the roar of the cannon fire.
"Allright men, the mission is scrached, we gotta get to the," A massive ball of fire erupted just aross the sctreet from us, peling us wiht hot chunks of cobblestone and cement. The Commander shook his head and begun again.
"We gotta get to the Bobm shelter!" He said. "It's only a few kliks north, let's moove!"
Befroe anyone said another word, we shot out of the stairway, blasting down the abandoned street, an eirie red glow blanketed us from the red of the fires buring thorught the city. I hated to see it, but this city was being bombed to death. Casualtys were minimal, but these streets were where I grew up, where I planed to raise my children, if I had any. They were pocmarked with craters and peppered with rubble. However, at this moemnt, emotion would have to wait, I was in danger, and I know there was little hope of our group ever makeing it back. I was never one to accept death, so I pressed on, endlessly toward the cement shelters, where I knew thousands were waiting for us to return. Must get to the bunker. . . that all the mattered now.
"Bernie," Cocoa called to me, perched on the railing. "Can you see anything from your post?"
I glanced out over the abandon streets, fires everywhere, but I saw no liveing beings.
"No, Nothing." I said Simply. "Either thier alredy in the shelter or hideing."
Cocoa turned back to her position, perches efforlessly on the fire escape above me. I always admired her balbance, she was a cat after all, but sonetheless being able to balbnce on a rail like that, in the middle of an artilery attack for hours wihtout even mooveing or makeing a sound, well, it showed she was truely an amazeing woman. I didn't know her to well, we were just assighned to the same team recently, but we were fast becomeing freinds.
"Looks like everyone in a shleter by now," Cocoa said. "If the troops are okay we better head ther ourselves."
Cocoa leapt from the railing and landed with boneless grgce in front of me. "Can you get them on the box?" She asked.
"The radio's been dead since I heard the command to retreat," I said. "Either their home or dead,"
Cocoa glanced around, tossing a loc of her white hair from her eyes. "Well, either way we need t get to shelter, we're walking targets up here,"
With that she leapt from the fire escape, falling two storys and laning silently on her feet. I grined as a sliped down the metal ledder to meet her, don't cats always land like that?
They knew we were trying to hit the bunker, so now between us and the welcomeing iron doors of the Bomb shelter, was a constant rain of shells, and rolling liqid fire of napalm. "Damn Overlanders," Chuck said. "Whould it hurt those bastards to let us get home?"
"Their hopeing we'll rush out," I said. "They know they can nail us of they can flush us out,"
Ammedeus glanced back at the street, "Listen guys, we can hide out in the sewers,"
"Are you kidding?" One injured troopwer said. "Those sewers dangeose,"
"So mortars and Napalm are safe?" Chuck asked.
"We'll moove when the re-load." The commander said.
I welcomed a second to collect my thoghts, but these overleanders were fresh, they re-loaded quickly and aimed even quicker, we needed to moove fast to the manhole, luckyly Chuck and I came from a fast family. I gazed over toward the street to see our two-woman scout team rushing at us.
"There's the women," Chuck said. "I didn't think thay'd make it,"
Two balls of flame erupted from the ground on front of the women rocking the ground, rattling windows, I feared for a seodonc that both of the scouts were incinerated, untill I was the Taller one, a black and white cat, glance upwards at us from the ground, the otehr, a young hedgehog about my size, layed motionless a few feet from her.
"They might not," I siad.
What I did next was the slightest bit crazy, and only later whould I realize why I felt an urge to help the two women, one in paricular. I bolted out from where we her taking temporary shelter, Charle's voice follonwing me out, I could't exactly make out what he said, but it was something alon the lives of "What are you doing?"
I didbnt worry, he would always follow me. I first ducked in front of the cat, she had a gash on her head, most likely from shrapnel, but besides that hse look nothing but shaken, I helped her to her feet, where Chuck slung an arm around her to help her to the sewers. I dashed over to the hedgehog, she seemed shell shocked, but little more. I glanced into her eyes brifly, and she smiled. A srange thing indeed, we were both surounded by the smokeing rubleof our city, our live in danger from napalm mortar and shells, and she smiled the cutest, most endeering smile. I coudl't help but give he a grin, more of a smirk, since I was stuck in combat mode, but I had to do something, that charming little grin releived the tention inside me. I was wound tight that day, but somehow with ne grin, this hedgehog made me feel mutch better. It was weird, but I didn't give it mutch thought as I slid down the ladder in the stinking thick darkness.
Cocoa had set up a few light stickS, those high intesity white lights that could fill an entire room. The sewers were slimey, stinkey and dark, but at alest there were no bombs! We could at least regroup and take five, wich was what the group of us were doing. We had crakced into our rations, witch weren't tasteing to good considering the smell. I felt good geting something in my stomach after all those hours watching the streets. Cocoa and I were lucky those soldeirs were around and had the guts to help out. Maybie I'm just a flirt but the one who check on me had the nicest eyes I had to throw a smile his way. Looks like he was shaken a bit by that, but he DID smile back, witch means he liked the smile. Of corse, only I would be thinking about how cute he was in the middle of a shelling, but that's me. If you don't take life lightly, then you'll wind up all mean and nasty like to many f the fighters I know. One whing I liked about Cocoa, she always had a smile on her face, she enjoyed what she did. I guess I did to. I looked over at the men, the Soldeir who helped me was sitting there with his freind, who was sorta nice looking, minus that huge pushbroom of a moustace.
"Cocoa," I said elbowing her lightly, "Look at that hedgehog over there,"
She glanced over and smirked. "Yeah, what with that moustshe? He got something to hide?"
"No," I said with a chuckle "The other one,"
"OH yeah," Cocoa said. "Nice peice of work, but don't get your hopes up, Smomebody like that probably's taken."
"You think so?" I said, a bit dissapointed inside.
"You bet," She siad. "You won't find guys THAT cute AND availible, you probably have better luck with fuzlip there."
I wasn't quite ready to settle for that, but it wasn't inportant right now, I turned back to my meal. As I glancd up at the Hedgehog, I saw him embarsing look away, apearently he was looking at me. It seems their's hope after all.
I didn't realize I was stareing at that poor girl unitll she looked back at me. Man, she was beatiful, but still it wasn't polite to be stareing. Chuck was prepareing some MRE's as was most of the unit, but for some odd reason I could't forget about that girl. She was a beaty to be sure.
"You looking to?" Chuck said elbowing me lightly in my side. "Oh yeah," I said. "Maybie I should't be, but she is nice looking,"
"Don't worry about it," Chuck laiughed. "She'd wear more then that nice little vest if she didn't want people to look," Chuck said.
"No I mean the hegedhog," I said with a laugh,
"Oh well she's cute," Chuck said. "But I'm still looking at the cat, I like tall women.
Chuck was always like that, he never was really into relationships, but he was into women. He was a regular don juan, but I on the other paw was just looking for the right girl. Someday I wanted to settle down with the right girl, I didn't mind dateing but someday I would marry and have a family. I didn't plan any of that in the war however, but I wasnt going to close my eyes to any oputunitys. Chuck tossed me a bag of some sort of seafood soup.
"What's this?" I asked.
"If I knew I probably would't be eating it," Chuck said.
I laughed, two weeks before I would't have laughed. Smirk, maybie chcukled, but laughs, never. I was a hardened soldier but that cute little violet hedegehod shook something loose inside me. With one cute little smile, she turned me around inside. She had to be an amzeing woman.
"I have to talk to her," I said as I hit a spooful of whatever I was eating.
"Talk to who?" Chuck said, aperently now concentrateing on the meal rather then that cat's skimpy vest.
"The hedgehog," I said.
"Forget her Jules," Chuck said. "She's nice and all bu you've gott keep your mind on getting those artilery batteries, you a soldier not a bacelor,"
"I'm both Chuck," I said. "And she's special,"
"She looks really nice Jules," chuck said a bit curtly. "And I would like to see you with a nice girl like that, but right now we've got a war to win,"
Chuck was definately looseing patience with me, so I let it go. Purhaps later, after we were all safe her and could have a word.
It was hours later and most of the unit was sleeping. Cocoa and I were wide awake however from energy bootster we took so we could act as lookouts. Cocoa and I were trainded to stay awake and fresh for days. I was happy to have a rest tho, just sitting motionless and resting my acheing feet. Cocoa hadn't talked for about an hour, she was going over a scematic of the sewers trying to see if their way a way to get to the bobm shelter though the sewers. She was smarter then her looks would tell you. Cocoa was very atractive in my opinion, trim, athletic. Me, well, I never considred myself pretty. I was more of a thinker, a fighter, I never worried about how I looked. Not that I minded the ocational compliment, wich seemed to come my way every now and again.
"Bernie, you awake?" Cocoa said elbowing me lightly.
"You kidding?" I said. "I can stay up as long as you can,"
Cocoa held the schematic to me along with a lightstick so I could see it effectively in the dark. "The sewers don't connect with the Bomb shelter, but it does strech all the way out of the city, possibly behind those big guns,"
"So we can attack?" I said.
"If we can catch those sons 'a bitches by surprise they won't stand a chance." Cocoa said slaping the scematics.
"Should we run this by Amedaus?" I asked.
"You kidding?" Cocoa said. "I'd wake him up right now if I wasn't so damn tired myself."
"Tired eh?" Bernie said. "What kinda scout are you?"
"Your commander." Cocoa said. "And If I wanna sleep I will."
"Nasty girl, Hisss,"
"You be nice and stay up," Cocoa said rolling out thermal blanket. "You slept last night."
Cocoa rolled over, wraping herself in the shineing thermal blanket. Soon it seemed she was asleep. She must have been tired. I thought I'd patroll the comnbat unit, makeing sure everyone was allright. I grabed one of the lightsticks and begain walking by the men, who were sleeping soundly. I walked by the dozeing hedgehog that saved me. He was handsome, I didn't really care if he was taken, a man like that was worth stealing. I glanced out over the water next to us, a bit of dust drifted down form the ceiling shook loose by a distant bomb blast, don't the ever give up? I looked back down at the Hedgehog, now awake, and stairing srit up at me.
I thought for a moment I was still dreaming, after all I was dreaming of her, but now I was sure I was awake, she was looking down at me, a bit surprised. She blused as if she causght me walking out of the shower. I didn't really know what to say, luckyly she spoke first.
"Thanks for helping me," She said timidly.
"No problem," I said tiredly. "I'm a soldeir, It's what I do."
"My name's Bernie," She said.
"I'm Jules, my partner here preteding to sleep is my brother Chuck."
"Dammit Jules," Chuck said. "Can't you let me listen in on one conversation?"
I didn't say anyhting, Just gave Chuck a jokeing glare.
Chuck sighed. "I gotta go find the bathroom," Chuck said pulleing himself oout of the sleeping bag and walking of. "Wich should be hard considering we're in a sewer."
I watched for a while, just to make sure Chuck was gone.
"Sorry about him," I said. "He's a little ecentric, he's the brains of the team, I'm the braun,"
Bernie sat down in front of me. "You don't look so Brawny," She said pokeing one of my biceps.
"I'm trained in four of the king's royal fighitng arts,"
"OOhh, tough guy then," Bernie said. "Big soldir man, Wariior in his magity commiton,"
"For now." I siad, and honestly I didn't plan to stay in the miitary, I just wanted to defend my city. "Did I tell you I like your smile?" I added to my own surprise.
Bernie giggled cutely, gazeing down at the ground, flattered. "Your not all guts and glory," Bernie siad. "You have a heart behind all that warrior, I have a way of telling. " Bernie looked back at me, with a glimmer in her eyes that made my stomach feel as if It was filled with heilium. I was the no romantic, but I felt thiere was something about this beautiful young hedgehog that made me want to be. . .with her. I didn't know what it was, but that sparkle in her eyes, wich should be inposible in a dark sewer in the middle of the night, lifted me off the ground.
"Great gods your Beautiful,"
My heart was beating like a hummingbird, he just told me I was beaurtiful, I've been called cute, pretty, but no one has ever made a comment like that. It made me feel, weird. No other word for it, I felt all warm in the damp cold sewer. He sat up to meet me, and placed a hand just under my chin. He was wearing leather punch gloves, golves with powdered lead in the knuckles for fighitng, but still his touch was electrifiing. I someho knew I loved him, as he drew me in close to kiss me lightly.
They say that one can make freinds faster on the battlfeind, since the true nature of men is showing in a life and death siuation, but I never knew the saem worked for love. I don't knw why I kissed her, we just meet hours before. I didn't care, I felt passion for her all through me, and if I truely loved her, I might nowt see her tomarow. She or I might be dead, and I wanted her to know, in one kiss, how I felt. And I think I suceeded. I was kissing her, but she was definately kissing back, in fact, I'd depbate to this day if she initiated it. Maybie It was mutual we were both in love, that was for damn sure.
"Good king acorn you two work fast," Chuck said, retuning supriseing the liveing crap out of both of us. "Wonder what I've seen if I would've came back ten minutes from now."
I sighed. "Chuck this is Bernie," I said.
"Thanks for helpng me and Cocoa," Bernie said. "She was pretty blitzed,"
"You think she'll thank me like you thanked Jeles here?" Chuck said with a laugh.
"Don't get your hopes up Fuzlip," Bernie chucled.
"Fuzlip?" Chuck ased placeing a hand over his upper lip.
I dind't have a good night's sleep, but I didn't need it. And NOT beaucese of the enrgy pills, I just rested next to Cocoa, and my thoughts never wandered from Jules. IN the morning, I didn't sit beside him at the brefing by acedent. Amedius was cooking something Like he always did, Cocoa had just went over her idea with him, and he and the otter sergent, I think his name was Orin, we ready to breif.
"OKay," Amedaus began. "Cocoa and I have logated a grate that exits in back of the Overlander siege line, acording to the scouting unit their's only about twenty of them total, and that's good since their about fourty of us. First sergent Orin,"
The otter stood center, and drew out his dagger, pointing at a scematic of the encampment.
"These overladers are artilery experts, they shouldn't have any large firearms, mostly just handguns, wich should't be hard to get around. We get in take as many prisoners as posible, but don't hesitate to use. . letal force. .if necisary."
I could tell that was hard for him to say, even thogh he was a soldier, we all hated to kill. If it was nesisary however, I knew I wouldnt hesitate to do so. Even if I felt horrible afterwards.
"Any quetions?" Amedaus asked.
WE were quiet, scared like crazy but all the men were to balzy to admit it.
"Allright, we're gonna hit the surface in ten minutes." Orin said. "Hit formation as soon as we get to the surface."
I leaned over to Jules and kissed him on the cheek lightly. He tureed to me surprised.
"For luck." I said.
Jules wraped his armes around my back, and kissed me on the lips deeply.
"No, that's for luck." He said.
Now that's a man,
"Getting a little close aren't we Jules?" Chuck asked as we trudged down the pipe, getting toward the spot to attack. I could hear the overlanders's guns agbove, we were dep enough so they could't hear us, but the cannoncs were easy to hear, even though six feet of dirt. Six feet, that made my heart jump when Orin told us that, like we were already burried. "I mean I saw you kissing that scout lady again," Chuck continued. "I mean you dont often focus on the opposate sex like that,"
"She's special," I said simply. "She's not like anybody else, she's just got this thing about her, she first names the commanders and laughs in the midle of Napalm and mortar, and she's beautiful."
"Sounds like the typical woman," Chuck said. "While we try to take war seriosely they act all cute, weird but it keeps 'em alive."
"What do you mean?"
"Well in a stufdy after the first skirmish after the war, we found that soldiers who complain and wine and gurumble all the time always are the ones who wind up casualty," Chuck said. "However, the girls who are always laughing and being cute wind up makeing it out without a scratch,"
"Then she'll be fine," I said. "I mean if that's the case she's never gonna die,"
As much as I smile, as muchme and cocoa screwed around at our watcher's post, we were both scared to death. We watched the men form rank, ready to carge the Overlander artiliry, witch was about a half a mile ahead of them. I thoight of Jules, would that be last time we kissed? I hoped and prayed it wasn't. "This is gonna be one hell of a show," Cocoa said. "Those overlanders are practicly helpless wihtout thier guns, we'll take them apart in hand to hand combat."
"I hpoe so," Bernie said.
"MMhm." Cocoa said with a playful grin. "Could you be worried about that handsome hunk of Hedgehog you were liplocked with?"
"And you were spying on?" I laughed, she was trying to get me to loosen up.
"Well leave some of that man for me," She said with a chuckle. "That's an order."
"Hey," I rotrted. "That is the best excuse for insubordination I've heard in this war,"
I looked out among the troops, the commander was going to give us a signal, then when it looked like the overladers were on a lunh break or something, basicly off gaurd, they'd attack. We've been watching for about a hal an hour, and noticed the overlanders had two "shirfts" While one group worked the artilery and mortars the other we were resting. Some were even sleeping. This was bad, seeming that even thogh were were twiece the fighters of these guys, they outnumbered us slightly. I told Amedaus and Orin as much, but thy were still confident, I would have been to if Jules, the man I just met and fell in love with wasn't going to charge those lines. I didn't see any chance of catching these guys off guard, so I turned to Cocoa, and knodded of rher to give the signal.
"Time to Rock and roll," Cocoa said, as she waved to Orin.
"There it is!" Orin said. "Moove out!"
""Le'ts do it to it," I said, not quite knowing what it menat, but it seemed to get me in combat mode. I glanced at my brother, who sporting the thick, stern look of his game face. Emmotionless, a perfect battle macine. We charged, and befroe we wnet even ten feet one of the ovelanders got wise to us and started takeing potshots with a handgun, we all knew we wer safe, he was aiming at the commanders and Amedaus was to far off to hit with a-
"AAAHH!"
The scream gutted me right there, I knew it was amedaus, I didn't have time to turn, to look and se if he was ll right others would handle that, right now I should conentrate on fighting. We didn't think however, only targeted our enemys, and leaped headlong into the embrace of combat.
It was over almost as quick as it had begun. The overlanders were nothing wihtout thier guns and we had beaten them like they weren't fighting back. About half of the Overlanders were retreated, many more were dead. W didn't win without losses however, and Cocoa and I had the sore duty of draging our lost inot a line, so the other soldeirs could bury them. I hahdn't been able to watch the battle very well from my vantage point and I didn't know if he made it. I dreaded in the ½pit of my stomach I'd see hid body among these mangled dead, Cocoa placed his hand gently on my back.
"Good Job Bernie, we saved alot of Lives today," She said with a smile.
"WE lost some to." I said moting to the lifeless soldir I was draging to the graves some soldiers were digging.
Cocoa remembered a quote. "To fall in the path of the king, is the greatest honor of the dead."
That helped. "Your right," Bernie said. "They died like they wanted to,"
"Your worried you'll find him," Cocoa said grining.
I glanced up at her, my eyes must've told her I was worried.
"YOu love him don't you?" Cocoa said.
I noded.
Cocoa pointed towards a grave, wehre one of the soldeirs were tossing dirt up and out. I could't see who it was.
"I thought so, I gave him diggin duty." Cocoa gigling. "I thoughtyou might like to tell him that."
I smiled like a school girl, and ran up to Cocoa, wraping my arms around her, then I ranto the grave, jumping in. Jules turned, obviosly tired from the work, but his mouth creapet slowly into a smie, his left shoulder wraped in a bloody bandage.
"I'm glad you made it,"I siad, feeling my cheeks tingleing warm with a blush.
"I had to live Bernie," Jules said. "I've found my life in this war, before you I had nothin but my brother and my king, but with you I have everything."
I sank into his amrs. "I KNow what your saying Jules, I feel the same way, I want to be with you forever."
Jules pulled me back slightly and looked into my eyes, I looked inot his, those large, soft, expressive eyes that melted me inot his arms.
"Bernie, I don't want to wait," Jules said. "This is war, and I don't know if I'll make it out alive,"
"What ar you saying?" I asked, feeling light as a feather, so excited, because I knew what he was going to ask.
He gulped. "Marry me," He said in a light whisper.
I smiled, now tears of joy rolling down my face. "Yes," I said, knowing no other answer.
Of corse we kissed, of corse we embraced, and a little later, we did other things (I think you know what I mean) but after all we were in love, we were getting married, and even thogh we were in the middle of something that should have been the worse experence of our lives, the simple pleaseures, a good freind, laughter, these things still were strong with us. We found more then eachother in that war, we found our lives.