Small A/N: Don't laugh at the fact Sonic has a toy dog to calm him down; I have one (a husky called Storm). Any flames about this will be removed.

XO

Chapter 2: Cyber Bully

Playing video games can only pass the time for so long. Time seems to stretch on forever when others are playing, as there are only 2 controllers for this particular console. I'm sitting out of this round, barely paying attention to what's happening. Zelda wins over Ness, who starts raging like a toddler. He's like that. After all, both he and Lucas are only 8 years old; kids. Every kid gets a tantrum time-to-time.

"Lighten up Ness. You'll get her next time." Lucas encourages, nudging his shoulder. Ness glares at his best friend.

"But I was ahead the whole damn time! How'd she win!? I CALL FOR A REMATCH!" Everyone sweat-drops. I get that Ness is upset but come on!

"That wouldn't be fair." Link rolls his eyes, briefly meeting my blank gaze. "You alright Lu? You've been silent for a while." I don't answer. I don't want to talk to anyone right now. I know Sonic's alright now but my mind keeps drifting to that terrifying dream he had last night. He did have a point. Loveless Syndrome sufferers do occasionally enter a psychotic episode and never come out of it, a state that leaves many of them in asylums. According to rumour, there is actually a company who hunts down these insane LS sufferers to "put them out of their misery" and they keep tabs on those in Stages 3 and 4. If they even dared lay a finger on Sonic, I'd literally kill them.

"Lay off, Link." Zelda scorns, interrupting my train of thought. "Leave him be. He's worried sick and I don't blame him."

"Hiya guys." Great. It's Mario. Why does my luck suck today? "What are you playing?"

"Racing Neo. Wanna play?" Lucas offers, giving him Ness's thrown controller. Mario shrugs.

"Eh, why not? Got nothing else to do." He notices me and the light fades from his eyes, being replaced by a malicious fire and a dark glare. "Alright, what's this loser doing here?" Mario hates my guts too, it seems. That's fine by me because the feeling is damn mutual.

"Mario! Curtsey please! Considering what happened last night…he has a right to be here."

"Why Zel? What happened last night?" This is all news to him, shock apparent in his sapphire irises and I can't make out if he's bluffing his emotions or not. It doesn't seem it, but with Mario you can't tell. He is the master of faking emotions. I decide to finally speak.

"Sonic has a seizure last night. It sometimes happens with Stage 2 LS sufferers but it's really rare. He fractured his arm during it and that's why he's in the infirmary."

Mario's jaw is wide open. Comic. It's almost laughable but I don't want to give him ammo to lunge an attack on me.

"A-A seizure? L-Like a fit?" I nod, mentally smiling at his face. "H-How bad!?" His tone suggests panic but his eyes are calm. Perfect example of fakery right there. That in itself riles me up.

"Could have been a lot worse." I snap back, ending the conversation there. Mario harshly rolls his eyes and begins a race with Lucas. They keep switching turns for another 5 minutes before there's a sudden knock at the door. It's Dr. Mario. That can't be good…at least, that's my instinct.

"Sorry all. Lu, can I borrow you?"

"Sure." I manage to get to my feet, despite my legs feeling like jelly. I exit the room, not seeing Mario growl and leave also but to the next floor up, phone in hand. "What's wrong?" He stays quiet. Again, not a good sign. "What's happened!?" I remember something the doctor said last night about sleep seizures; the fact that several can chain together. My instinct tells me that's the reason he's on edge, evident by his flickering eyes and inability to find words. Never has my instinct been wrong. "Did he have another fit?"

"I'm afraid so. It was only a small one; extremely mild compared to the one last night but he's been quiet ever since he regained consciousness. I was thinking maybe talking to you might put him at ease." He has a point. Sonic calms down a lot easier when I'm there. LS sufferers tend to latch onto one person in particular and that person becomes like a calming influence. If anyone can help him, it's me.

"Worth a shot." We enter the infirmary. Sonic's bundled under the sheets, weak whimpers floating into my ears. He's shaking. His quills are in that defensive state again, pointing outwards. Dr. Mario silently nods and leaves the room, leaving me alone with him. "Sonic? You OK?" More whimpers. Chances are he had an episode after the seizure; another reason why Dr. Mario (I really want to call him Giuseppe but he would kill me) was looking worried. I perch on the end of the bed and I stroke his quills cautiously to avoid getting cut (since his quills are razor sharp), making them slowly fall limp and it allows me to stroke him properly, making him purr. He likes me doing this. He eventually loosens from his defensive ball and peeks at me from under the covers. After seeing my smile, he tries sitting up, keeping his fractured arm limp, though he gestures for some help, which I gladly give. The swelling's gone down a lot. Sonic tends to heal extremely fast due to years of absorbing Chaos energy from his homeworld, so it speeds up the time it takes for injuries to heal (which has come in handy several times). He looks up at me, eyes wet.

"Hey Lu-chan." His voice is wavering and quiet. I nuzzle him.

"Hey you. Are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah…I think so."

"Have…have you been crying?"

He's silent, looking down in a way of shame. His silence technically counts as a yes and he's blaming himself for it, another symptom: lack of any confidence in himself. Believe me, bullying does NOT help in the slightest. Sadly smiling, I reach to hug him but he moves first, wrapping his good arm around my torso, face embedded in my fur, relishing in my "softness" as he calls it. He's squeezing tight though he's not crying, just sniffing a bit. It's his way of releasing stress, seeing as his usual "stress releaser", a toy dog, is back in our room. I enclose my arms around his small body, resting my head on his. There is quite a size difference, with some people theorizing Sonic's actually too light for his age. At 15 years old, he is the weight of a 9 year old, so maybe there is a reason for that. I'm digressing way too much. We stay in this hug for a few minutes before he releases, sighing and grips the top sheets in a way of stopping himself getting more riled up. After another minute of silence, he looks up at me, weakly smiling, though again it's a fake one.

"S-Sorry…my emotions have been wild lately." Mood swings is another common symptom of LS of any stage. He can feel happy one minute but angry the next, which is even more extreme because of his emotional limitation. It basically means he can't feel subtle emotions. He feels anger instead of annoyance, despair instead of sadness and so on. It makes life slightly more difficult but after so long, everyone in the mansion is used to it and, unlike the younger children, he doesn't get punishment for a tantrum. He's fully aware of this though. I smile and I pat his shoulder.

"It's alright…it's just another aspect of daily life. It's not your fault; it's just your condition. Honestly, it's alright." I playfully ruffle his fur on his head, making him giggle in a cute way. LS does make him seem childlike and it's mainly due to the fact he has development issues, so he's a bit behind in a lot of things like social interactions and his knowledge of the world is also quite limited, though this might be because his parents died at a young age.

"Good…as long as we're good. Where have ya been?" He's curious, head dipped to the side. When's he's in a "neutral" emotional state, he talks with a slight cocky language, almost like slang. I'm used to it though. I shrug.

"Zelda roped me into playing racing games with Link and the PSI twins…although Mario crashed our party." That's what everyone calls Lucas and Ness, the PSI twins, since they look alike, have similar powers and are always together. Sonic pouts, although amusement is in his eyes.

"That sounds like a lotta fun…did you win any?"

"One. Against Lucas…all the rest are too good."

"I see…gotcha." He shifts uncomfortably. It's not hard to miss. Like I said before, he can't hide his emotions well.

"You alright? Is something wrong?" I bite my lip. "Did you have another bad dream?"

"No, nothin' like that Lu. …I was just thinkin' of somethin' that's all…but it's a stupid thing to think…"

"It won't be stupid. Go on. What do you want to tell me?"

"…Would you still love me even if I didn't have LS?"

I just stare at him. The question leaves me reeling. Why would he think that? Where did he get the idea from? I suddenly get a sick feeling in my stomach and my head spins. For his sake, I ignore it.

"Of course I would! What sort of question is that? I would love you no matter what, you know that." He tenses up. He thinks I'm angry. I clasp his hands in my paws. "I'm not angry at you, honest, just a little confused. Where did you get the idea from? It's a bit…I don't know…strange to think that."

"I know…that's why I didn't want to tell you. What I meant was…you only admitted you had feelings for me after…y-you-know…" The sick feeling increases. I know what happened; the catalyst that made me realize my feelings but the way he's saying it is almost as if he thinks that's the only reason we're together. "…but if I didn't have LS, that wouldn't have happened. You never would have said that…we wouldn't be where we are now. That's the only reason I like my condition. It brought me you." He smiles at this, a genuine small smile that makes me want to smile too, although my face doesn't co-operate. In fact, I can't seem to move at all. Sonic's eyes aren't on me. He's fumbling with his hands, another symptom. When he finally does look at me, he instantly stops smiling, his body leaning forward. "L-Lu…what's wrong?" His voice wavers. I feel cold. Really cold. My paling face is what alerted Sonic. Probably. I can't see my face of course. He's saying more, I can see his mouth moving and his body language is getting more and more flustered and intense, which happens when he's about to have a meltdown, but I can't hear him at all. He's almost muted. My vision's blurring and eventually goes black suddenly, with the last thing I hear being Sonic's screams of panic which suddenly hits my ears after all the silence as my head hits something hard and I hear the infirmary door open with a bang.

XO

I'm dreaming.

I'm on the upper floors of the Mansion, which is odd to begin with seeing as I was just in the infirmary. It's night-time and a full moon is in the sky. Something about that is weird. I hear anguished screams from the next floor up, screams that sound familiar. Sonic. Before I react, I see another me, a slightly-younger me, running towards the bedroom, panic in his eyes and his fur on end. This isn't a dream, not a normal one anyway. It's a memory. I remember all this and I know what's about to happen. I follow. The younger me has entered Sonic's room and is screaming. Others are running in, many fiddled with their phones before Zelda says she's finished the call. I can walk through them because this is only a vision of sorts. I see what's going on. It's the one thing I've never wanted to relive, so much so tears begin falling down my face and my entire body goes numb with terror.

Before Sonic was diagnosed with LS, he was badly bullied by many Smashers (not me nor Zelda) because he was seen as a weakling and an outsider. Because of his condition, he was dubbed an anomaly, someone who was dumb and only was an attention-seeker, even though it was only because he wanted a friend, someone to understand who he was. One day, sometime in July 5 years ago (we don't age in Smash but this was in Brawl so we were younger), it all got too much for him. He tried to take his life, probably during a psychotic episode. He had slit open his wrists, waiting for himself to die from blood loss. Things were uncertain for a long time. He severed major arteries in his wrists and was close to death; spending 5 months in a deep coma. Even to this day, he has nightmares about the incident and sometimes gets muscle pain around where he still has visible scars; two on his left wrist, three on his right. Everything was alright in the end, thank the lord, but seeing him in that near-death state was what told me I had to tell him I loved him. I had since I met him, ever since he walked in those doors shaking with nerves, unsure about what to expect. Everything suddenly blacks out as ambulance sirens enter my ears and I hear paramedics rushing up the staircase.

XO

"Lucario!"

It's Zelda's voice. I open one eye. She's looming over me, slightly blobbed but my vision soon realigns. She smiles and flicks my ear. There's that aura of calmness about her. Seeing her smile can calm anyone down. She's the only one apart from me that Sonic will actually listen to in a middle of a meltdown.

"You're OK! Thank the goddesses for that." She hugs me slightly as I try and get my bearings.

"I…I think I'm alright…w-what happened?" I sit up, slightly feeling nauseous. Must be because I hit my head. Must have some concussion or something.

"Not sure. You sort-of passed out though you did hit your head on the floor."

"Did I…?" I try to recollect my thoughts but all I remember is that memory.

"Lu…? You're shaking…are you cold?" I look down at myself. I'm trembling, and a violent shiver rushes through my spine, making my fur stand on end. I nod.

"A-A bit…" I shudder. Zelda reacts quickly and wraps the duvet around my body. I'm in my bedroom, so it's easier than in the infirmary. She sits next to me and meets my wavering gaze.

"You dreamt something, didn't you?" Do I really tell her…? I guess I must. I'm not a liar.

"It wasn't really a dream…it was a memory of when Sonic…u-uh…you-know…" I can't exactly say the words "attempted suicide". She gets it instantly though and cups her mouth, shock evident on her face.

"Oh, Lu…" She hugs me, tears welling up in her eyes. "…it's alright…that was years ago. Nothing like that will happen again."

"I know that…hang on." I wiggle her off. "Is Sonic alright? I mean…me passing out like that must have terrified him…!" She reads my panic and sighs, placing a gloved hand on my raised shoulder to soothe me.

"He's fine, just worried. He knows it was just a bit of a faint…though you've been out for around an hour…which is odd."

"Pokemon faints tend to last that long…unlike humans who faint for around 20 seconds. Then again, I DID hit my head. Must have knocked me unconscious." The last bit is a murmur, so Zelda doesn't hear it.

"Funny how biology is different."

"Tell me about it." I start getting up but Zelda stops me.

"Don't. Dr. Mario says you needed to rest once you came to. You got a concussion in that fall. He doesn't want anything happening." Her tone is sharp but it's in a caring way, like a mother. I fold my arms in annoyance. I'm very close to retorting but I decide against it. If Dr. Mario orders it, I must obey. He's scary when you disobey what he demands, believe you me. Reluctantly, I bundle myself under the duvet to drift off to sleep.

XO

~ Sonic's POV ~

"You alright, Sonic?"

Ignored. I decide not to say anything to Dr. Mario. I'm seriously not in the mood for talking. Shame the doc figures that out. I feel the bed sink as he sits on it and he strokes my back. Usually that makes me calm and makes any stress or worry melt away. Not this time. It's not the same as when Lu does it. It only works when he or Zelda does it. Now, don't ask why I call Lucario Lu, or Lu-chan for that matter. I just think it's a cute nickname for him.

"Hey, I've gone to see if he's alright. He's just sleeping the whole thing off. Had a hit to the head. He'll be right as rain in a bit, you watch."

I look at him then, albeit cautiously and only slightly before ducking back into my little ball. As long as he's alright, that's all I care about. I still shake when I remember him just slumping to the ground like that, motionless, as well as hearing that crack as his head made contact with the wooden floor. Zelda was there to comfort me. She's like the mother I've never had. Sure, my parents died in a house fire when I was barely old enough to know what death even was. I was only 8. I never learnt about the world because of that. My turn to explain. Mobians such as myself tend to stay with their parents until they are 18 years of age, or even sometimes longer. Those who lose their parents like Tails and I suffer a lag in development since we tend to absorb parental love. It helps our development both mentally and physically. Those who don't have that tend to be behind in that department. Sorry if that made no sense. I'm no good when it comes to explanations.

"Yea'…thanks doc." I mutter. My voice is still a bit raspy. Needless to say I was screaming. How could I not!? I just thought he'd died there and then! My worst nightmare, maybe coming true…it was just too much for me to comprehend. I blacked out, spasming in a fit of anger, terror and despair. I've been bundled in a silent ball ever since, blotting out anyone who came to talk to me. It's a thing I do. Helps me recollect my thoughts, helps me correlate my thinking to a more rational mind-set. The doc unexpectedly gives me a hug. I harshly flinch. I don't like people touching me, especially those I don't see as friends. Sure, Dr. Mario isn't that bad but he's too similar-looking to Mar, and he frightens the hell outta me.

"I know you're frightened but he's absolutely fine. Trust me."

Trust…that word is so alien to me. It's a hard thing to do for me, since I've mainly been friendless my entire life. Sure, I have my friends back on Mobius but that group used to be hell of a lot bigger. LS made people wary of me, even though no-one knew I had it at the time. I was seen as weird, a freak, someone who seemed too different to be considered normal. Even here, I only consider a few my true friends. Lucario and Zelda are two of them. Rosalina too. She's like a big sister. The rest I don't trust at all…even though I want to. I'm thinking too much. My head's hurting. I sit up as my face flushes. Doc Mario notices me reach to feel my forehead. He feels it too and feels it's warm.

"Do you have a headache? I can get something for that, if you want…"

I hesitate for a moment before only nodding. He sighs and hands me a tablet and a glass of water. I'm not fond of them (tablets I mean), seeing as they sometimes make me sick, but I take it anyway. It'll help the pain at least. My phone suddenly beeps. Dr. Mario smiles and leaves the room, thinking it's a phone call. It's not, just a text. I roll my eyes and I read the message. I'm wrong, it's not a text message. It's from the Smash Brothers forum website app (which MH makes every new Smasher sign up on, even though no-one really uses it nowadays seeing as we have VOICES to talk to each other with).

1 new notification – Private Message – Mushroom21

[To BlueWind] You're pathetic, hiding behind a mask of tears. You're the lowest of the low. I can see why people hate you. Get the fuck out of our lives.

…

…

…Right.

[To Mushroom21] Shut the hell up! You don't know me! You can go to hell yourself!

[To BlueWind] Guess I hit a nerve, huh? Poor little hedgehog, stuck in a life full of pain…would you like me to end it for you?

[To Mushroom21] Are you threatening me? If you are, Lu-chan will beat the snot outta ya!

[To BlueWind] Lucario can't stop me. Neither can you. You don't belong here. We're better off without you. No-one ever asked you to come here; you just showed up out of the blue! Why can't you just disappear!? You're a freak! A spiny cocky freak who belongs nowhere!

Die.

Die!

DIE!

DIE!

XO

~ Lucario's POV ~

"Lu! Wake up!"

It's Zelda again. Bad timing. I was in the middle of a good dream. I rub my eyes as I find my sleep being disturbed. She sounds really panicked though, almost as if she's scared. That's not a good sign, even for her who doesn't get riled up easily. I get to my feet and open the door. Zelda's there, out of breath, pale, terror dancing in her eyes.

"Zel, what's wrong?" She says nothing but grabs my paw and drags me downstairs towards the infirmary. That in itself is bad. We see the room. It's empty. "Where is he!?"

"I…I don't know." She admits in a whisper, fearfully picking up something black. His phone. "But he left his phone…look at it." I look at it. There's an ongoing conversation on the forum, going on for ages. Threat after threat. These messages date back months, ever since February this year (it's October now, approaching Halloween). Seeing the final message, posted little over 30 minutes ago, feels me with panic and rage, making a harsh sick feeling rise in my stomach.

[To BlueWind] Run away…and NEVER return. No-one wants you here, not even your beloved "Lu-chan". All he wants is to mess with you. He never loved you. No-one can ever love someone as pathetically worthless as you. You have no reason to exist. If you don't kill yourself in the next 24 hours…I'll be forced to do it myself.

I drop the phone in shock as my paws violently shake and clench. What psychopath would send such mean and cruel messages, knowing full well about Sonic's LS and what that could eventually lead to!? I remember the username. Mushroom21. Not subtle in the slightest. I march upstairs and I bang on Mario's door. He answers, looking at me almost coyly.

"…What?"

"Why?" I whisper, though he senses my rage straight off and shudders. When I get mad, I get mad with a capital M. When I get mad, hell breaks loose. "WHY WOULD YOU TORTURE HIM LIKE THAT!?"

"I…I…" He stutters, backing away. I follow his movement, watching his face pale and start sweating almost as if the sight pleased me. In a way, it did. He is SO dead. "I…d-didn't think he'd seriously believe them…"

"Of course he would!" I yell. "Now he's run off! Believe me, you bastard, if anything happens to him, it's on YOUR head…oh, and I will be showing MH your little "prank messages". Don't expect to get any rewards or points in brawls anytime soon." I turn to leave but Mario starts sniggering. "Oh, and you're going to laugh? You seriously don't have any morals little Mushroom Kingdom Hero."

"I'm sorry…but this is perfect! Finally, he's out of my hair! Ugh, you have no idea how long I've been wanting to do that!" His laugh continues until rage mutes my rational mind. That's it. I snap. I thrust him against the wall, paws enclosed around his neck and his laughter instantly stops. In fact, he's laughing out of fear now.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right here and now."

"Because you're not a killer?"

…He's right. I'm not. I darkly growl at him and I let go.

"No. You're right. I'm not a killer…I would not ever stoop to your level. I am going to find him, you watch. Then, I'll be back to kick your sorry ass out of here." I leave fully then, activating my powers for a trail. I only have a 10 mile radius and it's clear Sonic's out of that area, but I sense a lingering presence of his specific aura heading west towards the island's jungles. Oh, yes, we DO live on an island. As I head back down to the entrance hall, MH suddenly crashes into the room followed by Crazy, who quickly rounds up everyone (although it leaves two major holes in the ceiling, which is probably the millionth time it's happened). It's clear Zelda's gone and told him.

"Crazy, lock Mario in his room. Now!" He orders his brother who nods and heads upstairs. He turns to all of us. "I want a land team, a communications team and a sky team. Fox, Wolf, Falco, Kirby, Samus, Olimar…I want you to be the members of the sky team. Red, you can join that team with Charizard. Marth, Roy, ROB, Zelda, Rosalina, you're communications. The rest of you are on land. I want Lucario and Captain Falcon to team up with Link and Toon Link; the four of you are the fastest here. We need to find him sooner rather than later, am I clear?" We all nod.

"Rogar that." Captain Falcon salutes and nods at me. "You ready?"

"Yeah, I'm ready."

"We'll send you a message if we see him from the sky." Fox assures, hands on hips in determination. Sometimes I wonder about his attitude. Sometimes he's an ass and sometimes he's extremely friendly. It's just weird. Wolf just sighs.

"Normally I wouldn't work with you under any circumstances Fox, but this is different. This is a matter of life or death, after all."

"Yeah, not subtle in the slightest."

"Um…Master Hand?" Peach suddenly taps MH's shoulder. "…I need to talk to Mario. It'll only take 30 seconds."

"Is it essential?" His shoulders sag. Peach's look is dark as she nods.

"Yes."

"Fine. 30 seconds. The rest of you get going. Peach, you'll join communications."

"Got it." Everyone leaves the mansion and me and Falcon, joined by the two Links, head into the jungle.

XO

A few hours have passed. Nothing. I'm running as fast as I can, following Sonic's auric trail through the trees of the Jungle, but the trail seems to be endless.

"Shit…" I mutter. I don't often swear but no-one is around so it's fine.

"I know he can run fast but sheesh, he covered a lot of distance." Toon Link gasps, stopping for breath. I'm tired myself but I have to keep going. If I don't…something could happen. I mean, he possibly has suicide on his mind and that in itself is going to cause a lot of problems. A transceiver MH gave me on my wrist beeps.

"Lu, it's Fox." Comes the Star Fox leader. "I've established visual contact."

"Where!?" My tone takes him aback as I hear a "whoa" as well as a bit of static. He regains composure.

"He's about 35 miles south from your location. If you'd like, I can offer a lift."

"OK, tell one of the other sky team members to keep that visual contact."

"On my way and roger!" The line cuts off but mere minutes later the trees blow wildly as Fox's Arwing slowly lowers. I jump into the tree canopy and leap onto his plane wing. He does a thumbs up. "Hold on tight. I like flying fast."

"It's alright. I'm used to fast." I hold on as he accelerates quickly south. "Any update?"

"His location's shifted but Kirby has been keeping tabs on him." Fox replies. "He's heading for the coast."

The coast…? Why would he go to a place full of water? He's an aquaphobic. Unless…

"I have a feeling I know what he's planning! We have to intercept him before he reaches the ocean!" Fox blinks at the alert in my voice but he nods in understanding.

"Got it." He taps his wrist. "Fox to Kirby. Come in!" I hear a "poyo" in an excited tone. "Try and cut Sonic off. Don't let him reach the coastline, you hear me?" A double poyo. He cuts off. "Hold on, Lu!" He does a roll to accelerate and I notice the sea appearing on the horizon. It's that shade of azure that makes you stop for a few minutes to take it all in. Unfortunately, that would be time wasting. I notice a golden glow near the ground, whizzing around in a circle.

"That's Kirby's way of cutting someone off?"

"He is still a kid, Lu. I should have put Wolf on this job."

"That wouldn't have worked. Wolf would have fired shots. God knows how traumatized he'd be after that." Fox scratches his head.

"Good point…" He swerves closer to the ground and I leap onto the soil, slightly off-balance. I tap my receiver. "Kirby, have you got him near you?" I get a dejected poyo. "It's OK, Kirby. No worries. You did your best. Just follow him." Another poyo and static. I manage to see dust coming up ahead and his aura's closer. He's not running at full speed, if he's using his speed at all. I notice drops of moisture on the soil where there are footprints. Teardrops. Anger rushes through me again. A cold breeze rushes past me. It is October. The temperature's colder over here. Also not a good sign. I sense an acceleration and he gets past my radius. Nevertheless, I'm soon near the ocean. I look at every clifftop for a figure. Nothing. I do a radar search. Nothing. He can't have just vanished! I look down. It's a long way and there are sharp rocks at the cliff base. Distantly, I hear the sound of a splash. I follow the sound. I reach the edge of one such cliff with not too many rocks. There are harsh ripples at the base like a portal.

It's like my heart stops. I'm NOT letting him die.

I perform Extremespeed and dive after him. I'm forced to rely on my aura because the water makes everything look hazy and blurry. I see a dark figure floating below me, not moving. His aura's weak. I begin trying to swim down to him. My fur's absorbing the water so it's easier. I manage to grab him. His head's rolled back, mouth slightly open as small air bubbles escape it. He's not moving. His eyes are closed with the slightest flicker. His body's heavy due to the water being absorbed into his fur like a sponge. That's one of many reasons Sonic hates water. He can't swim a stroke and has a panic attack if he gets stranded in open water (that's why he hates summer vacations and tends to hang back with me). I try swimming up but both of our furs are waterlogged and I can't even begin to swim upwards. I need air badly. My lungs are on fire, fast bubbles escape my mouth as my limbs become heavy and I begin to lose vision and my sense of touch. My body feels ice cold.

…So…we're dying together…in a way, it's better that way…

I notice something dive in the water, a stream-lined figure who fires some lasso at us and drags us up into the surface. I see who it is.

Greninja.

"You two OK?" He asks, concern in his pinkish-tinted eyes. I'm blacking out, cold seeping throughout my body. He notices, wraps us up in his arms and uses his tongue once again as a lasso onto a rock and hook-shots us back onto the cliff top just as I black out completely.

XO

As consciousness returns, all I see is white. I hear a beeping off to my side. Something is on my hand, something warm. I can hear a faint voice but nothing I can latch onto. After a few moments, it all comes back and the voice is one I recognise.

"Lu!" I look. It's Zelda. Of course it's her. Greninja is off to the side, leaning against the wall, eyes closed in meditation. They open when he hears me trying to move. "Don't! Lie still!" I can't talk but she can see the panic in my eyes. "Hey, now. Relax, OK?" I manage to find my voice then.

"S-Sonic…i-is he…?"

Greninja and Zelda exchange glances of the nervous kind. A truth hits me, one I won't ever accept, especially not today.

"N-N-No…h-he didn't…!"

"It was a close one." Greninja mutters, eyes cast downwards and he's visibly tense. "He almost drowned. He's alive, thank Arceus for that, but he's still in a critical condition. No oxygen was getting to his brain. They're still struggling to save him. "

I'm silent, trying to sort out the facts in my foggy brain.

"H-How long have I-I-I been here?"

"Couple of hours. Luckily you just inhaled a lot of water. You were responsive to the paramedics when they arrived and you were still breathing on your own. Sonic on the other hand…" She pauses, wiping tears away. "…he…he wasn't breathing. It was only after defibrillation did he even start having a pulse and even then it was weak and kept stopping. They don't think he's going to make it."

"H-He has to!" I yell, taking her aback. I look down. "H-He has to…"

"We'll give up updates when we get them." She gets up and leaves the room with Greninja, leaving me with a sense of impending dread and that broken-heart feeling in my chest as I flop onto my back, staring at the ceiling as tears fall from my eyes.