Yay, free time! Free time from school! Some free time at last! And that means more writing to satisfy this unquenchable thirst inside of me. I hope you will enjoy this new chapter of mine, dear readers.


Face Thy Fears (Part 1)

"No, no, no and NO!" said Tails with finality in his tone, which did not help improve Sonic's currently foul mood.

"Oh come on, Tails!" Sonic raised his voice a little, unable to contain his exasperation after spending half an hour of his day on a seemingly impossible cause. "Why is it that every. Single. Time this topic comes up, you have to be so darn stubborn?" he continued, arms flinging carelessly above his head.

"Because this is a free country where everyone can decide for themselves what they want to do and because it's my decision" Tails retorted, "I call the shot, and I say NAY! End of discussion! Have a lovely day!" added the addressed fox sarcastically, blue eyes alit with unwavering passion, before he abruptly turned back to his book and ignored his best friend.

Softly smacking his palm against his forehead and releasing a silent sigh, Sonic mentally counted to ten to cool down his rising nerves before resuming the task e had set out to do that day.

Normally, Tails was extremely obedient and cooperative, but there were instants, which were thankfully far and few n between, where the fox would become dreadfully persistent, much to the hedgehog's distaste. The young fox did not enter his obstinate mode very often, for there were only a handful of events or requests from Sonic that could consequently flip that switch.

However, at this very moment, Sonic was faced with a challenge so big that it could potentially shred his iron will to nonexistent pieces – tackling the highest-ranking item on Tails' metaphorical flip-switch list.

Obviously, he was experiencing little to no success with his efforts.

"Okay, okay…I swear if we keep doing this, People will change from Big Blue to Grieved Gray pretty soon," he muttered under his breath briefly before turning back to regard his younger friend. "Let's try this again, shall we?" Sonic began once more after he had calmed down somewhat. He even lowered his voice to appear reasonable.

"Tails, listen to me. I know this is very difficult for you…

"Very!" Tails chimed in, but the hedgehog simply let it slide.

"Very! I know. But you've got to do it sooner or later. And I'd rather you did it sooner rather than later."

His speech was met with deliberate silence from the kid, whose head was still buried in his book.

"I know you can hear me, Tails!" Sonic tried again, this time with a sterner tone. He loved the kid to death. Really, he did – more than anything in the existence - but there were limits to how much he could dote on the child. "Put down that book and look at me. Now!"

With a tired sigh, Tails reluctantly put down his encyclopedic paperback and directed his vision at the hedgehog. Rebellion was clearly conveyed through his gaze.

"What do you want me to do, huh?" snapped Tails as he stood up from the couch and began to pace around the room in a frantic manner. "Like you said, this is very - and let's take a moment to put a gigantic emphasis on the keyword here - VERY difficult for me. You can't just waltz in out of the blue and say, 'Hey, Tails, I know you went through a big trauma about meeting other people, so do you want to go and meet some people in town?' like everything is cool and dandy like that!"

"Okay, first of all, I don't talk like that," Sonic managed through gritted teeth and took a step back, exhaling slowly, "And secondly, I know you have bad memories about going outside and seeing people other than me," Sonic attempted to reason with his best buddy, who was very adamant on making things hard for him. "But you can't just keep locking yourself away from the rest of the world like some sort of hermit. It's not healthy!"

"I'd rather be a hermit than a punching bag," Tails replied with a huff.

"Don't say that, kid. Being cut off from civilizations is not cool. Trust me, I've seen some people during my travels, and most of them had some screws loose inside their heads. Besides, you don't know for sure that the people here will make fun of you. Who knows, maybe they are accepting folks like me. Just because you had one bad experience with one group of people doesn't mean everyone you meet will turn out like that. Take me for example."

"That's actually an interesting point you made there…So, if you don't mind me asking…How can you know for sure they won't treat me like the people on Cocoa Island, huh? On what evidence do you base your claim?" the fox raised his voice in an unusual challenging manner.

"Tails, just calm down and be reasonable here…" Sonic attempted to placate the cub to no avail.

"Reasonable? Newsflash, Sonic, I am being perfectly, one hundred and twenty percent reasonable here," Tails interrupted again, ignoring the fuming expression on the other's face.

"I'm being really reasonable, and I'm also being realistic. On what basis can you be sure that the people of Station Square will like me? How can you be sure they won't call me names and humiliate me in public? How can you…" Tails was then cut off by a sudden shout escaping from the other's lips.

"I DON'T KNOW, OKAY!" Sonic finally and uncharacteristically snapped. The force of his voice startled the younger fox and made him take a few steps back, almost falling on his backside as a result. The shock-filled expression that reigned on the child's face made Sonic step back as guilt stabbed him in the heart.

A veil of silence descended upon the two for a brief interval before an awkward cough from the hedgehog broke it.

"Tails…I'm sorry for snapping at you like that" said Sonic, one hand scratching the back of his head bashfully.

In response, Tails sat where he was and instinctively wrapped his namesakes around his bent knees. He looked smaller – much smaller – than usual in his current position, and his eyes held a haunting glow to them, as if he was looking at something far away.

Simply put, it was a pitiful sight, one that made Sonic deflate instantly, all of his bottled up annoyance and irritation gone in one single second. The only thing left inside was guilt and shame for scaring his buddy.

Letting out another defeated sigh, Sonic then carefully approached the heap of fur on the floor. Once he had ascertained that Tails would not bolt, he kneeled down in front of the curled up fox and placed one tentative hand on his slightly trembling shoulder.

"Tails?" he began, his voice a barely audible whisper. "I'm sorry for snapping at you."

"…It's okay, Sonic…It was partly my fault anyway for being a brat," the kid replied, but still refused to meet his friend's concerned gaze.

"No, you were partly right. I should have been a bit more delicate about this. It's obvious that you are still haunted by what happened in the past and I should have been more patient in dealing with the problem. There is no excuse for my behavior."

Tails simply sat still, unmoving.

"Tails? Buddy?" Sonic squeezed his hand slightly, "Could you look at me?"

Slowly, two clouded sky-blue orbs locked into the hedgehog's emerald ones. Just the sight of those eyes made the guilt in Sonic's chest rise again, but he managed to subdue it.

"Look kid, I know that you had bad run-ins with the wrong kinds of people in the past, and it hurt you. It still hurts you, and I know you can't simply forget about what happened or do anything about it. But the thing is...if you continue running from your problem, it will never get solved. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Tails, in response, only nodded and looked away, head down.

"I just want you to be free and happy, Tails" Sonic continued, "And to do that, you need to face and overcome your fears. You can't continue on living in isolation like this. Like I said, it's not healthy to be detached from others. Many people have gone mad from loneliness, and I don't want that to happen t you."

"But I'm scared…" said a soft, broken voice from the younger of the duo as his namesakes tightened their hold around his legs. "I'm terrified, petrified…what if they hate me…I just…I just don't want to be hated again…"

The memory of the wish Tails had unknowingly spoken in his sleep some nights earlier resurfaced in Sonic's mind, 'All I've ever wanted…is to be loved…'

"You won't be kiddo" Sonic whispered soothingly into the fox's ear, yet the whisper carried a strong conviction in every syllable that came out. " You asked me how can I know what other people will do. Well, I don't know, and there's no way for me to know for sure what's going on in other people's heads. However, while I may not know what other people will do, I sure know what I will do – what I will always do. And I can give you my word, Tails, that I will always, ALWAYS be by your side no matter what."

At that moment, Tails turned around and looked straight into Sonic's eyes. Shining brightly in those orbs was sincerity – nothing but absolute sincerity. At that sight, Tails could only smile – in appreciation and in relief at the knowledge that at the very least, he knew for certain that he was loved.

Maybe things would go south with other people, but at the very least, Tails knew he was loved by Sonic, and that thought alone made his heart swell with happiness and pride.

"Thank you" he whispered back, voice cracking a little.

"Don't mention it," Sonic replied casually and rubbed the child's head playfully, enticing a bout of giggles from Tails. "Now that's music to my ears" Sonic added, "Alrighty then, let's forget about this ever happened for the time being. If you don't want to go now, then let's not. I understand and respect your decision, so I will wait until you are finally ready, Tails. In the meantime, why don't we go to the kitchen and grab a bite? It's almost lunch now, and I am not running on an empty stomach."

The hedgehog then made a move to stand up, but he suddenly felt a soft tug on his fingers, prompting him to look down again.

"What is it Tails?"

The addressed fox did not say anything in return. He simply sat where he was and stared at a spot on the floor, his eyes taking a faraway look. Tails would remain still in that same position for a while longer, his hold on the hedgehog's fingers never once slackened.

"Tails?" Sonic asked again, slightly concerned about the lack of response he was receiving from the cub. "Are you alright?"

A few more seconds passed before Tails looked up. He looked at Sonic with newfound determination shining brilliantly in his eyes – the like of which Sonic had seen multiple times during their adventures together on Westside Island.

"I'll do it…" came a voice as soft as a whisper, but still audible, from the fox.

"Pardon?"

"I'll do it" Tails repeated, raising his volume a little, and at that time, the conviction and determination in his tone were clearly conveyed to the hearer. "I'll go to Station Square. You're right, Sonic. I need to face my fears, and now is as good as ever I suppose."

In response to that, Sonic kneeled down once more and wrapped his little friend in a tight hug, surprising Tails as a result. He soon relaxed and enjoyed the contact seconds later.

"I'm proud of you, kid. Really proud," Sonic said and could not help but smile.

"Promise you will always be by my side?" asked Tails as he returned the gesture, to which the hedgehog replied with one simple word.

"Always!"

To be continued.