Here's the epilouge to Forgiveness. ) I'm really glad I finished this story. The plot and the story itself meant so much to me. Now it's officially done. ) Hope you enjoy the epilouge to probably the best story I've written.
The song lyrics within the story are from the song Sacrifice by Creed. Ididn'tuse the chorus, because its too...lovey. xD But I used the rest of the song.
Thanks for reading, everyone!
Epilouge
Sacrifice
The Mystic Ruins were silent. The entire area seemed to be empty of any life, of any moving, living thing. The weak sun warmed the cold air slightly, hidden almost fully behind the thick coat of clouds. Snow fell lightly from the sky, a brief layer of it already covering the ground. Winter had found itself inside the ruins, bringing the bitter cold and snowy climate with it.
The roof of the small home that rested on the hilltop, overlooking the ocean, was covered in snow. The windows of the home were closed, the snow falling hitting the glass and melting almost immediately. There was a melancholy feeling to the small place, a bittersweet feeling almost.
A sound suddenly came from the home, and the front door opened slowly. A shadow emerged from the dim room into the dim sunlight. The light sunlight lit up the cobalt blue fur of the hedgehog that came from the house, dressed only in a small red jacket. He shut the door behind him, stepping outside into the cold air. His green eyes narrowed in thought as he looking toward the stretching landscape before him, and a somber feeling arose in his chest quiet suddenly. Green eyes looked away from the landscape, closing as he turned away.
It had been nearly a year since Sonic the Hedgehog had failed in his attempt to save his best friend from his untimely death. Miles 'Tails' Prower was still buried beside the waterfall, a place Sonic visited every single day.
Although it had already been nearly a year, Sonic still awoke every morning to the same flashbacks. He would never forget how Tails had died, never forget how Metal had tore through the fox like paper. He would never fully understand why Tails had to leave him, but he knew that he had to accept it.
Sonic opened his green eyes, looking toward the waterfall. In the cold temperature, the water had attempted to freeze in the pond, but the fierce movement of the waterfall had prevented the water from freezing. But from where he stood, Sonic could see the bits of frozen water near the edges of the back in the pond. But Sonic didn't focus on the ice long. His eyes flashed to the large boulder sitting away from the edges of the lake, something Sonic always wished would never be there.
Hello my friend, we meet again
It's been awhile, where should be begin?
Feels like forever
The hedgehog sighed quietly, the grief building within him as it did every morning. His breath rose in front of him in a cloud of fog, and Sonic watched as it traveled up through the air before disappearing into the atmosphere. He had been healing on his own, slowly crawling toward his goal of no longer feeling as much pain as he had before. And he was improving. No longer did he immediately begin sobbing with guilt when he looked at the empty kitsunes bed. No longer would he blame himself for everything that happened, although he still believe some things were his fault. But he was no where near finished with his recovery. Still, the hedgehog found himself going into the workshop at night to tell Tails that it was late. And when he didn't see the kitsune sitting among his tools or working on the plane, Sonic would feel the aching in his heart again, and turn away from the workshop. And every night, the hedgehog would grab two plates instead of one, setting a place for both of them to eat. When the kitsune wouldn't appear after he called, Sonic would suddenly remember, and burst out in tears.
It was always heartwrenching to find himself in these positions, but it was almost impossible for him to go an entire day without calling for Tails when he wasn't there. But slowly, the hedgehog was healing, finding himself once more.
Sonic started walking down the hill, watching his feet as he did so. It was a vigil to the hedgehog, to walk to Tails's grave and not run. He felt he was respecting his memory by not rushing to the kitsune's grave everyday. He always took his time, remembering all the goofing off they used to do. He would recall times when he and Tails would gang up on Knuckles for some prank, or when the two would stay up all night simply talking and laughing about something stupid. These were the things Sonic wanted to remember about his friends. This was what made his face twist into sad smiles, but smiles nonetheless.
Within my heart are memories
Of perfect love that you gave to me
Oh, I remember
It wasn't long before the hedgehog found himself in front of the lake, looking at himself in the waters reflection. He had been taking better care of himself too. His fur was no longer as dull as before, and his eyes were not as lifeless. He was truely forcing himself to walk away from what happened, and not turn around like he did before. But he always wished that there was still a way to bring him back somehow.
Sonic turned away from the lake, walking toward the large stone pushed deep into the ground. Grass had growed over the mound of dirt they had dug up, although one could still tell there was a grave here. Sonic stopped in front of the grave, looking down at the tombstone. Sometimes, Sonic would slip into a state of shock when seeing the tombstone, for something in the hedgehog still refused to believe that he was dead. But now Sonic would simply stare at the ground where his friend was buried, wondering why things had to be this way. His green eyes glanced at the tombstone, reading the foxes name slowly. It was still hard for the hedgehog to accept the fact he would never see him again. But it was getting easier to get up and face the day without him.
"I miss you, buddy," the hedgehog said, smiling sadly. "Not a day goes by that I don't remember what you told me. But I still blame myself." He paused, looking down at the ground. "I think I could've done something more to save you...I still believe I could've saved you. I think I'll always believe that." He chuckled sadly, burying his hands into his jacket pockets. He cleared his throat, swallowing the lump in his throat. "I'm slowly healing, Tails. I'm slowly beginning to adjust...But it'll never be the same." A long silence stretched after his words. A wind picked up around him, gently ruffling his jacket and blowing through his fur. After the silence, Sonic looked up from the ground, looking at the tombstone.
We've seen our shares of ups and downs
Oh, how quickly life can turn around
In an instant
"I still think...I'll always feel alone in that house. I will never feel the same being alone there." He paused, blinking away the tears that were beginning to fill his eyes. "I hope you know that. I hope you know I really miss my little brother." A brief smile crept on his lips. "Brothers until the very end of time, Tails. Just...wait for me and Knuckles." Determined to not cry, the hedgehog pulled a small flower from his jacket pocket, a simple flower he had found near the house. He placed the flower on the mound of dirt, staring at the grave of his little brother for a moment longer before turning away.
"Love ya, little brother," the hedgehog whispered, closing his eyes and walking away.
The moment he was away from the lake, Sonic the Hedgehog let out a brief, quiet sob, tears flying from his closed eyes. He jerked to a brief stop before exploding into a run, his feet flying beneath him.
With grief pulling at him in all directions, Sonic the Hedgehog ran away from the lake, not caring where he was going.
It feels so good to reunite
Within yourself and within your mind
Let's find peace there
Upon one of the cliffs overlooking the lake stood a lone figure, his violet eyes watching the hedgehog burst into a run. His eyes followed the hedgehog for as long as he could see him before they twisted toward the small grave of Miles 'Tails' Prower. A brief twinkling of pain entered the irises, and he shook his head, unable to understand still what had happened. Silently, the figure turned away, disappearing into the shadow.
I just want to say hello again
From somewhere above him, another figure watched, his eyes trained on the far away form of Sonic as he ran. His body whirred gently as he looked down at the small grace near the lake, the crashing sound of the waterfall reaching his sensitive ears. Thoughtfully, red eyes narrowed, and after a moment, Metal was gone in a flash of blue light.
I just want to say hello again
The wind picked up again, blowing the still falling snow through the air. And Sonic, Knuckles, and Metal could almost swear they heard the quiet laughter of Tails as the wind blew through the dead trees.
My sacrifice...
End of Story