~Undeserved Punishments~

Darkness.

He was here again.

Was this what death felt like?

The last thing he remembered was lying on the ground, feeling his life leaking out of his body. Why did that happen?

Because he shielded Tawny.

Why did he shield her? Why did he almost let himself die just to save her life? Was it because he was afraid of what Ridge would do?

…No. He hadn't even though about Ridge when he made his choice. But he had thought about someone else.

Kali.

Kali, the only female jackal in his squad. The one who would reach out to him when he was alone. The one who softened his cold mercenary heart.

The one he failed to save.

Seeing Tawny seconds away from being killed reminded him of how he failed his squad. It brought everything back to him. He couldn't sit back and watch someone else die because of his own… weakness.

He couldn't remember what happened after he was shot. He vaguely remembered some provocative comments coming from Scar, and Tawny trying to patch him up, but other than that, everything became a blur.

Everything became darkness.

And now he was here.

Darkness.

But, somehow, the darkness began to fade. Brighter and brighter the world around him became, until the world was white. He could hear echoing voices which grew louder and louder. Sounds. And then he was starting to see things. Everything was still a blur, but he could see that things were definitely around him.

"Zero?"

Was that Tawny?

His eyes were half-open, and his body was trying harder to wake up compared to his lazy mind which wanted to stay asleep, but his mind did eventually awaken and process what was going on around him.

Here he was again, back in hospital.

"There you are, tough guy," Tawny grinned, though it looked as if she was hiding a face of worry. "You've been out for hours."

"Hmph…" was all Infinite said in response, turning his head to face away from her. He still didn't have much strength to speak.

"…You saved my life," Tawny pointed out after a small pause. She didn't seem too happy herself with admitting that, since, like Infinite, she was proud to be strong and independent. "I didn't even know Scar was aiming that weapon at me…"

"Zero! You're okay!"

That small voice was familiar…

Running up to the hospital bed was Ace, much to Infinite's surprise. It even made his squinting eyes widen slightly.

"Ace…" he reacted in a quiet but hoarse voice. He didn't expect the child to be here.

"I knew you'd be okay!" Ace cried joyfully. "The medics didn't think you'd make it, but I knew you would!"

The medics thought he would die so easily, did they? They definitely needed to go and do their homework.

"Heh…" was the noise which then came from Infinite's lips. It almost sounded like a single chuckle, but he wasn't smiling at all. He didn't even know what he was attempting to laugh at. Was he laughing at the fact that the medics were so foolish, or was he laughing at Ace's excitement to see him?

"This little guy was really worried about ya," Tawny told the wounded jackal.

"You were worried about him, too!" Ace defended. Tawny laughed nervously and scratched the back of her head.

"I wasn't worried, I knew he'd be fine," she countered.

Infinite turned his head to look at Ace, but something caught his attention. The young jackal had a black eye.

"Hey…" he murmured, catching Ace's attention. "Your eye…"

"Huh?" Ace reacted with a head tilt before feeling his own black eye. It was clear that he was restraining himself from wincing in pain. "Oh, it's nothing! I'm tough! It's just a bump!"

"Who did it…?" Infinite asked with a frown. He knew that someone had hurt Ace.

The child's smile faded and he looked down, his ears drooping in shame. "The other children here don't like me…" he mumbled. "They said I'm like Infinite… They think I'm going to be evil when I grow up…"

This was his fault. Because of everything he did to the world, Infinite had made all jackals look evil.

"Tell them that Infinite's your father," the older jackal advised, still forcing his words out. "They might be afraid of you then."

"I don't want them to be afraid of me," Ace admitted. "I just want them to like me."

Ah, the struggles of being a child. Children were taught to be kind to others and they're only goal was to make friends and respect those around them. Infinite never had those luxuries in his youth, to be taught kindness, while Ace was definitely just a normal kid. He didn't have survival on his mind like Infinite did as a child.

"Sometimes if you don't wanna get hurt, you have to scare people," Infinite then said. "The world isn't about making friends and being kind to others. It's about survival."

"But it's nice to have friends," Ace argued sadly. "I don't want to be alone."

"Kid," Tawny spoke up, smiling at Ace confidently. "You're not alone. Zero and I care about ya, and I'm sure someone will adopt you when the clean-up is over."

"I hope so…" Ace muttered.

Infinite coughed suddenly, and grimaced due to the strain it put on his wound. He snarled painfully, clenching his fists.

"You should get back to the children's ward," Tawny whispered to Ace. "Zero's still really hurt."

"Will he get better?" Ace asked quietly.

"Of course, he will!" Tawny grinned. "Nothing bad will happen to him now that he's all patched up. He just needs to rest so that the pain goes away."

"Okay," Ace nodded, reassured by Tawny's words. "I hope he gets well soon!"

"I do, too," Tawny admitted, then patting Ace's back. "Now, go on. Go back to the children's ward." Ace nodded again and then sprinted away, thus leaving Tawny alone with Infinite. "Trynna get him to scare other kids, huh?" she then said. "It's not like they've all been traumatized enough already."

"Tch," Infinite hissed, rolling his eyes. "They shouldn't be picking on him because of the actions of one individual."

"Can't blame them, if I'm honest," Tawny sighed. "Infinite was one scary dude. He did a lotta damage to this world, and he killed a lotta people. Wouldn't you be afraid of others if you thought they were like him?"

"I wouldn't be foolish enough to see the world that way," Infinite countered.

"Even as a child?" Tawny asked. "C'mon, we were all scared little kids once. Surely you were afraid of certain people back then?"

No. He was only afraid of one person.

"Dad, it hurts!"

"The world is a cruel place, Zero. You're gonna have to get used to feeling pain."

"Please, dad, my foot's broken!"

"Keep. Walking."

"I can't!"

"I feared one person," Infinite confessed, albeit his voice was very quiet now. "That didn't make me fear others like him."

"Only one?" Tawny pressed, not entirely convinced. Infinite just nodded his head.

"Only one," he echoed.

"Then you didn't feel what it was like to be a child," Tawny finalised. Infinite stared at her for a moment before looking away again.

"No," he admitted. "I didn't."

This comment made Tawny look at him oddly, her head tilted. She was silent for a moment and almost seemed to be holding her breath before she released a sigh.

"Zero," she began. "Just… who are you?"

Who was he? What was that supposed to mean?

"You're someone I really struggle to read," she admitted. "You've told me a few things from your past, but… nothing makes sense. You act like the whole world is your enemy, yet you act like you are stronger than everyone around you, but in reality… I've seen you struggle both emotionally and physically. What exactly are you hiding?"

He wasn't just hiding the fact that he was Infinite, was he? It was so much more than that. He had already told her about his violent mercenary past, but that wasn't enough. He was still a mystery to her, and while she hadn't told him much about her own past, she wasn't exactly someone who was shrouded in mystery. The only thing about her past which was on Infinite's mind was Mercury – the individual mentioned by Scar who was no doubt the same individual who apparently softened her.

Infinite closed his eyes, thinking for a moment. Should he tell her? Should he reveal his deepest secrets, which he would not even tell to himself? The ones he had actually tried to forget?

…There was no point in locking the world out anymore.

He had to face reality.

"My father," he began, his voice barely there. "He didn't like the world. After my mother passed away shortly after I was born, he realised that the world was not a safe place for those who were weak. He didn't believe children were being taught to survive, so he taught me. First it was just intense combat training, but it soon became much more than that. He would dislocate my arms and force me to lift heavy objects. He would break my feet and make me walk without shoes. He would make me kill helpless woodland creatures, telling me that they would be able to live if they could put up a good fight. They never could." He shook his head slowly, grimacing at his own memories. "He wanted me to be merciless, and it worked. It worked too well, in fact."

"You're weak. Fight!"

"I don't want to fight you!"

"Hesitation will be your last mistake in any battle, Zero!"

Zero cried out in pain and shock when his father slashed him across the face using his red sword.

So hard that the damage to his eye changed it from yellow to blue, leaving a large scar down his face.

"He wanted me to become a merciless killer, so I became a merciless killer," Infinite continued.

Zero had put up with this violent lifestyle for long enough. It was all he knew, but if he wanted to find some joy and freedom in life, he knew what had to be done.

He held his father's crimson blade and approached him as he sat cooking some food in the kitchen of the wooden hut they used to live in together.

The moment his father saw him, he frowned.

"What are you doing with my sword?" he asked, although he knew what his son planned on doing. "Give it back to me."

"What did you do?" Tawny questioned, though she sounded a little hesitant, as if she knew what the answer would be but at the same time, she didn't want to hear him say it.

Zero glared hatefully at the older jackal, not appearing intimidated even as his father stepped closer to him. "You want it back?" the adolescent asked quietly. "Then here it is."

With no further warning, Zero thrust the sword forwards in one swift movement.

"I killed him," Infinite revealed in a raspy voice, a hateful frown on his face. "I killed my father when I was just a boy. I at least thought I would cry or tremble after doing what I did. I thought I would become normal, like the other children I would sometimes see holding their father's hand, but I felt exactly the same. I was bitter. I was hateful. And most of all… I was numb to emotional and physical pain." Infinite met Tawny's horrified eyes. "I never did have a childhood. So, if I don't treat children how they're "supposed" to be treated, then think back to this conversation and my confession."

Infinite turned his head away as Tawny continued to stare at him. She may have grown up mostly alone, but isolation was better than living within range of danger. Infinite would've preferred to grow up as a lonely orphan rather than a child being constantly beaten until he could no longer feel.

A monster. He must have always been a monster. He didn't become a terror when he chose to hide his face behind that mask, he was a terror long before then. He was raised in a world of hate and violence, and that was all he ever knew.

Until now.

He had been rescued by Tawny and brought to the city. He had helped her do her little tasks by helping survivors, and he even risked his own life to save a child – a child most likely orphaned by his recent past actions. Tawny had also saved him when Eggman turned against him, and she had tended to his wounded leg. She had housed him and tried to comfort him when she thought he was vulnerable, and she had spent time with him by choice outside of her self-appointed duties. And, on top of all of this, Infinite almost got himself killed when protecting her in return for everything she had done for him.

He… really did care about her like he cared about his squad mates.

She was his friend.

Then, at that very moment as he lay in silence, he felt something touch his gloved hand. His ears perked up and he turned his head, and saw that Tawny had placed her hand on top of his. She was even… smiling at him. Not a smug smile, either, or a playful one, but instead it was a warm one.

"Hey," she said softly, squeezing his hand in a reassuring manner. "Don't look so ashamed of yourself. I don't think you're evil or anything." The hybrid glanced to the side, still smiling to herself. "I'm… actually kinda flattered you told me that. Not long ago you didn't look like you wanted to talk to anyone about anything, but now you've… well, you've opened up. That's always a good thing, right?"

He had opened up? Really? Is that what he just did?

…Not enough, clearly. If he truly opened up, then she would know who he really was.

…He was afraid to tell her that now, and he couldn't think of a good time to tell her the truth. Surely, she would hate him if she discovered that he was Infinite.

"…I've said enough," Infinite mumbled. "I believe you owe me an explanation yourself."

"Sure, anything," Tawny shrugged. "I don't hide much."

"Who was Mercury?" Infinite decided to ask. He could see that Tawny looked a little more uncomfortable, but she quickly relaxed herself.

"Isn't it obvious?" the coyote-jackal responded. "Mercury was the guy who got on my good side and made me see things differently. I didn't think I'd ever feel it, but I guess I really was in love with the guy. We'd track down targets and treasure together, and we even used to live together. But one day, he said he had joined a band of mercenaries. After that happened, we just went our separate ways. Apparently, I was a target his group was after, and he swore to kill me if he ever saw me again."

"Is that everything?" Infinite asked. He wasn't entirely convinced that Mercury and her just split up so easily. Plus, the name of her former partner was familiar to him. He wanted to find out a little more.

"Okay, you're good," Tawny pouted. "Fine, so there might've been an incident where he actually did capture me. He was about to hand me over to Wolf Squad, but I was able to get away. He wasn't hesitating to hurt me at all… The Mercury I knew was gone." The female shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not really that bothered by it anymore. It was a little shocking at the time, but I got over it. I think he was killed at some point, anyway."

Mercury. The name was definitely one Infinite knew. The only individual of the same name he knew of was Mercury the Silver Fox – a member of Fox Squad.

Oh boy, Tawny wouldn't want to know about Fox Squad if the Mercury she was formerly partnered with joined that team…

Tawny gave Infinite's hand one final squeeze before letting go. "You should probably get some rest," she advised. "I was really scared about losing you today, Zero. And you really do deserve a good rest, anyway." She stood up and ruffled the hair on his head, much to his annoyance, but he somewhat appreciated the fact that she was letting him rest. He still felt tired and his injury had definitely taken a lot of energy out of him.

The hybrid then made her leave, leaving Infinite all on his own.

…And it felt weird.

He liked being alone in isolated spaces, but being alone in this hospital was different. There were other people here, but they weren't people he trusted. They were strangers to him.

No. They were his enemies.

These soldiers would've killed him if they were strong enough. Even the wounded civilians and children would have tried to kill him if they had the chance.

It was… scary.

He didn't want to be here for too long just in case his identity was discovered, but at the same time he figured that nobody would recognise him – not if Sonic himself saw him as just another animal living in the area.

Keeping awake would be boring and awkward, so Infinite decided to let his tiredness consume him.

Hopefully he could sleep through the entire recovery process.

~End of Chapter~