Yeah... almost everybody got the two obvious ones. Well, the pairings in this are Bean/Amy, Bark/OC, and an OC/Cream/Tails triangle.
Disclaimer: see chapter eight.
On with the story!
Chapter 11
Runaways
"Thanks for everything, Eno." Bark the polar bear thanked the cybernetic hedgehog. "And I'm sorry about Ciel and Cream."
"They'll get over it." Eno muttered, sipping at the mug of hot cocoa held in his hands. He, Bark, Bean, and Amy were gathered around the living room's blazing fireplace. Ray and Mighty had been offered a position in the rescue party, but they had turned it down, electing to stay at the base and live with Varahki, Gemini, and the others.
Eno reached under his chair and pulled out three heavy burlap sacks. "Here, you'll need these."
Amy, sitting closest to Eno, grabbed the sacks, took one, and tossed the other two to Bark and Bean. "What's in them?" Bean asked, catching his and inspecting the material.
"Food, water, and matches," Eno answered, "There may not be food or water where you're going, and if you run into cold weather, build a fire with the matches."
"Thanks, Eno." Amy said, "That was very thoughtful of you."
Eno dismissed her complement with a nod. "I also want you to take these." The hedgehog reached under his chair once more and pulled out an array of guns. "Where ever you go, you'll probably run into trouble. My brothers and I don't approve of violence, but if you find yourself in a battle, you shouldn't be empty handed."
Eno passed the guns to Amy. The pink hedgehog selected the smallest one and handed them others down to Bean and Bark. The polar bear took one, a big one, and stuck it in his belt next to the one that GUN had loaned him. Amy stuffed the gun into her sack and stood up. "We should be leaving now. I don't want to have to say good-bye to everyone tomorrow, or I'll regret going with you guys."
"You don't have to come, Amy." Bean reminded her.
"Yes I do." The pink hedgehog answered.
"Very well." Eno stood up and gave Amy a hug good-bye. "I'll miss you."
"I'll miss you too, Eno." Amy said, "Thanks for everything you've ever done for me and my friends. If I don't come back, take good care of them."
"Good-bye!" Bean said, waving to Eno as he followed Amy and Bark out of the base and into the stormy night.
"Good-bye, Bean. Good-bye Bark," Eno muttered, watching the three of them vanish over the edge of the cliff. "Luck be with you." The cybernetic hedgehog turned his back on the abandoned cliff and busied himself with picking up the hot chocolate mugs and putting out the fire. When he was done, he slowly walked back down the hallway, listening to rain pounding against the roof of the base. His mind wandering deep into his thoughts, Eno opened the door to his room and walked inside, slowly shutting it behind him. He couldn't help but wonder if he would ever see Amy, Bark, and Bean again.
At the same moment Eno shut his door, Ciel opened his. Forget what Eno and the others said; he was going with Bark, Bean, and Amy. The black and yellow hedgehog crept down the hallway, muffling his steps in the thick sand that coated the floor. He passed the Chaotix's room and resisted a giggle as he heard Charmy talking in his sleep. Finally he saw the gold lettering that marked Cream's door. Ciel quietly turned the handle and opened the door. It squeaked slightly. He held his breath, hoping no one had heard. After several moments he was convinced it was safe and opened the door the rest of the way. The hedgehog peered inside. Still awake, Cream gave Ciel a wave as he slipped into her room.
"You're sneaking out, aren't you?" She asked her friend.
Ciel nodded. "Are you coming with me?"
Cream held up the small backpack that had been resting besides her on the bed. "You bet."
Ciel grinned and showed her his own backpack. "Awesome, but we need to get food, drink, and matches before we can leave."
The rabbit nodded in agreement and slid off the bed. Knowing Ciel would be planning a midnight runaway, she had not dressed in her pajamas. Instead she was wearing a pair of jeans, a white shirt, and a yellow and orange jacket. Throwing her matching backpack over one shoulder, she followed her hedgehog friend out into the hallway, quietly shutting her bedroom door behind her. The two of them shuffled down the hallway, hurrying to the kitchen before anyone spotted or heard them.
Startled by the sudden noise of a door opening, Ciel and Cream ducked behind the half open kitchen door. The two leaned against the door, tense with anxiety. Ciel could hear the swishing of fabric as someone walked right past the kitchen door. The sound getting quieter, the black and yellow hedgehog risked a peek into the hallway. It was just Varahki, groggy with sleep, stumbling down the hall to the bathroom. The two breathed a sigh of relief.
"Come on," Ciel said, standing to his feet and closing the door. The hedgehog flicked on the lights, revealing the long dining table and the swinging door leading to cupboards of food. He rounded the table and pushed the doors open. Dinner's dishes were still stacked in the sink, and half a cherry pie was sitting on the counter.
"Aw, they had cherry pie for dessert…" Cream observed, "I can't believe I missed it!"
"It's not a big deal," Ciel said. The hedgehog grabbed the saran wrap and covered the top with a sheet of it, forming a make-shift lid. He stuffed the pie into his bag and smiled at Cream, "We'll take it to go!"
The rabbit threw open a cupboard. "Here's some soda." She said, showing Ciel the cans of fizzy soda pop stacked along the shelf. "Should we take some?"
"Sure!" Ciel answered. Cream tossed several cans into her backpack. Meanwhile, Ciel rooted around the other cupboards, throwing all their favorite foods into his backpack. Cookies, candy, peanut butter, and any good crackers they liked were added to the jumble of food.
"I think we have enough food," Cream stated, showing Ciel her loaded backpack. The hedgehog nodded in agreement and grabbed the matches off the counter. He stuffed them into his backpack and slung it over his shoulder.
"Are we ready now?" Cream asked.
"Well, I think we have everything we need." Ciel said, "So yeah I guess we're ready."
"Shouldn't we leave a note?" The rabbit asked, looking for a piece of paper.
Ciel shook his head. "There's no need to. They'll know where we went."
"Oh, okay…" Cream closed her backpack and threw it onto her back. "Let's go then."
With a sigh, Ciel nodded and followed Cream out of the kitchen. "I hope they don't worry about us…" The hedgehog trailed off as he and the rabbit walked out into the rain.
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Vanilla the Rabbit couldn't sleep. Worried about her daughter, she had tossed and turned all night long. Occasionally nodding off to sleep only to be woken by a feeling of guilt for not letting her daughter go with Amy and the others. She laid her head back on the pillow, reassuring herself that what she had done was for the best. Still, the feeling of guilt remained.
Vanilla sighed and slid out of bed. Maybe if she talked to Cream about it she would feel better. The rabbit slipped on her slippers and opened the door. She silently padded down the hallway, sensing that something wasn't quite right, but not sure what was amiss. Dismissing the foolish feeling, Vanilla knocked softly on her daughter's door. No one answered. "She must be asleep," Vanilla thought, quietly opening the door. The rabbit flicked the light switch, and the lamp in the corner clicked on. She gasped in surprise. Cream was gone.
Panicking, Vanilla stumbled down the dark hallway, leaving the door to her daughter's empty bedroom ajar. She frantically knocked on Eno's door, not caring how quiet she was. The cybernetic hedgehog asked the door with a yawn, blinking the sleep from his eyes. "What? What's wrong?" He asked, yawning again.
"Cream is gone!" Vanilla cried.
"What?!" Eno asked loudly. Instantly awake, he felt his blood beginning to boil. "I bet this is all Ciel's doing." He muttered, "Cream would pull something like this."
Awakened by all the commotion, Varahki and Gemini's doors opened, shortly followed by Natalie's, the Chaotix's, and Mighty's. "What's going on out here?" Vector demanded as he, Espio, and Charmy walked out into the hallway.
"Cream is gone!" Vanilla said.
"Ciel, too." Gemini said, exiting his brother's room.
Eno groaned, his suspicions confirmed. A ripple of uneasy conversation spread through the small crowd. "They probably went to join Amy, Bark, and Bean." Eno heard Ray say to Mighty.
"This is ridiculous..." Espio muttered.
"What happened?" Big asked, poking his out of his door.
"Everyone, be quiet!" Eno snapped, instantly commanding the crowd's attention. "Ciel and Cream have run off to join Amy, Bark, and Bean on their mission to rescue Tails." He explained.
"There's food missing from the kitchen," Varahki stated, emerging from the door that lead to the kitchens.
"Why did they have to do this?" Vanilla asked, talking to no one in particular.
"Well, that's how most teenagers behave," Varahki said to her, "Telling them not to do something is only like encouraging them. They do things without thinking first."
"I guess they've decided to go adventuring just like Amy, Bark, and Bean," Ray chuckled.
Varahki shook his head, "No, Ray, not like Amy, Bean, and Bark. They're older. They have experience out in the real world, but Cream and Ciel barely remember what it was like before coming here. They don't know what it's like out there in the real world, and I think they'll have to grow up fast."
Vanilla was alarmed at Varahki's words, "What do you mean?" She asked.
"Well," Varahki began, "Look at the food they took. There was pie, soda, cookies, candy, peanut butter, and crackers missing from the kitchen. No traveler would take that kind of food along. It'll be smashed to peices within an hour's march. Right, Eno?"
The cybernetic hedgehog nodded, "It will. I packed special foods for Amy and the others. Wheat bread, dried fruit, granola, cheese, and lots of water."
Vanilla grasped Eno's arm, "You don't think they'll get into any trouble, do you?" She asked frantically.
Eno patted her on the back, "Don't worry. If they pick up Amy's, Bark's, and Bean's trail, they'll be plenty safe, but they won't get any special treatment. Cream and Ciel will have to learn things the hard way. Now if they don't find them, Dry Lagoon is sticking up in plain view for a distance. Once Ciel gets hungry, he'll probably dash back here. Cream would follow. They won't go too far without food; starvation's a cruel teacher."
Vanilla sniffed and wiped away a tear, "I'd feel better is someone would find them and bring them back before they get lost or hurt."
Eno sighed and looked over at Natalie, "Maybe Vanilla is right. Do you think you could catch up to them, Natalie?"
The black cat nodded solemnly, "I'll give it a try."
"Thank you!" Vanilla said, shaking a disgruntled Natalie's hand.
"Uh.. sure, don't mention it." She muttered, heading through the crowd and out into the rain.
"Good luck!" Eno, Varahki, Gemini, and Vanilla called after her as she vanished over the cliff.
"I hope they'll be safe..." Vanilla whispered.
"Don't worry..." Eno muttered, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, "They will."
Well, there was chapter eleven. I probably won't update till the first or second week of January because of the holidays, and because I have a thirty-five paragraph Biology essay to do.
