~Chapter Fourteen: Till I See You Again~

The Olympics were going better than hoped. Each team did their best in every single event they competed in, and it was quite obvious that everyone - even Shadow - was having a lot of fun. Gold medals were won on each side, as well as silver and bronze.

But nobody won more gold medals than Mario and Sonic.

If it wasn't obvious that the two were long-time rivals before, it was certainly obvious now. Every single time the two of them faced off in an event together it would end with both of them in the lead by a long shot, refusing to let the other one win. Of course it was all in good fun though, as evidenced when they clasped hands at the end of their events, words of praise being exchanged instead of words of scathing hatred. And it wasn't just Mario and Sonic who were getting along with each other either; Tails and Luigi had developed a strong brotherly-like bond, while Amy and Peach acted as if they were long-lost pals. Blaze and Daisy weren't quite as close as the other girls were, but the beginnings of a friendship were still there.

What was most concerning though, was how well Bowser and Eggman were getting along. And even though Mario and Sonic were pretty sure they wouldn't try any funny business, they kept a watchful eye on them, just in case.

Of course the Olympics couldn't go on forever though; even though both teams were having a great time competing and making friends with each other, the sad reality hit when the final event was over and done with, Peach wandering away with a gold medal in archery. A heavy silence hung over the stadium as they realized that tomorrow was the closing ceremonies, and the day after that they'd have to leave for their homeworlds.

"Y'know, I kinda got used to having you as a roommate," Sonic commented, reaching under his bed for his bags. He needed to start packing now, or else it was never going to get done.

"Same here," Mario agreed. "Even if you do snore too loudly and take forever in the bathroom."

"Oh, shut up!"

"Is that how you talk to the person who won more gold medals than you?" Mario questioned slyly.

Sonic stiffened for a moment, before calmly turning to Mario. "I still beat you in all the track an' field events."

"Well I beat you in every event that involved water."

Sonic desperately tried to come back with a snarky comment, but kept stuttering; his mind drawing a blank. To Mario, he kind of sounded like a dying motor on a boat.

"Dang it, you win." Sonic muttered.

Mario grinned, then watched as Sonic carefully stuffed his keepsakes in his quills. He momentarily wondered how they didn't fall out, before noticing Sonic was holding onto the coin he'd given him, an unreadable expression on his face.

"Kinda unfair how we're the only one's who'll be able to stay in contact with each other, huh?" Sonic lamented, twirling the coin between his fingers. Mario nodded, picking up Sonic's ring and staring at it.

"Sure is, especially since Luigi and Tails are such close friends. I've never seen Luigi be so open with someone other than me or Daisy before."

"Well, I mean you live with Luigi... and I'm usually with Tails, so it won't be too difficult for them to stay in contact," sighing, Sonic continued, "But everyone else is outta luck... I feel kinda bad."

"Sì."

Silence fell over them as they tried not to think about how heartbroken their friends would be over having to say goodbye. Suddenly Sonic snapped his fingers, an idea forming in his head.

"Well, what about if we schedule meet-ups; we all decide on a day and time, gather everyone up and contact each other? Would that work?"

Mario pondered on the idea for a while, then nodded. "That's actually a good idea," he mumbled. "I really wish I'd thought of that."

"Eh, we can't all be geniuses like me," Sonic gloated. Mario's face went blank; he slowly turned to face Sonic, blinking several times much to the hedgehog's chagrin.

"You keep telling yourself that." Mario teased, a small smile on his face. Sonic stuck out his tongue rather childishly, returning to his packing.

"In all honesty though," Sonic continued. "This probably isn't the last time we'll see each other. Tails can probably modify his own transporter - that's how we got Blaze here after all."

"Hmmm... I wonder if Professor E. Gadd could possibly help us out on our end..."

Another bout of silence ensued, though not an uncomfortable one. Finally Sonic zipped up his bags, looking pleased with himself.

"Well, that's one thing I don't need to worry about!" he exclaimed, flopping down on his bed. "So, it's still early, what do you wanna do? We can always try looking for your parents again."

"Sonic," Mario began, looking downcast. "I think that's a lost cause. We looked for how many hours that one day, and nothing. And even of we did find something, it's too late. We leave in a day and a half."

Sonic bit his tongue to hold back the argument he felt building. Why was Mario being so stubborn about this? Yes, it was a little discouraging, but that didn't mean it was impossible! It wasn't until he looked at Mario again did his words die on his tongue.

Mario had brought his knees to his chest, looking like he wanted to cry. Worried, Sonic sat down next to him and wrapped an arm around him. To Sonic's surprise, Mario rested his head on the hedgehog's shoulder. "...I'm really going to miss you." he whispered, to which Sonic silently nodded.

"...I'm gonna miss you too buddy. I'm gonna miss you too."

/~/

"Okay, the teleporter for the Mushroom Kingdom is ready to go!" Sandra called from behind her computer screen. Mario turned to Sonic, a small, sad smile on his face.

"Looks like it's time for us to say goodbye..."

Sonic sighed, running a hand through his quills. "Yeah, guess so..."

Around them, their friends were saying goodbye to each other, Tails thanking Luigi for letting him see how his Poltergust worked, Amy telling Peach how much she was going to miss her company, even Knuckles and Wario were sad to say goodbye.

Taking a deep breath, Mario held out his hand, and Sonic chuckled before clasping it in his.

"It was nice getting to know you better Sonic. May we meet again."

Sonic's mouth twitched upwards into a smile. "We will," he confirmed. "It's not like the story is just gonna end here!"

Mario frowned, confusion in his eyes. "Story...?" he questioned.

"Oh, nothin'," Sonic dismissed. "It's nothin', don't worry 'bout it."

Slowly, the two broke apart, Mario and his friends heading into the teleporter. Sandra closed the door, tapped a few keys on her computer, and a whir came from the device; a blinding light enveloping the whole thing. Just before they were teleported back to the Mushroom Kingdom, Mario gave Sonic a thumbs-up, Sonic returning the gesture.

And just like that, they were gone.

"Bye..." Tails whispered from next to Sonic, and Sonic looked down to see Tails wiping away a few tears.

"Aw, cheer up buddy! It's not like we're never gonna see 'em again."

"I know," Tails murmured sadly. "It doesn't make me feel any better though."

"Okay guys! Your teleporter is ready!" Sandra informed. Ruffling his little brothers bangs, they stepped into the teleporter, their friends following as the doors closed and the very familiar whir started up again.

As soon as Team Sonic were safely back in their homeworld, Sandra let out a sigh of relief and leaned back in her chair, thankful it was all over and done with.

"Well Master Hand, mission accomplished." she mumbled to no one in particular.

Replies

4evralone: I hope they get to see their parents again too. It would suck if they never got to after all this time. Don't worry though, they are making another appearance in this fic. Whether it's a good or bad appearance though... I guess you'll just have to keep reading to find out. ;)