This chapter is based loosely on the song "Superman" by Five for Fighting. I grew up with this song and listening to it last night inspired me. Enjoy!

As much as Sonic loved the rush of a free fall, he didn't think he could stand the thought of truly flying. Optimistic though he was at times, he wasn't naive enough to think that he could handle such a power. In all honesty, he was pretty sure he would kill himself if he attempted such a thing, even if he did, by some miracle, have the ability to fly.

He wasn't quite sure why these adventurous moments always seemed to turn into pointless soul-searching. He knew who he was, inside and out. It was other people who were mixed up. Few really knew who he was anymore. Many dismissed his name as mere myth or legend. "Sonic" was a hero who had once defeated a tyrant and helped restore civilization in the aftermath of what was known as the Great Cataclysm. That was all he was anymore. And yet, he was more than that. He knew it was true, even if they didn't. He was a hero, yes. However, he was also kid. He was a runner, a reader, an engineer, a pilot, a friend, an ally, a best man, a fighter, a thrill-seeker, a rescuer, an explorer, an adventurer, a defender... He was so much more than just the name people mentioned once in a while when reciting the old stories from nearly a hundred years ago. And yet they would never know it. They had a misconception about him, that that young hero was all he was, all he had ever been, and all he would ever be. He almost hated being him sometimes. Correcting them would be tiresome, but leaving them be was going to drive him insane.

His fall ended abruptly when he caught himself hard on an almost impossibly thick tree branch attached to a very old tree. This tree was one of the ones he remembered from back in the Dark Days, the two years immediately following the Cataclysm. Back then there had been little if any sunlight and, while life was beginning anew in the darkness, food had been relatively scarce. During such times, it occasionally became too much. Sometimes he had needed to escape, go somewhere else to be alone to deal with his feelings. Yes, he remembered this tree well. He swung himself up so that he was standing on the branch before jumping nimbly down in a series of short hops using the lower branches almost like stairs. Once his feet were on solid ground, he began to run.

Sometimes, during those terrible days of long ago, he had wished that he could cry. It was a natural outlet for one's emotions that he hadn't possessed in a long time back then, and even more so now. He hadn't cried in god knew how long. Because of it, he'd had to try to find other ways to deal with his feelings. Thinking, punching trees, running, jumping off cliffs and letting himself fall... None of it had really helped and, no matter what he said, he could never really find a way to convince people that he was okay. Merry, Buck, Rosaline, Talbot, Chelsea, Mark, Antoine... they had all worried about him, but he hadn't wanted them to. He would much rather have them worry about each other than him. He didn't like being taken care of. Taking care of others, however, was something he never had a problem with doing. They weren't the only ones to ever care, he knew. Locke had once as well. He had even gone so far as to call Sonic his kid. That meant more than the world to the young hedgehog and he smiled softly to himself. He hoped they were all sleeping soundly tonight, whether it was in bed or in the sky. He just hoped they were at peace. He almost felt silly for thinking such things, but he allowed the thought to slip by without acknowledgement. It wasn't silly, wishing his friends peace, he decided.

His feet sped up until he was racing through the woods as fast as he could go. Taking the shortest route possible, he ran back up the side of the mountain whose peak he had jumped off of not terribly long before. A shrill scream caused him to wince, his ears flattening against his head momentarily, but it also gave away the location of the one he was chasing. He rushed forward and jumped off a steep ledge without a moment's hesitation. He shot downward like an arrow and, seconds later, snatched up a small body in his arms. In a series of quick, yet careful movements, he managed to land safely back on the loose rocks that covered much of the mountain. It crunched softly under his feet and he placed the child back on his feet as well. The boy sniffled. "T... Thanks..." he mumbled.

Sonic nodded. "You okay?"

Wide blue eyes met his in dismay. "I-I think so."

"Were are your parents?"

"I... They're at home. I... kind of... ran away."

Sonic snorted almost derisively. "That was stupid." The boy looked utterly scandalized, so Sonic gentled his tone somewhat. "You're parents are there to take care of you. They love you and would do anything for you. Why would you run away?"

The boy shrugged, looking down in shame. "I don't know."

"Yes you do."

"I was mad, I guess."

"That's not a good reason." This kid had what Sonic had never had, real, actual parents, and yet he was willing to throw it away because h got mad. Sonic almost hated it. He huffed at the boy's expression. "It ain't my place to punish you or anything, but listen here. Running away is a bad thing. You almost killed yourself just now." He knelt to catch the child's skittish gaze and asked softly, "What if I hadn't been here? What do you think would have happened if you had really been alone when you fell?"

Just like that, the boy's countenance faded and he dissolved into tears. He threw himself into Sonic arms, sobbing loudly. "I'm sorry!" he wailed. "I'm so-orry!"

Sonic did his best to soothe the distraught child, but he didn't really know what to say. He was still uncomfortable around people, especially when they were crying. I'm just an ordinary kid... mostly. Why do I always have to deal with this? People thought that there was something special about him that made him able to care for others so deeply it almost hurt, but really, he was just winging it most of the time. It wasn't like there was anyone to teach his about this stuff. Finally, he cleared his throat a bit, uncomfortably, and pulled back a little. "Where do you live? I'm taking you home."

The boy hiccuped an address and he nodded, picking the boy up piggy-back style and running to the nearby town. He was surprised the kid had gotten so far. The town was over three miles away. Of course, to Sonic the Hedgehog, those three miles were nothing. They reached the village in minutes. It would have been faster without the passenger; then he would have been able to go top speed without worrying. He began running through the streets. The parents were probably hysterical. Soon they found themselves at the orange front door of a small house near the center of town. He carefully set the kid down and, holding his hand, knocked twice on the door. A cautious man answered. "Yes?"

Sonic jerked his head to the kid. "He yours?"

The man gasped and a strained cry escaped the woman standing behind him. Together they rushed out to smother the child. Their love was obvious, and Sonic was glad he hadn't been wrong in the assumption that they cared deeply for the boy. The man looked up, at him a few moments later almost as though he had forgotten Sonic existed. Which was fine, by Sonic's book. "Who are you?"

"Doesn't matter." Just a guy in red shoes.

"How can we ever thank you?" The woman asked, tears of relief and joy streaming down her cheeks.

You already have. In their actions and feelings, he saw Merry's dream being lived out. She had wanted everyone to love and care for each other, no matter who they were, no matter what happened. It was something she would probably have even been willing to die for, had the situation ever called for it. "Doesn't matter," he replied again. "Just... never stop caring about him." With that, he turned and ran off into the distance.

Posted 03-04-15.