The sun was beginning to set. I was still on the bench, waiting for Ruby. I knew logically, she had to be in the same time period as me. Once she let go, it stopped the process of traveling through time. But location was affected by the sudden release. But I was attempting to dissuade myself that Ruby was flung all the way to Chun-nan. I was hungry, tired, and my ass was cramping from sitting too long.
"Man, I wish I didn't lose my grip! I haven't seen Ruby all day! I hope she's okay." I said to myself.
I looked over to where Sonic and Amy were. They were still hanging out in Station Square. It's hard to believe that these two were going to be my parents someday. They seem… so different compared to my parents in the future! In the future, they were disciplined, stern, and careful. But now, they're carefree, happy, and a bit irresponsible. I mean, in a good way! As the night began to creep in, I felt the air grow cool. I could almost see my breath, ever so faintly.
"Man, that was… actually pretty fun." Sonic said, walking besides Amy.
"See? I told you a date wouldn't hurt you!" Amy responded.
As they walked over, they noticed that I haven't moved from my spot. I was adamant in waiting for Ruby here! We agreed to meet here, and goddamn it, I wasn't going to budge! No way, no how!
"Sheesh, John. Did you not move all day?" Sonic asked.
"Not since I sat down." I responded.
Amy and Sonic looked at each other, faces of slight concern greeted each other.
"You know, if you need to, I have an apartment nearby. You could sleep in the living room tonight and we could go looking for her tomorrow." Amy suggested.
It was a tempting offer. But knowing Ruby, she may be traveling at night! I mean, she's part bat! Yeah, that has to be it! Right?
"I can't leave! If I do, I might miss her! I'm sorry, but I'm just gonna have to camp out here tonight." I responded.
Amy blinked, not really knowing how to fix the situation. Sonic shrugged, indicating he didn't know what to do either. It wasn't too long until they left. I was left alone, in the dark, waiting. Not resisting the urge to do so, I lied down on the bench, attempting to sleep while I was waiting. I covered myself with my cloak, acting as a rudimentary blanket. I closed my eyes, the faint sounds of the city at night putting me to sleep. But as sudden as I was asleep, a loud shriek woke me up! I bolted up, seeing that it was much later into the night. I fasted the cloak on me and got up off the bench, surveying my surroundings. No one was around. Suddenly, another scream echoed, coming from west.
"All right, a quick check and I'll go back to waiting." I told myself, running towards the direction of the screaming.
I ran further into the city, dark alleys and old, neon signs greeted me. I could tell I was traveling into the run-down areas. I slowed myself to a stop, looking around to where the scream could have come from. As I did so, I could hear faint laughing. But this wasn't the kind of laughter you would hear after a good joke, but it was more… nefarious. I made my way to the alley where the laughter was coming from, stopping before I could enter the alley. I silently peeked around the corner, seeing two, large human males standing over a human female. She was on the ground, injured. Her clothing was torn around the seams, as if she had struggled with these two!
"Come on, babe! A little 'party' won't kill ya!" The thug on the right said, hearing him talk through a smirk.
"Yeah! Don't leave us hanging!" The thug on the left said, cracking his knuckles.
The woman didn't speak, but I knew she wouldn't do what they wanted her to do. I walked into the alley; my footsteps being noticed by the thugs. They turned around, surprised to see me there.
"Hey, runt! Leave us alone! We've got business!" The thug on the right said.
"Yeah! Business!" The thug on the left said, repeating his partner.
I shook my head, slowly walking towards them.
"I've killed elk bigger than you two with my bare hands! And I don't give up easily!" I told them, continuing to walk towards theme.
I could tell by the looks on their faces, they didn't believe what I told them. They charged towards me, ready to tear me a new one! Reacting quickly, I leaped above them, landing a few feet behind them. They turned around, seeing me there. I smirked at them, letting them know I wasn't going to make it easy for them. This time, instead of charging at me, they reached into their jackets and pulled out 9mm pistols. They pointed the guns at me, ready to turn me into swiss cheese! While I could just jump over them again, it would create the possibility of the woman behind me getting shot! I allowed them to shoot. The bullets whizzed towards me, red! But as they came towards me, I could see them beginning to slow. I moved my right arm towards them, deflecting the bullets as they came! This continued until they emptied their magazines. They stood there, shocked that I was still standing! I reached for my axe, grabbing it by the handle. I pulled it out, showing them, I meant business. As they went to reload, I threw the axe at one of their pistols, cutting it in half as it soared past them. The thug on the right continued reloading, finally snapping the clip into place! He pointed the gun at me, believing I was out of options.
"Alright, hedgehog! I'm through with you! Let's see how cocky you are with a hole in your head!" He said, cocking the gun.
"Oh, you've got me. I'm clearly outmatched by your wit." I calmly said, discreetly opening my hand by my side.
"Yeah! That's right! We're smarter! You brought an axe to a gun fight!" He said, aiming for my head.
"Of course, you didn't realize something." I said, feeling the axe coming.
"What's that?" He asked.
"You've never realized I was talking to buy time!" I said, extending my arm.
The axe soared past him, knocking the gun out of his hand as it came towards mine! I grabbed the handle of the axe, getting ready to attack! The two thugs, while still not fully realizing who they were up against, knew that their attack wasn't worth it!
"Shit! Run, Francis! Leave the bitch! If the boss wants her, he can get her himself!" The thug on the right exclaimed, running from the alley!
Francis stood there, still shocked from what happened. I smirked, knowing this battle was finished.
"Boo." I said, causing Francis to begin peeling out of the alley towards where the other thug went running.
Putting the axe back on my belt, I turned towards the woman, who was getting up from off the ground.
"You alright, miss?" I asked.
She nodded, a blank expression on her face. She didn't speak. Noticing the thugs didn't grab the intact gun, I walked over and picked it up. I walked back over to the woman, who was reclaiming her purse from near the wall.
"Here! If those two knuckleheads come back, this may be enough for you to keep them away!" I told her, giving her the gun.
She took it from my hand, looking at it. After she rotated it a few times in her hand, she clicked the safety on and tucked it into her purse. I began to walk from the alley back to Station Square. I took my time getting back. I knew, somewhere, that Ruby wasn't going to be at the fountain, waiting for me, tonight.
But as I finally saw the fountain, I could faintly see someone at the fountain. It was a silhouette, but this silhouette had bat wings! Believing the figure to be Ruby, I picked up my pace, making sure I wouldn't just charge into her. But as I stepped past the ring of benches that surrounded the fountain, I got a closer look. Standing there was not Ruby, but Rouge! Hearing my footsteps, she quickly turned around! She looked ready to fight! I stepped closer, getting myself into the fountain's lights. Upon seeing me, she visibly relaxed.
"Gave me a bit of a scare. I've been looking for you." She calmly said.
I looked around, making sure she was only talking to me.
"Me? You've been looking for me?" I asked, confused.
She nodded, walking a bit closer. I reacted by stepping back, slowly shifting my hand to my belt. My arm was hidden under my cloak, so I assume she didn't see me reach for my weapon. And no, I wasn't going to actually attack her! I would've shifted it to the hammer instead of the axe!
"I'm not going to attack you! A mutual friend of ours has been looking for you all day!" Rouge explained.
"Who?" I asked, not taking my hand off of the handle.
"Does the name, 'Ruby', strike you as familiar?" She asked.
I suddenly felt my heart speed up.
"Where is she?" I asked, letting go of the handle.
"She's at my apartment. She was going to go out to find you, but I thought I would be able to find you faster." Rouge explained.
I nodded, straightening myself out.
"Please, take me to her." I requested.
30 minutes later…
We were walking on one of the sidewalks, a steady flow of vehicles passing us. Even at night, the city was still alive! Soon enough, Rouge stopped me at an apartment complex. Compared to the other complexes we passed; this one was for people who could make a bit more money. We walked in, a tall, thin man greeting us. He was wearing a uniform, identifying him as an employee for the apartment.
"Good evening, Miss Rouge! How was your walk?" He asked, revealing he knew her.
"Just fine, Carlos. This is John, by the way. He's going to be staying the night tonight." Rouge explained.
Carlos nodded, as if he heard this before. He walked back to the front desk, going through paperwork and files. Rouge led me to an elevator, which was vacant. After a trip to the 14th floor, we walked down the corridor to her apartment, stopping at her door.
"Ruby's behind this door?" I asked.
Rouge nodded.
"Did she say anything about where we're from or anything like that?" I asked.
Rouge paused for a moment, but she shook her head. Taking a deep breath, I grabbed the doorknob and turned it, pushing the door inward. We walked in, greeted by a decorated interior. Gold, gems, and other precious artifacts greeted us! Now, I had an idea about how Rouge pays for an apartment like this. As I walked in, I saw Ruby laying on the couch, asleep. I felt a great sense of relief! She was here! She was safe! She wasn't halfway across the Earth!
"Ruby!" I whispered, walking closer to her.
I knelt down beside her, hearing her breath. I closed my eyes and smiled, truly knowing she was alright! Carefully, I pushed her dreadlocks from her forehead and gave her a quick kiss. She faintly reacted, but she was still in a deep sleep. I stood up, still looking over her. I turned around, seeing Rouge grinning.
"Well, I guess I don't have to guess you have a thing for her." She said, as if teasing me.
Too bad for her, teasing never really got under my skin. Threats, insults, and general rudeness… that'll do it.
"She's my girlfriend. I began to think I lost her when I couldn't find her. Thank you, Rouge. You gave me a sense of comfort I will never take for granted." I said, grateful for her kindness.
Her grin disappeared and was soon taken over by a look of sincerity. As if she had never really been thanked before so sincerely.
"Well… it was nothing! I saw her around the city this morning, looking for someone. But what really grabbed my attention was how she looked. I had never seen a hybrid like her before! And never one that's part echidna!" Rouge explained.
I could feel that we were headed into unexplored territory here. She would probably figure it out, but I want to try to keep things as intact as possible!
"Are there more like her?" Rouge asked.
I didn't quite know how to answer.
"More like her how?" I asked.
"Part echidna." Rouge said.
I shook my head.
"She's the last, same as her father." I said.
Suddenly, I felt my heart quicken! I just fucking revealed part of the future! I didn't mean to do it! I looked at Rouge, her face going from curiosity to one of realization.
"Wait a minute… her clothes, her wings, her… Oh my God!" Rouge exclaimed, realizing what this was inferring.
"Well, we're screwed." I thought to myself.