Sunrise. It was truly beautiful. The sky delicately painted in faded, pastel colours that grew brighter each passing second. The stars above fading into the sky, being consumed by a light brighter than their own. The sun itself was slowly rising, its bright light spilling into the sky. A calm breeze gently pushed by, the deafening silence covered the grassy field. The nearby ocean waters were calm, and the view from atop the cliff was breath-taking.
Maybe that's why Sonic was out here.
Usually it was. Usually, it was the only reason. The sole reason. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case this time. He didn't know what to do what to think. He had nothing but 'I'm sorry'.
He leaned against the silver metal railing near the cliffside, observing the view the events of the previous night replaying in his head over and over like a toy train with no end in sight. He sighed. He hated it. He was never one for looking back, overthinking. But this…it was just stuck. Stuck in his head. Never leaving, never disappearing.
Last night there was a small party of sorts. Eggman was finally behind bars. However, the fight that had led up to said arrest was brutal. Tails was hospitalised after his plane crashed – if it weren't for Alexa, the eleven-year-old fox would've died. Amy was nearly killed, and Alexa…well, she suffered a power breakage and would not recover for at least a couple of months. And it was his fault. His recklessness caused it. His dark form was the reason that Eggman was defeated but it didn't stop there. He lost control.
The party was Amy's idea, it was supposed to take the edge off but instead a fight ensued. Shadow may have had a broken arm but that didn't stop the pair from having a full-on brawl in the house. Knuckles and Silver tried to split them up, but it was only when Alexa had screamed over the pair (and accidently set fire to the curtains due to the stress) did they stop. Sonic had stormed out shortly after, ignoring Alexa and Rouge's pleas to stay. He ran off into the night to cool off and that was how he ended up here.
He sighed again. Shadow was right. More so than he realised. And he hated it.
It hurt. He knew it did. That's why he was here. Isolated. Nothing but the sea, sky and nature to keep him company. His thoughts spiralling out of control. He was angry, sad, frustrated and he couldn't process it. It was sickening.
"There you are!"
Sonic felt a chill in the air, as the voice cut through the silence. He turned to see Alexa standing behind him, snow in her hair and out of breath. She ran up to him and hugged him gently, catching Sonic by surprise. He returned the favour, feeling the cold radiate from Alexa.
"Oh! Sorry!" she said quickly, "I forgot. I'm probably pretty cold to touch, aren't I?"
"A little bit." He said meekly, letting go.
He briefly sighed again, refusing to meet Alexa's gaze. Alexa gently held Sonic's hand, with a worried look across her face.
"Are you okay?" She asked.
"I'm fine."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
Right. She can see through his deception. He was able to see through hers after all. But did he want to talk about it? Vulnerability wasn't something that he was known for. Alexa took a few steps forward, hesitating before placing her hands on the railing. Once she had, ice immediately formed on the railing, just around where her hands were. She sighed as the couple let the silence hang in the air, watching the sun rise.
Sonic glanced at the glistening blue ice that sat undisturbed on the railing, sparkling in the gentle sunlight. She hadn't forced an answer from him, nor an explanation. She looked exhausted, and the snow in her hair implied that she was either scared or upset at some point.
"How did you find me?" he asked.
"I searched everywhere for you," she replied, "I left the party a few minutes after you."
"You spent all night looking for me?"
"Yes. I just wanted to check up on you. I was worried after you stormed off last night."
"Yeah, I suppose…" he trailed off.
Alexa didn't push the matter further. Sonic was trying to process what she had said, and where he should begin.
"I'm sorry." He blurted out.
"For what?" she asked genuinely.
"Everything."
"You don't have to apologise for anything." Alexa explained clearly, "what happened last night…what happened yesterday…wasn't your fault."
"How could it not be?" he replied frustrated, "I nearly killed Eggman, nearly got Amy killed and, I mean look at you and Tails! He's in the hospital! And your powers…they're…"
He trailed off, his head hung low. Alexa moved closer to him and Sonic could feel her icy cold hand land on his shoulder.
"Broken, I know." Alexa said calmly, "But that wasn't your fault. I pushed myself over my limits, well aware of the consequences—"
"Fighting me." Sonic said, "Your powers broke…fighting me."
"So? I'll live." Alexa dismissed, "Tails will be okay and everyone will recover. You can't be blamed for our injuries."
"Shadow has a broken arm because of me." Sonic lamented, "I nearly killed him, and he certainly seems to think it's my fault."
"He'll get over it." Alexa explained, "Shadow is a sore loser, and you kicking his ass has bruised his ego. That's why he was so aggressive last night. It doesn't excuse what he did, but there was a reason for it."
"I get it." Sonic replied, "but he was right. I'm a threat to all of you. All I ever do is hurt those around me, including you."
"You haven't." Alexa replied, holding Sonic's hand, "one mistake. That's all it was. And nobody died. Eggman is locked up. It doesn't matter what anyone thinks, they can't argue with the result. And besides, all this means that there's more time for new adventures, right?"
"Right." Sonic smiled, "I guess your right. I can't argue with those puppy dog eyes of yours."
"Aha! I knew you couldn't resist!" Alexa laughed, "Hey, do you want to go get breakfast? Running around all night has made me a bit hungry."
"Same here." Sonic replied, "Hey, do you think that everyone's worried about us?"
"Maybe? But they'll have to wait." Alexa smiled as Sonic held her hand, "Right now, we've got some food to eat and some quality time to spend."
"Thanks Alexa. For everything."
