Chapter 22: Cream of the Crop

He was awoken by a screech.

"Cream! Where did you go?!" Rouge's voice pierced through his earpiece.

He sat up, immediately bumping his head against the rocky ceiling he had made with the emerald the night before. "Ow!" He rubbed his head. Then, it registered. Cream had left Rouge's cave. "No! Cream!" It was way too dangerous out there for her to be by herself.

Sonic took down the earthen walls and looked toward Rouge's cave. He had to find Cream, wherever she wandered. She was the first priority. Before Tails, Amy, or Rouge, she would need to be found. But where did she go?

.

Cream had found a burrow to sleep in early morning. She used briars nearby to hide the little entrance she squeezed into. She didn't know what her plan was when she woke up, but she knew she had to leave the cave. She had to find the others. She had to bring them back. Or just be with them.

She was afraid for Tails. He looked so hopeless. He didn't want to hear anything about building anything. He had lost his best friend in Sonic, and now he was all alone.

She worried about Amy. Where had she gone? What was the dream she was trying to find for herself? Sonic was gone, so she needed to know how to live without him.

Rouge would be okay. She didn't really feel like she fit with the group anyway. Better to have less of a burden on her. Cream was determined to do… something.

But for now, she slept.

.

Sonic was feeling better. His speed was back, sort of. It was a good thing, because his strategy was: when in doubt, just keep running. Even though Chaos was still out there, he no longer could care about being seen. He needed to make sure he found Cream before it did. And for that matter, he needed to find all of his friends before it did.

But Cream was first priority.

His heart rose to his throat as he had heard each tearful conversation before they had all separated. He needed to find her. He needed to give her hope. He needed to give them all hope.

.

She woke up to a dark forest. The sky was grey and an overcast cloud was blocking out the sun. Was it Chaos? Was it coming close? She pushed away the briar and looked around. The world seemed full of its usual life. The grass was green, the trees were strong, and the birds were singing.

She clutched the emerald that she had. She wanted so badly to hold onto Cheese. "Cheese… I wish you were here with me…" she whispered.

She started to walk, but she took barely two steps before hearing a crash. She hopped high in the air in fear. She looked around when she landed. The dark clouds had become darker. Soon, raindrops were coming down on her face.

She smiled weakly up at the rain. Maybe it was a renewing rain? Maybe it was here to wash away her fear and sadness and give the day a refreshed hope?

She heard the crash again. This time, she screamed. She was no longer smiling. This wasn't renewing, hopeful rain. This was a terrifying and dangerously close thunderstorm.

.

"A storm!" Sonic perked his ears and listened to the rain and thunder through Cream's communicator. He commanded the earth under his feet with his emerald, shooting up so that he could see far into the distance. He didn't care that he now literally stuck out like a sore thumb. This was his chance to find Cream. He saw darker clouds at one angle than the others. As he kept watching, a bolt of lightning struck down. "That's it!" he told himself.

He jumped down from his summit, then took off in that direction, pushing past the lingering pain from running too far too fast. His rest had certainly helped, at least. He could get there quickly enough, he was certain.

.

The bunny ran back to the burrow, digging a place further and further down. The rain threatened to flood it out, but she wanted to be far from the lightning strikes. She kept tunneling, trying to stop the waters from following her. Soon, she had dug her hands raw, and she sat, shivering and wet, in a raised segment of her tunnel. And she cried.

She wanted to think of good things. That's what she always did when she was scared. She thought about her friends… but they were all gone. Cheese was the first to leave her, though she knew it wasn't his fault. Amy and Tails had left. She had left Rouge. She choked out a larger sob. She shouldn't have left Rouge, should she have? But she was so desperate to find the others. And now, now she was more alone than ever. Why hadn't Rouge come looking for her? Was she really glad after all to be rid of her?

The thought of Knuckles's words flashed through her head just like the lightning above. She had tried to study his face when he said that terrible thing. And it was angry. That was what he looked like all the time. He was always angry… Angry at Sonic… Angry at being annoyed by her.

The tears kept coming.

Then, there was a splash.

She looked up, startled. Something was down here with her. Had Chaos found her?

More splashing.

She slid backwards, but her back was against her tunnel wall. She was trapped. She held her breath and tried to silence her sobs.

"Cream?" a whisper.

Cream didn't dare move or make a sound.

"Cream?"

A flash of lightning, and Cream gasped.

Sonic spoke again, "It's me…"

Cream couldn't believe her eyes. Was it a trick? Was she dreaming? Did she just see what she wished she could when the lightning hit? Was it just a realistic-looking Metal Sonic?

"Cream… it's me… Sonic… I know you guys think I'm dead… but my communicator was broken. But I heard you guys… I heard you… through your communicator… and I heard this storm and followed it…" Another flash of lightning showed his smile.

"M-Mr. Sonic?" She stood up, soaked to the bone, and approached him.

He peered through the darkness and saw her coming. "In the flesh!"

She ran to him, jumping into his arms. "Mr. Sonic! You're alive! You're alive!"

"Yeah." Sonic winced a little but was able to hold her. "What do you say we go tell the others?"

"Yes!" She squeezed him tight, crying into his shoulder.

"It's going to be okay, Cream."

"I know…" she said. If Sonic was alive, everything was definitely going to be okay.