Sympathy
By M. E. Gibbs
Chapter 2
Confusing Me
I've made it out of the...jungle...thing...
Yeah, the jungle.
I've made it to...let's see.
Big place.
Lots of lights.
Even more people.
City.
Yeah, I'm in a city.
Good to know I can remember some things.
....I guess...
It's a little hard to think. I'm hungry. Definitely hungry.
I'm thirsty. Very thirsty.
And I'm tired. Extremely tired. My legs feel like...well, really heavy. They feel like...lead, yeah that was the word. My legs feel like lead. I'm tired. But I have no place to stop. No reason to stop either. If I sit still I'll never get anywhere. I think that's always been my philosophy. Even before I... forgot who I was. You never get anywhere if you sit still...
Oh and I hurt.
A lot.
A whole lot.
I'm sore.
I've got bruises in places I didn't know you could bruise.
And my skin feels all raw. No more fur on it. The wind hits my naked skin with the force of...oh about the force of sledge hammer.
I can't say I'm having a good day.
In fact I could probably say the exact opposite.
But I'm alive.
And that's got to count for something.
At least I think I'm alive.
Oh well.
There's too many people here. I'm having trouble navigating through all of them. People keep brushing up against me as the elbow their way past. It hurts. Makes me feel all my burns and bruises even stronger than before. I've contemplated getting out of the city, but I'm not actively pursuing the goal. I figure the city can't go on forever, so if I keep walking I'll get out of it anyway.
Some people seem to notice me. Some even notice how bruised and battered I'm sure I look. Most don't though. And the few that do notice just look away. Pretend I'm not really there. They vaguely wonder who I am, where I'm going, why I'm bruised before they wander on their way.
Funny thing is, they aren't the only one who'd like the answer to those questions.
I'd like to know where I'm going.
I'd like to know why I'm bruised.
But I'd really like to know who I am.
Because I have this sneaky suspicion that if I had the answer to that question...a lot of other questions would either answer themselves...or at least seem less daunting.
Or I could be wrong.
....
There are so many people. I don't recognize any of them.
Faces.
So many faces.
It's like I'm drifting in a sea of them.
Drowning in a sea of them.
There's the face of a middle aged business man, forlorn and empty, wanting more but stuck with what he's got, too scared to try for more.
There the face of a teenager, his hair up in spikes, nose pierced, trying to look rebellious, but just coming off pathetic.
There the face of a housewife in her forties, overworked and under appreciated, fighting to keep her head up and give her kids a better life than the one she got.
There the face of a hedgehog, bright pink, full of life and longing for more life and...
And she seems to recognize me.
She
Recognizes
Me.
At least I think she does.
Her mouth drops open, the bags she's carrying drop to her side. She stands and stares at me in shock.
I stop and stare back. We stand like that for a while. I begin to get
frustrated. I don't like just standing around. I'm about to start tapping my foot.
Then she's moving. At me. Lunging. Should I move? Before I reach an answer she reaches me. And raps her arms around me in a constricting and rather painful way. I bite back a scream of pain and attempt to wince, though wincing doesn't work well with her wrapped around me.
She seems to be crying. Or at least wailing. Loudly. In my ear. People are looking. Staring.
I'd attack her or at least shake her off except, well...I don't think she MEANS to hurt or embarrass me. She just is. In fact I don't think she realizes that she is either embarrassing or hurting me.
She's stopped wailing, though she hasn't yet released her death grip on me. She is talking though and I had better start listening.
"-and you've been gone so long and we were all so worried and Knuckles thought you'd died or something but I wouldn't believe it and neither would Tails and we didn't know what to do and Eggman's been really annoying and-"
That's basically what she said.
And now it's been about five minutes. And she hasn't stopped talking. And she hasn't let me go either. Time to take action into my own hands, I guess.
"Uh...do you mind...letting go?" I ask.
Her endless torrent of words finally stops. She looks up at me, blushing. She let's go. I take a deep breath of air, rejoicing in the sudden increase of oxygen my lungs are getting.
She takes a deep breath as well. She starts talking, slower this time. "Where have you been?"
Well, I was in the jungle and currently I'm in the city, but I have a feeling that isn't what she meant. So I guess I'll go with the other answer. I shrug. "I don't know."
A short silence. Then "WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T KNOW?!"
I shrug again, but she wasn't actually expecting an answer. "I can't believe you could be so irresponsible, so selfish. We've been worried sick and when you finally find the grace to show up again you won't even tell me where you've been!" She lunged for me suddenly. I take a hasty step back, but she isn't trying to get me in that choke hold of hers again. Instead she just sort of sprawls her self against me, leaning on me. I hold back a whimper. The first time she grabbed me I was too busy trying to keep breathing. This time I'm aware of the fact that she's pressed herself up against my bruised and wounded body. It doesn't feel too good.
"Oh," she moans softly. "I've been so worried about you!" She looks up at me, her jade green eyes bright with hope and fear. "Please tell me you thought about what I said."
There are again many options I could take at this point. I could lie. I could tell the truth. Of course it would help if I knew what was true. I might have been thinking about whatever it was she suggested. Or maybe I haven't. Obviously I haven't been thinking about her proposition lately or else I'd probably remember it. Might as well go for the blatant honest truth once again.
"I don't remember," I tell her.
She takes about three big steps away from me. Stares at me.
"What.
Do.
You.
Mean.
You.
Don't.
Remember?"
I shrug, feeling myself blushing. "What can I say? I can't remember."
"What can't you remember?"
Uh, everything? Instead of answering I just shrug and look away. She takes a step towards me. "Can...Can you remember...me?" she asks, her voice barely audible over the noises of the city.
I look at her. I want to lie, but...I shake my head.
She goes pale. "You don't remember me?"
I shake my head again. Don't remember is don't remember.
"It's me...It's me Amy. Amy Rose."
Amy...Amy Rose...A-M-Y R-O-S-E. Amy Rose.
Nope, not at all familiar.
She watches me as I process her name seeing if it calls up any memories. She watches my expression change. "You don't remember me. You don't remember who I am or...or...or what I...was...to...you."
It's now my turn to watch her expression change. I can't say I like the changes. Her expression goes from confused to heartbroken to thoughtful and then...to sly. There aren't any other words I can think of for the look on her face. As I said, it isn't making me feel any better.
Her expression changes abruptly once more to an incredibly bright cheerfulness. It's a nice expression to see, comforting even as it is also sickeningly sweet. She dashes up to my side and links arms with me and begins to pull me down the street. I glance over my shoulder and notice she's left all her packages lying on the street behind us. I would have mentioned something except she had begun rapidly talking. "Don't worry, I'll get home and tend to your wounds and feed you and you'll see! Every thing will be just fine, Sonic."
Sonic?
Sonic? Is that my name? Could that be the answer to the great and unanswered question of who am I? Sonic? S-O-N-I-C. Sonic.
Yeah sure. Sonic. We'll go with it.
****************************
Author's Note: Sorry Valentina, it isn't Shadow! Hee hee, I can be so evil sometimes...Yes, well, this little chapter was LOOOONG, in case you didn't notice. As in...very long. But yeah anyway! I got it done! Sorry about the lack of editing...I'm afraid my tenses on this one may...vary. Which isn't a good thing, but I'm lazy and I'll edit some other day. Most likely. Third chapter will show up...when it shows up. I'm rather unpredictable when it comes to writing on a specific piece so you'll see the next chapter when you see it! Tell then...Peace out, yo!
By M. E. Gibbs
Chapter 2
Confusing Me
I've made it out of the...jungle...thing...
Yeah, the jungle.
I've made it to...let's see.
Big place.
Lots of lights.
Even more people.
City.
Yeah, I'm in a city.
Good to know I can remember some things.
....I guess...
It's a little hard to think. I'm hungry. Definitely hungry.
I'm thirsty. Very thirsty.
And I'm tired. Extremely tired. My legs feel like...well, really heavy. They feel like...lead, yeah that was the word. My legs feel like lead. I'm tired. But I have no place to stop. No reason to stop either. If I sit still I'll never get anywhere. I think that's always been my philosophy. Even before I... forgot who I was. You never get anywhere if you sit still...
Oh and I hurt.
A lot.
A whole lot.
I'm sore.
I've got bruises in places I didn't know you could bruise.
And my skin feels all raw. No more fur on it. The wind hits my naked skin with the force of...oh about the force of sledge hammer.
I can't say I'm having a good day.
In fact I could probably say the exact opposite.
But I'm alive.
And that's got to count for something.
At least I think I'm alive.
Oh well.
There's too many people here. I'm having trouble navigating through all of them. People keep brushing up against me as the elbow their way past. It hurts. Makes me feel all my burns and bruises even stronger than before. I've contemplated getting out of the city, but I'm not actively pursuing the goal. I figure the city can't go on forever, so if I keep walking I'll get out of it anyway.
Some people seem to notice me. Some even notice how bruised and battered I'm sure I look. Most don't though. And the few that do notice just look away. Pretend I'm not really there. They vaguely wonder who I am, where I'm going, why I'm bruised before they wander on their way.
Funny thing is, they aren't the only one who'd like the answer to those questions.
I'd like to know where I'm going.
I'd like to know why I'm bruised.
But I'd really like to know who I am.
Because I have this sneaky suspicion that if I had the answer to that question...a lot of other questions would either answer themselves...or at least seem less daunting.
Or I could be wrong.
....
There are so many people. I don't recognize any of them.
Faces.
So many faces.
It's like I'm drifting in a sea of them.
Drowning in a sea of them.
There's the face of a middle aged business man, forlorn and empty, wanting more but stuck with what he's got, too scared to try for more.
There the face of a teenager, his hair up in spikes, nose pierced, trying to look rebellious, but just coming off pathetic.
There the face of a housewife in her forties, overworked and under appreciated, fighting to keep her head up and give her kids a better life than the one she got.
There the face of a hedgehog, bright pink, full of life and longing for more life and...
And she seems to recognize me.
She
Recognizes
Me.
At least I think she does.
Her mouth drops open, the bags she's carrying drop to her side. She stands and stares at me in shock.
I stop and stare back. We stand like that for a while. I begin to get
frustrated. I don't like just standing around. I'm about to start tapping my foot.
Then she's moving. At me. Lunging. Should I move? Before I reach an answer she reaches me. And raps her arms around me in a constricting and rather painful way. I bite back a scream of pain and attempt to wince, though wincing doesn't work well with her wrapped around me.
She seems to be crying. Or at least wailing. Loudly. In my ear. People are looking. Staring.
I'd attack her or at least shake her off except, well...I don't think she MEANS to hurt or embarrass me. She just is. In fact I don't think she realizes that she is either embarrassing or hurting me.
She's stopped wailing, though she hasn't yet released her death grip on me. She is talking though and I had better start listening.
"-and you've been gone so long and we were all so worried and Knuckles thought you'd died or something but I wouldn't believe it and neither would Tails and we didn't know what to do and Eggman's been really annoying and-"
That's basically what she said.
And now it's been about five minutes. And she hasn't stopped talking. And she hasn't let me go either. Time to take action into my own hands, I guess.
"Uh...do you mind...letting go?" I ask.
Her endless torrent of words finally stops. She looks up at me, blushing. She let's go. I take a deep breath of air, rejoicing in the sudden increase of oxygen my lungs are getting.
She takes a deep breath as well. She starts talking, slower this time. "Where have you been?"
Well, I was in the jungle and currently I'm in the city, but I have a feeling that isn't what she meant. So I guess I'll go with the other answer. I shrug. "I don't know."
A short silence. Then "WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T KNOW?!"
I shrug again, but she wasn't actually expecting an answer. "I can't believe you could be so irresponsible, so selfish. We've been worried sick and when you finally find the grace to show up again you won't even tell me where you've been!" She lunged for me suddenly. I take a hasty step back, but she isn't trying to get me in that choke hold of hers again. Instead she just sort of sprawls her self against me, leaning on me. I hold back a whimper. The first time she grabbed me I was too busy trying to keep breathing. This time I'm aware of the fact that she's pressed herself up against my bruised and wounded body. It doesn't feel too good.
"Oh," she moans softly. "I've been so worried about you!" She looks up at me, her jade green eyes bright with hope and fear. "Please tell me you thought about what I said."
There are again many options I could take at this point. I could lie. I could tell the truth. Of course it would help if I knew what was true. I might have been thinking about whatever it was she suggested. Or maybe I haven't. Obviously I haven't been thinking about her proposition lately or else I'd probably remember it. Might as well go for the blatant honest truth once again.
"I don't remember," I tell her.
She takes about three big steps away from me. Stares at me.
"What.
Do.
You.
Mean.
You.
Don't.
Remember?"
I shrug, feeling myself blushing. "What can I say? I can't remember."
"What can't you remember?"
Uh, everything? Instead of answering I just shrug and look away. She takes a step towards me. "Can...Can you remember...me?" she asks, her voice barely audible over the noises of the city.
I look at her. I want to lie, but...I shake my head.
She goes pale. "You don't remember me?"
I shake my head again. Don't remember is don't remember.
"It's me...It's me Amy. Amy Rose."
Amy...Amy Rose...A-M-Y R-O-S-E. Amy Rose.
Nope, not at all familiar.
She watches me as I process her name seeing if it calls up any memories. She watches my expression change. "You don't remember me. You don't remember who I am or...or...or what I...was...to...you."
It's now my turn to watch her expression change. I can't say I like the changes. Her expression goes from confused to heartbroken to thoughtful and then...to sly. There aren't any other words I can think of for the look on her face. As I said, it isn't making me feel any better.
Her expression changes abruptly once more to an incredibly bright cheerfulness. It's a nice expression to see, comforting even as it is also sickeningly sweet. She dashes up to my side and links arms with me and begins to pull me down the street. I glance over my shoulder and notice she's left all her packages lying on the street behind us. I would have mentioned something except she had begun rapidly talking. "Don't worry, I'll get home and tend to your wounds and feed you and you'll see! Every thing will be just fine, Sonic."
Sonic?
Sonic? Is that my name? Could that be the answer to the great and unanswered question of who am I? Sonic? S-O-N-I-C. Sonic.
Yeah sure. Sonic. We'll go with it.
****************************
Author's Note: Sorry Valentina, it isn't Shadow! Hee hee, I can be so evil sometimes...Yes, well, this little chapter was LOOOONG, in case you didn't notice. As in...very long. But yeah anyway! I got it done! Sorry about the lack of editing...I'm afraid my tenses on this one may...vary. Which isn't a good thing, but I'm lazy and I'll edit some other day. Most likely. Third chapter will show up...when it shows up. I'm rather unpredictable when it comes to writing on a specific piece so you'll see the next chapter when you see it! Tell then...Peace out, yo!
