Tulip-Jin: Okay, fine. Even though my OTHER fic hasn't gotten any REVIEWS since, well, EVER, I'll put up this one. Serve ya'll right!

Yami Tulip-Jin: Despite the fact that making them read your work is punishment in and of itself, can I ask how long you've been in this genre? I mean, hedgehogs?

TJ: Sonic is cool! He can go really fast! And Shadow is cool, because he's black and has the CUTEST little white furry patch...

Chibi Red Eyes Black Dragon: Rawr raawwwr rrrawwr rawr? Rawr... (I thought you liked him because he has angst. And lived in space...)

TJ: Just icing on the cake, ladies! ROLL IT!

Disclaimer: Guess who DOESN'T own Sega! US!

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I don't like the dark.



And here, it's very, very dark.



Where am I?



The last place I was…



…it was…



…I can't remember.



I can't remember where I was before I came to this dark place.



I can't remember when I came to this dark place.



I can't remember anything!



No, no, I need to calm down.

I must pull myself together.



Besides, I can remember some basic things.



The difference between light and dark, for example.



And when you mix light and dark, you get shadow.

I remember that too.



…What's my name?



Name…my name…let's see…



…Maybe I should just give myself a new name.



…Who knows?

Maybe I hated my name.

Maybe I can give myself a name worth keeping once I remember everything.



Assuming, of course, that I will regain my memories…



I wonder if I was this pessimistic before.



Probably.



…It's bad enough that I have amnesia for some reason, why does it have to be so dark here?

Because I really, REALLY don't like the dark.



I just noticed something.

I don't think I can move.



Nope, can't move at all.



So maybe the reason it's dark is because my eyes are closed.



I hope so.



But that means that I'm actually asleep.



Hibernation, maybe…



Suspended animation?

Why does that seem so familiar to me?

Was I in suspended animation before?



…What if I'm dead?



Is this Hell?

Because it sure isn't Heaven.



I think I'm still alive.



So this is just sleeping.



Or whatever.



Now that it has been established that my eyes are stuck shut, I'm starting to get pretty bored.



Waiting for nameless terrors to spring at you from the shadows is more engrossing then staring at the inside of your eyelids.



Still nothing on the name front.

The problem is that I don't remember words that are regularly used as names.

Very embarrassing.

Probably forgivable, under the circumstances, but still…



Come to think of it, I don't really like light, either.



Bright lights, I mean.



As opposed to absolute darkness.



Something about bright light sends a chill down my spine.

Bright lights…

Bright lights like searchlights…



Bright lights like the kind you find in operating rooms…



I don't know where that last idea came from.



Well, at least I have determined something else about myself.



I don't like the dark and I don't like bright light.

Which leaves me only with…



…Shadows.



Hmm.



I wonder if I'll still have this memory problem when I wake up.



If I wake up.



What if, when I finally DO wake up, I can't remember what I've been able to remember now?



That would just be cruel.



If I could move, I would be knocking on wood right now.



I wonder who told me about knocking on wood?



Did I have a…

…a friend?

Maybe?



Maybe…



Maybe more than one.



I sort of hope so.



That way, when/if I wake up, if they/one/more than one of them sees me, and says hello to me, I'll finally find out what my name is.



The whole 'inventing a new name' thing sure hasn't helped much.



Nope, still no ideas.



I really don't like this crappy memory bit either.



So, we have three things down so far:



I am a pessimist.



I dislike bright lights and very dark places.



I have a short fuse.



Yeah, that'll help.





I wouldn't mind some change or something here, you know.



At least some variation in the darkness, or something.



Something to pass the time by looking at.



…I don't know how long I've been here.



And I have no way of telling time anyway.



…Damn.



Is this just sensory deprivation?



Is that it?



I've gone crazy, right?



Or…



Maybe I'll just wish that I could have gone crazy, after long enough.



Huh?



What the…



I can…



Something is making 'thump' noises.



I can hear something making 'thump' noises!

I can HEAR!

I can't believe it!

So it's not sensory deprivation after all.



Now I have something to do.



I can imagine what could be making 'thump' noises.



And maybe I'll hear other noises as well.



Sure, just hearing things moving around in the shadows around me isn't going to be enough.



But for right now, its fine.



…Everything is fine.



I still wish I could think of a name, though.

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